CHAPTER 174 - FIVE POISONS

It wasn’t just hundreds, but thousands of giant centipedes that Han Wu discovered swarming the labyrinth. More horrifying still, his Wolf Spiders showed him countless bones strewn and trapped amongst the centipedes. The bones belonged to those who had gone missing.

Gold giant centipedes... I’ve never seen them before.

He commanded his spiders to widen the hole, so he could personally enter and annihilate every single centipede. Displaying his formidable strength, he effortlessly annihilated the multitude of Gold centipedes within a mere three hours, obtaining the Platinum Centipede’s Executioner title as a result.

Possessing the title granted him two effects. The first effect set the default affinity of centipedes towards him as Nemesis, and the second rendered him impervious to Intermediate-rank poisons and all weaker venoms, a powerful protection active so long as the title remained equipped.

What kinds of poison fall under this rank, though?

Driven by curiosity, Han Wu deliberately inflicted a small wound upon his forearm and carefully applied a single drop of centipede venom from a fang.The moment the toxin entered his bloodstream, his wound instantly blackened, an unmistakable sign of its toxicity. However, just as quickly, the dark hue faded, and the wound itself seemed to knit shut with astonishing speed, leaving his forearm perfectly intact as if nothing had ever happened.

Han Wu deduced that the centipede’s venom must be of Intermediate rank—his newfound immunity wouldn’t have neutralized it with such remarkable ease otherwise. As he observed the centipedes more intently, his attention was drawn to a set of gates which most likely led directly into the heart of the labyrinth.

The gates, though crafted from solid stone, let out a curious metallic clang when tapped, leaving Han Wu baffled. He paused, marveling at its unique nature before he, without hesitation, brought his Genocider greatsword down to slice it in half.

However, to his surprise, his greatsword—a weapon which had effortlessly cleaved through even the toughest foes in countless battles—bounced off the gates with a clang. He had channeled his entire strength into that single strike, yet it had left nothing more than a faint, insignificant scratch on the doors. This only served to intensify his curiosity about the gates and what lay beyond.

It became clear to Han Wu that creating a hole large enough for himself by cutting through the gates was implausible, given their astonishing thickness. His thoughts instead turned to his Planeswalker title—it gave him the ability to instantly swap locations with anything within his line of sight.

There was no need for him to carve a massive opening. All he needed was a simple glimpse at any object beyond the gate. He willed for his Genocider greatsword to morph into a compact drill. With his strength and energy, the drill hummed to life, its tip biting into the tough material. Despite the gate’s incredible durability, he steadily worked for half an hour until a small opening finally appeared.

Peering through the small hole, Han Wu finally gained a clear view of the chamber beyond the gates, illuminated by flickering torches mounted on its walls. The vast hall was densely packed with what appeared to be tens of thousands of terracotta soldiers. Each soldier was clad in armor, exuding the aura of warriors who had endured countless battles.

However, that wasn’t all. As Han Wu looked further into the chamber, he spotted a colossal pit, spanning at least 10 km sq. From its depths, an endless stream of centipedes, snakes, scorpions, lizards, and toads intermittently crawled out. Looming ominously above the pit was a massive swirling cloud of green miasma.

Peering through the dense, swirling green miasma, Han Wu could just barely discern the faint silhouette of a colossal throne, upon which a figure was seated. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t identify the individual; the considerable distance combined with the thick, green fog rendered the figure indistinct.

“This appears to be a tomb... but why is it swarming with so many venomous creatures? And with the gates completely sealed, what could they possibly be consuming to survive?”

He grappled with numerous questions, but he knew that the only way to uncover the truth was to personally explore the tomb’s depths.

Through the narrow hole, he focused his vision on one of the terracotta soldiers closest to him. With a clap of his hands, he instantly switched places with the statue, finding himself now standing inside the vast chamber. However, the moment his feet touched the ground, the silent terracotta soldiers unexpectedly sprang to life.

The outer shells of the terracotta soldiers fractured and crumbled away, exposing the blackened, decaying bodies encased within. These reanimated warriors, still clutching their spears and halberds, menacingly approached Han Wu. Sensing the imminent assault, he swiftly leaped backward towards the gate, simultaneously pulling his gatling gun into position.

He unleashed a torrent of bullets, each inflicting high physical damage and imbued with various elemental properties. The terracotta soldiers, unable to withstand the relentless barrage, crumbled and disintegrated, mowed down like a field of wheat.

Still, the sheer numbers of terracotta soldiers were astonishing. Even with the rapid-fire power of his gatling gun, Han Wu spent three hours obliterating most of them. The few remaining terracotta soldiers were temporarily obstructed by the piles of their shattered companions’ bodies, so they posed no further threat to him.

The fierce battle concluded, Han Wu at last found the time to inspect the new title he had been awarded for annihilating the terracotta army.

[Platinum title: Terracotta Soldier Smasher.]

[Effect 1: Sets default affinity of terracotta soldiers towards user to Nemesis.]

[Effect 2: Summon Terracotta Armor.]

A title possessing such a limited number of effects typically signified that they were powerful. Han Wu swung his arm, summoning the newly acquired armor directly onto his body. In a flash, a beautiful set of terracotta armor materialized, perfectly fitting and encasing his entire body. Remarkably, despite its appearance, he registered no increase in his physical weight, the armor feeling as light as air.

As he tapped the armor, a curious metallic ringing resonated from its surface. To his surprise, he realized it was composed of the same incredibly durable material as the door he had just encountered! This instantly indicated that the armor boasted significant defensive capabilities.

Just as Han Wu was basking in the satisfaction of his recent gains,a small, barely perceptible cloud of translucent green miasma floated towards him. Its translucent nature caused Han Wu to completely miss it at first, and by the time he finally became aware of its presence, he had already inhaled most of it.

Thankfully, the Platinum Centipede’s Executioner title remained equipped, instantly neutralizing the green miasma. Without it, he easily could have met his end right there.

The closer Han Wu ventured towards the massive pit, the more powerful and oppressive the surrounding poison became. He soon began to worry that his Intermediate Poison Immunity might not be strong enough to withstand it. While he was still contemplating how best to advance further, a large number of the pit’s poisonous inhabitants suddenly surged forth, leaping from its depths and charging directly towards him, their coordinated movement making it seem as though they were acting on a specific order.

Han Wu gripped his gatling gun and rained down bullets upon the venomous beasts, killing many. Yet, with each creature that perished, a strange, green, poisonous miasma erupted from their corpses, adding to the potency of the already ominous miasma cloud hanging in the air.

He accidentally inhaled some of the extremely noxious green miasma, and immediately, a searing, fiery torment surged through his entire body, as if molten fire was coursing through his veins!

This hurts! Even with the Intermediate Poison Immunity, the pain is so overwhelming! If I keep inhaling too much more of this miasma, I will definitely die here!

Han Wu decided to pull back, but the oppressive green miasma relentlessly advanced, forcing him back until he found himself trapped against the solid stone gates with nowhere else to go. He was just about to activate his Switch ability, aiming to look through the small hole in the gate to teleport to safety, when a sudden system message caught his attention.

After quickly reading through the message, he instantly ceased his retreat. He had amassed a decent number of Platinum titles from the sheer scale of poisonous beasts he’d obliterated: Toad Cleaner, Snake Catcher, Scorpion Slayer, and Lizard Killer. This meant, alongside his Centipede’s Executioner, he now had a total of five Platinum titles!

Each of the newly acquired titles came with identical effects: setting the default affinity from their respective creature species towards him to Nemesis, and granting him Intermediate Poison Immunity. However, in the very next instant, under Han Wu’s astonished gaze, the five Platinum titles fused, forming an entirely new Platinum title, the Five Poisons.

[Effect 1: Sets default affinity of all poisonous beasts towards the user to Nemesis.]

[Effect 2: Grants the user Advanced Poison Immunity.]

[Effect 3: The user obtains the Five Poison Sacred Vessel. Can absorb poisons to increase the strength of the user’s body.]

To his surprise, Han Wu realized the thick green miasma, which had previously caused him so much agony, was now subtly fortifying his body from within. Seizing this unexpected opportunity, he boldly opened his mouth and inhaled deeply, consuming the swirling green miasma surrounding him.

To his astonishment, he detected a slight yet definite increase in his body’s strength. Though the process was gradual, it was unmistakably enhancing his physical constitution. Content with this unexpected benefit, his earlier urge to flee vanished entirely.

Han Wu intended to stay and further enhance his abilities. His theory was that, much like how the five Platinum titles had combined to form the Platinum Five Poisons titled, he could potentially elevate this new title to Diamond rank if the original five titles could somehow be upgraded to the Diamond rank themselves.