CHAPTER 175 - POISON NEMESIS

Han Wu deliberately ignored the swirling poisonous miasma, effortlessly wading through it. His goal was to capture as many of the venomous creatures as possible for merging. This task consumed three full days of relentless effort before he finally succeeded in killing five Diamond poisonous beasts.

Upon successfully upgrading all five individual titles to the Diamond rank, Han Wu automatically received the Diamond Five Poisons title. While it retained its original three effects, some of these effects had been significantly enhanced.

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

[Effect 2: Grants the user Special Poison Immunity. Immune to most poisons.]

[Effect 3: Grants the user the Myriad Poisons Sacred Vessel. Can absorb poisons to increase the strength of the user’s body. Also grants the user a body filled with vile poison.]

Han Wu was utterly astonished to discover that the latter two effects of the Diamond Five Poisons title had been enhanced—they had become incredibly powerful! A title formed from the combination of five other Diamond titles was, as expected, exceedingly powerful.

The first effect alone had turned Han Wu into a Nemesis for all poisonous creatures. However, their venoms would not only be completely ineffective against him, but would also paradoxically serve to nourish and strengthen his body.

More importantly, Han Wu’s own body had now become a source of deadly poison. From this point forward, any creature that dared to consume his flesh or blood would immediately be poisoned. This unique ability served as a powerful deterrent, far more effective than the majority of other defensive skills he possessed.

Staring into the massive pit before him, he noted that he had successfully eradicated most of the poisonous creatures. All the while, he had been deliberately inhaling the dense green miasma to increase his own strength, which had visibly thinned the toxic miasma cloud in the air.

Having consumed most of the miasma, Han Wu could finally see beyond the haze, allowing him to clearly observe the massive throne. Seated upon it was a regal-looking figure, whose wide, glaring eyes were fixed directly upon him, inexplicably igniting a primal fear deep within Han Wu’s heart.

A powerful, authoritative voice reverberated directly within his mind. “Who are you to be so brazen, to show such disrespect as to not bow before me? Kneel!”

The figure’s voice, both hypnotizing and authoritative, filled Han Wu’s mind, subconsciously compelling him to kneel. Just as he felt this unconscious urge, however, the diamond necklace he wore around his neck suddenly became scalding hot.

Han Wu abruptly snapped out of the trance, quickly realizing it was mental corruption again! He forcefully resisted the urge to kneel and, whipping out his gatling gun, opened fire on the figure on the throne. The countless bullets relentlessly tore into the mysterious figure, each bursting with various elemental damages that illuminated the darkness like a display of fairy lights.

“How dare you injure my body? You shall surely perish today!” the figure thundered, his voice echoing with furious power. As he raised his arms, in an instant, a massive array shimmered into existence beside him.

From the shimmering array, a dozen colossal golden giants materialized, each towering roughly a hundred meters high and encased in a lustrous, gold-like metal. Half of them immediately positioned themselves to defend their king, while the other six lumbered menacingly towards Han Wu, each monumental stride sending tremors through the ground.

The deafening sound of clanking metal filled the air, causing Han Wu’s ears to ring long before he made contact with the giants. Reacting swiftly, he shifted into his dragon form, his gatling gun seamlessly transforming back into a greatsword. He then swung with immense force at one of the towering giants, only to be met with surprise as he realized their power was evenly matched.

His powerful Genocider greatsword barely scratched the giant’s surface, leaving only a superficial cut. He immediately understood he was facing incredibly tough foes this time, and there were twelve of them! Knowing that overwhelming them through sheer force was highly improbable, he began to consider a different approach.

Han Wu timed his move, patiently waiting for one of the giants to attack him. The instant a giant struck, he activated his Switch ability, instantly swapping places with another golden giant, causing the powerful blow to land on its unsuspecting comrade instead. The resulting impact was devastating, emitting a piercing screech of protesting metal that reverberated throughout the labyrinth.

The impact left a clear dent mark on the golden giant’s body, and its subsequent movements became noticeably sluggish. Observing the immediate effectiveness of this tactic, Han Wu consistently applied the strategy. He continuously swapped places with the other golden giants, forcing them to relentlessly attack each other. In time, they all fell, their vital Life Energy completely expended, collapsing into dormancy forever.

The king, seated on his throne, became visibly enraged. He lifted his arms, and an inexplicable, mysterious power caused the fallen golden giants to violently explode, their immense bodies dissolving into a dense, suffocating green miasma that rapidly spread throughout the labyrinth. It was a truly devious and unpredictable maneuver.

With a laugh, the king watched as Han Wu was caught in his trap. “Consider it an honor to meet your end by my unique poison. This is a Special-grade poison, one that absolutely no one else in this world can survive, except for me!”

Several minutes elapsed before the king, with growing unease, began to realize that something was amiss—the dense green miasma emanating from the fallen golden giants was visibly dissipating! Though he thought he was seeing things, he decided to observe closely.

Three more minutes passed, and this time, the king’s initial suspicion was confirmed—the miasma was indeed growing more translucent! He raised his arm, actively recalling the dispersed green miasma, only to be met with the shocking sight of Han Wu, still very much alive. Even more shocking, he seemed to have grown even more powerful.

“Oops, it seems I’ve been found out,” Han Wu said, scratching his head sheepishly, a wry grin on his face. He had genuinely not anticipated such a powerful figure resorting to poison as a method to try and end his life.

He had previously harbored genuine apprehension about what terrifying method the king might use to eliminate him. However, at the sight of the “Special” poison, he almost burst into laughter. Thanks to his Diamond Five Poisons title, not only was he completely immune to numerous types of toxins, but he could also gain strength by inhaling them.

The king’s Special-grade poison was effectively a valuable rare herb for Han Wu. After inhaling it, he observed that his physical strength had increased by 15%. This meant he now possessed the raw physical power of a High Lord, even in his untransformed state!

“How can this possibly be? My poison is supposed to be able to dissolve everything in this entire world!” The king’s voice was filled with utter disbelief, his eyes wide as he watched Han Wu emerge from the deadly miasma completely unscathed.

The king had been certain that Han Wu, even after eradicating all the poisonous beasts within the pit, would at most obtain just the Platinum Five Poisons title, which would grant him immunity only to Advanced poisons. The Special poison was, by all accounts, supposed to be his absolute end.

The king could never have imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that Han Wu was, in fact, an invader from another civilization, possessing the extraordinary ability to cultivate and enhance monsters through Gene Recombination. This ability was precisely how he had managed to obtain his Diamond title, by fusing numerous Platinum-ranked monsters into a single Diamond entity.

This was a critical oversight on the king’s part, and Han Wu was determined not to afford him any opportunity to unravel the mystery. Capitalizing on the king’s momentary confusion, Han Wu swiftly executed a Switch, instantly swapping positions with one of the remaining six golden giants, then powerfully swung his greatsword directly at the bewildered king.

In his powerful transformed state and wielding the mighty Genocider greatsword, Han Wu cleaved the king, who could not defend himself in time, in half. Simultaneously, the remaining six golden giants flickered and dissipated into nothingness. Han Wu released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, savoring the victory, when suddenly, an overwhelming, powerful pressure slammed down upon him, forcing him to his knees.

With gritted teeth, he strained against the powerful force, his bones protesting audibly as he fought to remain standing. In that desperate struggle, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a blurry black figure as it crawled out from the king’s lifeless corpse, sprang upwards, and vanished without a trace into thin air.

The instant the blurry figure vanished, the oppressive, crushing pressure lifted as suddenly as it had appeared, allowing Han Wu to finally breathe freely again. He collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, and it took him a full five minutes of rest before he could gather enough strength to stand. As he did, he checked his interface and discovered a brand new Diamond title awaiting him.