BAAAAM!
“Guh, let go!”
Worried about her master’s fate after hearing the loud crash, Gu Dandan wanted to check on her, but she was still entangled by the frog monster's tongue. She tried to release a paralyzing poison from the unique potion of her physical body to free herself.
Unfortunately, Gu Dandan found it difficult to focus on releasing the paralyzing poison as she struggled to balance herself in midair, constantly being pulled by the six frog monsters' tongues. On top of that, she had to endure the weight of their massive bodies moving wildly.
Despite the relentless tugging of the frog monsters’ tongues, Gu Dandan forced herself to concentrate and finally found the paralyzing effect she was looking for within her unique potion body.
Once she located it, she immediately secreted the paralyzing poison through her skin pores and channeled it into the six frog monsters’ tongues that were still restraining her.
Watching as all the frog monsters paralyzed and their tongues loosened, Gu Dandan saw them fall to the ground. She left them there without finishing them off and hurriedly flew in the direction where her master had fallen.
“Master! Eh, what is this…”
Upon arriving, Gu Dandan witnessed the area where her master had fallen in complete disarray—trees around were toppled, and a large crater had formed in the middle. There, the frog monster that had swallowed her master had met a tragic end.
The gruesome sight of the enormous frog monster's body torn apart created a horrifying scene, especially with its stomach punctured wide open, its intestines and flesh scattered everywhere.
Never having witnessed such a terrifying sight before, Gu Dandan turned her gaze away with a pale face, unable to look any longer.
However, when Gu Dandan diverted her gaze, she saw her master sitting against a tree that was still standing, not too far from the corpse of the frog monster. Her master was without her usual robe, her face and hair smeared with blood, intestines, and chunks of flesh, wearing a grim expression.
Approaching her with concern, Gu Dandan asked directly, “Master, are you okay?”
“… Yeah, I’m fine,” her master replied while standing up and gently ruffling Gu Dandan’s hair with a smile.
‘Is Master really okay? Dandan is sure she looked gloomy just now. Why is she hiding it?’ Gu Dandan thought while having her hair ruffled.
“Besides that, Little Dandan, let’s continue searching for the ruins. It’s not good for us to stay here too long. With all the noise we made, we’re bound to attract a lot of troublesome monsters.”
“Alright, Master. But… couldn’t you just tell me where the ruins are? Why do I have to keep flying around searching for them, as if you don’t actually know the exact location? It would be better if you just told me, so I wouldn’t keep getting attacked while flying slowly.”
“… No,” her master replied, stopping the hair-ruffling. She then walked past Gu Dandan toward her filthy robe lying on the ground, picked it up, and put it on with trembling hands—something Gu Dandan failed to notice. “Besides, I already told you, your flying journey to the ruins is a test to see how much you've improved. So, if you get attacked while flying, that’s part of the test. And as for why you're flying around aimlessly without me telling you the exact location… well, that’s because I purposely want you to get attacked.” She added with a smiling face.
“Y-you demon…”
“Alright, it’s time to go now, Little Dandan.”
“Uguu…”
Ignoring Gu Dandan’s sulky expression, her master, Vheena, walked closer and gestured for her to carry her. Knowing that her master wouldn’t change her mind, Gu Dandan could only sigh before preparing to carry her.
However, before she could do so, she caught a foul stench emanating from her master. Unable to bear it, she grimaced and complained, “Ugh, Master… you stink.”
“Eh? W-well, what can I do... I wanted to test whether you could stay calm when facing unexpected situations, so I deliberately let myself get swallowed by the frog monster. I didn’t expect its insides to smell this bad. S-so, just ignore the smell and focus on flying.”
“Uugh, I can’t take it, Master. The stench is unbearable. It’s hard for me to ignore it when it’s this strong. Can’t you do something about it?” Gu Dandan replied with a disgusted expression, pinching her nose to block the smell.
“Y-you…” Master Vheena was left speechless at Gu Dandan’s reaction and nose-pinching gesture. Annoyed, she suddenly hugged her tightly with her filthy robe. “Hmph, take this!” she exclaimed.
“!!! M-Master, please let go! Ugh, the smell! P-please let go of Dandan, Master!” Gu Dandan screamed, struggling to break free from her master’s embrace.
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“Never! Haha! Feel the stink! This is all your fault for being too scared to fight the monster, which is why I got swallowed in the first place! Hahahaha! Take that! Take it all!”
“Ugh, ugh, why is it suddenly my fault? You were the one who let yourself get swallowed! Ugh…”
‘This stench is unbearable! Why can’t I break free from Master’s hug?! Ugh, she’s too strong!’
Realizing that she couldn’t escape from her master’s tight embrace, Gu Dandan eventually surrendered to her fate. She could only let her excitedly smear her clothes, face, and hair with whatever remained on her dirty robe.
“Uuuu… Dandan is all dirty now… Uuu…”
“… Little Dandan, can you stop sulking already? You’ve been flying for an hour now, dodging all those monsters chasing us, but you haven’t stopped pouting even once. Please stop being sad, okay? I already apologized, didn’t I? So, stop sulking, alright?”
“Uuu… Dandan’s body is filthy now…”
“H-hey, your words could cause some misunderstandings if someone else heard them, so please stop, okay?”
“No! This is all your fault! Look at my face, hair, and clothes! They’re covered in blood, intestines, and chunks of flesh from your filthy robe! Ugh, this smell is making me nauseous…”
“I said I’m sorry, okay?” Her master continued ruffling Gu Dandan’s hair while trying to coax her. “We’ll clean up once we reach the ruins. I remember there’s a pool of clean water there. So for now, just endure the smell a little longer. If you’ve already managed for an hour, surely you can last a bit more, right?”
“… Hmph.”
“Hehe, my cute, beautiful Dandan that Master adores, don’t pout anymore, okay? I’m sure we’ll find the ruins soon. Just hold on for a bit longer, alright?”
“…”
‘Hmph, Master is playing with me again. What does she mean by “I’m sure we’ll find the ruins soon”? She obviously knows exactly where they are but pretends otherwise. Hmph, just wait and see. Dandan won’t say a word anymore. I’m mad!’
Even though Dandan grumbled and thought that way, in the end, she was swayed by her master's constant coaxing and the gentle strokes through her hair. She also knew that it wasn't wise to keep sulking while flying slowly in such a dangerous place—doing so might make her careless and accidentally get attacked by monsters again.
As for her mischievous master, the very cause of her misery, she could only forgive her after seeing how hard she tried to console her.
Refocusing on the task of finding the ruins, after another ten minutes of searching, Gu Dandan finally spotted a cluster of old, crumbling buildings covered in moss and creeping vines, hidden among the dense trees.
Not sure if what she saw with her closed-off vision was indeed the ruins they were looking for, Gu Dandan asked her master to confirm.
“Master, Dandan sees a group of old, ruined buildings below us. Are those the ruins we’re looking for?”
“… Are the buildings you see covered in moss and vines?”
“Yes, Master, they are.”
“Hmm… Congratulations, you finally found the ruins. Since you’ve located them, head straight down to the pool with clear water. You should be able to see it, right?”
“Mmm… Dandan does see a pool in the open area of the ruins, but its water isn’t clear like you said. Are you sure that’s the right one?”
“Eh… It should be the pool. Come on, let’s go down.”
“Alright, Master.”
Descending towards the pool, Gu Dandan landed and set her master down. Vheena walked ahead toward the pool she had mentioned.
“… Strange, the water in this pool used to be crystal clear, and I could even see lots of fish swimming in it. But now, why are there no fish, and why has the water turned dark green, completely obscuring the bottom?” Vheena muttered to herself.
“Huh? Did you say something, Master?” Gu Dandan asked as she approached her.
“Nothing… Anyway, Little Dandan. Since you've been wanting to clean yourself up, you should go first. While you’re bathing, I’ll check out the ruins over there, just in case any monsters show up. Once you're done, just call me.” Vheena replied before walking off, leaving Gu Dandan behind.
“Wait, Master. What about this pool? Look at the color of the water—it’s different from what you described. Will Dandan be okay bathing in it?”
“W-well, you should be fine… The water is green because there’s moss growing in it. S-so just take your bath first. After you're done, I’ll go in next. Well then, goodbye.”
“Eh, w-wait—Master, Dandan isn’t done— Uh, she left so quickly, that’s really suspicious. Could there be something wrong with this pool?” Seeing how hastily her master left, Gu Dandan grew suspicious. However, she pushed aside her doubts as the unbearable stench on her body made her uncomfortable, prompting her to bathe regardless.
“Ugh, whatever. Rather than suffering from this awful smell any longer, it’s better to just wash it off. Dandan believes Master wouldn’t lie after apologizing earlier.”
Choosing to trust her master despite being tricked countless times before, Gu Dandan, with no other choice, quickly removed her clothes and stepped into the pool.
Unfortunately, trusting a master known for her deceit and ignoring her own instincts proved to be a grave mistake.
The moment she entered the pool and began washing herself with the suspicious green water, an excruciating pain suddenly overwhelmed her entire body. It was so intense that she couldn’t even scream or move.
“Akh…”
Sensing her life in danger, her instincts forced her to open her eyes, revealing crucial information about the cause of her suffering.
{The water is contaminated with poison and blood from a Half-Immortal level Emperor Scorpion. This poison is lethal to any being below the Mahayana cultivation level. It can be neutralized by the divine plant Kurken Nail, which completely removes all poison effects. Extremely beneficial for cultivators at the Cross Tribulation and Mahayana levels possessing divine poison physiques. Can be combined with the divine plant Eighteen Petal to create…}
‘T-this pool is poisoned… a-akh… it hurts! M-Master…’
Unable to withstand the unbearable pain, Gu Dandan lost consciousness, her body sinking helplessly into the toxic pool.
As she sank deeper, the corrosive poison seeped into her body, rapidly dissolving her flesh and skin, leaving only her bones exposed.
Fortunately, the divine elixir she had consumed earlier began to take effect, rapidly regenerating her grievous injuries and purging the poison from her body.
However, since her unconscious body remained submerged in the toxic pool, the cycle of destruction and healing continued endlessly—her body being eroded by the poison, only to be restored by the divine elixir’s power.
Half an hour passed, and thanks to the elixir's relentless purification and regeneration, the poison’s effect weakened significantly. Her body gradually adapted to the toxicity, and the unique potion of her physique, which normally couldn’t absorb such deadly poison due to her low cultivation level, miraculously began to assimilate it.
Sadly, Gu Dandan, still unconscious, remained unaware of the extraordinary benefits granted by the absorption of the Emperor Scorpion’s poison—a rare fortune brought about by her suffering.
In the end, she would only realize the newfound power once her master returned and found her unconscious body floating in the toxic pool.