Poison God's Heritage

The Confederation Alliance was truly in an uproar, after all not only is the rakshasa's queen moving but some aliens arrived to their world without anyone noticing how. It was enough to invoke everyone's interest and it all focused on me. Especially after revealing how futile their 'Bindings' were they're now facing something they didn't ever expect.

The shock on the faces around the table would've been amusing under any other circumstances, but I held back a smirk. Amusement aside, the situation was far from ideal. Here I was, deep in enemy territory with little to no chance of immediate escape. If their attempts to destroy my dantian had succeeded, I'd be crippled. My unique constitution was the only thing that saved me, and they were beginning to realize that. All eyes turned to the man called Don Ma, who was visibly irritated.

"What's going on here, Don Ma?" the elder barked, his authoritative voice slicing through the murmurs.

Don Ma, who radiated power and authority, gritted his teeth. "Elder, I don't understand it. I swear we broke his dantian. This shouldn't be possible—let me block his Qi. I'll make sure he can't move."

"Is there truly a need for all this hostility?" I asked, my tone calm and measured.

"Quiet!" barked a man somewhere along the table, a nobody among nobodies.

The elder raised a hand to silence the outburst. "Hold on. The man has a point," he said, his gaze shifting to me. "Speak, young man. Tell us your name, and where you come from."

I met his gaze evenly. "You may call me Shen Bao. I am a cultivator from the Beyond," I said, letting my words settle over the room.

The moment I uttered "Beyond," an unmistakable wave of surprise washed over the council members. Each face registered shock, curiosity, and—most importantly—intrigue. Whispers flitted back and forth, the word "Beyond" echoed in different corners of the table as council members leaned toward one another, eyes glittering with barely suppressed excitement.

The elder leaned forward. "Are you lying?" His question wasn't accusing but rather seemed driven by genuine interest.

I shrugged. "What purpose would lying to you serve? I came through the vortex. I speak of what I know."

Silence filled the room as the elder digested this information. At last, he nodded thoughtfully. "The Beyond. A land that our records tell us is a paradox, a space that exists as both everything and nothing. Legends describe it as a world hidden by veils of mystery. Are you saying that the vortex we know of is a direct path to this so-called Beyond?"

I nodded, keeping my expression impassive. "It is. It's how I arrived here."

The tension in the room shifted, curiosity mingling with skepticism. A man seated to my right, his white robes embellished with delicate purple embroidery, leaned forward, studying me with narrow eyes. The detailed coiling dragon embroidered on his robe glinted faintly, catching the dim light.

He spoke up. "Tell us, Shen Bao of the Beyond, why you would cross into the land of the Confederation. Surely it's not a simple journey for leisure."

I didn't hesitate. "Revenge."

Whispers burst from all around the table, eyebrows shot up, and I could see skepticism flash across several faces.

The man in white robes arched a brow, clearly intrigued. "And what, may I ask, would prompt you to take revenge in a foreign land?"

"Against the Rakshasa, or as you call them, the Fallen God's Race."

A wave of reactions followed my words. Faces twisted in shock, and a ripple of muttering rose around the room. A few council members exchanged glances, brows furrowed. The elder raised his hand once more, and the room quieted instantly under his command.

"We've seen increased activity from the Fallen God's Race, particularly with them sending legions into the vortex," he said, his voice low. "Many here believed they had launched a futile attempt at self-destruction. I take it they reached your Beyond?"

I inclined my head. "They did. But futile? No. They came to conquer."

The elder's expression darkened. "So they brought ruin upon your Beyond?"

"Ruin?" I tilted my head, letting a slight smile slip. "Not quite. We routed them, down to the last rakshasa."

A disbelieving scoff erupted from my left, and a man wearing red robes slammed his fist on the table. His shout of indignation seemed to echo around the chamber. "Lies!" he spat. "We are barely able to manage the Fallen God's Race here in the Confederation, and yet you claim that your people handled an army of them? What is this Beyond, a place of unending Sun Stages?"

I returned his heated stare calmly. "I have no reason to lie."

The elder's eyes narrowed, curiosity and suspicion warring in his expression. "Tell me, Shen Bao, did you personally fight in this supposed war against the Rakshasa?"

"I did."

The man in red robes snarled. "Ridiculous! An Origin Stage cultivator taking on a Noble, let alone a Silver Rakshasa? He wouldn't survive a single encounter!"

"I won't ask you to believe me, but you will see the truth soon enough," I replied, my tone even. "Do you not recall a Golden Capped Noble Rakshasa that returned from the vortex before my arrival?"

The elder's gaze sharpened. "There were indeed reports of such a sighting, yes. We assumed it had been wounded by the vortex itself."

I raised a brow. "Do you honestly think that vortex would cause lacerating wounds? That it would simply cut off limbs and leave a rakshasa limping through space?"

The elder's frown deepened. Clearly, he had considered it impossible for the vortex to cause such precise damage. Rakshasa were sturdy enough to endure the brutal energy of the vortex. His silence spoke volumes.

"I wish to challenge this man's claims," Don Ma interrupted, stepping forward with a glint of menace in his eyes. "There's a method to discern the truth here—Soul Search!"

Before I could react, his hand came down on my head with startling speed, his Qi pouring into my Sea of Consciousness, forcing his way in. For a split second, I thought he might succeed in shattering my mind, in laying bare my thoughts and secrets to everyone in this room.

Then I felt a shift within my Sea of Consciousness. Don Ma's invasion had woken something that lay dormant—the dark soul of Shen Mo. From deep within the starry void of my mindscape, a great, ominous shadow coiled forward, casting a shroud over my entire Sea of Consciousness. The darkness, almost sentient, spread across the spectral plane like oil, latching onto Don Ma's Qi with ferocity. Tendrils of obsidian wrapped around his mental projection, and for the first time, I saw a flash of terror in his eyes as Shen Mo's soul loomed over him.

An agonized scream tore from Don Ma's lips as his consciousness was forcibly ejected back into reality. We returned to the council room simultaneously. He clutched his hand, and a vile blackness began to spread from his fingertips, twisting and snaking its way up his arm like a shadowy infection.

"What... what in the gods' name are you?" Don Ma gasped, his face pale as he stared at me, horror in his eyes. The poisonous essence continued to creep up his hand, its insidious nature sapping his strength and spreading agony with every inch.

Another elder shifted uncomfortably in his seat, watching as Don Ma struggled to halt the advance. "This... poison?" he murmured, barely able to keep the astonishment from his voice. "It's too strong, even for a Sun Stage!"

Don Ma gritted his teeth, the blackness consuming more of his hand despite his best efforts to channel Qi to resist it. "I'll sever it," he said through clenched teeth, reaching for a blade to cut off his own arm.

"There's no need," I interrupted, meeting his gaze steadily. "I can remove it."
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"Stand down!" Don Ma barked, his pride forcing him to resist my offer even as the dark venom crept higher.

The elder raised his hand, silencing Don Ma's objections. "Let him," he commanded. "We've seen enough to know he's capable of far more than we expected. Besides, if he were to try anything, he'd face consequences."

I nodded and stepped forward, extending my hand toward Don Ma. "Show me your arm."

Reluctantly, he held it out, his gaze fixed on me, half-daring me to try something else. I pressed two fingers to his palm, channeling my energy, and began drawing the poison back through his veins. Slowly, the darkness receded, sinking back into my own body, leaving his arm unblemished as if nothing had ever happened.

One of the council members shifted, his gaze scrutinizing me. "Is this how you managed to defeat the Rakshasa?"

I met his eyes. "In part," I replied calmly.

The elder's eyes narrowed. "So when you speak of revenge... do you mean to target the Broodmother herself?"

I inclined my head, my expression hardening. "Yes. She and her progeny have caused untold devastation. I intend to bring an end to it. But there's a problem—their immunity to Qi. My poisons work on almost everything, yet with the Broodmother, it's like throwing water at stone."

The elder exchanged a glance with several council members. "How could you possibly know so much about the Broodmother's nature?"

I gave a wry smile. "That's precisely why I'm here. Your council dragged me here before I could test a poison I developed to overcome just such obstacles." I shot Don Ma a pointed look. "It was rather inconvenient, to say the least."

Silence followed as the council absorbed the weight of my words. Each of them was likely coming to the same realization—whether they trusted me or not, they needed my knowledge.