I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 316

Could anyone in their right mind say something like that?

What he just said could very well be grounds for war.

No matter how ignorant he is, there’s no way he doesn’t know that.

Is he just that confident that we won’t kill him because he’s a messenger?

Or is he deliberately trying to provoke the Heavenly Demon Cult to justify a clash?

Still, doing something like that in front of the Elders and my Master?

“Outrageous!”

“How dare the southern barbarians spout such arrogance!”

The Elders couldn’t contain their anger.

Dao Emperor Grandpa even started pulling out his dao.

Things were seconds away from exploding.

A direct confrontation was inevitable if it continued like this.

“Enough.”

But my Master didn’t let it happen.

She raised a single finger, and in an instant, silenced the room.

Even the Elders, out of respect for her will, said nothing more.

Though silent, their hostility didn’t vanish.

When Master wasn’t looking, they pulled terrifying faces, and Dao Emperor Grandpa’s bald head turned beet red—like it had been boiled like an octopus.

...Seriously, how did he do that?

“To open the path to the Mountains of Ten Thousand Beasts—is this to be taken as a declaration of war against our Cult, or is this lady simply mistaken?”

“That will depend on how the Heavenly Demon Cult responds.”

He may have referred to us as “Heavenly Demon Cult” instead of “Demonic Cult,” but his arrogance remained.

“So... you showed up unannounced at our sect to deliver that message?”

Master’s gaze turned ice-cold.

If that’s all he has to say, that’s the end of him.

She didn’t say it outright, but that’s what it sounded like.

At this rate, he wouldn’t be a messenger—he’d be a reaper.

“Ahem! There’s one more thing Lord Meng Gak asked me to deliver.”

He coughed once, and his tone softened ever so slightly.

Yeah, you don’t wanna meet the reaper yet, huh?

“The Martial Alliance has made us an offer. And what that offer entails... I trust you already know.”

That line changed my Master’s expression.

From boredom to genuine intrigue.

“How amusing. I was wondering where you got the nerve to be so smug.”

CRACKKK.

The floor split. The walls cracked.

It was just an expression of emotion—but since it came from my Master, it carried weight.

BOOM!

Even Meng Po, who had been standing tall and proud, couldn’t withstand her pressure and dropped to one knee.

“Gghk...”

The bravado collapsed.

He was gasping, struggling to breathe.

“Cult Leader!”

Only when Seolhwa called out did Master release her aura.

“Khak... haa...!”

“Hmm. The Beast Palace’s messenger seems rather frail. Kneeling all on his own like that. Elder Sa, fetch one of the elixirs we’ve stored.”

Heh. I didn’t do a thing, but look—he’s collapsing.

All our Elders are perfectly fine, so clearly you’re just too weak.

We even have elixirs we don’t bother taking. You can have one of those.

Seems more your level.

I’m no genius, but even I could tell there were layers to what she just said.

“Kgh... I... I’m fine.”

Meng Po clearly tried to use the Martial Alliance as leverage to pressure the Cult.

But that kind of threat doesn’t work on my Master.

“Fine, is it? I’ll send you back with some herbs and gold as well. You’ll need time to recover, won’t you?”

“T-That’s not necessary...”

“I’ve heard your Palace Lord has quite the temper. Wouldn’t want your head to roll for coming back empty-handed, now would we?”

She’s saying: You were sent here with a mission. If you return with nothing, you’ll be in trouble. So take this and go before you make things worse.

That was the message underneath.

...Actually, at this point, it wasn’t even “underneath.” She practically spelled it out.

And yet, what could Meng Po even say?

“So this means... you won’t be giving a reply?”

He saw all that, and he still says that?

Gotta admit, the man’s got guts.

“How could one person decide such an important matter alone? When the time is right, our Cult will send someone with a formal reply. I trust you’ll find a way to repay today’s generosity.”

In other words: We’ll talk it over. Expect someone soon. Treat them right.

“I’d love nothing more than to let you rest and recover, but unfortunately, our Cult isn’t in a position to do so. I hope you make it back to your palace soon to cleanse yourself of today’s toxins.”

Translation: Don’t stick around. Get lost.

After a few more exchanges, Meng Po left the hall, trudging out.

In both hands, he tightly gripped a box filled with elixirs and medicinal herbs.

And I followed him.

In the form of a small lizard.

Chachachak.

I couldn’t outright attack him.

He was a messenger—if anything happened, they’d blame the Heavenly Demon Cult.

And my Master had spared him. As her disciple, I couldn’t defy that decision.

But that didn’t mean I could just let him go.

As a disciple, I couldn’t turn a blind eye to someone who’d been arrogant toward my Master.

“Gekgek.”

“Oh... to think there’d be such a fine lizard even in a place like this.”

Now that we were far enough from Master, Meng Po seemed to have regained some of his confidence.

In fact, maybe he wasn’t all that hurt in the first place.

All Master did was worry about a “collapsing messenger” and give him some medicine.

Whatever deeper meaning was behind it, I couldn’t possibly guess. But on the surface, that’s all it was.

And if the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace really was a bunch of brutes, they might just see it as a tribute.

Looks like this guy does.

“You’re a clever-looking little lizard, aren’t you?”

Meng Po reached his hand toward me.

Normally, I wouldn’t sit in a man’s hand, but this was different.

He was a guest of the Heavenly Demon Cult—this level of hospitality was appropriate.

“What a rare lizard... Elixirs and herbs from the Cult Leader... Even without getting a proper answer, this isn’t so bad...”

Mmm. Yeah, this guy’s not too bright.

He might have decent martial ability, but in front of my Master, we’re all the same.

“Come, little lizard. Let’s head back to the palace. I’ll even find you a mate—”

CHOMP.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“...Why did you just open your mouth like that?”

Snap.

“AAACK! W-What are you doing?!”

Gnash gnash.

“Damn it! Let go!”

When he started flailing his hand, I casually let go of his finger and landed on the ground.

“You damn little... Tch. What terrible luck.”

He’ll probably think he just got bitten by some weird lizard on the way home.

He won’t make a big deal of it.

He has no idea that, in that brief moment, I injected him with poison.

Of course, it’s not the lethal kind.

If a guest dies shortly after visiting the Heavenly Demon Cult, everyone would suspect us.

No, what I used was a slow, creeping, insidious venom.

A poison that makes your most precious things disappear one by one—without you even noticing.

A formless poison with no traceable cause.

Yes... the ultimate formless toxin—

The Balding Poison, Gomodo’s secret technique.

Looking for an antidote?

Sorry, no matter how hard you try, there’s no cure.

Each time you wash your hair, a few more strands fall away...

Until one day, without realizing it, you end up taking refuge in Shaolin.

“Gekkehkkehkeh...”

An evil little lizard laugh escaped my mouth.

*

Mission complete—I returned to base.

The Elders had already dispersed, and only Master and Seolhwa remained inside.

Which meant it was safe to stroll around in lizard form.

So I proudly chak-chak’d my way in.

“You’ve returned.”

Master’s expression was... pouty.

...Why is her face suddenly so cute?

You can’t just show up looking like that!

“Your expression, disciple... seems oddly insolent.”

“Gekgek.”

No, it’s just—I've never seen you make that face before.

I mean, sulky and grumpy? That’s a first.

“Well, I kind of got into it with the Elders earlier.”

What?

You beat up the Elders?!

“How exactly do you view your Master, disciple?”

She picked me up by the scruff of my neck.

“Gehhhck!”

Just a joke! Just a joke!

Master plopped me onto her thigh and gave a quick rundown of the situation.

“We received an invitation—it’s only proper to respond [N O V E L I G H T] in kind. They sent an envoy, so we must send one in return. That is why I stated that I would personally visit the Beast Palace.”

Wait, that kind of envoy?! The one with the scythe??

Why would you go there, Master?!

“So I, along with the Elders, tried to stop her. I mean, if the Cult Leader shows up personally, the Beast Palace might cease to exist. And it’s not like their Palace Lord came here himself. It’d be weird if our Cult Leader went in person, right?”

Seolhwa’s words were 100% correct.

At the very least, the ranks should match.

If Master went herself, it’d make it seem like the Palace Lord’s son and the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult were of equal standing.

So that’s why she was pouting.

I was starting to think even my Master had her cute sides—but it couldn’t be helped.

“...No one stood by me. Even the Guardians remained silent.”

You can’t look at me like that!

And it’s not like my voice has that much weight anyway!

“If we want to send someone of equal rank, it should be someone at the Elder level, but even that’s tricky. After what their envoy pulled today, our side won’t just sit quietly. I mean, we’re kind of expecting that, but... given the Elders’ personalities, I’m worried they’ll go too far.”

Yeah. I saw the Dao Emperor’s bald head turn red earlier.

You want to send those guys as envoys?

Honestly, the results might not be any different from Master going herself.

“Whoever represents the Heavenly Demon Cult must have both the strength and knowledge to survive in the dangerous jungles, and above all, must not be too emotional—someone who can make swift, independent decisions on the spot...”

Where could we find someone like that?

The Elders are certainly powerful, but their excessive loyalty to the Cult might ruin the mission.

If we were going for outright war, sure, but in that case, we’d be better off sending Master and ending it in a blitz.

The very fact she wants to send an envoy instead suggests Master is planning to use the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.

And to be fair, they seemed to be feeling us out too.

They said the Martial Alliance proposed an alliance—they didn’t say they accepted it.

And if they truly intended to attack the Heavenly Demon Cult, they would’ve kept the alliance secret and ambushed us.

Which means there’s a good chance they have other intentions.

Master likely picked up on that and provoked them a little to see how they’d respond.

But since we don’t know for sure, we need someone who can handle things flexibly on the ground.

Power. Symbolism. Judgment.

We need someone who checks all three boxes.

“Hmm... someone like that...”

Master and Seolhwa both turned their gaze toward one spot.

“A nice thick tail would be a bonus.”

“And it’d be even better if the disciple also had soft, squishy belly fat.”

...Huh?

“Gekgek?”

We do have someone like that, don’t we?