The King of Curses

Chapter 275 Conspiracy and the Evil God

"Come to think of it, the Dragon Slayer transformed himself into a ghost at the last moment, right?"

Cen Dongsheng recalled the scene at that time.

"Yes, I see it very clearly."

An Zhizhen replied.

"Moreover, his condition is very strange, and there are other ghosts entangled around him. The reason why he made such a rash move and walked into a trap is probably because he was interfered with by the will of these ghosts. I don't know what is so special about the 'ghost transformed from a special curse master'. I may need you to help me solve this problem..."

The woman rested her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful.

"But I don't think it's so weak that it can't break free from other 'ghosts', right? Unless those ghosts were also 'special class' in their previous lives."

"A ghost transformed from a special-class spell-binding master"... Cen Dongsheng had never heard of it before his rebirth.

Of course, he believed that the King of the Underworld must be able to do things like "actively transform into a ghost".

That person can even use the evil energy that was originally exclusive to high-level ghosts and monsters, and can teach this skill to others. He can even marry the Ghost King and the Nine-Child Ghost Mother. It seems like turning into a ghost is just child's play for him.

But Cen Dongsheng didn't know much about the Dragon Slayer. He only knew that this ghost market master who once stirred up the turmoil had died silently and disappeared from people's sight.

The only thing he knew was...

"Normally, it is impossible for a special-class spell-forbidden master to become a ghost."

Cen Dongsheng said.

"The so-called 'death of the body and the disappearance of the soul' means that once a person dies, both the body and the soul perish together."

In this respect, ordinary people are no different from spell-breakers.

But why do ghosts still appear? Some are the result of residual thoughts, or the abnormal environment around them before death, which causes the accumulation of Yin Qi.

In the age of spiritual revival, the balance of yin and yang between heaven and earth is disrupted, and there are more and more "yin places" suitable for the birth of ghosts. The number of ghosts born increases accordingly, which corresponds to the expansion of the size of the group of curse masters among humans.

In addition, although the birth of ghosts is a natural abnormality, the phenomenon itself can be artificially exploited.

For example, an opponent that Cen Dongsheng had once conquered, Jiang Qi, the ancestor of the Jiang family, had spent a hundred years creating a ghost army of as many as 100,000 people.

Although most of them are naturally born ghosts who have been taken in to dangerous places, there is another part that Jiang Qi selects living people and then lures them to places with strong yin energy, instructing people or ghosts to kill them in cruel ways, thus artificially creating ghosts.

This practice can already be considered evil, but Cen Dongsheng knows that this is just the beginning.

Facts have proven that in order to compete for interests, human beings are endlessly creative in harming their own kind.

——After people destroy ghosts and monsters, they may obtain curses from them; then, if the curse master is killed and then transformed into a ghost, does it mean that the abilities of the curse master can be plundered?

Not to mention the curse, even the life ban that should only be awakened by specific people may be obtained.

This idea was soon noticed by the curse-breakers and put into practice by the most crazy and radical ones.

And the answer is... it really works.

At first, this was not as easy as expected, and there were many technical difficulties:
For example, if one wants to transform a spell master into a ghost, the amount of Yin Qi consumed is much greater than that of an ordinary person, and Yin Qi itself is a kind of energy that is difficult for ordinary spell masters to control;
For example, the transformation process cannot occur after death, but must be exerted during life, otherwise the transformation will easily fail;
For example, even if the spell master can be transformed into a ghost, after destroying it, the spells from before its death will not be left behind. Sometimes it is incomplete information, and sometimes only pure Yin Qi is left...

But in this era, purely technical difficulties have never been a problem.

The curse masters became the rulers of human society in good faith. They were able to mobilize human and material resources to make rapid progress in the research of the corresponding fields. In just five years, they surpassed the achievements accumulated by their ancestors over two thousand years, including various evil arts.

Driven by profit and desire, they constantly innovated and finally developed a mature technology that could effectively kill and plunder the curse masters. The ultimate success rate was said to be over 40%.
Coupled with the development of the technology for preserving spells, even if the looted spells are not used on themselves, they can still be circulated on the black market in exchange for resources. From then on, their kind became the most sought-after prey and commodities in their eyes.

This is the so-called "mutual killing curse", which is one of the taboos of ordinary curse masters and is no less serious than the obsession caused by "excessive abuse".

The art of "killing each other" turns the curse masters into coveted prey like ghosts. It is conceivable what kind of uproar it will cause in the curse master world after the secret is exposed.

The sorcerers who hunt other spellcasters and obtain spells by "killing each other" are called "life hunters". They are notorious and everyone wants to kill them.

Even a considerable number of sorcerers hate the existence of life hunters. Sorcerers generally ignore the lives of ordinary people, but it still violates their taboos to attack their own kind.

Eventually, the life hunters disappeared in several raids. As long as it is an "organization", it is impossible to allow such people to exist.

But getting back to the point, even though the life hunters were a group of lawless lunatics, they had never thought of using special curses.

Not to mention how to kill such a strong man, the most critical step - the process of transforming a person into a ghost - is impossible to be effective for a special-class spell-binding master.

Neither the natural environment nor the technology subsequently developed by humans makes this possible.

Therefore, people like King Pingdeng who possess the highest level of curses, once they die, they are dead, their bodies and spirits disappear, and all their powers become nothingness;
On the other hand, if a special-class curse-master wants to degenerate into a ghost, it can only be because he actively uses some kind of ability on himself.

Cen Dongsheng summarized the conclusion and told the story of "the killing curse" and "the life hunter".

"'Kill each other'..."

An Zhizhen nodded thoughtfully.

"But since the Dragon Slayer really turned into a ghost, is it possible for us to obtain the curse from him at that time?"

"That's unknown."

Cen Dongsheng shook his head.

"Even if it's a mature 'mutual killing curse', it still can't get rid of the probability problem. In addition, it's a special curse, and there may be other unknown restrictions... Besides, sister, didn't you get the memory fragments of the dragon slayer? It's already a great gain."

Although it is not "Mountain and River Bones", it is the prototype of "Mountain and River Bones".

"I don't feel sorry. In fact, I already have the answer, and your words confirm my guess: after the Dragon Slayer died, the original curse on him had dissipated, leaving only this fragment. The secret of why the Dragon Slayer turned into a ghost, and why he was a special curse master but was controlled by a ghost, are all in this memory."

She smiled, stretched out her finger and gently touched his forehead.

Countless unfamiliar words flashed through Cen Dongsheng's mind, and at the same time he felt a slight pain.

The ability to resist mental control was activated automatically. Cen Dongsheng chose to open his heart and let this information flow into his mind.

"Do you have any idea?"

The two of them remained silent for a while. After a while, the woman asked:

"I……"

Cen Dongsheng coughed dryly, his expression somewhat awkward. The essence of the curse is information, and everyone's speed of acceptance and understanding is different.

He is obviously not a naturally intelligent person and needs physical training to gradually master it.

His elder sister forced a long paragraph of information into his mouth. Now he felt like a student cramming for an exam. His head was dizzy and swollen.

"Okay, let me tell you my conclusion."

An Zhizhen saw his embarrassment and couldn't help laughing, reaching out and stroking his head affectionately.

"——The secret teaching of the Dragon Slayer is a method of 'breeding Gu' that involves the soul."

There really is witchcraft in this world, but Sister Zhizhen obviously meant its extended meaning.

"The 'Soul Returning to Heaven and Earth Method' cannot be successfully practiced by one person. It is divided into the 'mother' method and the 'son' method. One must first master the 'mother' part, and then divide the 'son' content into several parts and pass it on to others. This method itself will cause the soul to undergo a qualitative change, making the soul relationship between the incantation masters who practice the mother and child method closer and closer, resulting in 'homogeneity'."

"When the practitioner of the son method has achieved success in cultivation, the practitioner of the mother method can take back all the 'son' parts and strengthen his own soul. Not only will the life of the practitioner of the 'son method' be controlled by others from now on, but there are other uses. For example, when the 'mother method' and the 'son method' are cultivated to the end, the souls will tend to become one, so they can be used as substitute sacrifices..."

An Zhizhen said.

"This is probably the reason why the Dragon Slayer was able to sacrifice the life of his fellow apprentice to refine the Kunwu Sword."

Hearing this, Cen Dongsheng recalled the secret that Zhi Yunmei had heard from the two brothers, and realized that behind the seemingly pure revenge story in the past, there was a darker truth hidden, and he couldn't help but speak:
"Wait, so the master of Dragon Slayer and Lame Old Seven intended to let his disciples practice the 'Sub-method' from the very beginning?"

According to Lame Old Seven's description, his master was a good man. He adopted orphans as his apprentices and treated them as his own children. Although the school was small, it was a happy one.
The old Feng Shui master realized that he would not be able to fully comprehend the secret records before his death, so he entrusted his achievements and hopes to his disciples.

In Lame Old Seven's opinion, this was because his master was "too naive" and originally hoped that even if he passed away one day, the brothers would still be as close as a family...

But since the truth behind the "method for returning the soul to heaven and earth" is a mother-son trap, the old Feng Shui master's true intentions are obvious:
He just wanted to use his apprentice to "raise the Gu".

"Interesting, right?"

An Zhizhen naturally thought of this, and the woman's pupils sparkled.

"The truth is not as simple as the parties involved think."

“…It’s very interesting.”

Cen Dongsheng sighed.

I didn't expect that there was another truth behind the story of a cold-blooded madman betraying his master.

The Dragon Slayer slaughtered the entire family with cruel and cold-blooded methods; but his master was not a good guy either. He accepted disciples for his own selfish desires and might take the lives of his disciples as a blood sacrifice one day. However, he was killed by his talented disciple before he could accomplish his goal, so all his efforts were in vain.

The Dragon Slayer might have been aware of his master's intention, which was why he decided to kill him; as for whether Lame Old Seven knew about it, that is unknown.

"Unfortunately, now that the parties involved are dead, no one can confirm the truth for us."

An Zhizhen said softly.

"But we should take some time to check the veins of this sect."

"Sister, do you mean that this matter is not over yet?"

"If this secret technique was created by the Dragon Slayer's master himself, then the matter would end here. But Miss Jiang heard very clearly at the time that this secret record was 'accidentally obtained' by this old Feng Shui master from somewhere else... Doesn't it sound suspicious?"

"indeed."

Cen Dongsheng nodded.

If there is a conspiracy behind this secret technique, it means that a special spell-binding master is directly involved, which is not something that ordinary people or ghosts can do.

"Considering that this happened fifty years ago, before the spiritual energy was revived... Dongsheng, do you have any ideas?"

"Well... I can only say that I don't think it's something a 'human' can do."

The reason why we say that today is the "revival of spiritual energy" is naturally because before today, this world and this planet had already experienced a similar era -

The ancient times when gods and demons were rampant.

Various forbidden objects that have been unearthed and myths and legends that have been passed down to this day can all prove its authenticity.

"not human?"

"Among the ghosts, there are 'ghost kings' who are comparable to special-class curse-controllers, and... 'evil gods' who are sleeping."

The Nine-Child Ghost Mother, who was killed instantly by King Pingdeng with one sword, is a ghost king; and above her, corresponding to the "ancestors" among humans, are the gods and demons who have survived from ancient times to the present and are gradually awakening because of the changes in heaven and earth.

They are collectively called "evil gods".

The future is a battle for survival between humans and ghosts. Although the struggle between people is not uncommon, the main theme has never changed.

Before Cen Dongsheng was reborn, humans had already taken the initiative on the battlefield: on one side were the "ancestors" who emerged one after another to rule the world, and on the other side were most of them who were still sleeping, with only a few survivors of the war between gods and demons. It was obvious which side had the advantage.

"There is no human being who can take up the responsibility of supporting the family right now. I guess I have to work harder."

An Zhizhen said half jokingly and half seriously.

"…So, is it really possible for us to face the evil god head-on?"

"Not yet."

Cen Dongsheng shook his head and denied it decisively.

"The first case of 'evil god awakening' occurred near the end of the second wave. But it was their main bodies that were asleep. After the gods and demons foresaw the coming of the revival of spiritual energy, they actually separated their consciousness a long time ago and secretly infiltrated the human world to prepare for their own awakening."

It was only after the disaster of the awakening of the First Pillar that people gradually became aware of the evil gods' erosion and infiltration of the world by following clues.

The war between humans and demons is a race against time. The result is the victory of humans: the first awakened evil god in history was killed by the first ancestor born in human history. This epic war is the end of the "Second Wave".

And now, with less than four months until the end of the “first wave”…

Sister Zhizhen asked him whether there was some kind of supernatural power setting up a plan fifty years ago, which could even influence the birth of a special curse master. He could only think of this possibility.

"Let's keep this secret technique for now."

An Zhizhen finally made a decision
"I think there will be a time when it will be useful in the future."

(End of this chapter)