The King of Curses

Chapter 353 Bad Taste

Who is it? Who exactly is it?

The crack that silently and quietly bloomed at his feet seemed inconspicuous, but Zhao Chengxu sensed an invincible and indestructible aura emanating from it.

He couldn't think of any way to block the attack. His prized innate life-sustaining abilities and the magical talismans he carried were all useless. Once hit, only annihilation was possible…

How could such an absurd thing happen?!
But reason told him that this was the truth. His inner intuition was reminding him that this was just a "small warning," that someone was telling him to stop going forward, and that he had no other choice but to listen.

Such feelings of despair and humiliation immediately reminded Zhao Chengxu of his recent experience in the small town: he had been robbed of his consciousness without realizing it, and was powerless to resist.

Although the nature of the events was different, he felt a strong sense of powerlessness in both experiences. The "opponent," who was elusive and whose strength far surpassed his own, was the one he was facing.

Judging from the direction from which the slash came, this person was among the twenty or so people in the curse master's group, and he/she made no attempt to conceal it...

Who is it?

The most conspicuous ones were the two leaders of the Time Wheel Society, Zhao Chengxu thought to himself, but they certainly didn't have that ability.

Lingjue did not detect any powerful aura far exceeding his own, unlike the lake demon, which was still continuously emitting a strong and thick yin energy.

This, on the contrary, is enough to prove his guess: the other party's strength has reached another dimension. Only an unparalleled expert who is not from the same world as ordinary curse masters can walk among people without them noticing.

Why wouldn't this person take action directly? He couldn't see any need to conceal his identity.

Unlike myself, because I have more than one competitor of the same level, I try to disappear and avoid the risk of making enemies.

If he were the one with overwhelming power, he would definitely choose to wipe out everyone here as soon as possible and take over the entire ruins for himself.

unless……

Only one guess remained in Zhao Chengxu's mind.

This trial, this journey to the ancient ruins, can only be sustained because of the other party's perverse sense of humor; everyone here, including the curse masters and the monsters in the trial, is treated as a toy to pass the time.

A strong sense of powerlessness welled up inside him.

The more unpredictable a person is, the more frightening they are, because no one knows what they will do next.

Zhao Chengxu was able to guess because he himself occasionally joined certain "low-level games" and played a similar role.

In paranormal events occurring in third-tier cities, the strongest participant is unlikely to be above level B. This is quite common, as this is the level of the core group of curse masters.

Once Zhao Chengxu had the opportunity to participate and confirmed that no one else posed any threat to him, the rest of the time was up to him.

Sometimes they do good deeds, sometimes they do evil; sometimes they punish others for ridiculous reasons, and sometimes they reward others for completely unreasonable reasons.

Without standards, he only follows his current thoughts, and his mind changes at any time. As a result, in the eyes of others, he becomes a capricious "strongman" who must be pleased by all means—he is addicted to this feeling of manipulating and playing with others at will, and enjoys it immensely.

Although he did not consider himself a pure villain and not one of those sorcerers, being treated like a toy was certainly not a pleasant thing for the weak.

His past recklessness and the humiliation he inflicted on others were, in the eyes of those weak people with strong self-esteem, no different from the devil.

—And now, it's his turn to be the "toy."

The other party did not intend to kill him seriously; it was merely a casual strike that cleaved the ground in front of him, warning him that if he did not do as he (or she) wished, he would only end up with his head separated from his body.

"Okay, okay... I understand."

Zhao Chengxu muttered to himself, swallowing his humiliation.

"I'll do as you say. Basically... no cheating, right?"

It's okay, let's wait a little longer.

The door was right there; he could reach out and push it open. Then…

*
Ban Han protected everyone, using a spell to lift them up to over two thousand meters in one go, a place that the crazed lake demon could not reach for the time being.

Although the trial area is blocked by a barrier, it is not restricted in vertical space.

This doesn't mean they're safe. This monster not only possesses terrifying, domineering power, but it can also spew man-eating black mist; it's unknown whether it has other demonic arts it hasn't used yet.

Furthermore, just watching it rise from the lake reveals its amazing athletic ability.

A giant beast over 800 meters long, if it were to leap and run at full speed...

"It needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

Ban Han thought to himself.

His experience tells him that to deal with monsters with antibodies and vastly different strengths, you have to find the core and destroy it.

Although this lake monster was so enormous that it could be called the "most" of all the monsters he had ever encountered, it still did not exceed the level of Grade A.

Ban Han activated his "Aura Observation Technique" with all his might, and found more than a dozen suspected core locations in a complex and mottled expanse of demonic energy. The colors were more intense than those around the body, and they were scattered at different heights on the body.

Demons have far greater vitality than humans, so what is a fatal blow to a spellcaster is often difficult to kill a demon in one strike; it requires destroying all the demon's weaknesses in one go.

"Follow my instructions."

He said to his companion.

"clear."

Qiao Wan's response was crisp and efficient.

The Thousand Machine Box in her hand quickly transformed, eventually taking the shape of a sword.

The female curse master possesses the ability of "Hundred Martial Arts". She can skillfully use any weapon, equipment, and tool, whether it is an old-fashioned cold weapon or a modern firearm, as long as she gets her hands on it. Her level is no less than that of a veteran who has been immersed in this art for decades. The Thousand Machine Box is the most suitable weapon for her.

But this is merely her apparent ability. Qiao Wan's true trump card is the upgrade of her own life force based on her own wishes after she was promoted to Grade A—

She can concentrate the effects of all kinds of skills on the one she is best at, and the accumulation of quantity leads to a qualitative change, allowing her skills to reach a divine level.

In this state, her own vital energy will be greatly depleted, so she can only maintain it for a period of time.

To preserve this trump card, Qiao Wan usually uses a combination of skills and forbidden items in battle, such as when fighting flying zombies.

When the time comes to use it...

Qiao Wan gripped the sword tightly, her eyes focused first; when she opened them again, her pupils flashed with a divine light, no less than the sharp, cold glint of the sword.

"boom!"

The moment she moved, a shockwave rose behind her, rippling through the air. Her figure vanished from the spot and reappeared near one of the lake demon's tentacles.

"Keng——"

With a swift movement, the sword flashed like a cold star at its tip, unleashing a massive crescent-shaped shockwave that sliced ​​off a section of it.

The lake demon roared, black smoke billowed out, and another tentacle suddenly swept over, trying to grab the attacker; but Qiao Wan's figure had already disappeared.

When she reappeared, she was a thousand meters in the air, aimed her sword at the lake demon's enormous eyeball, and thrust it forward—

"Roar!"

A torrent of foul blood gushed out, and the lake demon's roar was filled with madness and rage, yet it also showed signs of weakness.

Under Ban Han's instructions, Qiao Wan quickly exploited the demon's weaknesses, causing its 800-meter-tall body to collapse.

However, the lake demon was not only incredibly resilient, but also possessed intelligence comparable to that of humans. Seeing that it couldn't capture Qiao Wan immediately, it changed its strategy to escape its passive and defensive position.

As it fell, the lake demon coiled up, its tentacles no longer protruding, but retracting completely to form a barrier; at the same time, every orifice on its body desperately spewed out black smoke.

Thick black smoke billowed out, enveloping the entire lake.

In its contracted state, it becomes even more threatening, its tentacles able to catch up with approaching targets more quickly, and that highly corrosive black smoke... Although it can withstand it by burning its true qi, Qiao Wan, as the main attacker, already needs to consume a lot of true qi to move at high speed and release sword qi, so trying to break through the demon's trap at this time seems beyond her capabilities.

After mentally assessing the risks of directly rushing into the area covered by black smoke, Qiao Wan rationally retreated into the air, intending to discuss a new strategy with Mr. Ban.

But just then, unexpected reinforcements appeared.

Within the wave-like black mist, a few strands of milky white appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

White smoke quietly mixed in the air, like paint spreading on the surface of water, and began to erode the surging black smoke.

Ban Han squinted.

In his "qi-gazing technique," a dazzling light rose from the ground.

A certain Class A curse master, who had previously concealed his identity, chose to reveal his true form at this moment.

His voice reached the ears of the two members of the Kalachakra Society; it sounded like that of a young man.

"I will control it with my abilities. The lady with the sword, look for the white mist and rush in."

"it is good."

Qiao Wan did not hesitate and readily agreed.

……

The newly emerged young curse master manipulated a white, misty current to continuously compress the lake demon's control range. Qiao Wan's sword, finding no further resistance, swiftly severed all its tentacles and finally pierced its head.

In the course of repeated struggles, the original lake has dried up, leaving only a muddy bottom.

With a mournful roar, countless wounds appeared on the lake demon's body. Under the combined attack of three top-tier curse masters, it finally succumbed to the pressure and collapsed into the mud pit.

……

"Oh, this guy is quite obedient."

Yi Qingyan narrowed her eyes. Although it sounded like a compliment, she didn't smile at all. She just yawned, feeling slightly bored.

"I hate sly people the most; the more I look at them, the more annoyed I get."

"He probably plans to follow orders first, and then take revenge after passing the trials and becoming the Lord of the Heavenly Palace."

"...Really?" Yi Qingyan blinked, seemingly showing a little interest. "As long as I master this ancient ruin, I can become a top-tier curse master?"

Cen Dongsheng shook his head.

He didn't think it would be that easy.

Although this place is indeed very special, in terms of scale and nature, it is incomparable to any ancient ruins that Cen Dongsheng knew in his previous life.

But to say that this would give birth to a new top powerhouse is clearly absurd. If this were true, it would have been difficult to keep it a secret in the previous life, because the ultimate winner was King Equality, who never concealed his actions.

Furthermore, Cen Dongsheng has not yet discovered the purpose of this trip.

"The Killing Blade should be hidden in a deeper place... but I don't know what connection it has with the Heavenly Palace. It seems to have nothing to do with it at all."

The questions in his mind urgently needed to be answered.

……

“He can’t do it, because we won’t stand idly by,” Cen Dongsheng said.

The original plan was to use Zhao Chengxu's identity to open the door and then rob it.

"Well, so that means we can't take action 'for the time being'."

Yi Qingyan's fingers curled slightly.

Cen Dongsheng, who was connected to her by blood, could feel the girl's inner emotions surging like waves at this moment, but they were forcibly suppressed in her heart.

He was already very familiar with this "unique" impulse. Clearly, it wasn't aimed at a mere Class A curse master.

"Qingyan?"

"Ok?"

"Did you sense something?"

Cen Dongsheng had heard a half-joking remark that "the Precept Blade - Killing" was like a character's exclusive weapon in a game for King Pingdeng.

While it's natural for the effects of multiple special-grade curses or forbidden items to merge and complement each other, it's said that the weapon possessed by the King of Equality is especially suitable for her, allowing her already unparalleled destructive power to reach even greater heights.

Given their perfect chemistry, perhaps there really is some kind of connection between them?
"..."

Yi Qingyan did not answer immediately. Her gaze passed through the valley, through the deep gate, and seemed to look directly into the depths of the palace complex.

"I just have a feeling..."

She raised a finger forward and said confidently.

“There are people there worth killing.”

*
"Hello you two."

Zhao Chengxu transformed into a wisp of white smoke, drifted into the air, and then appeared in front of Ban Han and Qiao Wan.

"I am Zhao Chengxu, a free-spirited spellcaster without any affiliation."

“I’ve heard of that name. You’re quite famous in the mercenary business.”

"Hehe, it's all thanks to the kindness of my colleagues and customers, I don't take it seriously."

While he is described as "famous," the reviews are primarily negative. At least in the eyes of organized spellcasters like Ban Han, mercenaries like Zhao Chengxu are no different from thugs, only knowing how to pursue profits, utterly shameless, and completely lacking in teamwork.

If you encounter something like an ancient ruin, it's something you need to be wary of.

However, since the other party had helped him and was quite friendly, Ban Han naturally didn't put his guard up and introduced them to each other with a smile.

"The final hurdle is coming up. I hope we can join hands to fight the enemy."

"Of course."

Zhao Chengxu readily agreed. His gaze swept over the members of the Time Wheel Society, noticing the strikingly beautiful brother and sister, and he exclaimed in surprise:

Why are there two ordinary people here?

"These are the passersby we rescued when the town was destroyed..."

Zhao Chengxu and the young man made eye contact.

At that moment, his expression and eyes froze.

(End of this chapter)