Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 151 The Awakening Blade, Turning to White Bones!

Although he had only been practicing this sword-nurturing technique for two short days, Chen Ye felt that he was making extraordinary progress on this path, whether it was because the technique was exceptionally compatible with him or because his professional talent as a Killing Blade Asura was at work.

In a daze, Chen Ye even felt that he could never be separated from this knife again.

Just then, a passage from the art of sword nurturing suddenly flashed through Chen Ye's mind.

"Objects possess a spirit, born from the heart and perfected by name! With the heart as the guide and the name as the lock, man and object become one, as easy as an arm and fingers."

This means that once a magical artifact develops a spiritual quality, if it can be given a fitting name, this spiritual quality can be completely locked in, thus establishing a deeper connection with its owner.

name…….

Chen Ye looked at the long sword on his lap, the one that had accompanied him all the way from Yu Huo County, and his heart stirred slightly.

What's a good name for it?
Unconsciously, Chen Ye recalled his own experiences.

Along the way, I may have seemed to be getting stronger, but in reality, I have been lying low and accumulating strength.

Just like before spring arrives, all things hidden underground silently wait for the moment when thunder roars.

When the first spring thunder rumbles, all things revive, hibernating insects awaken, and dragons and snakes rise from the land.

so…….

"From now on, you shall be called Jingzhe!" Chen Ye gently stroked the blade and said softly.

Om-!
A clear, melodious, and resonant sound rang out from inside the blade.

The faint light representing the soul of the blade suddenly shone brightly, illuminating the inside of the blade like a small sun.

In an instant, a realization dawned on Chen Ye.

He could clearly feel that although his cultivation level had not changed at all, and his internal energy had not increased by a single point, his strength had indeed jumped to a higher level.

Especially his swordsmanship.

Chen Ye had a strong confidence that if he were to use the Needle Blade Technique again now, its power would be at least twice as strong as before!
Is this the state of perfect harmony between man and sword? It's truly wondrous.

Just as Chen Ye was quietly experiencing this wonderful feeling of being in sync with the sword and having a clear and pure heart,

hum! ! !
The Jingzhe knife on his lap suddenly emitted a rapid and sharp buzzing sound, full of warning.

At the same time, a sense of crisis ten times stronger than the previous night exploded from the deepest part of Chen Ye's heart, making the hairs on his body stand on end!
Here we go again!
Chen Ye's first thought was that the guy who used the "calling the soul" technique last night had made another move.

But this time he didn't hear anything.

Moreover, this sense of crisis came so suddenly that before he could react, a strange feeling spread throughout his body.

Chen Ye felt that his body was undergoing some kind of terrible change. His skin was drying out, his flesh was melting away, and the vitality in his body was draining away at an incredible speed.

Chen Ye suddenly looked down and saw a horrifying scene.

His hand, which had just been stroking the blade, now had all its skin, flesh, and veins gone, leaving only pale white bone that reflected an eerie light in the dim light.

He hurriedly looked at his legs, arms, chest...

All I could see were white bones.

He couldn't even feel his heartbeat, the flow of blood, or his breathing.

I... have turned into a skeleton?
After a moment of shock, Chen Ye not only did not panic, but calmed down with astonishing speed.

It's that familiar feeling again.

It's very similar to the soul-summoning technique from last night; both are bizarre methods that directly target the root cause, making them impossible to defend against.

"They really are persistent," Chen Ye thought coldly to himself.

This time, however, the methods were even more insidious and bizarre than last night's summoning of souls.

Last night's attack at least had sound as a medium, as it was an attack targeting the soul.

This time, however, it was silent and direct, targeting his physical body and intending to turn him into a pile of bones.

So what the hell is this evil magic?
At the same time, Chen Ye immediately realized that the most crucial thing now was not this skeletal body, but his own soul.

The changes in the body may just be some kind of clever illusion or curse. As long as one's consciousness remains and one's soul is intact, there is still a chance to turn the tables.

But once one loses their composure, is overwhelmed by this bizarre sight, and falls into fear and chaos, then there is truly no way out.

Without hesitation, Chen Ye immediately focused his mind, discarded all distracting thoughts, and began to visualize in his mind.

day! moon!
As he visualized, a blazing sun and a clear, cold moon slowly rose once again in his dark space of consciousness.

The golden sunlight dispelled the aura of death and decay brought by the curse, while the silver moonlight washed away the doubts and unease in his heart.

The sun and moon shine together, yin and yang complement each other, creating a pure land deep within his consciousness, preventing his spirituality from being extinguished by the strangeness of the outside world.

After doing all this, Chen Ye felt a little more at ease.

Although the terrifying feeling of his body rotting and his life slipping away still lingered, it could no longer shake his mind.

……

Meanwhile, in another secluded residence in Qingzhou Prefecture.

In a secret chamber filled with the stench of blood and decay, Li Gu stood before a newly set up magic circle, his face flushed with a sickly excitement.

He went to great lengths to set up this magic array.

The skull of a vengeful infant, the shroud of a newly deceased widow, the rush pith soaked in corpse oil...

These things are considered filthy and evil by righteous cultivators, but to him they are indispensable treasures for casting powerful spells.

At this moment, these things were arranged by him according to some strange pattern at various nodes of the magic circle, exuding a nauseating evil aura.

In the center of the magic circle, the straw figure with Chen Ye's name on it still stood.

This time, however, the straw man was covered with a black paste made of bone ash and corpse oil, making it look even more sinister.

"Boy, I let you escape unscathed last night; it was my carelessness." Li Gu looked at the straw man and let out a hoarse laugh like that of a night owl.

"But today, I'll see what else you've got up your sleeve!"

A hint of resentment flashed in his eyes.

Last night, his spell was broken, and he suffered a backlash, sustaining serious internal injuries. This brought his hatred for Chen Ye to its peak.

Therefore, in order to avenge himself and to complete the task assigned by his sect, he went all out today.

The spell Li Gu is currently using is called "Transforming White Bones," which is one of the strongest spells secretly passed down in White Bone Mountain.

Once this technique is successful, the victim will be trapped in an illusion where they have become a skeleton. If they believe it to be real, their flesh and blood will melt away silently, turning them into a real skeleton, resulting in a truly gruesome death.

Moreover, this technique is even more difficult to defend against than calling upon the soul, because it does not attack the soul, but rather annihilates the target's life force from a more fundamental level.

"To use such a spell to kill an insignificant nobody like you, you have every reason to be proud."

With a sinister grin, Li Gu bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the straw man.

"go with!"

At his command, the black paste on the straw man seemed to come alive, wriggling and transforming into wisps of gray mist, which then disappeared into the night sky.

After doing all this, Li Gu's face paled even more, but his eyes became even more excited.

He could feel that a solid connection had been established between himself and that distant goal.

The power of the curse is relentlessly eroding the opponent's body.

Li Gu seemed to see the boy named Chen Ye watching in horror as his flesh and blood slowly disappeared, turning into a cold skeleton in endless despair and pain.

"Hehe...hehehehe..."

Thinking of that wonderful scene, Li Gu couldn't help but laugh again. His laughter echoed in the secret room, sounding particularly eerie.

Yuelai Inn, Room 2, No. 2 (B)

Chen Ye sat quietly on the bed, the sun and moon hanging high in his mind, his mind clear and empty. The strange changes in the outside world that could have caused any cultivator to collapse were now nothing more than fleeting clouds in his eyes.

He knew that simply defending was useless.

That rat lurking in the shadows, when one scheme fails, devises another, its methods growing more insidious with each attempt.

But passively taking a beating has never been Chen Ye's style.

Chen Ye disliked entrusting his fate to others, and he disliked the feeling of being stabbed in the back at any moment.

We must find him and then kill him! Once this thought arose, it spread like wildfire and could no longer be contained.

Chen Ye reached out and grasped the Jingzhe Knife that was lying across his lap.

At this moment, although his palms no longer had the tactile sensation of skin and flesh, the feeling of being connected by blood from the depths of his soul remained crystal clear in his mind.

The Jingzhe Blade emitted a soft hum, as if responding to its master's fighting spirit.

It could sense its master's anger, as well as the evil power emanating from him.

For a weapon that has just been given a sword spirit, this evil and filthy energy is what it hates most and what it most wants to cut off.

At this moment, Chen Ye's mind and the spirit of the Jingzhe Blade reached an unprecedented synchronization.

"Don't worry, your time to drink blood will come soon."

Chen Ye offered a word of comfort, then silently prayed to himself.

Eye of Asura, activate!
In an instant, the entire world was covered in a layer of blood.

Chen Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, no spell could hinder the activation of his professional talent.

Then, in Chen Ye's vision, the flow of all energy became clearly visible.

He saw that on the surface of his skeletal body, countless gray threads, finer than a strand of hair, were wrapped around it.

These threads exude a putrid, deathly stench, as they relentlessly erode their own vitality.

The other ends of these gray threads all pierce through the walls, through the inn, and extend into the distant depths of the city, shrouded in night.

Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat; without a doubt, this must be the source of the curse.

Without hesitation, he immediately got up, but instead of cutting the threads, he leaped out of the window and ran in the direction the threads had come from.

The city of Qingzhou under the cover of night is quiet and serene, having shed the hustle and bustle of the day.

On the street, the few pedestrians were mostly monks who had finished their day and were hurrying back to their lodgings.

Squads of Qingzhou Prefecture soldiers, clad in armor and wielding long spears, patrolled the main road in orderly steps, their cold armor plates reflecting a chilling light under the lanterns.

On the higher rooftops and towers, one or two figures in white could occasionally be seen flashing by; they were disciples of the Heavenly Sword Manor, who monitored every corner of the city like hawks.

The entire city of Qingzhou was shrouded in a vast network jointly woven by the government and the sects, maintaining order and under tight security.

However, within the shadow of this large net, a figure was moving silently and at an extremely fast speed.

Carrying a long sword, Chen Ye moved swiftly through the shadows of the alley, leaping and twirling across the rooftops, his movements so light as to seem weightless.

Chen Ye's current state is quite peculiar.

Because he could not feel the existence of his own body, he maintained a trace of spirituality in his sea of ​​consciousness solely by visualizing the sun and moon.

At the same time, his mind was clear and pure, without any distracting thoughts, and he kept his Asura Eye open to observe the situation ahead in order to avoid the patrols of Tianjian Manor and Qingzhou City in advance.

And so we continued westward.

After passing through the bustling commercial district and the quiet residential area, the surrounding buildings gradually became sparse and dilapidated.

A smell of poverty and decay began to permeate the air.

This should be the outskirts of Qingzhou Prefecture, a place where commoners and some unsuccessful low-level cultivators gather.

The gray magical threads eventually converged into a bundle and disappeared into a detached house not far ahead.

The house looked like it had been abandoned for a long time; the yard was overgrown with weeds and completely deserted.

Without hesitation, Chen Ye climbed over the wall and entered.

Meanwhile, in the secret room, Li Gu sat cross-legged, his brows gradually furrowing.

Not right.

Something is wrong.

Because it has taken too long.

Based on his experience, once the Bone-Melting Curse is activated, it can completely turn a cultivator below the Sea Condensation Realm into a skeleton within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, even obliterating their soul.

But now almost half an hour has passed.

He could still feel the connection between himself and the spell, which meant that the spell was still in effect and the target was not dead.

But how is this possible?

A sense of unease arose in Li Gu's heart.

He was just an unknown nobody from a poor, remote place like Yuhuo County. Even if he had some extraordinary encounters and his spiritual power was stronger than that of ordinary people, and he survived the calling of his name and soul last night, how could he possibly withstand the bone-dissolving curse?
Li Gu was completely baffled.

This feeling of being out of control made him very uncomfortable.

No, I can't stay here any longer.

It should be noted that although Li Gu was proficient in various bizarre techniques of remote curse killing, he also paid a huge price for it.

His physical body had become extremely weak due to years of being corrupted by evil energy, and he was not much stronger than an ordinary person.

Therefore, what he fears most is close-quarters combat.

Li Gu's favorite thing to do is to silently deliver a fatal blow from a dark corner; otherwise, he will never easily show his face.

But if he senses something is wrong, he will not hesitate to abandon everything and flee immediately.

Thinking of this, Li Gu made a decisive move, leaping up from the ground. He didn't even bother to collect the valuable spellcasting materials on the magic array, and turned to flee this place that made him feel uneasy.

He had already decided to escape Qingzhou City first, and then find a place to hide.

As for that kid named Chen Ye... there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with him later.

However, just as he turned around and his hand touched the heavy stone door of the secret chamber...

boom! ! !
A loud bang, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

The stone door shattered into pieces, and then Chen Ye rushed in.

Upon seeing Chen Ye, Li Gu's pupils suddenly contracted, clearly not understanding how he had found him.

At the same time, Chen Ye also saw the scene in the secret room and knew that he had not come to the wrong place. He was too lazy to waste words with this Li Gu. He took a step and instantly crossed several meters. The Jingzhe Blade in his hand drew a cold arc and went straight for his neck!
That strike was swift, precise, and ruthless!

Before the blade even arrived, the extremely refined and sharp blade intent already made Li Gu's skin ache.

At the critical moment of life and death, Li Gu didn't care about running away. He took out a small shield, about the size of a palm, made up of countless wailing skulls from his bosom, and threw it forward. Instantly, it transformed into a bone shield in front of him.

At the same time, he rapidly chanted incantations, attempting to cast other spells to defend himself.

But Chen Ye's speed was just too fast!

In close combat, a sorcerer who needs to chant incantations will only have one fate when facing a top-tier swordsman.

clang!
There was a crisp sound.

The seemingly sturdy bone shield was easily sliced ​​in two by the sharp edge of the Jingzhe Blade, as if it were made of paper.

"puff!"

With the spell broken, Li Gu felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of black blood, his face turning as white as gold paper.

Without pausing, Chen Ye charged forward again, sword in hand.

Li Gu was so frightened that he forgot all about his dignity as an elder and immediately begged for mercy.

But Chen Ye didn't give him that chance at all. With a flick of his wrist, the Jingzhe Blade slashed down, bringing with it an even more dazzling blade light.

The look of terror on Li Gu's face froze completely.

A thin line of blood appeared in the center of his forehead, then quickly extended downwards, passing through his nose, lips, chin, neck... all the way down to his lower abdomen.

The next instant, with a loud thud, Li Gu's body seemed to be cleaved in two by an invisible giant axe, neatly splitting into two halves that fell to either side.

With Li Gu's death, the gray threads that had been wrapped around Chen Ye seemed to have lost their source, instantly collapsing and turning into specks of black ash that dissipated into the air.

Then the skeletal illusion before Chen Ye melted away rapidly, like ice and snow exposed to sunlight.

Flesh and blood regenerated, the heartbeat resumed, and warm blood began to flow in the veins.

In just a breath or two, in Chen Ye's perception, he transformed from a skeleton back into a flesh-and-blood being.

(End of this chapter)