While I was chanting a curse, the system said I was Xiao Yan?

Chapter 158 Setting the Scene

The rain started suddenly.

One second it was just a few scattered raindrops, the next it turned into a torrential downpour, as if a hole had been punched in the sky, and the rain poured down, submerging the entire dark alley in a gray-white curtain of water.

The sound of rain drowned out the distant sounds of battle and the roar of collapsing ruins, but it couldn't drown out the panting of the real people themselves.

The real creature staggered forward in the dark alley, rain washing over its broken body, mingling with the purplish-black blood seeping from its not-yet-fully-healed wounds, leaving a trail of purplish-black blood behind it.

It leaned against a soaked brick wall, panting heavily.

Its soul fire is still burning, but as faintly as an oil lamp flickering in the wind, and could be extinguished at any moment.

But it's still alive; it escaped!

Tianyan from the Zen temple couldn't catch up with it; the water clock blocked his way, and he was free!

A slow, genuine smile spread across his face, a smile tinged with the relief of surviving a close call: "...So close."

It whispered something, its voice hoarse and almost inaudible in the rain: "I was so close to being killed by you, Zen-in-Ten-Yan."

""

The real person raised its head and looked at the dim street lamp in the rain. The raindrops drew countless diagonal silver lines in the light. It straightened its body, moved its right arm which was slowly healing, and felt the weakness that came from the depths of its soul.

"But it's alright. Once I recover, I'll pay for this tenfold. I'll make you my most prized toy, and I'll let you see it for yourself..."

Then it stopped.

Ahead, under the streetlight, stood two people.

The man on the left, dressed in dark clothes, had short, graying hair that looked somewhat disheveled in the rain, but he remained composed. The raindrops seemed to bounce off him as if by an invisible barrier. Part of his deeply lined face was illuminated by the light, revealing a peaceful smile on his lips.

The man on the right was wearing a loose kasaya, with his black, shoulder-length hair tied in a bun and a long fringe hanging down his forehead. The rain hadn't wet his clothes either. He just stood there, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his expression as gentle as if he were waiting for an old friend.

The real person stopped in their tracks.

The man stopped at the alley entrance, his eyes, which had only a sliver of light left, brightened slightly the moment he saw the two figures.

The real person forced a smile, a stiff smile, the corners of its mouth as if forcibly pulled up by something, carrying a kind of probing and ingratiation that it itself was unaware of.

"You two... are you here to pick me up?"

Its voice sounded somewhat faint in the rain, as if it had been diluted by the rain: "This makes me so happy."

The real person restrained the urge to approach the two people. As a cursed spirit born from the fear of malice towards humans, it sensed that something was wrong.

The two people didn't move. They didn't come forward, showed no concern, and didn't even reveal any surprise or relief. They just stood there, looking at the real person as if they were looking at a package being delivered to their door.

Lu Suo spoke first. He didn't look at the person in person, but turned his head slightly to look at Xia Youjie beside him, with a calm smile on his lips, as if he were sharing an interesting discovery.

"See, Jay? This is what I told you."

His voice was soft, almost ethereal in the sound of the rain, but every word clearly reached Zhenren's ears: "Under appropriate pressure, a talented curse will truly awaken. Zhenren's technique has grown to the stage required by our plan, hasn't it?"

"Humans are the same; they only awaken under pressure."

The real person felt their blood turn cold in that instant. They couldn't understand what they were saying, but the feeling of being scrutinized...

The feeling of being valued made it uneasy to its core, and it took a half step back, instinctively wanting to create distance.

Lu Suo finally turned his head and looked at the real person. There was no warmth in his eyes, only the gaze of someone scrutinizing a tool that had completed its task.

"Shall we begin?" he asked.

Xia Youjie nodded: "Let's begin your sorcerer awakening plan."

,

In that instant, Zhenren felt as if something was gripping its heart. It finally understood, finally realized the inexplicable sense of unease that had been lingering in its heart since the beginning, the feeling of being watched, the feeling of being schemed against, the feeling that had been secretly pushing it to grow since its birth.

Human malice!

Just as the water clock said, humans are simply untrustworthy!

Today, it's not just Zen Temple Tianyan that's being designed, it's also this!

"you...

'

Its voice trembled: "You've been here from the very beginning."

'

"We're waiting for you to grow up."

Lu Suo interrupted it, her voice as calm as stating a fact: "We have been waiting since the day you were born."

The real person's pupils suddenly contracted. It opened its mouth, wanting to say something, to shout, to question, but the man in the cassock had already moved.

Xia Youjie walked towards it at a leisurely pace, as if strolling in his own backyard. His expression was calm, even gentle, but he exuded an aura that sent chills down one's spine.

The real creature wanted to retreat, to run, to resist, but its body was immobilized. A rope formed from a thin line of blood had bound it tightly, leaving it only able to stand there and watch the man approach it step by step.

Xia Youjie stopped in front of it.

He looked down at the real person, his eyes devoid of any emotion. Then he raised his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing the top of the real person's head.

"Wait...wait a minute...."

'

The real person's voice trembled: "I can help you... I can do so much more..."

'

"I can do anything!"

'

Xia Youjie did not answer. He simply placed his palm on the top of the real man's head without saying a word, his five fingers gently tightening.

"No!

'

Spirit Manipulation Technique, activate!

In that instant, Zhenren felt as if his soul was being gripped by an invisible hand, compressed downwards from the top of his head by an irresistible force. His soul, his consciousness, everything about him was being squeezed, folded, and shaped under the influence of that force.

It wanted to struggle, to scream, to resist, but its soul was too weak. The battered fragments were instantly crushed by the spell, and it could no longer control its body!

The real person's body began to shrink like clay, eventually transforming into a luminous sphere that quietly floated in Xia Youjie's palm.

Xia Youjie glanced down at the sphere, then tilted his head back, put the sphere in his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed.

It's still raining.

Xia Youjie stood there, rain streaming down his face, his expression unchanged, calm to the point of being indifferent.

Then, black mist surged from his feet.

The black mist condensed and expanded beside him, transforming into a human figure in the blink of an eye. The black mist receded like the tide, revealing the figure within.

The real person emerged from the black mist, its body completely intact, all the wounds from the battle gone, and a faint smile returned to its face. But its eyes had changed, becoming somewhat empty, with something flowing deep within its pupils, yet also seemingly nothing at all.

It walked up to Xia Youjie, raised its hands, palms down, and pressed them onto the ground. The power of the spell surged from its palms into the ground and extended in all directions along the underground veins.

"Transformation through non-action".

The real person spoke, their voice calm, devoid of the previous childlike mockery and cruelty, replaced by an ethereal, almost mechanical quality.

The ground is shaking.

Some indistinct traces of incantations emerged from the ground, spreading outwards from the real person. They glowed with a dark red light in the rain, extending from the alley to the street, and from the street to the entire area, like the patterns of some ancient formation slowly unfolding.

The red incantations were also reflected in the air, intertwining into complex patterns before finally disappearing into the rain.

Lu Suo stood under the streetlight, looking up at the incantations that dissipated in the air, his smile unchanged.

"Oh dear."

His voice was casual, like he was having a normal chat, but the content was anything but casual: "You still don't trust me, huh? You only started a death migration in one region."

Xia Youjie stood beside him, his hands tucked back into the sleeves of his robe, his gaze fixed on the distant rain.

"You said that the barrier of Tianyuan was designed to suppress the birth of sorcerers."

He spoke, his voice calm: "A Tianyuan who has lived for over a thousand years, the core of the barrier maintaining the magical realm, someone capable of doing such a thing—there's no way he wouldn't have a backup plan. Could there be something hidden within Tianyuan's barrier that even you don't know about? While you were carrying out your plan, could Tianyuan have triggered some pre-placed traps?"

Lu Suo looked at him, her eyes filled with a hint of interest.

"So, you think that guy might have a backup plan?"

"At least we can test what kind of impact Tianyuan can withstand in order to maintain the barrier that shelters the world, and we can also see their reaction through what happens in this area."

Xia Youjie paused, glanced at Suo, and said with a gentle smile, "That's why I made the decision without discussing it with you. I hope you're not angry."

Lu Suo smiled, a smile that showed no trace of dissatisfaction or anger, but only a kind of pleasure as if watching something interesting unfold.

"Of course not, caution is a good virtue."

"So, which region did you choose?"

Xia Youjie withdrew his gaze and looked back at the rain: "Osaka."

Tianyan raised his head.

The purplish-black barrier appeared in his field of vision, like an inverted giant bowl, enveloping the entire area.

He could sense that this barrier not only blocked people from entering and exiting, but also isolated the perception and detection of magical power.

It seems he's been set up. He has no choice but to deal with the water clock. Although losing the real person is a bit of a pity, the water clock is enough.

The system notification sounded in his mind.

"bite!

'

"A special instance has triggered the [Attack of the Azure Lotus Core Flame]!"

"Mission Objective: Defeat the incarnation of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, absorb its essence, and prompt the [Burning Technique] to complete its transformation!"

Tianyan's lips slowly curved into a smile.

He looked down at the volcano, its single eye watching him, orange-red light flickering in the cracks—a light that blended anger, murderous intent, and a hint of contempt.

The water clock was originally a top-tier cursed spirit born from humanity's fear of volcanoes, so the system's description is quite accurate.

...The real person was seriously injured.

"The water clock's voice was low and deep, carrying an barely suppressed rage: "But at least he's alright. As long as he's alive, our plan can continue."

Its gaze focused on Tianyan: "And you, although you and a few humans worked together and were lucky enough to kill Huayu and Tuogen, you were able to contribute to the maturity and awakening of the True Person, which can be considered your final contribution."

"Lucky?"

Tianyan smiled. It seemed that the information the water clock had received wasn't entirely accurate, but he had no intention of correcting it: "I think I've had pretty good luck today."

""

The water clock's single eye narrowed, as if angered by those words. It suddenly opened its hands, and scalding magma gushed from the cracks in its ten fingers. The magma condensed and expanded in its palms before exploding violently.

Dozens of fist-sized, firefly-like creatures burst forth from the magma in its palm. Each creature was covered in a dark red carapace, with scalding magma surging within its abdomen and tiny sparks constantly crackling on its surface, carrying extremely high heat as it rushed toward Tianyan.

"Fire Gravel Worm!

'

The sound of the water clock echoed in the rain, deep and violent, each word carrying the scalding heat of magma: "I will burn you to ashes, leaving not even bones behind!"

'

Immediately afterwards, Louhu stomped his other foot on the ground, causing the asphalt road to crack and a crimson pillar of fire to erupt from the ground, reaching a height of five or six meters. It exploded in the air, transforming into a scorching wave of fire that pressed down on Tianyan.

Fireflies and fire waves intertwine, forming a net that has almost no blind spots.

Tianyan looked at the fireflies, then glanced at the towering wave of fire rising behind the water clock, and the smile on his lips widened even further.

Tianyan stood still, raising his hands from his sides, palms facing up. He took a deep breath, and in that instant, the air in front of him began to become moist. Blue-green light surged from his palms, and then his arms thrust forward violently.

Blue-green flames erupted from his palm, but something was off about them. They didn't have heat waves; instead, they carried a moist, surging seawater scent. The flames exploded in mid-air, transforming into blue water walls several meters high, which met the fire worms and lava waves in the sieve.

Water and fire collide in the air.

"laugh!

'

The sound was like someone pouring a bucket of water onto a scorching hot iron plate, continuous and echoing throughout the street. White steam rose from the point of impact, obscuring the sky and enveloping the entire area in a hazy white mist.

Under the combined influence of high temperature and moisture, dark clouds gathered overhead, and raindrops began to fall.