Curse Returns: Eight Extraordinary Skills? I lack nothing.

The cave entrance wasn't entirely dark. Fluorites, emitting a pale green glow, were embedded in the rock walls, illuminating a narrow, downward-sloping passageway. Without hesitation, Yuuto stepped inside.

The passageway descended, the air heavy and oppressive. On the rough rock walls on either side were carved many simple symbols and drawings, seemingly some kind of primitive record. Youren slowed his pace, his Feng Hou Qi Men perception extending like tentacles, deciphering this information.

The content of the picture is shocking.

The image depicts a huge, disheveled old woman carrying a massive basket on her back, walking through the mountains and forests.

She encounters all sorts of people: poachers trapping animals, lumberjacks chopping down giant trees, bullies oppressing villagers... Then, the illustrations show how the mountain hag "judges" them.

Poachers are caught in traps, loggers are crushed by falling trees, and bullies are dragged into darkness by unseen forces…

In the end, these people disappeared into their baskets, leaving only the "evidence" of their evil deeds—the destroyed traps, the fallen tree stumps, and the scattered loot—which were also "erased" by a force.

There are also some crooked characters carved next to it, which seem to be confessions or accusations added by later people:

"Fujiwara Jiro...poached three fawns...the mountain god is enraged..."

"Ken Yamashita... stole sacred trees... he deserved his fate..."

"Nakamura...bullied the elderly and widowed...and was taken away..."

These murals and inscriptions clearly reveal the behavior logic of the mountain hag: she does not hunt indiscriminately, but rather acts like a judge who enforces the ancient laws of the mountain forest, precisely finding and taking away those "evil people" who disrupt the balance of the mountain forest and bully the weak, and completely erasing the traces of their existence.

This explains why many missing persons are people with criminal records, and why there are often no traces left at the scene.

Not only people, but also the "consequences" of their evil deeds were "purified".

At the end of the passageway was a relatively spacious stone chamber, seemingly the site of some kind of ritual. In the center of the chamber was a sunken stone pit, filled with dark red, long-dried and solidified stains, emitting a strong stench of blood. Scattered around the pit were fragments of animal and human bones.

The surrounding rock face was covered with even more intricate runes, exuding a cold, heavy, and judgmental aura of magical power, perfectly matching the nature of the fluctuations that "Window" had detected a week ago.

This is Yamaba's "judgment hall," and one of the core areas where her power manifests.

“I see… an ‘enforcer’ born from ancient mountain beliefs and resentment.” Yu Ren understood. The formation of this cursed spirit is extremely special. Its ability to “perfectly conceal” and “erase space” is likely derived from the rules of “judgment” and “purification” itself, which is a conceptual power.

Just as he was carefully observing the stone chamber, a strange change suddenly occurred!

At the entrance to the stone chamber, the space suddenly and violently distorted! Three figures were as if they had been forcibly "squeezed" out and crashed heavily to the ground! They were wearing the uniforms of the auxiliary supervisors of the Spellcasting Hall, and were the personnel left behind at the temporary command post! One of them was none other than the tall, thin, bespectacled man in charge of observation!

"Pfft!" The three of them fell awkwardly onto the cold stone ground, their faces filled with shock and confusion. They had clearly been forcibly teleported here by the Mountain Bumpkin's spatial abilities!

"Haru... Mr. Haruhi?!" The bespectacled man saw Yuuto and, as if seeing a lifeline, his voice trembled. "We... we don't know what happened! We were in the tent... and suddenly we were here!"

Yuuto's eyes narrowed.

It was no coincidence that the Mountain Woman moved them in! Feng Hou Qi Men instantly expanded to its maximum, while simultaneously shouting, "Back off! Stick close to the wall!"

Before the words were even finished, an indescribable, chilling malice, a mixture of blood, dirt, and endless resentment, instantly engulfed the entire stone chamber like a tsunami! The air temperature plummeted, and the stone walls and floor were visibly covered with a thin layer of white frost.

The immense pressure turned the three assistant supervisors pale instantly, as if an invisible giant hand was gripping their throats, making it difficult for them to even breathe!

The space at the entrance to the stone chamber rippled and twisted once more like water. A huge, hunched figure slowly "squeezed" out of nothingness.

His long, unruly hair, as gray as withered grass and reaching the ground, covered most of his face, leaving only a cloudy, bloodshot yellow eye that gleamed with an inhuman, cold light through the gaps in his hair.

The tattered and dirty linen kimono hung loosely on its large and hunched body, and the exposed skin was dry and cracked like old tree bark, with a deathly bluish-gray color.

On its back, a huge basket made of rough branches and animal hides hung empty, its edges stained with suspicious dark brown dirt.

The supreme-grade cursed spirit, the Mountain Granny, finally revealed its terrifying true form.

Its murky yellow eye, piercing through its disheveled gray-white hair, first swept over the "crimes" carved on the stone wall, then precisely and firmly locked onto the three assistant supervisors who were huddled against the wall, trembling. That gaze, like that of someone scrutinizing lambs to the slaughter, was filled with judgment and indifference.

Yuuto stood in the center of the stone chamber, holding the Kikuichimonji Norimune, lightning flickering around him, and the array diagram of the Feng Hou Qi Men flowing beneath his feet. However, the mountain hag's gaze lingered on him for only a moment, seemingly judging him not to be a "villain," before completely ignoring him!

Its target was none other than the three auxiliary supervisors whom it regarded as "trespassing into the holy land" or possibly "having ulterior motives"!

A huge, withered claw slowly rose and aimed at the three of them.

Space began to distort and compress; the force of "erasure" was about to descend! The three assistant supervisors closed their eyes in despair.

"Hey." Yuuto's icy voice rang out in the stone chamber, carrying an undeniable air of authority, "Your trial ends here."

The moment the words left his mouth, Yuuto moved!

The Feng Hou Qi Men Array Plate beneath his feet, which covered the entire floor of the stone chamber, shone brightly!

The "Kun" and "Dui" positions suddenly lit up!

The character "坤" (Kun) represents an earthen river cart! The character "兑" (Dui) represents black glazed glass!

With a loud rumble, the ground beneath the three assistant supervisors suddenly bulged up, and the hard soil and rocks rapidly piled up and solidified as if they had a life of their own, instantly forming a huge rock wall several meters thick in front of them.

At the same time, a deep, black curtain of water, seemingly capable of absorbing all light, instantly covered and flowed across the surface of the rocky barrier! This is the ultimate application of the "Dui" water feature, specifically designed to buffer and deflect energy impacts.

The mountain hag suddenly clenched its raised demonic claw.

Chapter 156 Combat

hum!

An invisible, terrifying compressive force instantly descended upon that rocky barrier.

The solid rock groaned under the strain, its surface instantly covered with a spiderweb of cracks!

The black glass water curtain covering it dented and rippled violently, like water being struck by a giant hammer, but the resilient power of the water stubbornly resisted, weakening and dispersing the force of spatial compression layer by layer! The enormous impact caused the entire stone chamber to shake, and gravel fell down in a flurry!

"Pfft!" Although the three assistant supervisors were protected by the earthen cart, they were still shaken by the terrifying shockwave, and one of them even spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Dual-wielding technique - Red Hand!" Yuuto pressed his left hand remotely towards the injured support supervisor. A condensed red light instantly traversed space and entered the man's body.

The red light, like the most precise probe, instantly locked onto his injured internal organs. Gentle yet powerful life energy surged in, soothing the wounds and stabilizing his qi and blood.

The assistant supervisor's pale face regained a sliver of color at a visible speed, and his horrified eyes were filled with gratitude for surviving a close call.

"Get back to the corner and don't move!" Yuuto hissed, his gaze fixed on Yamaba.

His movements were fluid and seamless, combining defense, healing, and command in one smooth motion, demonstrating absolute control over the battlefield situation.

Yamaba stared intently at Yuuto with her cloudy yellow eyes, revealing for the first time a clear emotional fluctuation—the fury of having her authority offended!

It seemed that it hadn't expected this seemingly young human to be able to so easily block its purifying attack on the "intruder" and even heal the "sinner" right in front of him!

"Stop...the...purification...of...sin...the same..." The mountain hag's roar grew even more piercing, filled with a blasphemous rage. Its massive body suddenly took a step forward!

boom!

The entire stone chamber floor trembled violently! An even more violent and condensed force of spatial collapse, no longer targeting the auxiliary supervisor, but like an invisible giant hammer, slammed down on Yuuto himself!

This time, the power was even more concentrated, with a resolute determination to crush Yuuto and the space around him into dust! The air emitted a piercing shriek, compressed into visible, distorted ripples!

Faced with this terrifying attack capable of twisting steel, Yuuto's eyes were sharp as knives, and instead of retreating, he advanced! The "Zhen" and "Xun" positions of the Qimen Dunjia formation beneath his feet suddenly lit up to their maximum brightness!

The character "震" (Zhen) signifies thunderous force! The character "巽" (Xun) signifies a raging wind!

It wasn't a direct confrontation! Countless condensed blue-white lightning bolts and raging hurricanes instantly formed, not heading straight for the collapsing core, but precisely targeting the weakest points at the edge of the spatial collapse force.

The forces of wind and thunder intertwined and entwined, utilizing their powerful kinetic energy and electromagnetic effects, like countless invisible levers and crowbars, forcefully inserting into and stirring the invisible spatial structure!

"Sizzle—BOOM!!!"

The force of spatial collapse, which was forcibly interfered with, pried, and deflected, crashed violently against the rock wall of the chamber behind Yuuto, like an out-of-control train.

The hard rock was torn apart like tofu, creating a crater several meters in diameter! Debris flew everywhere like cannonballs, and dust filled the air.

The entire mountain seemed to let out a muffled groan!

Yu Ren swayed slightly, using the subtle deflection of force by Feng Hou Qi Men to neutralize the recoil.

He stood firmly in place, his silver hair flying in the surging wind, his eyes coldly fixed on the mountain hag.

“Spatial interference… nothing special.” Yuuto’s voice carried a clear hint of sarcasm. “A ‘judge’ who only hides in the shadows and wipes out the weak, dares to talk about ‘purification’?”

This statement precisely hits the core logic of the mountain hag.

Its massive body stiffened abruptly, and its murky eye instantly filled with crimson blood vessels! The resentment and malice permeating the air surged several times over, chilling to the bone!

"Desecrate...the...mountain...law...die!!!" The mountain hag let out a deafening roar, no longer a series of overlapping whispers, but a pure, violent howl.

The huge, empty basket on its back suddenly trembled violently! An even more sinister and filthy aura emanated from the depths of the basket, as if opening the gates to hell!

It no longer used a single spatial collapse; its massive body burst forth with a terrifying speed that was inconsistent with its hunched form, carrying a suffocating gale, and like a moving mountain, it crashed toward Yuuto.

The giant claw, resembling a withered branch, tore through the air with enough force to shatter mountain rocks, descending upon them.

The claws were wreathed in a grayish-white aura of curse, formed from the lingering resentment of countless "evil people" that it had "purified," carrying a strong spiritual pollution and physical corrosiveness.

This time, it was a double blow of physical attack and spatial confinement! As the giant claw swung down, the space around Yuuto seemed to be bound by invisible shackles, becoming incredibly viscous, attempting to pin him to the spot!

Faced with this ferocious attack, a cold glint flashed in Yuuto's eyes! Kikuichimonji Norimune was instantly drawn.

Flowing Cloud Sword - Ink-Covered Mountain!

The blade light was no longer silvery-white, but transformed into a massive arc of sword energy, heavy as a mountain and pitch black as ink.

The water vapor of the Kan position and the earth element of the Kun position are integrated into the sword intent, giving this strike the weight of a mountain and the depth of the sea.

Where the blade passed, the air, frozen by the spatial shackles, shattered under the strain.

"clang--!!!"

The jet-black blade clashed violently with the mountain hag's withered claws.

A deafening roar, like metal clashing, echoed wildly in the stone chamber, making one's eardrums ache.

The massive shockwave exploded in a ring, violently kicking up rubble and dust from the ground.

The ground beneath Yuuto's feet cracked and sank instantly, but his body remained as steady as a rock. The shimmering white light of the Reverse Life Triple Circulation rapidly flowed across his body, allowing him to withstand the terrifying power.

The mountain hag's giant claw was forcefully blocked in mid-air.

A flicker of disbelief crossed its cloudy eye.

This human not only blocked its spatial collapse, but also managed to withstand its physical claw attacks, which were filled with countless resentments?!

What angered and enraged it even more was that the moment Yu Ren blocked the claw attack, the "Li" position of the Qimen formation under his feet suddenly lit up!

The character "离" (li) - Firefly's Flowing Light - Explosion!

It's not defense, it's counterattack.

Countless highly compressed, incandescent sparks, like a disturbed swarm of bees, exploded instantly between Yuuto and Yamaba, especially at the joint of Yamaba's giant claw!

The extreme heat instantly scorched its dry, cracked skin, making a hissing sound!

Although it couldn't cause serious damage, the intense pain and sudden interruption caused the mountain hag's movements to slow down slightly!