Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

There was nothing in front of me, and nothing under my feet either. The entire space was a boundless white void, and even my sense of direction was taken away.

A slight noise came from my side.

He turned around.

A figure stood in the white void, a loose white mage's robe hanging from the shoulders to the ground, looking like a thumb wrapped in white cloth.

This is Tianyuan, an immortal sorcerer who has lived for over a thousand years, the cornerstone of the world of sorcery.

Duanmu Yan opened his mouth.

"You are Tianyuan?"

Chapter 80 Meeting (mainly dialogue, can be skipped)

"You are Tianyuan?"

Tianyuan slowly said, "I thought you were going to call me a stinky old woman, since you seem to really dislike me."

Duanmu Yan was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled awkwardly, "You're joking. You're the cornerstone of the sorcery world."

He did have that thought, thinking that if they couldn't reach an agreement, he should just curse like that.

"Ah, since that's the case, let's get down to business, about the stellar bodies."

"This generation of astral bodies is called Tian Tian Li Zi, right?"

"Yes," Duanmu Yan said.

“You are unwilling to assimilate her.”

"Yes."

"Even if it means I might not be on the side of humans after I evolve, you don't care?"

Duanmu Yan did not answer immediately. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "It's not that we don't care, it's that we don't want to exchange a living person's life for a possibility."

Tianyuan was silent for a while, and after a long time, he slowly spoke: "Do you know how many years I have lived?"

“More than a thousand years,” Duanmu Yan said.

“Yes. Assimilation has been carried out many times. Every time the astral bodies enter the Palace of Death, I remember their faces... but I have never asked them whether they want to be assimilated.”

Duanmu Yan raised his eyes.

"Because I can't ask. If I do, I can't continue. The world of sorcery needs the barrier of the Heavenly Origin to maintain stability, while I need assimilation to maintain the status quo. This has been the unchanging logic for thousands of years, and logic doesn't need emotion."

“And now?” Duanmu Yan said.

"Now that you're standing in front of me, speaking no on her behalf, I want to hear your logic: what are you going to use to replace assimilation?"

Duanmu Yan pulled his hand out of his pocket and stood up straight.

"We have no alternative."

Tianyuan remained silent.

"I don't know how long it will take to find a replacement for your barrier, the stability you maintain, and everything you've brought to the world of sorcery. It could be a few months, a few years, or even longer. If you can't hold on during this time, the three of us will take over. We will fill all the gaps in the barriers in various places."

He paused, his voice lowering.

"Riko is fourteen years old this year. She likes taking pictures, counting the zeros on the bill after eating, and standing next to a whale in a museum in a daze. She should continue to live."

Tianyuan did not respond.

After a long while, a sigh came from under the robe and hat.

“You young people, this is the first time I’ve heard such words in a thousand years. Do you think I haven’t thought of other ways? I have thought about it for hundreds of years, and I’ve been thinking about it after every assimilation.”

"But each time, no one stands here to say no to them. Once they do, the stability of the sorcery world is shaken. After thinking about it, I suppress this thought, but it resurfaces during the next assimilation, and I suppress it again. This cycle has been going on for thousands of years."

“To this day, three young people stood outside the Hongxing Palace and used magic to tell me: This time it’s different.”

"Let's cancel assimilation."

Five words, light as a feather, yet carrying unparalleled weight.

"Having lived for over a thousand years, he was finally persuaded by three teenagers."

Tianyuan's tone held a hint of self-deprecation. "She said she wanted to live, didn't she?"

Duanmu Yan nodded: "She did say that."

“Then let her live,” Tianyuan said. “Anyway, my old bones can hold on for a while longer. Whether she will turn against humanity after evolving… who knows? Perhaps the commotion caused by you young people is more worth looking forward to.”

Duanmu Yan looked at the white robe and suddenly didn't know what to say.

He was prepared to argue with Tianyuan, to explain, to confront, and even to have the talks fall apart, but in the end, all of this could be summed up in two words.

"Thanks, thank you."

Tianyuan chuckled softly, "No need to thank me. I'm just making a decision that no one has made for me in the past thousand years."

Tianyuan didn't reply; she instead looked at the person in front of her.

"Speaking of which, you are an amazing person."

Duanmu Yan didn't expect her to suddenly turn the conversation to him: "...Me?"

“A delicate balance is maintained between humans and cursed spirits.” Tianyuan’s voice was unhurried. “The more powerful a sorcerer there is, the shorter the recovery cycle of the cursed spirits will be. It is the self-regulation of this world.”

"It's like a balance scale; when one side sinks, the other side tilts up."

“But after you appeared, the balance was not broken. I have been watching, ever since you stepped into the high school barrier. The scales did not move at all, which is illogical.”

Duanmu Yan smiled after hearing this. Then he took his hand out of his pocket and looked down at his palm.

"Perhaps it's because my power comes from this world."

"Oh?" Tianyuan's tone rose slightly.

“My technique is called Armor Fusion.” Duanmu Yan raised his hand, “but the power that constitutes the armor is not the spell itself, but the elements.”

"Lava flames, raging hurricanes, swirling seas, sheer cliffs. Wind, fire, water, earth—things that have always existed between heaven and earth. I simply borrow them and wear them on my body."

Tianyuan remained silent for a few moments: "...The elements of heaven and earth."

She pondered the words in her mouth: "Power that does not belong to the curse system is neither human negative emotions nor the curse essence of cursed spirits; it is borrowed, not born."

The robe and hat tapped lightly, as if talking to itself, "So that's how it is. When you use one part, the world loses one part. After you use it all, the elements return to the world. The total amount remains unchanged, and the balance is not broken. You have found a foothold in the cracks of the world's rules."

"The power of a sorcerer comes from negative emotions. The stronger a person is, the heavier the negative emotions they carry. In order to balance this negativity, the world will create stronger cursed spirits. But your power does not come from negativity. Elements themselves have no emotions. So you are on one side of the scale, but the other side does not need to be weighed down. From the world's perspective, you are a fish that slipped through the net."

Duanmu Yan closed his fingers and lowered his hand: "So the balance won't be broken."

“No.” Tianyuan’s tone suddenly became more serious. “It’s not that you can’t break it, it’s that you’re not on the scales at all. I’ve lived for thousands of years and this is the first time I’ve seen someone like you.”

"Borrowing power from heaven and earth, without seeking power from incantations, perhaps it is precisely because you come from different rules that you can stir up new possibilities in a predetermined predicament."

She paused, her white robe swaying slightly. "Perhaps it's long overdue for someone to stir things up about assimilation."

Duanmu Yan didn't know how to respond. After a moment of silence, he clapped his hands lightly at his sides and bowed to Tianyuan: "Then let's leave it at that. I should go up now."

"Hmm." Tianyuan's response was brief, and he quickly returned to his thoughts.

Duanmu Yan turned around and took a few steps back in the direction he came from, then stopped.

"After evolution, are you still you?"

There was no immediate reply from behind; after a long silence, Tianyuan's voice came from behind.

"Who knows? I can't predict what will happen after evolution... The rest is up to you."

Duanmu Yan nodded and continued walking forward.

If that fails, they'll need to step in.

Chapter 81 From now on... I am the cursed sorcerer despised by millions.

Meanwhile, outside of vocational colleges.

The ruins at the entrance to the mountain path were left unattended. A gust of wind blew, carrying a few charred leaves that landed beneath the torii gate pillars at the entrance.

A woman with a gentle face stood in the shadow of the torii gate, smiling as she looked towards the direction of the high school.

"It's a pity that Heaven has given me a tyrant, but that's not what I wanted."

Her skin was unusually pale, and most noticeably, there was a suture line running across her forehead, as if it had been carefully sewn on.

Kaori Itari... or perhaps, she should be called Ao.

“What an unexpected turn of events.” She tilted her head, tapping her chin with her finger. “The assassination failed, but they’re unwilling to assimilate… How interesting.”

"However, I need to find some helpers, otherwise it will be very difficult to take down these people."

"Shouldn't it be time for it to be resurrected?"

She smiled gently, the curve of her lips graceful and poised, no different from any other woman standing on the street waiting for a bus.

Then the pale figure faded into the shadow of the torii gate, without a sound.

……

"That's wonderful, Miss!"

Kuroi hugged Tennori tightly, his arms around her as if he wanted to pull her into his embrace.

Riko was forced to stand on tiptoe by the tightness, and reached out to pat her back.

"Okay, okay, I'm fine, really fine."

Gojo Satoru nudged Toshino with his elbow: "You bastard, you actually managed to get that old woman Tengen to back down. You're quite the talker."

Duanmu Yan smiled slightly: "It's nothing, Tianyuan is quite easy to talk to."

Xia Youjie coughed lightly twice beside him.

Riko's matter is settled, but there's still one thing left to finish.

He pulled his hand out of his sleeve and placed it on his chest: "Now that things are settled here in the Heavenly Realm, what about the Panxing Sect?"

Duanmu Yan was silent for a moment, then said, "Go to the Panxing Sect headquarters."

……