Chapter 176: The Demonseed Sect

“You’ve just killed a demon seed that took immense effort to cultivate. Such a significant loss should be compensated by your life.” As the Demonseed Sect leader spoke, he pointed his finger at Yue Qingshan’s face.

A strand of invisible power traveled through Yue Qingshan’s face, instantly traversing thousands of miles to reach Chen Luo in the valley below.

Having taken Yue Qingping’s belongings established a connection between him and Yue Qingshan. The Demonseed Sect leader exploited this link to cast a curse on Chen Luo.

Thud!

The cursed Chen Luo was struck in the chest by Han Lin’s flying skull, sending him soaring once again.

There was no need for Chen Luo to search; the dried corpse brain swiftly identified the root of the problem. He tapped his storage pouch, extracting the bone scroll.

Pffft!

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood onto it. As the crimson liquid flowed over the “Blackstone Secret Technique” bone scroll, its color instantly changed. Once saturated with blood, the suffocating sensation vanished.

The dried corpse brain provided feedback, confirming that the cursed energy had been cut off. However, the attack had been launched before severance could occur.

In an instant, a wave of peril surged within Chen Luo’s heart.

Summoning his entire focus, he channeled spiritual energy to prepare for the incoming curse. But in the next breath, Han Lin’s attack arrived. The old man was deviously cunning, seizing the opportunity to take out Chen Luo once and for all.

“Get lost!” Chen Luo roared, his eyes bloodshot with murderous intent. His fist, honed by the Iron Body Art, smashed forward with terrifying force.

The blow erupted like a furnace, sending a conical shockwave that blasted both the earth beneath him and Han Lin flying backward.

“A body cultivator?” Han Lin muttered as he rose from the wreckage, his face cold as he appraised Chen Luo. “No wonder you could kill Wang Cangxiao that fool. So you’re a dual cultivation master after all.”

He can unleash mid-Foundation Establishment strength at only early Foundation Establishment, Han Lin thought. Any weaker opponent would be easily taken down by this ambush.

But Han Lin was no ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator!

He tossed aside the decaying skull in his hand, and five ghastly skulls glowing with green light flew forth. The toxic aura expanded rapidly, forming a colossal sphere dozens of meters high that engulfed Chen Luo entirely.

At that moment, Chen Luo had no time to spare for Han Lin.

Curse magic struck directly at one’s spirit; a momentary lapse in defense could cost him his life.

Boom!

Another muffled explosion sounded as Chen Luo’s body absorbed more of the toxic essence. The five decaying skulls let out a chilling cackle in mid-air before charging at him once again.

Liu Ghost Han’s Spirit Corrosion Poison must be neutralized swiftly, thought Wang Cangxiao, his brain still active within the external device. Having crossed paths with Han Lin before, he knew all too well about this formidable technique.

“Let’s move first,” another Foundation Establishment brain chimed in. “We’ll deal with the curse after we’ve escaped!”

This situation was extremely unfavorable for Chen Luo. With an invisible powerhouse casting spells from the shadows, he had to split his attention—70% focused on countering curses, leaving only 30% to face Han Lin directly.

Aerial Flight Technique!

Chen Luo wasted no time; using the external brain, he activated his divine ability. In a flash, he shot towards the valley exit, whipping up a fierce gale that sent dust swirling around him.

“Trying to flee now? Too late.” Han Lin saw what was happening and chased after Chen Luo, also wielding his magical artifact. As two Foundation Establishment cultivators, they left behind twin streaks of light in the sky—one leading, one pursuing.

Here it comes!

Chen Luo braced himself mentally during his escape.

Suddenly, his vision darkened. It felt as if his spirit had leaped across space itself, allowing him to glimpse an enraged human face closing in rapidly.

The face was right in front of him, yelling something. But before he could hear it clearly, a torrent of blood poured from that face.

Why?!

Why?!**

The voice exploded, coalescing into a force that detonated within Chen Luo’s mind. The powerful divine soul energy sent his head spinning, and his body hurtling towards the ground like a shooting star.

Han Lin, who had been pursuing him, saw this and thought his poison technique had taken effect. With a sinister grin, he said:

“This venerable one’s poison isn’t so easy to bear, is it?”

He flashed forward, five pale skulls trailing behind him, leaving long streaks in the air.

“Hand over what you’ve stolen, and I’ll leave your body intact.”

As Han Lin descended, he commanded his five rotting skulls to launch another assault. He had seen Chen Luo use the ‘Blackstone Secret Technique’ earlier. Now certain of what he’d taken, his attacks grew even more vicious.

Chen Luo lay on the ground.

In the pitch-black void of consciousness, Yue Qingshan’s face had cracked open, his bloody tears fading away. Through this shattered visage, Chen Luo glimpsed the scene where the curse-caster stood: an ancient, secluded courtyard.

At its center sat an elderly man in black robes, cross-legged upon the ground. In his hand held tightly—the very face of Yue Qingshan.

Curses were interconnected; if you attacked someone, they could naturally sense your presence.

So this is the caster of the curse?

As Chen Luo ‘looked’ over, the old man in the courtyard also sensed his gaze and lifted his head to look in Chen Luo’s direction.

Huh?

The old man seemed puzzled, wondering why he hadn’t been able to curse Chen Luo to death.

With his strength at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and using covert tactics across several cultivation realms, it should have been effortless for him to eliminate an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like Chen Luo.

Demonic Seed Sect.

From this brief glimpse, Chen Luo found the information he sought. Behind the courtyard where the old man sat was a mark belonging to the Demonic Seed Sect. Having purchased numerous materials about them recently to counter their threat, he recognized this mark instantly.

This time, I’ve really suffered a major loss.

Watching the flying skull bearing down on him, Chen Luo refocused his attention.

Once again accessing the brainpower of a Golden Core cultivator, after dragging things out for so long, he was ready to give Han Lin a surprise.

Han Lin was strong.

But for Chen Luo, it amounted to little more than a minor inconvenience.

If not for being ambushed with curses midway through their battle, he would have dispatched Han Lin long ago.

Han Lin’s Rotting Poison Skulls had arrived. Five skulls circled as they charged forth. Chen Luo was now completely saturated with toxic qi; Han Lin was confident this strike would be fatal.

The advantage is mine!

Chen Luo rose to his feet, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

His entire aura instantly transformed. The intuition of his Core Formation brain appeared in his mind, and when he looked at these five Rotting Poison Skulls, he saw nothing but vulnerabilities everywhere.

He raised his hand.

It was still the Yin Lightning Incantation!

All the spiritual energy within him flowed out like water, converging into a speck of pitch-black lightning at his fingertips, no larger than a star.

“Yin lightning doesn’t need to be dense; compression works just as well.”

With a light tap of his index finger,

Han Lin, plummeting down, remained utterly unaware of the impending danger. He felt he had already figured out his enemy, and upon seeing Chen Luo’s counterattack, a sinister smile crept across his face. He commanded the five Rotting Poison Skulls to charge fiercely towards their target.

Boom!!!

The tiny bolt of lightning effortlessly pierced through all five Rotting Poison Skulls. These once invincible constructs were reduced to mere paper-thin targets against the miniature thunderbolt, which tore straight through them without hesitation. Following closely behind, Han Lin also took a direct hit to his chest from the same bolt.

Lightning crackled, eliciting a blood-curdling scream from Han Lin.

The miniature bolt of lightning had pierced his chest, detonating within his very being. The ferocious yin thunder seared through him like a grill, reducing Han Lin’s body to nothing but black ash.

Paralyzed with fear, he even witnessed the collapse of his own Foundation Establishment cultivation base.

Fizzle.

After a puff of black smoke, Han Lin was entirely incinerated into ashes. In that final moment before his complete annihilation, Chen Luo darted forward and placed his hand on Han Lin’s skull.

Retrieve!

As soon as Chen Luo absorbed the energy, Han Lin’s head disintegrated into dust, leaving behind only charred remains. Seizing the opportunity, Chen Luo retreated, not forgetting to snatch Han Lin’s storage pouch along the way.

The spent lightning arc fell to the ground and exploded, creating a Yin Thunder blossom that reduced the entire area to a scorched wasteland. Even Han Lin’s posthumous ashes were subjected to one last blast, vaporizing the black ash into thin air.

Depleted of spiritual energy after plundering the storage pouch, Chen Luo slid down the valley, coughing blood incessantly as he lost all strength in his limbs.

With Han Lin’s brain at his disposal, Chen Luo swiftly located the antidote within his bag of holding. After consuming it, he felt the suppressed spiritual energy gradually returning to his body, allowing him to regain control over his descent. He landed near a large rock and sat down.

After catching his breath, he rose to tidy up the area before making a hasty departure. The previous battle had been too intense; staying any longer would be risky.

Demonic Seed Sect…

As he left, Chen Luo popped another handful of Spirit Foundation Pills into his mouth, using the tiger spirit’s brain to accelerate their absorption. He never expected that in such a short time, he’d suffer such severe injuries again. This grudge is noted, he thought. If I came for the black stone secret technique before, now I have revenge on my mind as well.

Suppressing his wounds, he walked for half a day straight. Only after ensuring he was far from the danger zone did Chen Luo allow himself to relax fully. Along the way, he used divine sense to scan his surroundings and checked everything in his bag of holding with the dry corpse’s brain—just to be safe.

The incident with the black stone had taught him a lesson: even sealed or forbidden items might not be harmless.

Meanwhile, within Blackstone City, an old man from the Demonseed Sect examined the cracked mask in his hand, his brow furrowed slightly.

He hadn’t anticipated that killing someone at just the initial stage of Foundation Establishment would be so challenging.

Although they were both considered Foundation Establishment cultivators, those at the peak of this realm were practically in a different league from those at its onset. Within Blackstone City, cultivators who had achieved the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment were revered as great cultivators, second only to the Core Formation patriarchs. While early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators were indeed powerful, they fell far short of their more advanced counterparts.

“Has my spell source been severed?” he mused. “Just how did this person manage it?”

The old man rose and opened a drawer, carefully storing away the shattered mask.

The Demonseed Sect’s core technique excelled in implanting seeds and nurturing demons; the more demons one cultivated, the stronger they became. It was precisely this ability that led him to target the Yue siblings, ultimately culminating in the tragic massacre of their entire clan.

In the eyes of this elder, both sister and brother possessed exceptional potential as demonic seeds!