Chapter 251: Cursed Kill

Sword soaring through the skies, Chen Luo swiftly arrived above Guoshan County. A journey that had taken months with the Dry Corpse Daoist now required only half a day by sword.

Floating in mid-air, he scattered his divine sense.

Below, Chen Luo clearly saw the vast Yinwood Forest and the Seal Array. The two mountain spirits who had once toyed with him also came into view.

He descended, landing once more within the forest.

Soon, rain began to fall. During his Qi Refining days, neither he nor the Dry Corpse Daoist had understood the source of this rain. Now, a single sweep of his divine sense revealed the truth:

Just another array.

Unbothered, Chen Luo entered the Mountain God Temple as before.

Inside, the male and female mountain spirits remained locked in passionate embrace on the left side. Last time, the Old Mummy Ghost had warned him against provocation. But this time, Chen Luo walked right up to them, studying the pair at close range.

Perhaps sensing his approach, the mountain spirits froze mid-embrace. Their faces turned toward Chen Luo, twisted into sinister grins.

“Keep your eyes modest.”

The male mountain spirit’s face erupted with a web of blood vessels. The female below mirrored his transformation, her skin draining of color until she wore a deathly pale mask.

“It seems you’ve forgotten,” Chen Luo said, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

These mountain spirits had caused him considerable trouble before. The female spirit had even pursued him relentlessly, forcing him to use his most lethal spirit talisman to drive her off.

“What have I forgotten?” The mountain spirits didn’t understand Chen Luo’s meaning. However, Chen Luo had no intention of explaining. Having come this far, he would naturally settle old scores!

“Never mind. Why waste breath on trash like you?”

He wouldn’t let them off just because they were minor threats.

Boom!

A ring of spiritual fire suddenly erupted from Chen Luo’s hand. His fingers spread wide as he clamped them onto the male mountain spirit’s face. This was the ringleader—the one who commanded the female spirit beneath him.

The flames burned inward along the finger imprints, instantly punching a hole through the mountain spirit’s skull.

“Ah!!”

Under the overwhelming pressure of Foundation Establishment cultivation, Chen Luo didn’t even bother using divine abilities. The male spirit’s Qi Refining realm strength meant he couldn’t resist at all. His face burned to ashes before anyone could blink. The Foundation Establishment power expanded its destruction, the spiritual fire spreading down his cheek. In the blink of an eye, the male mountain spirit was reduced to nothing but ash.

A pool of impurities splattered onto the ground.

The female mountain spirit had been petrified by the scene before her. She stumbled backward in terror, instinctively trying to flee. But Chen Luo was faster. His figure blurred as he moved behind her, a palm strike infused with spiritual fire connecting squarely with the left side of her face.

Enhanced by the Demon Bone Array Sigil Art, Chen Luo’s strike carried the force of a raging bull. The impact caved in half of the mountain spirit’s skull, her ashen ghostly visage now twisted into a grotesque half-mask.

With a flick of his wrist, Chen Luo summoned a bolt of Yin Thunder.

Boom!

The lightning erupted, reducing the mountain spirit to ash before it could even hit the wall. She was dead beyond resurrection.

Having dispatched these two minor threats, Chen Luo turned his attention to the mountain god statue within the temple. He approached and pressed his hand against its abdomen.

Three circles left, three quarters past noon.

This was a critical node in the array formation with a time restriction. But Chen Luo had no intention of waiting. He channeled spiritual energy to rewrite several minor nodes of the formation. As the power surged through, the surrounding scenery began to ripple like water, warping and distorting around him.

When Chen Luo finally emerged from the stabilized environment, he found himself within Guoshan County.

This location proved far more convenient than the path he’d taken with the Dry Corpse Daoist earlier.

Creak.

Chen Luo pushed open the door and stepped out onto Guoshan County’s streets.

The scene matched his memories - desolate, with ash swirling in the air and a wooden inn sign swaying in the wind. Ignoring the commotion, he turned down a narrow alley and began climbing the mountain path.

As the mist thickened, Chen Luo soon arrived at the site where he’d found the ‘Hanged Old Brother’. The corpse still hung from the crooked-neck tree, though now beginning to rot. Since the man had been an array master in life, his decaying remains were unsuitable for corpse cultivation. Chen Luo left him swinging in the wind.

Beyond the twisted tree, Chen Luo quickly reached the herb garden.

During their search for Spirit Condensing Grass, they’d first explored the left garden. There, the Dry Corpse Old Brother and Wang Tianji’s group had been cursed and given tainted herbs. Chen Luo had gone to the right garden instead, where a thatched hut sealed a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator. The herbs here were genuine, but so was the demonic threat.

Chen Luo had come here specifically to seek vengeance against this man.

He walked a few steps to the right and soon arrived at the thatched hut area. Chen Luo stepped inside. Just as he remembered, the garden was still the same, filled with a haphazard assortment of spiritual materials: Spirit Concentration Grass, along with common vegetables like cabbages and radishes.

Chen Luo took two steps forward and pulled up a white radish.

As soon as he entered the garden, his divine sense pierced through the thatched hut, detecting the hidden Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator within. It was an old ghost in the mid Foundation Establishment stage, long weakened by the Seal. The Demonseed Sect Leader’s consciousness materialized in his external brain, and Chen Luo’s aura began to twist and blur.

Creak!

The wooden door opened in response. Unlike the previous encounter, this time the cultivator emerged with a face full of caution, two withered straw figures clutched in his hands.

“A new elder from one of the three major sects?”

The Old Demon didn’t recognize Chen Luo at all.

Why would he remember a mere Qi Refining realm ant? In his mind, the intruder who had dared to enter his medicine garden years ago had already been cursed to death.

“Spreading warmth.”

Chen Luo grinned, and a wavy black qi emanated from his body. The Core Formation seed within him trembled as the black qi converged in his palm. He raised his hand and pressed his index finger down onto the white radish.

This was the Demonseed Sect Leader’s most potent curse technique.

Since the sect leader had cursed him, Chen Luo would return the favor using the same method.

Demonseed Curse!

During their initial confrontation, the Demonseed Sect Leader had employed this very technique against Chen Luo. Now, at such close proximity, Chen Luo could clearly see the connection between the white radish and the owner of the thatched hut.

Shiiing!

With a single touch, the white radish writhed like a living creature, emitting infant-like wails. As it twisted and contorted, it gradually transformed into the exact likeness of a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator.

“A curse?!”

The Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator, who had been standing guard with wary eyes, paled. He swiftly grabbed the two straw figures in his hands, ready to transfer the curse.

This was his area of expertise.

The moment he lifted the straw figures, a chilling aura radiated from the white radish, carrying power akin to Core Formation stage.

“A peak realm great cultivator?!”

Whoosh.

Two streams of black fire ignited, causing the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator’s straw figures to burn eerily. In the next instant, the flames twisted and morphed into his likeness.

“I refuse to accept this!”

“I’ll take my revenge!!”

The phantom figures roared with fury, the ‘demonic seed’ having taken root. It instantly spread to the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator, whose face contorted with terror. He opened his mouth to speak, but before any words could escape, black flames erupted from his chest. In the blink of an eye, he was reduced to ashes.

A conical pile of black ash fell to the ground, leaving only scattered clothes as evidence of his existence.

One strike, one kill.

With Chen Luo’s current strength, cursing and killing a Foundation Establishment mid-stage demonic cultivator sealed for centuries was as effortless as crushing an ant.

After dispatching the enemy, Chen Luo extended his hand. A small black stone flew out from the ash heap, landing securely in his palm.

Demon seeds.

This was the Demonseed Sect Leader’s most specialized technique. These seeds could be used as substitutes for death, functioning similarly to cursed straw figures used by demonic cultivators, but with even greater efficacy.

Chen Luo pushed open the door and entered the thatched hut.

The interior was sparsely furnished with an old wooden bed and a simple desk. The floor was made of bamboo, with dried grasses and several unfinished straw figures scattered around the edges.

Near the bed lay an old book with a black cover. Chen Luo flipped through it and recognized the cultivation technique within—the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Art.

This very technique practiced by the demonic cultivator in the hut was the same dark art that had caused the tragedy in Guoshan County.

The Seal Array erected in Guoshan County specifically targeted this cultivation method. When this person accidentally stumbled into Guoshan County and later practiced the ‘Six Desires Heavenly Demon Art,’ the Seal Array naturally identified him as a demonic entity from Guoshan County, trapping him within.

“It bears some resemblance to the Demonic Heart Art, but this is much rougher—like a counterfeit version,” Chen Luo remarked after examining the technique. His external brain, connected to the mummy’s preserved consciousness, showed no reaction whatsoever, clearly indicating the inferior quality of this cultivation method.

He ignited a spiritual flame, which instantly reduced the cultivation manual to ashes.

In no time, the cultivation technique was reduced to ashes. The black ash fell to the ground, mixing with the demonic cultivator’s remains until they became indistinguishable. With this done, Chen Luo didn’t linger. The debts and grudges were settled - it was time to leave.

As he exited the courtyard, Chen Luo glanced at the Spirit Medicine Garden on the other side.

There were still some issues there, but he couldn’t be bothered to deal with them. He had come for vengeance, and with the debts settled, they were now even.

Following the same path back, Chen Luo soon left Guoshan County.

The journey was smooth, without any obstacles. The demonic creatures that had haunted his escape earlier didn’t appear this time. The hidden forces that had been watching him sensed his true strength and chose silence.

This was the true cultivation world.

Strength reigned supreme.

With matters in Guoshan County concluded, Chen Luo didn’t linger. He flew to the nearest market on his sword, spent two spirit stones, and boarded a cross-domain ferry bound for the God Lake Immortal Sect.

The journey had taken so long. It was time to return to the sect. He wondered how his master, Void Sage, was doing. And his junior sister Huang Ying, his senior sister Bai Su. That woman had once asked him to refine a ‘Fate Pill’ for her - he still wondered what she’d used it for.

Guoshan County.