Grudge Breaker

Chapter 394 The Undead Appear (Part 2)
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Mysterious water ignites flames, and scorching earth sprouts buds.
Golden blades gather in the wood, and the coffin in the underworld blossoms.
With each recitation of a phrase, "Song Weichen" would place a drop of blood from his fingertip on the corresponding point within the Soul-Guiding Array. His practiced ritual left a group of Soul-Breaking Masters who were setting up the array dumbfounded. When did our white-robed Venerable, who only knew how to act cute, acquire this ability?

Guide to the underworld, accessible to gods and ghosts.

Blood bait hangs in the shadows, and a lingering soul comes to pay homage!

Array activated—

As the sound faded, a buzzing sound emanated from somewhere within the soul-guiding array, causing the entire cave to tremble slightly, indicating that the necromancer was about to appear.

"Today I must avenge my brothers."

Someone muttered something under their breath, and a sense of grief and indignation quietly permeated the group of Vengeance Masters.

In the past, in the woods of Pingyang, Ma Zhenchun brutally murdered dozens of Vengeful Spirit Masters. Now that he has been resurrected, his destructive power is more than ten times greater than when he was alive. Therefore, their journey here is one of seeking revenge with the determination to die.

In fact, not only them, but even Ye Wujiu couldn't help but tremble slightly, and even the old injury caused by the "Sun Prominence Gu" on his arm was throbbing with pain.

From the initial discovery of Ma Zhenchun's resurrection in the collapsed cave in Wuyin Village; to being tormented daily by the necromancer's solar flare curse in the back mountain of Sichen Mansion; and then to the Dream Nirvana Technique related to Ma Zhenchun in the Obscure and Bright Mysterious Array of the Realm Lord's Mansion—it must be admitted that Ma Zhenchun is Ye Wujiu's deepest regret, and he has been waiting for this moment for far too long.

But in an instant,
Two breaths,

Half an incense stick later, the necromancer did not appear. In fact, nothing appeared in the formation, and even the buzzing sound disappeared.

The soul-guiding formation failed.
.
"You guys go out first."

With a dark expression, Song Weichen issued orders to the group of Vengeance Breakers, clearly forgetting that she was currently in the form of Li Kan.

Everyone was taken aback. "Who are you? Both the black and white robes of the Si Chen Manor are here. Who gave you the right to speak?"

"Oh, just tell them to leave."

Song Weichen finally realized what was happening and pouted at Mo Tingfeng. The latter instinctively flinched and quickly looked away from "Li Kan's" face. However, he still wasn't used to a tough guy acting cute!
"Uh, you guys go out first."

"Yes."

The group of Vengeful Spirit Masters obeyed the order, but couldn't help but wonder to themselves. Although their master's sexual orientation had always been a mystery, and his relationship with the White-Robed Venerable was indeed ambiguous, wasn't it a bit too much for him to be flirting with a strange, muscular man in front of Song Weichen? ...Ahem, never mind, it's none of our business to interfere in the affairs of these big shots. Time to slip away.

As soon as everyone left, Song Weichen rushed up to Li Kan.

"What about Ma Zhenchun? You're no good!"

Li Kan was so angry he laughed. This loose-tongued brat! The thing a man hates most is being told he's no good by a woman, especially one who is, in a sense, his newlywed wife.

"Whether I am capable or not, why don't you try it yourself, my wife?"

"Song Weichen" chuckled mockingly, her flippant tone utterly incongruous with her face, but her expression quickly changed.
"I would like to ask you, my lady, why did you lie?"

"Is the curse spell on you truly related to necromancers?"

"Or perhaps I should ask you this: do you truly possess a curse to death? If you do, you are not Ma Zhenchun. Your blood could also attract the one who cast the curse, but everyone has seen the result."

"The Soul-Guiding Array has never had a problem before, so the one causing the problem must be you!"

Li Kan bombarded Song Weichen with questions, leaving him speechless.

That makes sense. Logically speaking, Li Kan had no reason to lie, so the problem must lie with herself. But why didn't her blood work on Ma Zhenchun?

"Ah this..."

Song Weichen was a little embarrassed.

"Let me sort this out."

"I was cursed to death because I touched the mask of the Shita Demon King, which was stained with the blood of the Shita Demon King. After that, the cursed to death repeatedly tried to kill me in the form of the Shita Demon King's consciousness illusion. Last night it appeared again, and because of Xiao Biezhi's uncontrollable brain circuits, the Demon King actually turned into two. Fortunately, they both perished at each other's hands in the end, and I was lucky enough to survive."

"Could it be that the curse has actually been lifted because of this, which is why the soul-summoning array failed to summon the necromancer?"

"No."

Li Kan didn't speak, but Mo Tingfeng spoke first.

"The aura of the curse of death still lingers on you."

"Even though the illusion of the Corpse Demon King's consciousness has been dispelled, the true caster of the spell has not disappeared. The fact that the Soul-Guiding Array did not summon Ma Zhenchun can only mean two things: first, he has no direct connection with the curse of death on you; second—"

Mo Tingfeng paused for a moment.

"The one who set up the formation may not be human."

These words startled everyone, especially Song Weichen. Not human? What does that mean? Was she being targeted by a ghost? But even if the other party was a ghost, given Li Kan's abilities as a dead ghost prince, wouldn't he be a perfect nemesis? How could he not summon anything?
"Do you remember the black mane that grew on Mengda's body?" Mo Tingfeng asked out of the blue.

At that time, Li Kan was still under Xiao Biezhi's control in the virtual realm, so he naturally did not know what Mo Tingfeng was talking about, but Song Weichen knew clearly. She understood his meaning as soon as she thought about it.

"You suspect that Jing Zheng is the mastermind behind the curse of death?"

"Ah."

"Although Jing Zheng is alive, he may not be a 'human' in the true sense anymore. The black mane on Meng Da's arm is the best evidence of this—which is probably why Jing Zheng has chosen to disappear for so many years."

"If I'm not mistaken, the prince's soul-summoning technique is only effective on humans or the spirits of the dead, and cannot summon the souls of animals or other non-human beings. Therefore, the soul-summoning array cannot summon the mastermind behind the curse of death."

"Damn, I've lost a lot of money."

Song Weichen sighed heavily. He had made a deal with the dead prince and even exchanged his soul, but this whole mess had to happen.

"So what do we do now? Since we can't summon a necromancer, why don't I switch back with the Ghost King and stick to our original plan? See you at the next camp?"

“Why are you in such a hurry, Madam?” Li Kan interrupted, “I haven’t even looked down on you.”

Suddenly, a smirk appeared on his lips, and he spoke with his usual playful tone.

"Could it be that Madam wishes to be closer to her husband? After all, Duxi is very intimate with her..."

"Kiss you my ass!"

Song Weichen was speechless. "Soul exchange requires the use of breath as a means of crossing over," which looked like a kiss. She had forgotten about this, but without it, they couldn't switch back. While she hesitated, Mo Tingfeng had already gritted his teeth and pulled Gu Cangyue around. He could only keep comforting himself, "Calm down, calm down. The breath-crossing is just a sham. We didn't actually kiss..."

Fortunately, the two finally managed to switch back.

Song Weichen felt completely drained, his calves were trembling, while Li Kan looked satiated, like a Black Mountain Demon who had absorbed all his vital energy.

"Madam, the deal is still valid. If you need anything in the future, I will do my best to help you."

"Heh." Song Weichen gave a forced smile. "The deal I want to make right now is for you to die again."

……

Mo Tingfeng didn't care about the bickering between the two. Ever since he pulled Gu Cangyue and turned to look at the cave entrance, his eyes hadn't left Ye Wujiu outside the cave.

As dawn broke, the gray robe of the Broken Vengeance Master shimmered with a pale white light. Upon closer inspection, a light brown stain could be seen on Ye Wujiu's left sleeve, likely from the fierce battle with the ferocious beasts the previous night. That spot...

As he looked, Mo Tingfeng's eyes suddenly lit up!
"Your Highness, you said the deal still stands, but Wujiu's arm was injured by a necromancer and the wound has not yet healed. I wonder if his blood can summon Ma Zhenchun?"

"Injured by Ma Zhenchun?"

"That person?"

Li Kan sniffed, looking at Ye Wujiu, who was still searching outside the cave, with a look of disgust.
"No wonder I smelled a dead man on him."

……

"Wujiu, come in!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Mo Tingfeng led Ye Wujiu to Li Kan, who, without a word, ripped open Ye Wujiu's sleeve, revealing the strange and ugly scar—flesh hyperplasia, twisting and tangling like maggots, something still stirring beneath the skin, resembling an unformed curse rune. It was unbelievable what kind of pain Ye Wujiu endured daily, yet he still managed to handle the heavy workload of the Si Chen Mansion's underground network.

Ye Wujiu didn't know where Li Kan came from, nor did he know why Li Kan was examining his wounds so carefully. He also didn't want Mo Tingfeng to be distracted at this critical moment, so he subconsciously avoided him.
"A minor injury, nothing to worry about."

Li Kan didn't say much. Suddenly, he flicked his sleeve, and a dagger appeared in his hand—the very same dagger that Song Weichen had used to threaten to cut off his manhood during the soul swap.

With just a light stroke, a large clump of thick, black blood flowed from Ye Wujiu's left arm. Li Kan dipped some in and put it under his nose, his brows furrowing even more.
You call this a 'minor injury'?

"If this continues for another month, you'll become the next necromancer!"

"Your name is Wujiu, right? You look refined, but you're a true tough guy. For that reason alone, it's hard for me not to admire you. I'm determined to save your life today."

"Set up the formation!"

·
The Vengeful Spirit Master, who was waiting outside the cave, was called back and re-formed the Soul-Guiding Array for Li Kan, the Dharma Protector.

Although their movements were swift, their minds were filled with questions—why wasn't the one in white robes presiding over the ceremony? Instead, it was this strange man? Was setting up a soul-guiding array so easy? Could just any Tom, Dick, or Harry do it?
Despite their thoughts, it was their second time forming a formation, so their teamwork was even better, and they quickly reached the final step.

"Wu Jiu, drip the black blood from your arm into the formation as I instruct."

"it is good."

As the last drop of black blood entered the formation, with a "bang," a large amount of black energy erupted from within the Soul-Guiding Formation, mixed with wisps of crimson, like a vortex of malevolent energy that densely enveloped the cave.

Song Weichen stared blankly at the scene before her. She felt as if she had seen this place somewhere before—where was it?

Mo Tingfeng was momentarily stunned by the scene before him. The storm that had suddenly appeared in Granny Huang's fourth illusion, separating him from Song Weichen, was so similar to what was before him! Moreover, the strange runes were faintly visible within the storm! But he quickly realized that now was not the time to be distracted; Ma Zhenchun could arrive at any moment!
"Om-"

The entire cave was humming, like a giant beast about to go berserk.

"My lord, I have a request."

Ye Wujiu's voice wasn't loud, but it was especially clear amidst the buzzing sound.

"When he arrives, may I fight alone?"

"Even if I die because of this, please do not offer me any help."

He paused,

"This is an agreement between me and Ma Zhenchun. I ask that you grant my request, sir."

……

Ye Wujiu clearly remembered that several months ago, he had a chance encounter with Ma Zhenchun, who was already a necromancer at the time, on a narrow path behind the Si Chen Mansion. Ma Zhenchun said three sentences to Ye Wujiu—

"You're next."

"Unless you have the ability to kill me again and free me completely."

"To make a long story short, my lucid moments are limited. If you truly want to kill me, you must break this control spell..."

At that time, Ye Wujiu clearly realized that Ma Zhenchun was dead, but not completely dead.

He occasionally retains a sliver of self-awareness, perhaps because his soul is completely sealed within his body by a curse and cannot dissipate, which is why he seeks liberation during those rare moments of "consciousness."

Ma Zhenchun knew and remembered that Ye Wujiu had killed him once. For these top-tier sorcerers, even if they were life-or-death adversaries at the time, as long as a winner was determined, they would always develop some mutual respect because of the fierce battle. So he entrusted this task to Ye Wujiu once again.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Ye Wujiu wanted to personally send him on his way, alone.

How could Mo Tingfeng not understand him?

He didn't nod in agreement, but silently retreated outside the soul-guiding formation.

Li Kan also came out. After all, as long as he didn't leave the Soul-Guiding Array, his "Soul Removal" technique wouldn't fail. The necromancer was just a mortal body skilled in combat. As long as nothing unexpected happened, it would be more than enough for Ye Wujiu.

Ye Wujiu glanced gratefully at the two of them, then ordered the group of Vengeance Breakers who had formed the array to be on high alert. He then drew his sword and stood inside the array, waiting patiently.
.
This time, everyone's wait was not in vain.

In the blink of an eye, a figure suddenly appeared within the wall of malevolent energy—bare-chested, muscular, with a bronze complexion that gleamed with oil, it was none other than Ma Zhenchun, who had been dead for some time.

Unlike before, the swirling furnace aura that enveloped his body was gone, and his pupils were no longer golden, but covered by a thick layer of white mist. However, the strange patterns on his body were still there, and because they were no longer covered by the fire of the solar prominences, they became very clear—his whole body looked like a giant rune.

At this moment, Ma Zhenchun had completely lost his self-awareness. Although he could not use magic in the Soul-Guiding Array, he had amazing strength. He rushed towards the nearest Vengeance Breaker without any regard for the smell of a living person.

With a flash of sword light, Ye Wujiu had already blocked his way.

“Ma Zhenchun, your only opponent has always been me.”

"Click——"

Ma Zhenchun's head was twisted toward Ye Wujiu, the bones in his neck creaking. So close, Ye Wujiu could even see the white, broken bones protruding from the back of his neck, piercing the flesh, yet he seemed completely oblivious to the pain.

"Kill...kill..."

Ma Zhenchun murmured, as if there was a broken bellows in his chest.

He was no longer the Ma Zhenchun who still had a sliver of self-awareness in the back mountains of Sichen Mansion and begged Ye Wujiu to kill him again; he had become a necromancer puppet completely controlled by magic.

Such puppets have no sense of pain, and even though they cannot use magic within the Soul-Guiding Array, fighting them is still extremely dangerous.

Ye Wujiu realized a problem: not only were there necromancers inside the Soul-Guiding Array, but he himself could not cast spells either—so it was a real contest between them, a contest based solely on human beings.

Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Ye Wujiu's lips. If Ma Zhenchun could know this from beyond the grave, he would be gratified—he would surely be glad that his death was achieved through a contest unique to mortals. Yes, he would certainly be happy; at least before his death, he had returned to being a true human being in some sense.

"Chong-"

The meteorite iron rings clashed together, producing a piercing clang, as the undead puppet launched its attack! The iron rings on its arms, carrying immense force, struck Ye Wujiu's temples!
Instead of retreating, Ye Wujiu advanced, his longsword flashing as it slashed diagonally against the iron ring. Sparks flew as the blade collided with the ring, the immense impact sending a rip through his hand. Ye Wujiu used the momentum to spin, his robes billowing, and unleashed a series of mysterious steps, appearing like a ghost behind Ma Zhenchun.

The moment his body landed, the sword light rose again! It wasn't a particularly sophisticated move; he simply poured all his strength and the momentum of his spin into this thrust, the cold light of the sword tip condensing into a single point, piercing straight into Ma Zhenchun's back!
"Pfft!"

The sound of the blade slicing through flesh and breaking bones was dull and terrifying. Ye Wujiu's sword strike was extremely powerful; the tip of the sword pierced through Ma Zhenchun's chest three inches.

Ma Zhenchun stopped moving.

Although Song Weichen was only watching from the sidelines, her palms were sweating with nervousness. Seeing that Ma Zhenchun and Ye Wujiu were both motionless, she couldn't help but speak up.
"This...this is the end?"

No, obviously not. Song Weichen immediately realized that Ye Wujiu's expression was the answer.

"despair--"

Ma Zhenchun took a step forward, and the sword blade, which had been protruding three inches, immediately pierced into his chest cavity, right where his heart was located.

But why is he alright?
Song Weichen's already large eyes widened even more. Wasn't this supposed to be a battle between mortals? How could someone survive a heart pierced like that be considered mortal?!
They're not following the rules anymore!

"despair--"

Ma Zhenchun took another step forward, and Ye Wujiu's sword blade was fully exposed, without even any blood on it—perhaps the blood on his body had long since dried.

How the hell am I supposed to kill this?!
Song Weichen felt like a million grass mud horses were galloping through his mind.

"Wu Jiu, be careful."

Mo Tingfeng, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"It seems the Corpse Formation has altered the position of his heart."

"Piercing the Heart and Shattering the Soul" is the only way to deal with the undead puppets refined by the Corpse Formation. However, right now, not to mention where Ma Zhenchun's soul is sealed, just the "piercing the heart" technique alone is extremely difficult.

If this fight continues, Ye Wujiu is in great danger!

Sorry, updates have been really slow lately, but! I've tried my best!! It's not that I'm lazy (I can't admit it either, um), it's just that my course load has been way too heavy lately, I'm studying non-stop every day, and I'm not getting enough sleep. And I'm the kind of lazy bum who can't write a single word when I'm not well-rested... Plus, I don't want to pad my word count or write just for the sake of writing, so... Whatever, honey, do you think my kneeling posture is perfect? ​​(cute face)