The King of Curses

Chapter 306 Proposal and Response

……really.

If it weren't for his elder sister's reminder, he might have been quite surprised. But now, he felt a sense of stability in his heart, as if a huge rock had fallen. Now that he had determined which possibility it was, the only thing left was to "fight the enemy with troops and cover the water with earth."

"It seems that Mr. Cen had anticipated this."

Wan Dugu noticed his reaction.

"There is no free lunch."

Cen Dongsheng answered.

"I thought about it when I got the fragment. Do you want to talk to me?"

“Intelligence is not free.”

The other party laughed lowly.

Cen Dongsheng blinked and noticed that the temperature around him, which had already dropped by several degrees, had become even chillier.

Silently, a group of figures in black robes and hoods appeared around. Their arrival seemed to bring down the night for the world, shrouding the day with darkness.

Cen Dongsheng was not affected, but suddenly a nonsensical thought came to his mind:
Could it be that the Hades King feels that his abilities are too "dark" that he will become a standard villain in the future... With his abilities and the situation, it would be a waste if he doesn't become a villain.

"All I can say is that you are a latecomer in this matter. As for me, I have already spent a lot of time on this..."

Wan Dugu naturally had no idea what boring things the man next to him was thinking about. After all, he was seriously trying to win him over.

“Who are these people…?”

When Cen Dongsheng saw them, he recalled the scene when the other party came by boat, and he was indeed followed by followers.

"They are my 'servants'. Each one is of 'A2' to 'A3' level. You can pick one and go. They will obey any order you give them."

As he spoke, one of the figures took off his hat, revealing the face of a young girl. Her skin was paler than that of an average person, but she was still pretty and lovely. She gave the man a lovely smile.

The young man just wanted to hold his forehead at this moment.

The other party deliberately picked out a beautiful girl from the servants, and the reason behind it is self-evident.

No, why does everyone treat me like a nymphomaniac?
Meng Huafan and Wan Dugu both took it for granted that they had used the "honey trap"... Did they really think they had the guts to cheat under Sister Zhizhen's nose? Did they think too highly of themselves?
"forget it."

Cen Dongsheng sighed.

"Speak directly if you have anything to say."

"Intention to cooperate. If you have made up your mind and want to contact me, just shout to the crows in the sky, and one of them will come to contact you. Just don't treat them as uninvited guests and block them out."

"A crow..."

Cen Dongsheng nodded, thinking that he should be more careful next time and drive away the annoying birds in the sky when chatting.

Of course, Senior Sister Jiang usually didn’t notice other people’s prying eyes. It should be that the crows’ range of presence was deliberately restricted, avoiding places where people they didn’t want to provoke were.

"Mr. Wan, you don't plan to stay long?"

"Yes, I won't be staying on this ship forever. But don't worry, I'll be back soon."

There is no need to doubt the ability of the special-class spell master. Cen Dongsheng replied:
"Let's make a preliminary agreement first. I am willing to join forces with you, but I will not agree to anything until I get accurate information."

The man pointed upwards and gave an ambiguous smile.

"Look, I have two leaders at home who need instructions. Do you understand?"

……

After this blissful feast, the name of this man Cen Dongsheng will spread more widely.

A man who is not a special forbidden spell master, but has an ambiguous relationship with two top female masters, will probably attract countless people's attention and speculation. The jealous people will think that he is just a gigolo, but regardless of the fact that the other party's strength is also at the first-class level in the forbidden spell master world, in Wan Dugu's eyes, strength is strength.

Whether it is one's own strength or relying on external things; whether it is pure violence, wisdom or personal charm, the definition of strength standard is very simple, that is, the amount of what a person can do.

According to his calculation method, Cen Dongsheng's power is between "0.1~2". It fluctuates greatly, but it should not be underestimated. It is very likely to become the key to promoting the development of events and is worthy of his compromise and goodwill.

"Okay, then I will share the information. First, I want to ask: How deeply do you understand this power, Mr. Cen?"

"...At the moment, I only know that it is related to the six realms of reincarnation. Also, there is more than one fragment on this ship. They seem to be..."

"We are gathering on this ship, preparing to select the final host."

Wan Dugu nodded slightly.

"Yes, you have already mastered the two most important points. The remaining key lies in how to obtain this power."

"Would you like to share this secret with me?"

"The reason why I want to join forces with you is to squeeze out other potential competitors. In addition, the Six Paths of Reincarnation itself is a challenge. It will actively select the host and prefer those weak curse masters. We are not among them... I believe you have tried to take the fragments from the host."

“Yes, the process is not difficult.”

"It's easy to take it out, the problem is how to use it. As long as it doesn't pass through the chosen person, the fragment is useless waste stone. I have tried countless times, but I still can't find a way to activate it. The host is the only chance."

……

While the two were talking, the first round of the competition had officially begun. Amid the exclamations of the curse masters, the broad and plump man appeared in the center of the venue.

"What is he here for?"

Listening carefully, I found that he was explaining the rules to the contestants: there were three rounds in total, and as long as one won one round or got "qualified" in three rounds, they would stand out and participate in the final trial.

"Oh, Meng Huafan really has the leisure time to do this kind of thing."

"Does Mr. Wan understand his intention?"

"Let me guess, the race itself is some kind of ritual, or it's to distract the people on the boat."

"He took the initiative to invite us. If he wanted to hide his tracks, he shouldn't have invited anyone on board."

"It's a combination of both. He needs us, the spell-forbidden masters, to get on board to provide the necessary environment for what he wants to do, but he doesn't want us to notice his real purpose."

Cen Dongsheng thought about it and felt that Wan Dugu’s judgment was not surprising.

There were indeed cases of using Curse Masters for experiments on the Mirage, and even their flesh and organs were needed as materials...

But the people invited by Meng Huafan to board the ship were four special-class spell masters, so it was impossible that they were here for such trivial matters.

A guess naturally emerged:

"Is he the same as us, all for the Six Paths of Reincarnation?"

"No." Wan Dugu denied calmly.

"I had already tested him on my first day on board."

Cen Dongsheng remembered that the monk on the lower deck mentioned that Wan Dugu had asked him something and left after getting the answer. Although he didn't know how he tried, since the other party was very confident in this conclusion, Cen Dongsheng took it seriously for once; however, the problem was not solved.

"Just because he doesn't know now doesn't mean he won't find out in the future."

"That's right, that's why I plan to bring him in."

……I see.

Cen Dongsheng finally figured it out, after all, Wan Dugu had already explained his balance theory.

Compared with the two sisters, he was obviously not at an advantage. If he wanted to compete with them, he had to pull someone over. Between Zhang Shidao and Meng Huafan, he chose the latter.

"The first step is to squeeze him out, and the second step is to squeeze us out... In order to achieve the first step, you have to win us over. For the second step, you decided to bring Meng Huafan into the game."

The other party did not hide his motives at all. He shook his head and sighed:
"Good idea."

“I am a pioneer in this research…”

Wan Dugu stopped talking halfway. At this point, he suddenly changed the subject.

"Mr. Cen, do you have any ideas?"

"……what?"

"A duel between two people. The gambler has the same power as the boy you have your eyes on."

Cen Dongsheng's gaze fell on the crowd below.

He saw Chen Yuan; besides that, there was another familiar face.

He was the gambler who smuggled across the border with Chen Yuan, and he later chose to leave with Wan Dugu.

The crowd was bustling, and the curse masters who were ready to go on stage were rubbing their hands in anticipation, fighting for the wish that Meng Huafan had promised. Excitement and nervousness were flashing in everyone's eyes.

In this surging sea of ​​people, Chen Yuan and the middle-aged gambler noticed each other. At this moment, they seemed to realize what was going to happen, and the only opponent left in their eyes was this one.

When the referee sitting on the podium announced the start of the game, the invisible and intangible emotions in the venue rioted, and the enthusiasm that had originally remained in the space emerged as if materialized, forming a huge vortex, in which countless lights and shadows could be seen swaying vaguely.

The contestants were affected unconsciously, and their facial expressions became fanatical.

The passion for the game was ignited at the first moment.

The spell-breakers began to fight and kill each other without reservation. From time to time, brilliant and colorful lights fell in the surroundings, creating ripples on the barrier.

Chen Yuan and the gambler knocked down several nearby opponents respectively and rushed towards each other without hesitation.

A vortex formed around the gambler, and the colorful light was exactly the same as the light burning in the air - the emotional vortex set up in the casino was converging on him.

The curse masters participating in the battle became more fanatical and warlike. This was probably the work of the "Flesh Casino", and now, this venue was being used by a certain contestant.

The gambler, who had absorbed a large amount of emotional vortex, began to change his posture, and his body suddenly became extremely huge in people's eyes.

Cen Dongsheng saw it clearly. After all, he had "enjoyed" the interference of the highest-level mental manipulation ability, so he understood that it was just an illusion caused by the rapidly rising sense of existence projected on people's psychological level.

But the gambler's ability has a high priority, having reached Class A... or even slightly higher, so that the curse masters around him all showed horror on their faces and subconsciously dodged.

that is……

The young man smelled a familiar scent. Just like the A-class curse master who had a conflict with Chen Yuan at the banquet that day and summoned hungry ghosts, the power used by the gambler was probably also derived from the fragments of "Six Paths of Reincarnation".

As the target, Chen Yuan was the first to feel the impact of the spiritual vortex. He did not retreat, and activated the power of Asura Dao in his body without hesitation. The bones in his body pierced through his skin and flesh, turning him into a warrior covered in white hideous armor.

"Looks like you helped him."

"Just like your kid... The power of the fragment has its limitations, but it is easy to deal with a bunch of bastards. Therefore, it is never a problem for candidates to pass the competition. The key to victory lies in each other."

Wan Dugu watched the fight between Chen Yuan and the gambler with great interest.

"The hosts fought each other until one of them emerged victorious and took away one of their fragments. I predicted what would happen, but this was the first time I witnessed it with my own eyes."

This was a battle between the mind and the body, and the two were in a fierce and anxious stalemate for a long time.

Chen Yuan's spirit was worn down, as if he had been hit repeatedly on the back of his head with a sledgehammer; on the other hand, he was getting closer and closer to the gambler as he struggled, until he was so close that he could chop off the other's head with just one leap.

The gambler wanted to escape, but if he made other moves, his suppression on Chen Yuan would weaken and he would miss the opportunity. Therefore, he could only stand where he was and try his best to burn the enemy's brain.

When the strength of the two parties is almost the same, it is willpower that plays the decisive role.

Gamblers have a crazy and obsessive side. They will bet their bodies just to continue to enjoy the excitement of that moment. However——

The courage that erupts when you are desperate is completely different from true perseverance; the battle at hand is not a test of momentary ambition, but who can endure to the end.

So he lost.

Chen Yuan stumbled into the gambler's arms and pierced the other's heart with his elbow.

After pushing the enemy all the way to the wall and pinning him against it, he covered his head and fell to his knees.

But no one approached him. The other curse masters had either given up or were interfered with by the gambler's power and fell unconscious.

After a long pause, Chen Yuan raised his hand tremblingly, and a light burned on the back of his hand. The gambler's body also flashed with light, and then a fragment floated in the air.

Chen Yuan held the fragment in his hand.

"It seems that the winner of the first competition has been born! Surprisingly, he not only stood to the end, but also defeated all the enemies. He is the only winner...!"

Amid the background sound of the victory announcement, he stood up again, staggered, slowly looked around, and landed on Cen Dongsheng in the audience.

……

"Mr. Cen, this is what we agreed upon..."

Chen Yuan's body was covered in blood and sweat, but his face was filled with pride.

"Hard."

Cen Dongsheng took the fragments from the boy's hand.

And just like that, we start the first part of "Six Paths of Reincarnation".

"What you have in your hands is your bargaining chip." He looked at Wan Dugu and gave his final answer, "Even if I can't use it, I can just keep it in my hand as a souvenir. I don't plan to give it to others."

(End of this chapter)