The King of Curses

Chapter 357 The Emperor Awakens
Once the curse masters step into the Heavenly Palace Ruins, they are not allowed to leave and can only obediently accept the trials. This is because the seemingly high and distant sky above is actually a domed prison that allows entry but not exit.

He did not answer the puzzled looks on Ban Han's and the others' faces, but he had already made up his mind.

Cen Dongsheng believed that his "Special Grade Curse Master Experience Card" had a limited duration and that if he wanted to join his sister's battle in a respectable manner, he would have to carefully consider the timing and the differences between himself and the enemy.

The sealed space before them was a suitable target, because the ghost possessing Zhao Chengxu had shown a special ability to gather energy from the entire ruins for its own use.

Since we're bound to be enemies sooner or later, let's see just how much of the power of the Free Demon can be contained in this place known as the "Heavenly Palace".

……

The thought made Cen Dongsheng's heart pound.

Two forces reside within a man's body. In his visualization, one is curled up and the other is stretched out, clearly distinct and undisturbed in their normal state.

Below, a round, black pearl-like shimmering light flows, resembling a black hole in the universe; above, a sphere radiating brilliant golden light is enveloped by countless intricate and beautiful patterns, like a blazing star.

The moment the thought touched the latter, Cen Dongsheng immediately recalled the awe-inspiring scene of the mandala covering the sea and freezing time and space. Unfortunately, he could not do that for the time being, so he adopted a primitive and crude method to extract energy from the golden sphere.

Drop by drop, the viscous, golden-yellow liquid flowed down, splashing into the center of the black hole below, stirring up a deep vortex.

This feeling was so wonderful that it was hard to put into words. He had not actually reached that state, but the memories, impressions, and essence of that state still lay quietly deep within his body.

Once fueled by another force no less powerful than this, the power of the "Free and Unfettered Demon" that I have personally experienced will be instantly awakened. My internal organs and flesh and blood will respond and resonate, and the meridians will surge with waves of true qi, which will converge from rivers into the sea and continuously push the tide to higher places.

His heart pounded harder and harder, and a dark flame was reflected in Cen Dongsheng's pupils. A tingling sensation came from his back, and then a pair of wings grew and spread from under his ribs. Dark feathers fell from the sky, and black snow began to fall.

...coming.

Cen Dongsheng clenched his fist, savoring the burning sensation with satisfaction.

If we were to describe his most distinctive characteristic of self-transformation, it would be "change"—free and infinitely varied changes, not only changing himself, but also changing all things and the external world.

He compressed the maintenance of the Free Demon state into one-tenth of a second to avoid wasting time; but compared to his previous attempt, the man now felt that the spatial blockade was more than enough.

Naturally, I threw a punch.

Rolling black flames surged forth from within his body, wantonly eroding the sky.

It was a punch that defied description; everything within sight, from the structure of spacetime to the drifting matter, was assimilated.

The power within him was like a ravenous beast; once freed from its physical cage, it greedily devoured the world, transforming it into a part of its being.

Wherever the black flames reached, they pierced the body of the Free Heavenly Demon, every inch of its surface like a greedy mouth, devouring and swallowing everything.

When the surrounding world becomes part of the demon's body, everything within the circle naturally ends up being at his mercy and manipulated at his whim.

With a slight thought, his true qi, which usually surged a thousandfold, was concentrated in one place using the inertial flow of the Tiger Roar technique, making it faster than thinking.

The phantom of the tiger demon appeared, stirring up a storm, with scorching heat at its center, crashing headlong into the dome, like a dark sun descending to earth.

Faced with this pure violence, "snap—"

With a crisp sound, the sky above the Heavenly Palace was torn apart.

The overflowing hot air radiated outwards, setting the sky ablaze, gradually painting the clouds with a hundred-mile-long sunset, and the setting sun's glow enveloped the town ruins.

……

The jet-black wings vanished, and Cen Dongsheng descended from the sky.

"You can go out now."

The young man addressed the crowd.

Despite the joyful faces of the curse masters, his expression remained calm as he quietly clenched his fist.

Since Cen Dongsheng couldn't possibly exhaust all his true qi at once, he would only make one move, reaching the level of a top-tier... "one strike".

Although there are theoretically more than one way to measure the level of a top-tier curse master, the most prominent aspect in the eyes of ordinary people is often focused on "destructive power".

Cen Dongsheng recalled the scene when his sister used dimensional absorption...

"I'd say it's barely acceptable."

he thinks.

However, despite the success of the experiment, Cen Dongsheng still felt empty inside. That almost omnipotent feeling was truly captivating; once experienced, it was completely addictive.

……

"Thank you for your help."

"I have no way to repay your immense kindness..."

"Please come to the headquarters of the Kalachakra Society when you have time to receive our reward."

After the surviving spellcasters left, Cen Dongsheng took one last look around. Everywhere, there were traces of the battle, with the remains of a hundred bronze giants piled up to form an undulating mountain.

The inner dome of blue sky and white clouds had a hole punched through its transparent barrier, revealing spiderweb-like patterns that allowed the outside sky to be seen through them.

After the members of the Kalachakra Society disappeared from the cave entrance, the crack was repairing itself at a visible speed, but it could not prevent a large amount of internal energy from leaking out.

The man's observational skills were now extraordinary. He noticed that during this process, the grass and plants that could be seen everywhere in the valley suddenly began to wither, and even the bright sky turned gray.

Cen Dongsheng recalled that although the sun was not visible within this ruin, it still maintained a bright and radiant atmosphere, with spring-like weather all year round, and life had its own cycle. There are no trees without roots, no water without a source, and if there is no solar energy, there must be some kind of substitute.

He raised his finger, drawing in the swirling white mist that permeated the ruins, and studied it carefully.

...This is it.

The space was filled with intense Yang energy, while the Yin energy was relatively thin, creating a significant imbalance. The former had even evolved into this strange form of energy, similar to the True Qi used by curse masters, but it had undergone another transformation and evolution, which unconsciously reminded Cen Dongsheng of supernatural powers.

To expand energy advancement from a limited individual level to an entire space, and even allow others to access it, could only be done by an evil god active in ancient times…

The spatial dome is not only for restricting movement, but also for sealing this special energy within the ruins.

Cen Dongsheng tried to absorb the swirling white energy as he normally would, but found that there were many obstacles.

Although it is essentially "compressed true qi", the compression method has its own set of rules, and it is difficult to utilize without in-depth analysis.

He intuitively thought that if he could pass the trial and become a so-called "immortal," he might be able to easily refine and utilize it. Next, Cen Dongsheng tried to forcefully crush this energy back into its original form. He could do it, but the efficiency was too poor, and the consumption would exceed the replenishment.

It's alright if he's a spellcaster, but if he were a ghost or monster composed of Yin Qi and evil Qi, he would most likely be suppressed in this environment filled with "high concentration of true Qi".

Cen Dongsheng blew away the white mist in his hand and decided to temporarily call it "celestial mist".

These details made him increasingly certain that this site was probably the dwelling place of immortals in ancient times.

However, these so-called immortals are not the omnipotent beings of mythology, but a special group of... "Ancient Curse Masters".

*
With his older sister and senior sister Jiang absent, Cen Dongsheng, unusually, began to use his brain and start observing and exploring the operating rules inside this heavenly palace.

His sister, as always, played the role of the headstrong one.

……

After breaking through the gate guarded by the bronze guardians, Yi Qingyan officially entered the Heavenly Palace.

The valley and lake that provided the trial were not small, but compared to the vast scenery before us, they were truly a tiny and cramped corner; after pushing open the door, we were greeted by a vast sky with white clouds rolling around, and we immediately felt a sense of "sudden enlightenment".

Above the nine layers of clouds, glazed tiles and majestic buildings stretch as far as the eye can see, forming an entirely unfamiliar and boundless world.

However, Yi Qingyan's spiritual sense was no less vast, and when activated at full power, it quickly spread across the hundreds of palaces in the layered mountains, locking onto the source.

Her figure disappeared from the spot.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The Heavenly Palace no longer has a master, but the enormous energy accumulated over ten thousand years remains, and the defense mechanism operates automatically.

One by one, the restrictions imposed by the invasion of foreign enemies are triggered. As the assessment of the threat level of the intruders continues to increase, the barriers unfold layer by layer to buffer them. Even celestial bodies that can travel in space will gradually lose speed once they enter them.

But for Avici Hell, anything that doesn't rise to the level of "space-time" or "concept" is something that can be easily torn apart.

Yi Qingyan's figure kept repeating the process of "disappearing" and "appearing". Each flash caused huge turbulence in the air. The ripples expanded into one and gathered into a huge wave. The palaces floating on the clouds were like sampans on the sea and were smashed to pieces by the waves.

Wherever the girl flew, mountains crumbled, yin and yang were reversed, and a scene of utter destruction unfolded.

Those fragile obstacles that could be shattered at a single blow were completely disregarded by Yi Qingyan. She shot like a missile to the sky above the Cloud Palace, the most central and largest palace in the Heavenly Palace, leaving only this last spot in her pupils.

……

Before Zhao Chengxu could recover from the fear of losing his physical body, he heard the other person say:
"They came too fast and were beyond our expectations. They have the ability to manipulate space."

The ghost abandoned its leisurely demeanor, its tone becoming solemn. It lifted the soul it was holding and shoved it toward the hunched, black skeleton on the throne.

Zhao Chengxu's soul struggled desperately, shouting in terror.

"Wait...wait a minute..."

"can not wait anymore!"

The ghost roared angrily, its attitude extremely tough. Its spirit body crashed into the Heavenly Emperor's corpse, dissipating from its human form into a ball of spiritual light that flowed down the head.

"O soul...return!"

……

Everything turned upside down, and I was in a daze.

Even without a physical body, one can still feel intense pain, as the body is torn into hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of pieces.

The torment, as long as hell, was condensed into a single breath and then erupted.

No one can bear this kind of pain. Even the strongest will will be worn down, like a reef polished by a torrent, with no sharp edges left, only the marks left by external forces.

In other words, the ghost's claim that "your will and self belong to you, you've just changed bodies" is a complete joke, because after the ritual ends, there will be no trace of self left.

fraud……!
This was Zhao Chengxu's last wail; after that, neither his soul nor his body remained.

……

The ghost continued its indoctrination, while the charred corpse on the throne remained motionless.

It silently surveyed the scene before it, and even with its already withered and charred state of mind, now reduced to mere wreckage, it couldn't help but feel tense at this moment.

After all, every opportunity is precious. Besides, this time it has attracted the strongest human beings of this era; there might not be a next time.

"Since the destruction of the Heavenly Palace, you are the first person qualified to become the ruler"—these words, once spoken to Zhao Chengxu, were filled with lies. It was only because everyone before him was dead, burned to ashes, that such a description was used to prevent the other party from backing down.

But over the long course of time, people with the necessary qualifications have indeed been rare, especially after the end of the ancient era.

The ghost manipulates a "spirit infusion ritual," infusing spirituality into the supreme ruler of the heavenly palace in an attempt to awaken Him from death.

Originally, the gods were the most suitable objects of sacrifice, but they all perished under the curse, and only the Heavenly Emperor retained a sliver of life through his great divine power.

As time went by, the bloodline of the descendants of the gods became increasingly diluted, and those qualified to glimpse the Heavenly Palace became increasingly rare. The spirit infusion ceremony was initially held once every few days or months, but eventually it took decades or even centuries to find a barely qualified candidate.

The Heavenly Emperor never awoke, and the hope in his heart grew ever fainter. In the end, the ghost had forgotten all emotions, leaving only a single obsession.

Until recently, the situation has changed. After another great upheaval, the bloodline of immortals, which was originally scarce and of low quality in the human world, has begun to show signs of "reversion to their ancestral form," contributing eight qualified sacrificial offerings over the past ten years.

The ghosts capture and lure them through dreams, and never fail.

According to its estimate, the ceremony was nearing its end, and Zhao Chengxu would be the last person to attend.

The reason is actually quite simple: there was no such thing as "the descent of the Heavenly Palace" before this. The fact that this long-sealed ruin could appear in the human world already suggests that the current state of the Heavenly Palace ruler is gradually recovering.

"……call."

As if in response to its speculation, the remains of the Heavenly Emperor, which had not been disturbed for nearly ten thousand years, gently exhaled a faint breath.

As his emotions surged, the ghost's body shimmered with light, sensing that his final moment was approaching.

"You...you've finally woken up?"

Flames burst forth from the empty, dark sockets of the skull on the throne.

(End of this chapter)