The King of Curses

Chapter 359 Falling at a disadvantage
"...It seems that this is the only way for now."

The Heavenly Palace Ruler possesses the ability to "regenerate flesh from bones," but having just awakened from its slumber and seal, it is still troubled by the immense trauma left from the past, and can only recover half of its body.

It fell short of expelling the two foreign enemies, revealing its "human" side as it sighed regretfully.

"Hey! What exactly do you mean by that?"

Yi Qingyan was very angry.

"The harmony between heaven and man, the balance of yin and yang. This is the most perfect posture."

Half of her body was a beautiful woman with unusual sexual characteristics, and the other half was a charred skeleton; one side had bright black eyes, and the other side had deep-set eye sockets.

Now, that eye is staring at them, seemingly observing with great interest.

"Are ordinary people of this era simply incomprehensible...?"

“‘Yin and Yang in harmony,’ thankfully this person’s choice leans towards the more reserved side, otherwise I would be the one blocking my sister’s eyes right now.”

Cen Dongsheng thought to himself.

"...It seems that the changes brought about by time are extraordinary."

The firelight in his eye sockets flickered slightly.

"I have a suggestion: let's sit down and talk, and get to know each other better. More than fighting, I'd like to know what advice you two have given us after traveling so far."

"Now?"

"I need some time to recover from my injuries. There is a formidable enemy I have never been able to eliminate in the past waiting for me. It would be better to turn hostility into friendship for now."

This is a very humble stance, especially considering that they made the first move.

The brother and sister looked at each other in bewilderment. If it were them, they certainly wouldn't forgive an enemy who dared to provoke them, but the other party seemed to have the magnanimity to tolerate what others couldn't.

To be honest, Cen Dongsheng never even considered the possibility of communication. The curse masters were sent to a trial ground with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death as soon as they stepped into the Heavenly Palace Ruins. Zhao Chengxu, who harbored ulterior motives, had long been in cahoots with the ghost in the Heavenly Palace. If it weren't for him and Yi Qingyan's intrusion, probably no one would have survived this ordeal.

Now, with the ghost gone and the Heavenly Palace Ruler, who is suspected to be an evil god, appearing, he has abandoned the option of negotiation from the very beginning. This is probably due to the influence of his previous life's concept that "all are enemies of mankind"...

"Okay, let's talk then."

Cen Dongsheng was filled with curiosity about the existence of "gods" and thought that if he could pry information out of them, it might not be a bad thing.

Of course, even if the other party is willing to speak up, it is still possible that it is a malicious attempt to defraud, after all, there is the example of the evil god Ruga.

...The thought of that girl in the white dress made his head throb.

Although he was the culprit who caused him to suffer from wounds that were difficult to heal, he was also the "guide" who enabled him to master the realm of a top-level curse master ahead of time, and even glimpse the path to a higher realm.

From a practical standpoint, exchanging a single wound that barely affects combat for such a generous gift would seem like a worthwhile trade to anyone. The unpleasant part, however, is probably the other party's attitude of concealing their true intentions and manipulating others.

Yi Qingyan remained silent, only pursing her lips. Cen Dongsheng knew that this meant his sister was handing over the right to negotiate to him.

"Let's start with introductions. Are you the host here?"

The other party nodded slightly.

“This place is called the Heavenly Realm or the Heavenly Court. I am the creator and ruler of this realm. In the distant past, the people on Earth called me the ‘Heavenly Emperor’.”

"What a wonderful nickname."

"Now it's just an empty title. In my hazy state before awakening, I heard about the so-called 'Curse Masters' of this era. I'm quite interested in this, and I imagine you two are representatives of them. Where do you two come from? And what is your status among the powerful in this world?"

It felt like a mythical figure had stepped out of a fictional story. Cen Dongsheng pondered this as he briefly and concisely explained the background to the other party.

"In other words, I can consider you as representatives of humanity from the lower realms, right?"

It confirmed with Cen Dongsheng.

"I have just woken up from a long dream. This world is completely unfamiliar to me, and I have no help at all."

There was a hint of loneliness in its words.

"All the celestial beings except me perished in the ancient war. If you could introduce a group of qualified individuals..."

It began to make requests to Cen Dongsheng.

"This world is so vast and desolate that leaving it empty is a waste. It could be... 'jointly developed'—yes, that's a word that resonates with me."

It attempts to connect with people of this era.

This unexpected exchange could even be described as a very pleasant conversation. Throughout the process, Cen Dongsheng did not feign modesty or conceal his status. Holding the "Super Committee" and the "Yanluo Society," they were less the strongest "power" and more the strongest "family," even though they were not related by blood.

"The ancient land beneath our feet will become the center of a new era."

On the Heavenly Emperor's face, which was both beautiful and ferocious, a faint, gentle smile appeared. As his conversation with Cen Dongsheng deepened, it became increasingly "human," as if it were precisely adjusting its own reactions according to the state of the person it was talking to.

"Your intelligence is very valuable. In return, feel free to ask for anything you want. My treasure vault has endured the passage of time, and most of the artifacts are damaged, but I think I've still left a few usable items that might be of research value..."

Cen Dongsheng cautiously probed.

"We've found out the whereabouts of a forbidden object and want to see if it's hidden in the nearby ruins."

He had not forgotten the purpose of his trip; the most important thing was still "the knife of the monks, the killing of living beings".

So far, there has been no sign of the forbidden artifact being unearthed, and there is no indication that it has any connection with the Heavenly Palace.

If it weren't for Yi Qingyan's unintentional choice of this place, which made Cen Dongsheng feel that there was some kind of gravitational pull in the dark, he would have really doubted whether he had made a mistake somewhere.

If it could be obtained through negotiation, everyone would be happy. In comparison, killing the opponent might grant full ownership of the palace, but its value is far less than that of a top-grade forbidden item.

"That was a weapon."

Cen Dongsheng recalled the description of the "monk knife - killing" form he had heard in his previous life.

"It was a bronze blade about six fingers long, curved like a bird's feather, not straight and sharp..."

Its design is remarkably similar to the knife that monks were only permitted to use for cutting clothing, not for killing. Considering that this knife was unearthed from ancient ruins and may have enjoyed great fame in the distant past, some scholars even believe that this forbidden object is the prototype of the monk's knife of later generations.

As for why such a fierce and menacing weapon later became a symbol of "non-killing," there are many different opinions.

The man's words were abruptly cut off. He noticed a strange, chilling change in the other person's expression.

"I see, I see... You two just said that you accidentally stumbled into the trial grounds and knew nothing about this world, but that was just a lie."

"what?"

It sighed softly. "I thought they were guests from afar, but I never imagined they were thieves who deserve to die a thousand deaths."

His dark eyes were filled with coldness, while flames burned fiercely deep within his eye sockets.

"Although I don't know where you heard this from, I will never hand it over to outsiders. The reason I built the main hall here is to prevent anyone from taking it away."

……Well?

That was truly unexpected.

The Heavenly Emperor suddenly raised his hand towards them, his killing intent palpable.

The fact that they turn on you at the slightest disagreement is in line with the capricious nature of the gods.

But before that, the girl who had been silent beside Cen Dongsheng had already noticed the change. She grabbed her brother's sleeve and used "instant teleportation" to hide several kilometers away.

The surging white waves rolled in, but were shattered by Yi Qingyan's casual strike just before they reached him.

The negotiations failed without warning, which actually relieved Cen Dongsheng.

He knew what it was as soon as he opened his mouth, which means they must have come to the right place...?
It seems that the "Killing Blade" does indeed have a deep connection with the Heavenly Palace, and this information has never been leaked to the outside world before, making it a top secret.

Cen Dongsheng's revelation of future information aroused suspicion.

Yi Qingyan used teleportation again to close the distance with the Heavenly Emperor, and then used the same trick again, pointing her fingertips at the enemy's face.

In fact, she acts the same way no matter who she faces. Since no one can truly stop the indestructible blade of the Infernal Blade, one can only try various methods to counter, dodge, or use strategies to attack.

But this time, she did indeed encounter a formidable enemy—

The Heavenly Emperor offered no resistance, simply raising his arm and unleashing a spatial torrent that instantly engulfed the half-human, half-ghost's body.

But in the next instant, its figure reappeared.

"..."

Yi Qingyan frowned slightly as she watched it maintain the posture of raising its arms, white energy swirling and flowing between its palms, causing a visual shock.

Almost without pause, waves surged from her fingertips once more, swiftly crushing the newly appeared Heavenly Emperor into dust.

The story didn't end there; a third "it" appeared quickly, in the exact same pose.

Then came the fourth, the fifth... and the tenth. The Heavenly Emperor's figure appeared layer upon layer, like a phantom, surrounding Yi Qingyan in the middle.

The girl raised her fingers expressionlessly and crushed them again and again.

But with each one killed, the next would take their place, wielding their power without hindrance, and ultimately successfully deduce it to its ultimate form right under Yi Qingyan's nose.

This series of actions happened in the blink of an eye, meaning that these clones were not just there to make up the numbers, but were truly a unified entity. In the end, four clones successfully survived, and the white light in their hands was compressed to its limit, condensing into chains that shot out towards the center.

Faced with the chains that blocked her from all four directions, Yi Qingyan's expression changed for the first time.

"This guy... is a lot like me."

she thought.

This doesn't mean that the two abilities are similar in nature, but rather that their strategies for gaining an advantage in combat are remarkably alike.

Techniques as destructive as Spatial Slash are difficult for ordinary spellcasters to resist or block, but they are not unattainable for top-tier spellcasters. In fact, when a large amount of true qi is gathered, it will indirectly affect the surrounding space itself.

However, the true strength of "Hell Without End" lies in the fact that its release consumes almost nothing, so she can use it at will. In terms of power and cost alone, it is extremely cheap among its kind. This is the reason why Yi Qingyan can often take the initiative in the first place, even in the offensive and defensive battles with spellcasters of the same level.

All she needed to do was increase her speed, push the scale of destruction to the limit, and repeat the same attack pattern to defeat the enemy.

However, Yi Qingyan knew that it would take time to prepare to locate and cut through reality through another dimension. Therefore, even if the space slash consumed less energy, there would still be a gap in the release process.

Of course, her use of fingertips to unleash attacks was just a habit; in reality, wherever Yi Qingyan's attention was focused, the Blade of Infinity would tear apart that area.

This minuscule gap, almost negligible in the reaction speed of a top-tier curse master (which is often a fraction of a second), was something she had never been able to exploit in past battles; it was a weakness that couldn't even be called a "weakness"—

Even today, at this moment.

This incredibly minor flaw becomes apparent in the highest levels of combat.

The Heavenly Emperor's clone ability was powerful enough to turn the tide of battle, so it must have had similar problems, only it was faster and more skilled than hers.

"Not only is it similar to me, but... it is stronger than I am now."

Yi Qingyan became increasingly certain.

"Strongly ascending to the first line" - although it is only the first line, it is enough to prove that the Heavenly Emperor of the past once stood in a place higher than himself, the true peak.

It is stronger than a top-tier curse master, representing a limit that no human can currently reach.

Amidst the surging white light, the girl's only choice was to back down.

*
"boom!"

In the second collision, it was Yi Qingyan who was thrown backward at high speed.

She used teleportation to quickly create distance. In the future, "Avici Hell" will be widely recognized as the strongest cursed technique in one-on-one combat, not only because of its destructive power, but also because of its unparalleled mobility.

But the Heavenly Emperor clearly did not intend to let this opportunity slip by.

The entire Heavenly Palace was under its control. The Heavenly Emperor made full use of this, with rolling clouds converging from all directions. One after another, clones emerged under the infusion of massive amounts of immortal energy, and chains crisscrossed, quickly weaving into a vast, all-encompassing net.

A faint light flickered within the vast net, and for a moment no one could catch her. However, as her space became increasingly confined, it seemed inevitable that she would be captured.

All of this was observed by Cen Dongsheng, who felt a pang of emotion: This might be the first time that Qingyan had been at a disadvantage in a one-on-one, head-on battle.

This Heavenly Emperor is undoubtedly one of the evil gods. Even in his newly awakened state, he can suppress a top-level curse master.

—But what if it's two people?
Cen Dongsheng closed his eyes, then opened them again.

During meditation, drops of viscous, amber-like liquid dripped from the golden bead and splashed into the black hole below;
In reality, a pair of wings sprouted from under the young man's ribs, their black feathers fluttering.

After entering the "Free and Unfettered Demon" form, not only did his abilities undergo a sublimation and transformation, but his thinking and reaction speed also reached another level. Cen Dongsheng quickly found a "solution" to this seemingly harsh situation.

The Heavenly Demon, disguised as a turbid stream, did not choose to help Yi Qingyan, but instead pounced on the nearest Heavenly Emperor avatar.

Like a drop of ink falling into clear water, the clear sky instantly changes color, spreading out a patch of pitch black.

(End of this chapter)