Cast the Blood Curse on Him

The subsequent main storyline quests involved accepting assassination contracts and clearing various dungeons.

With Su Di'er by his side, even grinding the main quest didn't feel particularly tedious.

Time in the outside world flew by, unnoticed by the cultivators within the illusion.

Zhong Yi watched with growing delight as Su Di'er's level climbed higher and higher, currently sitting at Level 47.

"Once she hits Level 50, I should be able to help her Guide Qi into her Body and start her on the path of cultivation..."

Zhong Yi muttered to himself. He couldn't help but fantasize about maxing out all of Su Di'er's stats, imagining a future where she was even more powerful than he was.

"In that case, wouldn't she be the one carrying me through quests? Heh heh heh..."

Chuckling, Zhong Yi watered the plants on the windowsill before turning back into the room.

The rented room wasn't large and only had a single bed.

Li Ang always insisted Su Di'er take the bed, while he made do with a sleeping mat on the floor.

"Time to get... huh?"

Upon reentering, Zhong Yi found Su Di'er's bed empty. However, there was a crumpled notebook tucked under her pillow.

"What's this?"

Curious, Zhong Yi picked it up.

Although snooping through someone else's belongings was unethical, this object turned out to be a special item. It displayed a golden label: [Su Di'er's Diary].

After a brief internal struggle, Zhong Yi gulped and flipped to a random page in the middle.

[April 11th]

[Li Ang, why won't you avenge my little brother? Why, why...]

...

[May 8th]

[Strange, Li Ang has become very talkative lately, very long-winded... but it seems kind of nice.]

...

[June 1st]

[Li Ang, I'm not a child anymore.]

...

[August 2nd]

[Li Ang came back covered in cuts and bruises again today. It's the same every time he says "I'll be fine"... Does he have a jinxed mouth or something?]

...

[August 8th]

[Li Ang's hands are very big, and very warm.]

...

...

The contents of the diary were a mixed bag; one moment Zhong Yi was frowning deeply, the next he was grinning like a lovestruck fool.

He hadn't turned many pages before the notebook was suddenly snatched away by a small hand.

"Li Ang!! How could you read my diary!!!"

The young girl scolded him sharply, hiding the diary behind her back.

After fussing at Zhong Yi for a while, Su Di'er didn't seem to hold a grudge. Instead, she took out a slip of paper and handed it to him.

"Here, a new mission from the boss."

Zhong Yi nodded, realizing Su Di'er had gotten up early to retrieve the message from the red-eyed carrier pigeon.

He unfolded the paper, and the mission system in the top right corner of his vision updated immediately.

[Main Quest Updated: Proceed to the target location and complete the assassination mission with Su Di'er.]

...

...

Unlike previous assassination missions, this one was marked [High Risk] and was located in a desolate mountain forest.

Zhong Yi took Su Di'er and quickly rushed to the designated coordinates.

From a distance, Zhong Yi spotted a clearing in the woods. An old man with white hair and an unkind expression sat in the center, meditating and absorbing the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth.

Zhong Yi raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling up.

Previous mission dungeons always took place in carefully designed maps—heavily guarded fortresses, puzzles requiring deciphering, or crowded public spaces.

This mission, however, looked like it was simply asking the player to go 1v1 against this old man.

"Hahaha, this mission looks incredibly easy!"

Zhong Yi laughed heartily as he drew his weapon.

"..." Beside him, Su Di'er couldn't help but shiver, gripping her crossbow tighter. "Li Ang, don't say that... I'm scared..."

"What's there to be afraid of? Watch me—"

Before Zhong Yi could finish his sentence, the old man in the center suddenly opened his eyes, revealing scarlet pupils and a wicked grin.

"You two must be the recently famous Twin Killers?"

The old man clapped his hands together. Instantly, a barrier formation with a radius of a hundred meters rose from the ground, centered on him, trapping Zhong Yi and Su Di'er inside.

Zhong Yi's expression instantly turned serious as he shielded Su Di'er behind him.

Entering the [Assassin's Focus] state, Zhong Yi scrutinized the old man.

As the skill leveled up, [Assassin's Focus] now allowed him to see the target's level, basic skills, and even some weaknesses.

The old man's cultivation realm was the same as his: the late stage of Qi Refining.

However, his level was slightly lower than Zhong Yi's.

Zhong Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

His stats were higher, and the number of skills he had learned was far beyond what a typical NPC could compare to.

As if reading his mind, the old man bared his yellow teeth and sinisterly pulled a small vial from his robes, shaking it in front of him.

Zhong Yi's breath hitched.

He recognized the contents of the vial at a glance.

A Demon Potion!

This wasn't just a drug used to corrupt infants into demonic cultivation.

A small dose could send a cultivator into a state of frenzied euphoria; a larger dose could drastically boost a cultivator's strength for a short period!

Despite the massive side effects, a significant number of Righteous Path cultivators who had strayed were addicted to it!

As the old man downed the Demon Potion, his aura surged violently, breaking straight through to the Foundation Establishment realm.

"Li... Li Ang!"

Su Di'er cried out, her face filled with despair.

The old man waved his hand, and countless powerful cyclones erupted around Zhong Yi.

Zhong Yi flung out every defensive item in his inventory, then turned and pulled Su Di'er into his arms, holding her tight.

A barrage of explosions roared behind him.

'What do I do...'

Zhong Yi frowned deeply, desperately trying to think of a countermeasure.

His defensive items were on the verge of shattering.

The shockwaves from the explosions were continuously chipping away at his Health Points.

Fight to the death?

There was clearly no chance of victory.

He didn't care about himself, but he didn't want Su Di'er to get hurt.

Just then, a jar sealed with multiple layers of charms in his inventory began to glow.

[Pure Blood: Contains sealed blood collected from a Righteous Path cultivator. It seems to have unexpected effects.]

Simultaneously, the main quest updated again.

[Main Quest Update: Use the Forbidden Technique to protect Su Di'er.]

Zhong Yi's skill panel lit up.

A greyed-out skill that had always displayed as [???] was now revealed.

[Blood Curse (Demonic Path Skill): Consume the blood of the Righteous to stimulate potential for a short duration, drastically increasing strength. (Penalty: Permanent reduction of lifespan by 10 years.)]

Reading the skill description, Zhong Yi froze.

The livestream chat also erupted into a heated debate.

[We're Righteous Path cultivators, and you want us to use Demonic arts?]

[And it's a forbidden technique that involves drinking human blood?]

[Isn't this a bit too...]

[But if he doesn't use it, Su Di'er will die, won't she?]

[The fact that this skill only unlocked after the illusion has gone on for so long shows that Li Ang hates using it too.]

[Li Ang didn't choose the Demonic Path willingly. He probably avoids these skills whenever possible.]

[I bet if Su Di'er wasn't here, Li Ang could escape on his own and definitely wouldn't use this!]

[These righteous cultivators have all consumed demonic potions! How are they any different from the Demonic Path!?]

[Do it, Old Zhong!]

[For the sake of Su Di'er, use the Blood Curse on him!]

...

The defensive spells and artifacts protecting his back began to shatter.

Bloody gashes continued to appear on Zhong Yi's body.

He glanced at the girl trembling in his arms. As if he had finally made up his mind, he crushed the sealed jar of blood inside his backpack.

[You have activated the skill: Blood Curse...]

[You have temporarily broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm!]