Curse Incarnate

At the deepest part of the cave was a vast space, measuring a full hundred zhang across.

The domed ceiling was incredibly high, where faint silhouettes of wandering spirits could be seen drifting about.

The surrounding stone walls were completely covered in runes, sealing and protecting the entire space tightly.

In the exact center of the space was a stone bed.

The bed was carved entirely from a single, solid block of black jade, exuding a faint, chilling aura.

Formations were laid out around the stone bed as well. These arrays rotated slowly, emitting a soft light that enveloped the person lying on the bed.

It was a woman.

A human woman.

Her skin was an unhealthy, abnormal pale color, almost transparent, faintly revealing the pale blue veins underneath.

Her eyes were tightly shut, her expression peaceful, as if she were merely asleep.

But Gu Changyuan could clearly feel it.

Her life force was already extremely weak.

So weak that it was like a candle flickering in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment.

Men Fusheng stood by the stone bed. His gaze fell upon the woman's face, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was heartache, guilt, hope, and apprehension.

Gu Changyuan did not say a word. He walked straight to the stone bed and cast his gaze upon the woman.

A faint light flowed within his eyes.

A strand of his divine sense probed into the woman's body.

It was pitch black.

Absolute darkness, devoid of any light or sound.

Gu Changyuan's divine sense hovered in this darkness as he calmly scanned his surroundings.

"Hmph."

He gave a cold snort.

He tapped his right foot lightly.

A burst of spiritual energy exploded from beneath his foot, instantly tearing apart this dark space.

In the next instant...

Two massive green lanterns appeared before his eyes.

These lanterns were the size of millstones, radiating an eerie green glow.

Soon after, a gargantuan green creature slowly revealed itself. Its entire body was covered in a viscous green mist, lined with sharp fangs, and wreathed in endless cursed power.

"Roar!"

It let out a low roar, the sound brimming with warning and hostility.

Gu Changyuan looked at this massive green creature, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

This was likely the physical manifestation of the woman's curse.

It looked enormous and carried an imposing aura. If an ordinary cultivator encountered it, their legs would probably give out from fear.

But in his eyes, it was no different from an ant.

This kind of curse was different from an inner demon curse that was etched into the soul.

An inner demon curse required resolving the dark side of the victim's heart to be perfectly lifted, which took time.

However, curses like this, cast directly upon powerful cultivators, had a hard time engraving deep inner demons into an already fully formed soul.

Inner demons were things that either needed to be slowly carved in over a long period of time or cultivated from childhood.

And this curse clearly lacked that kind of effect.

Therefore...

Although it was incredibly difficult for the vast majority of cultivators to break, it was a different story for someone like Gu Changyuan, who could forcibly manifest the curse space and directly confront the curse's origin.

It was far easier and saved much more time than dealing with an inner demon.

Too lazy to waste words, he slowly raised his right hand and made a light pinching motion toward the green creature that was baring its fangs and roaring endlessly at him.

An incomparably powerful cursed force instantly surged from his palm.

That power acted like an invisible giant hand, instantly grabbing the entire curse manifestation.

Then, it began to dismantle it.

The green creature only felt its entire body being slowly dismembered by an irresistible force.

Its body was peeled apart piece by piece, and the runes on its form shattered one by one.

"Roar!!!"

It let out a shrill and miserable howl, filled with terror and despair.

It struggled madly, wanting to break free from the invisible bindings.

But it was useless.

The power was too strong, so strong that it couldn't resist at all.

It could only watch helplessly as it was dismembered bit by bit, peeled away bit by bit, and bit by bit... dissipated.

...

In the outside world.

Men Fusheng stood by the stone bed, his eyes fixed intently on Gu Changyuan's back.

He saw the senior walk up to his Dao companion and stand there, making no further movements.

He just stood there.

Motionless.

Men Fusheng opened his mouth, wanting to ask the other party if this curse could actually be broken.

But seeing Gu Changyuan's focused demeanor, he ultimately held his tongue.

He merely stood there quietly, waiting.

Time slowly slipped by.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed!

A terrifying aura violently erupted from the woman's body.

The aura was a pure green, carrying boundless cursed power as it instantly swept out in all directions.

Men Fusheng only felt an irresistible, massive force crash into him head-on, forcefully knocking him back two steps.

He let out a muffled groan and desperately circulated his demonic energy, putting all his strength into stabilizing his stance before he barely managed to stand firm.

He forced his eyes open and looked at Gu Changyuan ahead of him.

He saw that the black-clad figure stood completely unmoving amidst this berserk might.

The eruption of the green aura grew increasingly fierce, and its might grew ever more terrifying.

Men Fusheng raised his right hand, and a long saber instantly appeared in his grasp.

He forcefully plunged the long saber into the ground, relying on the blade's support to barely stabilize his body.

After another moment...

Boom!

With one final explosive sound!

The green aura abruptly extinguished, and all of its oppressive might instantly dissipated.

Men Fusheng felt his entire body lighten. Unable to hold on any longer, he dropped to one knee, gasping heavily for air.

But he didn't rest for long.

He abruptly stood up and staggered forward a few steps. His gaze was fixed dead on Gu Changyuan, and then on the woman upon the stone bed.

Gu Changyuan slowly turned around, his face still as placid as ever.

"Elder Men, the curse has been resolved."

Men Fusheng was stunned.

He stared wide-eyed at the calm and collected senior before him, his mind completely blank.

Re... resolved?

Just like that?

It hadn't even been the time it takes an incense stick to burn, right?

The curse that he had spent so many years trying to break, begged so many people for help with, and exhausted so many resources on without success, was just resolved like this?

Men Fusheng opened his mouth to say something, only to find that he couldn't utter a single word.

He could only stare blankly at the woman on the stone bed. Her face was still pale, but her breathing had noticeably steadied. Before he realized it, his eye sockets had already grown faintly red.

Gu Changyuan followed his gaze to the woman and spoke indifferently:

"Oh, right. She hasn't woken up yet."

As his words fell, he lightly pointed his right hand at the woman. A vast and boundless life force instantly surged into her body, nourishing her nearly depleted limbs, bones, and meridians.

A few breaths later, under Men Fusheng's trembling gaze, the woman's right hand twitched slightly. She opened her eyes, and then slowly sat up.