Imperial Treasure-Chapter 913 - 497: One Hundred Thousand Lives, Curse Evolvement
In the world ability circle, Black Sorcerers form a faction, akin to the sinister and poisonous black magicians seen in Western thrillers. They practice Alchemy and Corpse Refinement Techniques, various evil and malicious techniques, and are skilled in concealing curses... somewhat similar to Chinese witches.
However, the fact that the Hell Prince is a Black Sorcerer is a secret Sui Yi was unaware of, and she is equally oblivious to two other points.
After thinking for a moment, she asked: "You mean the Hell Prince cast a curse back then, which took effect immediately, causing the death of the empire’s one hundred thousand troops?"
"Yes, and those one hundred thousand went mad when they saw the horrifying scene of Hellfire Castle burning that night, so they all died on this island... Be it abroad or at home, both are quite wary of people cursed like this, so their corpses are buried on this island, no one knows exactly where, maybe it’s the beach or the square we walked past..."
This is somewhat creepy.
"What about the sealing?" Sui Yi asked.
This question made Ming Lanyuan, Cao Ling, and Zhong Lang look at her more closely.
What is this person here for, how come she seems so oblivious, could it be her purpose differs from theirs?
"The curse was terrifying, and the empire was terrified, too. But it’s not like the Hell Prince was the only formidable one in the world. There were several powerful White Magicians in the empire... They forcibly sealed off the island and cut off the curse cast by the Hell Prince on the Emperor. But when it came to the Cursed Grudge Power within the island, they were helpless... In the end, they had no choice but to seek international aid... Ahem, that’s because the leader of the White Magicians at the time had a great relationship with a super-strong figure from our country. Out of humanitarian ideals and a sense of camaraderie, this super-strong person from our country went over... and placed a seal on the island, known academically as the Yellow Springs Naihe."
"The Yellow Springs Naihe is a sealing skill that resolves ghostly resentment. It’s a very powerful forbidden technique, and although that powerful figure was strong, he couldn’t complete it alone.... The foreign blonds couldn’t work with him, so at the time, they could only use other tools...."
"A Yellow Springs Sword and a Naihe Seal," Zhong Lang said, his expression somewhat grave. "This powerful figure was the seventh-generation sect leader of Mount Mao, Yellow Springs, and was revered as the Yellow Springs Dragon Master because of his formidable techniques. If we were to rank him, he’s definitely an SSS-level boss."
3S... simply unbelievably awesome.
And the Yellow Springs Sword and Naihe Seal are of the ultimate grade, like the ultimate boss drops from a game dungeon.
Completely over the level of this dungeon.
Cao Ling pondered why she had signed up for this task on a whim.
Or perhaps she had offended her boss at some point, leading to this setup.
"That was back in the day, after all; back then, those people, including the Hell Prince, were all insane, especially the Hell Prince, a near-SS Master, particularly adept in Cursed Grudge Techniques. His destructive power was terrifying, but still inferior by one level to the Yellow Springs Dragon Master. It’s just that somehow, this person managed to amplify the curse’s damage tenfold, eventually forcing the Yellow Springs Dragon Master to employ the Yellow Springs Sword and the Naihe Seal..."
"One hundred thousand lives, Curse Evolvement," Ye Zixu suddenly spoke, making everyone present startled.
Ye Zixu ignored the others and continued alone: "The dreadfulness of a curse lies in its growth and propagation. The more powerful the curse, the more terrifying this nature becomes. Those one hundred thousand deaths were due to the Cursed Grudge Seed he used, which exploded and spread in a short period, leading to the assimilation of these hundred thousand people into cursed bodies, turning Hellfire Castle and the island into a massive Cursed Field. That’s why those people couldn’t suppress it back then and could only set up the Yellow Springs Naihe Seal using the Yellow Springs Sword and the Naihe Seal as the Array Plate, sealing the island’s Cursed Grudge Power...."
Though no one knew how Ye Zixu knew this, no one asked. Cao Ling, however, focused on one point.
"So in the following years, it was an imperfect seal? Or did the seal leak?"
Ye Zixu shook his head, "I checked when we arrived. The Cursed Grudge Power on the island has already dissipated, which indicates two possibilities: One is that the Yellow Springs Naihe Seal’s effect gradually manifested over time, causing the Cursed Power of Hellfire Castle to diminish over the centuries as seen in the experiences of the previous six Castle Lords..."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the same time... But Sui Yi said, "Then, what about the second possibility?"
"The second possibility..." Ye Zixu’s expression was very grave, perhaps even solemn: "The second is based on the guess I made after seeing the charred corpse tonight."
What do you mean?
"Prosperity leads to decline," Sui Yi suddenly said, her words immediately understood by everyone present, followed by shock.
"You mean, the seal indeed reached its peak, but now... is loosening?" Zhong Lang spoke up, suddenly raising his voice: "That charred corpse!"
Yes, their previous analysis concluded that the charred corpse couldn’t leave the room, possibly due to a seal blocking it. However, they could deduce that these charred corpses were actually staying in the dungeon beneath the bed board, and they could crawl up into the room... Ultimately, before being able to leave the room, roam around?
"And the paintings... haven’t you noticed? The clothing, dress, and accessories of the men and women in those paintings don’t belong to this current era; rather, they seem... like the style of medieval Europe. And since they were burned to death... Can we then speculate that the people in the paintings are those from Hellfire Castle, burned to death back then, and that the charred corpses correspond to the people in the paintings?" Cao Ling finished and then gestured: "If it’s the second scenario, then the worst situation we might encounter tonight or in the near future is--facing the vengeful ones who died tragically hundreds of years ago!"
"Of course, if we could encounter the Hell Prince, we’d hit the jackpot!"
The people from the two organizations looked at each other, all silently cursing their superiors at this moment. Damn, is this the ’not too difficult’ mission you talked about?
"The situation may not be that serious. Our task from the top is to explore the circumstances of this seal. If the Cursed Grudge Power has completely disappeared, then we can take back the Yellow Springs Sword and Naihe Seal and settle the matter... If it hasn’t completely vanished, then we need to have a proper negotiation."
The dark control circles of the two nations really need to have some back-and-forth over this. For instance, if you want us to continue helping you suppress this isolated island’s seal, you must pay some price. Otherwise, we could take this thing away, and anyway, it’s you British who would be at loss!
"Settle? I don’t like the word you used, as if the Yellow Springs Sword and Naihe Seal belong to your Imperial Guards~" What was originally a good conversation quickly revealed its true nature with a single sentence from Cao Ling.
Zhong Lang laughed, "Our Imperial Guards are at least an official organization, a national orthodoxy, while you, The Gate, although powerful, are rooted in the civilian sector... and in the USA at that..."
The power of The Gate is unquestionable, but its focus has long shifted away from domestic affairs; this is the only aspect the Imperial Guards can hold in contempt.
Cao Ling was indifferent, "But that doesn’t justify claiming the Yellow Springs Sword and Naihe Seal as your own inside."
Seeing the argument about to reignite, Sui Yi remained silent, while Yi was never on the same wavelength—she was looking at paintings.
Ming Lanyuan coughed and said, "We are all Chinese, why be doing this to each other? Besides, we still don’t know where the Yellow Springs Sword is or what it looks like, and this castle situation is hard to conclude. Haven’t you noticed that Handsome Ye hasn’t confirmed it either? Let’s not speak too soon; it’s clear the people behind this have already detected our purpose here and are taking preemptive action... Sui Yi, what do you think?"
Ming Lanyuan was quite blatant in changing the subject, and Sui Yi, taking a look at them, said, "I’m not one of you."
Damn! We’ve revealed so much information, you’ve listened for so long, and now you say you’re not with us? Goddess, you can’t just abandon us after using us!
Seeing several of them staring, Sui Yi tilted her head and said, "I know much less than you guys, but there is one thing I can clearly tell you."
Say it! We’re waiting!
"What you want is also what I want."
Hah! You might as well have said nothing!
This is indeed quite a piece of bad news.
Sui Yi stood bathed in warm light, and while she could do nothing about the complex expressions on their faces, she wouldn’t take their information for free.
So she continued, "This isolated island has been modified; its layout is the Big Dipper Nine Evils, with the Hellfire Castle in an evil position, where its power is strongest. But it has now been sealed, using the sharp and powerful Yellow Springs Sword."
"As for the Gang Position, it represents the vast righteous spirit of Heaven and Earth, primarily for transformation and rebirth, and is where the Naihe Seal is located."
"But there are many blinding spells within the layout of this island. After construction, the Gang Position has been obscured, and I can’t see it."
So, the Yellow Springs Sword is inside this castle?
Sui Yi’s gesture of reciprocating for Li Weishi’s information was significant, and Zhong Lang, retracting his earlier hostility, solemnly said, "Miss Sui, you are kind; our Imperial Guards won’t forget this favor..."
Sui Yi glanced at him lightly and said, "I’m only mentioning it because I know you can’t beat me, not out of any kindness, so let’s not speak too soon."
The two Imperial Guards: "..."
Goddess, must you be so devious!
"By the way, do you have any constructive insights about the mastermind behind this? I find that Landis a bit suspicious," Cao Ling said, stroking his chin.
"You suspect he killed Yale?" (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
