Chapter 70: Curses

Chapter 70: Curses

Hui fell into darkness. His qi searched into the pitch, desperate for a light, any light.

At last, a distant heat. He turned toward it, peering after the heat. It flickered, sometimes ice cold, other times blazingly hot. Hui pushed onward, searching. Where? Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

Flickering, Xues dantian appeared before him. Fire burned now, his dantian a center of heat and flames, while his illusory ice dantian hung in the shadow.

Curse symbols crawled over the flames like ants. They scurried faster than ever, so thick they almost blocked out the fire altogether. Hui squinted, lips pressed together. The way they squirm is sickening.

He inched closer, searching around Xues dantian. The heat this close was almost unbearable, beating against his qi. Only the curse marks made it bearable. The curse marks radiated death qi, nearly as cold as the illusory ice dantian.

Hui reached out to the curse symbols with a trace of his own death qi. One of the curse marks peeled off Xues dantian and circled his death qi. He reached out and touched it.

From out of his death qi, the tiny head of a duck reared up and swallowed the curse mark.

Eh? Wait does it work like that? Hui frowned. He urged his death qi on, pointing it at the curse marks.

A ghost duck peeled out of his death qi and bit at the curse marks. It swallowed down a dozen, then vanished back into his qi. Another duck took its place, followed closely by another, then another. Ducks flooded into Xues dantian, peeling away from his. They descended on the curse marks and devoured them, hoovering them up like bugs.

Wait, wait, seniors, if youre all here, my dantian

Pain drew Hui back to reality. Bai Xue squeezed, crushing down on Hui. His mouth opened wide. Panicked, Hui threw his hands up and managed to catch Bai Xues jaws before they closed on his neck.

Bai Xue, stop! he shouted.

The ghoul ignored him. He pressed harder against Huis hands, struggling to close his jaw.

Dammit! Without any death qi, I cant disguise myself as a ghoul! I need some death qi of my own that doesnt belong to those unfilial ducks!

Locking his arms in place, he submerged part of his consciousness back into Xues dantian. Under the ducks hungry maws, Xues dantian slowly cleared. The curse marks trickled down their beaks and into their stomachs. Through their translucent bodies, he could watch the curse marks bump around inside them.

As they ate, the ducks grew larger. From tiny things barely the size of his thumbnail, they ballooned up to the size of his finger, then his palms. The bloated ducks bounced around in Xues dantian, satisfied.

Hui reached out and drew his death qi in. The largest ducks came with it, swirling dreamily back to circle around his dantian. The smaller ducks fought the pull, surging forward to snap up more of the curse marks. He let them go, watching the curse vanish from Bai Xues dantian. If it works, why fix it?

At last, the final ducks floated away, swimming back to his dantian. Hui reached out with his own qi. The weakened curse wavered, exhausted and defeated. A black blot at the bottom of Xues dantian, it barely had enough energy to let off a curse mark or two.

Eh? Bai Xue, did you get your cultivation back? Hui asked.

She closed her eyes. Cold air swirled around her. Frost broke out, spiraling over the floor around her. White energy blasted around her, cold enough to freeze at a touch. Hui and Li Xiang backed away, shivering.

Bai Xue smiled. Its coming back to me with every passing second.

She lifted her fan, ice trailing after its leading edge. At the last second, Hui grabbed her arm. Wait.

Bai Xue and Li Xiang both frowned at him. What?

We cant take them all on alone. Bai Xue, you can probably sweep the lower-stage cultivators, but are you confident you can take both Zhang Zhou and Bai Fenfeng while protecting Li Xiang and I? Hui asked.

Bai Xue frowned. It would be difficult. I couldnt guarantee your safety.

We have to beat them and break the barrier around the lotus before the lotus blooms. Hui glanced up, through the gaps in the curse-mark blocking them in from above. The lotus slowly unfurled its petals, black already shimmering with deep purple.

She furrowed her brows. Theres a chance

We cant take that chance. Not unless theres no other option. The lotus is too dangerous, Li Xiang declared.

Hui nodded. Which is why, instead, we need to call the main family here. That way, they can engage the other cultivators, and you can focus on Fenfeng and Zhang Zhou.

Bai Xue harrumphed and crossed her arms. Dont look down on my clan. There should be at least one other fourth-stage cultivator around to help me with the two of them.

All the more reason to call them. Bai Xue, do you have a way to call your clan? he asked.

Naturally. But we need to break the barrier on the ceiling of the room first. It would block the signal.

Li Xiang tilted her head. Why didnt you call them earlier, before we entered the room?

Bai Xue waved her hand. I thought I could handle it alone. Besides, I had no idea who else was in on the plan, or what the plan was. If I called attention to myself earlier, I mightve just alerted the enemy and startled the rats back into hiding. Now, though She shrugged. They cant exactly get much more alerted, and I know its too late for them to scurry back into their holes.

So many barriers. The underground barrier, the lotus barrier, Li Xiang said, shaking her head.

Hui gestured them in. I have a plan. Listen