Chapter 186 – Curse: Little Dole

People are often incapable of self-reflection.

Hua Meng enjoyed seeking amusement and had a malicious tendency to use others as entertainment, but that didn’t mean she liked becoming the entertainment herself.

Mu Lin’s counterattack left her feeling somewhat displeased.

However, at this moment, she still hadn’t realized the severity of the situation.

“A curse? A decent method, but it’s useless against me.”

Since curse techniques exist in the world, there are naturally ways to counter them.

Countermeasures, protection, purification, substitution, transference… various methods ensure that curse techniques are never unsolvable. Moreover, because curse techniques harm the natural order and serve merely as a means of attack—unable to lead one to enlightenment or immortality—they are not considered orthodox in the world but are instead despised as a heterodox path.

Many people look down upon such mystical arts, and Hua Meng was one of them.

Now, having been cursed, she once again entered a state of etherealization.

This was to reduce her existence to nothingness, thereby evading the strike of the curse art.

“Even curse techniques require a target. If my existence disappears, let’s see how you curse.”

This method would have been effective. If she had maintained her ethereal state, Mu Lin’s curse might not have succeeded.

Unfortunately, that was before. Now, her heart and Corpse Dog Po had been pierced by Mu Lin’s coffin nail, establishing a connection between them. Her etherealization and invisibility were no longer hidden from Mu Lin, making this method ineffective in evading his curse.

Soon, Hua Meng realized this as well. However, she still didn’t think avoiding the curse would be difficult.

“Hehe, interesting. Can’t hide? In that case, how about this… split!”

“Hum!”

As Hua Meng formed a hand seal, an ethereal clone emerged from her body.

This clone, like Mu Lin’s substitute paper figure, carried many of Hua Meng’s information imprints.

If Mu Lin were here, he would understand why Nailing Seven Po, despite appearing cumbersome and unable to kill with a single strike, could become a master-grade characteristic.

This was because ordinary curse techniques were utterly useless against high-level Qi Refiners.

Clone transference, mystical art purification, Six Jia Six Ding Celestial Soldiers for protection… practitioners of the Dao had too many methods to evade curses.

Just like now, if Mu Lin had used an ordinary curse technique, the clone’s appearance would have allowed Hua Meng to expel the curse imprint along with it.

She could even use the connection between the imprint and Mu Lin to locate his main body in reverse.

Most demonic cultivators who used curse techniques to harm others were killed this way.

Unfortunately, there were no “ifs” in the world. While Mu Lin’s Nailing Seven Po might not kill with a single strike, its priority was exceptionally high.

The Three Hun and Seven Po were the essence of a person. Directly attacking the Seven Po made ordinary methods completely ineffective in evading Mu Lin’s curse.

At this moment, Hua Meng finally realized the severity of the situation.

“Useless? How is that possible!”

On one side, Hua Meng felt that things had become troublesome.

On the other side, Hua Yingguang, Hua Meng’s twin brother, saw his sister under attack and in pain, which enraged him.

“Who!”

In his fury, he immediately released dozens of clones to search for traces of evil spirits in the surroundings.

Clearly, like Chu Hongxuan and the others, this scion of a noble family did not believe that Mu Lin could deceive so many people and attack Hua Meng’s main body without a sound.

Naturally, after a thorough search, he found nothing.

And this, in turn, made him roar in fury.

“Cowardly wretch, show yourself…”

He was shouting loudly, but before he could finish, he was stopped by an irritated Hua Meng.

“Shut up. I wasn’t attacked by evil aberrations. It was Mu Lin attacking me—he’s using a Curse Art to curse me.”

Hearing this, everyone raised an eyebrow. However, like Hua Meng originally, these people also looked down on Curse Arts.

“To actually get hurt by a Curse Art, Hua Meng, you really are embarrassing. I, for one, am impervious to all methods.”

The one speaking with a laugh now was Yuan Ce. Possessing a Pure Yang Body, he was qualified to say such things—his constitution truly could suppress most Yin-based evil Spells.

Chu Hongxuan and Yan Zhanpeng beside him also showed no concern for Curse Arts.

Chu Hongxuan: “A curse? Hmph, my vitality is a hundred times that of an ordinary person. A curse is like ink—it can pollute ordinary people, but within my body, it will only be diluted into nothingness.”

Yan Zhanpeng did not explicitly state it like Chu Hongxuan or Yuan Ce; in fact, he even indicated that he could help Hua Meng.

But such an attitude precisely showed his complete disregard for Curse Techniques.

“I do have some understanding of curses. If Miss Hua Meng doesn’t mind, I can help you remove the curse.”

This attitude belittled Mu Lin, but it also belittled her, which annoyed Hua Meng somewhat.

Soon, however, she thought of something and said with a smile, “If you brothers are willing to help, then Hua Meng thanks you all here.”

“However, men and women should not touch. Coincidentally, I have a method that can copy the curse I’ve received onto others. I trust you brothers won’t mind this.”

“Moreover, I believe all of you are gentlemen and would not bully Hua Meng.”

These words drew cold smiles from Yuan Ce and Chu Hongxuan.

Everyone was well aware of Hua Meng’s personality, so Yuan Ce and the others were certain that even if they were gentlemen, if they found an opportunity to bully Hua Meng, they would not hesitate to give her a good beating.

Not to mention, these people did not consider themselves gentlemen.

Even so, they agreed.

This wasn’t foolishness; rather, Yuan Ce, Chu Hongxuan, and the others knew they were currently being observed. Whether they were gentlemen or not, they had to act the part.

In fact, precisely because they were not gentlemen, they needed to appear as such.

After all, not everyone was like Hua Meng, who cared nothing for reputation.

Whether to protect their own reputations or to appear kind and magnanimous to attract investment, both Yuan Ce and Chu Hongxuan adopted harmonious, friendly, and mutually supportive attitudes.

Of course, the main reason they were willing to help was still their disregard for Curse Techniques.

Thus, with the active cooperation of Yuan Ce, Chu Hongxuan, and the others, Hua Meng easily copied her cursed state onto several of them using a secret method.

Then, just like Hua Meng, they felt a sharp pain in their hearts.

Yuan Ce: “There’s some skill here—it actually pierced through my defenses. Not bad. But that’s all. Pure Yang Flames, purify it for me!”

As Yuan Ce shouted loudly, blazing white flames erupted fiercely upon his body.

This flame was unique to the Pure Yang Body, possessing the utmost yang energy. Besides its formidable offensive power and ability to suppress all Evil Spirits, this flame also carried Purification and healing functions, making it a kind of super versatile flame.

“Boom!”

Under the burning of the sacred flames, Yuan Ce could feel that all the abnormal forces within his body were being purified, and the injuries at his heart were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

From this, it could also be seen that ordinary Curse Arts were indeed utterly ineffective against Prodigies and powerful individuals.

However, soon, Yuan Ce’s confident expression changed.

He was astonished to discover that although his injuries had indeed healed, that peculiar sensation still lingered within his body and mind—his curse had not been dispelled.

“How is this possible!”

“My Pure Yang Body should clearly repel all evil!”

(End of Chapter)