Zanxing

Chapter 58 - Demonic Curse (2)

This was an ordinary-looking man, but his hair and eyes were a striking red. His gaze was indifferent as if he were looking at an insignificant ant. Even without any expression, he exuded a chilling aura that made one's heart race.

He reached out, and a bloodied curved blade instantly appeared in his hand.

Yanxing focused, pulling out the iron staff from her waist.

Outside the Qingxin Mirror, Xuan Ling gasped in shock. "She actually encountered a Demonic Curse," Li Danshu murmured, "what rare luck..."

"Let's not talk about luck for now," Cui Yufu frowned. "The Demonic Curse is not an ordinary demonic cultivator. Her little tricks won't work against it; if she strikes, she might get seriously injured."

"Can't we avoid fighting?" Xuan Ling asked anxiously. "What if something goes wrong?"

"If she had a retreat talisman, it would be fine; she could leave before it escalates. But that talisman was destroyed by Huayue, and now it looks like she has no choice but to fight it head-on."

"Big Senior Brother!" Xuan Ling looked at Yueguang. "In nearly a decade, no disciple has encountered a Demonic Curse in the Muxi Jiezi Scroll. Those who have encountered one usually left before it escalated. The Demonic Curse is brutal and bloodthirsty; even if it's a fake... it won't be easy to deal with. She's just a young girl; this match isn't fair!"

Yueguang shook his head. "Junior Brother, if you're so panicked, how can you be their master?"

"But..." Xuan Ling wanted to argue when he heard Yueqin's voice, "What's happening?"

Everyone turned to follow Yueqin's gaze, and they saw another scene in the Qingxin Mirror, where a young man armed with a long knife stood facing a figure in black.

"Why did Mu Chengxiao also encounter a Demonic Curse?!" Cui Yufu looked bewildered.

The Muxi Jiezi Scroll was already infinitely vast, and for Yanxing to bump into fellow disciples twice during the exam was rare enough. Today, however, the two Demonic Curses that were originally in the scroll appeared simultaneously before the testing disciples.

"Mu Chengxiao is only close to forming his core and is not a match for the Demonic Curse," Yueqin frowned. "But why isn't he using his retreat talisman?"

While Yanxing's retreat talisman was destroyed, forcing her to fight, Mu Chengxiao's talisman was intact, yet the young man was staring intently at the Demonic Curse in front of him, raising his long knife and charging at the black-clad Demonic Curse!

He was also going to fight head-on!

Li Danshu closed his eyes and sighed, "While I admire the courage of youth, to crash into something knowing the outcome... that will only hurt their cultivation; it's not worth the loss."

"The two of them encountering Demonic Curses at the same time is quite unfortunate," Cui Yufu stood up. "It seems the outcome is already decided. Although they didn't place first, reaching this point with their cultivation isn't too shabby."

As he spoke, a long cry of a green crane echoed from the distant peaks. The sound resonated through the valley, filling everyone's ears. They turned to look, and Yueqin exclaimed, "It's the sect leader's spirit beast... the sect leader has emerged from seclusion!"

The leader of the Taiyan Sect, Master Shaoyang, had been in seclusion for a long time, and today, just as he emerged, the sound of the green crane's cry signified a breakthrough, bringing great joy to everyone. They watched as the spirit beast flew through the blue sky, only to suddenly hear a loud "thud."

On the competition stage, a figure was thrown out.

Zi Luo gasped, "Junior Sister Yanxing!"

Yanxing was ejected from the Muxi Jiezi Scroll, landing on the stage, not moving for a while.

"Ah," Li Danshu sighed when he saw this. "I knew she wouldn't be able to defeat the Demonic Curse; she must be seriously injured. Quickly, take her back so that Mendong can check on her."

Mendong nodded in agreement and was about to go when he suddenly thought of something. He tugged at Gu Baiying's sleeve, whispering, "Uncle Master, you must carry her back."

Gu Baiying looked confused. "Why must I carry her?"

"Don't forget, she still has the Qin Worm seeds on her. Right now, she's weak; if any senior brother gets close to her and they develop feelings, privately cultivating together, wouldn't that mean we can't get the Qin Worm seeds back?" Mendong urged. "Hurry, look, someone else is going over!"

Gu Baiying glanced ahead and indeed saw a disciple approaching the competition stage. His expression shifted slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he bit his lip, stood up, and quickly walked to the stage, bending down to pick up Yanxing and heading towards the Miaokong Hall.

The rest of the crowd was momentarily stunned.

Gu Baiying was not known as someone who meddled in others' business in the Taiyan Sect; terms like warm-hearted and compassionate were far from his character. It was the first time anyone had seen him take the initiative to carry a girl, leading to a subtle shift in expressions among the onlookers.

"Seventh Junior Brother..." Xuan Ling hesitated. "When did you get so close to Yanxing?"

Zhao Maiyi stroked his long beard, observing Gu Baiying's retreating figure with a contemplative look.

"It's not so easy to recover from injuries inflicted by a Demonic Curse. Speaking of her..." Yueqin's words trailed off mid-sentence. The others looked puzzled, seeing her point at the ranking stone, speaking a bit stammeringly, "...look!"

On the ranking stone before the competition stage, the name Yanxing had somehow surged to the forefront, gleaming with a golden light that was hard to ignore.

"Could it be..." Li Danshu murmured.

Just a moment ago, she was still hovering around thirty; now, in the blink of an eye, she had claimed the top position. Did that mean... she had defeated that Demonic Curse?

How could that be possible!

...

In the Miaokong Hall, Gu Baiying and Mendong entered.

Xuan Ling knew how to enjoy himself. Every couch in the hall was plush and soft, like lying on a cloud. Gu Baiying randomly found a soft couch; as soon as he relaxed his grip, Yanxing rolled onto the couch.

The young man looked down in disdain at his robe stained with the sticky substances from Yanxing, casting a cleaning spell on himself while urging Mendong, "You check on her quickly."

Mendong sat at the edge of the couch, cautiously probing with spiritual energy. After a moment, he froze and said, "Strange."

Gu Baiying asked, "What's strange?"

"Yanxing doesn't have any wounds; it's just some superficial injuries at most."

"Then why isn't she awake?" Gu Baiying sat down by the couch's edge, leaning closer to stare at Yanxing for a while, uncertain, "Could she be pretending to be dead?"

"Not really," Mendong looked at him. "Uncle Master, I noticed something odd about Yanxing's spiritual energy."

"How so?"

"Ordinary people's spiritual energy flows like a stream, continuously feeding into various spirit veins. But her spiritual energy seems to be stagnant, neither flowing nor dissipating. It's as if... it has always been this way, with no changes whatsoever."

Upon hearing this, Gu Baiying's expression froze as he pondered for a moment before asking, "Is it because of the Qin Worm?"

Mendong shook his head, "I don't know."

The girl on the couch appeared calm, as if she were sweetly asleep. A breeze blew in from outside, causing a strand of her hair to float gently, revealing half of her face marked with dark traces.

The young man furrowed his brow, staring at her face, lost in thought. After a moment, he stood up and said, "Forget it; let's just wait and see."