The longer Lin Mu listened to the man's rambling, the more evident it became—something was deeply wrong with him. The same could be said for the men acpanying him.
'Poisoned? Sick? Or… cursed?' Lin Mu mused, his mind racing.
While diseases were rare among cultivators, especially Immortal Cultivators, those that existed were exceptionally dangerous. Fortunately, outbreaks of such ailments were swiftly contained.
However, poison and curses were a different matter entirely.
Poisons could be countered with alchemical knowledge—antidotes, detoxifying pills, and elixirs could often resolve them. But curses? They were a much graver issue.
Curses required specialized skills or techniques to resist, or the intervention of a Curse Master. Yet, even with expertise, the strength and plexity of a curse often determined whether it could be undone.
Minor curses could sometimes be resolved by ordinary cultivators or through the aid of temples. But stronger ones? They were nearly impossible to lift, even for seasoned Curse Masters.
The scarcity of Curse Masters only pounded the problem.
The practice of curses had largely fallen out of favor after the Immortal Court and Guardian Beasts waged a purge against Evil Cultivators who specialized in them. While this greatly diminished the number of curse users, it also caused the knowledge of curses to wane. Few pursued the art, as it brought little reward pared to other disciplines like alchemy or tool refinement.
Curse Masters became rarer than ever, akin to trying to find a physician for an ancient, nearly extinct disease. And even if someone identified a curse, the means to counteract it might no longer exist.
Ironically, the decline of curse knowledge made curses more potent over time. With fewer experts to counteract them, they were now an even greater threat.
Even the Immortal Court's Curse Master Hall—one of the most prestigious organizations for handling curses—struggled. Its limited members were perpetually stretched thin, and recruiting new Curse Masters proved nearly impossible.
It wasn't a matter of willingness; the path to being a Curse Master was daunting. The requirements were far stricter than those for other fields like alchemy, formations, or talisman crafting.
For instance, many Curse Master inheritances demanded a unique physique: Spirit Vision Eyes. This rare gift allowed individuals to see curses and ghosts. But those blessed with such a talent often chose the more lucrative path of Soul Cultivation over curse mastery.
Lin Mu's thoughts drifted to Wu Hei's mother, Zhen Sui. Gu Yao had cursed her with the Human Controlling Blood Curse. Back in the Xiaofan World, they had no means to resolve her condition. Even after using the Searing Aspect Wine to mitigate the effects, Zhen Sui remained in a doll-like state.
'That was a low-grade curse, yet even Immortals struggled with it in Xiaofan. Could these men be under something similar? Their erratic behavior suggests mind manipulation.' Lin Mu's eyes sharpened as he reached this conclusion.
But his musings were cut short as Chiji Ou made his move.
The man raised his hand, summoning a shining blue axe into his grasp.
"River Bending Axe Technique: Splitting the Nine Rivers!"
Chiji Ou swung the axe downward, unleashing a torrent of water elemental qi. The stream split into nine smaller rivers, weaving through the air with terrifying speed.
Lin Mu quickly realized the rivers weren't just attacks—they were traps. Two rivers blocked his left and right, two more cut off his front and back, while two others sealed his path above and below. The last three came diagonally, boxing him in from every direction.
'Impressive coordination,' Lin Mu admitted internally. The rivers closed in faster than he could dodge without his Blink ability.
But then his immortal sense picked up something: the rivers' trajectory. If Lin Mu evaded, the attacks would veer off course—straight toward Doumen's book house and the grandfather-granddaughter pair.
His frown deepened. 'So, I'll take the hit instead.'
Summoning his qi, Lin Mu activated the Longgui Bulwark Armor Technique, his defensive technique renowned for its resilience.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The nine rivers struck simultaneously, their water elemental qi crashing into Lin Mu's body. The heat of his armor's searing energy clashed with the cold, damp force, creating an explosion of steam that engulfed the battlefield.
"HAHAHA! He's done for!" Teng Yi laughed, unable to see through the thick steam.
Chiji Ou smirked, his confidence returning. He had felt the impact of his attack and was certain Lin Mu couldn't have withstood it.
But then—
WHOOSH!
A gust of wind cleared the steam, revealing Lin Mu standing unharmed. His armor shimmered faintly with burning embers as he stepped forward, his gaze locked on Chiji Ou.
"You're still alive!?" Teng Yi gasped, his voice trembling.
"Looks like talking won't work with you." Lin Mu's voice was cold. He raised his fist, qi coiling around it like a serpent preparing to strike.
Chiji Ou barely had time to react as Lin Mu lunged forward, his punch connecting with devastating force.
CRACK!
"AAAAARGH!" Chiji Ou screamed as his body hurtled through the air, crashing into the ground like a broken kite.
The other men froze in terror, unable to prehend what they had just witnessed.
Lin Mu stood firm, his aura unyielding. "Leave now, or you'll end up worse than him."
What Lin Mu had used was just a normal punch amplified by qi and not even the Boulder Collapsing Fist. And yet it was more than enough to crumple the defenses of Chiji Ou. THUD THUD THUD
The man crashed into the ground before finally slamming into the wall of the building opposite to the Book House.
His bones were broken, and blood poured of of his mouth like a stream much like his own attack.
COUGH COUGH COUGH
The man further coughed out mouthfuls of blood, small pieces of his flesh in it.
It was clear that his injuries were not just surface level.
One of his legs was bent at an award angle, having been shattered in multiple places while a few of his teeth were also missing.
And this was when the attack hadn't even hit his face!
It was merely the impact of hitting the ground and the wall.
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