everlasting immortal firmament
“Cursed?” Everyone paused, simultaneously turning to Long Wanyu.
In an instant, the skeleton Gu Hai remembered the powerful curses Ming had unleashed in Essence Genesis Hall’s plaza that day, which affected even those at the consummation of the spiritual souls.
Ming?
“If I’m not mistaken, it should be the shaman race’s Nine Cauldron Deity Seizing Curse! Back then, the Azure Dragon Prime fell to this curse, which led to the defeat of the animal spirits!” Long Wanyu said uneasily.
“The Nine Cauldron Deity Seizing Curse? Wanyu, please elaborate!” the skeleton Gu Hai urged.
“The Nine Cauldron Deity Seizing Curse stripped Brother-in-Law’s consciousness and ‘deity’ from his body and sent them to the caster. If the caster destroys Brother-in-Law’s ‘deity’ and consciousness, then Brother-in-Law’s true body will be left without a consciousness, becoming an idiot!” Long Wanyu explained, frowning.
“Who would be so malicious?!” Chen Xianer’s face darkened with resentment.
“Brother-in-Law’s true body’s passing out is actually a form of self-protection to prevent the three spiritual souls and six physical souls from scattering. We must not force Brother-in-Law to wake up. If we do, his three spiritual souls and six physical souls will suffer severe damage without the guidance of his consciousness, and Brother-in-Law will lose a large amount of vitality in an instant!” Long Wanyu explained.
The women immediately became cautious.
“The Nine Cauldron Deity Seizing Curse? Is it related to the Deity Seizing Hall?” Gu Hai furrowed his brow.
Jiangchen? The others showed surprise.
“The Nine Cauldron Deity Seizing Curse was not cast by Jiangchen. It’s from the Blood Shaman’s line of inheritance, and it requires gathering the Nine Cauldrons of the Blood Shaman’s line of inheritance and a massive amount of spirit stones, at least two trillion superior-grade spirit stones,” Long Wanyu explained.
“Two trillion? Very few people in the world can afford such a huge consumption of spirit stones!” Long Wanqing frowned.
“The curse of the Blood Shaman? The Blood Shaman?” The skeleton Gu Hai suddenly narrowed his eyes.
When Yinggou was unsealed in the Yellow Springs Sea, the Blood Shaman protected her. Gu Hai had formed an enmity with him. The Blood Shaman’s souls escaped, possessed Chang Ming, and disappeared with him.
Only the Blood Shaman has a grudge against me among those from his lineage.
“How do we lift the curse?” Lin Waner asked urgently.
“Retrieve Brother-in-Law’s ‘deity’ and let it return to its original place, and the curse will be lifted!” Long Wanyu explained.
“But where is the deity?” The skeleton Gu Hai furrowed his brow.
Long Wanyu thought back. “At the main altar of the Blood Shaman’s line of inheritance, a place called Underground Blood City. Underground Blood City is a city of curses that cuts off all connections with the outside world. Brother-in-Law, you can’t sense the location of the true body, right?”
The skeleton Gu Hai’s expression changed. “Indeed, my connection has been cut off. Underground Blood City? Where is it?”
“I don’t know. After the war between animal spirits and shamans, Underground Blood City often changed its location. Now, I have no idea where it is!” Long Wanyu shook her head.
“What do we do now?” The women looked at the skeleton Gu Hai together.
Fortunately, only the true body had fallen for now, and the skeleton clone was still intact, so they were not left without direction.
“Casting the Nine Cauldron Deity Seizing Curse consumes so much resources. The remnants of the Blood Shaman’s lineage definitely can’t do it alone. Apart from them, there must be others supporting them, and those supporters must have accumulated an astronomical number of spirit stones!” Gu Hai said solemnly.
Chen Xianer’s eyes widened. “The Heavenly Demon Holy Land?”
“We can’t rule anyone out, but the Heavenly Demon Holy Land is the most suspicious!” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Then…!”
The skeleton Gu Hai frowned. “First, stabilize the situation. Announce to the world that I’m in closed-door cultivation, and lure them into the trap. Second, we’ll send someone to inquire with Mister Cangjie to see if he knows anything!”
“Yes, Brother-in-Law, you should ask Cangjie. I always feel like he might be a certain person…” Long Wanyu knit her brows in thought.
“Who?” Gu Hai asked, puzzled.
“Cangjie!” Long Wanyu recalled.
Gu Hai: “…!”
“In ancient times, there was also a Cangjie, the ancestor of cultural cultivation, who created cultural cultivation and was known as the One above the Sovereign but One Serving the Sovereign!” Long Wanyu recalled.
“Oh? The same name?” Gu Hai frowned.
“I’m not sure. I thought they just shared a name at first; after all, one was a cultural cultivator, and the other is a lifespan cultivator. I can’t say for sure, but…well, I’m not sure. Brother-in-Law, you guess; I’m not familiar with Cangjie, either!” Long Wanyu shook her head.
The skeleton Gu Hai nodded.
Now is not the time to investigate Cangjie’s identity. I need to focus on rescuing the true body’s consciousness first.
With the skeleton Gu Hai in charge, everyone quickly made arrangements in an organized manner.
The women were responsible for the safety of Gu Hai’s true body while keeping the news of his coma strictly confidential.
The skeleton Gu Hai secretly arranged for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to search for information about Underground Blood City while consulting Kong Xuan, Shangguan Hen, the Unborn Man, and other experts from the Han Nation to see if anyone knew the city’s location.
Then he went to Cangjie’s mansion in Xuanyuan City to inquire about the location of Underground Blood City.
However, when the skeleton Gu Hai arrived, Cangjie’s mansion was tightly closed.
“Your Holy Eminence, Mister Cangjie announced he was going into closed-door cultivation three days ago and forbade anyone from disturbing him. He stated he needed to set up a ritual array and warned that anyone disrupting him would face severe consequences. He entrusted us with protecting him!” a respectful Embroidered Uniform Guard recounted.
Gu Hai raised an eyebrow and sighed lightly, “Well, in that case, let’s not disturb Mister Cangjie.”
“Yes!”
The skeleton Gu Hai refrained from barging into Cangjie’s residence and, instead, left to figure out a solution himself.
Remaining calm, the skeleton Gu Hai was not anxious because when his true body’s consciousness and deity disappeared, they took along a crucial item: the Candle Epoch Azure Lamp!
Gu Hai had previously consulted Long Wanyu about the Candle Epoch Azure Lamp. The flame on it, referred to as Candle Dragon’s candle flame, though small, had the power to dispel most curses in the world.
Only a few knew about Gu Hai being under a curse, and the officials were not alerted to it.
The officials continued to capture territory, proceeding in an orderly manner. It was like Gu Hai had never been cursed.
However, both Gu Hais entered closed-door cultivation.
The skeleton Gu Hai refrained from handling state affairs and patiently awaited developments. Contrary to expectations, the other party grew restless the next day.
Late into the following night, an unexpected visitor arrived at Everlasting Nether Capital.
Whoosh!
In a flash, that figure entered the depths of the palace.
A figure in white robes emerged at the entrance of Ground Control Palace—it was the White Soul Reaper from the Heavenly Demon Holy Land.
“Huh? Everlasting Nether Capital hasn’t activated its defensive ritual array?” the White Soul Reaper exclaimed in surprise.
“Right. Since Underground Blood City suddenly sealed its gates and went into seclusion, it’s likely the curse succeeded. Gu Hai must have fallen unconscious. With no chaos in the Han Nation now, the news must have been suppressed. Humph! I’ll seize Gu Hai’s body, and he’ll have no chance of a comeback!” The White Soul Reaper clenched his fists as he cautiously scanned the surroundings.
The White Soul Reaper was tasked with both stealing Gu Hai’s body and investigating Long Zhanguo’s situation.
Long Zhanguo’s existence was like a bone stuck in Bai Zizai’s throat—he could not afford to delay.
As the White Soul Reaper continued his investigation, a stern voice suddenly rang out from the depths of Ground Control Palace.
“Are Bai Zizai’s men nothing but a bunch of petty thieves?”
“Who is it?” The White Soul Reaper’s expression changed.
Creak!
The palace hall’s doors opened noisily.
Inside, the skeleton Gu Hai, dressed in imperial robes, sat on his throne, with Kong Xuan, the Mosquito Daoist, and Long Shenying standing below.
The sight of Gu Hai startled the White Soul Reaper.
“Gu Hai? You are unharmed?” the White Soul Reaper exclaimed incredulously.
Aren’t Underground Blood City’s gates already closed?
“How dare you trespass on Everlasting Nether Capital, White Soul Reaper? Surrender!” Kong Xuan bellowed, rushing forward.
“It’s impossible. You must be an imposter; you’re not the real Gu Hai!” the White Soul Reaper yelled in horror.
Boom!
Kong Xuan unleashed a six-colored divine light, which collided with the White Soul Reaper’s palm. The space trembled violently, but the six-colored divine light could not overcome the White Soul Reaper.
“Kong Xuan, step back!” Gu Hai ordered coldly.
“Yes!”
While Kong Xuan stepped back, the skeleton Gu Hai strode out of Ground Control Palace, observing White Soul Reaper, who seemed uncertain while standing in midair.
The White Soul Reaper’s expression kept changing as if he was trying to discern whether Gu Hai was real. How is this possible? Wasn’t the curse successful? Why is Gu Hai unharmed?
Gu Hai drew the Life Killer Saber.
Shing!
A crimson light illuminated the surroundings.
“I don’t believe you’re Gu Hai. You must be a fake!” The White Soul Reaper’s face contorted with malice.
The White Soul Reaper was at the consummation of the spiritual souls. Although he was much weaker than Ji Dihong, he was still at the consummation of the spiritual souls. Even if he could not defeat Gu Hai, he felt confident of retreating safely.
Just as the White Soul Reaper was about to test Gu Hai’s authenticity, a voice came from the west.
“White Soul Reaper, come back. He is the real Gu Hai!” It was Bai Zizai’s voice.
“Huh?” The White Soul Reaper’s expression changed.
He looked up, only to see the blessings cloud sea churning, as if Gu Hai was about to mobilize the power of his nation.
“Tenth Cycle!” The skeleton Gu Hai’s saber descended with this thunderous roar.
Buzz!
Endless crimson light illuminated the world.
Without mobilizing the power of his nation, Gu Hai manifested a powerful saber, accompanied by an illusion of slaughter, which collided with the White Soul Reaper.
In the slaughter illusion, the White Soul Reaper momentarily faltered before hastily throwing a punch.
Boom!
With a loud report, the Life Killer Saber sent the White Soul Reaper flying. Although he was not injured, his right fist went numb, which confirmed Gu Hai’s authenticity.
With a change in expression, the White Soul Reaper turned and soared into the sky.
“Hold it! Don’t run!” The Mosquito Daoist and others rushed forward angrily.
“No need to chase!” Gu Hai commanded coldly.
“Yes!”
Gu Hai turned his head towards the west, his gaze shifting directly to the Heavenly Demon Holy Land’s Yin Tiger Deity Hall.
Bai Zizai stood at Yin Tiger Deity Hall’s entrance, frowning in puzzlement at the skeleton Gu Hai. Did the curse fail?
“Bai Zizai? What do you mean by this? Essence Genesis is about to defy Heaven, and you want to provoke a full-scale war? Wouldn’t it be better to come yourself instead of sending the White Soul Reaper?” Gu Hai’s tone was icy.
“Humph! Gu Hai, you’re still no match for me!” Bai Zizai said coldly.
“You’re welcome to try!” Gu Hai retorted sharply.
Although Bai Zizai narrowed his eyes, he felt incredibly frustrated. Gu Hai’s current situation was unclear to him. Furthermore, he could not replicate Gu Hai’s defeat of Zhu Liuliu with one finger, and since the Han Heavenly Dynasty was now the largest nation, Gu Hai’s ability to mobilize blessings was also the strongest. The more time passed, the stronger Gu Hai’s blessings would become. Soon, it would not just be Long Zhanguo he feared; even Gu Hai would be beyond his control.
That was why Bai Zizai preferred to act now—even if it meant offending Essence Genesis—rather than allowing Gu Hai to grow unchecked.