Chapter Thirty-Five: The Curse of the Fallen Soul and Lost Spirit

At dawn the next morning, Zhang Xiao rose from bed. Though he had drunk himself into a stupor the night before, he now felt no trace of the soreness or discomfort that should have followed such excess. On the contrary, his limbs and meridians were astonishingly relaxed, and his cultivation had advanced by a small measure.

Do not underestimate that small step. For someone at the late Golden Core stage, like Zhang Xiao, such progress would normally demand three full months of arduous cultivation.

What a pleasure! Thinking of last night’s uninhibited revelry, Zhang Xiao realized that since the transformation of the world, he had never before felt so unburdened. It was as if every worry and every pressure in his heart had all been cast aside.

Empty.

At that word, his mind suddenly shook. For an instant, it seemed he had grasped something, yet he could not put it into words. The moment he thought of "empty," even the avatar within his sea of consciousness showed signs of a breakthrough.

Though only for the briefest instant, Zhang Xiao was certain he had not mistaken it. Could the key truly lie in that one word, "empty"?

With that thought, he fell into deep contemplation.

By noon, when Wang Ben sent for him to discuss matters in the command tent, Zhang Xiao still had not figured out what "empty" truly meant. Following the messenger, he entered the tent and saw that, besides Wang Ben, ten Golden Core experts were also present.

After Zhang Xiao entered, Wang Ben laughed and said, "You really could drink. You downed three whole jars of my Burning Blade liquor last night. I thought you would not wake until at least this afternoon."

At his words, various flickers of surprise crossed the eyes of the ten men standing nearby. Burning Blade liquor was not merely for warding off cold; more often, it was used to temper the body.

Though they, like Zhang Xiao, were also at the late Golden Core stage, one such liquor could be drunk only in half-jar portions at most. Even Wang Ben could manage no more than a jar and a half before being unable to continue. Forcing more down would only bring grave harm. Yet Zhang Xiao had actually drunk three jars of it, and seemed entirely unharmed. No wonder they were so stunned.

Zhang Xiao smiled. "Brother, do not mock me. That Burning Blade liquor truly is formidable. I only made a fool of myself before you."

"Hahaha, since you like it, I’ll send you a few hundred jars later. For now, let us speak of business." Wang Ben turned to the ten men beside him and said, "Tell him in detail what happened the last time you entered that ancient cavern estate."

"Yes, sir!"

These ten men might be considered elite here, yet after entering that ancient cavern estate, most of them had been driven out in barely a day. Only one had held out until the second day before being expelled.

Wang Ben had summoned them precisely so that Zhang Xiao could learn more about the conditions inside. After half a day, the ten each related their experiences in turn. It turned out that the ancient cavern estate had already formed a world of its own. Once inside, they were scattered and randomly teleported to different corners.

Within it were ancient restrictions everywhere, and it was impossible to tell whether they belonged to the Buddhist path or the Daoist path. Beyond that were countless corpse fiends.

These creatures were all weak in strength and rank. In a one-on-one fight, even a novice at the twentieth level who had just entered the Soul Nourishing stage could easily kill them. But their numbers were appalling, beyond measure, truly a sea of corpses and hills of the dead.

The place had several layers, though they did not know exactly how many, because they had only managed to reach the third layer. On each successive layer, the monsters grew one rank stronger, though their numbers lessened somewhat.

By the third layer, the corpses were already as strong as Foundation Establishment cultivators. They had originally tried to avoid those monsters in secret, but who could have guessed that they would be trapped by a Buddhist expert’s scheme and surrounded by a vast horde of corpse fiends?

In the end they were expelled.

Most importantly, if one were killed by those corpse fiends within the ancient cavern estate, neither cultivation nor attributes would be lost, and even equipment would not drop. But after they returned from the estate, they all felt as though something was missing from them. At times, they would become forgetful and careless, repeatedly misplacing things. They had checked themselves thoroughly and found nothing physically wrong, yet they still felt as though they had lost something essential.

After hearing all this, Zhang Xiao pondered for a moment. He seemed to recall having seen something similar in the True Yin Profound Radiance Scripture, but he could not remember clearly. At once, he closed his eyes and searched the scripture within his mind.

Seeing his expression, the others fell silent, waiting quietly.

After the time it takes to eat a meal, Zhang Xiao finally emerged from his trance and opened his eyes. "Has anyone here looked at a mirror recently?"

His abrupt question left Wang Ben and the others baffled.

"This is an army camp. There are no women here, so why would we need mirrors?" Wang Ben said.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiao could only shake his head and take a crystal stone from his bone ring.

The stone was small, but bright and translucent. Zhang Xiao breathed a mouthful of alchemical fire onto it, and instantly the flame wrapped around it. Before long, he withdrew the fire, and a round mirror appeared in his hand.

Since he had converted his spiritual energy into pure yang energy, the alchemical fire within his body had also become pure yang alchemical fire. Refining ordinary magical artifacts came to him as easily as breathing.

Zhang Xiao held up the mirror. "Take this outside and stand in the sunlight. Look carefully and see what you are missing."

He handed the mirror to one of them. The soldier took it and hurried outside the tent. In no time at all, he rushed back in panic, crying out, "How can this be? How can this happen? How can I be like this?"

Seeing his agitated state, Wang Ben slammed the table and barked, "What are you panicking about? Say what you are missing. Your arms and legs are still there, your nose and eyes are all intact. Why are you so damn frightened?"

Only after Wang Ben’s reprimand did the soldier steady himself enough to answer, "I... I saw that the left half of my face was gone."

At those words, Zhang Xiao’s expression changed drastically. A sharp light flashed in his eyes as he shouted to the remaining nine, "Why are you still standing there? Take the mirror outside and see what you are missing!"

Only then did the nine come back to themselves. Thinking that they too might be the same, they took the mirror outside in a daze. When they looked, all were shocked.

One had lost an ear. Another had lost an eye.

But none were as serious as the first man, who had lost half his face. And that first man was precisely the one who had held out until the second round.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiao’s face darkened.

Noticing how grim he looked, Wang Ben hurriedly asked, "What is it, brother? What is going on? Is there something wrong with them?" He valued these elite soldiers highly.

Zhang Xiao let out a long sigh. "The Fallen Soul and Spirit-Scattering Curse."

Though Wang Ben had never heard of it, the name alone told him this curse was no ordinary sorcery.

At once, Zhang Xiao explained its features and effects. He had only once seen mention of it in the True Yin Profound Radiance Scripture, and even then it was only a passing reference. There was no discussion of how to use it, nor how to break it.

As the name implied, this curse targeted the origin of the soul. Once afflicted, it would imperceptibly steal away part of a person’s three souls and seven spirits.

From then on, the victim’s life and death would lie in the hands of the caster. And if the missing fragments of the soul were not restored within three years, the afflicted person would become muddle-headed and half-witted for the rest of his life, or even die suddenly on the spot.

Moreover, the damage was permanent. Even resurrection could not undo it. If one died from this curse, that was tantamount to complete erasure, leaving no chance of revival at all.

After Zhang Xiao finished explaining, Wang Ben’s face immediately turned ugly, and the ten elite soldiers also went pale.

They did not fear death. But even in death, they wished to die gloriously on the battlefield. They absolutely did not want to die in such a dazed and senseless manner, nor become fools.

In an instant, all eyes turned toward Zhang Xiao. Since he had been able to discern their symptoms, surely he could also think of a way to break the curse.

Seeing the hopeful gazes upon him, Zhang Xiao felt a pang of reluctance. He had recognized the Fallen Soul and Spirit-Scattering Curse only because it had been recorded in the True Yin Profound Radiance Scripture, and even then only in passing. As for how to undo it, he had no confidence whatsoever.

It seemed the only one who could untie the bell was the one who had tied it.

With that thought, Zhang Xiao said, "Do not pin too much hope on it. There should be a way to break this art within that ancient cavern estate. When I enter again this time, I will help you keep watch and see whether I can find it."

Upon hearing this, the ten elite soldiers immediately bowed to Zhang Xiao in thanks. Though the hope was slim, he had not left them in despair.

Wang Ben then dismissed the ten soldiers. After they left, he said in a low voice, "Such a vicious curse, one that wounds the very source of a person’s being—how could it be so easy to break? Brother, you might as well let them be completely hopeless. After all, the pain of going from hope to despair is not easy to bear."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiao also felt somewhat unwilling.

Yes, the happiest thing in the world is to see hope bloom from despair. Its opposite, naturally, is one of the most painful experiences.

Yet seeing the longing for life in the eyes of those ten soldiers, Zhang Xiao’s heart somehow softened.

"Brother, this time the ancient cavern estate is so dangerous. I think you had better not go."

Thinking of the terror of the Fallen Soul and Spirit-Scattering Curse, even Wang Ben felt a chill rise in his heart and could not help but urge Zhang Xiao to stay behind. Zhang Xiao could tell that these words were sincere.

But was he Zhang Xiao the sort of man who would hide from danger?

The path of cultivation demanded riding the wind and breaking the waves, trampling through thorns and kicking aside obstacles. If one fled whenever danger appeared, how could Zhang Xiao have come so far?

At once, Zhang Xiao shook his head. "Since I’ve already come, how can I leave with such a weak ending? Since brother is worried about me, then bring out the Burning Blade liquor and let us drink another round."

"Good! Today, let us drink until we are both drunk!"

Wang Ben was deeply impressed by Zhang Xiao. He had also heard rumors about Zhang Xiao’s origins, and now understood why he had been able to walk this path to the present. Though fortune had played a part, what mattered more was the fierce heart within him that yearned for strength.

At once, he gave a shout outside, and the personal guards immediately went to prepare wine and food.

Additional note not counted toward the word total: if the red-ticket count reaches 170 or the favorites count reaches 255 by six o’clock this afternoon, I will add one more chapter. The current favorites count is 234. I will continue updating this afternoon, and if you readers are strong enough to help me complete the goal, I will stay up all night to add more.