Chapter 640 - 257: First Victory, Blood Curse, The True Monarchs’ Bewilderment
Chapter 640: Chapter 257: First Victory, Blood Curse, The True Monarchs’ Bewilderment
Hm?
A Dark Curse?
Xiao Chen’s expression was a little strange. He hadn’t felt a thing.
’So this is how he convinces people to back down,’ he thought. ’He just threatens them with tricks like this.’
He shook his head lightly. "Daoist, I’d suggest you try a different method. It might be more effective."
This response clearly took the hunched old man by surprise.
The corners of his mouth curled into a slight grin. He had no intention of getting into a pointless argument with the young man.
Instead, he secretly activated the Curse, deciding to make Xiao Chen suffer a bit first.
’Young people are always so arrogant and conceited. But once he feels his True Essence erupt into chaos, he’ll learn to behave.’
"Hmm~?"
However, as he operated his Heart Method, the hunched old man’s expression began to change.
His initial look of calm indifference slowly gave way to a hint of confusion.
’I clearly cast the Dark Curse, so why can’t I activate it?’
He hurriedly tried to cast the spell again, but as soon as the Dark Curse entered Xiao Chen’s body, it immediately severed its connection to him, becoming completely unresponsive.
"What’s going on?"
The hunched old man’s face paled, as if he had encountered something terrifying. "Impossible! I’ve cultivated my whole life. I can’t be wrong!"
He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and bit the tip of his tongue, offering his blood as a sacrifice.
In an instant, several blood-red runes materialized around him.
As these runes appeared, the scent of blood seemed to permeate the entire arena area.
Many Cultivators hurriedly held their breath, only to be surprised when they found the bloody stench growing ever stronger.
The expressions of many changed drastically. They quickly circulated their Magical Power or True Essence to resist, but it had little effect and couldn’t suppress it completely.
In the viewing stands to the side, a glint flashed in He Ming True Monarch’s eyes.
He had already recognized the old man’s origins as one of the unorthodox lineages that cultivated the path of the Blood Curse.
Without proper precautions, an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator would indeed find it difficult to resist.
’Xiao Chen is most likely going to fall for this one. But that’s fine. Now that his true methods have been exposed, he’s no longer a threat to Chongzhen Temple. All I need to do is consult the sect’s records, create a protective Talisman based on the methods left by our predecessors, and we can easily prevent the Blood Curse from entering the body and reclaim the title of arena master.’
"Referee, doesn’t this count as attacking before the match has started?"
Xiao Chen turned his head and asked, "Can I interrupt him now?"
’Technically, this should be against the rules, right?’
"PFFFT—!"
But before the referee could answer, the old man suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood.
The blood turned black the moment it hit the ground, letting out a SIZZLING sound.
The bloody stench filling the air instantly vanished, replaced by a fit of violent coughing.
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."
The old man braced himself with one hand on the ground, clearly suffering from some kind of backlash in immense pain.
A few moments later, the hunched old man tremblingly raised his head. His eyes, as he looked at Xiao Chen, were filled with confusion and terror.
His Blood Curse Technique, which he had arduously cultivated for many years, was like a dry leaf meeting a great fire, like white snow meeting the scorching sun, when faced with his opponent.
’How can someone like this exist in the world?’
He wanted to scream, ’Why was I born into a world that also has you!’
"I... I have lost!"
He struggled to his feet and bowed slightly. "Many thanks to Xiao for showing mercy and sparing me!"
With that, he turned, walked off the arena platform, and left Red Flower Island without a second glance.
Hm?
’Showing mercy?’
Xiao Chen didn’t quite understand what the man was talking about.
’Well, whatever. I won, and that’s what matters.’
Hearing this, the referee promptly announced, "Xiao Chen is the winner of this challenge!"
But the surrounding Loose Cultivators had heard the old man’s words loud and clear.
Their eyes went wide as they stared at Xiao Chen in utter shock.
They had all just personally experienced how insidious that strange, bloody stench was.
And they weren’t even the main target of the attack.
At most, they were only caught in the aftershock.
Yet Xiao Chen, the primary target of that bizarre attack, was not only completely unscathed...
...but it sounded like he had even held back during the fight.
"Good heavens! The fight’s already over, but I still have no idea what just happened."
"You can say that again."
"I didn’t fully understand it either, but that old man clearly struggled while Xiao looked calm and unbothered. The difference in their levels was obvious!"
"That Daoist speaks the truth!"
"I didn’t even feel any fluctuation in Xiao’s True Essence. He clearly won without breaking a sweat."
...
The Cultivators below the platform were all buzzing with discussion.
In the viewing stands, the few Nascent Soul True Monarchs were also feeling astonished and uncertain.
They could easily understand Xiao Chen being a Body Cultivator with great speed and strength.
After all, some Cultivators were born with Dharma Bodies or even Spirit Bodies, and examples of those with boundless strength were not unheard of.
But what had just happened was something even they couldn’t quite comprehend.
The Blood Curse Technique was an extremely obscure and unorthodox art, rarely seen even once in several hundred years.
Yet Xiao Chen had managed to counter it on the spot and emerge victorious.
This small detail revealed the great depth of his foundation and the breadth of his abilities.
Before, everyone had only been speculating about Xiao Chen’s origins.
But now, they had inadvertently found more evidence suggesting he was the worldly successor of some Hidden Dao Lineage.
He Ming True Monarch, in particular, had a sharp glint in his eyes as he began a process of elimination in his mind.
Unfortunately, this clue was ultimately too obscure for him to deduce Xiao Chen’s exact origins.
「Soon, it was noon on the third day.」
The intensity of the battles in the other arenas also suddenly ramped up.
Nearly all the Loose Cultivators below the platforms had been eliminated, with only Master Cangjian and Zhang Shouquan still observing the situation.