Chapter 163 - Festival’s Eve (Part III) (Patreon)

Lucian took a deep breath, reliving the moment the Curse of Wrath took hold of his body.

Because his younger self had grown stronger since the activation that led to his son Hobert's death, he could see through his body's eyes, even as his own consciousness remained imprisoned in darkness.

Behind the younger self’s body, near the Evil Dragon, the silhouette of a grotesque humanoid being began to take shape. Its dark form pierced the sky, growing larger with every passing second as six enormous wings unfurled, gradually spreading until they encompassed the entire domain.

That was the first time Lucian had seen the true form of the Curse of Wrath.

As the entity phased behind him, forming six bottomless pits that demanded endless sacrifices, the lack of nearby lifeforms caused Lucian to focus on the only living creature in the region.

The Evil Dragon, Black Devourer and Crimson Mountain. The dragon Du'vahryxs.

Without any elaborate use of runes, Blood Essence rampaged through Lucian's body as he roared, rising higher into the sky alongside the towering dark silhouette. Only to fall like a meteor a moment later.

At the same time, two enormous black hands, formed from the remaining blood in the region and strengthened by the Curse of Wrath, slammed into the Evil Dragon.

The scales that had endured weeks of Lucian's relentless strikes finally cracked beneath the combined assault.

However, because Lucian lacked awareness while under the Curse of Wrath,his body didn't focus its attacks on a single point to maximize damage. Instead, it struck different sections of the dragon's body, its translucent form growing larger as its fists gradually became solid black.

It was easy to see that the Evil Dragon was injured. Blood leaked from its wounds, empowering Lucian until the beast finally moved.

With a roar of pain, lava and shattered earth erupted into the sky as the enormous eyes of the Crimson Mountain opened, its body causing earthquakes and storms while it rose from the ground.

The entire domain shook, and the tremors spread beyond the forest, reaching distant seas and mountain ranges as the earth and lava wrapped around the Evil Dragon's body were violently expelled.

Next, black and crimson clouds swallowed the heavens as sulfur, blood, lava, and crimson energy mixed, creating an apocalyptic landscape.

The dragon's black scales hardened even further, the beast slowly turning its neck toward the assailant clinging to it.

Du'vahryxs possessed two colossal wings that stretched far beyond the region and were still unfolding. Its massive body rested upon four powerful limbs, every inch protected by scales.

The crust of scales covering its mouth, eyes, and nostrils had long since been shattered, and black energy seeped from its open maw, creating hurricanes and typhoons as it inhaled.

Above the dragon, Lucian's younger self moved to attack again. He stabilized his Blood Essence, his body glowing crimson as he roared back at the monstrous beast below.

Remembering all, the current Lucian kept his eyes closed as the eighth meridian took shape. He felt the frustration fade, replaced by the overwhelming relief of forcing the dragon to acknowledge him through his vampiric curses.

Even if he only relieved the memory, Lucian would have been lying if he claimed he wasn't satisfied.

Fighting that damned beast had never been pleasant, he thought. This small success was really great. I was just a S-Tier by that time.

Lucian remembered how the dragon had spat a sphere of unknown power at him, ravaging his body and nearly erasing the dark entity with a single attack.

They fought for minutes, not days or weeks. And most of the time was the dragon waking up.

In this short battle, Lucian came within a breath of death, and he would have died had the Evil Dragon not destroyed the domain itself, tearing open spatial rifts that swallowed Lucian's battered body and hurled him into another domain.

The Evil Dragon itself remained completely unaffected by the spatial rifts, as the beast was immune to spatial powers. That was one of the moments when luck smiled at Lucian.

Unable to pursue Lucian, the dragon vented its fury by destroying dozens of neighboring domains. The beast could travel among the stars, so finding other artificial domains was easy.

Laughing heartily as the memory reached its conclusion, Lucian felt the Lesser Yang Ascendant Meridian open. Other memories of him surpassing his own expectations and past challenges, defying all odds, flooded his mind.

He had even taken revenge on the mages who had tried to use the beast to kill him, causing enough destruction that they had no choice but to put the dragon back to sleep, sacrificing hundreds of millions!

Opening his eyes and stabilizing his high-stage Qi Gathering cultivation, Lucian exhaled softly, feeling his soul strengthen ever so slightly.

"Cultivation is incredible," he muttered, looking at the empty courtyard. Noticing no one, he frowned and said, "Wang Chen was supposed to be here. Where is he?"

Hearing his own voice, Lucian stood up. His eyes narrowed as he muttered, “Did I just ask a question out loud?”

Next, recognizing what he said, his expression turned cold and utterly apathetic. He examined the courtyard with meticulous care, and then, flexing his fingers, he mobilized Blood Essence, empowering the Rune of Lust and causing his brain to glow with a deep crimson radiance.

"Whoever you are," he said, scanning the seemingly empty courtyard, "using illusion techniques against me was a mistake."

With an explosion of intent, the courtyard shattered like a mirror, and Lucian found himself standing amidst a forest.

Or rather, on an island, as the sea stretched endlessly in every direction.

Looking upward, he heard the melodious laughter of a woman dressed in flowing green light, her hands moving through the air as though plucking invisible strings.

Recognizing her beautiful face, Lucian said, "For someone like you to resort to such a trick makes me wonder how powerful the Nine Sects truly are."

Looking at him with soft eyes, the Resonant Sea Ancestor's split soul replied, "Fellow Daoist, if I may call you that, is truly perceptive. May I ask what gave my illusion away? Was it the absence of people?"

Empowering the Rune of Lust in an attempt to break free from the illusion, Lucian answered, "Keep guessing."

Then, furrowing his brows, Lucian sensed the Seven Curses were roaring, trying to warn him. His thoughts accelerated until he noticed the island growing larger with every passing second, along with his growing perception.

Most importantly, he felt his strength grow in a way that should have been impossible for his current self.

Feeling a bit amused, he controlled his body to float upward until he reached the same height as the Resonant Sea Ancestor.

The two stared at one another, deep greed reflected in each other's eyes.

"Cultivators never cease to surprise me," Lucian said, waving a hand and conjuring armor made of Blood Essence. "Your technique is the most powerful possession technique that has ever been used against me."

Smiling, the Resonant Sea Ancestor nodded. "Thank you, Vampire Ancestor. Would you like to know how it works?"

Hearing the title spoken so naturally, Lucian narrowed his eyes.

"So you know I'm a vampire. You searched through my memories before attempting to possess me,” he said with a cold smile. “You must be interested in the Seven Curses."

Keeping her distance, the Resonant Sea Ancestor also smiled, hiding it behind her sleeve.

"You could say that. Your powers carry traces of an unknown Heavenly Dao. Understanding it may allow me to shatter the void and ascend to the Nine Heavens."

As each word left her lips, Lucian felt ripples spreading across his soul.

"Wait,” he said as his eyes widened. "I can feel changes within my soul."

Then, he looked directly at the Resonant Sea Ancestor.

"And my surface thoughts are spoken aloud, which means we're inside my Sea of Consciousness. This isn't just an illusion. You locked me inside my mind."

Floating above the island while absentmindedly playing with invisible strings, the Resonant Sea Ancestor nodded.

"We cultivators call it the Spiritual Sea. I used one of my killing techniques to merge this split soul with your Spiritual Sea, expanding my abilities and allowing our souls to overlap."

She smiled, her eyes emitting a boundless greed. Despite her gentle tone, there was an edge to every word she said.

"Of course, your soul is far larger than mine. At the moment, it is divided in half. One for each of us,” she said, glaring at him.

Lucian glanced at the azure sea and the verdant island before blinking. Then, the sky, previously filled with clouds, suddenly became absolute darkness, a single white line stretching across it.

"The Sword Vein wounded your soul." Resonant Sea Ancestor sighed, glancing up. "Sadly, only my main body can heal it. Once I've possessed you completely, I'll solve that problem."

"You certainly talk a lot," Lucian said.

With every sentence she spoke, the echoes within his soul became stronger, a sense of foreboding spreading through him.

Narrowing his eyes, Lucian activated the Rune of Lust. Crimson light shone within his gaze as defensive measures came to life inside him, protecting and inspecting his soul. Things he couldn't do before, he could do now. He had recovered a great part of his power!

Noticing the change in his demeanor and the pressure spreading through the surroundings, the Resonant Sea Ancestor laughed.

"This killing technique has a price. It is impossible to merge two souls without sharing the burden," she said, her tone tinted with regret. "Normally, I would suppress the soul I possess. But in your case, your powers were elevated until they reached my level. Isn't it unfair?"

After those words, silence fell between them as they stared at one another.

Resonant Sea Ancestor had attempted to possess Lucian after discovering powers beyond her understanding, hoping they would help her reach the next realm. She had failed, but not given up. She wanted the Seven Curses more than anything!

Meanwhile, Lucian had once again witnessed how extraordinary cultivation techniques could be. More importantly, inside his Spiritual Sea, he had temporarily regained much of his former strength, reaching the Supreme tier, or the Nascent Soul realm.

"Resonant Sea Ancestor," Lucian said, genuine delight in his voice. "Thank you."

The azure sea instantly turned crimson, and Lucian’s back erupted in blood.

Thousands upon thousands of bats surged from his back, flying toward the Resonant Sea Ancestor before detonating. Every explosion carried enough power to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

In his current state, a mere wave of Lucian's hand would have been enough to slaughter Grand Elders of the Nine Sects like insects!

Too bad those powers existed only within his Spiritual Sea, sustained by the Resonant Sea Ancestor's technique. And surely, things weren't as straightforward as she told him.