The Blood Curse Unveiled

“Hmph! If you’re a senior, there’s no need to humiliate us. If you have any tricks, just use them!” The second of the Five Friends of Mengshan, a tall, thin man, suddenly shouted at Han Li, showing no concern whatsoever for his life hanging by a thread.

The other three were greatly stunned! In their minds, this second brother was always one to plan before acting; he was truly not the type to be so impulsive!

The thirty-something youth who had thought Han Li looked familiar, his mind racing, suddenly remembered something. Immediately, filled with shock and anger, he shouted at the tall, thin man:

“Second Brother, what do you mean by this? Are you intentionally trying to anger this senior, hoping he’ll kill us all in a fit of rage?”

As soon as these words left his mouth, even the black-faced elder and the young woman were taken aback. The youth, however, was not someone who would say such things without reason.

That ‘Second Brother’s’ face instantly turned deathly pale, and he offered no defense.

“Fourth Brother, have you lost your mind! Why would Second Brother want us dead?” the young woman said, somewhat angrily, coming to the tall man’s defense.

Then, she turned around, intending to say something to the black-faced elder, but what met her eyes was an extremely grim face.

Her heart immediately skipped a beat, and she was at a loss for what to do.

“Second Brother, is it because Third Sister is still in their hands that you want us all to die so she can live alone?” the black-faced elder asked coldly.

“I’m sorry, Big Brother. You should know their methods. If word gets out, Third Sister, who is still in their grasp, will definitely suffer a hundred tortures, a fate worse than death. It would be better for her soul to be scattered and find a quick end!” the tall, thin Second Brother finally said, a look of shame on his face.

Hearing this, the young woman’s face turned deathly pale. Her lips moved, but no words came out.

“Hmph! Even if Third Sister is your Dao partner, can you bear to trade the three of us for her life alone?” the thirty-year-old Fourth Brother shouted at the Second Brother, filled with extreme anger.

“Second Brother, what Fourth Brother said might be a bit harsh, but it’s not without reason! Remember, when the five of us swore brotherhood, we said we would live and die together. But now, for your own selfish desire, you intend to harm us all. That’s hardly justifiable!” The black-faced elder’s voice was thick with disappointment.

“Fine, I did want to harm you all. But what choice did I have? Third Sister is just pregnant with my own flesh and blood. I can’t let the Li family line end. Otherwise, living in disgrace is better than dying. Who would actively seek death?”

The tall man, his face cycling between pale and red under their accusations, couldn’t help but clench his fists and roar back.

This statement immediately stunned the elder and the youth. A look of shock appeared on their faces, and they found themselves at a loss for words.

The young woman, meanwhile, was left speechless, her mouth agape with surprise.

“Are you all finished? If so, it’s my turn to speak,” Han Li, who had been silently observing from the front, suddenly said in an icy tone.

The sound of his voice immediately startled the three, reminding them who actually held the power of life and death over them: this Foundation Establishment cultivator before them.

Instantly, their righteous indignation vanished without a trace, replaced by uneasy glances at each other.

“I don’t care whether you genuinely want to die or if this is just a performance for my benefit! I only want all the information about the person behind this. Even if you must die, it will be only after you have told me what I need to know. Do you still think you have a say in life or death at this point?” Han Li’s words were filled with ruthless finality, causing the faces of the three men and one woman to drastically change.

“What do you want to know? We don’t know much. On top of that, a restriction called a Blood Curse has been placed on our bodies. If we reveal any important secrets to outsiders, the restriction will trigger immediately, and our hearts will burst from the pain,” the black-faced elder said through gritted teeth, seemingly resigned to his fate.

“A Blood Curse? Interesting. Let me examine it,” Han Li said, his curiosity piqued and sounding quite interested.

Hearing this, the black-faced elder’s spirits lifted slightly. After a moment’s hesitation, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, he stepped forward and extended his arm.

He desperately wished Han Li could remove this thorn in their side, though he felt the hope was dim.

The one who had cast the curse on them had been supremely confident, claiming that no cultivator who had been cursed had ever managed to leak their secrets. Anyone who attempted to tip someone off or deliberately leak information had died on the spot.

Han Li grabbed the elder’s wrist, his spiritual power flowing gently through the old man’s body. His expression became extremely solemn.

The other three from the Five Friends of Mengshan watched the pair intently, praying that this ‘senior,’ Han Li, could truly find a way to break the Blood Curse.

After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Han Li released the elder’s arm and bowed his head in contemplation.

He looked up a moment later. His expression unchanged, he asked the elder:

“What was the cultivation level of the one who cast the curse on you? When he cast it, did he recite any strange incantations or utter any bizarre words?”

As soon as Han Li asked this, the four opposite him showed expressions of surprise, mixed with a trace of delight.

“Yes, he did say some strange things we couldn’t understand. It sounded like an incantation, but also like a dialect from somewhere. None of us could be sure what language it was. The one who cast the curse was a Foundation Establishment cultivator,” the youth answered excitedly, before the black-faced elder could respond.

“And after saying those words, he also took a bowl of some unknown black blood and drew a strange symbol on each of our arms. No matter how we washed, those damned things wouldn’t come off,” the elder quickly added, baring his arm to reveal a dark, peculiar symbol near his wrist.

Han Li stepped forward to examine it closely, then nodded, bowing his head once more in thought.

Before long, Han Li suddenly looked up and gave them a mysterious smile, saying:

“That’s it! I believe I understand what this Blood Curse actually is now!”

“Senior, is that true?” the black-faced elder said, a slight tremor in his voice. The other three also showed looks of disbelief.

To them, this Blood Curse was like a blade hanging over their necks, forcing them to obey those people’s commands. If Han Li before them could truly remove this great menace, wouldn’t they regain their freedom and no longer be manipulated?

“This so-called ‘Blood Curse’ is actually a type of Verbal Curse! The restriction that works on you relies entirely on those strange incantations. It has nothing to do with the black blood or the symbol drawn on your arms. That person was just putting on an act of sorcery!” Han Li explained blandly, as if he had it all figured out.

But in his heart, he was secretly relieved to have escaped a tight spot by pure luck.

He had only come across this art of Verbal Curses in a very obscure book while investigating the Great Teleportation Token back in the day. Otherwise, he would have been completely without a lead.

“Can you remove this curse, Senior?” This time, it was the young woman who couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t know.”

Han Li’s cold reply made their hearts sink. The ecstatic joy that had just begun to show on their faces quickly receded.

“Senior, what do you mean by that?” the black-faced elder quickly asked, forcing a flattering smile, his tone cautious.

Now that the key to lifting the curse lay in Han Li’s hands, he dared not offend him in the slightest.

“There are two ways to break a Verbal Curse. The first is to know the incantation to dispel it. If I can get my hands on it and recite it to you using spiritual power, it can be safely dispelled. The second method is for me to use my divine sense to invade your sea of consciousness and forcibly erase the mark of the Verbal Curse. This method requires the person lifting the curse to have a far stronger divine sense than the person who cast it to wipe out the imprint cleanly in one go. However, if it fails, it will immediately trigger the curse. You should all know the consequences yourselves.” Han Li frowned and said in a somewhat exasperated tone.

“What, it will trigger immediately!” the young woman couldn’t help but exclaim.

The bloody scene of the Blood Curse activating had been demonstrated right in front of them by the one who cast it, using a living person.

The sight of the victim spitting out several pieces of his shattered heart before dying was deeply etched in their memories. It was this that made them tremble at the mere mention of the Blood Curse and fear it so much.

The faces of the other three were equally grim. This was practically asking them to gamble with their lives!

Han Li looked at them, let out a cold laugh, and was about to say something when the tall, thin Second Brother suddenly raised his head and spoke:

“Senior, feel free to forcibly break the curse on me. The same person cast the Blood Curse on all of us. If it can be removed from me, it should certainly work for the others as well!”

As soon as he said this, the other three stared at him with wide, astonished eyes.

“Second Brother, what are you doing? This is too dangerous,” the young woman said, her face a mask of anxiety as she tried to dissuade him.