CHAPTER 637: CHAPTER 636: SURPRISE? UNEXPECTED?

An ominous feeling loomed over his heart, and the carefree expression Hu Zhili had after gaining Lifespan gradually turned solemn.

Something seems off...

Too coincidental, too smooth, not right! All of it is wrong!

"Sister, what are you saying? I’m in such pain! Please save me!" Hu Zhixun curled up on the ground, crying and wailing.

Hu Zhile laughed to herself and said, "Do you feel your Life Energy slipping away? Dantian drying up, Spirit Root withering, it hurts, feels uncomfortable, and exhausted?

Then that’s right! What Hu Zhili just cast on you was the Blood Curse, he means to drain your Lifespan dry to use it as his supplement."

She held her right elbow with her left hand, then thoughtfully held her cheek with her right. Leisurely, she said, "Back then when he abandoned me and your ninth sister, taking you all toward living salvation, you were just a little fuzzball not yet transformed, nestled in father’s arms and stirring trouble by saying—what was it?

Oh right, you called me unfilial and rebellious, deserving death, said father should slap me to death!

Then, he heeded your instigation and cast a Blood Curse on me, aiming to devour my Lifespan, squeezing out the last drop of oil from my bones. The wheel of fortune turns, today it’s your turn to taste the sensation of being cursed by your own father."

Hu Jun and the other onlookers were stunned, it was indeed that fiery girl from back then. She didn’t die but ingeniously found her way back!

One moment a harmonious father-and-son contrast, the next it’s a reversal for vengeance.

The remaining six Fox Demons suddenly erupted in oddity, Hu Zhili was certainly doomed today, and there was one less candidate for the three positions to leave this place chosen by the Void Hunter, six competing for three greatly favored victories.

"You... you’re third sister?" Hu Zhixun, not knowing whether it was pain or fear, recalled the sparse memories of that year, his face paled and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Back then he thought the abandoned sisters were dead for sure, to defend and flatter father, he hurriedly jumped out to pledge loyalty when she cursed angrily, incidentally stomping on the unpopular sister to flaunt his own widespread favoritism.

Little did he expect a single sentence to be remembered for so many years...

Hu Zhili felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured over his head, leaving him stunned.

How could it be? He had risked everything to activate the Blood Curse, the connection was clearly still intact yet there was no reaction, it shouldn’t be!

Back then, to maximize benefits and ensure Hu Zhile was always under the Blood Curse without a chance to escape, he clearly stated when completing the curse contract that his third daughter would have to return all the bone, blood, and Lifespan if she didn’t survive past the Body Forging Realm.

With this curse lurking in the Dantian, either she couldn’t advance to the Body Forging Realm and would have her Lifespan harvested at the Thunder Tribulation Crossing; or even if advancing successfully, she’d suffer severe damage, weary and weak, dying within a few days with her Lifespan entirely seized!

Yet Hu Zhile was lively at the moment, showing no signs of being cursed?

The Blood Curse also required the curse caster to die to be lifted, which was perplexingly contradictory!

"Yeah, I’m not eldest sister Hu Zhiyao nor fourth sister Hu Zhiqi, I’m your abandoned third daughter Hu Zhile." She continued smiling, watching Hu Zhili’s face grow ever paler, she laughed more happily, "Surprised? Unexpected? You’re surely crazily activating the Blood Curse now, trying to verify who I really am.

Clearly, the curse hasn’t been severed yet there’s no reaction, isn’t it interesting?

Hahaha, Hu Zhili, you’re brilliant one moment and foolish the next. You hoped to escape by chance, mistakenly assumed I was eldest sister when you heard I had a brother.

Did you really not think, the void is so vast, even if eldest brother and sister survived by chance, how could it be so coincidentally met at this moment? Other than needing to kill the curse caster to lift the Blood Curse, who else would take such pains to find a drifting ruin like this?"

Indeed, how could it be such a coincidence?

I really am the dumbest fool under the sky!

No wonder the clan often mock me for my poor judgment, treating powerless fools as treasures, pushing away truly spirited children. Fool! A fool with no eye for real worth!

"Zhile..." Hu Zhili cursed himself internally, yet clung to a glimmer of hope, weakly said: "I had difficulties back then. I didn’t let you come because knowing your temper, you could never suffer indignity, do you even know what kind of days we led?

The despicable guys of the Kuanglang Sect locked the boys in mines to dig day and night; the women... your mother, your sisters, they became playthings, insulted and beaten at the least, or outright killed, skinned alive and drawn! I was doing good by you, hoping you’d at least die quickly without having to suffer indignity!"

Jiang Yuan was stunned after hearing this, could he really argue like that?

Too bad our university debate team doesn’t have such talent, or else we’d surely be invincible nationwide.

"Hahahahaha!" Hu Zhile bent over with laughter, "Venerable Family, listen to this twisted logic. Casting a Blood Curse on me, seizing my Lifespan was for my own good? In that case, the Venerable Family painstakingly lifted the curse to harm me instead.

Hu Zhili, do you think I’m as foolish as you, as ungrateful as you?

If father did everything for my good, then he should know. Back then I was saved with my little sister, living well in the Otherworld, then acknowledged the kind-hearted and strong Venerable Family, didn’t let you seize my Lifespan hard-earned from Cultivation, instead chased here over thousands of miles, just to kill you and lift the curse, thus freed from threats and restraints with vast sky and earth!"

Before her words finished, her eyes squinted slightly, a Soft Sword abruptly appeared in her hand, her left hand gestured from beneath then Earth Dragon rushed toward Hu Zhili; her right hand swung, Colorful Ribbons streaked, Soft Sword aimed straight for his face!

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The Earth Dragon exploded, colorful ribbons released a pink mist, and the soft sword gleamed with a cold light. Hu Zhile, without moving, launched an attack in the upper, middle, and lower directions simultaneously.

"Swish!"

An ice wall instantly stood in front of Hu Zhili, blocking all attacks while shattering into countless ice shards that refracted a brilliant light under the illumination.

"Hold on!" He blocked one attack and seemed to gauge Hu Zhile’s strength.

If it were just her coming for revenge this time, he could have easily killed her, but he couldn’t withstand her backing because her big backer was not to be trifled with.

Now was not the time to tear up the facade. Hu Zhili was afraid of provoking the Void Hunter and didn’t even dare to counterattack, only defending.

Not to mention that giant bell that came out just now made him helpless, let alone dealing with mysterious and unique methods, no matter how powerful. Any strong individual couldn’t withstand more than two moves.

Hu Zhili didn’t feel he could escape easily, so he had to stall for time. Once Hu Zhixun was cursed to death, he could regain some lifespan to perform even more powerful Curse Techniques. Then all unfavorable conditions would be reversed!

To be honest, the fierce girl had become more formidable. She struck swiftly and accurately, withdrew immediately upon realizing she was not a match, without pursuing recklessly. He now regretted his stupidity and inability to recognize talent back then, missing a good seedling.

The current situation was unfavorable to him. Hu Zhili tried to buy time, saying, "Zhile, think carefully. If I really wanted to kill you, why would I delay until now? Yes, I admit I cursed you, but the fact that you’re still alive is the best evidence!

You being alive all these years means I never intended to harm you. At the time, life and death were uncertain, and nobody knew what would come next. All our Magical Treasures were exhausted. I had no other choice.

Cursing at least allowed me to know whether you were alive or dead, to sense where you were..."

"Venerable Family, I can’t handle it myself." Hu Zhile couldn’t be bothered to listen to his nonsense. With just one move, she probed that the opponent was at least two major realms higher than herself, knowing she was no match, so she quickly called for help.

Jiang Yuan hadn’t expected her execution to be so powerful that there was no start-up before she acted.

It seemed she couldn’t kill the old fox on her own to quell her hatred, so he had to help, "Do you want a quick solution or a slow, painful one?"

A quick solution with the Soul Hook would take at most two or three slices before it was over without a hitch;

A slow, painful way to kill a pig was more cathartic but relatively tricky. To perfectly complete the task of releasing obsession, should they beat Hu Zhili half-dead, render him unable to resist, and then have the contract pet take action personally?

Jiang Yuan was undecided but couldn’t let Hu Zhili escape in the meantime.

He casually threw a large capture net over the old fox, trapping him so that even with escape techniques, there was no way to break free, giving the contract pet ample time to decide how to dispose of him.

"Still prioritize safety..." Hu Zhile was about to answer the Venerable Family’s advice, prioritizing safety to prevent the old fox from using deceitful tricks again. Just then, she saw a big net fall from the sky, tightly wrapping and binding the old fox.

Hu Zhili: ???

What’s this? What’s the meaning of this? Humiliating me with such a shabby net?

Soon he realized this "shabby net" was quite formidable, as even he, a high-realm Demon Cultivator, couldn’t break free!

Hu Zhixun, at this moment, couldn’t hold on and was about to perish, twisted and crawling on the ground, shouting with all his might, "Sister, don’t listen to his excuses! Cursing us was to kill us! Kill him! Sister, kill him! Only if he dies can we live!"

The Blood Curse could only be broken with the curse-caster’s death. Although caught in the net and unable to break free, Hu Zhili had no problem continuing to operate the curse, trying to break through defenses to restrain Hu Zhile. Yet she had no reaction throughout, unable to comprehend how the curse’s force was transferred away.

"He’s dying." Jiang Yuan glanced at Hu Zhixun, whose health bar was critically low and still dropping. He wanted to see what the result would be if the Blood Curse, which couldn’t be broken, was fully realized.

Everyone’s eyes turned in unison towards the gasping, tragically howling Hu Zhixun.

Seconds later, his health bar hit zero. His body stiffened with no movement. What followed was his young, handsome face beginning to wither and shrink, and within seconds, he turned into a corpse, weathered, and then blew away into a pile of yellow dust.

[Hu Zhile’s inner obsession resolved: 50%]

As Hu Zhixun died, a noticeable notification flashed across Jiang Yuan’s vision.

Hu Jun and the other five Fox Demons instinctively stepped back a few paces, further distancing themselves from Hu Zhili.

Watching helplessly from Hu Zhixun being cursed to death, it took almost no time for a lively and strange person to leave not even a corpse behind. The curse technique was terrifying indeed!

"Zhile, I can remove the curse on you." Hu Zhili bluffed while secretly gesturing a curse, his voice growing softer, "You saw Hu Zhixun’s end. If I truly wanted to kill you, you would have turned into yellow dust like him back then. How could you be standing here unharmed..."

[Hu Zhili has initiated a possession curse on you but failed to cause damage]

[Achievement: First time another cultivator covets your body (commonly known as: greedy for your body) and encounters possession. Reward: Charisma +10]

[Encountered Possession Curse, triggered special item. Do you wish to spend 1 million Spirit Stones to purchase "Bounce Bounce Bounce" set, consisting of ten sheets, capable of rebounding ten different types of curses?]