Chapter 330: The Frustrated Black Horn King

The Great King of Black Horn conjured more and more shadowy projections, while Chen Luo unleashed increasingly dense bolts of thunder.

What had begun as a clash of divine abilities had devolved into a contest of raw power between Demon Power and spiritual energy. The Great King’s expression darkened; this human was proving far more tenacious than he’d anticipated. At this rate, they might be locked in stalemate for three days, and by then both would be utterly drained.

This outcome was entirely unacceptable to the Great King of Black Horn.

As the tyrant of the Water Mansion, he would never allow himself to be reduced to such a state. His Flood Dragon Bloodline made him the most prized treasure in the Sea Region. If his power were exhausted, the enemies lurking in the shadows would undoubtedly emerge to claim him.

He had no choice but to strike a killing blow!

A cold glint flashed in the Great King’s eyes as he activated his innate Flood Dragon divine ability. Unlike the innate ability he’d used against the Black Fish Spirit, the Flood Dragon possessed not only supreme control over water but also the power of Curse. In folk mythology, the appearance of Flood Dragons was often linked to floods and natural disasters, and this wasn’t mere fabrication. It stemmed directly from their innate divine ability. When Curse reached its apex, it could indeed trigger cataclysmic events.

This innate divine ability was incredibly draining, but at this point, the Great King of Black Horn had no other choice. The secrets of the Dragon Tomb must not be revealed. After killing this man, he would go and slaughter the three little insects nearby, along with that traitorous ingrate.

Just as he was about to strike, the Great King of Black Horn noticed a lazy Gu Insect resting in his palm.

The Gu Insect was plump and round, as if sucking his blood. At first, he didn’t notice anything amiss, but gradually, he realized something was wrong.

He was slowly growing weaker, as if some invisible essence within him was being ‘stolen’ by the Gu Insect.

“What is this?!” The Great King of Black Horn roared, his voice filled with shock and fury.

We were fighting fair and square, and you dare to resort to such underhanded tactics?!

“Despicable! Shameless!”

With a roar, the Great King of Black Horn channeled Demon Power throughout his body, instantly blasting the Gu Insect off him. In a fit of rage, he extended his dragon claw to crush the insect, but bizarrely, the Gu Insect passed through his fingers as if it were intangible. After a few wobbles, it leisurely flew back into Chen Luo’s hand. Even more infuriating was that, despite the insect’s departure, the sensation of his lifespan being ‘borrowed’ persisted.

Even across distances, lifespans could be borrowed, though not in such abundance. The depletion shifted from years to days.

A hundred years borrowed.

The moment the Life-Stealing Mite returned, Chen Luo absorbed fifty years of lifespan from it. The mite’s commission was brutally high, now splitting the gains fifty-fifty, but its power was undeniably formidable. No wonder it ranked among the top Strange Insects in the Rare Insect Ranking.

“Die!”

The Great King of Black Horn, in his Flood Dragon form, coiled in mid-air, enraged. Defying Chen Luo’s Yin Thunder, he spat a single word that instantly drained all surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, along with the Flood Dragon Bloodline within his own body.

He’s going all out?

Chen Luo narrowed his eyes, dissipating the Yin Thunder with both hands as he focused his full attention on the threat.

The light in the courtyard suddenly dimmed. The word “Die,” the instant it left the Great King’s mouth, seemed to come alive.

A pitch-black stone statue materialized within the perception of both combatants.

A Curse!

Chen Luo, an expert in curses, immediately recognized this power. All curses are bidirectional, binding the caster and the cursed through the curse itself. If the curse fails, its power rebounds entirely upon the caster—a common phenomenon known as curse backlash. A similar scenario had unfolded during Chen Luo’s battle with the Demonseed Sect Leader.

The onlookers in the distance watched as the two combatants suddenly fell silent, the thunder and mist vanishing. An eerie stillness settled over the scene, sending a wave of dread through their hearts.

Sweat beaded on all three of their foreheads.

Even Hong Madam was sweating. Pseudo Core cultivators, who claimed to be at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage, were merely a self-proclaimed title. Before a true Core Formation cultivator, even the strongest “Pseudo Core” remained at the Foundation Establishment level. Faced with this level of curse, none dared speak, fearing they might attract the attention of the two combatants and be swept away as insignificant bycatch.

“Flood Dragon Curse,” the Demonseed Sect Leader, an expert in curses, identified the curse.

Chen Luo felt as if the heavens and earth had abandoned him. A palpable sense of impending doom washed over him, as if he were about to face divine retribution.

Before he could react, a decaying aura erupted from the stone statue’s forehead and pierced directly into his heart.

A sharp pain shot through Chen Luo’s chest.

Thump-thump.

The decaying aura radiated outward from his heart, rapidly spreading. The gray-white aura expanded relentlessly, the ground beneath Chen Luo’s feet turning an eerie ashen hue. The surrounding walls developed mottled patches, as if centuries had eroded them in an instant.

Thud!

Chen Luo’s body swayed twice before collapsing to the ground.

The formidable body withered like a dried leaf, the True Inheritance Token of Qiong Hua Sect at his waist dimming along with it.

Dead.

“Finally, he’s dead!”

The Great King of Black Horn panted, unable to suppress his triumphant laughter.

But as his laughter echoed, he sensed something amiss. Beside the corpse, a figure stood unscathed, watching him with an expression that made it clear he considered the Great King a fool.

“You’re unharmed?!”

The Great King of Black Horn recoiled, his blood running cold. His Divine Sense and perception had both confirmed that the slain body was the opponent’s true form. But now… the true form was dead, and this person had materialized out of nowhere. Could it be the legendary Extracorporeal Incarnation? But how could a Core Formation cultivator possibly master such a divine ability?

“I saw your turmoil earlier, so I guided things slightly.”

Chen Luo extended his finger, a wisp of Demonic Heart Qi materializing in his palm.

A direct assault would have been futile. The Great King of Black Horn was a peer of equal strength, and his defenses would have repelled any intrusion of Demonic Heart Qi. But exploiting existing turmoil? That was child’s play. He had sensed the Great King’s murderous intent surging, the desire to kill him overflowing from his aura.

Considering the intensity of that “wish,” Chen Luo had kindly helped him achieve it.

After all, exploiting vulnerabilities was the Demonic Heart’s forte.

Then he saw the Great King of Black Horn release his Innate Divine Ability on a corpse, followed by a triumphant, maniacal laughter.

Demonic Heart?! When did this happen?!

The Great King of Black Horn’s eyes widened in fury as he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He instinctively clutched his chest—the curse had backfired! He realized he had been cursed himself, by a curse he had never encountered before.

“You understand curses too?” the Great King of Black Horn asked incredulously. He never imagined this human could comprehend curses, let alone master them! It had taken him over nine hundred years to gain such knowledge. Could this human cultivator have been cultivating since birth?

“I know a little,” Chen Luo replied. “Curses can backfire if used carelessly.”

Chen Luo kindly explained the principles of curses to him, causing the Great King of Black Horn to cough up another mouthful of blood.

His Innate Divine Ability was a curse. How could he possibly not understand?

To the Great King of Black Horn, Chen Luo’s explanation was a blatant insult.

“I underestimated you,” the Great King of Black Horn growled, suppressing his injuries. A human Core Formation cultivator would have been incapacitated by now, but Flood Dragons were notoriously resilient. A single curse couldn’t kill him.

“I never wanted to rely on these external aids.”

The Great King of Black Horn extended his hand, summoning a pitch-black halberd into his grasp—a top-tier third-rank Magic Artifact. Alongside it materialized a vast array of Talisman Treasures and Formation Flags. He then produced several Pills, which he swallowed to begin healing his wounds and replenishing his energy.

A Flood Dragon that had lived for over nine centuries would naturally possess a wealth of treasures.

The Great King of Black Horn had previously disdained such reliance, clinging to the pride of his Flood Dragon lineage. But now, that pride could be temporarily set aside. He would reclaim it after slaughtering his enemies.

“I have some of these as well,” Chen Luo began.

“Trivial…”

He had barely uttered two words when the Great King of Black Horn froze in astonishment.

Chen Luo revealed nine Magic Swords from his sleeves, followed by a Soul Banner and a fourth-tier Magic Artifact Chessboard. He also produced thick stacks of first, second, and third-tier spirit talismans, all personally crafted by the talismancer. As for Pills, his inventory ran the gamut from first to third tier, with even a few fourth-tier Pills—gifts from Patriarch Guhe of the Great Void, entrusted to him by Mu Xiaoyu.

After retrieving this chaotic array of magical artifacts and spirit talismans, swarms of insects emerged from his gourd.

Clang!

A coffin used for corpse cultivation crashed to the ground.

It was the Silver Carapace Corpse King belonging to the Corpse-Raising Sect Leader.

Chen Luo’s own Tribulation Transcendence Corpse King had been severely injured and had yet to recover.

A dense swarm of Yin Souls emerged from the Soul Banner. The lid of another coffin nearby opened, revealing a Silver Carapace Corpse King encircled in silver light, rising to its feet. Further away, a massive swarm of insects swirled, among them several Strange Insects that even the Great King of Black Horn sensed as dangerous.

Soul Cultivator.

Corpse Cultivator.

Insect Cultivator.

Most outrageous of all, in a corner he hadn’t noticed, several open bottles released wisps of purple gas—clearly a highly toxic substance! This even included Poison Cultivation methods. Finally, Chen Luo drew a Magic Sword, its Greenwood Sword Intent surging skyward, harmonizing with the True Inheritance Token of the Qiong Hua Sect at his waist.

Only now did he truly resemble a cultivator of the Qiong Hua Sect.

The Great King of Black Horn’s eyelid began to twitch violently.

Where did this monster come from? And those resources on him—did he loot an entire Immortal Cultivation Sect? How could a normal Immortal Cultivator possibly carry such a bizarre collection of items?

Even my nine hundred years of accumulation couldn’t match this.

“Nine hundred years of accumulation.”

The Great King of Black Horn suddenly felt a wave of fatigue. He realized he had acted too hastily. When a Fellow Daoist comes calling, one should offer proper hospitality. How could he resort to threats of violence so quickly?

Boom!

Across from him, Chen Luo had no intention of wasting words. He hurled a massive handful of spirit talismans in a single motion.

He really did just scatter them.

Chen Luo hadn’t even counted how many he’d thrown. Vibrant, multicolored light exploded across the sky, instantly engulfing the Great King of Black Horn. The enmity had deepened to this point, so killing him outright was the only option. The Great King’s brain looked particularly promising; it couldn’t be wasted.

“I’ll fight you to the death!” the Great King roared, his dilapidated Flood Dragon form bursting through the explosion zone. A furious roar shook the air as his Demonic Qi summoned a tsunami that surged toward Chen Luo.

Just as everyone thought he would fight to the death, he suddenly flicked his tail and transformed into a streak of black light, fleeing into the distance.

Preserve the mountain, and you’ll never lack for firewood!

“Fellow Daoist, wait!” Chen Luo laughed heartily. His mastery of escape techniques immediately surfaced in his mind. With a single, phantom-like step, he teleported to hover directly above the fleeing Great King of Black Horn.