Chapter 614 - 610: The Eve of the Great Battle

A five-element radiance enveloped him.

The Xishang King's body trembled violently. With each tremor, a Martial Dao Dharma Aspect flickered in and out of existence behind him.

Hong Yu had already found out that the Xishang King had comprehended the Mysteries of Slaughter, and the Martial Dao Dharma Aspect he had condensed was a Godslayer.

A Godslayer should have been an incomparably grim and merciless existence.

But at this moment, the Godslayer Dharma Aspect flickering behind the Xishang King had hollow eyes and was wreathed in black currents of air. It seemed to make the once world-dominatingly imposing Godslayer dazed and stupefied, almost like an imbecile.

'What a terrifying Dao Heart Demon Curse! To think it could even befuddle a Godslayer Dharma Aspect, which should possess the densest Evil Qi!' Hong Yu sucked in a cold breath.

The path of slaughter placed the greatest importance on one's disposition and killing intent.

Those who possessed an incredibly strong Evil Qi were impervious to all malevolence, which would be shattered and dispersed by the dense aura.

Yet this Dao Heart Demon Curse had managed to delude and lead astray even the Xishang King, a War Emperor comparable to a Yin Yang Realm expert who had condensed a Godslayer Dharma Aspect, reducing him to this state. It was truly terrifying!

"Dao Heart Demon Curse, get out of him!"

Sparks of Thunder flickered in Hong Yu's eyes as he suddenly let out a low roar.

Golden light gathered in his hands, then soared into the air, guiding the five Array Banners of the Five Elements Inversion Array to release a powerful energy.

Red chains of fire.

Blue chains of water.

Golden chains of metal.

Green chains of wood.

Yellow chains of earth.

The five chains surged forth in a mighty torrent, piercing into the Xishang King's body. The crisp metallic sound of RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE echoed out.

As Hong Yu exerted his power, black Runes were forcibly extracted from the Xishang King's body, one after another.

These black Runes were incredibly strange.

They appeared silent and unremarkable, yet they swarmed madly like ants clinging to bone, spreading across the chains.

"Argh! ROAR! AWOOO..."

As the Dao Heart Demon Curse was continuously extracted by the Five Elements Inversion Array, the Xishang King's face twisted in agony, and he let out low, pained roars.

These strange Runes were being ripped directly from his Martial Dao.

It was equivalent to using a knife to slice away trash that had adhered to one's very flesh and nerves. This was a pain no ordinary person could endure.

"Father, you have to hold on..."

"Husband, you must endure!"

Xishang Ling and his mother's eyes were filled with tears. Seeing the Xishang King in such agony and covered in blood, their hearts overflowed with boundless hatred.

Xishang Ling clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh, drawing blood without him even noticing. He let out a furious roar and a wrathful oath in his heart: 'I will find out who did this to Father! I will tear them to shreds and throw them into the Ten Thousand Snakes Pit to have their Soul devoured by the Ten Thousand Snakes! I will ensure they can never be reincarnated!'

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Xishang King thrashed and struggled madly, pulling at the dozens of chains that sealed him and causing them to emit dull rumbles.

The massive iron pillars bore a Seal left by the Peacock King, which exuded a terrifying pressure. It was as if an invincible Desolate Beast, a peacock, was fanning its tail, each plume transforming into a chain that firmly suppressed and sealed the Xishang King.

'What a vicious person! They actually injected over nine hundred Dao Heart Demon Curses into his body. They were clearly planning on Refining him into a puppet!'

Hong Yu's heart sank slightly as he looked at the Five Elements Inversion Array, which was now densely covered with black Runes.

One had to understand that every single Dao Heart Demon Curse was incredibly malevolent and difficult to create!

Generally speaking, just one or two hundred Dao Heart Demon Curses were enough to make a War Emperor (Yin Yang Realm) expert lose their way on their Martial Dao path.

But…

The Xishang King had over nine hundred Dao Heart Demon Curses in his body. This was clearly a plan to destroy his mind without killing him, intending to refine him into a puppet.

Such a method was truly chilling.

'Only the final Demon Heart Curse is left. As long as I can strip it away, the Xishang King will return to normal!'

Hong Yu's gaze grew even more resolute.

Veins bulged on his arms, which had already started to ooze traces of blood. The process of stripping away the Dao Heart Demon Curses was a massive drain on his spirit, to say nothing of the final, deeply rooted Demon Heart Curse Seal.

This was the root cause, buried deep within the Xishang King's Martial Dao, that had corrupted his path and led him astray.

"ROAR!"

The Xishang King roared himself hoarse.

The removal of the Demon Heart Curse Seal was simply too painful. It was like having a nerve torn out of his body. How could it not hurt?

"Elder Xishang, please bear with it! Once this Demon Heart Curse Seal is stripped away, you'll be free!"

Hong Yu growled in a low voice.

A trace of clarity returned to the Xishang King's blood-red eyes. To have cultivated to the War Emperor Level, he was naturally a man of great perseverance.

He grabbed the chains behind him with both hands, stuffed them directly into his mouth, and bit down hard.

These iron chains were forged from special materials that even a War Emperor expert would find difficult to break.

Yet, in the process of stripping away the Demon Heart Curse Seal, the Xishang King was in such agony that he managed to leave two rows of deep teeth marks on the iron chains with his own flesh and blood. One could only imagine how painful the process was.

BANG!

Suddenly, the Five Elements Inversion Array exploded.

A blood-red curse shot out from the Martial Dao Dharma Aspect behind the Xishang King and tried to flee into the distant sky.

"You're not getting away!"

Hong Yu was already prepared.

With a wave of his palm, a transparent dragon of light flew out.

The dragon's head suddenly opened its cavernous mouth and swallowed the blood-red Curse Seal.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Curse Seal thrashed about wildly, but the light dragon showed no reaction, slowly shrinking down into a jade bottle.

This was something Hong Yu had specially refined as a precaution. He had been worried that the person behind the scenes would sense the Dao Heart Demon Curse being broken and manipulate the Demon Heart Curse Seal to escape.

This was the only clue that could be used to trace back to the mastermind.

PFFT!

After the Demon Heart Curse Seal was stripped away, the Xishang King's aura weakened, and he spat out a mouthful of thick blood.

The entire body of a mighty War Emperor was tempered to the extreme. Even their blood contained supreme essence. This mouthful of blood shimmered with a precious glow, its life force and vitality at their absolute peak.

If an ordinary person were to swallow such a mouthful of blood, they would surely be completely reborn, condensing a Primordial Core in a single leap.

Of course…

There was no way Hong Yu would touch this blood. The Xishang King was using his great perseverance to expel the essence that had been corrupted by the Dao Heart Demon Curse, purifying the blood in his body to the extreme.

"Young man, thank you!"

The Xishang King's eyes had regained their clarity as he looked at Hong Yu.

Hong Yu cupped his hands. "Elder, you have just regained your senses, and many factors within your body are still unstable. You should rest for a while first!"

"That was my intention!"

The Xishang King nodded and looked toward Madam Xishang and Xishang Ling outside the dungeon. A gentle look appeared on his face. "My lady, you've gotten thinner!"

There were no sweet nothings, but that simple remark alone made tears stream down Madam Xishang's face like rain.

She covered her vermilion lips with a fair, jade-like hand, trying not to cry out loud.

The Xishang King smiled faintly, his face deathly pale. "My lady, I still need some time to recuperate. I'll have to trouble you to continue presiding over the tribe's affairs for a few more days."

"Mhm!"

Madam Xishang nodded, her eyes red.

The Xishang King then looked at Xishang Ling, a hint of satisfaction and affection in his eyes. "Ling'Er, during my occasional moments of lucidity, I heard your mother mention the things you've done these past few years. You've truly grown up. Your father is very pleased!"

Xishang Ling was speechless, merely nodding with red-rimmed eyes.

"Young friend, although the Dao Heart Demon Curse on me has been removed, as long as the mastermind remains hidden, it is a constant threat. I know you just captured that Demon Heart Curse Seal. I was wondering if you could deliver it to the Peacock Tribe and give it to my sworn brother, the Peacock King?" the Xishang King asked.

Hong Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll make a trip to the Peacock Tribe!"

"Thank you very much, then!"

The Xishang King seemed to sigh in relief. He then closed his eyes, his faint voice echoing in the dungeon, "My lady, Ling'Er, before I have fully recovered, do not leak any news about me!"

"We understand!"

Then, Hong Yu left with Madam Xishang and her son.

After everyone had left, the Xishang King opened his eyes again. A raging fire of fury burned within them. 'Sworn Brother, your deduction was correct after all. The mastermind really is him. Heh heh, it seems my misplaced mercy in not killing him back then was truly rearing a tiger to cause future trouble. However…'

'He won't be able to hop around for much longer. The moment I fully recover will be the time I kill my enemy with my own hands!'

The faint voice, filled with chilling killing intent, echoed eerily in the underground secret chamber.

Every single word seemed to contain a supreme mystery.

It could shatter the void.

Bursts of flame ignited in the dim secret chamber.

...

"Boss, you should rest tonight. You still have your fight with Ma Xiao tomorrow. We'll head to the Peacock Tribe together tomorrow," Xishang Ling said.

Hong Yu nodded.

He returned to his room but did not rest. Instead, he took out the jade bottle.

Inside the bottle, the Demon Heart Curse Seal was throbbing wildly.

It seemed to be struggling to escape.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Hong Yu's face. 'The Xishang King asked me to give this to the Peacock King. And from the looks of it, he seemed to have known about the Dao Heart Demon Curse for a long time. It's strange. If he knew, why didn't he tell Xishang Ling and the others? Why did he have the Peacock King seal him and suffer this torment instead?'

'Could it be that there's some secret hidden behind this Dao Heart Demon Curse?'

Hong Yu rubbed his chin, unable to figure it out.

So, he decided not to waste any more brain cells on it.

He closed his eyes and entered the Void Spirit State, adjusting his condition to prepare for tomorrow's great battle!

The Ten-Time Champion!

A top-five presence in the War God Arena, the combat genius of the Centaur Race—Ma Xiao!

He couldn't help but recall their brief encounter at the War God Arena a few days ago. Ma Xiao had revealed his hostility at every turn and made no secret of his determination to kill him.

'I won't attack unless I'm attacked. But if someone attacks me, I will annihilate their entire clan!'

The corners of his lips curled into a cold arc. Hong Yu took a deep breath and fully entered the Void Spirit Realm…

'Tomorrow is the day I claim the title of Hundred Victory War God!'