Identity Revealed, the Curse Strikes

"What curse? What curse are you talking about?" Qin Qinxue pressed.

The middle-aged woman answered from behind the door, "Zhuo Ye Fortress has always been cursed. Whenever the Seven-Colored Glass Tree bears fruit, many people die. When your palm turns black, it means the curse has set its sights on you..."

Yi Xiaofeng, Qin Qinxue, and Zeng Shu exchanged glances.

That was terrifying.

Yi Xiaofeng subconsciously looked at his palm.

Thankfully.

It was whiter than a woman's. The curse had not gotten him.

"Damn, why has my palm turned black?" Zeng Shu suddenly cried out.

Yi Xiaofeng and Qin Qinxue turned to look. Zeng Shu's right palm was black as ink, a horrifying sight.

Was it real?

Both of them were frightened.

"Did you touch something just now? Even if it's a curse, there has to be contact, right?" Qin Qinxue asked with a frown.

She did not believe in curses. It had to be man-made; the curse was just a smokescreen.

Zeng Shu's face went pale as he recalled, "I touched a lot of things. Didn't I want to be as thorough as Brother Yi Xia... Li Bai?"

He looked resentfully at Yi Xiaofeng.

Yi Xiaofeng shook his head. "I didn't touch things everywhere. I only looked around."

He was telling the truth.

Zeng Shu fell silent.

"You should leave quickly. Don't let me get cursed too. Anyone afflicted by the curse is doomed to die, and they die painfully. I advise you to end your own life..." The middle-aged woman's voice came again.

"You..." Zeng Shu trembled with rage.

What did she mean, end his own life?

That was too hurtful!

"We should go first," Qin Qinxue said.

The three of them left.

Along the way, Zeng Shu kept looking at his palm from time to time, anxious and uneasy.

Yi Xiaofeng looked toward the eaves lining both sides of the street. For some reason, he constantly felt like someone was watching him.

Someone was definitely following them!

"Let's meet up with the others first. Maybe we can exchange information," Yi Xiaofeng said.

Qin Qinxue had no objections.

Zeng Shu was consumed by worry and said nothing, merely following closely behind Yi Xiaofeng and Qin Qinxue.

No one comforted him.

From Yi Xiaofeng and Qin Qinxue's perspective, it did not matter if Zeng Shu died.

At least he could let them witness the curse's power.

"At present, the contestants have each found their own objectives. Some want to find the Seven-Colored Glass Tree, some want to investigate Zhuo Ye Fortress's past, some want to investigate the Bei Wei Royal Family, and some want to start with the Demonic Cultivators who infiltrated the fortress. Overall, the contestants are making pretty good progress!"

At the recording venue, the host's voice rang throughout the hall.

The big screen switched views from time to time, and the atmosphere was electric.

Especially the Straw Cape Man whom Yi Xiaofeng and the others had encountered earlier. He had given every viewer a sense of chilling menace.

Beneath dark clouds, a Straw Cape Man slaughtered people in Zhuo Ye Fortress with a saber, claiming it was Heaven's will.

Thrilling!

By now, the Straw Cape Man had made the trending searches, and netizens were all discussing his identity.

Judging from the Script's structure, the Straw Cape Man was only a disguise. His true face might have already appeared in the livestream footage.

Word of the curse had also spread, and many contestants had encountered this piece of information.

After wandering around for half an hour, Yi Xiaofeng and the other two finally came across a group of cultivators discussing clues at an intersection.

Leading them was a handsome young man who looked like a scholar, holding a folding fan in his hand.

Qin Qinxue brought Zeng Shu over and began discussing the curse.

Yi Xiaofeng looked around, hoping to find some hidden opportunity nearby.

"The curse really does exist. Quite a few among us have palms that turned black," the scholar said, spreading open his right hand to reveal his blackened palm.

The others followed suit, showing their blackened palms.

Zeng Shu's eyes immediately lit up.

So many people had been affected. As long as they stuck together, they would be fine, right?

He did not truly believe in a curse, thinking it was a signal left by the murderer before killing.

"I don't know when my palm turned black either."

"We probably touched paint left behind by the murderer."

"That makes sense. Many of the houses in the fortress are very dark."

"It's fine. With so many of us gathered together, the murderer probably won't show up."

"Perhaps."

The group began chatting casually, and the atmosphere was fairly pleasant.

The scholar suddenly squeezed out of the crowd and walked up to Yi Xiaofeng with a smile. "Brother Li Bai, can we talk?"

Several cultivators' eyes immediately flickered.

So did Qin Qinxue and Zeng Shu.

This guy was a contestant!

Yi Xiaofeng calmly nodded and followed the scholar toward an old tree in the distance.

The other cultivators were curious about what they would say, but none of them had the nerve to approach.

Under the tree, Yi Xiaofeng looked at the scholar, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Azure Nose Sword, ready to draw it at any moment.

The scholar smiled. "My name is Xu Lang. I'm like you."

He had revealed his identity as a contestant!

Instead, Yi Xiaofeng became even more wary.

Xu Lang smiled. "Yi Xiaofeng, I think you're very strong. You definitely won't choose the righteous path this time, because the fallout from what happened in Pure Yang City is still ongoing. If you choose the righteous path, you'll be left isolated and helpless. The righteous path won't trust you either."

"Since that's the case, whether you choose evil or demon, you can work with me. Let's join forces and kill the Third Prince."

Yi Xiaofeng teased, "What if I really am on the righteous path?"

Xu Lang shook his head. "It doesn't matter anymore. According to my investigation, Zhuo Ye Fortress only appears righteous on the surface. In truth, it hides countless sins. Killing them would count as carrying out justice on Heaven's behalf."

"The Third Prince has no spiritual root. He only practices martial arts, so killing him is easier than killing Shan Tiange."

"If you and I join forces, we can split the Seven-Colored Glass Fruit equally."

Xu Lang's words plunged Yi Xiaofeng into thought, while the audience erupted.

Most newcomers wanted to take Yi Xiaofeng down, yet Xu Lang wanted to join forces with him. He had even directly revealed his identity first.

Was that foolish, or clever?

"Your cultivation is definitely higher than ours, but you don't have much combat experience. I'm different. I trained in martial arts from childhood, and from the age of ten, I fought for money. It wasn't respectable work, but I consider myself unmatched," Xu Lang continued, staring at Yi Xiaofeng.

Yi Xiaofeng raised an eyebrow. So confident?

"Ah—"

A scream suddenly rang out, startling Yi Xiaofeng and Xu Lang into turning toward it.

Zeng Shu was kneeling on the ground, his left hand clutching his right hand. Strands of black vapor rose from his palm as his whole body convulsed, and he looked to be in extreme pain.

Not only him; several cultivators whose palms had turned black also fell to the ground screaming.

The curse had taken effect!

The others were all frightened, not even daring to approach.

Yi Xiaofeng turned to look at Xu Lang.

Xu Lang raised his hand and licked his palm. Even his tongue turned black. He chuckled. "I faked it."

Yi Xiaofeng felt a chill run down his spine.

As Zeng Shu and the others' screams grew more and more agonizing, a group of Zhuo Ye Fortress disciples hurried over.

The moment they saw Zeng Shu and the others' condition, their expressions changed drastically. They quickly carried them away.

"Everyone else, continue searching for clues!"

The leading man barked the order. Without asking what had happened, he left at once.

Those remaining looked at one another.

Xu Lang said meaningfully, "That man just now was Qiao Tiequan, Zhuo Ye Fortress's Patrol Leader. We can kill him first. To show my sincerity, I can subdue him, then you kill him. His name must be in your plan!"

The plan referred to the Side Quest.

Qiao Tiequan's name was indeed in Yi Xiaofeng's Side Quest.

It seemed Xu Lang was an Evil Cultivator too!