Cursed Artifact

The old man was a sorcerer of the Bureau of Celestial Observation from the former Great Xia dynasty...

Most terrifying of all, Great Xia had been destroyed for over two hundred years... Clearly, this old man had been imprisoned here even before Great Liang was founded.

No wonder he had laughed so maniacally upon hearing of the founding emperor's death. So there had long been a bitter enmity between them.

Xiao Fan knew little about the former dynasty, and he had never heard the name Xun Huan before. Still, he vaguely felt that this man was far from as simple as he claimed.

A sorcerer of the Bureau of Celestial Observation—how deep must the grudge have run for the founding emperor to reduce him to such a state...

Before Xiao Fan could ask, Xun Huan's hollow eye sockets seemed to grow eyes as they turned toward him. That single glance gave him a fright.

Xun Huan's voice entered his mind. "Ah... the past is like clouds passing before the eyes. Best left unmentioned... Let us get to business. I brought you here this time because I have a favor to ask of you, young friend."

"If you help this old man break the seal, I can take you out of this Soul-Capturing Mist. What do you say?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Xiao Fan became wary again.

He narrowed his eyes at the terrifying porcelain jar holding a human head... I'm only a ninth-rank martial artist. I don't even recognize the most basic formation diagrams, and he wants me to break a seal? Is this a joke?

It was like a eunuch going to a brothel—his heart was willing, but his strength fell short.

"I am merely a ninth-rank martial artist. How could I possibly break Senior's seal?"

Xun Huan seemed to have anticipated this question. His voice carried a patient, coaxing note.

"Perhaps this is the work of fate... Young friend, do you know that this seal is called the 'Coiling Dragon Soul-Locking Array'?"

"This array uses the earth's dragon veins as its foundation, with the power of earth suppressing the calamity of water. At its core lies a scroll, the pivot of the formation, indestructible beyond compare."

"Ordinary arts cannot harm it in the slightest. Only a kind of power containing heaven's majestic might—the primal breath of utmost yang and utmost purity—can kindle the fire that burns the array and destroy it."

He paused, as if sensing something. "And you, young friend... when you entered this place, you were like a candle in the dead of night."

"What flows in your body is the bloodline of that resplendent lineage. Though its aura is concealed, how could it escape the notice of this old man, who has wrestled with this 'water calamity' for two hundred years? This is fate!"

What?!

Xiao Fan was even more shocked. He carried the aura of [Radiance]? That couldn't be right!

[Radiance] was the deity of daylight in folk legends. The sun was its incarnation, and Sacred Flame its blessing. He was only a ninth-rank martial artist—there was no way he could be connected to such an existence...

"Senior, watch your words! The gods dwell in heaven and must not be spoken of lightly!"

Xiao Fan sternly denied it. It was not that he held any particular reverence for [Radiance]... he was simply afraid of angering a god and bringing down rolling heavenly thunder upon himself...

Yet the old man remained remarkably calm, his voice carrying a trace of reassurance. "Do not be alarmed, young friend. This old man speaks no falsehood."

"[Radiance] is everywhere. It is not merely the sun hanging in the sky; every living creature's bloodline has its source. Some individuals with pure-yang traits are born with the aura of [Radiance]. This is a legacy bestowed by Radiance, not blasphemy."

He emphasized again, "The fire to break the array must stir the origin of Radiance. It most fears impurity and contamination; only that which is pure and flawless will produce extraordinary results."

"Those with pure-yang constitutions are rare, but not extinct. To encounter you here today, young friend, means Heaven has not forsaken me—or you and your father!"

Xiao Fan only half believed the old man's words...

What he believed was that his bloodline truly was unusual. How could an ordinary person's blood ignite at the touch of blood, and even neutralize toxins?

What he doubted was how this man, a complete stranger, knew that his bloodline possessed so many peculiar traits.

What made him even more vigilant was the other party's repeated emphasis on "pure and flawless."

With that thought, Xiao Fan decided to ask directly. "I have never met Senior before. How did Senior know that I carry the aura of [Radiance]?"

"Do not forget, young friend, that this old man is a sorcerer. I can sense heaven, earth, and nature, and I am especially sensitive to the power of water calamity within this porcelain jar."

"You carry pure yang. When you entered this place, it was like ice and charcoal sharing the same furnace. Naturally, the resplendent aura upon you was thrown into exceptional clarity by this 'water calamity.'"

Xiao Fan did not entirely believe the old man's explanation. The capital had no shortage of powerful sorcerers from the Bureau of Celestial Observation, yet he had never heard of an aura of Radiance being revealed by a calamity artifact.

"Whether it is true or not, young friend, you will know once you try it." Xun Huan seemed to see through Xiao Fan's thoughts and said no more.

Naturally, Xiao Fan had no desire to be the guinea pig. It's not your blood being used... If something goes wrong, I'm the one who'll suffer, you old bastard!

"This may be a possible method, but where there is no certainty, I think caution is best."

Xiao Fan put his emotional intelligence to work. Even if he intended to refuse, he had to make it sound smooth enough.

Who would have thought that Xun Huan merely laughed heartily? "A cautious child. But this old man must remind you: even if you have the patience to take things slowly, the person on your back likely cannot afford to wait."

Those words struck Xiao Fan right where it hurt!

That was right. He could slowly study a way out here, but his father could not wait!

Xun Huan continued, "This old man has been imprisoned here for who knows how many years... I would not mind waiting another ten or a hundred years. But if you continue to delay... those corpse ghouls outside will be your fate."

"Do you mean those corpse ghouls outside were once living people who lost their way and came here?" Xiao Fan asked in horror.

Xun Huan's voice entered his mind with a sigh. "No one is born a corpse ghoul. So-called corpse ghouls are formed when evil entities enter human corpses after death. They were once living, breathing people!"

What should I do... Should I trust this bizarre old man of unknown origin? Xiao Fan sank into thought.

Clearly, he did not dare trust Xun Huan lightly. From beginning to end—from head to bottom of the jar—this guy had not been normal. Who would dare believe anything he said?

Moreover, their earlier conversation had revealed that this man was from the former dynasty, and seemed to bear some intense grudge against Great Liang's founding emperor.

Who knew what heaven-defying disaster might occur if such a remnant of the former dynasty were released!

But here was the problem: if he did not believe him, how was Xiao Fan supposed to leave this deadly white fog with his father? There was simply no other way!

Now, the straight path had turned into a dead end on both sides...

He had to leave himself a backup plan! Xiao Fan's thoughts raced, and a plan formed in his mind.

He put on a helpless expression. "Very well... but before that, allow me to settle my father properly."

Carefully, he carried his father to a patch of wild grass in the rear courtyard, relatively far from the porcelain jar, and laid him down.

As he bent over to place him down, his fingers covertly brushed across the blade wound on his father's arm, swiftly picking up a trace of nearly imperceptible blood and quietly concealing it beneath the pad of his thumb.

The entire movement was swift as lightning. Shielded by his body and hidden amid the tense atmosphere, it was almost impossible for the head inside the porcelain jar to notice.

"Senior, tell me the details of the seal." Xiao Fan returned to the front courtyard, a note of resolve in his voice.

Xun Huan paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts. "Young friend, you saw the porcelain jar on this old man's body, yes? This jar is called Soul-Capturing Porcelain. It is a third-grade cursed artifact."

What the hell?!

Xiao Fan was utterly stunned!

What did a third-grade cursed artifact even mean? In this world, just like practitioners of supernatural paths, magical artifacts could be contaminated by the natural curse poison of heaven and earth.

The difference was that practitioners could gradually dispel the curse poison within their bodies through their own will and various cultivation methods. Magical artifacts, however, could not. Once contaminated, they would undergo irreversible mutation.

Under normal circumstances, magical artifacts could not exceed fourth grade, because that was the limit of what an object could withstand in terms of curse poison...

Conversely, once an artifact surpassed fourth grade, it would almost certainly be mutated by curse poison, becoming a cursed artifact with bizarre abilities and extreme danger!

No matter what, Xiao Fan had never imagined that he was now sharing a room with a third-grade cursed artifact... It was simply too dangerous. He might not even know how he died later!