Beware the Curse! The Black Diary

Splat!

Su Ziyu drove two dark spears into his opponent's body, briefly restraining the monster that was preparing to summon a pillar of light and scour the area clean.

The Void Shadow Beast also emerged from the shadows behind the bookshelf. A pair of scissors larger than before stabbed into the heart in Su Jingtian's chest, then viciously twisted.

With the Lethal Strike buff, Su Jingtian let out a wail and finally went still.

The Void Shadow Beast moved like a ghost, its entire body seeming to vanish from sight, leaving only a single crimson eye to gather light.

The light absorbed the darkness around it, gradually condensing before the Void Shadow Beast into a pale beam tinged with darkness.

Whoosh!

The beam blasted forth!

\n[God-Slaying Flash!]\n

This was the Void Shadow Beast's most powerful attack skill, gathering the power of shadows into a single point and bringing it to the pinnacle!

The pitch-black beam completely pierced through Su Jingtian. Part of it burst out from his back and shot into the sky like a meteor falling from the heavens. Su Jingtian's black gemstone-like heart shattered with a crack, and his body turned into black ash that gradually scattered away.

The arms growing from his eye sockets slowly withered, while the eyeballs in their palms burst one after another. The arms protruding from all over his body withered and snapped, and the eyeballs melted like festering pus. The monster's life force was fading bit by bit.

Su Jingtian was Su Ziyu's second granduncle and had always been extremely harsh toward him. Even when Su Ziyu's grandfather had still been alive, Su Jingtian had often sidelined him. In the end, Su Mingyi's family had been jealous of Grandfather—jealous of the Grimoire, jealous that Su Ziyu's branch of the family could study its power.

But that was a rule laid down by their ancestors. Apart from Su Ziyu's branch, the other branches could only study the Grimoire and ordinary spells. Yet there had been precedents of people becoming strong through ordinary spells; they simply wanted to take shortcuts.

Su Jingtian slowly turned his head. Amid his crazed expression was now a trace of sorrow. He seemed to recognize Su Ziyu, his lips trembling as he spoke in an extremely weak voice.

"Ziyu... you... came back..."

At the moment of his death, Su Jingtian finally regained a sliver of reason. His voice came in broken fragments, like a candle flickering in the wind, as though he might collapse at any moment.

"I'm... sorry..."

"Be... careful of the Old God... curse..."

Su Jingtian actually revealed the smile of an elder, smiling kindly as his shriveled finger pointed in one direction.

"In the drawer... there's... what you want..."

He seemed to have exhausted all his strength. His other hand tried to rise, but no matter what he did, he could not lift it. He could only gasp out the words.

"The family... depends on you... for... give me..."

As soon as his words fell, Su Jingtian's body dissipated inch by inch, leaving not even a corpse behind.

All that remained in Su Ziyu's hand was a tattered scrap of black robe. He clenched it tightly and looked out the window.

The day was still bright, yet the air had inexplicably gained a bleak chill.

Su Jingtian was dead. Su Ziyu had thought he was an utterly wicked old man, but who would have expected him to say such things at the brink of death?

As the saying went, "When a man is about to die, his words are kind."

After standing there blankly for several minutes, Su Ziyu came back to his senses. He sat on the mottled floor and looked around the study.

The recent battle had utterly destroyed the room's former neatness. The bookshelves were damaged, books ruined, and countless volumes lay scattered everywhere. The walls had peeled badly, and several large holes had appeared in the ceiling.

The family must still be hiding secrets he did not know about. Why had Grandfather died? Why had Su Jingtian's family mutated and joined a cult?

There were still many mysteries left for Su Ziyu to unravel.

After succeeding in his revenge, he wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep. But he knew he could not. He could feel that he had been drawn into something far larger and more complicated.

Five minutes later, Su Ziyu opened his eyes again. The exhaustion in them had been swept away. He patted the dust off his pants and got to his feet.

The desk's legs had all broken during the fight, leaving only the tabletop and several books on it.

Su Ziyu rummaged through them for a long time before finally finding the yellowed book from earlier and several unidentified ancient tomes. Then, from a battered drawer, he found a notebook with a black cover.

"Whew..."

Carrying these items, Su Ziyu went outside, casually found a table, and sat down. He opened the black-covered notebook first.

To his surprise, it was a diary!

Su Jingtian's diary.

He flipped through it casually, and several entries caught his attention.

Federation Calendar, June 12, 1031. Sunny.

Damn it, where exactly did Big Brother hide the method for advancing to Morning Star? I've searched the entire study and still haven't found it! I'm already seventy-two this year. If I wait any longer, I'll have no hope of advancing...

That brat Su Ziyu has no idea where he ran off to. Maybe the Grimoire in his hands records the method of advancement. Hmph, giving the Grimoire to that little bastard is simply a waste...

...However, an organization calling itself the Old God Cult came today. They actually said they could give me a chance to advance to Morning Star. What a joke. I've decided not to meet them. They're nothing but a bunch of lunatics.

Federation Calendar, June 12, 1031. Sunny.

Damn it, my physical condition is getting worse and worse. I had no choice but to meet him. Heh, interesting—he was actually a priest, and he looked rather seasoned. Well, that isn't the important part. He taught me a method for advancing to Morning Star. It was simply astonishing!

Can you imagine how I felt at the time? Words cannot describe it. The thing I had pursued so desperately was apparently so worthless in their eyes.

I haven't told the children about this yet. I don't want them to worry too much.

I'm going into seclusion...

Federation Calendar, July 2, 1031. Overcast.

The method he taught really is somewhat effective. I can feel myself gradually breaking through that bottleneck. But what puzzles me is, what is that organization's goal? I asked them, and that priest said they wanted to retrieve the Grimoire. All I needed to do was bring back that little bastard Su Ziyu. There were no additional conditions. That is how it appeared, but why do I feel that something is wrong?

During this time, Mingyi and my youngest grandson also received gifts from that organization. Perhaps it is not a bad thing. I can feel their strength growing...

Federation Calendar, November 12, 1032. Sunny.

No, something is wrong. I've been having nightmares every day lately. Is that really a method for advancing to Morning Star? I've begun to doubt it, but the ritual has already started. I have no choice but to try. Damn it, I can feel that Mingyi and my youngest grandson's conditions are becoming more and more abnormal as well...

Federation Calendar, December 21, 1032. Sunny.

Damn it, I feel like I've been corrupted. I can't escape. My spirituality is being drained away bit by bit. I wanted to stop Mingyi and my youngest grandson, but they actually obeyed that organization and locked me in the study. No, the people in that organization are all lunatics. Damn it, I only have enough sanity left to write these words. (Scribbled marks, the actual writing completely illegible.) No, these things are not suitable for writing here. This is only my guess...

...My condition is truly getting worse and worse...

The diary stopped abruptly there. From what followed, it was clear that Su Jingtian had completely lost his mind.

And the people from that organization had also controlled Su Mingyi's family. So their corruption had all been caused by that mysterious organization?

That so-called organization was the Old God Cult... What was its purpose?

And what role had the priest who taught Su Jingtian how to advance to Morning Star played in all this?

Su Ziyu pinched his chin, his thoughts racing.

After failing to come up with anything despite much thought, Su Ziyu opened the yellowed book.

It was filled with symbols and writing. After activating the All-Seeing True Eye, reading it was not difficult.