Avatars were not true living beings.
They were merely wisps of thought that existed through their dependence on the original.
Although he knew this, Zheng Qing still could not help asking as he watched the gemstone crack, "Sir, whenever I use the Forbidden Curse in the future, will I have to 'sacrifice' myself... or one of my Avatars? Is that the price of using the Forbidden Curse?"
"Of course not."
His teacher gave a very definite answer. "It's simply that your cultivation is still limited, and your understanding of the Forbidden Curse is incomplete. What you call 'self-detonation' is, in essence, your forced interpretation of the Forbidden Curse. Or rather, by 'disintegrating' yourself, you forcibly release the Forbidden Curse that is one with you... Once your cultivation improves and your understanding of the world deepens, using the Forbidden Curse won't be so crude and violent."
These words offered the young wizard some comfort.
But he was still not entirely satisfied. "Could I use other 'offerings'? I mean, apart from 'blowing myself up,' is there any other way to activate this Forbidden Curse?"
His teacher looked over the spellbook in his hands. Perhaps because it had absorbed an Avatar's spirit, its originally milky-white cover now gave off a faint glow. Zheng Qing also sensed a faint hunger and thirst from the book, as though the spiritual power those Black Gemstone Cats had provided had not satisfied its appetite.
"In theory, yes."
This time, his teacher's answer was less certain. "As long as your spellbook doesn't reject them and is willing to 'eat' them, sacrificing other sufficiently powerful souls can also release the Forbidden Curse... After all, this spellbook now contains a sufficiently rich array of Forbidden Curse formulas. But I doubt you could hunt down souls powerful enough to sacrifice to