Late at night:
Wang Quan carried the case and bundle toward the exit of the Lower Court.
The young man and woman watched him leave, envy in their eyes. "Who knows when we'll finally be able to cultivate arts for real?"
After a moment, the young man said softly, "Jiaren, let's tackle the Ten Thousand Scrolls Dao Canon first!"
"So many people say the cultivation methods analyzed by the Ten Thousand Scrolls Dao Canon are the most perfect."
"For our first time cultivating a Fundamental Method, we'll use the perfect version. That way, we'll achieve even more in the future."
The girl nodded. "All right!"
Outside the Lower Court:
Wang Quan sat upright on an empty patch of ground beside the entrance.
He opened the bundle, took out the gleaming golden straw figures, then brought out an incense burner and Sandalwood Incense.
He lit the Sandalwood Incense and placed it in the burner.
Casually picking up a Talisman Sword woven from Green Fly Coins, he began waving it to perform the ritual.
Bili-bili!
Jili-gulu!
"Red threads, come!"
Whoosh!
Red threads wound around the thirty straw figures.
Wang Quan continued chanting scripture. After a moment, he pointed the Talisman Sword. "Golden needles, come!"
Pfft!
Pfft!
Golden needles pierced the thirty gleaming golden straw figures, one after another.
The next second, all thirty straw figures convulsed, blood flowing from their seven orifices.
Seeing this, Wang Quan sprayed out a stream of Dharma Power to reinforce the spell.
Bang!
One straw figure caught fire, and the others followed in quick succession.
In barely ten seconds, twenty-nine of the thirty straw figures had turned to ashes scattered across the ground.
The last one, which represented Zhao Fei, survived the raging flames, its gleaming gold turning scarlet.
"What a fine treasure!"
This scarlet straw figure was one of the most fascinating treasures of the Nightmare-Subduing Technique tradition.
Normally, after someone was killed by a Nightmare-Subduing Technique curse, the materials used would vanish into ash along with the victim's death.
But there was also a very slight chance that the original materials would remain.
After undergoing the baptism of a single curse killing through the Nightmare-Subduing Technique, such materials would become several times-or even dozens of times-more effective.
These materials were known as [Nightmare-Subjugation Relics].
Many terrifying Nightmare-Subduing Techniques required [Nightmare-Subjugation Relics] to cast.
The scarlet straw figure in Wang Quan's hand was a Qi Refining Realm [Nightmare-Subjugation Relic]. Though low in grade, it would fetch at least a million coins if sold to the Miscellaneous Goods Hall.
"Thank you for nature's bounty!"
Delighted, Wang Quan put away the [Nightmare-Subjugation Relic] and headed back in high spirits.
He had originally intended to send Paper People out to loot the belongings Zhao Fei and the others had left behind.
But after thinking it over, he felt it was better not to take the risk.
"Hmm, there are still twenty fellows I haven't cursed to death."
"Before daybreak, I'll settle accounts with every last one of them in one go."
Just as Wang Quan stirred his Dharma Power and cast the Nightmare-Subduing Technique, preparing to curse the last twenty people to death, the Blissful Union House descended into chaos.
Earlier that day, Zhao Fei had led a group to promote the New Method outside No. 95 Courtyard, forcing Spirit Monsters and cultivators alike to declare that they would switch to cultivating the New Method. When they returned, they received praise from their Lineages and the higher-ups.
That evening, the higher-ups had laid on a lavish banquet for them, arranging for beauties and handsome youths from the Blissful Union House to attend them.
As the banquet stretched late into the night, everyone grew more excited rather than tired.
A girl held two handsome youths in her arms, her cheeks flushed. "Brother Fei, it was all thanks to your brilliant methods that we got to bask in your glory and earn some contribution points."
"Brother Fei, take me along next time there's an opportunity like this."
Another young man pressed a beauty's head down and drew a deep breath. "Brother Fei, the contribution points you earned this time should be enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill, right?"
Zhao Fei shook his head. "I exchanged some for Foundation Establishment Spirit Treasures, so I no longer have enough for a Foundation Establishment Pill."
The young man smiled. "Brother Fei, how many contribution points are you short? I'll speak with the seniors and see if I can transfer mine to you."
Zhao Fei smiled. "Yours alone probably won't be enough."
The others hesitated briefly, thinking to themselves, Zhao Fei is only a tiny step away from Foundation Establishment.
If I give him some contribution points now, he'll surely repay me once he becomes a Foundation Establishment Ancestor.
At that thought, they all spoke up. "Brother Fei, let's pool our points and get you a Foundation Establishment Pill."
"All we ask is that once you become a Foundation Establishment Ancestor, you keep leading us in suppressing the Old Cultivation Method and promoting the New Method, so we can earn more contribution points too."
Zhao Fei burst into laughter. "Excellent!"
"Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I'll lead you all toward glory!"
A girl pushed aside the handsome youth beside her and raised a cup of fine wine. "Come, let's congratulate Brother Fei in advance on reaching Foundation Establishment. Here's to an even more glorious tomorrow!"
Everyone raised their cups and drank together.
One girl put down her cup and stuck out her pink tongue. "So hot!"
The others laughed. "Could you have a fever?"
The girl opened her mouth to retort.
But the next second, flames spewed from her open mouth.
She blinked, and flames spewed from her eyes.
One second...
Fire poured from all seven of her orifices.
Three seconds...
Her head burned down to a stark white skull.
Before her head burned down to a skull, the girl saw flames begin rising from everyone else, including Zhao Fei, a Qi Refining Ninth Layer powerhouse.
The flames blazed like torches, lighting the room brilliantly.
"This isn't the glorious future I wanted."
The girl was terrified and desperate.
She frantically circulated her Dharma Power to suppress the flames, but she could not subdue them at all.
She racked her brains for a spell that could help, but there were no brains left inside her skull.
Finally, in despair, she saw bloody holes burst open all over Zhao Fei's body, torrents of flame pouring from them.
She saw Zhao Fei frantically cast protective spells, yet still fail to extinguish the raging fire.
When she saw Foundation Establishment Ancestors come rushing in, forming hand seals to cast spells, she smiled.
"With Foundation Establishment Ancestors here, Brother Fei will definitely be fine."
"Once he survives, he'll surely avenge me!"
With hope in her heart, the girl's consciousness faded, leaving only a skeleton behind and frightening the two handsome youths into trembling.
At that moment:
The two Foundation Establishment Ancestors who had rushed over after receiving the signal stared at Zhao Fei, their expressions grim.
They cast the Spring Breeze and Drizzle Technique, healing spells, and spells to dispel curses.
But nothing worked.
Burning before their eyes, Zhao Fei howled, "Ancestors, save me!"
Yet the two Foundation Establishment Ancestors shook their heads grimly. "We can't."
"The means being used to kill you should be a spell from the Old Cultivation Method."
"To break a spell like this, we must either know what spell the other party used and find the corresponding counterspell..."
"Or master a vast number of Daoist Scriptures and unravel and break it ourselves."
At that moment, Zhao Fei fell into despair. "No... our New Method is superior to the Old Cultivation Method! Why can't you break it?"
"Save me..."
Crack, crack!
Crash!
The raging flames burned away every last scrap of his flesh and blood.
Zhao Fei's skeletal jaws opened and closed a few times before falling utterly still.
The two Foundation Establishment Ancestors surveyed their surroundings and discovered that thirty white skeletons had appeared at the grand banquet.
"What vicious methods."
"You lot, do you know who Zhao Fei clashed with today?"
The remaining twenty people answered in panic, "He didn't clash with anyone."
One Foundation Establishment Ancestor growled, "If he didn't clash with anyone, why would someone curse him to death using the Old Cultivation Method?"
The survivors looked bewildered. "Today, we only pressured some unrelated people and made them say good things about the New Method."
"Those random passersby might have felt a little aggrieved, but surely they wouldn't hold a grudge against us and then curse us to death!"
The two Foundation Establishment Ancestors fell silent. They contacted the others and, more importantly, Zhao Fei's Lineage.
Zhao Fei's Lineage had a cultivator of the Old Cultivation Method. Once that cultivator arrived, they could track down the culprit behind this.
Before you continue