Chapter 133: The Root of the Curse

“That small wooden box, the medium for the curse,” Xue Li explained, “is what humans often refer to as a ‘never-ending rebirth’ curse.”

Xue Li’s explanation made Su Mian gasp sharply.

She looked again at the dark wooden box, curled and clutched in the skeletal hand. A chill seeped into her bones.

“Never-ending rebirth…” Su Mian repeated, her voice barely a whisper in the vast, empty cavern.

“Not only did Zhou Li and her accomplices kill someone, but they also used such a malicious method…”

“For those who deeply believe in ghosts and deities, ‘pulling up the roots’ includes ensuring the deceased’s soul can never reincarnate.”

Xue Li’s ice-blue eyes flickered with a hint of disgust. “It inflicts immense damage to the soul.”

“Never-ending rebirth.” Su Mian inhaled sharply once more.

She stared at the skeleton, its hand still tightly clutching the dark wooden box. A bone-deep chill spread through her.

“Never-ending rebirth…” Su Mian murmured again, her voice almost lost to the cavern’s echo.

“Zhou Li and her group didn’t just kill; they resorted to such a vicious method…”

“For those who truly believe in the supernatural, eradicating all traces means ensuring the departed soul can never find peace or reincarnation.”

Xue Li’s icy blue eyes gleamed, her tone laced with a subtle disdain.

“It’s immensely damaging to the soul.”

“Never-ending rebirth.” Su Mian gasped again, the realization sending shivers down her spine.

“Combined with specific incantations, it can bind a wandering spirit to the place of death, preventing it from ever entering the cycle of reincarnation or dissipating.”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the entire skeletal remains, and the dark wooden box clutched tightly in its hand.

“Over time, the soul will either break down into complete madness and distortion, or it will burn away into nothingness amidst endless suffering.”

“Ironically,” Xue Li continued, her voice complex, “Zhou Li likely never imagined that the burial site she chose—beneath this old teaching building—happened to be a rare ‘earth vein yin eye,’ commonly known as an extreme yin locus.”

“Such a place is a prison and torment for ordinary spirits. However, for a soul burdened with deep resentment and such a malevolent curse…”

Qin Xuan interjected, his eyes behind his spectacles sharply analyzing the environmental data.

“It becomes a perfect breeding ground, a petri dish, for the spirit to fester and grow.”

“The continuous flow of extreme yin energy provided a constant source of distorted energy for Chen Wan’s malignant curse. Her overwhelming resentment, in turn, served as the core driving force.”

“The combination of these three factors meant Chen Wan’s soul, instead of dissipating in torment as the curse intended, absorbed yin energy and twisted into a malevolent entity at an astonishing rate.”

“In an extremely short period, it broke through the limits of ordinary spirits and transformed into a tangible, destructive evil spirit.”

Lu Yang stared blankly. “Xuan, how do you know so much about this stuff? Didn’t you just encounter these things at the same time as me?”

Qin Xuan’s tone was calm. “I’ve read many books on geomancy and supernatural phenomena in my daily life.”

Su Mian was utterly impressed with Qin Xuan. To be able to self-study all of this was truly remarkable.

Lu Yang felt a shiver run through his body, rubbing his arms. The temperature in the cavern seemed to have dropped another few degrees.

“So… this was a case of trying to be clever and ending up with the opposite result?” His voice trembled.

“Then Zhou Li brought this upon herself, didn’t she?”

“But what’s the point of talking about this now? Shouldn’t we retreat?”

“I… I feel like my heartbeat is all wrong being here. My whole body is cold, and I keep having these… very negative, very despairing thoughts.”

His face was indeed growing paler, his lips tinged with purple. Qin Xuan, too, showed a rare sign of discomfort.

He quickly checked the health monitoring wristband he always carried, his brows furrowed.

“Temperature drop speed exceeds environmental cooling expectations. Heart rate is abnormally high, blood pressure is dropping, and there are slight hallucinatory interferences like distorted light and shadows, and faint, indistinct sobbing sounds.”

“My mental focus is also decreasing. The negative spiritual field here has already exceeded the short-term threshold a normal person can withstand.”

“Lu Yang is right. We must leave as soon as possible, or there could be irreversible mental damage or even a risk of hypothermia.”

Su Mian and Xue Li exchanged glances. One possessed demonic power and was protected by a necklace, while the other was a natural ice spirit. Their perception of the cold environment and the oppressive resentment was far less intense than that of the two ordinary men.

Xue Li took a step forward, positioning herself between Qin Xuan and Lu Yang and the central magic array. The icy aura around her subtly expanded, forming a gentler, low-temperature barrier, attempting to somewhat shield them from the direct impact of the surging resentment.

“You two return the way you came and meet up with Hua Liang above,” Xue Li instructed.

“The situation here is complex. I need to stay and monitor the seal’s changes, preventing any further anomalies before it completely collapses—like an outburst of earth vein yin energy, or if other entities are drawn here.”

Su Mian nodded, also realizing it was too dangerous for her two ordinary roommates to remain.

She pulled out her phone, intending to text Xiao Moyuan about the situation and ask for further instructions. After all, he was the expert in dealing with seals and evil spirits.

However, the signal bars in the upper right corner of her phone screen displayed a glaring “No Service.”

“No signal…” Su Mian frowned. Deep underground, this wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Seeing this, Lu Yang couldn’t help but say, “Sis, what does this have to do with Campus Prince Xiao? No matter how amazing he is, he’s still human!”

“When facing things like ghosts and monsters, even a professional might not be able to do anything.” He paused, looking at Su Mian’s anxious expression and her subconscious desire to rely on Xiao Moyuan.

Recalling the unconscious trust and subtle pride she had mentioned earlier regarding Xiao Moyuan, a mischievous thought sparked in his mind. A deep sense of trust had taken root in her heart.

“And how do I feel like… you’ve become especially reliant on Campus Prince Xiao, Sis? Even your personality seems to soften up.”

Su Mian’s cheeks flushed slightly. She instinctively wanted to retort but suddenly realized that Lu Yang was right.

She carefully recalled the recent period, especially after her complete demonization and a series of crises. Xiao Moyuan’s image in her heart seemed to grow increasingly ‘omnipotent’.

He always appeared at the most crucial moments, resolving the most intractable problems, as if nothing could truly stump him.

This realization had subtly taken root at some point, making him the first person she thought of for help when encountering difficulties.

When did it start? Was it from him repeatedly pulling her back from danger? Was it from his meticulous care of her after her demonization? Or was it from the increasingly undeniable complex emotions in his eyes when he looked at her?

“I…”

‘It seems… he is right.’

Su Mian opened her mouth, her voice low. “Xiao Moyuan… he is actually quite amazing.”

Lu Yang saw her hesitant, clearly defensive look and let out a knowing, drawn-out “Ohhhhhh—” with a teasing tone.

“Understood, understood. My bad for speaking out of turn.”

“Our Sis is clearly in love. Campus Prince Xiao must be the most amazing person in the world in your eyes, even more amazing than that Senior Hua Liang, right?”

Su Mian’s cheeks grew even hotter at his words. She puffed out her cheeks, wanting to refute him, wanting to say that Xiao Moyuan’s true identity was…

But in the end, she didn’t say it. She just mumbled softly in mild defiance, “Student Hua Liang is very capable, but Xiao Moyuan isn’t bad either… and he definitely has more experience handling these kinds of things…”

Her tail unconsciously drooped, falling still.

Just as this slightly awkward and somewhat delicate atmosphere lingered, a thunderous rumble shook the cavern!

“Rumble————!”

The entire cavern vibrated violently without warning! Loose rocks and dust showered down from the ceiling, and the ground undulated like waves.

The light of the already crumbling magic array flickered wildly, and dark red liquid surged violently from the array lines and beneath the bones like a geyser!

“This is bad!”

Xue Li’s expression drastically changed. She rapidly formed hand seals, and a thicker ice wall rose from the ground, attempting to block the gushing torrent of resentful liquid and emotional impact.

However, the surface of the ice wall instantly filled with spiderweb cracks and was stained a disturbing dark red.

“The seal is collapsing much faster!”

“It’s Chen Wan’s core of resentment!”

Qin Xuan barely managed to steady Lu Yang, both their faces pale. “Xuan! Didn’t you just say it could hold on for a while? What’s going on?!”

Su Mian, while frantically trying to maintain her demonic power to assist Xue Li, rapidly thought, her gaze sweeping over Qin Xuan and Lu Yang. A thought suddenly flashed through her mind:

‘Perhaps… it’s a spiritual resonance.’

‘Chen Wan, who died before experiencing love and lived a long, isolated life, might have been stimulated by the clear trust, closeness, and even… the budding romance between Su Mian and Xiao Moyuan.’

Su Mian almost choked on her own demonic energy. “Qin Xuan! This… can this even be a reason?!”

“For a non-human entity with deep-seated obsession and already distorted thoughts, any strong emotional contrast can become a stimulant,” Qin Xuan explained, his voice trembling slightly from the exertion of maintaining the ice wall.

“The contrast of happiness against her suffering, trust against her betrayal, adoration against her loneliness and violent death…”

As if to confirm their words, the withered bone of the skeleton in the center of the cavern suddenly began to tremble slightly!

A soft crunch emanated from the arm tearing at the wooden box. Dark red liquid seeped out from all directions, condensing in the air to form an even larger, clearer female figure whose facial features began to manifest.

The entity, a massive aggregation of feminine resentment, had “eyes” made of pure, dazzling hatred, and it fixated its gaze on Su Mian!

“Roar—!”

The silent shriek directly assaulted their spirits and souls! The ice wall completely shattered! Xue Li grunted, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, and she staggered backward.

Su Mian was also left dizzy by this targeted spiritual impact. The necklace around her neck erupted with an unprecedented brilliant light, seemingly protecting her spiritual platform.

However, she also felt a faint “whimper” from the necklace, indicating that its load was rapidly increasing.

She gritted her teeth, trying to summon her demonic power to form a defense with Xue Li’s remaining icy aura. But their resistance against the aggregated resentment was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

“No… at this rate, we won’t last long!”

Su Mian looked at the resentful aggregation, its steps taut and filled with endless malice. Then she looked at Lu Yang and Qin Xuan behind her, their faces pale and barely able to stand.

She hardened her resolve. “I’ll try to communicate with it again! The necklace helped last time…”

“Don’t be reckless!” Xue Li sharply warned, her ice-blue eyes filled with anxiety and caution.

“Last time, it was only a portion of its overflowing resentment! Now, it’s the core entity on the verge of breaking free! The intensity of its spiritual pollution and its aggressiveness are worlds apart!”

“The necklace Xiao Moyuan gave you might protect you from being corrupted, but the risk of actively establishing a deep connection is too great.

Once the connection is dominated by it, or the pollution invades in reverse, the necklace could overload and be severely damaged, and your consciousness could also suffer heavy blows!”

Upon hearing “the necklace might be damaged,” Su Mian instinctively pulled back her outstretched hand.

This necklace was a gift from Xiao Moyuan. It wasn’t just a powerful protective spiritual artifact; it carried his intentions and promises. She couldn’t… and didn’t want it to be destroyed here.

But what else could be done? Just watch the seal completely collapse and everyone die here?

Just at this critical, desperate moment, as despair threatened to consume them—

“Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!”

Seven streaks of light, like blue meteors piercing the night sky, shot out from the cavern entrance without warning.

They flew with incredible precision over everyone’s heads, carrying a pure and immense spiritual power, accurately striking the seven star positions of the magic array on the ground that were on the verge of extinguishing!

“Buzz—!”

The originally dim, dying array diagram, upon being struck by these seven blue talismans, suddenly erupted with dazzling azure light! The light rapidly spread, repaired, and reinforced along the array lines!

A massive azure spiritual energy vortex spontaneously generated in the air, centered around the magic array, emitting a powerful suction force!

The gushing dark red resentful liquid and negative emotions were like invisible giant hands grabbing them, making them emit unwilling wails as they were forcibly dragged, flowing backward into the center of the magic array, and suppressed once more!

The massive resentment aggregation that had just solidified let out a shrill wail. Its form began to destabilize and fade, slowly being pulled back towards the location of the skeleton.

The tremors quickly subsided, and the cavern returned to quiet, with only the faint hum of the magic array operating and the glow of blue spiritual energy flowing.

A tall, stern figure quietly appeared at the cavern entrance.

Xiao Moyuan’s gaze calmly swept over the scene inside the cavern, lingering for a moment on Su Mian’s wide eyes filled with surprise and her slightly swaying fox ears and tail.

Then, his eyes fell upon the pale, unstable Lu Yang and Qin Xuan. His brow subtly furrowed, and finally, his gaze settled on the newly stabilized seven-star array and the skeleton in the center of the cavern, his eyes deepening.

“Perfect timing.”

He spoke calmly, his voice as clear and steady as ever, yet carrying a reassuring, powerful strength.

“Xiao Moyuan!”

Su Mian almost instantly forgot her earlier tension and shyness. Her eyes brightened, and her tail wagged even more happily as she scampered towards him.

“How did you get here? My phone had no signal; I didn’t even get to tell you my location…”

Xiao Moyuan looked at the little fox who ran up to him, her small face tilted up, her eyes full of trust and affection. A faint smile touched his cool brows, and he reached out, naturally stroking the top of her head.

His fingertips inadvertently brushed against the soft fox ear roots, eliciting a faint shiver from Su Mian, along with a flush on her forehead and cheeks.

“I sensed a severe anomaly in the earth vein yin energy and seal fluctuations in this area from outside the campus, a sign of a large-scale leakage of resentment.”

He explained, his tone natural. “With the contract’s sensing, it wasn’t difficult to determine that you had found the seal’s core, and that it was experiencing problems.”

“The contract’s connection is bidirectional. You just don’t know how to actively use my sensing yet. I’ll teach you next time.”

“Mm!” Su Mian nodded vigorously. The tiny bit of internal conflict she had felt about being overly reliant on him seemed to be thrown to the back of her mind as she saw him.

The tingling sensation from his touch on her ear and his promise made her involuntarily narrow her eyes, revealing a hint of enjoyment, her tail tip gently curling.

Xiao Moyuan withdrew his hand, his gaze falling back on Chen Wan’s skeleton and the magic array. He carefully sensed it for a moment, his brows furrowing again. “It’s more troublesome than anticipated.”

He said in a deep voice, “The resentment is at least thirty percent higher than the usual records for a high-level earth-bound spirit before its seal breaks. It seems it’s not just the seal being old and dilapidated, or the nourishment from the extreme yin locus…”

He paused, looking at Su Mian.

“Last night, the bloodline power that erupted when you fully demonized in the spirit realm—a natural attraction and stimulus for demonic energy—was enough to cause a strong resonance with the deeply buried seal core, even across the two realm barriers.”

“And the forbidden technique you used in the early morning to devour a high-level bull demon, its dissipating resentment at the moment of death, and the intense malice and unwillingness that erupted at that instant…”

“These negative energies, for Chen Wan’s resentment, were like a sudden, massive tonic. The superposition of stimuli accelerated her resentment’s distortion and expansion, greatly intensifying the impact on the seal. No wonder it’s cracking!”

Su Mian was stunned. “But… how could it absorb things from the spirit realm?”

Xue Li, who had been regulating her aura, explained, “Essentially, the mortal realm and the spirit realm overlap rather than being completely separate.”

“The coordinates of where we were drawn into the spirit realm corresponded to the reality of N University. Since Chen Wan’s resentment could pull us into the spirit realm through some connection, it could naturally also draw in the energies that escaped from the corresponding location.”

“Not to mention, the resentment that erupted from the bull demon before its death was so intense, and for her, it was ‘tailor-made’ nourishment of human malice.”

Su Mian suddenly understood, then grew even more worried. “Then… what do we do now? How much longer can the seal hold?”

“Is there a way to completely resolve this?” She looked at the magic array, temporarily stabilized by blue light, but still subtly exuding an ominous red glow.

Xiao Moyuan walked to the edge of the array, his fingertips condensing a trace of spiritual power. He gently touched a rune, sensing the raging, struggling resentment within, and shook his head.

“Relying solely on external reinforcement is a temporary solution, not a fundamental cure.”

“The seven balance talismans I just infused can temporarily suppress the energy within the array, but they cannot eliminate the root cause.

Given the intensity and degree of this resentment’s pollution, even with continuous reinforcement, it can only last for another three to five days.”

“After that, either the array foundation will be completely eroded and collapse, or the accumulated resentment will reach a critical point and forcibly break through all restraints.”

He stood up, a rare hint of solemnity and difficulty on his face.

“The key lies in Chen Wan’s resentment. Her obsession has already formed a deep connection with this land, with the extreme yin earth vein, and even with certain negative emotions accumulated by N University students over the years—forming something akin to a ‘rule’.”

“Forcibly purifying or destroying it with external power might not only trigger unpredictable backlash from the earth vein or a massive outburst of resentment, but it could also cause worse problems by disrupting a certain balance.”

He looked at Su Mian, speaking frankly.

“I have limited understanding of Chen Wan as a person, and of the ‘cause’ that formed her obsession. Without understanding the specific experiences, personality weaknesses, and reasons that led to her obsession, it’s difficult to find the true key to dissolving it.”

“The dissolution of resentment, especially high-level resentment, often requires breaking its执迷 by understanding its heart source. Only then is there hope for it to dissipate or transform on its own.”

“Brute force suppression is, after all, not a long-term solution.”

For a time, the cavern fell silent. Even Lu Yang had understood the seriousness and complexity of the situation and dared not interrupt again.

Just then, Qin Xuan, who had been silently observing and recording, suddenly pushed up his glasses and took another step forward.

He looked at Xiao Moyuan, then at the central array and Chen Wan’s skeleton, and spoke clearly and calmly.

“Regarding Chen Wan’s specific experiences, personality, and the ‘cause’ that led to her obsession, I think I might have a way to find it.”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

This Hidden Class Is a Bit Off

ActionFemale ProtagonistGender Bender

Read Now →
Not interested