I Have an Omen System-Chapter 79 - 77: The Return of Curse Killing

As an Outer Sect Elder, Wang Jian did the unthinkable—he brought Qin Xuan a Tier One Top Grade Spiritual Plant worth one hundred and ninety thousand Contribution Points.

Wang Jian knelt on the ground, a fawning expression on his face.

"Master Qin, this is a Gathering Spirit Primordial Yang Fruit. It contains gentle Primordial Yang Qi. Consuming it can dispel cold poison and invigorate one’s qi and blood."

"Even if you don’t consume it, its flesh and core can still be used as a supplementary material for inscribing basic Fire and Yang Attribute Talismans."

"I pray that Master Qin can be the bigger person and not hold my past transgressions against me."

With his rear end stuck high in the air, Wang Jian offered up a Spirit Fruit the size of a goose egg. It was a brilliant, fiery red, and a rich fragrance wafted from it.

Head lowered, he shuffled forward on his knees and presented the Spirit Fruit to Qin Xuan.

Upon closer inspection, one could see a smear of dark red blood on the Spirit Fruit that had yet to fade.

Who knew what means Wang Jian had employed to acquire it.

"Not bad. Very thoughtful."

Qin Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He patted Wang Jian’s shoulder and said with a chuckle, "Old Wang, don’t worry. I don’t hold grudges."

Wang Jian flinched in fright, a sheepish smile on his face. Drenched in sweat, he prostrated himself, pressing his head even lower to the ground.

This moment was just like that time, all those years ago.

The scene from his memory overlapped perfectly with the present, identical in every way, except that the roles had been reversed.

Qin Xuan roared with laughter, his voice loud enough to shake the rafters.

...

Once the three-day limit was up, Qin Xuan went into seclusion.

Even when more people came bearing gifts,

Qin Xuan simply had them leave them outside his door, while he hid in his Cave Mansion, quietly waiting for the Divination to come true.

He then turned his attention to studying his Positional Divine Techniques.

A stream of information slowly surfaced in his mind.

[Zuo’e·Heart-Eroding Nail]

[Attribute 1: Imprisonment Nail Kill] Can manifest as a rusty iron nail for a frontal assault, specifically designed to shatter Protective Spiritual Light. The greater the number of nails, the stronger the forced imprisonment. With forty-nine nails, imprisonment is 100% guaranteed.

[Attribute 2: Calamity Gold Seed] The nail’s shadow casts upon an enemy, planting a Calamity Gold Seed. Three breaths later, the victim disintegrates into golden dust. The success rate of Curse Killing against water- and wood-type cultivators is increased by thirty percent.

[Attribute 3: Sinful Mirror Punishment] Can form an illusory Mirror of Evil in front of the user, reflecting curse-type Divine Techniques and partial Position suppression. Exceptions: Supreme Yang Wu Fire and Sharp Qi Geng Metal.

’I see. The Heart-Eroding Nail belongs to the Yin Metal Position, which governs slaughter and punishment. No wonder it’s so lethal.’

Qin Xuan even suspected that Chen Xuanba had invited him to join the Punishment Hall precisely because he saw this quality in him.

The thought had barely formed before Qin Xuan dismissed it.

When Chen Xuanba made him that promise, Qin Xuan hadn’t even obtained the Golden Book and Jade Manual.

’Looks like the Punishment Hall really is a good fit for me!’

The Heart-Eroding Nail corresponded to two major Positions: Rooster Metal: Zuo E and Xin Jin Chongguang.

The one Qin Xuan had attained was the former.

The five Divinity Transformation Fruit Positions corresponding to Rooster Metal: Zuo E were:

Ren Shen and Gui You [Sword Edge Gold]

Jia Chen and Yi You [Spring Water]

Bingchen and Dingyou [Mountain Fire]

Wu Shen and Yi You [Great Post-Station Earth]

Geng Shen and Xin You [Pomegranate Wood]!

’Out of the fifteen Divinity Transformation Fruit Positions corresponding to my three Divine Power Positions, not a single one overlaps.’

Qin Xuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He wasn’t sure if he should feel fortunate or regretful.

...

As time passed, the Divination finally came true.

Just as expected.

On October 27th,

The familiar Curse Bone Golden Powder appeared once more!

Qin Xuan was sitting cross-legged in meditation inside his Cave Mansion.

His pupils dark, he suddenly crushed the Communication Jade Talisman in his palm.

’There’s no doubt now. A Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch from the Cyan Cloud Sect? Nonsense. This is most likely a setup orchestrated by the Bone Charm Demon Lord and that old dog, Ji Boyan.’

The Jade Talisman contained a message from Zhao Youliang.

Just moments ago, for some unknown reason, nearly a thousand Stewards and Vice Incense Masters in the Outer Sect Demon Disciple Dormitory—all below Foundation Establishment but above the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer—had been killed by an unknown Curse Technique!

The higher their Cultivation, the more intensely they were targeted!

A large number of Vice Incense Masters at the Qi Cultivation Eleventh Layer had died violently, their bodies and bones completely annihilated.

If Qin Xuan hadn’t reached Foundation Establishment, he would have been one of them.

And right at this moment, Ma Wei, the early-stage Foundation Establishment Chief Incense Master of the Rot Heart Altar, had a "chance encounter" on Celestial Demon Peak with a late-stage Foundation Establishment spy from the Cyan Cloud Sect.

After a "fierce" battle, Ma Wei successfully held on until the Holy Sect’s Yanxue Sword Demon arrived and slew the spy.

’Heh, if I were new to the Demon Sect, I might have believed your little performance. But who do you think you’re fooling now!’

It was a simple matter of following the principle: whoever benefits the most is the most suspicious.

The two waves of curse killings were clearly meant to pave the way for Ji Bochang and Ma Wei.

’The reason the Divination changed was because the target of the first wave of Curse Killing was meant to clear a path for Ji Bochang, who was already at Foundation Establishment Peak, to become an Incense Master.’

’The second wave of Curse Killing was to clear out the Qi Cultivation Demon Cultivators for Ma Wei, who had just broken through to Foundation Establishment!’

Comparing the two events, the answer was obvious.

...

「Seven days later. At the sect gate plaza.」

The sun was bright and hung high in the sky, its rays shining down on the blue flagstones, yet it could not dispel the heavy, immense black tide gathered in the plaza.

One hundred Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators, cloaked in black robes and holding silver-white longswords, refracted a dazzling light under the scorching sun.

For some, Demonic Qi billowed around their bodies, coalescing into the forms of fiercely roaring Demon Beasts.

Others kept their Demonic Qi restrained, yet every move they made released an imposing pressure.

Amidst the crowd, Qin Xuan seemed utterly unremarkable.

...

Ji Boyan stood prominently atop a high platform.

"All of you are the pillars of our Blood Demon Sword Sect. This trial is not the goal in itself; rather, it is to allow you to truly grow through a trial of blood and fire."

"In a moment, the Sect’s Teleportation Array will send you to your respective locations. Remember, unless absolutely necessary, do not expose your identities as Demon Cultivators in front of those from the Righteous Dao."

"Don’t try to be a hero. Survival is your top priority."

WHOOSH...

With a grand wave of his sleeve, Ji Boyan sent one hundred blood-red Demon Jades flying out as streaks of light, which then came to float gently before each person.

"These are the Sect’s Blood Talismans. They can conceal your aura; wearing one will make you indistinguishable from an ordinary Righteous Cultivator. If you encounter danger, crush the Blood Talisman. It is enough to block a full-powered strike from anyone below the Purple Mansion realm."

"Thank you, Master Blood Demon! We shall not fail our mission!" the Demon Cultivators replied in unison, each reaching out to take a Jade Talisman.

Ji Boyan nodded slightly.

"Good. I declare the Incense Master assessment to begin now!"

RUMBLE!

As his voice fell, a golden beam of light shot into the sky, and the grand Teleportation Array activated with a roar.

As if personally carved by an Ancient Demon Artisan, intricate and profound Array Patterns appeared on the plaza’s flagstones. They squirmed and spread like living things, and in an instant, they formed a massive, interwoven web of gold and silver light, enveloping all one hundred Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators.

Just before departing, Qin Xuan learned a piece of terrible news.

Zhang Yangzhou, having failed to reach Foundation Establishment, had died in the second wave of the Curse Bone Heart-Eroding Nail’s Power of Curse Killing.

’Sigh... the Demon Sect is a treacherous and turbulent place. One can never predict fortune or disaster.’

’Old Zhang, see you in the next life!’

Pitch-black Demonic Qi, accompanied by flashing Runes, converged into a giant vortex. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged madly into the array as the sky changed color, filled with wind, clouds, lightning, and thunder.

Qin Xuan felt the world spin around him.

...

When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had changed from the sect gate plaza to an unfamiliar bamboo forest.

The Demon Patterns beneath his feet had vanished.

Qin Xuan let out a long sigh of relief, finally collecting himself.

Seeing that no one was around, he swapped his black robe for a green one, carefully disguising his appearance.

’I didn’t expect the Sect to be so capable. To think they have a small Teleportation Array hidden deep within the territory of the Righteous Dao.’

After discreetly leaving a Demon Yuan Mark to remember the exact location, Qin Xuan walked confidently out of the bamboo forest.

He wore a long robe of plain green brocade with a silver-white longsword slung across his back. His posture was as straight and tall as a pine, and with his sharp brows and bright eyes, he exuded the carefree, dashing air of a young hero.

Anyone who didn’t know better would have mistaken him for a talented young disciple from some Righteous Sect, out gaining worldly experience.

Thanks to the Sect’s Blood Talisman, which served for both protection and for "playing the pig to eat the tiger," Qin Xuan’s Cultivation appeared very low—barely at the stage of Introducing Spirit into the Body.