[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-cursed-blade-s-walk":3,"chapter-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-11":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Cursed Blade's Walk",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2262316,4415,"Chapter 11: Dead Fight","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-11",11,"\u003Cp>This… it actually summons minions!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden turn of events caught Li Yan off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plans can’t keep up with change; though he didn’t know how this Cold Altar Outlaw Soldier had done it, the situation had clearly shifted from one-on-one to a mob fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looks like I provoked too much…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan had no time to regret—he rose instantly and drew his blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his right hand he held the blade, tip angled upward, crouching in a half-step stance; his left hand gripped the hilt backward, holding it horizontally before his waist as he retreated slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Pressing Blade Stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could advance to attack or retreat to defend; the upward-angled tip could strike first at charging beasts, and the scabbard could serve as a blunt weapon for striking or defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaching the incense burner before the Earth God shrine, he stopped, crouched quickly, picked up the tassel from the altar offering, and tucked it into his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wolf pack was terrifying, but the greater threat was the Cold Altar Outlaw Soldier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This tassel of the Three Talismans Suppressing Demon Coin was the key to victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he couldn’t use it recklessly yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a moment’s pause, the wolf pack launched its attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roar—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three wolves in front suddenly lunged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They bared their grotesque fangs; two charged from the ground, ferociously targeting Li Yan’s abdomen, as if to rip him open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third leapt high, jaws wide, aiming for Li Yan’s throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an extremely vicious pincer technique of the wolf pack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary prey, even if they avoided the throat, would be knocked down, and the remaining two wolves could then tear open their bellies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Yan had already prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped forward in a half-step, his right foot still airborne when the blade flashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It gave the illusion that the blade moved faster than the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the secret of Guanzhong Fast Blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary users of the blade planted their feet firmly, drawing power from the ground, channeling force through waist and arms—whether chopping or sweeping, their strikes carried the weight of a thousand jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Guanzhong Fast Blade released the strike before the foot even touched ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Powerful arm and wrist strength, combined with a sharp, fine blade, could compensate for the lack of full-body power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What good is a powerful slash if your throat is cut first?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guanzhong blade masters earned their great reputation through this one extraordinary skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those skilled in this blade art moved so fast, opponents couldn’t react at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The charging wolves were no different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mid-air, the blade pierced their throats, driving straight into their skulls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With unstoppable momentum and the razor edge of the Guanshan blade, it cleanly severed half their heads, spraying blood everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the two wolves on the ground also attacked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan retreated with the momentum, flipped his scabbard upward with his left hand, driving it into the throat of the wolf on his left, making it howl in pain; his right hand slashed the blade downward in a sharp flick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wolf attacking from the right had one forelimb severed, instantly losing balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan stepped forward firmly in a half-step, delivered a Lanmakanzi  leg strike, and kicked the legless wolf eight or seven meters away—it rolled several times, kicking up dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With one leg broken and its soft waist kicked, it whimpered, struggled, spat blood, and gradually fell still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Li Yan whirl the blade in a flourish and thrust it downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wolf on the left, with the scabbard still lodged in its throat, was frantically biting—this strike drove the blade straight through its nape, pinning it to the ground, motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wolf blood sprayed, splattering Li Yan’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t flinch; his cold gaze remained fixed ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wolf attacks followed patterns—they didn’t charge all at once, but sought weaknesses and attacked in waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they failed, they’d find ways to wound the prey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how large the beast, under this relentless tide of attacks, both body and spirit would collapse swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The advantage was minimizing losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, injury in the wild often meant death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wolves’ tactics hadn’t changed, but they clearly hadn’t expected Li Yan’s blade art to be so lethal—he’d slain three wolves in the space of a breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their follow-up assault was broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the killing intent radiating from Li Yan, the remaining wolves whimpered and circled, unwilling to leave but Yebugan  advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s attention was entirely on the alpha wolf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could smell the familiar stench on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly weaker than last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The widow Wang was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Cold Altar Outlaw Soldier had been wounded repeatedly; even after devouring wandering souls within ten li, it had reached its weakest state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the wolf it possessed merely wandered beyond the shrine’s incense range, showing no intention to enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed to want the pack to drag him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s face was cold and stern; he stood still, blade in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He meant to eradicate this evil; the enemy coveted his soul and body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it was a test of who would break first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roar!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps fearing the coming crowing of roosters and rising yang energy, the wolf possessed by the Outlaw Soldier let out a sudden roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its stench exploded; several wolves immediately urinated in terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under its coercion, all charged toward the Earth God shrine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan roared, back pressed against the shrine, slashing left and right with the Guanshan blade, then added a Chaotiandeng  kick that sent the lunging wolves flying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold light exploded—two wolves died instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his lack of experience showed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so many wolves attacking at once, he couldn’t cover everything; after one round, his techniques grew stale, exposing openings, and he fell into disadvantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even his right hand holding the blade was seized and bitten hard by a wolf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest opened their fangs to tear at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when kicked away, they twisted back to attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aowu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far off, another wolf howl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the wolf possessed by the Outlaw Soldier—fearing the pack would damage Li Yan’s body—let out a roar, issuing orders. Instantly, the wolves stopped going for the kill, instead biting his limbs and dragging him away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s body burned with pain, and rage boiled within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew this was the critical moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he broke free, he’d exhaust himself under the wolves’ assault; even if he used the substitute statue to recover, after killing the remaining few, he’d still be doomed against the Cold Altar Outlaw Soldier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only chance now was to kill the Outlaw Soldier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Li Yan endured the agony, clamped his grip on the Guanshan blade, and let the wolves drag him toward the possessed alpha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust flew; a trail of blood marked their path, horrifying to behold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, he was dragged to the roadside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, he was beyond the shrine’s incense coverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wolf possessed by the Outlaw Soldier could hold back no longer—it lunged directly, planting its forepaws on Li Yan’s chest, baring grotesque fangs, hissing low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan clearly felt the icy sensation at his lower back surge violently and spread outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This chill was terrifying—it threatened to invade his five viscera and six bowels, numbing his skin, blurring his consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the substitute statue began to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s judgment was correct: the curse targeted the spirit, but for the Outlaw Soldier to possess and steal his soul, it must alter the body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If fully taken over, he might end up like the widow Wang described—black fluid seeping from his five viscera and six bowels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The substitute statue’s repair restored Li Yan’s clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he hesitated no longer—he pulled the Three Talismans Suppressing Demon Coin tassel from his chest, pressed it onto the Guanshan blade, and thrust upward with all his might!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Outlaw Soldier, mid-ritual, had no time to dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wet plop—wolf blood mixed with black fluid dripped down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roar—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the wolf’s body came a strange, guttural scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded partly animal, partly human, as if two voices overlapped, echoing endlessly around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining wolves, seemingly freed from control, trembled violently, defecated and urinated everywhere, and bolted wildly into the undergrowth, vanishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Yan, at this moment, had no attention to spare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant the Three Talismans Exorcism Coin fused with the hilt, a bone-chilling cold spread along the blade, piercing through the wolf above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was pierced was not merely flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan could clearly smell the cold, bloody stench released by the fusion of the Three Talismans Exorcism Coin and the blade, cutting through the foul odor of the Changbing .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The six yang roots correspond to the six senses, namely six supernatural abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ability he awakened was smell—clearly less direct than the Yin-Yang Eyes—but through scent, he felt the shifts in both sides’ power most acutely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plaque inscribed “Hundred Battles, Majestic Might” and the incense from the Earth God shrine were likely the same kind of force, radiating warmth, with a yang nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it clashed with the Changbing ’s power, they canceled each other out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Three Talismans Exorcism Coin’s power was yin—even colder than the Changbing ’s, like ice sinking into water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It did not weaken; instead, it absorbed the Changbing ’s power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roar—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eerie howls grew fainter and fainter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, after the Changbing ’s foul stench vanished completely, the wolf above fell still, leaving only the odor of its corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan pushed with the momentum, and the wolf’s corpse rolled aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gasped for breath, continuing to use the Substitute Spirit Statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every wound on his body vanished with each breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for his torn clothes and blood, one would never guess he had just endured a brutal battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Substitute Spirit Statue could replace all physical ailments, including muscle soreness from exertion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, to some extent, it could restore physical strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the fatigue from extreme mental tension after physical recovery could not be erased, so Li Yan lay still for a while before slowly rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, his expression froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside his dantian, the accumulated damage to the Substitute Spirit Statue had reached its limit—cracks, dense and countless, appeared, as if ready to shatter at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the statue’s left shoulder, a faint flame suddenly went out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a reboot, the statue instantly restored, leaving not a single trace of damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So… that was one life lost?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s heart burned with anger; he couldn’t help spitting fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he knew well: without the Substitute Spirit Statue, he would not have escaped this disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang Widow had worshipped a legendary Chu Ma Immortal—though its condition was odd, the thing hadn’t even dared show its face; one could imagine how terrifying the Changbing  was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he frowned, feeling the Guanshan Dao in his hand grow colder and colder, as if he held a shard of ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His bones ached with icy pain; his skin began to numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan quickly dropped the tassel from his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the yellow earth, the once-fine tassel knots, including the Three Talismans Exorcism Coin, were now soaked in wolf blood, radiating a bloody stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absorbing some of the Changbing ’s power had strengthened this treasure!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no good thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant that in the future, using this treasure would grow ever harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed to find a way to resolve this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather—seek a master, learn the arts, and enter that mysterious world!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Li Yan swept away the traces on the ground, carefully placed the Exorcism Tassel into a red cloth bag, and vanished into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, he arrived outside the Wang Widow’s door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he even drew near, his expression changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mingled stench of incense and foulness had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, after pushing open the gate and entering the courtyard, it was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The offering table, the spirit tablet, the red strings, the incense burner…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All traces of the Wang Widow and the Chu Ma Immortal had been thoroughly cleaned away, indistinguishable from an ordinary peasant’s home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s mind stirred; he looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, the strange gate array formed by the jars had been carelessly scattered, and filth and dirty water flowed everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Li Yan was certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang Widow and her kind were fleeing from something…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2079,"2026-06-19T18:28:32.159Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a26519954f42b3f54e00bd2b6a35b577973237334c78db0e487fb1a970893911","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-12","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-10",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]