[{"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-75":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},2262380,4415,"Chapter 75: Relentless Battles in Rapid Succession","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-75",75,"\u003Cp>“The damn coward! How did this unlucky bastard show up?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei let out a startled cry and scrambled behind the altar, knife in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng, seeing this, panicked. “You big brute look fierce—how can you be such a coward? I told you to guard the altar—what are you hiding for?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei peeked out nervously, heart pounding. “That man’s too strong—I can’t beat him. A few strikes and I’ll be dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng himself wasn’t skilled in fistwork; he’d assumed Sha Lifei’s imposing presence meant he’d personally slaughter the demon, only to find he was a paper tiger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The altar’s troop-summoning ritual couldn’t be abandoned midway—it would have to start over—so he sighed helplessly. “What’s there to fear? I’ll get you reinforcements!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With one hand forming a seal, he waved his ritual sword, snatching up several yellow talismans, igniting them, and sweeping them over the altar. “By the decree of the Nine Primordial True Spirits of the Three Dark Realms—mobilize all battalions! Haste, as the law commands!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pop! Pop! Pop!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A row of spirit jars before the altar burst open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a chilling wind howled, and thick black smoke surged forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In all military arts, there are three tiers: upper, middle, and lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The upper tier, known as the Registry Troops, consists of heavenly soldiers and generals—only genuine Xuanmen sects and ancient, revered lineages can summon them. They are immensely powerful, but the ritual is grueling: petitions must be filed, altars consecrated, and numerous high masters present—nothing can be omitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle tier mostly consists of Ancestral Troops, amassed over centuries by major sects, nourished by incense and trained regularly. They’re potent and obedient, and disciples who’ve received the Registry gain command authority—but must first petition and submit formal requests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lower tier comprises troops personally gathered by the Daoist priest himself—easy to command, but their origins are uneven and their cultivation weak, inviting backlash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng had raised some himself, but unlike Chen Fa’s puppets, his troops contained no puppetry—only capable of attacking the soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet these yin soldiers were no weaklings; they took form as dark mist and smoke, clearly visible to the naked eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Sha Lifei’s confidence surged. He swung his blade and charged again. “Yuan! Eat my blade, you bastard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His steps were swift, his mind already picturing victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a martial artist like Zhou Pan, who had achieved Hua Jing, remained flesh and blood—no invincible diamond body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Yuan Qu entangled by the yin troops, all he needed was a casual slash to sever the head—so he darted behind the swirling black mists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But across from him, Yuan Qu didn’t dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The medium’s art uses a mortal body to channel divine power—enabling spirit sight, divining fortune or misfortune, locating lost objects, and guarding rituals—its functions are manifold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus since ancient times, many Daoists have carried mediums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the method has drawbacks: Yuan Qu had been corrupted by yin poison, his mind flooded with murderous intent, long since lost his calm. Seeing the black smoke rush toward him, he roared, refused to evade, and charged forward with arms raised to shield his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff! Puff! Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three sharp cracks—the black mist shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the yin spirits didn’t vanish and quickly reformed around him, they clearly couldn’t halt Yuan Qu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng’s face paled. “Medium puppet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yuan Qu wasn’t unharmed either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The medium’s art demands years of practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes one must retain self-awareness; sometimes one must surrender the body entirely to spirits—only then can one move freely between states.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Qu had already been tainted by yin poison, barely clinging to sanity—now, struck by the yin troops, his mind went black, and he lost all reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes rolled back, veins bulging crimson across his face, features twisted like a beast as he howled and charged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yin troops ahead shattered—Sha Lifei ran straight into him. Seeing his appearance, he was terrified, heart in his throat, and dropped to the ground, clutching his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In normal circumstances, this act would be suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yuan Qu’s mind was chaotic—he kept charging forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tripped over Sha Lifei, flailing wildly, and tumbled headlong toward the altar behind him, landing face-first in a dog’s meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng seized a handful of rice from the altar offering, chanted a rapid incantation, blew sharply, and scattered the grains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A string of sharp cracks, like bamboo strips snapping in rapid succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white rice grains struck Yuan Qu’s body, instantly blackening and bursting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This technique derived from the Five Grains Exorcism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Five Grains are the essence of heaven and earth; since ancient times, they’ve been offered to deities, so many exorcism methods are tied to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, folk use them to cleanse homes of calamity, southern regions use red beans to ward off evil, glutinous rice to subdue zombies, and specialized rice-women for divination and exorcism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng’s rice had long been offered before the Ancestral Altar, steeped in incense energy—its power was far greater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yin spirits clinging to Yuan Qu felt it as if burning coals had landed on his back—he screamed in agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng’s assault didn’t stop. His left hand formed a seal; his right seized a handful of pine resin powder and flung it fiercely into the candle flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames erupted, instantly engulfing Yuan Qu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He writhed in agony, rolling on the ground, trying to smother the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the dynamic between Daoists and martial artists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his skill, Yuan Qu could’ve easily killed Zhao Facheng if he closed the distance—but alone, his flesh body was vulnerable to yin troop assaults, clouding his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Fa’s puppetry, using the medium’s art to channel yin spirits, amplified Yuan Qu’s strength and made him immune to yin troop impacts—but also muddled his soul, reducing his martial skill to less than a third.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dazed and off-balance, he gave Zhao Facheng the opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And behind him, Sha Lifei wouldn’t miss his chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d tripped Yuan Qu and rolled himself—now he snatched up his long knife, sprinted three steps in one bound, and brought both hands down in a two-handed slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To hell with you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of blade—a severed arm flew through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Qu instinctively rolled aside, avoiding the killing blow—but lost his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahh—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierced by pain, he used the momentum to perform an old monkey climbing a branch, flipping upward and delivering a perfect side kick midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to pain and yin spirit interference, his breath was ragged—he couldn’t channel hidden force—but the medium’s possessed leg still struck with terrifying speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei was kicked square in the chest, flying backward, nearly toppling the altar. “Ahh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei’s fury ignited. Ignoring the pain, he rose and raised his knife again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng grabbed him. “He’s under medium spell—immune to pain. Charging now is suicide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Yuan Qu had extinguished the flames and stood again, gripping a dagger with one hand, eyes rolled back, veins bulging grotesquely, face twisted like a demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei swallowed hard. “What now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng growled. “To break this spell, you need a virgin’s urine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei stared blankly. “Li Yan’s not here—what’s the point of saying this…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished, he shot Zhao Facheng a strange look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng’s face darkened. “Virgin urine must come from a child under one month old. I have black dog blood curse blood—it’s decent, but it needs time to prepare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hold him off!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kicked Sha Lifei out with his foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You big black face!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei was furious—but Yuan Qu was already lunging. He rolled like a lazy donkey, dodged, then scrambled up and ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Qu’s mind was equally confused—he harbored bitter hatred for Sha Lifei, who’d severed his arm, and gave chase relentlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei’s martial skill was weak, but his escape tactics were sharp—he dashed, rolled sideways, zigzagged wildly, narrowly avoiding each attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Zhao Facheng had retrieved a leather pouch from a chest behind him, poured black dog blood into a bowl, lit a yellow talisman, formed a seal, chanted, tossed it in, and stirred with his finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn coward! Is it ready yet?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei, cornered and panicked, sprinted toward the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Duck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng roared, leapt over the altar, and flung the black dog blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei rolled again—behind him, Yuan Qu was drenched head to toe in the blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahh! Ahh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wound was worse: Yuan Qu’s body smoked white, clawing frantically at his face—the blood-red talismans on his skin blurred and scrambled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still not dead?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei rolled to his feet, crouched low, and lunged forward, flipping his guan mountain knife to reverse grip and slashing across Yuan Qu’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deep gash opened on his neck—blood sprayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei twisted his body, then delivered a powerful kick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Qu flew backward, his head smashing into the great stone before the altar—brains burst, life extinguished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei exhaled, collapsing to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Facheng quickly prepared again, began another ritual, his face grim. “Guardian—hold on until my final command!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei scrambled up, gripping his knife, glanced at the sky, eyes filled with dread:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bad—Zi Shi is coming…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dense forest on the mountain, the battle had also reached its end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh~ Huh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Heibei had become a blood-soaked gourd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire body was covered in sword wounds, bleeding profusely; especially both arms, which were riddled with deep gashes that exposed bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, several yin spirits had possessed him, long ago stripping away his humanity—his eyes rolled back, veins bulged grotesquely across his face, and he had fully unleashed his physical potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so, he was no match for Luo Mingzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for his instinctive protection of vital points, he would have been dead already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Luo Mingzi’s expression was no better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had not expected these two fools to be so stupid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A martial artist’s body is as precious as gold, especially for those skilled in dark force; after using the spirit-medium method, though their combat power increases, failure to properly recuperate afterward spells an early death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this man actually listened to Chen Fa’s puppet’s lies and allowed multiple yin spirits to possess him at once—his speed was as swift as a demon’s, leaving Luo Mingzi no time to perform a spell to dispel the evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was only the time of half a pipe of smoke, it had still wasted precious time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Luo Mingzi pulled from his left hand a yellow talisman folded into a triangle, secretly clasping it against his back, focusing his spirit in a single thought, and swiftly forming several hand seals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The transformation of the Gangqi immediately alerted the yin spirits possessing Zheng Heibei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Roar!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A guttural roar echoed as he lunged forward like an old ape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mingzi did not retreat—he advanced. His right hand’s Seven-Star Sword executed a feint, sweeping through the air, then his body spun and swept downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Heibei’s left leg was cleanly severed, causing him to lose balance and lurch forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Luo Mingzi’s left-hand seals were already complete; he stepped sideways and slammed his palm hard against Zheng Heibei’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thunderous crash—several yin spirits on Zheng Heibei’s body were utterly shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Luo Mingzi had used dark force—this palm strike was terrifyingly powerful, accompanied by the sound of cracking bones, and directly shattered Zheng Heibei’s spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a heavy thud, Zheng Heibei’s massive body collapsed to the ground, utterly lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mingzi did not even glance at him—he charged straight into the tomb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But halfway there, his expression changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There stood Chen Fa’s puppet, hair disheveled, behind the altar, holding a dagger and carving three pairs of bloody marks into his own forehead—like three pairs of blood-red eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood streamed down his face, his expression monstrous, as he chanted: “The altar resides in the Underworld, Great Luo is unobstructed, the Western Heavenly Demon’s true name: Chi Sanming…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2001,"2026-06-19T18:28:32.159Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","495a07ce802d2106091adb64ea6107368f97cb087e09b46cef148c79bc9a1013","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-76","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-74",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]