[{"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-772":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},2263077,4415,"Chapter 772: The Long Street Spell Duel","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-772",772,"\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan’s spellcraft was truly terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The threat of death drove Zhu Suanpan to summon the “Underworld Stage” at all costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This artifact bore a fearsome reputation; the former ghost opera troupes had relied on it to dominate the Jianghu, and now, with renewed construction and aid from unknown forces, many had been forged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each opera troupe possessed one to suppress their fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this treasure, Zhu Suanpan immediately escaped peril.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Wang Daoxuan was about to chant his incantation, a dense, solidified force of resentment erupted from the Underworld Stage, forcibly severing the secret spell-link between him and Zhu Suanpan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mmm~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell backlash made Wang Daoxuan grunt, his face paling slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swiftly withdrew the spell, and the straw effigy in his hand burst into flame with a whoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, frost crystallized on his fingertips, then rapidly spread up both arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such potent resentment—be careful!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daoist’s vision blurred with darkness; he gritted his teeth and warned Lu San.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Zhu Suanpan was faring no better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Puff!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spat a jet of black blood, his aura instantly withering by half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First injured by Wang Daoxuan’s spell, secondly drained of his life essence by summoning and forcibly commanding the Underworld Stage, his face grew gaunt, his hair turning white at the roots before their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his fierce will to survive burned brighter in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You bastards—you won’t live a single one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fighting through agonizing pain, Zhu Suanpan’s withered fingers frantically rattled the abacus beads, his operatic chant growing more desolate and eerie: “Come! Come! Come! Settle the ledger, erase the Book of Life and Death! Rebuild the old stage, raise the Underworld Wall—raise—the stage—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he plucked several beads and flicked them away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beads tore through the air with a whistling scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their target was not Wang Daoxuan or Lu San—it was the unconscious infant performer on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff! Puff! Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three muffled thuds as all beads pierced the infant’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, from within the Underworld Stage before the official’s mansion, countless twisted, blurred, shrieking ghostly shadows were violently ripped free, coalescing into rolling black mist that swirled overhead like a breached flood of filth, pouring entirely into the dying infant’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ughhh—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dying infant emitted a shriek unlike any human sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a child’s high-pitched cry, mingled with the wails of a thousand vengeful ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body trembled violently, swelling and contorting as if inflated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His already pale skin instantly lost all color, resembling a corpse drowned for days, crisscrossed with blue-black veins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His facial features twisted, mouth gaping wide, splitting to his ears, lined with dense, needle-like teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his hollow eye sockets burned only two wild, flickering emerald flames—greedy, devouring, relentless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick, unyielding black mist erupted from him in torrents, churning upward, engulfing his entire form, leaving only a faint human silhouette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hundred Ghost Infant Demon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan’s eyes widened; he shouted urgently: “Quick, guard me while I break the formation—only Li Yan can handle this thing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled a purple talisman from his robe, bit his middle finger, traced the incantation while forming the seal, folded it into a paper crane, and chanted swiftly: “Crane soars to heaven, talisman links the Nine Nether Realms, Yu’s steps tread the Dipper, mist clears, clouds part—golden light opens the path, sacred mirror shines bright—Decree!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Wang Daoxuan feared it—this “Hundred Ghost Infant Demon” was a legendary evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a pregnant woman died, her unborn child sometimes remained alive, unknown to all, sealed in the coffin and buried—thus born with both vital qi and death qi coexisting, it would become a ghost infant after death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that sliver of life-force often attracted unclean entities—sometimes devouring the ghost infant, sometimes merging with it, seizing the ghost fetus to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over time, it drew in vast amounts of demonic qi, becoming known as “Infant Demon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burial site of such a ghost fetus gradually turned into a cursed place, spawning countless strange phenomena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was one of the most troublesome “demonic afflictions” for earth masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more vengeful ghosts it attracted, the stronger the “Infant Demon” became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To create the most terrifying \"Hundred Ghost Infant Demon,\" one required the qi of a demon calamity—once formed, its poison spread for a thousand li and could only be sealed and suppressed, gradually erased by the heavenly and earthly gang qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The method Wang Daoxuan used was the Xuanmen “Spirit Crane Dispelling Miasma Incantation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that with the Underworld Stage, the formation’s core, now relocated, the illusionary array shrouding the entire city had developed a flaw—if he could help locate the core, Li Yan could break free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For safety, the Daoist had used high-grade talisman paper purchased at the Qingcheng Opening Vault Assembly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the incantation completed, the purple paper crane flapped its wings and soared into the mansion’s black mist…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Lu San had raised his bone club and was firing repeatedly at the infant demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three consecutive explosions filled the air with smoke and fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black mist surrounding the infant demon churned violently but remained stubbornly intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Waaah—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A piercing infant’s wail emerged from within the mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cry was so sharp it felt like it could tear through eardrums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Suanpan, closest of all, bore the brunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as its controller, he felt his soul pierced with pain, his vision darkening, nearly losing control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan and Lu San were struck as if hammered on the skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan reacted instantly; the pure light of the Ruyi Treasure Pearl surged, shielding them both, yet still shook him violently, churning his blood and qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu San had shut off his hearing cultivation, yet his hearing still far surpassed normal men—he felt his head “boom,” staggered, vision twisting and blurring as if countless venomous ghost faces screamed toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A normal person would have lost their mind instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Lu San’s will was strong—he gritted his teeth and held on, though he had no strength left to fight back; even the little white fox Chuqi was affected, fur bristling, shrieking, instinctively hiding behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, this was only the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Hundred Ghost Infant Demon,” shrouded in black mist, shrieked again—and in the next instant, vanished without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It reappeared less than a foot from Wang Daoxuan’s side, reeking of corpse stench and bone-chilling cold, its pale, clawed hand—blackened nails gleaming—slipping soundlessly toward the Daoist’s throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This demonic entity, half-human, half-ghost, moved with a strangeness even more uncanny than “Shrink Earth to Inch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan had anticipated this—he yanked Lu San back while raising a copper tube.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the “Spirit Fire Musket,” restored by Sha Li Fei from the “Thunder and Fire Scripture”—too intricate to produce easily, so only a few had been made, all entrusted to Wang Daoxuan for protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, crimson phosphorescent fire erupted like a dragon’s breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Hundred Ghost Infant Demon” shrieked and was forced back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seizing the moment, Wang Daoxuan immediately drew the Five Directions Luo Feng Flags, planting them beside them, forming hand seals, and unleashing the gang qi cultivated within his chest through the \"Five Heads Divine Incantation\"—a brilliant stream erupted from his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Five Directions Luo Feng Flags activated instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within them dwelled five battalions of ghost soldiers; sudden yin winds howled, shadows flickering, shielding the two men as two torrents of black mist clashed violently, their piercing shrieks spawning endless illusions before their eyes…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the external spell battle raged, a turning point emerged within the official’s mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Underworld Stage relocated, the black mist that had shrouded the hall and severed the five senses suddenly faltered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan, who had been trying to break the formation, suddenly looked up, sensing an anomaly in the qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something’s wrong—be careful!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zhenshan of the Yangzhou Enforcement Hall also sensed the disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a purple paper crane whistled through the black mist, flying down from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t move—it’s an ally!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan quickly stopped Xu Zhenshan from attacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under everyone’s gaze, the crane circled once, then landed in a hidden corner of the front hall’s gate tower, froze abruptly, lost control, and fell—then ignited itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s eyes blazed—he pulled out his broken spear and fired without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was no expert at breaking formations, especially complex ones like this—he only knew finding the core was key; after fruitless searching for long, he smelled Wang Daoxuan’s qi on the crane and realized it was here to help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thunderous explosion shattered the earth, stone, and wood at the gate corner.\u003C\u002Fp>",1438,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4132a1f1e140ac8afd24c4443d77ee5fedbad22719703010dbf8dde3d81047ff","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-773","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-771",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]