Chapter 157: Curse

"This is the purple vine, take it." Lin Yanghao naturally kept his own share.

"Many thanks for the return, I am endlessly grateful." Xiao Tian did not dare to show the slightest negligence, and carefully placed the purple vine back to its original spot.

"Xiao Tian, what on earth is this purple vine? Why is it so important to you?" Ice Roar asked doubtfully. He truly could not figure out what use this purple vine had; it possessed not even a shred of spiritual energy, and looked no different from ordinary weeds.

He honestly could not see what the bloody use of it was.

Lin Yanghao also looked at them with suspicion, equally puzzled as to why Xiao Tian needed these purple vines. He himself used them for refining talismans—could Xiao Tian be doing the same?

"Without this purple vine, we wouldn't be able to survive." At this mention, Xiao Tian's expression visibly turned desolate.

"How can that be?" Lin Yanghao, Ice Roar, and the others were all startled inwardly.

What could this purple vine possibly have to do with their lives?

The two things were completely unrelated.

"A curse has been cast upon all of us. Only this purple vine can suppress our curse; without it, we will surely die," Xiao Tian said helplessly.

"What did you say? How could you be cursed?" Ice Roar asked in bewilderment.

Everything about this was far too dramatic.

"Any spirit beast that enters the Thousand Saints Swamp is afflicted by a curse. As a beastman, I never expected to be included among them."

"Damn it, doesn't that mean I've been cursed too?" Ice Roar drew a sharp breath, his complexion changing drastically on the spot. He was completely dumbfounded now.

If he was afflicted by this damned curse, didn't that mean he would never be able to leave for the rest of his life?

If he even lost his freedom, he might as well just be dead.

"Grandpa Heavenly Tiger need not worry; this curse is only effective against spirit beasts below the Earth Realm."

"So that's how it is. That being the case, I can rest easy." Ice Roar wiped a cold sweat.

"Then is there any way to lift this curse?" Ice Roar pressed on, as this was what concerned him most.

Xiao Tian was the very last surviving member of the beastman tribe, and Ice Roar would protect him no matter what, ensuring he came to no further harm.

"Ascend to the Immortal Realm and use the water of the Immortals' Ascent Pool to dissolve the curse. There is no other way," Xiao Tian said with a bitter smile.

Ascending to the Immortal Realm was easier said than done.

Therefore, there was practically no hope of lifting the curse.

"What? What can be done about this?" Ice Roar was powerless against this as well; even at his peak, he could not have accomplished it.

Let alone now, when he was left with only this meager level of cultivation.

"There is no helping it. We can only take it one step at a time. For now, we just need to guard this purple vine well, and I will simply strive to improve my cultivation," Xiao Tian said.

"Under the circumstances, this is the only way," Ice Roar thought to himself.

"Then Lin Yanghao, what use do you have for this purple vine?" Ice Roar asked. Surely Lin Yanghao hadn't also been cursed and therefore needed the vine? He must have another purpose for it.

If Lin Yanghao spoke of it, perhaps there might be some method hidden within to lift the curse?

"This purple vine is merely a material for crafting talismans," Lin Yanghao answered truthfully.

He also had his own selfish motives. If they could find a way to lift the curse, wouldn't that mean all these purple vines would belong entirely to him?

"Oh? This thing can be used to refine talismans?" Ice Roar found it hard to believe that such an object could have this kind of application.

"Of course it can. I found this method in an ancient text, and I have already used it to successfully refine medium-grade talismans." With that, Lin Yanghao produced a Face-Changing Talisman.

Just as they arrived outside the cave, their previous Face-Changing Talismans had already expired, revealing their true appearances.

A single Face-Changing Talisman could last for one hour.

"So that's how it is." Ice Roar nodded, but this was of no use whatsoever when it came to breaking the curse.

"Xiao Tian, I observe that you are already at the sixth layer of the Heavenly Bone Realm, aren't you? How on earth did Lin Yanghao manage to escape from your hands?" This was also a point of confusion for Ice Roar.

Although this brat Lin Yanghao had a head full of tricks and was incomparably crafty, none of that mattered in the face of absolute strength.

He truly had no idea how Xiao Tian had let Lin Yanghao succeed.

The cultivation levels of beastmen differed somewhat from those of human cultivators; this Heavenly Bone Realm was roughly equivalent to the early stage of the Tribulation Crossing Realm.

"Alas, I was at a crucial juncture in my cultivation at the time and simply could not break away. If I had gone out to hunt him down, all my previous efforts would have been completely wasted," Xiao Tian said.

"I see." Lin Yanghao nodded. So that was how it happened—he was just fortunate.

"Since Grandpa Heavenly Tiger's cultivation has been reduced to this state, what do you say to temporarily cultivating here?" Xiao Tian suggested.

"Very well. Since that is the case, we will impose upon you for a time." Ice Roar was on the verge of a breakthrough; wasn't this place a prime location for it?

"Grandpa Heavenly Tiger, what are you saying? It is my absolute honor to have you stay here." Having said that, Xiao Tian led Lin Yanghao and the others into the cave.

"Very well, since matters have come to this, we might as well lie low here for a while," Lin Yanghao said to Ice Roar.

Hearing Lin Yanghao say this, Ice Roar was naturally puzzled. Could something major have happened during the time he was cultivating?

"Lie low? Lie low from what?" Before Ice Roar could ask, Xiao Tian's voice reached them.

"It's like this: we are being pursued and hunted down, which is why we had no choice but to come here," Lin Yanghao explained.

"Rest assured and stay here; you will certainly be safe. Follow me." With that, he led Lin Yanghao and the others toward a dim area in the distance.

With a casual wave of his hand against the wall, the outline of a door appeared on the ground.

"Let's go down."

Upon descending, what met their eyes was a row of rooms, though the underground space was somewhat gloomy and damp.

"There's nobody here. Each of you can pick any room you like and settle in."

Lin Yanghao was not picky about this and casually selected one.

"Lin Yanghao, come with me. I have something to ask you," Gu Shi said quietly to Lin Yanghao.

"What is it?" Once they entered the room Lin Yanghao had chosen, he asked.

"What is going on with that Ice Roar?" Gu Shi could not hold back his question any longer.

Although he had just heard that Ice Roar's cultivation had dropped due to an accident, the fellow had once been an immortal beast.

And apparently, he was quite a formidable existence at that.

"Oh, you mean Ice Roar? He's my beast pet," Lin Yanghao said calmly.

"What did you say? How is that possible?" Gu Shi found it utterly unbelievable. One had to know that Ice Roar was an immortal beast—how could Lin Yanghao have possibly subdued him?

"Of course..." Their conversation with Gu Shi drifted away as the better part of the day passed unnoticed.

Before long, Gu Shi took his leave and went off to cultivate.