Chapter 25: The Cursed Bloodline

The grand hall was brilliantly illuminated, exuding an air of majestic grandeur that made one feel as though they had stepped into a sacred temple.

"Don't just stand there, come over."

At that moment, the voice of the mysterious man heard earlier emanated from a crystal sarcophagus located in the center of the hall. Wu Shu felt deeply puzzled that a voice could emerge from such a vessel. Under normal circumstances, a coffin was a final resting place for the deceased; few living people would choose to lie in one unless they were an anomaly among the human race. Wu Shu refused to believe his ancestors would be such eccentrics, preferring to assume that the one lying in the crystal sarcophagus was a progenitor of the Demon Race.

As doubts swirled in his mind, Wu Zuo, residing within his consciousness, spoke up: "Is... is all of this real? This hall before us is the Hall of Immortality, and the entire structure is crafted from Immortality Stone."

Wu You chimed in, "The Hall of Immortality? As one of the most mysterious components of the Great Mountain-Suppressing Palace, even a mortal body living within its walls could attain eternal life. The Forgotten Continent has long since shattered and drifted apart; who would have thought the Hall of Immortality would remain intact here?"

Wu Shu had heard of the Great Mountain-Suppressing Palace before—the Palace Master was born with an ancestral constitution and the peak strength of a divine king, possessing power enough to look down upon the world from birth. Yet, this was his first time entering the so-called Hall of Immortality. A place that could grant mortals eternal life was truly a supreme treasure worth fighting over.

If such a treasure lay before him, belonging solely to the middle-aged man in the sarcophagus, one could only imagine what level of strength that man must have possessed if he were indeed a Wu ancestor. Of course, if the occupant was a Demon progenitor, then Wu Shu was truly unlucky.

"Hahaha..."

While Wu Shu was lost in thought, the Night-Walking Beast suddenly looked up and laughed, speaking in human tongue: "Immortality Stone? It really is Immortality Stone! Haha... Heaven truly does not wish for my demise."

The Night-Walking Beast's behavior stunned the man in the crystal sarcophagus. A cold voice emanated from within: "What kind of petty scoundrel dares to run wild here?"

The Night-Walking Beast, as if possessed, retorted unhurriedly: "The three ancestors of the Wu clan—the Thunder Ancestor, the Blazing Ancestor, and the War Ancestor. Even our supreme Demon progenitor had to tread carefully when encountering the three of you back then. I never expected that after ten thousand years, while the supreme progenitor remains, only the War Ancestor, who flows with the blood of our Demon Race, is left here gasping for his final breaths."

To know such ancient history, the intruder must hold a high position within the Demon Race. Back then, not to mention his elder brothers, Wu Zhan—who carried Demon blood—had performed countless earth-shattering deeds in the Demon realm; he couldn't even remember how many Demon prodigies had perished at his hands. Even knowing the intruder was of the Demon Race, Wu Zhan remained calm. "You vermin, reaching this place must not have been easy."

The Night-Walking Beast replied with cocky arrogance: "Hahaha... reaching this place was indeed not easy. I must truly thank this young descendant of your Wu family. If not for his help, and his decision to bring this fool along, I would never have known how to enter this place."

The man in the crystal sarcophagus was in poor physical condition, but he knew that any Demon capable of appearing here unnoticed must possess significant power. Even if a youngster like Wu Shu was exceptionally gifted among his peers, he was still just an unripened genius when facing these ancient Demon monsters.

Wu Zhan said in a deep voice, "Young one, I will stop this demon creature in a moment. What you need is inside the sarcophagus."

The Night-Walking Beast, possessed by the demon, sneered: "Darkness falls, leaving no trace—that is the mark of my Night Demon clan. You will all die here today. You should feel honored to die at the hands of Yin Wushang."

So, the intruder was Yin Wushang. Wu Zhan suppressed his shock: "So you are the Night Demon ancestor, Yin Wushang?"

The man in the sarcophagus knowing his name made Yin Wushang swell with pride: "War Ancestor, are you surprised? It seems someone of the Night Demon clan has broken through your human curses and emerged as another ancestor."

He felt immense pride in his achievement. To Yin Wushang, Wu Zhan was a cripple and Wu Shu was an insignificant youth—both were fish on a chopping block. Yin Wushang continued: "Speaking of curses, you should really thank the Black Demon God for your family's current state. If his avatar hadn't burned its divine intent to cast a bloodline curse upon its fall, the Wu family would likely be one of the strongest clans on the Thick Earth Continent by now."

With that, Yin Wushang laughed again: "Hahaha... no matter how powerful one's strength is, if they lack a clear mind, they will perish even with an immortal body. You should never have provoked the Black Demon God."

Through their dialogue, Wu Shu learned many secrets: the decline of the Wu family was due to a curse. And the man in the sarcophagus was indeed the War Ancestor. What Wu Shu couldn't understand was why the War Ancestor carried Demon blood. Did he have ancestors with a penchant for the demonic? Regardless, he had no interest in the past.

Seeing Yin Wushang preparing to speak again, Wu Shu interrupted: "Interesting. I originally thought that when I defeated those claiming to be Demon experts, they must have had some backup plan. Seeing the stone tablet acting so talkative, I decided on a whim to bring the Night-Walking Beast along. I never expected a loser like you would actually be able to follow us here without being detected."

Yin Wushang retorted disdainfully: "Boy, the heaven-defying methods of an ancestor are beyond the imagination of a greenhorn like you."

Yin Wushang was a powerful Night Demon ancestor, but Wu Shu did not fear him. The ancestor was currently possessing the Night-Walking Beast; even if his true form were unimaginably strong, his current means were limited to spiritual attacks. A battle of spirit? With the assistance of Wu Zuo and Wu You, if Wu Shu went all out, he was confident that even a master of spiritual attacks would fall.

Wu Shu provoked him: "Since you're here, ancestor, why don't you leave your life behind?"

Knowing Wu Shu was severely injured, Yin Wushang scoffed: "Ignorant brat. Do you really think your laughable spiritual attacks can contend with an ancestor-level expert?"

"Oh, really?"

Yin Wushang said coldly: "Boy, I advise you to give up. The demonic avatar you defeated in the War God's Hall was merely a manifestation of the bloodline curse within the War Ancestor. Let me tell you, although the War Ancestor flows with Demon blood, he is so obsessed with human cultivation techniques that he cannot truly utilize his own demonic lineage."

Wu Shu said nonchalantly, "Does any of that matter?"

Wu Shu added with a sneer, "Night Demon ancestor, you talk too much. In the time you've spent blathering, I've already finished engraving an array."

The Night Demon ancestor growled, "You are arrogant, brat! You have successfully enraged me. Now, I will slaughter you."

Wu Shu shook his head in disdain: "It is already too late. I don't even care to look at you anymore."

"Imprison!"

"Divine Flame, Annihilation of Gods Profound Sword!"

As Wu Shu had said, while the Night Demon ancestor was busy chattering, Wu Zuo and Wu You had already used the star stones they inhabited to engrave a confinement array. Once the ancestor was trapped, Wu Shu poured every ounce of his mental energy into the strike.

Upon being imprisoned and hearing Wu Shu call out the name of his technique, the Night Demon ancestor was shocked: "You can still use this move?"

Realizing the confinement force on the Night-Walking Beast was not impossible to break, the Night Demon ancestor shook his head and sneered: "Brat, I must admit you are a threat. Now, I am more interested in you than the Immortality Stone. What kind of opportunity did you encounter to possess such powerful mental energy at such a young age? If I were to obtain it, the Thick Earth Continent would soon be mine alone."

"Brat, you shouldn't have met me today. Let me show you the long-lost supreme Demon technique: Heaven-Devouring Earth-Escaping." Even sensing the powerful mental fluctuations, the ancestor was confident in his technique: "I can't wait to see what opportunities you've stumbled upon."

Yin Wushang then attempted to use his secret technique to possess Wu Shu's body. Wu Shu, sensing the anomaly, remained decisive. His goal was to bait the ancestor into a trap. By acting as if he were unleashing everything in a desperate attempt to deal a fatal blow, Wu Shu knew that the ancestor—whose power was currently restricted to the Night-Walking Beast—would choose the most advantageous path: soul possession.

As Yin Wushang merged into the shadow of the Night-Walking Beast, he laughed, "Boy, I'll take this body of yours."

As the words left his mouth, the Night Demon ancestor flowed along Wu Shu's shadow into his body.

Once he realized the ancestor was inside, Wu Shu said calmly, "Finally, you took the bait."