Chapter Seventy-Six: Curse?

“Insolence!”

In an instant, a surge of pure, righteous energy swept up from below, striking the monstrous hand of darkness and forcing it back. The entire audience erupted in astonishment, all eyes fixed on the tavern below, where a man in white soared skyward astride a celestial bird.

“It’s him, it’s him!”

“He’s finally intervened! As long as this elder is willing to act, this calamity can be broken…”

Ye Qiu’s entrance caused a sensation; everyone was startled, even the ancient monsters lurking in the void above could not hide their shock.

“Hiss… I thought the appearance of a female emperor and a sword immortal in the mortal realm was already terrifying enough, but to think that in this desolate wilderness, another peerless master was hidden all along.”

“With a single word, he forced back a being of Immortal Lord rank. His strength is unfathomable…”

No one present could maintain their composure; all were awed by the aura radiating from Ye Qiu.

High above the heavens, Ye Qiu rode the wind, facing the void head-on. Originally, he had no intention to intervene, but upon seeing Yue Chan nearly snatched away by the void’s great power, he could no longer restrain himself.

What? You say I am lecherous?

Impossible. Am I that sort of man?

I am simply making up for mistakes of the past, nothing more. How could that be called lust, right?

Ye Qiu tried to convince himself with such excuses, but in the end, he arrived at the void, facing the mighty presence lurking within.

Meanwhile, Liu Jianchen and the Elder of Divine Machinery were still locked in battle. Elsewhere, the creatures of the wasteland and those of the void fought desperately, plunging the heavens and earth into chaos.

The scene was breathtaking. Ye Qiu paid no heed to other matters, maintaining a calm and unhurried demeanor as he gazed ahead.

Outwardly composed, inwardly he was flustered, but fortunately his opponent was somewhat wary and did not attack further.

“To think that my silent divine power works even on such terrifying beings… It seems this skill is quite formidable. As long as my presence is not weaker, the opponent surely won’t dare make a move,” Ye Qiu muttered to himself.

Yue Chan, awkwardly stepping away from the brink of death, felt a surge of joy upon realizing Ye Qiu had saved her. Her gaze flickered with confidence—she showed no fear from the earlier trap, and instead smiled at Ye Qiu.

She knew well that he would save her, not for any reason, but simply as a matter of intuition.

She had been right to trust him; this infuriating man did intervene after all. Secretly delighted, Yue Chan did not let it show, quickly resuming her icy demeanor.

“Elder, the void creatures are terrifying. With the collapse of the Chaos Sky, even stronger beings may invade the wasteland. We must find a way to mend this breach…”

As Ye Qiu revealed himself, many began to gather towards him. Without doubt… Ye Qiu was now the sole pillar of the crowd.

“There’s no chance left! The barrier has been completely destroyed. The bridge between the wasteland and the void has been constructed. Even if a Great Immortal descended, it would be futile…”

Ye Qiu spoke plainly. He did not see this as a calamity, but rather… as an opportunity.

To grow amidst tribulation is the true path to breaking and remaking; perhaps… this is the only way to avoid a great purge.

“What?”

With Ye Qiu’s words, utter silence fell. If even Ye Qiu was powerless, then surely this was a deathly tribulation.

At that moment, despair gripped everyone’s hearts, even the ancient monsters.

Ye Qiu offered no explanation, but coldly glanced at the lurking elders, saying, “This calamity is of your making. Speak—how do you intend to resolve it?”

“We are to blame?”

The ancient monsters were stunned, shaken by Ye Qiu’s accusation. At that moment, an elder from the Forbidden Zone of Eternal Mountain sighed deeply.

“Alas… Who would have thought the curse of the past would come true at last!”

“A curse? What curse?”

Confusion swept the crowd; only a handful of ancient immortals knew the secret.

They lowered their heads in silence and addressed Ye Qiu, “You are right. This calamity is indeed the result of us old ones. Perhaps it is our destined tribulation—one can avoid fate for a moment, but not forever…”

“Ancestors, what are you talking about? What tribulation? What curse?”

Their words were cryptic, even Yue Chan was anxious and puzzled.

The elder from the Forbidden Zone of Eternal Mountain began to speak slowly, “At the dawn of the Immortal Age, it was said…

The world we inhabit cannot bear so many immortals at once! Every world has its own laws…

And in this world, no more than three immortals may exist simultaneously. That is, in any era, only three may attain immortality.

Yet, we survived from the chaotic old ages to now, employing tricks to deceive the heavens—sealing ourselves within tombs, living a million years as if a single day, avoiding fate and escaping death.

Under such harsh restrictions, self-sealing was our only means of survival.

Now, because so many immortals have emerged at once, the laws of heaven and earth have collapsed, breaking the Chaos Sky, and the bridge to the void has been forged.

This is a curse. At first, we did not believe it, but now… we are convinced! The curse has come to pass…”

For a moment, all struggled to accept this revelation. No one had imagined such a curse existed in their world.

“No wonder none have become immortal all these years…”

“Only three allowed to ascend?”

The three of this era were clear: Ye Qiu, Yue Chan, Liu Jianchen…

The Dark God of the River of Boundaries was not counted, for he did not belong to the wasteland.

Had there only been these three, the world would have remained safe. But the sudden emergence of so many immortals shattered the heavenly laws, destroyed the world’s order, and collapsed the Chaos Sky.

After the elder’s explanation, Yue Chan felt relieved, yet she did not believe they were at fault.

Their desire to survive was not a crime. She wondered, though, why they chose self-sealing.

“If only three can ascend in any world, then… if you hadn’t feigned death, wouldn’t there be no fourth immortal?”

Exactly!

Yue Chan’s question left everyone stunned, all eyes turning to the elders.

The elder from the Forbidden Zone shook his head and explained, “It’s not so simple. As I said, this is a curse—one that cannot be broken.

Such are the laws: if a fourth ascends, then one of the first three must be erased by the Heavenly Dao.

Therefore, we could only choose self-sealing, feigning death to deceive the heavens and avoid annihilation…”

Ye Qiu’s heart jolted at these words.

“Damn, I’m the first of this era? So if another ascends, I’ll be the one to die?”

He was lucky—the collapse of the Chaos Sky spared him from the Heavenly Dao’s erasure. The curse was truly terrifying…