272: Shocking

The secret chamber fell into a long silence, with only the faint sizzling sounds of the exotic flowers and herbs being continuously devoured, and Mu Chen's slightly hurried and nervous breathing.

Jiang Donghua frowned, looking at Mu Chen's chest, directly at the strange black curse mark.

His brain was working rapidly, comparing, analyzing, and deducing Mu Chen's description against his vast knowledge of ancient texts.

“An old monster, at least with a Spirit Realm Soul, possibly even a Dou Zun or an Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster, split fragments of his Soul before dying and randomly injected them into several people's bodies—this is definitely not without purpose!”

“Body snatching?”

Jiang Donghua first thought of this most direct possibility, but then immediately dismissed it.

“It doesn't seem like it. If it were for body snatching and rebirth, he would definitely choose the most compatible and most potential body for lurking and erosion, to gain complete control.”

“Such random dispersion, with a very low success rate and scattered power, doesn't fit the logic of body snatching.”

“Gestation?”

Another thought flashed through his mind.

“Could it be some evil art, implanting Soul fragments like seeds into others' bodies, drawing vital energy and power from the host, and then harvesting or merging them once they grow to a certain extent?”

This conjecture seemed closer, as the mark indeed continuously devoured Mu Chen's cultivation and life force.

“But splitting into multiple parts and implanting them into different bodies simultaneously, this again seems like a strategy of diversified investment, casting a wide net? Or perhaps this isn't for rebirth at all?”

Jiang Donghua's thoughts touched upon some even older and more bizarre records.

“Could it be some kind of Soul curse secret art for mutual destruction?”

“Its purpose isn't for his own resurrection, but to make everyone tainted by his Soul fragments suffer a terrible death, enduring the same pain and torment as him, until their life force is exhausted and they perish? Is this an extreme form of resentment and revenge?”

“Or perhaps the fragment itself contains some obsession or information, requiring specific conditions or the host's growth to trigger?”

Each conjecture seemed to have some points of agreement, but none could perfectly explain all phenomena.

The strangeness and complexity of this curse far exceeded any cases or records Jiang Donghua had encountered before.

Time passed minute by minute, and Jiang Donghua pondered quietly for a full ten minutes.

Mu Chen stood by, so nervous that his palms were sweating, yet he dared not make a sound to disturb him.

He looked at Jiang Donghua's profound and focused gaze, his heart filled with both anticipation and fear of hearing an even more desperate answer.

In his eagerly anticipating eyes, the last shred of hope intertwined with deep fear.

Finally, Jiang Donghua slowly raised his head, his deep gaze refocused on Mu Chen's face.

He took a deep breath, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable caution, and slowly began to speak, presenting his conjectures based on the available information.

“Brother Mu Chen, based on your description and some of my deductions, this thing inside your body could be one of the following situations.”

His voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet secret chamber.

“First, and most likely, this is an extremely malicious curse—that old monster didn't intend to snatch a body, but rather, in a nearly self-destructive manner, transformed his remaining venomous Soul Power into a curse seed, implanting it into your bodies.”

“It will continuously devour your vital energy and Dou Qi to sustain its existence, growing stronger, and its ultimate goal is very likely to completely drain the host, making your life and Soul its final nourishment until both are annihilated.”

“This is an extreme form of revenge.”

Mu Chen's face instantly turned a few shades paler.

Jiang Donghua continued.

“Second, a slightly lower possibility, but more troublesome, is that this is a wicked art of Soul Seed parasitic spirit.”

“The Soul fragment is like a dormant seed, lurking within your body. It devours your power not to destroy, but to gestate or wait.”

“Waiting for a specific moment, or waiting for the host to reach a certain strength threshold, it will then fully awaken, either taking over as the master to snatch the body, or sensing and recalling for harvest.”

“If this is indeed the case, the root cause is not removed, and even if temporarily suppressed, the future troubles will be endless.”

“Third, this is a hybrid product I have never seen before, combining Soul secret arts and ancient curses. Its true purpose might be beyond our imagination, perhaps related to the secrets of the ruins themselves.”

After Jiang Donghua finished speaking, he looked at Mu Chen with a solemn gaze.

“Regardless of which it is, the situation is far more complex and dangerous than ordinary internal injuries or strange poisons, directly affecting your Soul origin and life foundation.”

After listening, Mu Chen's body swayed slightly, the color drained from his face.

Although he was mentally prepared, hearing Jiang Donghua's clear and cruel analysis still sent a chilling despair through him.

“Is there really no way at all?”

His voice trembled slightly.

Listening to Jiang Donghua's clear and incisive analysis, Mu Chen's last trace of color drained from his face, and the faint spark of hope that had just ignited in his eyes was doused by a bucket of ice water, leaving only cold despair and numbness.

“Brother Jiang, your judgment is almost identical to the final conjectures of the several Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Master Alchemists I sought out over the years!”

“They all said that this thing is rooted in the Soul origin, too deeply intertwined with my life essence, and forcibly removing it carries extreme risks. A slight mistake would result in the scattering of my Soul and spirit—it can only be barely maintained, slowing its devouring!”

He slowly closed his eyes, as if overwhelmed, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

“Perhaps the most painful thing in this world is to watch one's own power and vitality slowly drain away, feeling the body weaken day by day, yet being powerless.”

This slow and clear withering was more tormenting than any torture.

Just as Mu Chen was almost completely swallowed by this immense despair, he heard Jiang Donghua speak again.

This time, Jiang Donghua's voice carried an extremely calm and investigative quality, asking a question that surprised him.

“Brother Mu Chen, when you sought out those Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Master Alchemists before, did any of them attempt to carefully delve their own Soul Power into the internal space of this dark curse in your chest, to investigate its true core condition?”

“What?!”

Mu Chen's eyes snapped open, looking at Jiang Donghua in disbelief, as if he had heard something utterly fantastical.

Immediately, a bitter and self-mocking smile appeared on his face, and he shook his head.

“How could that be?”

“Which of those Master Alchemists isn't of noble status and extraordinary position?”

“How precious are their lives? My broken body, how could it be worth them taking such an extreme risk?”

His tone carried a hint of helpless understanding, but also a subtle, undetectable sarcasm.

“To delve into the curse's core for investigation? What if their Soul Power were to be backlash, contaminated, or even devoured by this strange curse power? No one could bear such consequences!”

“They would never dare to make such a dangerous move.”

“So, all their judgments were based only on external perception and my descriptions.”

Mu Chen's voice grew lower and lower; this was almost a predetermined dead end in his mind.

However, after he finished speaking, he found that Jiang Donghua did not show an expression of despair or agreement like him.

On the contrary, in Jiang Donghua's deep eyes, a sharp light flickered, extremely focused, even with a hint of eagerness?!

Mu Chen's heart suddenly leaped!

A thought that he himself found crazy and unbelievable uncontrollably emerged.

Could it be that this young Fourth-Grade Alchemist Master in front of him actually intended to personally attempt an in-depth investigation?!

This idea was too terrifying, so much so that Mu Chen was stunned in place for a moment, just staring blankly at Jiang Donghua, his heart beating violently and uncontrollably.