411: Resurrection Curse

As Su Han placed the blue light point into the jade bottle, a thunderous roar of collapsing mountains echoed from afar, piercing through the mist under the blood-red moonlight.

This cursed wasteland was writhing, like the prelude to some ancient giant beast awakening.

The Gravekeeper wiped the congealed blood scabs from his long blade, its ghostly blue flames flickering on and off:

"Those bugs crawled out from the Erosion Abyss's breath."

He suddenly pointed southeast, his withered finger trembling, "Look at the pattern of the mist."

Su Han narrowed his eyes.

The originally chaotic black mist was reorganizing, transforming into countless twisting tendrils pointing directly north.

The dry bloodstains on the ground suddenly boiled, evaporating into crimson steam with the stench of decaying flesh, reflecting an eerie purple glow under the moonlight.

"Something's wrong."

Bi Yao suddenly pressed her throbbing left shoulder, the congealed blood scab cracking again.

She gazed at her pale palm, where spiderweb-like golden patterns had appeared—the marks left three days ago when she absorbed the Erosion Abyss's Qi were spreading.

"There's poison in this mist, something even more terrifying than the Gu corpse worms we encountered."

Before her words fell, the entire space abruptly twisted. Black thorns grew from the barren ground, each sharp thorn rotating and oozing viscous marrow fluid.

Su Han swung his sword, cutting off the thorns rushing towards Bi Yao, but found that tender shoots with bone spurs continuously emerged from the severed ends.

These plants were like living wounds, devouring the shattered rocks with a grating growing sound.

"Hold your breath!"

The Gravekeeper suddenly roared, a blood Talismanic Incantation exploding into golden light in his palm.

The pale barrier that had just formed before the trio was corroded with streaks of cracks.

A half-human-tall carrion worm burrowed out from underground, its carapace embedded with writhing compound eyes, spewing corrosive poisonous mist as its mouthparts opened and closed.

Su Han's blade sparked against the worm's shell.

This worm corpse, eroded by Devilish Qi, was a hundred times tougher than ordinary Gu corpse worms; the Sword Qi, after penetrating the outer shell, was largely swallowed by the worm-like demonic patterns within the carapace.

The Gravekeeper's long blade, wreathed in ghostly blue flames, struck the worm's abdomen but was repelled several feet away.

Bi Yao suddenly bit her fingertip, drawing a blood-red Talismanic Incantation in the air.

A faint Phoenix phantasm was visible within the golden flames rising around her, wrapping the carrion worm into a charred fireball.

But the worm corpse shrieked in the fierce flames, and countless tiny Gu worms surged from its carapace, gnawing holes in the fire.

"These aren't ordinary worms!"

Bi Yao stumbled backward, black blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

The golden patterns on her palm had spread to her forearm, and flowing Devilish Qi was faintly visible beneath her skin.

"The Erosion Abyss is polluting them, making death a new vessel."

Su Han suddenly remembered the jade bottle in his palm. The moment the carrion worm exploded, he glimpsed the blue light point flickering deep within its abdomen.

That familiar yet strange resonance was identical to the feeling he had when devouring the spiritual body three days ago.

The jade bottle grew hot in his palm, and the faint light point inside suddenly vibrated violently.

"Step back!"

He pushed Bi Yao towards the Gravekeeper, and the Profound Sky Sword ignited with an unprecedented azure flame.

When the mutated Gu worm swarm rushed over, he actually voluntarily slit his wrist, and his sword's edge, wrapped in gushing blood, plunged into the ground.

The moment the Devilish Qi spread with the blood, countless children's cries suddenly echoed throughout the entire wasteland.

The thorns on the ground frantically retreated, and the worm swarm scattered and fled like a herd of beasts encountering their natural predator.

The cries grew closer and closer, finally coalescing into the transparent figure of a small boy.

He stood barefoot in the blood mist, the spider silk wrapped around his fingertips rapidly dissolving: "Help us... help us..."

Bi Yao's barrier shattered at precisely this moment.

She stumbled, steadying herself by Su Han's arm, and was shocked to find that the worm corpses, previously infected by Devilish Qi, were now melting into dark green viscous liquid.

"This is... the Soul Return Dao? Purifying Gu worms in reverse with blood spiritual power?"

"No!"

The Gravekeeper suddenly roared, blocking their path.

He slashed his long blade at the spiderweb appearing in the Void Realm, and the ghostly blue flames on his blade's edge actually turned dark red.

"It's the Erosion Abyss's bait! It's using the memories of the deceased to lure your spiritual power—"

Before his words finished, the small boy's corpse suddenly swelled tenfold. (End of Chapter)