Chapter Fifty-Five: The Enemy Is Me!

In truth, Jiang Yuan could dispel the curse without relying on the Emperor’s fate to shield him; the Divine Creation and Destruction Technique was not to be taken lightly. Even based solely on his cultivation, he wouldn’t need much time, for Nezha had already shaken off his own negative effects. As for Zhang Kui, it was hardly worth mentioning—at the level of Golden Immortal, such curses had no impact on him whatsoever.

No sooner had the frail old man collapsed than a torrent of arrows, swift as thunderbolts, flew towards them! The sky was dense with shafts, resembling locusts sweeping across the land. Jiang Yuan watched the rain of ten thousand arrows descend and realized at last the meaning of the old man’s final curse. No wonder he cursed him to be pierced by a thousand arrows—so there was indeed a hidden contingency.

Now, wasn’t this just turning the weapon upon oneself? Jiang Yuan felt not the slightest concern that these ordinary arrows could harm him. Such arrows might threaten mortal soldiers, but to shoot at cultivators like them? Nezha’s Eight-Nine Mysterious Arts were, after all, a body-refining technique; the arrows bounced off him as if merely scratching an itch.

The tribesmen of the Corpse Fiend Clan quickly understood that their arrows were utterly ineffective against Jiang Yuan and his companions—these were the same sort of cultivators as the elder who had attacked their tribe the previous day.

“Find the priest! Ordinary weapons are useless against them. Corpse Fiend Army, charge! Even if it costs us our lives, do not let them rescue Wen Zhong!” shouted the elder who had been cursed.

By “Corpse Fiend Army,” he meant those warriors of the tribe with some cultivation, the highest among them barely reaching the Mystic Immortal realm—a world apart from Jiang Yuan and his allies.

Seeing the mass of warriors surge forward, Nezha’s interest was piqued. His eyes sparkled, and his three-headed, six-armed true form appeared in an instant. With the Fire-tipped Spear, the Universe Ring, and the Silk of Chaos in hand, he let out a shout, ready for battle.

“Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering a hidden quest: Exterminate them all. Kill every charging Corpse Fiend warrior alone. Reward: 300 Tyrant Points!”

The icy voice of the system rang out.

Jiang Yuan frowned, somewhat displeased. Was this cursed system so eager to assign tasks? Did it really see him as nothing but a tool?

Still, he didn’t refuse. He was in need of Tyrant Points, and besides, if killing enemies earned him points, completing the quest could surely push his total past a thousand.

He’d be flush with points once more.

Sooner or later, the system would become his loyal servant.

Zhang Kui remained at the ready, waiting for his lord’s command, his aura unified and brimming with anticipation, prepared to charge forth at any moment.

Nezha, however, wasn’t one for restraint. He was quicker to fight than to eat, and before Jiang Yuan could issue any orders, Nezha dashed forward without hesitation.

“Kill!” Nezha roared.

Just as he reached Jiang Yuan’s side, Jiang Yuan caught him and pulled him back. Nezha, dangling in Jiang Yuan’s grasp, looked at him in confusion and whispered, “Old Jiang, what are you doing?”

Jiang Yuan smiled gently at Nezha. “How about you let me handle these? Would you mind holding back?”

“Why should I? Fighting is everyone’s right—I don’t care, I want to fight too!” Nezha retorted, dissatisfied.

“I said I’d take care of it, and that’s final,” Jiang Yuan repeated.

The system required him to kill the hundreds of Corpse Fiend warriors alone; those points were plainly waiting for him, and he wasn’t about to miss out.

“No way! Why don’t you let me do it instead?” Nezha shot back without hesitation.

Jiang Yuan sighed, forced to use his trump card.

“I’ll let you drive the Lamborghini for a whole day.”

“I was only joking before—these guys are all yours. Old Jiang, why so polite?” Nezha immediately switched to a grin.

Such a young child, already so mercenary, Jiang Yuan mused inwardly.

“There’s something I need you to do. That old man who cursed me just now—”

“You want me to kill that wretched old man?” Nezha cut him off before he finished.

Jiang Yuan frowned at Nezha, displeased. “Could you not be so rash all the time? Let me finish speaking.”

“Fine, fine, talk away,” Nezha replied, clearly planning to repeat his behavior next time.

“You and Zhang Kui, keep an eye on that old man. Don’t give him a chance to kill himself—I want to pry Wen Taishi’s whereabouts out of him,” Jiang Yuan instructed.

“Got it, got it,” Nezha replied carelessly, waving his hand.

Jiang Yuan ignored him, turning to Zhang Kui. “You and Nezha don’t need to fight. Just watch the old man who cast the curse.”

“But, my lord, can you handle them all alone?” Zhang Kui asked with concern. Though he couldn’t gauge his lord’s true strength, he knew that previously Jiang Yuan’s power was no more than Celestial Immortal.

The Corpse Fiend Army’s highest realm was Mystic Immortal.

Jiang Yuan strode over to Zhang Kui, expressionless, and patted his shoulder with gravity. “General Zhang, in the future, never ask me if I can do something. If I say I can, then I certainly can.”

Didn’t he know a man must never say he can’t? Nor should he ever doubt another man’s ability.

“I understand, my lord,” Zhang Kui replied, somewhat baffled.

Had he somehow displeased his lord again? Nezha was even more confused—what was all this talk about ability? If fighting is the issue, surely I can do it too!

Jiang Yuan paid no further heed to the pair. A layer of dragon-scale armor appeared over his body—the Heavenly Dragon Armor he’d won from the system’s lottery.

Even now, Jiang Yuan harbored a grudge. The system had taken it only to throw it back at him—was it padding its stats?

But once the Heavenly Dragon Armor enveloped him, all misgivings vanished. Truly an innate treasure, its sense of security was unparalleled.

Now, Jiang Yuan felt nearly invulnerable; only a Golden Immortal could break the armor. At least for this battle, he had nothing to fear from physical harm.

As for curses and magical damage, with the Emperor’s fate shielding him, Jiang Yuan feared them even less. He was eager to test his own strength, after all. Surely the Divine Creation and Destruction Technique wasn’t some pitiful, ineffective skill?

The Thunderlight Sword appeared in his hand out of thin air. Though it was merely a post-celestial artifact, it was more than sufficient against these weaklings.

“Old Jiang, you really have a lot of good stuff. I think even I’d have to work to break that armor,” Nezha remarked enviously.

Jiang Yuan regarded Nezha coolly, his divine radiance fierce and majestic.

“Why are you watching me? Go do your own job,” he said, tone flat, gaze imperious.

Nezha rolled his eyes and, reluctantly, charged toward the cursing old man.

“Stop him! Stop this human fiend for me!” the old man cried in panic as Nezha streaked toward him.

Nezha’s gaze turned icy. “I hate being called a fiend more than anything!”

With a flick of the Universe Ring toward the old man, he immediately bound him.

The Corpse Fiend Army saw their elder captured and rushed to his aid.

Just then, a golden light barred their way. Jiang Yuan stood before them, expressionless. “Your opponent is me.”

His tone was calm, his gaze haughty.

It felt good to flaunt his power.