Chapter 1680: Purifying the Diabolic Dragon Curse
The moment Xiang Shaoyun heard those words, he realized that Huang Baiwu was trying to take advantage of him. He unhesitatingly said, "Lord Baiwu, I don't think that's right. When did I agree to do something major with you?"
At this time, an ancient figure appeared before them. He was none other than the previous emperor of the Dusk Dynasty from several generations ago. He was far stronger than Huang Baiwu, but it was unfortunate that he had been plagued by the Diabolic Dragon Curse during a fight against a ninth-stage Devil God of the Diabolic Dragon Clan. As a result, his life force was constantly being consumed, and he had no way of breaking free from the curse. If it wasn't for his mighty cultivation level, he would have perished long ago.
"Don't be so quick to say no, Young Master Xiang. Listen to me first. You will definitely agree to do it with me!" said Huang Baiwu confidently.
"No thanks. I only want to get some training for my new cultivation level. You don't have to make any arrangements for me," said Xiang Shaoyun firmly.
"Is this the young hero ranked first on the Saintly Forest Ranking? Now that I'm seeing you with my own eyes, you are truly an extraordinary young man," said the emperor emeritus.
Xiang Shaoyun saluted the emperor emeritus for the sake of etiquette, but astonishment soon flickered in his eyes as he said, "Lord, have you been hit by the Diabolic Dragon Curse?"
"Yes. The diabolic dragons are too difficult to deal with. Not even this old man is spared from their tricks. I'm afraid I don't have many days left ahead of me," said the emperor emeritus weakly.
"If you trust this kid, I can expel the curse on your body," said Xiang Shaoyun after giving it some thought.
He could sense that the emperor emeritus's cultivation was deep and unmeasurable. If he could preserve this person's life, it would be a great boon for humanity as a whole.
The emperor emeritus trembled visibly as he asked, "Can you really do something about the curse?"
"Young Master Xiang, are you really capable of removing the curse?" asked Huang Baiwu anxiously.
The other Dusk Dynasty members also looked at Xiang Shaoyun expectantly, hoping that he wasn't merely bluffing.
"Haven't you seen me do it before?" asked Xiang Shaoyun as he looked at Huang Baiwu.
"It's that move?" Huang Baiwu exclaimed in astonishment. True, he had personally witnessed Xiang Shaoyun repel the Diabolic Dragon Curse, but he wasn't aware that the same technique could also be used to lift the curse from someone's body.
"Young Master Xiang, you must help the emperor emeritus. I'm willing to tell you about a place where you can quickly increase your cultivation as a reward!" said Huang Baiwu solemnly.
"For real?" asked Xiang Shaoyun as his eyes lit up.
"Yes. I was planning to offer that place to you so that you could join us against the devils, but if you can help the emperor emeritus, I'm willing to offer it to you ahead of schedule," said Huang Baiwu firmly.
"Deal!" Xiang Shaoyun grew excited. "In truth, even without the reward, I still wouldn't allow anything to happen to this lord."
The Light of Wisdom lit up on his forehead, and an energy of high purity shone upon the emperor emeritus. "Lord, do not reject my power. Guide it into your body and cleanse it of the Diabolic Dragon Curse."
After sensing the purity of the energy, the emperor emeritus became certain that Xiang Shaoyun was speaking the truth. A slight trace of excitement became apparent on his face as he circulated Xiang Shaoyun's energy within his body. Bit by bit, the curse was expelled from his body.
While that was happening, Huang Baiwu chased everyone away, giving the emperor and Xiang Shaoyun a quiet environment as they worked. Xiang Shaoyun had thought that he would be able to quickly clear the curse, but he was wrong. The curse was incredibly powerful. His power would not be able to rapidly clear a curse of such prowess. Fortunately, he had a rich supply of God Realm energy and could persist for a decently long time.
After about half a day, more and more of the evil energy in the emperor emeritus's body was repelled. His aged visage looked relieved, and his condition continued to improve. Of course, as time went on, Xiang Shaoyun seemed to be having a harder and harder time, to the point even Little Azure and Little White seemed worried.
"Ok, young friend. The curse has been removed from my body," the emperor emeritus suddenly said.
Xiang Shaoyun hurriedly withdrew his Light of Wisdom as a sense of weakness assaulted his body. He nearly fainted then and there.
"Lord, the Diabolic Dragon Curse in you is truly terrifying," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"Yes. That's the curse of a ninth-stage Devil God. Even a lord guardian will probably have a hard time removing it," said the emperor emeritus with a sigh. He said with gratitude, "All thanks to you, my life is preserved. If you need any help from me in the future, feel free to ask. I will do all I can to assist."
The emperor emeritus was an eighth-stage Rebirth Realm cultivator. He was, without a doubt, the strongest individual of the Dusk Dynasty. Thus, there was a heavy weight to his promise.
"The dominion is in chaos, and an exceptional expert like you is needed to protect our home. This kid dares not claim credit. In any case, Lord Baiwu has even rewarded me. Therefore, you don't owe me anything," said Xiang Shaoyun generously.
"Don't worry. The Dusk Dynasty might have fallen, but that place still stands. If you can keep your presence a secret from the diabolic dragons, you will be able to further increase your strength," said Huang Baiwu.
"Baiwu is right. Our dynasty had built a divine land to help accelerate the rise of our descendants into the Rebirth Realm. However, the devil invasion has interrupted our plan. These are all the people we have left, so it will take us a very long time before we can rise up again. You shall have the opportunity instead, my young friend," said the emperor emeritus.
"I'm already at the second-stage Rebirth Realm. Will that place still be useful for me?" asked Xiang Shaoyun.
"That is a place our dynasty has prepared for 1,000 years. It will be able to advance your cultivation by at least two stages," said Huang Baiwu confidently. "With your combat strength, two additional stages will probably allow you to contend against even the strongest of the Diabolic Dragon Clan. I hope you will be willing to help us kill more devils afterward, especially those of the Diabolic Dragon Clan."
"Haha, if that is the case, I will definitely do my part," said Xiang Shaoyun in excitement.
He did not doubt Huang Baiwu's words. The Dusk Dynasty was a super organization that had existed for over 100,000 years. Nobody would believe it if they claimed that they did not have any accumulation after all those years.
Next, the emperor emeritus proceeded to continue recovering while Huang Baiwu gave Xiang Shaoyun a detailed explanation of the situation in the former territory of the Dusk Dynasty.
Xiang Shaoyun thus obtained a general understanding of the devil invaders. Apart from the Diabolic Dragon Clan, there were also 10 Devil Gods of other devil races participating in the invasion. Even a peak God would not dare to easily approach the Devil Domain's entrance in the Dusk Dynasty as that would be extremely dangerous.
Xiang Shaoyun had intended to bring Little Azure and Little White into the Devil Domain for some training, but he canceled that thought after listening to Huang Baiwu. He still wasn't strong enough to go anywhere he wanted.
"Ok. I'll take you to the imperial palace. A large number of devils are occupying that place, so you'll have to rely on yourself if you want to enter the divine land," said Huang Baiwu.