Chapter 124: Defeat

At this moment, the Fish-Scale Blade seemed imbued with a spirit of its own, possessing an unstoppable force. Even though the turtle shell descended like a net covering the sky, the blade pierced through it with a single strike.

Then, leveraging the power of the curse, the blade struck the center of the turtle shell with immense force.

The shell shuddered, its defenses shattered instantly. It could not even hold out for ten breaths before it wilted and fell back into the hands of Chu Yuwang.

Chu Youcai stood there holding the Fish-Scale Blade, its radiance still flickering, pointing directly at Chu Yuwang with an irresistible momentum.

During his ten years of cultivation within the world of the Tuolong Mountain and River Pearl, he had practiced steadily, mastering demon arts to a state of profound proficiency. Combined with the fact that the Fish-Scale Blade was of a higher grade than his opponent's weapon, he held a massive advantage.

The onlookers were stunned, their hearts reeling from the successive shocks. Chu Youcai had unleashed the power of a curse, and yet he was even stronger than Chu Yuwang!

Had Chu Youcai sacrificed his life force, or was this the result of his ten years of cultivation?

Regardless, it was now a certainty that Chu Youcai possessed the power to defeat Chu Yuwang. He even had the qualifications to seize first place this time.

Chu Yuwang’s face turned deathly pale. He had never expected that all his elaborate plans would prove to be nothing more than reflections in water or flowers in a mirror—completely shattered. He had slaughtered countless people and endured great hardships to cultivate for ten years, yet before Chu Youcai, he proved utterly fragile.

His inner resolve collapsed, driving him to madness.

"Chu Youcai, if that is how it is, don't blame me for being ruthless! I will have you die here today!"

Chu Yuwang uttered a vicious curse. A blood-red light flickered from his body, carrying the wails of countless souls. Amidst this overwhelming resentment, his eyes turned blood-red, his hands withered, and his life force burned away to grant him terrifying power.

This was a secret technique Chu Yuwang had obtained in his youth, capable of temporarily boosting his cultivation. It drew its strength from consuming human flesh and blood; the thousands he had slaughtered in recent days had allowed this technique to reach its maximum potential.

He was determined to kill Chu Youcai, win first place, and obtain the new cursed artifact! His true future lay in contending with Chu Yuwei, not in dealing with the likes of Chu Youcai.

Seeing this, Prince Chu’s gaze turned icy. He had not expected Chu Yuwang to resort to such a foul power. As a man hailed as a god of war on the battlefield, he knew all too well that this power was stained with the blood of countless innocents.

Facing such a powerful blow, countless thoughts flashed through Chu Youcai’s mind.

With his increased cultivation, he had many ways to respond. He could burn his lifespan to empower a cursed artifact, or use a body-double to evade the strike.

In the end, he chose to take out a ten-year-old Magic Cloud Flower from his robes and consume it. His lifespan was too precious, and his body-double was a vital trump card. Even after consuming this flower, he still had two twenty-year-old Magic Cloud Flowers and one more ten-year-old flower in his possession.

This Magic Cloud Flower, having been soaked in a special medicinal decoction, restored his energy faster than ordinary immortal herbs.

In an instant, while retreating, Chu Youcai absorbed the medicinal essence and unleashed the power of the curse once more, swinging the Fish-Scale Blade.

The blade carried the thunderous force of heaven and earth, shaking the very atmosphere until the air seemed to boil.

Clang!

Chu Yuwang’s boundless momentum was blocked by Chu Youcai’s blade, causing sparks to fly in all directions.

At the same time, however, Chu Youcai was sent flying back by the high-speed collision. Because his opponent had used a special technique to boost his power, Chu Youcai could not fully withstand it, and since this was his second time using the curse, the blade's power was only ninety percent of what it had been before.

Yet, Chu Youcai’s body had been tempered, and such an injury meant nothing to him. He stood up quickly, completely unscathed.

This scene left the crowd dazed. Chu Youcai actually possessed immortal herbs! He was able to unleash a cursed artifact for a second time! Furthermore, he possessed such a formidable physique that he remained unharmed after such an impact!

They could hardly believe their eyes. Was this really Chu Youcai? The Third Young Master who had been scorned by everyone, the one who had once been forced to sell his wife? At this moment, they even suspected they were looking at the eldest son, Chu Yuwei.

Chu Yuwang was consumed by fury, his face drained of color. He had not expected Chu Youcai to be hiding so much, managing to block his lethal strike at the most critical moment.

He felt his body beginning to collapse from the excessive toll. He needed a powerful immortal herb to replenish himself, but he had none.

In an instant, regret washed over him. Previously, to accelerate the growth of his technique, he had spent all his silver to purchase corpses. If he had even one immortal herb now, he would surely regain his strength and strike Chu Youcai down!

Chu Youcai walked up to Chu Yuwang with a calm and detached expression. "Second Brother, do you still wish to fight?"

"I will kill you!"

Chu Yuwang roared again, his eyes filled with a cold, sinister intent. Abandoning all caution, he instantly pushed his cultivation to the limit, preparing to burn his own lifespan to strike at Chu Youcai.

Though he felt his internal strength crumbling, he gritted his teeth and endured. He had endured humiliation for so many years for the sake of victory; he could not fail now!

But this time, Chu Youcai struck faster.

Before Chu Yuwang could unleash his cursed artifact, the Fish-Scale Blade followed like a shadow, cutting through the sky. It descended fiercely before Chu Yuwang’s chest, a chilling force pressing against his neck.

"You..." Chu Yuwang had not expected Chu Youcai’s swordsmanship to be so bizarre and swift. He realized that Chu Youcai could kill him before he even had the chance to activate his curse.

He dared not move. Yet, his heart remained full of resentment and malice.

Chu Youcai took another ten-year-old Magic Cloud Flower from his robes with his other hand. "Still want to fight? Your body is on the verge of collapse. If you use the power of the curse again, you might perish before you even manage to hurt me."

Seeing that Chu Youcai still had another immortal herb, Chu Yuwang’s heart completely collapsed. Each immortal herb was worth five hundred thousand taels of silver—how precious they were—and he never imagined Chu Youcai would have more.

At that moment, Chu Yuwang knew he had been thoroughly defeated.

His face turned ashen. He let out a long sigh, lowered his head, and whispered, "Third Brother, I have lost. I concede."

But as he looked up, his eyes still burned with murderous intent, staring fixedly at Chu Youcai as if to etch his appearance, his figure, and every detail into his memory forever.