CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38 HEAVENLY DAO, STRIKE HIM DEAD FOR ME_1

After speaking, Ji Yan stared anxiously at Wang Xiu, his right fist clenched so tightly behind his back that it dripped with sweat. Agree, agree, agree, he chanted in his mind.

Under Ji Yan’s fervent gaze, the expression on Wang Xiu’s face shifted from reluctance to temptation, and finally settled into one of deep confidence.

"I am flattered by your high regard, Uncle-Master," the youth declared with a piercing look, exuding a courage born of ignorance. "Although I am no genius, if it’s just a matter of reaching the introductory level of the Heavenly Calamity Curse... three months should be sufficient."

At these words, and under Ji Yan’s ecstatic gaze, Wang Xiu slowly nodded. "I accept this wager!"

He agreed! He agreed! He agreed!

Ji Yan was overjoyed internally, yet his expression remained placid and indifferent. "Once a promise is made, it is unbreakable. For the next three months, you may freely come to the Wind and Thunder Tower to study its techniques and secret manuals, but I will not arrange for anyone to guide you. As for the favor I owe you, it still stands."

"When the wager ends, whether you win or lose, you may still use that favor to ask one thing of me."

With that said, Ji Yan slowly walked over to the smoldering Ji Jinglei. He extended his right hand to slice open the void, kicked Ji Jinglei through the tear, and then stepped into the spatial channel himself, vanishing without a trace.

Interesting.

Watching the father and son of the Ji Family disappear, Wang Xiu stroked his chin and chuckled. Ji Yan’s favor is still on the table, which means my last two days of learning the Thunder Technique in the Wind and Thunder Tower were a complete freebie? That makes sense. If having Ji Jinglei ’guide’ me for two days could repay the favor Ji Yan owed, it would only mean the Thunder Sect’s leader has no sense of shame.

"The Heavenly Calamity Curse," Wang Xiu muttered to himself, looking down at the Jade Slip. "I’d really like to see what kind of technique could make Uncle-Master Ji so certain I can’t master it."

He reached out and placed his hand on the Jade Slip, probing it with his Divine Sense. Instantly, a flood of information about the secret technique poured into his mind, and he rapidly absorbed it.

The Heavenly Calamity Curse was one of Thunderclap Peak’s ultimate skills, holding a transcendent status among the Thunder Sect’s many formidable techniques. It was hailed as the supreme Thunder Technique. If the Taiyi Thunder Control True Canon was the grand codex of the Thunder Path that perfectly explained its essence, then the Heavenly Calamity Curse was the finishing move—a forbidden art that pushed the power of the Thunder Technique to its absolute limit.

Casting this curse allowed one to channel the power of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, unleashing a destructive force far beyond one’s own Cultivation Level to eliminate powerful foes. Furthermore, this destructive power was greatly amplified by the density of the target’s Demonic Aura and Karma.

If the opponent was from the Righteous Sects and possessed no Demonic Qi, the Heavenly Calamity Curse was merely on par with ordinary ultimate skills like the Seven Steps Dragon Slaying Technique. However, if the target was a monstrously evil Great Demon burdened with immense karma, the curse would transform into Heavenly Retribution. It would summon the Heavenly Dao itself to lock onto the adversary and deliver a devastating strike. The stronger the Demonic Qi, the more terrifying the resulting blow.

It was widely known that Heavenly Retribution was the single greatest fear of all Evil Demons and heretics. Once targeted by it, survival wasn’t a slim possibility; it was an absolute impossibility. However, Heavenly Retribution occurred with extreme rarity, typically triggered only by the most wantonly malevolent beings. It also functioned somewhat as a public example, making its appearance a matter of pure luck. A fortunate demon might slaughter millions and never face it, while an unlucky one could be annihilated by it after their very first massacre. Consequently, most demons didn’t live in constant dread of this celestial punishment. After all, the chances were infinitesimally small; not even one in tens of thousands of demons would be struck down by it. No one ever thought they would be that unlucky.

But the Heavenly Calamity Curse was different from conventional Heavenly Retribution. A user of the curse could simply point their finger at a Great Demon and manually trigger it.

It is said that 1,700 years ago, a peerless prodigy from the Thunder Sect mastered the Heavenly Calamity Curse. With a Cultivation Level of only Soul Travel Ninth Heaven, he invoked Heavenly Retribution and single-handedly killed an old ancestor of the Demon Cult, an Earth Immortal at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage. Leaping two major Realms to slay an Earth Immortal—the feat shocked the entire Divine Province!

Terrifying!

This historic battle not only stunned the world but also led the Taoist, Buddhist, Confucian, and Demonic factions to collectively recognize the Heavenly Calamity Curse as the world’s most powerful Thunder Technique for killing.

Unfortunately, just as famous as the technique’s power was its extreme difficulty. While other Thunder Techniques primarily required insight into the Thunder Path, this one demanded not only a profound understanding but also recognition from the Heavenly Dao itself.

To put it simply, the Heavenly Calamity Curse was like calling for backup. It was like crying to the big boss, "Heavenly Dao, I ran into a really, really bad Great Demon! He’s bullying me! Please help me smite him!" Once the big brother was called in, the matter was out of the caster’s hands; the grudge was now between the Heavenly Dao and the target. However, to get that support, the Heavenly Dao first had to accept you as its subordinate. Otherwise, no matter how strong your Thunder Technique was, it was all for naught if the Heavenly Dao didn’t approve of you. Overall, it was a matter of extreme luck.

According to the Jade Slip, only seven disciples from the Thunder Sect had successfully cultivated the Heavenly Calamity Curse in the last 10,000 years. And for over 9,000 of those years, the Sanqing Immortal Sect had been at its zenith. As a dominant branch, the Thunder Sect was overflowing with countless prodigies. Even so, only seven had ever succeeded. That averaged out to only one successor every 1,400 years, which showed just how incredibly difficult it was to gain the Heavenly Dao’s approval and obtain a license to call upon Its power.

Good grief. No wonder he gave me the Jade Slip and immediately bolted with his son. He was digging such a massive pit for me.

Wang Xiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. A secret art that takes over a millennium to produce one successor, and he gives me three months. Ji Yan looks so honest with his bushy eyebrows, but he’s a real schemer! Too bad for him. No matter how clever his scheming is, it will ultimately come to nothing.

Wang Xiu smiled, put away the Jade Slip, and returned it to its shelf. He then brought out the Black Tortoise Mirror, preparing to return to Spirit Turtle Peak for secluded cultivation.

What secluded cultivation? I’m going to integrate the Heavenly Calamity Curse Full Mastery Card, of course! Did he really think I would honestly hole up in the Wind and Thunder Tower, racking my brains in a futile attempt to comprehend it?

***

Within a rift in the void, Ji Yan peered out at Wang Xiu’s departing figure, a sleazy smile creeping onto his face. "No matter how talented you are, you still fell for my ruse, didn’t you? It’s useless to leave in a huff. The bet is made, and I refuse to believe a peerless prodigy like you would have the gall to go back on your word."

The Heavenly Calamity Curse. Only seven people have mastered it in ten thousand years. With the odds stacked so heavily in my favor, how can I possibly lose?

With that thought, he kicked Ji Jinglei in the rear. "I barely used any force in that lightning bolt. Stop pretending to be unconscious."

COUGH. COUGH.

The soot-covered teenager opened his eyes. He scratched his head sheepishly and gave an apologetic grin, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth that stood in stark contrast to his blackened face.

"You are not to reveal a single word about Wang Xiu’s talent in the Thunder Technique to anyone," Ji Yan said indifferently.

Ji Jinglei was taken aback. "Why?"

Ji Yan snorted. "If he fails to master the Heavenly Calamity Curse in three months, he will become your youngest junior brother and the greatest prodigy of our Thunder Sect."

Ji Jinglei muttered, "Dad, I don’t think my talent for the Thunder Technique is any worse than his."

Ji Yan was left dumbfounded.