"That kid is a monster. Run away, run away fast..."

Only the living can claim kingship and domination.

The green hills remain.

...

"We can't win," Han Tao desperately fled at high speed. Cultivators from the Far Sea often climbed up from the very bottom, but as a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, he should have been able to stand on his own. It had been a long time since he had to flee.

But that Modern Cultivator forced him to retreat, to run away!

His Supreme heart lay shattered, uncertain if his Emperor Immortal Heart still existed, his spirit flickered like the remnant flame of a candle, and the Heart Demon loomed like a shadow beneath that trembling light, always poised to vanish or appear.

Perhaps that Modern Heretic was adept in the techniques of the Heart Demon or illusion. But it didn't matter now because he knew he couldn't maintain his combat power for the time being.

Things like spirit and will are not so easily clarified. Perhaps to some, it simply looked like he chose a strategy to save his own life, but he was aware that his pride had been crushed, and his hands could no longer wield the sword that he once aspired to use to claim his own kingdom.

For, at the moment the Dao Heart Pure Yang System crashed and part of the Heart Demon Curse Power reverted to Divine Power, his Spiritual Sense was restored. Wang Qi made no attempt to conceal, laying his Qi Mechanism bare.

He was indeed at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Merely at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment with his faint mana, facing the joint hands of three Nascent Souls, capturing two and frightening away one.

"Definitely, can't win..."

However, even as his self-respect was shattered, a sliver of rationality remained. Han Tao carefully skimmed low, making several turns, ensuring he wasn't followed before stealthily returning to the concealed entrance of the ruin and covering it with an illusion.

During this process, he didn't realize that a new thought had taken root in his mind.

This was the result of Wang Qi, in the distance, flicking his fingers. Having already created a "backdoor" and "port", releasing the Divine Plague Curse Technique was simpler than breathing. For him, willpower was just an algorithm; adding some "functionality" without considering stability or efficiency was really straightforward. Sometimes, he even considered altering his own consciousness to bring it closer to his ideal state. He felt this was the same in nature as cultivating one's character, only much more time-efficient.

The only reason he wasn't acting on it now was because the Divine Plague Curse Technique was too brutal and deadly to control, an imperfect technical approach. After all, spirit and will are not so easily clarified.

But now, he forced Han Tao to think:

—I'm hungry.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator could survive without food or drink to provide bioenergy. To rid oneself of mortal hindrances, the Ancient Method advocated fasting, and Han Tao, an Ancient Method Nascent Soul, hadn't conceived such a thought in a long time.

Perhaps it was the brink of life and death that triggered this thought.

—I'm hungry. I want to eat...

Though indulging one's appetite meant succumbing to desires, after surviving this great ordeal, once he returned, he planned to celebrate with three big bowls of rice, made from the Spirit Rice smuggled from Shenzhou.

That's what Han Tao thought.

Poor him, still unaware that what he wished to eat was far more than just rice.

——————————————————————————

After his musings, Wang Qi walked through the sparse woods of Dragon Five Island, seemingly looking forward to harvesting the fruits of battle. He knew, however, that such things couldn't be rushed.

The most likely virus to extinguish a species isn't the instantaneously lethal type but the one with a sufficiently lengthy incubation period that's just lethally so.

Wang Qi strolled along, enjoying the scenery. This was his first close-up observation of the ecology of an overseas island, and he found everything novel. The trees here were mostly palms, but they were all twisted in strange ways, lacking the straightness and uprightness of typical palms. Some trees grew very large, while others were low and heavily branched, almost turning into shrubs.

Wang Qi had never imagined that there could be a palm family of shrubs in the world!

The assortment of lichens and mosses on the ground was even more diverse. Apart from the common green seen on the main roads, Wang Qi had also spotted a bright red, a deep purple, and a light blue.

After walking for a while, Wang Qi suddenly stopped and called out, "Azimiao?"

"Meow?"

Wang Qi let out a resigned sigh, "Although looking at these novel species is interesting, it's kind of boring without your conversation!"

"Eh?" Mao Zimiao laughed, "Not at all! The spirit plants on this island are really interesting and full of divination. If I could take them back, I might even get a big reward for discovering new species, meow!"

Wang Qi stared at Mao Zimiao for a moment, "Do you think the technique I used just now was too extreme? Did it seem like that of a Demon Path Cultivator?"

"Not at all, meow! Not at all!" Mao Zimiao vigorously shook her head, "I am, after all, a cultivator from Tianling Ridge, and I do possess some academic integrity!"

Wang Qi gave Mao Zimiao a tap on the head with the side of his hand, "Stop lying in front of me, you silly cat! Would you have that expression if you discovered you had hundreds or thousands of merit points to claim?"

Mao Zimiao held her head, looking slightly aggrieved, "Meow..."

Wang Qi shook his head, "Never mind. What I used was indeed a forbidden technique. It's natural for a cultivator from Tianling Ridge to be uncomfortable with it... Really. But let me make it clear, I don't usually resort to such extreme measures."

The Heart Demon Curse was irremovable, but its effects could be counteracted. Wang Qi even hoped that one day, all of humanity could use a version of the Heart Demon Curse bereft of its negative effects. However, taking away a person's entire soul, constructing the Heart Demon System with primordial Qi, was indeed cruel.

Wang Qi remembered Ai Qinglan's merciless punch and turned to walk away.

Never mind, that's just the nature of Tianling Ridge - one less friend, then.

Mao Zimiao said softly behind him, "Although... it does seem a bit like the Demon Path, I know you, Xiao Qi, you're not that kind of person. And besides, Shiqin is still in their hands, and to rescue her, even Senior Brother Ai agrees that drastic measures can be excused. Also, I know how much you despise the Ancient Method due to your homeland... If I'd gone through the same, perhaps my actions would be even more excessive..."

Wang Qi turned back, surprised, "You don't mind my soul-shattering actions?"

Mao Zimiao blinked, "Meow... When I first joined the sect, I dissected so many little white mice every day..."

Wang Qi held his forehead, "I almost forgot..."

On Earth, no means could prove that the "soul" was a material thing, nor could it explain the necessity of this material thing if it did exist. Therefore, on Earth, "soul" was tacitly equated with "thought" and "consciousness" in most contexts.

But in this universe, souls were material. After the Modern Immortal Path revealed the nature of souls and the truth about transcendence, souls no longer held any sanctity; no one hesitated to extinguish a soul. This was just like attacking the brain—isn't it true that nobody at Shenzhou ever declared that attacking the enemy's head during combat was inhumane?

Wang Qi asked, "Then why didn't you pay attention to me just now?"

Mao Zimiao hung her head, "I just felt that you were so strange just now, meow... and even earlier, when you were dueling with that giant dragon..."

I always feel like I'm being left further behind by you...

You always live so brilliantly wherever you are, but I don't know anything about it...

Wang Qi scratched his head, feeling that girls could sometimes be pointlessly sentimental. He sighed and decided to resort to his final tactic.

"Meow! What are you doing! Let go!"

As Wang Qi rubbed Mao Zimiao's ears, he smiled and sang, "Lalala... you ignored me over this and made me bored?"

"Meow! Let go!"

After a little commotion, Wang Qi stepped back two paces. Mao Zimiao, with her face red and covering her ears, looked at Wang Qi with teary eyes, without saying a word.

"Um... Azimiao, it's pretty embarrassing for me when you look at me like that..."

"Hmph." Mao Zimiao turned her head away.

Wang Qi sighed, "We're in a hurry to save people..."

Although it would take a long time for that "Trojan" to erupt, well, saving people is like putting out a fire!

Only then did Mao Zimiao glance at Wang Qi, "Oh."

They walked a few more steps. This time, Mao Zimiao took the initiative to ask, "What exactly is that forbidden technique?"

Wang Qi curved a slight smile, "That, eh? It's a little 'trick' I cooked up in the Divine Capital."

The Heart Demon Curse was a ground-breaking technology that would be promoted throughout Shenzhou in the future. It didn't particularly need to be kept secret—as long as he didn't reveal the true events of the Divine Capital. Wang Qi picked some safe details and explained the wonderful uses of the Heart Demon Curse.

Mao Zimiao listened, dumbfounded, "Then aren't Shiqin and the others in danger?"

"Don't worry, this spell has a baseline identification mechanism that won't affect Modern Cultivators."

That was the mechanism completed by Feng Luoyi in the Divine Capital. Otherwise, he would hardly dare to entrust the Heart Demon Great Curse Memory to a lawless person like Wang Qi.

"But still, according to what you said, this also can't defeat a Divine Separation Stage Cultivator, can it?" Mao Zimiao thought about it, "Perhaps a Divine Separation Stage Cultivator can't rid themselves of the Heart Demon Great Curse in the short term, but they can still suppress the influence... Xiao Qi, you're smiling quite strangely."

"Because I know a guy from the Yangshen Pavilion, who learned a bit about strong suggestion. If you give specific areas of the brain or the soul a stimulus, you create a suggestion stronger than instinct. This stuff is capable of shaking a Cultivator's spirit even more than a Heart Demon, and it's even harder to control. Once you're hit by it, your ability to concentrate on casting spells can drop significantly," said Wang Qi. "Normally, this strong suggestion is quite easy to dispel. But if it's mixed into the casting of the Heart Demon Great Curse, it becomes indelible, like a seal. That's why I call it the 'Thought Steel Seal.'"

For Mao Zimiao, there was no need to talk about the Divine Plague Curse and such. However, some special methods of application could still be mentioned.

Mao Zimiao asked curiously, "What suggestions did you give that Cultivator?"

"In terms of results, one was 'I'm going to lose this one.' Another was 'I'm hungry.'" Wang Qi laughed, "And there's another..."

————————————————————————————

Just then, Han Tao had just entered the corridor. What should have been a brief flight made him feel almost depleted. He steadied himself against the wall of the corridor, then noticed his hands were covered in dust.

"Junior Master Han, you're back." The two Golden Core Cultivators saw Han Tao and respectfully saluted him.

Han Tao nodded, but his eyes were fixed on his hands.

Hands covered in dust.

—I'm so hungry...

After communicating through the Jade Slip with his fellow disciples, Han Tao relaxed completely. He felt as if he had just finished making love, his spirit in a daze, yet there was a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

—Eat...

In his daze, he unconsciously licked his hand.

This was odd behavior. If something determined by instinct to be "inedible" entered the mouth, the throat would automatically lock up and induce a sense of vomiting. Some people couldn't even force themselves.

Dust and dirt were certainly among those things.

But Han Tao felt like he was licking granulated sugar.

He looked at the layer of thin soil on the ground, feeling like he was stepping on a large patch of fried egg or grilled chicken. The rocky walls seemed to him like nougat.

The more disgusting it was, the sweeter it seemed.

The more inedible it was, the tastier it was.

The more it stank, the more fragrant it became.

At this moment, Han Tao noticed the faint blue light reflecting off the rock walls. It was the radiance of the Divine Plague Curse, and the source was himself.

"No..."

————————————————————————————

Wang Qi laughed disgustingly, "And the last one... that's very special. I call it 'Eat shit, Liang Feifan!'"

Honestly, I didn't really want to use this method. I hope all those Ancient Method Practitioners fast and don't build toilets.(To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)