Ai Changyuan's behavior this time was indeed too exaggerated, exaggerated to the point where everyone felt it was absurd. The Nascent Soul from the Heavenly Book Tower, who had just been speaking pleasantly with him, immediately darkened his face and scolded, "Young Master Ai, watch your words. Do you know who you are speaking to?"

"I don't care who he is! Anyway, being touched by him would definitely be worse than death. Rather than being touched by him and contracting that unforgivable curse, I would prefer death!" Ai Changyuan roared hysterically.

Wu Shiqin, however, revealed a hint of amusement in her expression, her tone carrying a bit of sarcasm, "You speak as if this old man is some sort of pervert... including me as well, does he not discriminate between men and women?"

Although she knew that Ai Changyuan was actually plotting a counterattack in secret, she still despised his act of exposing the family's Cultivation Technique to those Ancient Method Practitioners, especially since he also created a specialized Ancient Method for them. Therefore, her words to Ai Changyuan were somewhat barbed.

The Nascent Soul from the Heavenly Book Tower turned green with anger, feeling that he had been too kind to these two captives. He raised his hand, wanting to discipline the two captives.

But Nie Tianren reached out to stop him.

Unlike what the others thought, this Divine Separation Stage Cultivator was brewing anger. In fact, at this moment, the thought "my illness finally has a cure!" filled Nie Tianren with ecstasy.

However, these two young men in front of him were enemies, not friends, and it was not appropriate to reveal such emotions. So, he kept his face stiff and asked, "Do you know what I have been cursed with?"

Ai Changyuan was silent for a moment before asking, "You've been defeated, haven't you?"

Nie Tianren was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Yes. Only, it was because that friend of yours has an especially malicious curse, which can also summon the projections of divine spirits from beyond the heavens..."

"What? That's impossible!" The Nascent Soul Cultivator couldn't help but exclaim in shock, disregarding the implausibility.

Foundation Establishment defeating Divine Separation?

Is the gap between Heterodox and Righteous Skill really so vast?

The transformation from Golden Core to Nascent Soul signifies a fundamental enhancement. One before and after Nascent Soul cannot even be considered the same species. And the chasm between Golden Core and Divine Separation is not much less than the gap between ants and humans. Foundation Establishment defeating Divine Separation? This is as unthinkable as mites conquering humans!

Ai Changyuan hung his head, his facial muscles twitching, his expression distorted and unnaturally extreme, "Friend? He looks like he wants to take us out along with you..."

Wu Shiqin frowned, "What are you saying? Wang Qi isn't that kind of person!"

"Do you know what curse it is?" Ai Changyuan countered, "Do you know how malicious that curse is?"

Urgency was already apparent in Nie Tianren's voice, "You know this curse?"

Ai Changyuan thought for a moment and said, "If he is unkind, then I cannot be blamed for being unjust—do you know about Divine Capital?"

Ai Changyuan's counter question made Nie Tianren uncertain, "Is that the city that was flattened by the Heterodox Immortal Alliance at the beginning of this year?"

Ai Changyuan nodded, "I remember, some of you Ancient Method Practitioners were also involved there, right? The leader was a Unification Cultivator from the Emperor's Extreme Split Sky Dao."

Wu Shiqin's eyes widened in shock. This was confidential information for most Modern Cultivators.

Nie Tianren nodded gravely, "I heard about that mission earlier. Junior Master Qin's sacrifice is truly a model for our kind."

It seemed this youngster did know something. The words of the Emperor's Extreme Split Sky Dao Cultivator lent credibility to him.

Ai Changyuan continued to ask, "Do you know how that thing was destroyed? What kind of disaster could instantly kill all the people of Divine Capital, including two Unification Stage Cultivators?"

The Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Heavenly Book Tower scolded, "Stop beating around the bush! Speak!"

"Heavenly Sword," Ai Changyuan muttered those two words, and the surroundings instantly fell silent.

Nie Tianren was the first to object, "Impossible! The Heavenly Sword Treasure can kill a Mahayana Cultivator with a single blow, how could it possibly... how could it possibly be used on a Unification Cultivator? And to the extent of willingly destroying the city!"

Ai Changyuan scoffed, disdain in his voice, "You think the few Cultivators you sent were the target of the Heavenly Sword? Hah, do they even qualify? Let me tell you, the real target of those Heavenly Swords was not the Cultivators you sent, but this curse! The Immortal Alliance wanted to exterminate all those who were cursed!"

"What?" Even Wu Shiqin covered her mouth. She hadn't imagined that the truth behind the incident in Divine Capital could be so explosive.

The Heavenly Sword destroying a city, a curse that annihilates... Were all these true?

Ai Changyuan snorted coldly, "The guy above is a madman. The curse he created is purely for Combat, not for Nourishing Heart, not for Longevity. It will spread rapidly, all sentient beings, all things with spirit, cannot escape this force. Moreover, this power is essentially irremovable..."

"You're saying... it's essentially irremovable?" Nie Tianren's tone was a bit peculiar. The blue light on him began to grow stronger, and then the Divine Separation Stage Cultivator stood up, stared at Ai Changyuan, and asked, "Irremovable?"

The sense of despair that blossomed in his heart made the Heart Demon Curse within this Divine Separation Stage Cultivator spread like wildfire.

Ai Changyuan pretended to retreat backward, evading the Heart Demon Curse Light, but in his heart, he wasn't the least bit afraid. This was precisely the effect he wanted.

After detailing the events in Divine Capital to Wang Qi, he learned that the Heart Demon Curse would not erode a Modern Cultivator. He was merely testing the other party with his words, hoping to trigger the Heart Demon Curse within the other's body to see how far Wang Qi had progressed. Seeing that this Divine Separation Stage Cultivator was showing signs of losing control due to the Heart Demon's influence, he hastily shouted, "Wait, wait, wait! Although I am being expelled, it's not completely hopeless! The Divine Capital side is researching how to neutralize the Heart Demon Curse!"

A sliver of hope immediately rose in Nie Tianren's heart. Then, the Thousand Illusion Divine Spell promptly amplified this bit of strength, forming a "false hope." Nie Tianren almost instantly believed Ai Changyuan, "Divine Capital... Divine Capital, huh..."

The odds of a Divine Separation Stage Cultivator sneaking into the heart of Shenzhou undetected were very slim, but there was still hope... However, even if one reached Divine Capital, how would one acquire the Cure Healing for the curse...

Despair and disappointment swirled in Nie Tianren's mind simultaneously. He was now finding it very difficult to distinguish between his own thoughts and those of the Heart Demon.

At this moment, a black-robed cultivator wearing a hat that covered his face and head leaped out. He was Wang Tugen from the Hongyuan Sect, Heavenly Master Wang. Heavenly Master Wang's mood was also quite foul at the moment. Complaining, he said to Nie Tianren, "Daoist Fellow Nie, it is urgent that we release the World-Purifying Divine Envoy. Even if you are suffering from some illness, why must you have me stop what I am doing?"

Nie Tianren patiently explained the vile curse that afflicted him to Heavenly Master Wang. Ai Changyuan, frowning, said, "Nie, can you tell me exactly what's wrong with you? I need to know what kind of foul play my friend is up to."

Nie Tianren became pensive, sensing the various changes after being cursed and recounted them one by one. Finally, he hesitated before saying, "That little beast over there is truly malicious. Besides being unbearably hungry, we also... also have the urge... the urge to eat feces..."

"Eat what?" This time Ai Changyuan was also taken aback.

"Eat feces," Nie Tianren said through gritted teeth.

Even the surrounding Nascent Soul Cultivators, despite their cultivation, were so grossed out they couldn't speak. Ai Changyuan, maintaining his composure, took half a step back again. This time he was truly frightened. The Heart Demon Curse might have been modified to spare the Modern Cultivators, but the Divine Plague Curse Technique did not discriminate between friend and foe. If he were to be infected and then consume such foul matter, that would be... that would be... a lifetime of psychological trauma!

"What's wrong?" Nie Tianren sharply sensed the change in Ai Changyuan's demeanor.

"You'd better hurry... I think the influence of this curse will deepen over time. Soon you won't be able to resist the urge to eat feces..."

Nie Tianren's body shuddered at the thought, recalling Han Tao stuffed full of mud. As if to confirm Ai Changyuan's words, a Golden Core Cultivator ran over crying: "Senior, it's terrible! It's terrible! Those old ancestors from Dragon Five Island at the Nascent Soul Stage have gone mad... they're... they're biting other people's backsides!"

This Great Cultivator's face was pale, and he seemed on the verge of vomiting. It was as if he had seen Abyss Hell itself, his Xinling greatly disturbed, and even his Dao Heart had become unstable.

Even Wu Shiqin felt a chill. She took the initiative to stand up and retreated behind Ai Changyuan, her hands involuntarily protecting her own backside. She whispered, "Why... I never realized before, Wang Qi was that kind of person..."

However, Heavenly Master Wang pondered for a moment, "I might have a method?"

Tears nearly filled Nie Tianren's eyes as he asked with a trembling voice, "May I ask... may I inquire what marvelous method that is?"

"My Divine Skills, combined with the World-Purifying Envoy, can perform unthinkable feats," said Heavenly Master Wang. "As long as we can unearth the World-Purifying Envoy at the very bottom, I am confident I can persuade my Divine Spirit to cast a spell, purifying all filth. Of course, the evil technique on Daoist Fellow Nie would naturally be included."

Nie Tianren asked uncertainly, "The same as those two dragons before?"

"Those two dragons?" Ai Changyuan noticed an important clue: "So those two dragons are really related to them?"

Hongyuan Sect... Wang Qi had mentioned before they were problematic. Perhaps I should continue to follow this lead. Also, since this Heavenly Master is at the Divine Separation Level, it appears it will be quite difficult to escape without harming him.

"Of course not. Those two dragons were the targets entrusted to us by the West Sea Dragon King for elimination, and their assimilation with the World-Purifying Envoy was natural. But you are a friend of our Hongyuan Sect, so naturally, we wouldn't treat you that way."

Heavenly Master Wang's words gave Nie Tianren a glimpse of hope, "Heavenly Master, when can you liberate the World-Purifying Envoy?"

"Based on the previous pace, it takes me roughly seven to eight days to break through a layer."

Nie Tianren's heart sank, "Isn't that..."

At that moment, a cultivator from the Heavenly Book Tower seemed to see an opportunity to claim credit and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Two seniors, I have a method that can expedite the process of breaking through the ruins!"

He explained the Law he had co-created with Ai Changyuan, then said, "This new Mana is extraordinarily magical and can ignore all barriers, penetrating laws. Using this method, we can sense the hub of the ruins' Protective Array, detect the flow of Spiritual Power, and explore unseen areas."

Heavenly Master Wang frowned, "Why is the power so weak?"

"Gravity by nature is the weakest of the Four Spirits born from the opening of Heaven and Earth," Ai Changyuan said. "I rely on another Law to borrow the Gravity of Heaven and Earth to fight against foes."

The Nascent Soul from the Heavenly Book Tower also said, "We don't need to practice to that extent. Simply entering the Order, we can have all sorts of magical perceptions of tangible things around us. As for what comes next... Young Master Ai, you'll provide us with the subsequent Cultivation Techniques, right?"

This was exactly what Ai Changyuan wished for. How could he say no at this moment? He even felt like hugging the Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Nie Tianren nodded, "You guys better hurry up... now, I'm starting to find your backsides more and more appealing..." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)