Chapter 1228: Chapter 1228: Mysterious Curse!

1228 Mysterious Curse!

Footsteps approached, as Ye Qiu halted his movements, gazing intently at the figure coming from afar.

“Human…” An aged voice emerged from the newcomer’s mouth.

Only then did Ye Qiu see clearly; this person was extremely old, as if one foot was already in the grave.

The skin was full of wrinkles, seemingly just a thin layer over bones, with age spots covering it.

How long has this person lived?

Ye Qiu’s mind instantly conjured this question.

However, it was evident that this person was no ordinary being; otherwise, how could he live on the moon?

Ye Qiu’s mind stirred, could it be an alien Martial Artist?

“Hmm? Not an ordinary human, but a Martial Artist.” The old man scrutinized Ye Qiu, his eyes emitting a faint green glow, looking somewhat eerie.

“It’s been so long since I last saw a Martial Artist.”

Ye Qiu noticed that as the other looked at him, drool dripped from his mouth, as if he saw a delicacy.

“Is this even a human?” Ye Qiu couldn’t help but step back, startled by this gaze.

“Of course I am human… It’s just that seeing such a young, energetic Martial Artist made me a bit excited. I didn’t expect you to survive my pet’s attack, you have a bit of skill, huh,” the old man calmly said as he saw Ye Qiu unscathed.

Pet?

Ye Qiu’s mind was jolted; so these black beetles were all his.

“Surprised?” The old man laughed.

Ye Qiu frowned; the old man’s gaze made Ye Qiu uncomfortable, entirely as if viewing him as food.

“Who are you? Why are you here?” Ye Qiu probed.

“Haha, I’ve always been here, for so long that I can’t even recall. But now your appearance makes everything else insignificant. What’s important is that I can finally switch to a younger body.”

Ye Qiu’s heart trembled; this person so openly intended to seize his body, more sinister than any enemy Ye Qiu had ever encountered.

“Young one, don’t be afraid. I won’t kill you, I just want to borrow your body.”

The old man slowly walked towards Ye Qiu, the black beetles on the ground crawled onto the old man, not harming him but staying obediently on his body instead.

Ye Qiu stepped back; this old man was different from the black beetles, unfazed by the temple, approaching directly.

The old man smiled, his voice carrying a mesmerizing quality that made Ye Qiu drowsy.

“No!” Ye Qiu shook his head vigorously, suddenly alert, realizing that the old man’s words contained some kind of spiritual power, entrapping listeners within them.

“Such strong spiritual power.” To use such methods, causing a muddled mind with mere speech, only someone with dense spiritual power could accomplish this.

Realizing this, Ye Qiu became fully vigilant; with such a person before him, it was not good news. He was likely to face a life-and-death battle.

His hand subtly reached into the storage bag, and a top-grade Crystal Stone appeared in Ye Qiu’s palm, which he rapidly absorbed to replenish his strength.

At Ye Qiu’s level, the aid from Crystal Stones was minimal. Even with many top-grade Crystal Stones on him, restoring to human king level strength required a significant amount, and such recovery was truly a waste.

Ye Qiu felt reluctant, but he had no choice at the moment, as the old man before him gave off an eerie and dangerous aura that he had to be on guard against.

After absorbing over twenty top-grade Crystal Stones in one go, Ye Qiu’s strength was only half recovered.

He immediately stopped absorbing, as the old man had left him no more time.

“Will you surrender, or should I make my move?” The old man looked at Ye Qiu with a smile, unafraid of Ye Qiu escaping.

Here, besides him, there was no one else. Even if he let Ye Qiu escape, Ye Qiu would eventually be found by him.

Ye Qiu remained silent, but his actions spoke volumes; he would not yield, even if the opponent’s strength was terrifying, he would fight.

Humph.

The old man’s voice seemed to crush the air, Ye Qiu felt his ears buzz, and the frail-looking old man vanished like a ghost. In the next moment, withered hands, like those of a corpse, clamped onto Ye Qiu’s neck. Before Ye Qiu could react, his life was in the old man’s grip.

Too fast, Ye Qiu couldn’t follow with his eyes, locked in the grasp of hands that appeared weak but were as hard as steel.

Ye Qiu attempted to break free, but all his struggles were futile against the opponent’s grip.

“It’s useless, the gap between us is too great. A young one at human king level, you are too weak; I could easily crush you with a finger.” The old man nonchalantly lifted Ye Qiu, glanced at him, and then with slow steps, withdrew from the temple.

Seeing the black beetles about to swarm him, Ye Qiu could endure no longer, immediately entering his dark transformation state, mysterious patterns spreading all over his body.

Swish.

Ye Qiu spun around, escaping the old man’s grasp, standing ten meters away in the next second.

The old man’s face showed surprise, having never imagined that Ye Qiu could escape his hands.

When his eyes fell on Ye Qiu, especially the dark aura and the mysterious patterns,

The old man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“A curse!”

The old man’s tone was filled with dread. Seeing the old man’s gaze now, there was none of the earlier excitement at seizing Ye Qiu’s body, only lingering fear, as if narrowly avoiding disaster.

“You’re cursed. Who exactly are you?” The old man stared intently at Ye Qiu. The patterns on the young man’s body were no ordinary curse; if he had truly taken Ye Qiu’s body, the curse would have transferred to him, even tainting his soul.

This was an exceptionally fearsome curse.

The old man’s interest in Ye Qiu vanished entirely.

“Didn’t you want to take my body?” The darkened Ye Qiu said coldly.

“The curse has penetrated deeply; even if I don’t kill you, the curse will claim your life.” The old man, watching the mysterious patterns, was exceedingly wary, starting to back away, unwilling to engage further with Ye Qiu.

“Think you can leave?”

The darkened Ye Qiu, overflowing with murderous intent, was now more inclined toward slaughter, consumed by a madness to eliminate everything in the world.

Swish.

In a flash, Ye Qiu blocked the old man’s path, who, seeing this, immediately sent countless black beetles flying at Ye Qiu, using the opportunity to retreat swiftly.

Ye Qiu wielded a mysterious horn, battling left and right, causing the death of numerous black beetles, all falling to the ground.

“Kid, I don’t want your body anymore, just leave.”

“You wanted it just now, and now you don’t. Do you think I’m a commodity?” The darkened Ye Qiu’s gaze shifted, charging straight at the old man.