However, the next moment, Zhang Chen was stunned: "How could this be?"
The chains were pulled taut, yet they couldn’t be moved an inch.
Zhang Chen looked at his Golden Finger Interface, feeling it owed him an explanation.
At this moment, Zhang Chen’s Golden Finger Interface indeed provided an explanation:
[The opponent’s soul has already been suppressed and cannot be hooked! Unless the host’s power surpasses the suppressing force, the opponent’s soul can be pulled over.]
"Does this mean my Soul Hook skill has a loophole? If the opponent marks themselves and directly suppresses it, wouldn’t I be caught off guard?" Zhang Chen was immediately displeased.
[The opponent is already suppressed and won’t pose a threat to the host, so please rest assured.]
Golden Finger comforted Zhang Chen in a very human-like way.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen frowned, feeling that his Golden Finger seemed unreliable. Once a soul is suppressed, it cannot be hooked, and that leaves too much room for maneuver by the opponent.
But after thinking it through, what threat could an opponent whose soul has been suppressed pose to him?
As for the opponent suppressing themselves? Once suppressed, it doesn’t matter who does it; they can’t escape. It’s like someone hanging themselves on a tree with a rope—either someone saves them, or they hang themselves. It doesn’t matter who puts them up there; either way, they’re stuck.
But Zhang Chen felt a bit of a headache at this moment; do you know why?
Because the Great Freedom Celestial Demon in front of him couldn’t be considered a true Great Freedom Celestial Demon, but could only be considered one of its incarnations, the Heart Demon of Xie Lingyun, whose Heart Demon had been suppressed by the Calligraphy Guide; who knows what kind of big trouble that might stir up.
"Can you rescue me?" The Great Freedom Celestial Demon looked at Zhang Chen with a face full of eagerness.
"Stop pretending. You have countless incarnations, and it’s just one incarnation that’s been suppressed. It’s not as serious as you make it out to be," Zhang Chen scolded in annoyance. At this time, Zhong Xiang discreetly moved closer to Zhang Chen, who quickly put away the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
"I must say, haven’t you noticed something a bit off?" At this moment, Zhong Xiang came to Zhang Chen’s side, speaking so softly it was like a mosquito buzzing in Zhang Chen’s ear.
Zhang Chen retreated to the outer edge to avoid being affected by the Cursed Demon God once it emerged, so there was no one around. He lowered his voice and replied, "What do you mean?"
"My Qilin’s Heart keeps throbbing, continuously sending out frantic warnings. I can’t shake a feeling of dread," Zhong Xiang, like a panicked bird, kept glancing around the stone cave.
"Nonsense, the Cursed Demon God is about to emerge. Are you surprised your heart is racing?" At this point, Zhang Chen didn’t bother to hide it. Zhong Xiang wasn’t aware of the Cursed Demon God; he just thought breaking the seal might reveal a way to lift a curse or spread the curse to everyone so they all fall together.
Zhang Chen hadn’t mentioned a single word of the stele’s content to Zhong Xiang.
"What Cursed Demon God?" Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiang was dumbfounded, eyes filled with horror. He just knew Zhang Chen was trying to sabotage him.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen just chuckled fearlessly and explained the situation about the Cursed Demon God with a cheerful smile.
"What!!! Are you saying there’s a Cursed Demon God sealed under this pool? A Demon God from the Ancient Times?" Zhong Xiang was shocked, eyes wide with fear: "You must be joking. That’s not funny at all."
"I’m just giving you a heads-up so that when the Cursed Demon God appears, you all don’t crash immediately without giving me a chance to step in," Zhang Chen said with a cheerful smile.
He still needed everyone to destroy the true body of the Cursed Demon God to capture its soul. If everyone were caught off guard and crashed, what would he do?
Once the Cursed Demon God emerges and begins killing wantonly, these people blinded by treasure would suffer heavy losses due to lack of preparation, and he didn’t want that.
Zhong Xiang immediately grew anxious: "That’s an Ancient Divine Demon. Once it appears, how could we possibly resist? Everyone here will die."
"They die. Don’t they have families behind them? Those families certainly won’t sit idly by. Once they call upon their foundations to suppress the fortune, I don’t believe they can’t handle the Cursed Demon God. Moreover, the Great Victory royal family possesses two twelfth-tier mysteries; I don’t believe the other families don’t have cards up their sleeves," Zhang Chen’s voice brimmed with confidence.
To resolve the curse, even if everyone present died, what would it matter?
It would all be worth it!
"No! These people are the elite of Confucianism. If something happens, it will devastate the roots of Confucianism." Zhong Xiang attempted to step forward to stop it, but Zhang Chen just laughed coldly, "These people have already been blinded by immortality and treasure. Do you think you can persuade them? And do you think they’ll believe what you say? Outside, they’re all people of high status. Would they allow themselves to become women with beastly features like donkey heads and horse faces and walk out like that?"
"Regardless, I must stop it. I absolutely can’t let your plot succeed," Zhong Xiang declared, pushing through the crowd and grabbing Chen Xu who was brushing something:
"Stop! Don’t brush any further!"
Chen Xu paused, eyes wide with confusion, not understanding why Zhong Xiang was stopping him.
"Zhong Xiang, what trick are you up to now?" Liu Yang, who had transformed from a woman into a man with a toad body and human head, frowned at Zhong Xiang’s actions.
"Everyone, listen to me. This seal cannot be broken. What it seals is the body of the Ancient Cursed Demon God. If the seal is broken, the Cursed Demon God will emerge, and we’ll all die here. This prohibition must not be broken!" Zhong Xiang’s voice was filled with solemnity.
"Cursed Demon God?"
Hearing this, the crowd stirred, showing signs of hesitation in their eyes.
"You say a Cursed Demon is sealed here, but I see a tomb with an Ancient Divine Demon and the Immortality-giving Longevity Willow Tree within. If we open the tomb, we can extend our lives by at least twenty years. You claim a Cursed Demon God is sealed within, but where’s your evidence?" Chai Chuanxin stepped forward to question Zhong Xiang.
Chai Chuanxin was also a Confucian prodigy. Though perhaps not as renowned as Zhong Xiang, he was not lacking in spirit.
"I do have evidence..." Zhong Xiang, unable to delay, unable to conceal Zhang Chen, immediately intended to pull Zhang Chen forward for evidence. But Zhang Chen had already turned to water and hid, not giving Zhong Xiang the chance.
Zhong Xiang’s gaze scanned the surroundings but couldn’t find Zhang Chen, thinking he’d used the Invisibility Technique to hide, leaving Zhong Xiang stomping with frustration: "In any case, this grand tomb cannot be unearthed today."
"Zhong Xiang, you must be looking to monopolize the treasures seen as this seal is about to break, aren’t you?" Now, the little Prince, Zhang Xiaohua, spoke up, voice filled with suspicion: "Let me tell you, if you try to hoard the treasures of this grand tomb, even if you possess the Qilin’s Heart and Yang God experts can’t do anything to you, the Prince Pingbian’s Mansion will not stand by."
"The Crown Prince is judging a nobleman with a petty mind. How could I, Zhong Xiang, be such a person?" Zhong Xiang’s face showed displeasure.
"Hehe, whether you’re that kind of person, no one should understand better than you. Earlier, to hide this tomb’s entrance, you ignored the hatred of your own young master and let Zhang Chen escape. Everyone should know what kind of person you are," Chai Chuanxin chimed in.
Zhong Xiang trembled with rage, sweeping his eyes over the crowd, seeing doubt etched on their faces. Zhong Xiang, stomping in anger, turned to Great Scholar Liu Lin with hope: "Mr. Liu, do you not believe me?"
"Whether I believe you isn’t the issue. The key is for you to provide evidence to convince everyone," Liu Lin responded with a slight smile, deftly playing the situation.