Most Void Cutter Realm cultivators cherished their own lives greatly.
As long as they were willing, powerful figures of this level could totally run to a remote small plane and rule as the local tyrant there until the end of their lifespans.
A Void Cutter cultivator who didn't want to fight was very hard to kill, unless the opponent had a method to kill them in one blow. Otherwise, they could tear open space and escape at any time, making it impossible for pursuers to catch up.
But it was extremely unfortunate that Gu Nan was exactly the kind of person who could kill a Tier 4 expert in one blow.
Before this, not many people knew that Jin Yi and her two companions went to ambush Gu Nan, but now many people knew about it.
A three-person ambush actually ended with the target countering and killing one ambusher. What did this mean? Either the other party had methods to restrain Void Cutter cultivators, or his speed was so fast that Lan Po didn't even have time to escape into the void!
Besides, not even Pavilion Lord Jiu could kill the other party, so these people in Starry Ocean Pavilion had enough of an excuse to shirk responsibility.
No organization could be monolithic. The more powerful the organization, the more this was the case. This included Starry Ocean Pavilion, the overlord of Star Realm.
"Jin Yi, what do we do now?" The man in purple asked.
The man in purple robes was named Zi He. It was certainly no coincidence that the three of them each wore a specific color, and even their surnames were those colors[1].
The three of them were adopted by their master from an early age and were taught this cultivation path suitable for three people to cultivate together, so they also decided to use the three different colors as their surnames in passing.
They could be considered genuine childhood friends, so one could imagine their hatred for Gu Nan, Lan Po's killer.
Jin Yi's face was cold as she replied icily, "Of course, we'll find him… and kill him!"
...
Floral Jasper Star.
A figure was ruthlessly thrown onto the ground with a loud noise. For a moment, the figure's breathing was extremely weak. Seeing that the person's vital signs were quickly fading, all the onlookers hurriedly came forward and surrounded them.
"Zhou Jingwen, we're all classmates here. You are too ruthless!" One of them coldly criticized Zhou Jingwen.
"That's right. You clearly could've held back. Why did you beat up Li Yu to this state?"
Faced with the crowd's criticisms and interrogations, Zhou Jingwen just stood in the ring and sneered at the people below. "In a duel, life and death are ruled by fate. Have you forgotten something that's even in elementary school textbooks?!"
Floral Jasper Star was famous for "dueling." Everyone who wanted to become a martial artist believed dying in the ring to be the highest honor.
Of course, although people said that, in real life, very few duels would result in death if the opponents were merely sparring. People usually held themselves back.
People who were as heavy-handed as Zhou Jingwen were usually venting their anger.
Moments later, Zhou Jingwen sat alone in the lounge, wearing only chest bandages and shorts, her hair soaked with sweat.
"Hoo!"
She let out a deep breath, took off her gloves, and wiped the sweat on her forehead. Only then did she feel her blood heat up and her body become warm again.
She picked up the pitch-black dagger from the side. The latter looked perfectly normal, as if it was merely a toy sword.
But Zhou Jingwen, who had just experienced the previous matches, wouldn't think so.
She had no grudge against Li Yu. Furthermore, they didn't really even know each other. It's just that Zhou Jingwen's parents and Li Yu's parents were good friends, so her parents often compared the two of them.
Be it cultural classes or martial arts classes, Li Yu had always been better, so Li Yu became the "other family's child[2]" spoken of in Zhou Jingwen's family.
For the most part, Zhou Jingwen's resentment against Li Yu came from this.
But not even Zhou Jingwen herself felt that it was necessary to beat Li Yu into such a state just because of something like this…
"Is it because of this?" Zhou Jingwen stared blankly at the dagger Gu Nan gave her, which was quietly lying on her palm. That kind of deep black seemed to pull her in.
Zhou Jingwen still remembered that when she stood in front of Li Yu, everything around her seemed to disappear, leaving only the enemy in front of her.
Her strength became greater, her thoughts became clearer, and even her eyesight became better… Only her blood seemed to be getting colder and colder, burning coldly.
When she came to her senses again, Li Yu had already collapsed outside the ring, blood continuously spilling from her mouth.
"Is this the price of power?" She clenched one hand into a fist, but her gaze gradually became firm. "If so, then… please continue."
...
In the small single-story house, a small smile emerged on Gu Nan's face.
He could naturally use the power he bestowed upon others to sense events in the outside world, and he observed Zhou Jingwen's entire transformation.
Someone who was unwilling to remain idle was incapable of resisting the temptation of power. Even if she knew she would lose herself in it, she would still throw herself into it like a moth to a flame.
However, Zhou Jingwen was just a leisurely chess move on his part to sound out the strange woman named Red, so he didn't need to care about her too much.
He was making good progress with using the power of shadows to eliminate the curse. In other words, that kind of mysterious power was indeed the law of curses from Gu Nan's memories.
After a simple test, Gu Nan found a way to handle it.
The power of shadows exploded out, and the effect of "deepening injuries" was suddenly erased for a certain instant.
Although the pressure from all sides made the curse take effect again in the blink of an eye, that was already enough. Just how powerful was Gu Nan's regeneration? In merely an instant, over half of his injuries had healed.
His head had basically recovered completely, and although the other two wounds were still empty on the inside, no traces of them could be seen from the outside.
"Unfortunately, this loophole can't be used repeatedly." Gu Nan got up, moved his hands and feet, and complained in his heart, "Curse users are really annoying."
Even in the game, curse users were still the most annoying route.
This kind of ability didn't have remarkable attack or defense, but it had one advantage—it had a long range.
If a player chose the curse route, then starting from Tier 2, they would have the ability to kill people from thousands of miles away. They could kill someone just by stabbing a straw doll at home.
As the player's level rises, this ability will continue to strengthen, and the distance from which the curse can take effect will become longer and longer, even to the extent of spanning space.
That was also why curses could weaken the effectiveness of law nullification.
The enemy is attacking from who knows how many worlds away. If you can't even find the enemy, then how can you nullify their power?
But conversely, once curse users stop hiding themselves and make their existence in society public, then for assassins like Gu Nan, their defenses were no thicker than a piece of paper.
Although he only found one loophole, it was enough for Gu Nan's injuries to almost recover completely, and the rest of the wounds could wait for the curse to dissipate on its own.
Even though curses were powerful, they also had strict rules and restrictions. After knowing the other party's methods, Gu Nan had plenty of ways to counter them.
"It's time to find the Duanmu family." Gu Nan's figure moved slightly, instantly turning into a mass of shadows and disappearing from the room.
Although he told Zhou Jingwen to look for the Duanmu family, he never had any intention of fully trusting anyone. The missions ultimately had to be completed by him.
"Shinto cultivators need a steady supply of faith, so it's definitely impossible for them to be some kind of secluded family." Gu Nan sneered a little in his heart. "In that case, it's easy."