"Ah Yu!"
"Hurry! Take her to the White Cloud Tower!"
Cries of alarm filled the air as one of the women was struck by an unknown force.
Some rushed to inform Lucian, while others carefully carried the afflicted girl to White Cloud Tower for treatment.
Soon after, Lucian arrived at the tower and saw the girl lying inside.
The girl, nicknamed Ah Yu, was pale and weak, teetering on the edge of consciousness. However, under the healing effects of the White Cloud Tower, her condition stabilized, ensuring she wouldn't suddenly perish.
"Your Majesty,"
The surrounding women bowed and stepped aside upon seeing Lucian approach, their faces filled with worry.
Lucian nodded and turned to the girl. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm better now," the girl whispered, her voice soft but steady. "Your Majesty, I was suddenly struck by a force. My breath turned chaotic, my blood flowed backward, and I felt suffocated as if my organs were being crushed!"
"It seems like a curse," Lucian muttered, his eyes narrowing.
The word sent a shiver through the room.
Wasting no time, Lucian activated the Purification Tower and directed its cleansing light toward the girl.
The Purification Tower, a functional defensive structure, could emit purifying rays to dispel poisons, undead energy, or corrosive effects.
At Level 11, its light was potent and effective.
As the cleansing ray enveloped her, the girl's complexion visibly improved.
"Another round should completely dispel it," Lucian noted, relieved.
While the Purification Tower could neutralize most negative statuses almost continuously, curses tied to the aura of a malevolent deity required a 600-second cooldown.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse.
Within minutes, another girl fell victim to the curse and was rushed to the tower.
Shortly after, a third—this time one of the Xianqin Rui Soldiers—succumbed to the same fate.
Before long, five or six individuals were lying in the White Cloud Tower, receiving treatment and purification.
The single Purification Tower was clearly insufficient, and Lucian called upon the Deer Spirit Maidens for assistance.
These golden-armored spirits proved invaluable, using their blessings to stabilize the situation.
With the crisis temporarily under control, Lucian sighed in relief and returned to the walls to discuss the matter with the three heroes.
"Curses that can strike from such a distance are no small matter," Lin Daiyu remarked, her delicate brows furrowed in concern. "Master, we must locate the source of the of this curse and eliminate it immediately!"
"But this land is vast and endless. We can't search aimlessly," Qin Keqing countered.
"Then perhaps we should send scouts to investigate," Jia Yingchun suggested.
Lucian considered their suggestions, his gaze scanning the surrounding darkness. "If I were the enemy, where would I strike from?"
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
Switching to the Pan Jinlian template, Lucian's body weakened, but his extraordinary charm of 199 points sharpened his perception.
Standing still, he focused on the world around him.
Despite the blood moon and the omnipresent darkness, Lucian felt the faint flow of malice in the air.
He turned sharply to the southwest and smiled. "Found you."
Southwest—A Shadowed Valley.
In a desolate gorge, several robed figures knelt before an altar.
These night-clad priests were performing a dark ritual around a grotesque totem.
The totem depicted not a celestial star but an ominous, flesh-warped deity. Its grotesque form exuded madness, inducing terror and despair at a mere glance.
"The stars have abandoned us!"
"Darkness reigns eternal!"
"Only the Flesh King can save us! Only salvation remains!"
"Twist the flesh, birth anew!"
The priestly figures chanted fervently, their voices filled with fanatical devotion.
Their dark altar was the source of the curse affecting Lucian's territory, unleashing its vile power across dozens of miles.
As the priests prayed, an oppressive killing intent swept through the valley.
Startled, the monsters halted their chants and turned to look around.
Suddenly—
"Form ranks! Gale Formation!"
The Xianqin Rui Soldiers appeared like bronze-clad phantoms, their spears at the ready.
"Dark cultists, meet your end!"
The priests roared in defiance, their left hands conjuring starlight blades while their right wielded astral whips.
Their forms swelled grotesquely, transforming into towering three-meter-tall beasts of flesh and sinew.
But the Great Qin Warriors were undeterred.
With a burst of precision and discipline, the soldiers unleashed a storm of arrows and sword auras, charging into the enemy ranks like a howling wind.
At the same time, the Bright Moon Palace cultivators appeared on the fringes of the valley.
Spell seals and treasures in hand, they unleashed a barrage of magic that illuminated the dark sky, bathing the battlefield in their radiance.
By the altar, Lin Daiyu and Qin Keqing advanced with grave expressions.
"Cut!" Lin Daiyu's blade descended, its arc spanning a hundred meters and slicing the altar in two.
Qin Keqing followed with a series of hand seals, summoning a torrent of heavenly lightning.
Though the altar was destroyed, nothing unexpected occurred.
The totem of the Flesh King flickered briefly before its light faded entirely.
"We weren't too late," Lin Daiyu murmured, her brows furrowing as she processed the scene.
Her gaze hardened as she surveyed the remaining enemies.
"Kill them all!"
She unleashed the innate power of her constitution, stepping into the air and sweeping across the battlefield with her sword.
The Nine Absolutes Blade cut down the monstrous priests with ease, leaving no survivors.
In moments, the area was cleared, and the soldiers and heroes returned to the territory, their task complete.
Back in the valley, silence fell once more.
By the shattered altar, faint glimmers of light emanated from fragments of the totem.
But within seconds, the light extinguished.
It seemed something was trying to reach the site but had ultimately failed.
At the Territory.
As the team departed the valley, the curse upon the land dissipated entirely.
Lucian exhaled in relief, satisfied with the result.
When the heroes and soldiers returned, they carried the spoils of their victory.
Lin Daiyu approached with her blade, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Master, as expected, you were right. The source was dozens of miles away."
"They built an altar and cursed our people."
Qin Keqing added, "It wasn't just a death curse—they used a withering hex to weaken the territory. Fortunately, the Five Elements Formation blocked most of it."
The two women recounted their experience, ensuring Lucian knew every detail.