Curse of Banishment

At this moment, Young Hero Chu was also deeply astonished.

Though he had already witnessed the immense power of the Hundred Swords Technique evolving into the Thousand Swords Technique last time—and had mentally prepared himself for the amplification it brought to the Slaying Red Sword—this time, wielding the Twin Talisman Sword of Ice and Fire, it was not a matter of quantity but a qualitative explosion. The impact was utterly different.

He sheathed the Slaying Red Sword, victorious and now at rest, gazing at its unadorned blade with growing awe. The sword’s unwavering sense of justice and hatred of evil clearly exceeded his wildest imaginings.

If only it could maintain such power at all times—what a sight that would be.

After a while, Chu Liang collected his thoughts and went to inspect the massive corpse.

Regrettably, the giant turtle’s body was heavily damaged, even its toughest shell riddled with cracks from the unyielding sword technique of the Way of Talismans. There was little of value left to salvage.

In this regard, monsters simply could not compare to cultivators.

Fortunately, he had the White Pagoda. He had already collected a golden mark earlier, and he was confident he could refine a decent reward from it later.

In terms of pure cultivation, this old turtle was likely inferior to the giant lizard and Tiger King he had encountered before, but that did not necessarily mean the reward would be lesser.

Because...

Chu Liang’s gaze shifted to the large, bound bundle nearby, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He walked over, formed a seal with his fingers, and released the bundle’s contents—Liu Xiaoyu. The young girl stood up, still dazed as she looked at the giant turtle’s remains.

“Miss Xiaoyu, just now that giant turtle tried to swallow you. I saved your life,” said Chu Liang.

“Wow...” Only then did Liu Xiaoyu gasp in surprise. “Thank you!”

“It wasn’t done yet. It tried again, but I slew it, removing the threat for good,” Chu Liang continued.

“Wow...” She exclaimed again, then said, “You really are a good person.”

“So, shouldn’t you repay me somehow?” Chu Liang gently coaxed her along—the ‘good person’ card alone was not enough.

“Hmm?” The girl tilted her head. “What do you want?”

“I want you...” Chu Liang smiled. “To close your eyes and silently wish in your heart for all my wishes to come true.”

“Huh?”

The girl was utterly bewildered. Perhaps it was the strangest request she had ever heard in her life.

Yet, obedient as she was, she complied, closing her eyes and quietly wishing this kind man’s dreams would come true.

Chu Liang’s consciousness sank, and he entered the space within the White Pagoda. With the help of the lucky koi, how could he not seize this chance to reward himself?

The golden phantom of the giant turtle filled the entire cell. Chu Liang stepped forward and, without hesitation, pressed the “Refine” character.

While doing so, he pondered what reward would be best. He’d already received magic tools, talismans, and pills before, so he silently wished:

Bless me, lucky koi—grant me a divine ability.

A flash of radiant light.

A jade slip wrapped in white light flew out of the cell, landing in Chu Liang’s palm.

No way...

Chu Liang was surprised. Though he had high hopes for the lucky koi’s blessing, he hadn’t expected it to work so well.

[Curse of Expelling Evil]:

This divine ability can be used only once per day and is guaranteed to be effective only on those whose cultivation is lower than the caster’s. The target will have all anger instantly removed from their heart and, for a brief time, will choose to forgive all previous grievances.

“Huh?”

Though it was indeed a divine ability, its description made Chu Liang frown.

It was frankly rather odd.

An instant forgiveness curse that could purge all anger from someone’s heart? It hardly seemed useful in combat.

But it would be perfect for breaking up fights.

The jade slip dissolved into a ray of light and merged directly into Chu Liang’s body, immediately granting him the inspiration of the technique. So, all the divine abilities granted by the White Pagoda required no study—they were mastered instantly?

That was a good thing, saving... well, at least a bit of learning time.

He hadn’t finished contemplating when someone called out, “Chu Liang, was that you?”

He opened his eyes to see Lin Bei hurrying over. “I saw a giant turtle appear over here from afar, then get cut down in a single stroke—was that your doing?”

“Yes,” Chu Liang nodded. “It was a wicked turtle spirit who tried to devour Miss Xiaoyu, so I had no choice but to act.”

“That sword technique was incredible—how did you do it?” Lin Bei asked. “I saw it with the disciples from Southwind Pavilion. Everyone was stunned!”

“It was just a single-use technique, nothing I can perform regularly,” Chu Liang replied calmly. “If I could always fight like that, wouldn’t I be invincible?”

“I thought as much.” Hearing this, Lin Bei no longer doubted him.

After all, just a few days ago, he had learned that Chu Liang had only recently reached the late Spirit Will Realm. This kind of overwhelming power, far beyond one’s own stage, would be unbelievable if Chu Liang claimed to wield it freely.

As for Chu Liang’s many life-saving treasures, Lin Bei could easily guess why—he was Silver Sword Peak’s sole disciple, after all.

At Jade Sword Peak, with so many disciples, resources had to be spread thinly. But as the only disciple of Silver Sword Peak, Chu Liang’s abundance was hardly surprising.

He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy—Silver Sword Peak was truly wonderful.

If Chu Liang knew what Lin Bei was thinking, he would probably be weeping inside.

Lin Bei chatted with Chu Liang a little longer, then turned to Liu Xiaoyu. “Are you alright, Xiaoyu?”

The girl pouted. “I’m hungry.”

“Come on, let’s get something good to eat!” Lin Bei laughed heartily and waved.

The three of them went off to eat, leaving the clean-up of the courtyard to the people of the Li family estate.

Once the meal was prepared, the three sat in a great hall to dine. Lin Bei and Liu Xiaoyu focused on their food, occasionally chatting.

Only Chu Liang was absent-minded, his thoughts entirely on the new Curse of Expelling Evil.

This strange divine ability—how would it actually work in practice?

Was it really that effective?

Driven by intense curiosity, Chu Liang glanced at Lin Bei, who was enjoying his meal, and called out, “Hey.”

“Hm?” Lin Bei looked up.

Suddenly, Chu Liang reached out and, with lightning speed, knocked Lin Bei’s bowl of food to the floor, smashing it to pieces.

“What are you doing?” Lin Bei was startled and bewildered, anger beginning to rise within him.

Chu Liang stealthily tapped with his other hand.

Curse of Expelling Evil!

A shimmering green halo, visible only to Chu Liang, descended upon Lin Bei’s head, sparkling as it settled. The moment the halo enveloped him, all anger in Lin Bei’s eyes melted away.

“Huh...” Lin Bei frowned, confused, and muttered to himself, “Although Chu Liang suddenly knocked over my food for no reason, which should be infuriating, he’s my good brother. He must have had a special reason, right?”

“Of course I’ll choose to forgive him.”