The Sickly Regent Prince Who Was Abandoned as a Substitute Bride

Chapter 581

Yun Yi could no longer hold on, his vision went black and he collapsed forward, but Su Yao caught him with lightning speed. Just as the two were about to thank the old man, they saw him turn and step into the clouds, leaving only a faint echo in his voice: "The Blood Demon is nothing but bait, the power behind the black-robed man..." The voice gradually dissipated in the wind, leaving only the bloody smell permeating the mountains and forests, foreshadowing that the real crisis had only just begun.

Yun Yi's knees slammed heavily onto the gravel, a metallic taste rising in his throat. Su Yao knelt down on one knee and pulled him into her arms. The spiritual energy gathered at her fingertips suddenly froze when it touched his back—the golden spiritual patterns that should have been flowing through his meridians were now twisting wildly under his skin like living things, and dark red blood lines were visibly devouring the pure gold.

"Senior! Please wait!" Su Yao looked up and cried out urgently, only to see that the afterimage of the green-robed figure deep in the sea of ​​clouds had already turned into starlight. Yun Yi in her arms suddenly trembled violently, and his pale lips spilled out soft murmurs: "Blood Demon... Soul Devouring Curse... They are looking for..." Before he could finish speaking, a mouthful of scalding blood gushed out, splashing onto Su Yao's plain white clothes, blooming into an eerie purplish-black color.

A mountain wind, carrying the stench of blood, swept across the precipice. Su Yao's fingertips traced the spiderweb-like blood-red markings on Yun Yi's neck, and her pupils constricted sharply. This technique, which eroded spiritual roots, was identical to the Soul-Devouring Curse that had destroyed the Xuan Yin Sect a century ago. She warily scanned her surroundings, only to see that the corpses of the blood demons slain on the clearing where the fierce battle had just taken place were beginning to writhe, their ashen skin glowing with an eerie, ghostly blue light.

"Not good!" Su Yao cried out, shielding Yun Yi behind her. A piercing shriek suddenly erupted from the pile of corpses, and dozens of semi-transparent phantoms burst forth from the ground. Their faces were contorted, and their chests were adorned with the same eerie blue runes as the black-robed man. Su Yao's jade flute instantly drew from its sheath, a clear note rising, but the moment it touched the phantoms, it felt as if it had fallen into a quagmire, fine cracks appearing on its surface.

Yun Yi, who was unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils completely stained with dark red. He raised his hand in a grasping motion, and Su Yao felt her spiritual energy being drained away like a tide, the jade flute flying into Yun Yi's palm on its own. A sudden change occurred, and Su Yao staggered backward, her back slamming against the cold mountain rocks. The illusory figures, upon contact with the blood-red mist surrounding Yun Yi, let out greedy hissing and pounced towards him.

At the critical moment, a dazzling sword light cleaved through the night. Shen Xinghe, the chief disciple of the Xuanxiao Sect, arrived in mid-air using the Seven Star Steps. Wherever his sword swept, the afterimages dissipated into specks of eerie blue light. He flicked his sleeve and tossed out three jade slips, instantly forming a golden barrier that enveloped the entire area: "Junior Sister Su, quickly take Junior Brother Yun back to the sect! These vengeful spirits are controlled by the Soul Devouring Curse; ordinary spells cannot harm them at their root!"

Su Yao bit her fingertip, using her blood to activate the jade pendant in her bosom. A flash of blue light, and the three vanished from the spot. After they left, the entire mountain suddenly trembled violently, and the rumble of breaking chains echoed from the ground. Deep within the clouds, a pair of bloodshot vertical pupils slowly opened. The withered fingers of the black-robed man caressed the bronze compass in his hand, and a hoarse laugh mingled with the wind, echoing across the mountains: "Finally, they've taken the bait..."

The glass lamps of the Xuanxiao Sect's medical clinic flickered in the night. Yun Yi, in Su Yao's arms, was already in a semi-conscious state. The purplish-black lines on the back of his neck snaked along his spine, like parasitic vines devouring his life force. Shen Xinghe waved his sleeve, setting up a concealment array. The tassel of his Xuan Tie Heavy Sword rustled in the breeze. His sharp gaze swept across the shadows at the corner of the corridor, his ears picking up any subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy within a ten-mile radius.

“Get out of the way!”

With hurried footsteps, six disciples carried a sandalwood stretcher and burst through the carved wooden door. Su Yao was pulled aside by Shen Xinghe and watched as Yun Yi was gently placed on the jade bed. Gasps filled the clinic—beneath Yun Yi's open robe, the wandering blood patterns seemed to pulsate as if alive, staining the originally pure Daoist robe an eerie dark purple.

"Retrieve the Ice Soul Jade Box!" The lead physician tore off the medicine pouch from his neck, and after heating the silver needles over a candle flame, precisely pierced Yun Yi's Dazhui acupoint. "Hang the Heart-Soothing Bell on the beam!" The disciples responded and moved, the icy aura mingling with the crisp sound of the bell, yet unable to suppress the painful groans escaping Yun Yi's throat. Su Yao clutched the blood-stained handkerchief, her knuckles white from the excessive force, watching the cold sweat beading on the physicians' foreheads, feeling as if an invisible hand was squeezing her heart tighter and tighter.

squeak-

The moment the carved wooden door was flung open, Shen Xinghe's sword was already at Yun Yi's throat, but he abruptly stopped after seeing the person's face. Elder Xuanfeng, with snow-white hair, strode in, leaning on his dragon-patterned staff, the nine-sectioned copper bells hanging from his waist jingling with each step. His wrinkled hand covered Yun Yi's chest, golden light flashing in his cloudy pupils. After a moment, he suddenly staggered back three steps, the head of his staff slamming heavily onto the blue bricks, causing cracks to appear all over the ground.

"This Soul Devouring Curse... has actually reached the seventh level!" The elder trembled as he untied the protective jade on Yun Yi's wrist, revealing the blood-red incantation wrapped around it. "The Xuan Yin Sect only encountered the third level back then, but now..." He suddenly coughed violently, and drops of blood seeping from between his fingers fell onto Yun Yi's chest, turning into wisps of green smoke.

Su Yao rushed to the bedside, grabbing the elder's sleeve: "Please, Elder, teach me how to break this curse!" Her eyes reflected Yun Yi's increasingly pale face, recalling the scene three days ago when they discussed sword techniques in the library. Her nails dug deeply into her palms. Shen Xinghe gripped his sword hilt and took a half-step forward. The sword hummed and trembled, as if sensing its master's anger: "Even if I have to raze the Nine Netherworlds to the ground, I will find a way to break the curse!"

On the rooftop with its crisscrossing glazed tiles, a man in black robes knelt in the moonlight. A bronze compass floated in his palm, its dark gold patterns flickering with the fluctuations of spiritual energy within the room. He extended his withered fingers and lightly stroked the Taotie pattern on the edge of the compass, a hoarse chuckle escaping his throat: "The fools of the Xuanxiao Sect, do they think the Ice Soul Jade and the Heart-Suppressing Bell can suppress it? At midnight, the true power of this Soul-Devouring Curse... will only just begin." A talisman slid from the man in black robes' sleeve, and the instant spiritual energy flowed into it from his fingertips, the blood lines on Yun Yi's neck suddenly surged, and the Ice Soul Jade box in the medical clinic shattered with a deafening roar, shards of ice mixed with blood splattering across the walls.

The fragments of the Ice Soul Jade Box reflected a cold, eerie light under the moonlight. Su Yao staggered, steadying herself on the jade bed. When her fingertips touched Yun Yi's burning skin, it felt as if she were touching a volcano about to erupt. The blood-red lines on Yun Yi's neck were visibly creeping towards his heart. Where those dark red lines passed, the blue veins beneath his skin twisted and bulged like earthworms, making him look like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell.

"Senior Brother Shen! Think of something quickly!" Su Yao's voice trembled with tears. Turning her head, she saw Shen Xinghe had already drawn his heavy sword, the lightning crackling on the blade making his face appear frosty. Just as he was about to take a step, Elder Xuanfeng's coiled dragon staff suddenly blocked the doorway, the nine-sectioned copper bell at its head vibrating with a piercing hum: "Don't be impulsive! The soul-stabilizing array set up by the black-robed man hasn't been broken yet. Going out now would be like lambs to the slaughter!"

The air in the clinic suddenly froze, and everyone felt a sharp pain in their eardrums. Yun Yi, whose eyes had been tightly closed, suddenly opened them, his empty pupils swirling with dark purple vortexes, and his entire body slowly floated off the ground. His robes fluttered without wind, and a surge of blood-red light erupted around him, dyeing the white bed curtains an eerie crimson. Shen Xinghe pointed his sword into the void, only to find that his spiritual energy vanished without a trace the moment it touched the blood-red light.

"He's forcibly breaking through the restriction!" Elder Xuanfeng's white hair moved without wind, his aged voice filled with undisguised shock. "This Soul-Devouring Curse will backfire on the host's spiritual consciousness, he's trying to..." Before he could finish speaking, Yun Yi suddenly formed a strange hand seal, and the calming bells in the clinic all exploded, the flying copper pieces smashing deep craters into the walls. Su Yao rushed over without thinking, but Shen Xinghe suddenly grabbed her wrist—the blood-red light surrounding Yun Yi suddenly transformed into countless sharp spikes, grazing her hair and sinking into the ground.

"Yun Yi! Wake up!" Su Yao cried, tears streaming down her face, her nails digging deep into Shen Xinghe's palm. Yun Yi let out a monstrous roar, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of flesh. The blood mist condensed in the air into a distorted human face, with festering eye sockets and a gaping maw of fangs, emitting a chilling, shrill laugh: "Trying to use your flesh and blood to resist an ancient forbidden technique? Laughable! Laughable!"

Elder Xuanfeng bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence. The ancient jade bottle in his hand opened with a clatter. The moment the pill appeared, the entire medical hall was filled with a refreshing medicinal fragrance, and even the restless bloodlust seemed to freeze slightly. However, just as the elder handed the pill to Yun Yi, the sound of shattering tiles came from the roof. The withered hand of the black-robed man tore open the roof, and as the bronze compass spun rapidly, four black shadows, accompanied by a foul stench, rushed towards the jade bottle.

Shen Xinghe roared, his heavy sword flashing with intense lightning as he slashed at the dark figure. Taking advantage of the moment, Su Yao flung out her jade flute, its notes transforming into a golden net of light that enveloped Yun Yi. Elder Xuanfeng forcefully shoved a pill into Yun Yi's mouth, but then a chain flew from the black-robed man's sleeve, aimed straight for Yun Yi's throat. At the critical moment, Shen Xinghe abandoned his sword and grabbed the chain with his bare hands, his palms instantly slashed and bleeding. Inside the clinic, spiritual energy surged, the medicine cabinets collapsed with a crash, and various medicinal herbs mixed with blood spread out on the ground in bizarre patterns.

"Break!" Shen Xinghe's eyes were bloodshot, his spiritual energy flowing upwards against the chains. The black-robed man groaned, his figure swaying in the moonlight. But at that moment, an even more powerful wave of blood suddenly erupted from Yun Yi's body, knocking everyone to the ground. Dense incantations appeared within the blood wave, forming a gigantic phantom of Asura in the air, emitting a deafening roar: "No one can save him!"

Su Yao's Taoist robe was torn to shreds by the blood waves, and strands of her hair, covered in cold sweat like shattered jade, clung to her pale face. She staggered and steadied herself against the overturned medicine cabinet, her fingertips tracing the dark patterns on the wooden surface that recorded ancient secret techniques. Suddenly, she remembered the "Forbidden Technique Fragment" deep within the Scripture Pavilion—the "Blood Sacrifice Soul Suppression Technique" recorded there required the practitioner's three souls as a catalyst, and the slightest mistake would result in the soul being scattered.

"I'll risk it all!" She bit her tongue, the sweet, metallic blood dripping down her chin onto the jade flute. As the third drop of blood fell into the flute's hole, the candlelight in the entire clinic suddenly and eerily surged upwards, forming thousands of scarlet tongues of fire. Su Yao's eyes flashed with an eerie crimson light, and an ancient incantation burst from her throat, ringing out with the clang of metal striking stone: "Soul returns to the void, spirit returns to the abyss, blood sacrifice to the Nine Netherworlds to suppress the Demon Abyss!"

As the incantation was chanted, the spiritual energy around Su Yao surged wildly like a burst dam. The spiritual veins in her wrists cracked inch by inch, and blood flowed upwards along the meridians, condensing into a huge crimson vortex in the air. From the center of the vortex came a teeth-grinding sound of bones cracking, and Yun Yi's suspended body began to twist and deform. The fangs of the Asura phantom pierced deeply into his shoulder, but were continuously burned by the crimson light.

Seeing this, Shen Xinghe suddenly tore open his clothes, revealing the sect mark on his chest. He formed the long-lost "Seven Star Spirit Guiding Seal" of the Xuanxiao Sect and shouted, "Xinghe, lend me your power!" Suddenly, the stars in the sky dimmed, and seven brilliant starlight pierced through the roof, transforming into streams of light that entered his spiritual platform. Shen Xinghe's pupils turned into deep black ink, and the lightning and blood-red vortex around him collided violently, exploding in mid-air with a deafening roar.

Elder Xuanfeng plunged his dragon-patterned staff deep into the ground, the nine-sectioned bronze bells at the top of the staff simultaneously bursting forth with golden light. His withered hand traced ancient runes in the air, and his aged voice, mixed with spiritual power, echoed within the medical hall: "Heaven and Earth are settled, Yin and Yang are in harmony, suppress!" The previously crumbling medical hall was instantly enveloped by a golden barrier, but black blood spilled from the elder's lips—the backlash of this Soul-Devouring Curse could actually penetrate the protection of a thousand years of cultivation.

The phantom of Asura roared in unwilling fury, and waves of blood transformed into thousands of bloody hands, reaching for Su Yao. She could clearly feel her three souls being forcibly stripped away, and her consciousness began to blur. Just then, a crisp sound of jade shattering suddenly came from within Yun Yi's body, and a dazzling golden light burst forth from his dantian. That was the power of his Heavenly Spiritual Root, which had been sealed since birth, now awakening like a sleeping dragon. Wherever the golden light passed, the blood patterns sizzled and burned.

Two forces collided violently within Yun Yi's body, causing the floor of the clinic to crack and the jade bed to crumble into dust. Su Yao's Blood Sacrifice Vortex and Shen Xinghe's Seven Star Lightning simultaneously entered Yun Yi's body, golden and crimson light intertwining to form a cocoon of light that enveloped him layer by layer. With a dragon's roar that shattered the heavens, the cocoon of light exploded, and the Asura phantom let out its final scream before dissipating into the air as smoke.

Yun Yi landed slowly, the bloodstains on the back of his neck fading into faint marks. He blinked, looking at Su Yao's blood-stained face, and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Senior Sister..." Before he could finish speaking, a cold snort came from the rooftop. The figure of the black-robed man appeared and disappeared in the moonlight, the runes on the bronze compass flashing wildly: "It's just a temporary suppression..." Before he could finish speaking, his figure had already turned into black mist and dissipated into the night.

Elder Xuanfeng stared in the direction where the black-robed man had disappeared, his hands trembling as he touched the surging blood in his chest. Shen Xinghe sheathed his still-humming heavy sword, looked at the mess on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "The forces behind this Soul-Devouring Curse will never let this go." Su Yao, however, simply held Yun Yi tightly, feeling his gradually calming heartbeat, tears dripping onto his blood-stained clothes. Outside the window, dark clouds began to obscure the moonlight; an even greater storm was quietly brewing in the darkness.