Chapter 20: Forbidden Curse Mark

This is by no means alarmist talk.

Peach Pigs are of a gentle nature, so the breeding base within the school facilitates easy management; hence, the security systems are not robust and consist only of a wall.

Once breached, the school authorities would undoubtedly be too slow to react, and the first to face the onslaught would be the students.

Their contracted pet beasts were recently acquired, and even the stronger ones are only at the Silver tier. Facing the charge of Command tier pet beasts equivalent to that of Golden Beastmasters, they would be vanquished in a single encounter.

If injuries were the worst outcome, that would be tolerable, but if fatalities occurred, it would be a malignant incident.

Once the Ghost Face Curse Frog is suppressed and the situation concludes, even if Lu Yu were innocently implicated, the Peach Pigs project would surely be canceled, saddling him with enormous debt.

This is because, to become the person in charge of the project, he had promised to take on the losses if the project failed.

Otherwise, why would the school entrust the project to a student suspected of “going crazy” and grant him such extensive authority to make alterations as he pleased?

However, with high risk comes high reward. Successfully completing the project would entitle Lu Yu to twenty percent of the profits—a small portion, it seemed, but without the need for capital investment. By leveraging the “Eye of Truth” technology as a shareholder, it’s a fine business deal of earning profits using borrowed capital. That is the advantage.

The downside is that if problems arise, these details will be dug up, making him a target for collective blame.

“Experiencing near bankruptcy twice in one day is truly more thrilling than a roller coaster ride!”

Lu Yu took a deep breath, contemplating the reasons why such a rare golden creature appeared in such a tiny pig farm.

He had a rough guess—it was the Forbidden Memories!

After witnessing the Forbidden Sun, the associated memories have transformed into a unique curse that has taken root deep within the soul.

While it isn’t directly lethal, the curse bestowed upon him a special kind of magnetic field, attracting creatures from the evil faction to a significant extent.

Equivalent to the allure of Tang Seng’s flesh and even broadcasting his own attractiveness with a background track for emphasis.

The “Nightmare Mark” is the sign that ensued after the Nightmare arrived!

And the Ghost Face Curse Frog was likely influenced by it, veering towards the probability of highest possibility and coming into existence in Taohua Forest.

Had he not awakened the Door of Truth, his soul would have been devoured by the Nightmare, his organs consumed by the Curse Frog, consequently becoming an enslaved cursed puppet. Ultimately, he would be destroyed by either humans or some wild beast.

In the end, he would be reduced to a pile of residue.

At this moment, Lu Yu felt an intense malice from fate!

From the moment he gazed upon the Forbidden with merely human eyes, his life was destined to be a tragedy…

As if!

“Too naïve!”

Lu Yu whispered softly, his eyes growing even more unfathomable, where a multitude of emotions intertwined, nurturing a seed named Ambition.

Previously, although he had awakened the Door of Truth, his mindset had not changed; he simply desired to resolve the Nightmare Mark and live a secure life, then proceed to become a powerful Beast Tamer.

But to witness the Forbidden with mere human form was already a sin!

The sin was—weakness!

He gazed at the sky, the land, everything was incredibly distorted, feeling as though he was within the massive bloated body of a monster, with countless writhing eyes covered in feathers and tentacles looking down and mocking his stupidity and powerlessness.

If it were before, Lu Yu would have panicked, worried, feared, and revered these great beings.

But now, he had a sudden awakening.

Staring at the shining sun in the sky, Lu Yu endured the blinding light, a hint of infatuation flashing in his eyes, he reached out his hand as if to grasp nothing, and admired:

“How beautiful…”

As the “Master of the Door,” the creator of Mystic Edibles, all things in the world were but ingredients!

No matter how many monsters come, they will only become nutrients contributing to his strength, helping him step by step towards the throne of godhood.

Even the Forbidden Sun, could it not be an ingredient?

Since he was already tainted by Forbidden, begging for mercy was futile.

So, might as well adjust his attitude in advance and enter the game of these great existences early; try to change from a pawn to a chess player, and eventually…

Overturn the chessboard!

Playing a game with evil gods should be interesting!

Lu Yu’s lips curved upwards, sketching a defiant smile.

“Ying?”

Little Spider was somewhat confused, sensing some changes in her master, seemingly happier now.

Although it couldn’t grasp the reason, as long as the master was happy, it too shared in the joy.

Lu Yu stroked the little creature’s head, his gaze gentle. In the path ahead, only it would stand steadfastly behind him.

Becoming the anchor to his stable sanity!

He turned his gaze to the Curse Frog, who bore a grudge as if it wished to flay and dismember him, took off his sunglasses, and confronted it with a steady stare.

“Quack!”

Even the savage Curse Frog couldn’t help but retreat under that gaze, cowed in that moment.

Because what it saw was not anger, not a killing intent, the gaze was open and calm, yet it bore a hint of…

Madness!

Though but a frail human, those bloodshot eyes were filled with a madness that sought to shatter fate and defile the Forbidden.

However, in the next moment, the Curse Frog realized it had been frightened by a mere human—an immense indignity, especially since this was the enemy who had forced it to prematurely tear through its mother.

“Gur—Quack!”

The Ghost Face Curse Frog inflated its vocal sac, vibrating the space around it, and the ground beneath started to crack.

A sonic boom spread out; seeing the Curse Frog’s action, Lu Yu instantly covered his ears, and Little Spider followed suit.

But their bodily vitalities still halted momentarily, a wave of weakness spreading through them.

The Curse of Weakness!

Indeed, a formidable opponent of elite rank, the first scream it unleashed was this troublesome!

Spreading through sound, it could afflict its opponents with negative buffs, like a shaman in a game would do through music.

Though not lethal, the disparity in strength, already at a significant difference in rank, would widen even further.

Fortunately, Little Spider, being the progeny of a sovereign, had a strong natural spirit. Plus, the Blindfold sustained its will, preventing it from being overly affected.

“Qua qua qua qua…”

Meanwhile, hundreds of Taohua Spotted Frogs leaped out of the water, among them several gigantic Taohua Drum Frogs, their gazes vacant, approaching like a zombified army in a relentless wave.

“Void Ray!”

Lu Yu directed calmly, the six Eyes of the Void again concentrating purple radiance, transforming into beams that lanced forth. Given energy consumption’s significant toll on space-based skills, priority targeting was the evolved Taohua Drum Frogs, piercing through them instantly.

Void toxins spread, and the flesh instantly crystallized, exploding with a series of “bangs,” and scattered crystal powder filled the air.

If this continued, the cursed puppet legion would soon disintegrate.

Alas, the Curse Frog wouldn’t give this opportunity, constantly issuing curses to weaken the enemy, and commanding the cursed puppets to stir up the soil, creating a dust storm that blurred vision.

For an average Beast Tamer, blurred vision would have been the end of it, unable to find a target to attack.

However, Little Spider primarily used its inner eye to perceive its surroundings and did not rely on sight; thus, the Void Rays did not cease, continuing the merciless onslaught against the cursed puppets.

Executing a ruthless massacre.

Of sovereign tier—the tyrants of the land, countless creatures submitting, even as a youngling, possessing the potential to massacre all!

“Quack!”

This spectacle filled the Curse Frog with murderous rage, its bulging eyes nearly exploding with anger.

Boom!

It waved its forelimbs, stirring up massive streams of water that mixed with soil to create muddy ponds, then had the puppet frogs continuously fling mud.

“Spider Silk Shield!”

Responding to its master’s command, Little Spider wove a massive square shield from webs before its body, while threads stretching from its corners entwined trees to bear the force, blocking a barrage of mud attacks.

“Quack!”

The Ghost Face Curse Frog pressed on relentlessly, unwilling to provide an opening, widened its maw, and sprayed venom.

This time, however, Lu Yu—not Little Spider—was its target.

“Ying!”

Seeing this, Little Spider instinctively prepared to protect its master, when suddenly dozens of puppet birds attacked from behind. Though it managed to blink away using void space and evade, its movements had been disrupted by the assault.

Even flying birds had been made into cursed puppets, poised for a surprise attack!

Surprise registered on Lu Yu’s face, and he froze on the spot.

“Ying ying.”

Little Spider quickly dispatched the birds with the Eyes of the Void, while darting towards him through void space, using its web shield to block the venom.

Sizzle!

Ultimately, spider silk wasn’t alloy; it immediately corroded upon contact with the venom, hissing as it dissolved, and the distant Eyes of the Void were also entangled.

In that moment, Little Spider lost its defense!

“Quack!”

The Ghost Face Curse Frog finally saw its chance; blood-colored patterns emerged on both sides of its cheeks as it drew breath, puffing up, assembling a terrifying ghost face pattern.

A mental ability—Ghost Face!

Bizarre fluctuations spread out, manifesting as a psychic shockwave that caught Little Spider in a moment of distraction, freezing it in place.

At the same time, the Ghost Face Curse Frog wasn’t waiting any longer; with a mighty leap, even though it was a feeble spellcaster by nature and shouldn’t close in, it had another trick up its sleeve.

A signature amphibious move—Tongue Whip!

Whish!

The blood-colored tongue lashed out ferociously towards Little Spider!

If struck, even a massive boulder would shatter instantly, let alone Little Spider, a fragile spellcaster!

“Gur Quack!”

Joy shone in the massive eyes of the Ghost Face Curse Frog, brutal pleasure overflowing as it envisioned Little Spider torn apart, turned into nourishment for its evolution.

“Did you not know that mages are all melee sword wielders?”

Lu Yu’s calm voice interrupted, surprising the Curse Frog with a sudden scent of danger. It quickly noticed something was amiss.

That seemingly fragile Little Spider, with its silver hair draping over its shoulders, basked in the sun’s golden glow piercing through the mottled tree leaves, dyeing its blindfold into black and gold, magnificent and holy.

Like an overlapping of times, the graceful and untouchably beautiful Nun of the Heavens descended.

It extended its delicate jade-like hands, countless webs condensing, combining, forging two slender sword blades clutched in its grips, stirring a gust that uplifted the scattered peach blossoms from the ground, wafting and swirling.

Amidst the ethereal shower of blossoms, a silhouette charged upward, accompanied by dark crimson sword lights sweeping through, like the night eroding everything, dimming the world.

With spirit controlling the body and the body wielding the sword.

Heart-Eye Soul Sword!