Qing Dai and I were in a similar predicament.
At this moment, both of us clutched the location of the life curse on our left chests, looking towards each other.
We couldn't maintain eye contact for even a second.
The life curse on our left chests suddenly intensified its pain.
A tearing sensation instantly swept through both our souls.
It felt as though it wanted to rip apart all of our souls in an instant…
"Ah…"
We both cried out.
The stinging sensation originated from our souls, causing us immense suffering.
It arrived so swiftly, leaving us no time to prepare.
My body couldn't even stay upright.
With a "bang," I fell to the ground.
"Old Qin!"
"Little Qin!"
"Young Master Qin!"
"…"
The people nearby, seeing me like this, all spoke up.
They converged around me.
Meanwhile, a wisp of red aura began to emanate from the area of my left chest.
"Old Qin, what's happening?"
Old Mo asked, his voice filled with dread, sensing something was amiss.
He simultaneously helped me up.
"Has that life curse acted up?"
Xia Qiuxi spoke, her voice laced with anxiety.
Considering the timing, the onset of my life curse was likely within these few hours.
And the purpose of this journey was precisely to break my life curse.
If I were to die now due to the curse, all our efforts would be in vain.
Everything done before would be wasted.
"It is indeed the aura of a curse mark!"
Gui Shi Ba said.
Enduring the pain, I directly tore open my tattered upper garment.
Revealing the curse mark on my left chest.
It was a fiery cloud, now bleeding like fire, emitting a faint red aura.
"The power of this curse mark is just as legendary, so potent, directly affecting the soul."
Hu San Tai Nai also exclaimed in astonishment.
I looked at the life curse on my chest, feeling the waves of pain and constriction.
I knew with certainty that this life curse had truly taken effect.
I had to break the curse as soon as possible to save my life.
Otherwise, I would face eternal damnation, my soul scattered to the winds…
I looked up towards the other side.
Qing Dai was also clutching her left chest in discomfort, experiencing immense pain.
But her will was strong, and her cultivation profound.
She stood steadily, not falling to the ground…
The surrounding ferocious ghost subordinates all rushed towards her.
Each with a pale face, filled with fear and concern as they spoke:
"Princess!"
"Protect the Highness!"
"Princess, what's wrong?"
"Oh no, it's the princess's life curse acting up."
"…"
Instantly, Qing Dai's faction of ghosts was in turmoil, drawing closer to her.
Each one was filled with worry.
For thousands of years, Qing Dai had been their faith, their leader.
If anything were to happen to Qing Dai, they would lose their sole spiritual pillar…
Qing Dai, however, raised her hand, signaling them to stop their advance.
"This Princess is… fine…"
As she spoke, she laboriously lifted her head to look at me.
"Qing Dai!"
I called out her name with difficulty.
Striving to get back on my feet.
We both knew that we had to be together immediately to break the life curse…
Qing Dai also swayed, enduring the pain:
"Bring out what I've prepared. I need to break the curse now, and my generals shall protect me."
"As you command!"
"Understood!"
With that, under the protection of twenty ghost cavalry, she floated towards me.
The twenty ghost cavalry began to buzz around:
"Protect the Princess, bring out the original stone."
"Quick!"
"Hurry up, everyone."
"…"
Amidst the clamor, Qing Dai's subordinates quickly formed a tight circle around us.
In moments, Qing Dai had arrived before me.
Both of us looked extremely unwell.
Qing Dai looked at me, and despite her suffering, she forced a slight smile:
"We, still, have time!"
After speaking, Qing Dai took out the soul stone I had given her earlier.
With a faint smile, she revealed that this was the item to break our life curses.
She tossed it upwards.
The soul stone directly suspended about five meters above our heads.
With the soul stone hanging above, the pain in our souls surprisingly lessened.
I looked into Qing Dai's eyes and nodded with firm resolve:
"Yes, we will succeed! The life curse cannot kill us."
At this moment, Gui Shi Ba and Hu San Tai Nai also noticed.
Qing Dai, like me, was afflicted by such a curse mark.
We were each other's, life curse counterparts…
Hu San Tai Nai narrowed his eyes, looking at Qing Dai with a hint of curiosity:
"No wonder Princess Jiu Sheng also came to this place; it turns out Young Master Qin is her life curse counterpart!"
Hu San Tai Nai, a mountain fox spirit, although having little interaction with Qing Dai.
He was a leader of such a major power.
And having lived for so long, he knew of Qing Dai, the reputation of Princess Jiu Sheng, to some extent.
It was just that their interactions were limited, and he didn't know her well.
The last time they met was merely a fleeting glimpse when she sought enfeoffment on Mount Longgang.
At that time, they didn't think I and Qing Dai had any connection.
Only today, upon seeing Princess Jiu Sheng.
Although surprised, their goals were the same, and they didn't converse.
He had simply thought that Qing Dai and I shared some fated connection.
Who would have thought that the fated connection would be so profound.
We were each other's, life curse counterparts…
Gui Shi Ba, from Wudi Dong, also narrowed his eyes and hefted his wolf-fang mace, saying:
"It's truly unexpected that the renowned Princess Jiu Sheng.
Would have a life curse.
And her life curse counterpart is this Young Master Qin.
The human lineage's future might see a great upheaval…"
The two great demons began to converse in low tones.
But more eyes were fixed on Qing Dai and me.
Qing Dai threw out the stone, gesturing for me to sit cross-legged and adjust my breathing.
To await the soul stone's cleansing of our souls.
I immediately complied.
Qing Dai also followed suit and sat opposite me.
Qing Dai's subordinates began to act now.
They demarcated a ten-meter radius around us, with us at the center.
At five points around the area, stones of different colors were placed.
Each stone was about the size of a fist.
Gold, green, white, red, and brown.
Each stone emanated the aura of its respective elemental energy.
Guarded by four ghost cavalry and a host of ghost cultivators.
Yun Xia Gu also helped her uncle, having approached early.
Her face was filled with anxiety, but she was unable to assist.
Upon seeing these five stones, she couldn't help but exclaim in shock:
"Are these, the Five Element Stones?"
"Heavens! They truly are the Five Element Stones."
Her uncle also looked on in astonishment.
Hu San Tai Nai and Gui Shi Ba's eyes widened, filled with envy.
These were the Five Element Stones, the essence of the five elements.
Each one represented pure elemental power and was a rare treasure.
Possessing even one was remarkable.
Great demons like them looked on with longing.
To think that Qing Dai possessed five of them.
With the five Five Element Stones placed,
Qing Dai suddenly formed a hand seal and muttered a few words.
Finally, she slammed her palm onto the ground:
"Five Element Grand Array!"
As she spoke, runes began to spread across the ground centered around us.
The rune light erupted, soaring towards the sky.
A strange surge of energy pulsed outwards, like ripples.
With a "buzz," it reverberated outwards.
Except for the powerful Hu San Tai Nai, Gui Shi Ba, and the twenty ghost cavalry,
The rest of the personnel were pushed back several steps by the shock…
Concurrently, the five surrounding Five Element Stones began to flash with five beams of radiant light.
The five beams of light all shot towards the red soul stone above our heads.
The soul stone above seemed to be stimulated, activated.
The soul stone trembled, and a red light shot straight up into the firmament.
Like a soul's eye, tearing through the heavens.
Red light swirled around the soul stone, with misty luminescence pervading the area.
Wisps of red mist descended, like a waterfall of flowing light.
The scene was as if Qing Dai and I were bathed in streams of red light…