Qi Yu had been pondering this matter. After everyone from the celebration banquet had dispersed, she quietly shared her thoughts with Si Qing, An Nuo, Shao Feng, and the Four Ancestral Dragons.
Yue Zhi Yin, Sui You, Qi Nian, Chi Ming, Qi Yan, and Ming Lou were also listening nearby.
Upon hearing that the one casting the curse might be the Law, everyone, after careful consideration, had to admit the possibility.
"Of course, if the curse was indeed cast by the Law, then the content of the curse would most likely be related to the Heavenly Dao, right?" Yue Zhi Yin looked at Qi Yu and the others. "After all, the Law had previously asked us to sacrifice our spiritual energy to save the Heavenly Dao, but we all found ways to refuse. We kept saying our spiritual energy was depleted and we couldn't save the Heavenly Dao, so the Law had to find other sources of power."
"Hey, look at this girl," Qi Nian pointed to the mortal girl Qi Yu and Sui You had brought up earlier. "You all said before that those who are cursed cannot absorb spiritual energy. Once they absorb it, it triggers their murderous intent. That's why when you thought it was poisoning before, you couldn't use spiritual energy to detoxify them."
"But I just tested her with my demonic energy. Look, she absorbs it very quickly, and her complexion has indeed improved." Qi Nian said, showing everyone the mortal girl's reaction. After they had seen it, he withdrew all his demonic energy.
To his surprise, after withdrawing it, he discovered that his demonic energy had turned pitch black after circulating within the mortal girl.
"Hmm, what's going on?" Qi Nian raised the ball of demonic energy, looking puzzled. "Why has it turned pitch black? It wasn't like this before. My power isn't this color."
"This should be a problem with the curse," Qi Yu said, sitting cross-legged. She lightly traced the skin on the girl's calf with her fingertip.
Blood flowed out, but its temperature was unnaturally cold, like water droplets melting from a glacier.
Seeing someone's blood turn ice-cold now instinctively reminded Qi Yu of the Abyssal Hell.
Feng Ming Xi leaned closer to observe carefully. "The reason this blood has become ice-cold is because the life force within this girl has been stolen."
Feng Yun Zui asked, not understanding, "Life force? Isn't it spiritual energy?"
"Normal humans without cultivation have no spiritual energy, only life force. The so-called life force is the same as what humans call 'yang energy,' just a different way of saying it," Yue Zhi Yin explained. "This so-called yang energy, life force, is essential for humans. Without this energy, a human becomes like a walking corpse."
"But in the human world, there are many people with the same symptoms as this girl. Does that mean all those people have lost their life force?" Qi Nian looked at Yan Hua and the others. "Esteemed elders, what can the person casting the curse do with the life force they take from humans?"
"Taking human life force is very useful," Qi Yu said, counting on her fingers. "Look, by possessing human life force, one can convert it into their own spiritual cultivation."
"If used properly, one can even use this life force to repair their magic artifacts, formations, or even their souls."
"In short, there are countless countable and uncountable benefits. This is also why ordinary humans in the mortal world are often hunted by low-level evil spirits for no reason. They are simply too nourishing for those evil spirits."
After hearing Qi Yu's examples, Qi Nian looked enlightened. No wonder humans often faced calamities, and even some ignorant demons in the demon realm would often sneak out to hunt humans.
Such demons, who severely violated boundary treaties and committed murder, were usually executed.
However, there were fewer such demons in the demon realm in recent years. It was unclear whether these demons had truly given up their desire to harm humans and stopped acting, or if they were just waiting for an opportunity in the human world.
Thinking about the troublesome matters of the demon realm, Qi Nian couldn't help but get a headache.
Chen Xi, standing nearby, also had a grim expression, but not because of the demon realm's affairs or the frequent harm to humans. It was because this curse was very likely cast by the Law.
If the Law had cast this curse, stripping the vitality from humans in the mortal world, then the Law's purpose was clearly for the Heavenly Dao.
"Does anyone know how to trace the source of the curse?" Jin Yan asked, looking around. His gaze finally settled on Yan Hua.
After all, among the many people in the Divine Realm, Yan Hua knew the most.
"To trace the source of a curse, one needs to know what the medium of the curse is," Yan Hua said calmly. "Let's go to the mortal world together. There's almost no other way to figure this out besides going to the mortal world."
Chen Xi clicked his tongue.
"The medium can be as large as a well, a piece of land, or even a gust of wind. It can be as small as a needle a woman uses for embroidery, someone's hair, or a small stone."
"Going down to the mortal world to search for it is no small matter. I suggest we divide the areas."
"Some people can search the east, and some can search the west. Let's spread out in all four directions, and someone is bound to find it."
Jin Yan had no objections.
Yu Yuan nodded.
The others also had no objections.
Yue Zhi Yin immediately finalized the matter, deciding to descend to the mortal world immediately to search.
On the way.
Chen Xi and Yan Hua were responsible for all the villages in the west.
Chen Xi had just drunk wine and tasted immortal peaches at the banquet, and was now tipsy, only wanting to sleep. So, he kept dozing off on the way. By the time they reached the room, he had already transformed back into his original form and was coiled around Yan Hua's waist as a belt.
This living belt slept quite soundly.
Yan Hua was long accustomed to this. He turned and instructed An Nuo, Shao Feng, Qi Yu, and Si Qing to be extra careful. Only then did he step into the western villages.
An Nuo and Shao Feng nodded. After Yan Hua left with Chen Xi, they looked at Qi Yu and Si Qing and asked,
"You two are responsible for the eastern villages, right? If so, you must be quick and don't just play around."
Qi Yu nodded. "Mother, don't worry."
Si Qing gave Shao Feng a reassuring look. "We'll be done very quickly."
Shao Feng glanced at the mortal area they were responsible for and was about to say that this was no small matter and might not be resolved in a short time. However, when he looked up, he saw Qi Yu and Si Qing both transforming into countless clones.
A dense swarm of them flew behind the two.
With a command from Qi Yu and Si Qing,
These clones immediately went to various villages in the mortal world, not even sparing the corners of alleys or the dirt slopes.
Shao Feng: "..."
You can actually do this?
An Nuo's face showed a look of existential doubt. "Babies... you two siblings planned to do this from the beginning, didn't you?"
No wonder, when everyone else was anxious to descend and search for clues, only these two siblings were unhurried.
They even had the leisure to chat on the clouds.
Qi Yu and Si Qing nodded.
An Nuo couldn't help but show an envious look. Finally, she pulled Shao Feng and waved goodbye to them. "Alright then, you two take your time and be extra careful."
Seeing this, Qi Yu quickly grabbed An Nuo's sleeve. "Mother, do you want me to send some clones to help you?"
"That's not necessary," An Nuo shook her head. "Those clones are all from your original spirit and the Law. If you discover something, you'll know immediately. If I find something, I'll still have to rush over to see it, which would be troublesome."
Qi Yu nodded upon hearing this.
After they left, Qi Yu and Si Qing dispatched all their clones to the mortal realm, and then they themselves descended to the ground to seriously search for anything that could serve as a medium.
In a corner not far away.
The Law, shrouded in a black cloak, was closely observing the backs of Qi Yu and Si Qing.
The Law imprint on her forehead was gradually disappearing and beginning to dim.