Chapter 42: The Three Major Talismans of Hengyue

## Chapter 42: The Three Great Curses of Heng Yue

Ye Chen retracted his breath and hurried back to his humble abode. Reaching his bedside, he snatched the small purple-gold gourd and tucked it close to his chest, rubbing it repeatedly.

"A treasure, truly a treasure!"

A smile stretched across Ye Chen's face, his heart swelling with the certainty that the thousand-odd spirit stones he had spent that day were more than worth it. He had reasoned that the ancient turtle shell contained the secrets of the mysterious body technique, Speed Shadow Thousand Illusions, and the small purple-gold gourd, recognizing this essence, had devoured the shell to refine the hidden art within.

"Just what kind of treasure are you, to possess such ability?"

Holding the small purple-gold gourd, Ye Chen's affection for it deepened with each passing moment, his joy growing with every thought. Not only could it transmute heaven and earth spiritual energy into liquid form, but it could also extract the profound mysteries concealed within various objects. This revelation further solidified Ye Chen's belief that the gourd's origins were extraordinary.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm about to strike it rich?"

Ye Chen stroked his chin in contemplation. "My True Fire can sense treasures, and this small purple-gold gourd can unearth the hidden secrets within them. This is the path to wealth!"

Lost in this thought, Ye Chen retrieved a seemingly unremarkable spirit bead from his storage pouch and, without hesitation, inserted it into the small purple-gold gourd, eager to see if it could reveal anything from within.

*Buzz!*

Upon being abruptly fed the spirit bead, the small purple-gold gourd pulsed and vibrated before promptly spitting it out.

"Seems it's just an ordinary spirit bead."

Ye Chen mused aloud, then pulled out a small dagger and inserted it into the gourd. As before, the small purple-gold gourd immediately expelled it.

"Nothing in this one either."

Putting away the dagger, Ye Chen continued to retrieve various items – spirit jades, spiritual artifacts – and tested them one by one. Finally, he inserted a small, glowing jade bottle.

*Crack!*

Without a moment's delay, the small purple-gold gourd crushed the jade bottle into dust and then expelled the powdery remnants.

Ye Chen's eyes widened in astonishment.

*Buzz!*

The small purple-gold gourd trembled violently, a silent protest as if to say, "Try putting some more junk in here, and see what happens!"

Observing the situation, Ye Chen's mouth twitched involuntarily. He now understood. The small purple-gold gourd possessed the ability to extract hidden mysteries from treasures, but only from items it voluntarily consumed. Useless objects, when forced upon it, were simply rejected. Moreover, he perceived a distinct spirituality within the gourd. He was certain that if he continued to stuff random objects into it, they would be instantly pulverized.

"Little thing, quite a temper you've got."

Despite the scolding, Ye Chen clasped the small gourd to his chest. This was a true treasure indeed.

After a simple breakfast, Ye Chen hastily departed from the small spirit garden. Upon reaching the cave in the back mountain, Bear Two was sprawled out, snoring loudly, saliva pooling on the ground. He lay there like a flattened character, his body a mound of fat.

*Cough, cough...*

Ye Chen cleared his throat, but Bear Two remained undisturbed. Seeing this, Ye Chen walked over and delivered a kick. "Little fatty, time to get to work."

As on previous occasions, the fellow showed no sign of waking.

"Eh?" Ye Chen lightly uttered, "How come that female isn't wearing any clothes?"

At these words, the snoring Bear Two jolted awake, leaping to his feet. "Where? Where?"

"This trick always works," Ye Chen remarked meaningfully from the side.

"Your grandma!" Realizing he'd been duped, Bear Two glared fiercely at Ye Chen and cursed.

"Enough of this nonsense. Hurry up. Did you bring the spirit herbs? We don't have much time."

"Leave it to me. You can rest assured." Bear Two immediately reached into his crotch and pulled out a storage bag. "This old man used all his strength to get these."

*Tsk!*

Ye Chen didn't think much of the gesture, but upon opening the storage bag, he was instantly stunned. The quantity of spirit herbs inside was three times that of previous batches.

"You little rascal, how ruthless!" Ye Chen stared at Bear Two, a look of awe and astonishment on his face. "You took so many, did your old uncle agree?"

"He didn't!"

"Then how did you get them?"

"I called in my aunt," Bear Two said, picking his nose. "And added something to their food."

"Added something?" Ye Chen's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Aphrodisiac powder."

At this confession, even Ye Chen's composure wavered, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. He couldn't help but give Bear Two a thumbs-up. "Impressive."

A minor interlude passed, and the two resumed their task. Ye Chen once again presided over the refining process, while Bear Two bustled about as his assistant. Soon, a refreshing medicinal fragrance permeated the air within the cave. Ye Chen, naturally, wouldn't let these overflowing plumes of dense aroma go to waste. From the very beginning of refining the Jade Spirit Liquid, he had produced the small purple-gold gourd, which diligently swallowed all the medicinal fragrance.

"What treasure is this, that it can even absorb spiritual energy on its own?" Bear Two squatted on the ground, his small eyes darting around.

"Stop looking, come here and help."

As Ye Chen's technique for refining Jade Spirit Liquid became increasingly proficient, they were able to refine three times the amount as the previous time. They completed the process in a mere six days.

That night, the two lay on the ground like dead pigs, utterly exhausted after six days of frantic refining.

"We set out tomorrow. Before that, let's go to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and get some useful things, understood?" Bear Two said, stuffing bottles of Jade Spirit Liquid into his storage bag as he instructed Ye Chen.

"Useful things?" Ye Chen couldn't help but look over, cautiously asking, "You mean...?"

"Heaven Spirit Curse, Heaven Travel Curse, and Heaven Thunder Curse, of course!"

Hearing these names, Ye Chen's eyes suddenly brightened.

The Three Great Curses of Heng Yue Sect: Heaven Spirit Curse, Heaven Travel Curse, and Heaven Thunder Curse.

The Heaven Spirit Curse primarily sealed, capable of briefly imprisoning a cultivator's True Qi. The Heaven Travel Curse focused on escape, instantly enhancing the user's speed. The Heaven Thunder Curse was an attack, its power immense, capable of leveling mountains.

Each of these three great curses of Heng Yue Sect had its merits. When used in combination, they could achieve unexpected results. Their rarity also made them a topic of fervent discussion.

"Does the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion sell these three great curses?" Ye Chen asked, looking at Bear Two.

"Of course they do! A Heaven Spirit Curse costs ten thousand spirit stones, a Heaven Travel Curse costs thirty thousand, and as for the Heaven Thunder Curse, it requires ninety thousand spirit stones. But the Heaven Thunder Curse is too powerful and is forbidden within the Heng Yue Sect. Outside, however, it can be used."

"My heavens, who can afford that?" Ye Chen couldn't help but gulp.

"The outer sect of Heng Yue Sect is filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Many of them are from cultivation families and are incredibly wealthy."

Ye Chen considered this and realized he was right. Just yesterday, he had found thirty thousand spirit stones in Qi Hao's storage bag. Other low-key disciples from cultivation families were bound to be just as rich.

"These curse talismans, although expensive, are very practical," Bear Two said. "They are essential for venturing out. In critical moments, they can save your life. Compared to spirit stones, I value my own little life more."

His words were undeniably logical. Ye Chen strongly agreed with Bear Two's perspective. No matter how many spirit stones one possessed, they were meaningless if life was lost. He had already secretly decided to visit the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion once more before heading to the Netherworld Black Market. While he couldn't afford the Heaven Thunder Curse, he could at least purchase a couple of Heaven Spirit Curses and Heaven Travel Curses.

That night, the two departed the back mountain separately. Bear Two went to the spirit herb garden, while Ye Chen headed towards the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

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