Chapter 238

Chapter 238: Amethyst Silkworm King

After sending off Li Li, Fang Lie mapped out his cultivation plans for the coming months.

His immediate task was absorbing Spirit Marrow and Ten Thousand Years of Emptiness. Yet these potent substances each required one to two months to process. With upcoming transactions leaving no time for closed-door training, he postponed this.

Next came refining elemental essences – a perpetual task he’d already stockpiled enough of for his Alchemy Cauldron’s needs. This could wait.

Then there was learning new divine skills. Having expanded his Qi Sea to fifteen li, Fang Lie became eligible for another Nirvana Fire-related skill. Recent busyness had delayed this until now.

After consideration, he resolved to spend the waiting days mastering the Ever-Burning Curse.

This technique evolved from its precursor, the lesser divine skill Ever-Burning Flame – which used blood essence as permanent combustible ink. Though dealing minimal physical damage, its true horror lay in psychological warfare.

Once inscribed, victims became living parchment. Fang Lie could ignite the markings at will, flames bursting forth during critical cultivation moments or social gatherings. Imagine combat focus shattered by facial burns spelling "MORON" in flickering script! The soul-bound marks proved nearly impossible to remove, trapping enemies in endless agony.

The original technique’s fatal flaw? Requiring physical contact to apply markings. Hence the improved Ever-Burning Curse – a passive Curse Technique.

Preparation involved writing desired words on his palms with Ever-Burning Flame ink, then fusing them into his flesh. Once activated, any killer striking Fang Lie down would trigger automatic retaliation. His erupting corpse would channel all Spiritual Energy into branding the murderer’s face with the pre-written insults through cursed flames.

Beyond humiliation, these marks served dual purposes: constant torment and tracking via Original Essence Blood resonance. No more losing targets like Master of a Hundred Poisons, who’d stolen the Crystal Palace treasure ship after forcing Fang Lie’s previous death.

This skill’s value became immediately apparent. Despite crushing the Four Seas Alliance and building local prestige, Fang Lie remained vulnerable. Unaffiliated cultivators roamed the boundless Wanxing Sea freely – even major powers like Xuan Sect, Tao Sect, and Mo Sect couldn’t control these lawless waters.

Rogue experts acted with impunity, knowing territories meant little in the sea’s vastness. The Sword God himself couldn’t catch someone hiding in Wanxing’s remote reaches. For such predators, killing a target – even the Sword God’s heir – meant simply vanishing afterward. The Ever-Burning Curse offered Fang Lie both revenge and insurance against this grim reality.

However, once Fang Lie obtained the Ever-Burning Curse, he no longer needed to fear those scoundrels. Anyone who dared kill him would be marked by the curse, allowing Fang Lie to track them down and cause trouble at any time.

The Ever-Burning Curse wasn’t complex. After two days of cultivation, Fang Lie had mastered it.

Upon completion, the character "贱" appeared in his left palm and "人" in his right. From then on, anyone who killed Fang Lie would have "贱人" branded visibly across their face wherever they went.

Calculating there was still time before the transaction, Fang Lie continued refining medicinal extracts for future use.

A day later, he received Flying Swords sending messages. Ending his seclusion, he summoned Li Li to the Purple Tower’s highest floor.

Accompanying Li Li this time was a Nascent Soul True Immortal. The man’s pale face and bluish lips gave him an aura of severe Nascent Soul energy depletion, though Fang Lie knew this resulted from excessive blood essence consumption rather than debauchery.

After exchanging courtesies, Fang Lie and the Zhou Family Head took their seats. Mao San and Gou Si served tea and snacks before withdrawing discreetly, followed by the obediently departing Li Li.

"Island Lord," the Zhou Family Head began without preamble, "This is our ancestral Gu King – the Amethyst Silkworm King." He produced a small jade box.

Inside lay a translucent purple silkworm glowing like carved amethyst, barely over an inch long. Its nine bead-like segments resembled a purple pearl necklace. The first six segments each contained a golden divine symbol, while the seventh showed faint golden light indicating incomplete formation.

Fang Lie recognized this as a Nine-Turn Crystal Silkworm. These poisonous Gu insects came in rainbow hues, with purple being the rarest royal variant. Requiring nine transformations to mature, each evolution formed a golden symbol. This sixth-turn specimen matched a Wind Tribulation Immortal’s power, its half-formed seventh symbol heralding imminent advancement.

Despite their fragile beauty, these creatures could drain a victim’s essence in moments. The Amethyst Silkworm King could ambush even Wind Tribulation Immortals. This explained Zhou Family Head’s confidence in visiting Qingyu Island – a mental command could send the silkworm killing Fang Lie instantly.

Though aware of its value, Fang Lie hadn’t anticipated such potency. The Zhou Family’s shortened lifespans – each head dying young with barely a third the lifespan of peers – attested to generations spent nurturing this Gu King. It had established their Wanxing Sea foothold yet also constrained their growth.

Returning the box, Fang Lie remarked, "Impressive. Name your price."

The Zhou Family Head brightened. "This treasure can challenge Wind Tribulation Immortals and will soon rival Fire Tribulation Immortal combat power. A Seventh-rank Treasure seems fair exchange!"

Fang Lie gave a hollow chuckle. "Reasonable, but I possess no Seventh-rank Treasures."

"Then two sixth-rank magical items?"

"None available."

"Impossible!" The man protested. "Your Demon Sword alone is sixth-rank!"

"True," Fang Lie acknowledged calmly. "But I won’t trade it."