Chapter 253

Chapter 253: The True Cause

The sudden attack caught everyone off guard, even Bing Yuyan, who had never expected the divine sparrow, despite being knocked out, to recover so quickly.

Ultimately, she had underestimated the true terror of the divine sparrow.

By the time it struck, it was already too late for her to react.

She didn’t even have time to lift her sword.

Among the twelve Great Boundless experts of Green Sparrow Palace, only Mu Lanxin managed to respond, raising her hand to block the attack, but she was still a fraction too late.

The green light released by the divine sparrow swept past their swords and palms.

"No!" Bing Yuyan screamed.

Mu Lanxin’s face paled with horror as she imagined the worst, the destruction of Green Sparrow Palace.

If Zhang Yang died here, a sage from the Vast Forest would have every reason to obliterate their entire sect.

As for Zhang Yang, he was the fastest to react, but the significant gap in their realms severely hindered his ability to dodge.

Whoosh!

The green light streaked through the air.

Blood splattered.

Zhang Yang cried out in pain as he was thrown backward by the force.

Mu Lanxin and the other eleven Great Boundless experts watched in stunned silence. The despair that had gripped them for a brief moment vanished as soon as they realized something.

The divine sparrow’s attack had struck Zhang Yang’s left arm, piercing straight through it.

He was injured, but he was still alive.

Bing Yuyan, however, went berserk.

"I will slay you!"

The Ice Spirit Holy Sword flashed, and an overwhelming frost instantly enveloped the underground chamber, freezing everything in place.

Rage clouded her mind, drowning all rationality.

This time, her approach was completely different.

Without hesitation, she swung her sword and charged at the divine sparrow.

"Stop!"

Mu Lanxin was powerful in her own right. Without the aid of a holy weapon, she still managed to summon a strong surge of green light, forming an enormous spectral green sparrow to block the Ice Spirit Holy Sword.

Crack!

The green sparrow shattered instantly.

There was no way her spiritual projection could withstand the might of the Ice Spirit Holy Sword.

Bing Yuyan’s sword halted just half an inch from Mu Lanxin’s forehead.

The unmatched sharpness of the holy sword sliced through a few strands of her hair, leaving a thin line of blood on her brow.

The other eleven Great Boundless experts surged forward at the same time.

"Palace Master, you’re going too far!"

"Our palace master is in a special state; you cannot attempt to kill him!"

"You’re a palace master yourself—Zhang Yang isn’t even seriously injured, so why act so recklessly?"

Their voices were filled with fury.

These Great Boundless experts shared a deep bond with the divine sparrow. To them, Bing Yuyan’s reaction was excessive, and they could not bear to see her lose control.

However, their protests were met with an even stronger, colder force.

A terrifying wave of cruel, domineering, and fierce killing intent swept through the underground chamber.

It didn’t come from Bing Yuyan.

It came from behind them.

Mu Lanxin and the others turned around, their expressions shifting into shock.

Zhang Yang was slowly rising to his feet.

His right hand clutched his left shoulder, blood seeping between his fingers.

His teeth were clenched, and his eyes burned with an intensity that sent chills down their spines.

"You dare make me bleed?"

Zhang Yang’s gaze locked onto the divine sparrow, his eyes gleaming with a ferocity that made even the Great Boundless experts uneasy.

The killing intent flowing through his veins was unstoppable.

It had been a very long time since he had last been wounded.

In the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins, no one had been able to harm him.

But now…

His blood had been spilled.

And for that, there would be no mercy.

The problem was that his bloodline was now only half-awakened—he had obtained holy power.

This deep-seated shame, rooted in both his bloodline and soul, intensified as it resonated with the vast world around him, fueling an uncontrollable killing intent. He felt an overwhelming urge to slaughter the divine sparrow.

If Bing Yuyan’s actions had made the twelve Great Boundless experts furious, then Zhang Yang’s demeanor filled them with deep unease.

Mu Lanxin stepped forward to explain.

Bing Yuyan acted swiftly, turning to Zhang Yang and rushing to stop the bleeding. With a single wave of her hand, the blood on his arm vanished.

Zhang Yang, consumed by shame and boiling with killing intent, quickly regained his composure.

Mu Lanxin and the other twelve Great Boundless experts finally relaxed, relieved that the fear gripping them had dissipated.

"Haah…"

Zhang Yang closed his eyes and let out a long breath, calming his restless heart. He cast a cold glare at the divine sparrow, an angry fire burning within him.

Why had the delirious divine sparrow targeted him specifically?

"What is this?" Bing Yuyan suddenly exclaimed, staring at his left arm.

Zhang Yang followed her gaze and saw a black pattern emerging from the wound on his arm. It spread and expanded, eventually covering his entire upper arm.

"Dark Demon Sparrow!"

Mu Lanxin gasped upon seeing it clearly.

The other eleven Great Boundless experts also wore disbelieving expressions.

"What is this?" Zhang Yang frowned. "Why did your palace master attack me like this?"

Mu Lanxin and the others were equally perplexed. They had no answers.

"How strange," Mu Lanxin murmured. "The palace master has failed to achieve enlightenment for ten years, and I have been guarding him here for seven. I have witnessed his power countless times, yet I have never encountered a phenomenon like this."

"I have been injured by the palace master sixty-seven times and never experienced anything like this."

"I have been injured by the palace master ninety-three times—twice in the same spot on my left arm—and still, nothing like this ever happened."

They found it baffling and incomprehensible.

Mu Lanxin had witnessed the hardships and pain of those ten years yet had no understanding of the Dark Demon Sparrow pattern now appearing on Zhang Yang.

"This…"

Bing Yuyan hesitated before extending her fair, jade-like finger and lightly touching the black pattern. Her brows furrowed.

"It seems like…"

A sense of familiarity washed over her, but she couldn’t recall why.

Zhang Yang observed closely but couldn’t determine the exact nature of the mark. He only noticed that the Dark Demon Sparrow pattern seemed slightly raised, as though carved into his skin.

"Could it be that?"

A flicker of insight flashed in Bing Yuyan’s eyes.

"What is it?" Zhang Yang asked.

"The Dark Chaos Curse!"

Zhang Yang had never heard of it.

Mu Lanxin, however, gasped in shock.

"You know about it too?" Bing Yuyan inquired.

Mu Lanxin’s expression grew serious. Her eyes shimmered with green light as she activated her powerful eye technique to examine Zhang Yang’s arm.

After a moment, she confirmed, "It really is the Dark Chaos Curse."

Zhang Yang and the other Great Boundless experts looked at each other, confused.

Bing Yuyan explained, "This is a supreme curse created by a dark immortal during the era of the competing races before the Eternal Night. It was specifically designed to target the demon race. According to legend, this curse is passed down through bloodlines and severely affects the cultivation of the demon race."

"But after the Eternal Night, it was long thought to be lost."

"Moreover, the Eternal Night was an era without immortals. With no immortal bloodlines left to sustain it, the curse should have become meaningless and completely disappeared. So why does it exist on you?"

She turned and eyed the divine sparrow suspiciously.

Mu Lanxin spoke, "This curse is related to the Forbidden Land."

Zhang Yang and Bing Yuyan looked stunned.

She continued, "The palace master came from the Forbidden Land, where remnants of the demon race attempted to rise again but were severely crushed. The palace master once mentioned that back then, the major holy places of the Southern Region used immortal artifacts, which may have been the cause."

"In the Southern Region, the major holy places strictly suppress the emergence of new saints outside their ranks. Their methods against the Forbidden Land, considered a land of outsiders—were even more ruthless."

"However, this is very strange." She stared at Zhang Yang with confusion. "Your arm is still able to move."

Zhang Yang moved his arm slightly and replied, "It moves just fine. So what?"

Mu Lanxin explained, "If you were truly afflicted by the Dark Chaos Curse, the wound would have lost all sensation—as if that part of your body were no longer there. The curse would then spread day by day until it reached your heart and head, leading to death. It is a vicious curse that forces the victim to watch their own demise approach, unable to stop it."

Zhang Yang flexed his left arm again and chuckled.

"Did the Grand Elder make a mistake? I don’t feel anything strange at all. Look at this!"

He clenched his fist, and his muscles remained strong.

Mu Lanxin watched, her confusion deepening.

After moving around a bit, Zhang Yang glanced at the divine sparrow and muttered,

"Could it be that the Green Sparrow palace master’s awareness has only just cleared a little?"

"Or perhaps she has been waiting for someone she believes can save her before acting?"

"Maybe she was trying to tell me that the so-called Mind Lotus and other healing methods were wrong all along."

"That might explain her true intentions."

"Otherwise, why did she choose to attack me? I was the farthest from her."

"Why did she injure only my left arm instead of killing me outright?"

"And why is the effect of the Dark Chaos Curse on my left arm so minimal? Did she intentionally hold back to reduce its impact on me?"

"No, her condition wouldn’t allow for such precise control… The real reason must lie within me."

He quickly recalled the overwhelming shame and nearly uncontrollable killing intent he had felt earlier.

He suspected that those emotions might have been partially caused by the curse itself.

But one thing was clear, that the divine sparrow had done this intentionally to show him the real reason for her delirium.

"Is there a way to break the Dark Chaos Curse?" Zhang Yang asked.

Mu Lanxin shook her head, uncertain.

"Suppressing Evil with the Green Jade Bamboo!" Bing Yuyan declared.

Zhang Yang nodded and replied, "Alright. Spread the word that I’m afflicted by the Dark Chaos Curse. Yilie and Su Baishi will surely make preparations for us."

"Good," Bing Yuyan agreed.

Suddenly, Zhang Yang turned around and said quietly, "Don’t go spreading false rumors about my personal matters, or you’ll get a slap."

Bing Yuyan shot him a provocative glance, unafraid. "Go ahead and hit me! I’ll hit back too!"