"Don't use True Force?"

Zhu Leng was befuddled when he heard this.

Since he advanced to the Fifth Realm, he rarely used ordinary power; he mostly drew on True Force.

Xiao Mu nodded, "That's right, use ordinary power."

Zhu Leng was skeptical, but after a moment, he did as Xiao Mu asked, gathering and circulating power throughout his body.

Immediately after, he furrowed his brows as intense pain radiated from his stomach. It felt as though numerous steel hooks were clawing at his Five Organs and Six Entrails, threatening to tear them to shreds. Beads of sweat the size of peas began to course down his face like a waterfall.

"You... you... you... Old Zhu, there's something in your stomach."

Xu Yi, who happened to be passing by, pointed at Zhu Leng in surprise. His expression was as if he'd seen a ghost.

At this moment, below the humanoid pattern formed by Curse Power on Zhu Leng's stomach, there appeared raised textures.

Upon closer inspection, it was evident that something lay beneath these textures. Judging from their protruding shape, they looked like slender plant roots.

Like plant roots, these root-like structures connected the humanoid pattern on Zhu Leng's stomach with his Five Organs and Six Entrails. They were constantly drawing power from Zhu Leng's body.

"I..."

Zhu Leng looked down at his own stomach, his expression distorted.

This root-like object was connected to his Five Organs and Six Entrails, continuously draining power from his body.

Due to its innate manipulation of power, the speed of energy absorption by the root-like structure suddenly accelerated. Consequently, the humanoid pattern on his stomach became clearer as it absorbed a large amount of energy.

Seizing the moment, Xiao Mu said, "Puppet-related Secret Arts and parasitic Secret Arts share similarities, but they also have distinctive differences."

"Puppet-related Secret Arts aim to turn the target into a puppet."

"Parasitic Secret Arts, on the other hand, cultivate evil entities within the target's body. They let these entities absorb the target's internal power to grow and mature. Their ultimate goal is to cultivate these evil entities."

"That's why I said, the curse-related Secret Art you're afflicted with is of the parasitic nature, not the puppet-related one."

"As for the 'strong individual' practicing the power of curses you talked about, they might have mistaken the type of curse-related Secret Art on your body due to negligence or lack of experience."

"Enough, you can stop gathering power. If you continue, I'm afraid the humanoid evil entity in your body will become fully charged with power and emerge from your body."

Zhu Leng hurriedly stopped gathering power at Xiao Mu's words.

Looking at Xiao Mu, he said apologetically, "Mr. Xiao, I was blind not to recognize your extraordinary perception. Please don't mind my lack of understanding."

Xiao Mu replied, "Mr. Zhu, you are too polite. If I held grudges, I wouldn't have spent this much time explaining to you."

"Now that we've figured out that the curse-related Secret Art on you is of a parasitic nature, I should be on my way. Goodbye."

Having said this, Xiao Mu moved to depart, heading towards the Task Hall.

"Mr. Xiao, wait up! Please, wait!"

Zhu Leng, feeling alarmed, intercepted Xiao Mu once more.

Xiao Mu stopped, "Mr. Zhu, is there something else you wish to say?"

Zhu Leng stepped back and bowed deeply to Xiao Mu, earnestly saying, "Mr. Xiao, didn't you previously mention that some Secret Arts are naturally oppressive to others?"

Xu Yi suddenly interrupted, "Old Zhu, Mr. Xiao is precisely skilled in such Secret Arts."

Of this Xu Yi was very certain.

The curse from Bai Luowang attached itself to the Spirit Tablet formed by Xu City God's blood, impacting Xu Family's luck and directly affecting Xu Yi's cultivation.

Eventually, it was Xiao Mu who had his Ghost Servant use the Protective Blessing Technique to remove the effects from Xu Yi.

Though the Ghost Servant was the one acting, since it was Xiao Mu's servant, it made no difference whether the Ghost Servant or Xiao Mu himself had acted.

Zhu Leng was both amazed and elated. He bowed deeply to Xiao Mu again, pleading, "Please, Mr. Xiao, lend your assistance to remove this curse from me. I will certainly repay you generously."

Xiao Mu said, "No need for big rewards. I just arrived at the Great Tang Ruins and I have many questions about this place. If you can answer all of them, I wouldn't mind helping you remove the curse."

Zhu Leng's power was just in the Late Fifth Realm, a small figure in the Great Tang Ruins without even a True Realm powerhouse as a backer.

Being such a small figure, the 'generous reward' he mentioned didn't pique Xiao Mu's interest.

Zhu Leng quickly replied, "Please ask any questions you have, Mr. Xiao. If I can answer them, I will do so in detail."

"Even if I don't know, I will find a way help you find the answer."

Zhu Leng underwent a significant change in attitude, showing extreme hospitality, "Though my power is insignificant, I have been in the Great Tang Ruins for a long time. I do know a few people. Although I may not be able to handle big matters, gathering information should not be a problem."

Xiao Mu nodded and said, "In that case, you find a place. I have a lot of questions to ask, and besides, casting a spell to remove your curse should not be seen by too many people."

"My place, my place will do. Mr. Xiao, please follow me."

※※※

A few hours later, Xiao Mu came out of Zhu Leng's residence, his face showing a degree of heaviness.

The complex relationships within the Great Tang ruins totally exceeded his expectations.

As a whole, the strength of the Great Tang ruins greatly surpassed the Song Ruins.

The Song Ruins had two leaders, Thunder and Xuan Mo, both of whom were at the peak of the Yin God Realm.

However, the Great Tang ruins had three leaders, each one being much stronger than Thunder and Xuan Mo, each of them had reached the Divine Being Realm.

Thinking about the information of the three leaders in the Great Tang ruins, Xiao Mu frowned again.

None of the three leaders seemed easy to get along with.

The first leader, Wu Jie, was said to have attained Dao as a Qi practicer during the Tang period.

This old man was rigid and upright in character, unapproachable for most people.

Fortunately, he was righteous and fair, so there was no need to worry about any sinister intentions.

But if you were hoping to get close to him for extra care and personal favors, it was probably impossible.

The second leader was Zhou Pudu.

He was said to be the reincarnation of a Divine Being, still a teenager, probably fifteen or sixteen years old.

What Xiao Mu disliked about him was his stubborn arrogance and autocratic dominance, which made him difficult to get along with.

But just so happens, he was the backer of Leader Lei, a supporter of Thunder.

The last leader was named Chen Fengshen.

Chen Fengshen was middle-aged, and except for liking to refute others, he didn't have any big drawbacks for now.

However, what made Xiao Mu hesitate was that this man was Xuan Mo's backer, a supporter of Xuan Mo.

Just this last point alone totally killed Xiao Mu's desire to rely on Chen Fengshen.

"The Breaking Reality pills in the Great Tang ruins are just like in the Song ruins, controlled by the leaders," Xiao Mu muttered.

"It seems there's a lot of conflict within the alliance."

"These leaders are monopolizing the Breaking Reality pills, essentially controlling the path to advancement into the True Realm."

"By monopolizing the True Realm's pathway, the higher-ups of the alliance can securely bring the True Realm's mighty under their control."

"Thankfully, not all paths are blocked."

"Leader Wu Jie is relatively fair, occasionally tossing out one or two Breaking Reality pills in assigned tasks."

"Even if I can't get the Breaking Reality pill directly from the three big leaders, I can wait for Leader Wu Jie's tasks."

"However, tasks with the Breaking Reality Pill as a reward are not many, and appear infrequently. It might take quite a while to wait for one."

"Waiting for tasks is too troublesome, and will most likely take a long time."

"I'm only missing the Breaking Reality Pill to advance into the True Realm."

"There's no need for blind waiting."

"I should pay these leaders a visit first."

"As for Chen Fengshen, forget it, he's Xuan Mo's backer. He won't give me any respect."

"Regarding Leader Wu Jie, he is after all a leader of the Great Tang ruins, his position is way higher than mine. Would he have the patience to welcome a small fry like me?"

"I can only try my hand with Zhou Pudu, he's Leader Lei's backer. He might meet me out of respect for Leader Lei."

Xiao Mu sighed to himself, in the post-mutation world, no matter where you go, it is always survival of the fittest.

When your strength is low, you don't even have the qualifications to rely on others.

I must advance to the True Realm as soon as possible.

A moment later, Xiao Mu set off using Tai Chi Steps, heading west towards the Great Tang Ruins.

That was where the second leader, Zhou Pudu's office was located.

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