Chapter 123: The Power of Inscriptions

At this moment, Chu Yuwang held a tortoise shell in his hand, which shimmered with countless ripples of light—it was clearly a cursed artifact. Curiously, the shell was covered in intricate patterns and inscribed with numerous ancient characters, enhancing its power and imbuing it with an aura from a bygone age. He pointed the shell toward Chu Youcai from afar, his demeanor arrogant and insufferable.

In all his previous bouts, he had settled matters in a single exchange, leaving him unable to display his true strength. Now, however, he intended to strike first and showcase the full extent of his power, forcing everyone to worship him and compelling Chu Youcai to kneel and beg for mercy.

Upon noticing the inscriptions, the crowd below could not help but be astonished. "Those are inscriptions! It is a form of talisman art that can amplify the power of a cursed artifact. Inscription masters are of such high standing that it costs a fortune to hire one."

"If this is the case, who can possibly stop the Second Young Master?" For a moment, the spectators' eyes were filled with shock. Chu Zhaoyun, standing below the stage, also saw her expression shift; she had not expected Chu Yuwang to be so formidable.

The First Madam wore a cold, triumphant smile. All the effort she had put into having Chu Yuwang find that inscription master at the Rakshasa Sea Market had finally paid off. Chu Youcai was surely doomed!

Chu Youcai walked slowly onto the main platform, feeling a slight jolt of surprise. Inscription masters were extremely rare; it was no wonder Chu Yuwang was so arrogant with such a tool at his disposal.

Seeing Chu Youcai approach, Chu Yuwang laughed wildly, unleashing five distinct Taoist techniques. The lights of the five elements of heaven and earth swirled around him, lifting him into the air. These techniques flowed like a rainbow, manifesting infinite power and an aura of terrifying majesty.

He sneered, "Chu Youcai, each of my techniques carries the force of ten thousand jun. They can attack and defend alike. Given your current strength, I doubt you could even break through a single one of my techniques. Under the power of the Dao, all are but ants. Do you understand?"

The surrounding crowd looked on with feverish eyes. They had long known that Chu Yuwang had broken through to the level of ten-year Taoist mastery, but seeing his fluid execution of these techniques sent a chill through them. If they were to face him, they would have no chance of victory.

Yan Yudong, nursing his injuries below the stage, shook his head slightly. Even he could not withstand such sharpness; he wondered how long Chu Youcai could last—would it even be a single round? At this moment, Jiang Xue and Xiang Yu turned pale, while the First Madam appeared visibly relaxed.

Just then, a violent fluctuation erupted from Chu Youcai!

Countless rays of light, gathering the essence of heaven and earth, formed a radiance of "Infinite Heaven and Earth, Borrowing the Power of the Universe," lifting Chu Youcai into the air. The sun and moon seemed to dim instantly, as if Chu Youcai were the sole master of the domain.

Everyone was stunned. Yan Yudong nearly jumped up, his left eye widening, ignoring his pain: "How is this possible?"

The First Madam’s gaze froze, her hands gripping the sandalwood table so tightly that deep gouges appeared in the wood: "What? Impossible!"

Chu Zhaoyun could not believe her eyes. She had assumed Chu Youcai was destined for defeat, yet he had provided a glimmer of hope. Jiang Xue and Xiang Yu were overjoyed; they had not expected him to have grown to such a level, though they wondered when he had learned these Taoist arts.

Chu Youcai hovered in the air, allowing the power of the universe to spin limitlessly around him. A sound like rolling thunder and wind echoed about him, and he flew even higher than Chu Yuwang. His technique was visibly more refined than his opponent's.

Chu Youcai said calmly, "Second Brother, you are not the only one who knows Taoist arts. By comparison, mine are even purer."

"My god, it truly is Taoist magic!" someone shouted. "Chu Youcai has hidden his depth so well! How difficult these arts are to learn! Everyone who masters them possesses immense fortune. How could a cast-off like him possess them?" The crowd was in disbelief, their minds blank.

They suddenly recalled that Chu Youcai also possessed extraordinary talent in poetry and prose. If he combined those with Taoist arts, he would reach even greater heights.

Chu Yuwang slowly came to his senses. Realizing that his earlier display of power had become a joke, his face turned pale, feeling like a clown. Consumed by shame and rage, he moved his hand, and the tortoise shell surged toward Chu Youcai with boundless momentum.

With the aid of the inscriptions, this shell was enough to kill Chu Youcai even without Taoist arts. What did it matter if he knew the Dao? Before a cursed artifact, everything was trash!

Facing the attack, Chu Youcai’s gaze hardened. His Fish-Scale Blade flashed, and countless streaks of blade light cut through the air, spitting out infinite brilliance.

His blade technique, after long cultivation, had reached its peak—a state where the lack of a blade was superior to the blade itself. As he wielded it, the air hummed with the vibration of the steel. The technique was agile and unspeakably domineering, instantly blocking the tortoise shell.

Chu Yuwang discovered that his shell could not touch Chu Youcai, and he noticed that the blade in Chu Youcai's hand was none other than the Fish-Scale Blade previously held by Lei Yinyang. It was a bronze-level cursed artifact! He lost his composure.

The crowd was struck dumb, unable to utter a word. How many wonders did Chu Youcai possess? How had he grown to this point? Simultaneously, they were all coveting the bronze cursed artifact in his hand.

Recovering, Chu Yuwang roared, unleashing his ten-year Taoist cultivation and invoking the power of the curse!

Suddenly, the tortoise shell swelled with immense power, gathering the force of heaven and earth, growing infinitely large until it covered the entire sky, plunging Chu Youcai into darkness.

"Hahaha!" Chu Yuwang’s laughter filled the air. "This is the curse of ten-year Taoist mastery. How will you resolve this? If you use your own lifespan to counter it, the power will be far inferior, and you will be crushed to death. You had best surrender now."

Seeing this, Chu Zhaoyun looked worried. A curse powered by ten years of Taoist cultivation was far more potent than one fueled by personal lifespan. If Chu Youcai could not resist, he might fall here.

But to everyone’s surprise, Chu Youcai remained calm. He had survived countless life-or-death battles against opponents using twenty or thirty years of demon arts—powers far greater than this. What was this attack to him?

Without hesitation, he raised the Fish-Scale Blade high. Channeling the power of dragon and serpent, and using the Art of Convergence to borrow the strength of the Heaven’s Thunder God, he drew waves of Taoist light from the surroundings into himself.

Expenditure of ten years of demon power, he unleashed his own curse, pushing the power of the Fish-Scale Blade to its absolute limit.