Chapter 795 The Cursed Cultivation Method
The woman spoke up to this point, and a trace of a bitter smile appeared in her eyes.
"But what we didn’t expect was that when we arrived at Dark Abyss Canyon, we truly fell into immense panic and tragedy."
Ye Xuanyue did not know that the clan she had encountered was no ordinary clan at all. The person opposite had obscured many key details...how they initially obtained information about the cultivation method, the name of that method, even the name of their clan, and what force they had offended back then.
The reason for concealing these things was because the information held secrets that must not be revealed.
This clan had once been a prominent and well-respected family within the Imperial Dynasty. But several years ago, they vanished overnight. This disappearance even caused panic within the Imperial Dynasty. Many speculated whether they had been secretly executed by the court or exiled to the Land of the Condemned, but that was not the case.
This clan had fled here from the Imperial Dynasty.
This alone showed that the clan was remarkable. To migrate the entire family into Dark Abyss Canyon...how could they be weak? If they had been a weak clan, they would have been devoured long ago, leaving not even bones behind in this place.
Ye Xuanyue pursed her lips. She looked at the woman before her. The woman truly could not muster any clever thoughts in front of Ye Xuanyue now; she had the feeling of giving up and letting things slide. She paused for a moment, then continued,
"After we arrived here, we wanted to search for the whereabouts of that cultivation method, but we did not find the one we were looking for. However, we accidentally discovered something else quite extraordinary."
Ye Xuanyue’s expression remained calm.
"What thing?"
The woman’s gaze flickered slightly, then fell upon the Stone Monument beside her. Ye Xuanyue frowned slightly.
This Stone Monument? But hadn’t she been too scared to even touch it earlier? What great use could it have?
The woman said quietly,
"This Stone Monument contains a cultivation method."
"A... very powerful cultivation method."
Her tone was peculiar, carrying a complex feeling of uncertainty...something between love and hate. Ye Xuanyue remained silent, waiting for her to gather her words and continue.
The woman took a low, deep breath, then spoke,
"The first to discover the cultivation method hidden within this Stone Monument was an elder of our clan."
"The cultivation method inside this Stone Monument is very peculiar; it cannot be copied at all. One can only possibly receive the inheritance from within the Stone Monument by touching it with their hand. That cultivation method was very complete, and infinitely superior to the one our clan had previously practiced."
"To put it simply, if our original clan’s cultivation method could absorb one unit of spiritual power, then this method could absorb dozens of times more."
"The elder from our clan was overjoyed."
"He believed this cultivation method was far more exceptional and superior than the one we had been searching for. He immediately had the vast majority of the clan members start practicing this method instead. In a short time, the results were indeed exceptionally outstanding."
"Everyone’s cultivation strength rapidly advanced."
Ye Xuanyue’s gaze shifted slightly. She knew, given the tone the woman used, that there must be a “but” coming next.
And indeed, there was.
The woman took a deep breath, then continued.
“For a while, the clan’s Elders were almost driven mad with joy. This cultivation method was particularly suitable for those who had already awakened their Bloodline Power. For a time, it became a trend for everyone in the clan to practice it.”
“This Stone Monument became our sacred artifact.”
“We wanted to move the Stone Monument but unexpectedly found it impossible. So we simply built a village around it. The Elders and the Family Head were ambitious, single-mindedly wanting to rely on the Stone Monument to gradually develop the clan.”
“Moreover, this place was very remote, not likely to attract the attention of other Spirit Beasts.”
“Occasionally, Spirit Beasts that stumbled upon us here were all killed by us.”
Ye Xuanyue’s voice was very soft.
“There are no free lunches in the world, and in a place like Dark Abyss Canyon, there are probably even fewer.”
Her voice was clear and cool.
It made the woman opposite her suddenly break into a bitter smile.
“Yes… it’s a pity the clan’s Elders were blinded back then.”
“Everyone only realized later that there was a curse on the Stone Monument, but it was already too late…”
Ye Xuanyue looked at her. The woman’s face turned pale and ashen, perhaps recalling something terrifying. Ye Xuanyue blinked. Her tone was neither hurried nor slow.
It seemed very calm.
“So, what exactly is the curse on this Stone Monument?”
“As soon as one breaks through to the Martial Emperor Realm, they rapidly age. Moreover, their cultivation strength not only fails to increase but instead rapidly declines.”
The one who spoke this time was not the woman.
It was the man. Since entering, he seemed to have gone to speak with the old men. Ye Xuanyue heard his voice and looked up, seeing the young man’s expression carrying a faint despair.
“And… it is irreversible.”
“Once you practice that cultivation method, a whirlpool forms within your body.”
“It automatically attracts and gathers Spiritual Power.”
“Even if you stop practicing, after twenty or thirty years, you will naturally break through.”
“The Martial Emperor Realm that others yearn for became our clan’s deepest nightmare!”
“The Elder with the highest cultivation strength aged the fastest. He soon perished, and then our clansmen died one after another. Everyone was aging, constantly aging.”
“Only those whose cultivation strength had not reached the Martial Emperor Realm were slightly better off.”
“We could only occasionally plunder people from outside, kill Spirit Beasts, and try to trade for various materials and medicines to barely keep our clan from disappearing. We also tried not to practice the cultivation method on the Stone Monument, but it was too difficult.”
“If you don’t practice the cultivation method on the Stone Monument, progress in cultivation strength is too slow. No one could resist that.”
Ye Xuanyue’s expression was somewhat complex. She looked toward the Stone Monument before her...could such an unbelievably bizarre thing truly exist?
Her gaze fixed on it steadily as she asked in a low voice.
“Did you two also practice this cultivation method?”
The two exchanged a glance and were about to speak when Ye Xuanyue suddenly heard Leng Moran’s voice calling out.
“Be careful, Xuanyue!”
Ye Xuanyue frowned. A figure suddenly emerged from beside her and, without any hesitation, forcefully pushed her toward the Stone Monument!
Little White lunged out fiercely, his claw striking forward. Ye Xuanyue retreated several steps. She had already steadied herself, but in the next second, she felt a beam of Spiritual Light thrust toward her. Her body swayed slightly, and her finger lightly brushed against the Stone Monument.
In the next instant, something seemed to rush straight into her Consciousness Sea.
Could it be the… extremely sinister cultivation method they spoke of?
Ye Xuanyue was utterly stunned, as if even the air had frozen.