Chapter 117: The Curse of Life

After staying in the city of Merica for a few more days, the weather finally turned fair. News arrived that the snow on the roads had melted, the climate had warmed, and the route to the Imperial Capital, Osjiraya, had been cleared by local militia mobilized for the task.

The party set off immediately, leaving Merica for the capital. This time, they were joined by Afrecat and his Wolf-Fang Warrior Band.

Afrecat’s strength was only that of a mid-tier warrior; while not insignificant, he was hardly a true powerhouse. However, throughout the journey, he had developed a particular quality while spending time with Xia Ya: experience.

Compared to most warriors of his level, Afrecat possessed a wealth of practical combat experience. This wasn't the large-scale skirmish tactics of the military, but the nuances of individual duels between warriors. After all, he had participated in several Osjiraya tournaments, and his warrior band made their living by challenging others—dueling was as frequent as a daily meal for them.

He had accumulated a vast amount of real-world combat knowledge.

Although Xia Ya’s strength was currently impressive, his experience in one-on-one duels was pitifully thin. Military service mostly honed courage and group combat skills, but the personal duels favored by wandering warriors were not the specialty of military officers. Furthermore, having only entered the pugilistic world after the Old Man passed away, he had rarely engaged in true duels. His practical experience was, frankly, pathetic.

During their discussions along the way, Afrecat, who lacked a deep sense of guile, answered all of Xia Ya’s questions without reservation. Little did he know, this "great master" was actually learning from him.

By the second day after leaving Merica, the group had reached the borders of the Armenia Military District.

According to Afrecat, once they crossed a forest and passed an abandoned ancient wall, they would be outside the jurisdiction of the Armenia Military District and would enter the Central Imperial District—known to the Byzantine Empire as the Central Grand Zone.

The caravan and cavalry moved slowly. The Wolf-Fang Warrior Band was surprisingly well-equipped; every member had a horse. In the Byzantine Empire, being able to travel on horseback was a sign of considerable wealth. It truly proved the old saying: "Literature for the poor, martial arts for the rich." This band was clearly quite capable.

At noon, as the group reached the forest on the border of the Armenia Military District and prepared to rest, a sudden whistle cut through the air. More than a dozen horses bolted from the woods! The riders, wearing soft armor and holding long spears, quickly blocked the road. Meanwhile, more cavalry emerged from the trees on both sides. There were over a hundred of them, completely surrounding Xia Ya’s group.

The dozen warriors blocking the front flanked a middle-aged man in silver knight’s armor. He looked dashing, with a silver cross-sword hanging at his waist. The armor on his chest was engraved with patterns that shimmered with faint, flowing light—clearly a rare piece of gear enhanced with magic. Beside him sat an elderly man in a black cloak, his head wrapped so only his gray hair was visible. The old man held the reins with both hands, his ten fingers adorned with rings of various colors. Regardless of whether the gems were red, green, or blue, they seemed to be shrouded in a thin, black, baleful aura. The old man’s face was hidden in the shadows of his hood, but a silver badge on his chest clearly identified him as a mage—and a formidable mid-tier one at that.

The silver-armored warrior sneered at Xia Ya and his group. His gaze swept over them briefly before settling on Afrecat. He barked in a ruthless voice: "Afrecat of the Wolf-Fang Band, do you still recognize me?!"

The moment the ambushers appeared, Afrecat’s face changed. Their equipment was far superior to that of the Wolf-Fang Band. At the very least, every mounted warrior wore decent iron armor instead of cheap leather, and they all carried military-standard refined steel swords and shields. More importantly, there were archers quietly waiting outside the encirclement.

A mage, melee warriors, and long-range archers—this complete, professional setup was clearly a tier above Afrecat’s group.

Afrecat gritted his teeth as he looked at the silver-armored warrior: "Philip, it’s you, you despicable snake. You bring men to block the road—are you here to ambush me?"

The silver-armored warrior smiled coldly, his eyes filled with undisguised hatred and resentment. "Last tournament, you personally severed my brother’s fingers! You should understand that for a warrior, without fingers, he can no longer hold a sword. You turned him into a cripple. Did you ever think this day would come?"

"What a joke," Afrecat retorted angrily. "On the tournament stage, it’s survival of the fittest. If I hadn't gone all out that day, would your brother have spared me? It was a fair contest; life and death are in the hands of fate. Are you not afraid of being ridiculed for staging an ambush to seek revenge?!"

Philip only sneered, his expression indifferent.

Afrecat sighed inwardly, knowing there would be no peaceful resolution. He glanced at Xia Ya, who remained calm and said nothing. Afrecat steeled himself and shouted, "Fine! You want revenge? Come and get it! The people driving these carts are just a merchant group I’m traveling with; they have nothing to do with this. I and my men will stay—let these innocent people pass!"

"Stupid, Afrecat," Philip laughed. "Since I chose to ambush you in a place like this, I naturally wouldn't let word leak out. As for these people, consider them unlucky. Why did they have to make friends with someone like you?"

As he laughed more arrogantly, Duoduo, hiding behind Xia Ya, couldn't help but exhale. *This guy is a dead man.*

Indeed, as Afrecat was about to speak again, Xia Ya stopped him. He also held down the fat man, Guro, who was about to chime in, and shouted, "Hey, I'm talking to you! Ambushing a merchant caravan, robbing and killing—are you not afraid of the Empire's laws?"

Afrecat whispered, "Lord Xia Ya, this man is Philip, the leader of the Silver Python Warrior Band. He's known as 'Poison Fang'; he's extremely vicious and stops at nothing. His band is famous for their wealth and brutality. I crippled his brother, and I fear he won't let this go."

Philip laughed loudly, his expression arrogant and overbearing as he stared at Xia Ya. "And where did you pop out from? Hmph, since you're traveling with the Wolf-Fang Band, you can only blame your bad luck. Remember, if there is a next life, keep your eyes open before making friends!"

With that, Philip lowered his head slightly and whispered to the mage: "Master, I must ask for your assistance later." The mage, appearing quite aloof, nodded slightly and gave a cold hum without saying a word.

Philip was brimming with confidence. Seeing that the other side had stopped talking, he raised his silver cross-sword and waved it in the air, shouting, "Draw bows and fire!"

At his command, the dozen Silver Python warriors outside the circle drew their bows, and a rain of arrows showered down upon Xia Ya and his group.

The Landis warriors had already surrounded Guro and the other leaders, raising their shields in defense.

The Wolf-Fang warriors were more experienced; they raised their shields while on horseback and quickly dispersed, performing evasive maneuvers.

Duoduo had jumped off his horse at the first sign of trouble and crawled under a carriage.

After the first volley, a dozen arrows were stuck in the wheels, the carriages, and the shields. Only one or two warriors had been slightly wounded. Philip roared, and the surrounding Silver Python warriors shouted and charged on horseback.

The Silver Python warriors flooded in like waves of iron. On Xia Ya’s side, Afrecat let out a cry, and under his lead, the Wolf-Fang warriors didn't fear their opponents, charging straight into Philip’s formation. Afrecat’s intent was clear: strike with all their might to take down Philip. If the leader fell, victory was within reach.

Philip charged forward, his eyes filled with excitement as he watched Afrecat rushing toward him. The mage beside him chanted a spell, casting a speed enchantment on Philip. A burst of magical light flared around him as the man roared and charged, his silver battle-qi erupting at the same time. His battle-qi had actually reached the seventh level of the high tier!

The two sides collided head-on, and instantly, men and horses tumbled. Five or six warriors fell in the first impact. Ignoring their pain, they jumped up and stabbed at the nearest enemies.

The Wolf-Fang warriors were clearly tougher, but Philip had an overwhelming numbers advantage. Soon, the Wolf-Fang group was scattered. The Silver Python warriors, relying on their numbers, wove through the formation and broke them apart. Meanwhile, the Landis warriors retreated step-by-step, using the carriages as defensive fortifications, with the front row blocking with long spears and the back row returning fire with bows.

Afrecat met Philip head-on. After two exchanges, Afrecat was clearly struggling. His sword and battle-qi couldn't match the power of Philip's silver seventh-tier qi, and he was soon pushed back. His own style wasn't meant for hard clashes, and fighting on horseback limited his agility. Philip, seemingly prepared and aided by the speed spell, was sharper and faster, attacking relentlessly. Afrecat was too busy parrying to even dismount. Finally, with a scream, Philip stabbed Afrecat’s shoulder, the silver qi exploding and tearing off his black shoulder armor, sending him tumbling from his horse.

Afrecat landed, endured the pain, and scrambled to dodge. Philip jumped off his horse with a hideous grin, his silver battle-qi forming a web that engulfed Afrecat.

His agility was far inferior to Afrecat’s, but with the speed spell, he was now evenly matched. The black-armored warrior parried desperately, trying to use his speed to shake him off, but once he lost his advantage in velocity, his combat effectiveness plummeted. After a few more exchanges, Philip stabbed him in the thigh, the silver qi tearing a chunk of flesh away. Afrecat screamed, a look of desperation in his eyes, and with his final ounce of strength, he threw his longsword like a streak of light toward Philip.

The Silver Python warrior, in his moment of triumph, saw the lightning-fast blade. He was horrified, twisting his body and swinging his sword to parry. With a "clack," the weapon was cut in two, but the broken blade still grazed his cheek. Philip shrieked as blood sprayed, his helmet knocked away. He stumbled back, wiping his face—a deep gash had been cut into his left cheek, even scraping away a piece of skin.

Philip was terrified, breaking into a cold sweat. If he hadn't dodged, or if he hadn't been under the speed spell, he might have been decapitated. His fear turned into rage. He roared and slashed down at Afrecat’s head. The black-armored warrior, weaponless and drained of all battle-qi, could only close his eyes and await death!

Philip’s sword fell, his heart filled with joy as he imagined splitting his enemy's skull. At that moment, a flash of red light shot through the air. Philip felt a violent vibration in his hand, and with a "clink," his silver cross-sword was snapped, leaving him holding only a bare hilt. Afrecat escaped death and tumbled backward.

"Hey, I said killing people is against the law!" A casual voice came from beside Philip. Then, with a burst of force, Philip was kicked aside. Xia Ya stood there, holding a fire-fork, a murderous glint in his eyes as he swung it down hard!

Philip, as a high-tier warrior, shouldn't have been so easily defeated, but Xia Ya was channeling his Crimson Murderous Qi, and the fire-fork was sharp enough to pierce anything! Philip blocked three times with the broken hilt, and after three crisp sounds, he was left holding nothing but the handle. Terrified and losing his nerve, he threw the hilt at Xia Ya and turned, screaming, "Master!"

Xia Ya prepared to pursue, but suddenly heard Dora’s anxious voice in the depths of his mind: "Idiot! Why are you staring at that warrior? Take out the mage first!!"

Behind him, the mage was already chanting. The mage had been riding on the outskirts of the battlefield, protected by four Silver Python warriors. The mage raised his ring-covered hands, and a magic staff appeared out of nowhere. With a flash of magical light, several beams of black energy shot toward Xia Ya.

Xia Ya ducked and rolled, but after the black beams missed, they turned in mid-air and struck at his back. Xia Ya’s scalp tingled; he felt a bone-chilling cold emanating from the black light that made him extremely uncomfortable. He roared, pushed off the ground with both feet, and lunged toward the mage. The four Silver Python warriors drew their swords to intercept, but the mage turned and fled—mages were not suited for close combat.

Xia Ya cut down two of the Silver Python warriors, but the mage had already cast a second spell! With a "boom," two more black beams shot out.

This time, beams came from both front and back. Xia Ya couldn't dodge. He desperately grabbed a Silver Python warrior, letting the enemy's sword pierce his chest. Protected by his Dragon Python armor, he shrugged off the wound, lunged into the man's arms, and with a shake of his shoulders, broke the enemy's neck. As the black beams arrived, Xia Ya used the corpse as a shield. He felt the black energy surging and threw the body away in disgust—only to see the flesh of the corpse "melt" away in mid-air, turning into a white skeleton!

Xia Ya was horrified. Seeing two more beams coming, he had no choice but to retreat and chase the mage. The mage, also shocked, finished his third chant, and a circular magical light shield appeared in front of him. Xia Ya slammed into it like hitting a wall. The black light from behind struck his back; Xia Ya felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water, shivering instantly. His robes—the fine clothes he was wearing—dissolved like fabric being corroded, turning into rags and then dust in the air. Even the soft armor he wore underneath was dissolved, but finally, the Dragon Scale tucked against his skin saved his life!

As the black light touched the Dragon Scale, a mark of the Dragon Soul in Xia Ya’s body was triggered, and a surge of warmth was released from the Dragon Python, neutralizing the black cold. Even so, Xia Ya’s Dragon Soul mark was weak, and his magical power was far inferior to a mid-tier mage.

Seeing that the Dragon Scale had only blocked it for a moment, and the warmth was being overwhelmed, Xia Ya rolled and quickly tore the scale off his back and threw it away. With a "boom," the scale was pierced through in mid-air, a hole the size of a fist burned into it. *What a tyrannical magic!* Xia Ya was terrified. If not for the scale buying him time to tear off the Dragon Python, he would have been pierced through.

The mage, having cast several spells in a row, was also feeling exhausted, and his chanting grew weaker.

Xia Ya’s clothes had been dissolved, leaving his upper body bare, while his lower body was left in tattered underwear. Seeing the mage prepare another spell, how could Xia Ya let him succeed?

If he allowed another blast of that tyrannical black light, he had no more Dragon Scales to block it!

He roared and charged, slamming his body into the magic shield, making it ripple with light. Xia Ya raised the fire-fork and slashed down with the Crimson Murderous Qi. The fork cut through part of the magic light but couldn't go any further. The mage was terrified, his mind in chaos, and his half-finished spell was interrupted. *His magic shield is enough to block high-tier battle-qi for a time, but this enemy is so fierce? A single strike almost broke it! Has this guy’s martial arts reached the eighth tier?*

Xia Ya made a split-second decision. He took a step back, gripped the fire-fork with both hands, and roared, "Dragon Pierce!"

"Boom!" A thin, red light erupted from the tip of the fire-fork. Xia Ya thrust it with all his might into the magical light. The fork had been blocked before, but with the red light of the Dragon Pierce, the supposedly solid magic barrier was instantly breached!

The red beam pierced the barrier and struck the mage. The mage’s eyes widened as his heart was pierced; he gasped, blood gushing from his mouth, and he slumped backward, falling from his horse.

After using Dragon Pierce, Xia Ya was racked with intense pain. He knew he would soon be struck by the backlash of the power. Enduring the agony, he strode forward, blood already oozing from his arms. The tearing of his muscles made him feel like he might faint. He scrambled to the mage’s corpse, raised the fork, and hacked off the mage’s head. Holding it in his hand, he roared, "The mage is dead! Anyone else want to die, come and get it!"

Philip, watching from afar, saw this terrifying man survive the mage’s attack, force through the defensive shield, and hack off the head of the mage he had paid so dearly to hire. The scene was horrifying. He had no courage left. Seeing that this man could kill a mage so easily, and remembering how he had been beaten back, his spirit shattered.

Seeing Xia Ya’s murderous gaze lock onto him, he trembled and roared, "Retreat! Retreat!"

He quickly cut down one of the Wolf-Fang warriors, jumped onto a horse, kicked its belly, and fled for his life.

His Silver Python warriors, seeing their leader flee, didn't want to fight either; they turned and scattered.

The Wolf-Fang warriors, already few in number, couldn't pursue. They could only watch helplessly as the enemy escaped, then collapsed to the ground, half of them wounded and covered in blood.

The battlefield was a mess, with dozens of corpses strewn about. More than ten Wolf-Fang warriors were dead, with fewer than ten remaining. The Landis warriors also suffered six or seven casualties. The rest were Silver Python warriors.

Seeing the enemy retreat, Guro immediately whistled, and the Landis warriors picked up their bows to pursue, shooting down a few more fleeing Silver Python riders. Only when the enemy was far away did they lower their weapons, gasping for breath, their faces grim.

Duoduo had already run out from under the carriage and raced to Xia Ya’s side. He helped him up. "Master, are you okay?"

Xia Ya was in such pain he could barely stand, his weight leaning heavily on Duoduo. He gasped for air, threw the mage’s head away, laughed three times, and then his eyes rolled back as he slumped onto Duoduo’s back.

Soit was also slightly wounded. As a follower of the bald man, he had some martial skills and had fought side-by-side with the Landis men without suffering much harm. He threw down his sword, ran over, and helped Duoduo carry Xia Ya to the side to sit down.

Xia Ya finally regained some breath. Enduring the pain, he looked around and, confirming the crisis had passed, shook his head and cursed, "Damn it, mages are not easy to deal with. I almost lost my life here. All the mages in the world deserve to die!"

Hearing this, even though it was an angry outburst, Duoduo couldn't help but shrink his neck.

The group began to tend to the wounded. The Landis men and the surviving Wolf-Fang warriors began to clear the battlefield. The black-armored warrior Afrecat was also heavily injured and lay there while his wounds were being bandaged.

Duoduo was the craftiest. His first reaction was to drag the dead mage’s corpse over and peel the rings off his fingers one by one. As he did so, his face was full of excitement and agitation. He couldn't help but whisper to Xia Ya, "Master, we’ve struck it rich! We’ve struck it rich! These are all good things!"

Xia Ya lifted his eyelids. "Good things, huh?"

Duoduo suppressed his excitement. "Of course they’re good things, Master! In your hands, they might not have much value beyond exchanging for some money, but in my hands, they can be turned into powerful items!"

"Oh?"

Duoduo swallowed and lowered his voice. "Master, I just realized something. This mage you killed practiced a very rare form of magic—the Life Curse. Even in the magical world, this branch is extremely rare..."