128: Cursed Doll
“Oh? So that's also possible?”
After listening to Hou Wu's explanation, a trace of surprise flashed in Zhang Sheng's eyes.
Perhaps one couldn't find a second Awakened with divination or prophetic Talents on the entire Earth.
But being unable to find the target didn't mean there was no way to deal with Irene.
There was another special Talent—Curse.
His gaze fell on the photo Hou Wu had sent, and Zhang Sheng recognized the figure.
It was a girl who had once fought side by side with him.
Zhang Sheng had a vivid memory of her fighting style.
Holding a hideous and ugly doll, she would pierce it with a thick, long black needle.
With every stab, black smoke would rise from the doll, and Yao Beasts in the distance would be injured accordingly.
“Her name is Shen Xin, and she awakened the SS-Rank Talent ‘Cursed Doll’,” Hou Wu explained. “After cultivating the Jade Slips for the ‘Profound Pearl Thought Knotting Art’ and ‘Spirit Condensing Art’ you provided, her Mental Energy has progressed by leaps and bounds.”
“Although it's an SS-Rank Talent, it's enough to keep Irene continuously wounded and unable to perform divination.”
Meanwhile.
In Shen Xin's private meditation room at First Cultivation University.
A wine glass with wine stains, a pink prayer mat, a floor tile stained with footprints, and even a doorknob with handwriting on it... were scattered nearby.
Irene probably couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams that all the items she had touched during her mere two visits to China had been secretly collected and kept under high security.
These were all excellent mediums for casting Curse Talents.
Even without a medium, Shen Xin could launch a curse based solely on personal information.
But with a medium, the power of the curse could explode tenfold or even a hundredfold!
Previously, Shen Xin's Mental Energy was insufficient, and her curses were almost ineffective against powerful enemies like Rodi.
But now... the corners of Shen Xin's mouth curled up slightly. With a light tap of her fingertips, she sewed the items stained with Irene's aura one by one into the body of a hideous voodoo doll.
On the surface of the doll, Irene's detailed information and birth date were written in cinnabar, and her photo was attached.
A long, pitch-black needle emitting an ominous aura condensed out of thin air in her palm—this was the manifestation of her Curse Talent.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Xin's eyes turned sharp. With a resolute force in her wrist, she fiercely stabbed the black needle into the doll's forehead!
“Ah—!”
Deep within a cavern thousands of miles away, Irene suddenly let out a shrill scream!
A sharp pain originating from the depths of her Soul, as if it were being torn apart, instantly exploded!
Dizziness, nausea, and countless negative sensations flooded her like a tide.
“Pfft!”
Her throat felt sweet, and a mouthful of thick black blood gushed out uncontrollably.
“Clang!”
Her body went limp, and she fell heavily to the ground, completely losing consciousness.
In the meditation room, Shen Xin was also having a hard time. Her face instantly turned as pale as paper; this strike had nearly drained all of her Mental Energy.
She forced herself to sit cross-legged. Her next task was clear: operate her Spirit Refining Cultivation Technique and recover her Mental Energy.
As soon as she recovered, she would cast the curse again!
Irene's sudden fainting immediately alerted Julian.
Looking at the unconscious and withered Irene on the ground, he was extremely anxious.
“Who is it?! Who on earth hurt Irene?” Julian growled, his heart filled with uncertainty.
This cavern was extremely well-hidden; it was impossible to be discovered! He immediately ordered a thorough investigation into the enemy's traces.
Irene's divination ability was a key part of their plan!
Whether it was the best time to seize the Queen Ant's egg or subsequent key actions, they couldn't do without her foresight.
Without the guidance of divination, the difficulty of them confronting China alone would increase dramatically!
He urgently summoned a Blood Servant with healing Talents.
A cloud of green mist full of vitality enveloped Irene.
However, the Blood Servant's face gradually turned pale, and Irene's condition showed no signs of improvement.
“My... My Lord,” the Blood Servant prostrated on the ground in fear.
“The injury Lady Irene suffered... doesn't seem to be physical trauma, but more like... Soul damage!”
“Soul damage?!” Julian's heart was shaken.
Shen Xin's Curse Talent could both harm the Physical Body and curse the Soul.
To deal with a top Diviner like Irene, directly cursing the Soul was undoubtedly the most effective.
Although the consumption was huge, once the Soul was injured, wanting to recover in the short term?
It was as difficult as reaching the heavens!
...Hanging up the phone, Zhang Sheng finally carefully flipped through the red-headed document sent by Hou Wu.
“Draft Proposal for the Construction of the Earth Co-Governance Federation”
The document outlined a compound system that was highly centralized, elitist, and integrated Cultivator power with technological management.
The core of supreme power was tentatively named: Heavenly Dao Academy.
The Heavenly Dao Academy would be composed of China's top Cultivators, politicians, and scientists.
They would hold supreme decision-making power, military command power, resource allocation power, and legislative power, serving as the ultimate maintainers of order and guardians of Earth's civilization.
The Heavenly Dao Academy would be transcendent and usually wouldn't directly handle daily government affairs.
The execution and governance of daily affairs would be the responsibility of the Federal Parliament and other agencies under the Heavenly Dao Academy.
The membership of the Federal Parliament included: powerful Cultivators, super scientists, other national heads of state after strict screening and modification, and top experts in various fields such as technology, people's livelihood, education, and resources.
All members needed to pass rigorous assessments of strength, contribution, and loyalty... The detail of the draft and the grandeur of the vision left even Zhang Sheng dumbfounded.
Clearly, since the beginning of the Secret Realm's arrival, China's think tanks had already been preparing for a rainy day.
It even proposed a grand blueprint for merging technological civilization and cultivation civilization, elaborating in detail on a series of plans after China unified the world:
Institutional Establishment: Such as the “Heavenly Works Academy” and “Spiritual Pivot Academy” to promote the Fusion of technology and cultivation;
Education System: Establishing a unified global cultivation-science education system, founding the “Dao Law Academy,” and channeling and training various Talents through Talent tests and assessments;
Enforcement Forces: Forming the “Sword of Order” and “Heavenly Punishment Department” composed of high-level Cultivators, specifically for suppressing internal rebellions and punishing crimes committed by Cultivators.
This was undoubtedly a blueprint of extraordinary spirit!
Zhang Sheng knew well that with the arrival of cultivation civilization, a sweeping and unstoppable upheaval across the globe had already begun.
He browsed quickly, added a few suggestions to improve the welfare of all people from his own perspective, and typed four words at the end of the document:
“Approved for execution.”
These four words were conveyed by Hou Wu at the fastest speed.
In an instant, China's army of Cultivators moved upon hearing the order!
Thousands of Divine Breath Realm Cultivators soared into the sky!
These were by no means novices who had just entered the Divine Breath Realm; every one of them cultivated the Primordial Chaos Heavenly Art and was Proficient in second-tier offensive Spells, possessing matchless combat power.
When the Chinese Cultivator army arrived at the gates, they gave their opponents only one cold choice:
“Submit, or perish? The choice is yours!”
For regions that chose to submit, China would establish a Regional Governor's Office.
Subsequently, the Chinese Senate would appoint a Governor (usually a powerful local Cultivator or an outstanding manager) who, under the premise of strictly implementing Chinese policies, would be granted a high degree of autonomy... That night,
Zhang Sheng cultivated the Penetrating Spiritual Eye to the state of Perfected State.
Just like the Spiritual Eye Technique, this state could be maintained permanently!
His gaze swept over the mist-condensing spirit fir in front of him, and he saw the Spiritual Qi molecules drifting between heaven and earth slowly gathering toward it, visible to the naked eye.
Part was absorbed by the spirit fir, and another part turned into a dense spiritual mist.
Concentrating his gaze, his vision continued to deepen and zoom in.
Inside the spirit fir, the layers of closely arranged cells were perfectly clear!
Truly it was:
Void Tempering breaks through delusions to peer at the true form,
Observing the obscure and illuminating the minute to see the profound mysteries.