Sovereign of the Three Realms

When Jiang Chen saw that Elder Shun had nodded in admittance, a few words flashed through his heart—the Generation Binding Curse.

This was an ancient curse that was cast by one deeply and blindly in love. The caster would refine their own soul and fuse it with the unborn child of their pregnant love rival.

This curse would condemn the yet to be born child.

Once the curse was cast, the child would be born with it.

The curse would meld pieces of the caster’s soul with the newborn child’s soul, becoming a part of the child.

This kind of curse was quite frightening. The stronger the caster’s resentment, the more deeply the newborn’s soul would be branded, and the stronger the symptoms would be when the illness flared up.

This curse was named the Generation Binding Curse because it embodied the devotion and resentment of the caster. The strength of the curse was near endless, and it wasn’t something that a secular doctor could resolve.

Looking at Huang’er, her life signs were vibrant, and it was obvious that she’d received extremely sophisticated heritages with regards to martial dao and cultivation.

However, this curse obviously didn’t affect the victim’s vital signs, only their soul. Once it flared up, the caster’s soul fragments would start wreaking havoc in the soul of the victim.

The victim would die an agonized death only when the caster’s soul fragments thoroughly destroyed the victim’s soul.

When this curse was inert, the victim would be completely healthy.

But once it acted, the situation would quickly devolve into something quite gruesome and perilous, because the caster had used their life and soul to coalesce this curse. The devotion and resentment within was absolutely indescribable.

Jiang Chen had been able to determine that this was the Generation Binding Curse because most symptoms having to do with the soul was either an affliction from birth, or something that came about because of an adverse reaction to something else.

Ailments having to do with the soul or consciousness would affect the patient’s life force.

Patients would usually give off others a feeble, sickly feeling.

Only the Generation Binding Curse was an malady powered by a curse and not a result of a natural deficiency in the patient’s soul. This was why it wouldn’t affect the patient’s body much.

Jiang Chen had read countless books in his past life and had heard of the ten great incurable ailments beneath the heavens.

The yin constitution had been ranked as first amongst them.

Although the Generation Binding Curse did not have a place amongst them, but it was a near incurable disease as well.

Therefore, Jiang Chen had a deep impression of it.

However, there was a reason why it hadn’t made it onto the ranking.

This was because on a certain level, the Generation Binding Curse wasn’t an incurable ailment. There were at least ways to dissolve the curse.

It was just that the dissolution wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a day.

When Elder Shun saw Jiang Chen furrow his brow in deep thought, the former didn’t dare make a sound. He stood on the side with dread written over his face. He also knew that old man Qian Ji’s divination had basically been validated by this youth.

If this young man said that there was no hope, then it was likely that there was no one in this world who could save Huang’er.

Therefore, even someone as strong as Elder Shun couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat speed up at this moment.

“Elder Shun, I have an initial diagnosis of Huang’er’s illness. It’s not something she was born with, nor something she developed after.”

“Then what is it?” Elder Shun started.

“It’s a type of curse. If I guess correctly, Huang’er’s parents must have been a heavenly matched pair that was the envy of all. There must have been another lady who suffered greatly in loving Miss Huang’er’s father.”

“A curse?” A thought struck Elder Shun. The details that Jiang Chen had spoken of matched up to the truth. There had indeed been another devoted lady laboriously pursuing Huang’er’s father when her parents had been in love.

Except, it was only one-sided, and had ended without results in the end.

The lady had been consumed with thoughts of yearning after that and had somehow passed away one day. Could it be…?

Elder Shun’s facial expression changed greatly when his thoughts traveled here. “Just what curse is it that’s so domineering?”

“The Generation Binding Curse is a result of those blindly in love and using their own souls to deploy this curse as a result of their own resentment and affection. They shatter their souls into fragments and meld them into the pregnant lady’s womb, leaving a brand on the soul of the unborn child. The fragments sometimes act out and disturb the child’s soul, finally ending when the victim’s soul has been destroyed, their body dead, and their dao progress terminated.”

Jiang Chen looked at Huang’er with some sympathy. “Miss Huang’er was an innocent victim of this catastrophe and was afflicted with the Generation Binding Curse by this blindly devoted woman.”

“The Generation Binding Curse?” Elder Shun murmured to himself. He’d never heard of this name and found it quite foreign.

This curse was quite rare and basically unheard of, so Elder Shun had never encountered it before.

Huang’er was slightly dazed by Jiang Chen’s words. She had no room for doubt as Jiang Chen’s words matched up perfectly to the truth.

She hadn’t had much confidence in Jiang Chen to begin with. She only couldn’t bear to make him sad after he had protected her thus and gone to such efforts on her behalf.

However, she’d never thought that this Jiang Chen would be able to truly diagnose her illness.

She was incredibly astonished in this moment.

She’d thought this unknown ailment was her destiny and a fate that couldn’t be changed.

She’d accompanied Elder Shun because she was tired of the conflicts of where she was, sick of the politics and scheming. She only wanted to find a quiet place and find inner calm and peace.

She didn’t want to return to the place where she’d been born even if she fell in the course of the journey.

However—

It was as if a bright light had suddenly blazed into existence in her heart. A hint of light had abruptly appeared in the endless darkness.

“Little brother Jiang, is there a way to dispel this Generation Binding Curse?”

Jiang Chen had been considering this question all along. From his memories from his past life, it was possible to break this curse, but the process was exceedingly complex.

And, there were more ways than one.

Jiang Chen actually didn’t know how to broach the subject after Elder Shun’s question.

“Sir Jiang, please feel free to speak candidly. I have seen through life and death and accepted my fate in this life. If I die, it will be my destiny. If I do not, then Huang’er will always thank your great favor in saving my life.”

Huang’er spoke up before Elder Shun spoke. Her tone was leisurely and refined, her eyes clear. her great wisdom in comprehending the meaning behind life and death was apparent from a glance.

Jiang Chen abruptly revised his opinion of this young girl upwards.

“Although Miss Huang’er’s eyes are different sizes, the look in them is very clear and bright. It’s obvious that she is quite wise. It looks like this duo’s background is not simple.”

Of course, Jiang Chen only thought this but didn’t ask.

He thought for a moment and nodded lightly. “I’ve thought for a bit, and there are three methods—plan A, B, and C. The effects of plan A are the fastest, but also the highest risk. There is but one chance of survival out of ten. Plan B requires time, fortune, but is also rather cruel. Plan C requires even more time and fortune, and relying on it may mean that a cure is never found. But if the time for plan C is nigh, its effects will be the best and sweep away all worries once and for all.”

Elder Shun and Huang’er had thought Jiang Chen had no ideas for a cure when his brow had been tightly furrowed before.

They hadn’t thought that Jiang Chen would have three methods!

Elder Shun’s eyes lit up. “There are three ways? Please do tell us more.”

“Plan A is to use methods of refining and tempering souls to refine away the brand on Miss Huang’er’s soul. The methods are quite risky, and one misstep may result in one refining even their own soul, becoming a walking corpse. In addition, even if one doesn’t refine their own soul, the slightest injury will bring about great aftereffects. Finally, the refinement process is exceedingly complex. It is exceedingly difficult, nigh well impossible to not harm one’s own soul. I know of no one with such capabilities on this world.”

Refining one’s soul did indeed run high risks.

The muscles on Elder Shun’s face spasmed slightly, and he looked at Huang’er with tender love. How would he bear to use such methods?

Even if she was cured in this fashion, the aftereffects would result in the deficiency of a lifetime.

“Plan B then?” Elder Shun struck off plan A immediately.

“Plan B is more cruel, and that’s to utterly refine one’s soul, destroying your own soul and the soul from the curse. After that, one would pillage another’s soul. In this regard, Miss Huang’er’s body would lose her own soul, and another would inhabit her physical body. The body would still be you, but the soul wouldn’t be.”

Elder Shun’s expression was quite ugly. “What difference is there between that and death then?”

Huang’er also lightly shook her head. She couldn’t accept robbing someone else of their soul.

“Mm, this method is indeed cruel, but it sees the highest use. This is because people often choose to take a baby’s soul, pure and untainted by the secular world. This is the equivalent of the soul growing up again. However, this move goes against heaven’s will and just folk should never utilize it.”

Jiang Chen was also heavily against plan B and didn’t wish for them to use it.

Elder Shun sighed softly, a bit resigned. “Let’s talk about plan C.”

It seemed that plan A and B were neither choices they could take.

“Plan C needs time and good fortune. There is a plant beneath the heavens called the Requiem Wood. If you are able to obtain this tree, you will be purify the soul and baptize Miss Huang’er’s soul. This is a one time purification and does away with all troubles with absolutely no aftereffects. This is a last resort of plan C, but if one has to the good fortune to bump into it, it is the best of plans. It’s a pity that it’s exceedingly difficult to locate the Requiem Wood.”

“Requiem Wood? Soul purification?” Elder Shun couldn’t help but ask, “Is there anything else that can replace this item?”

“Yes, but they’re all more difficult to locate than the Requiem Wood. In actuality, experts who cultivate their souls are able to purify souls purely with their own arts when they reach a heavenly level. However, those kind of experts is a level of existence that is impossible to find in our world.”

Elder Shun became lost in thought when he heard this.

He’d now heard all three methods, and plan C was the most certain out of all of them. However, where would he go to find this Requiem Wood?

He’d never heard of such an item!

“Little brother Jiang, in your opinion, which one would you use?”

“If it were my kin, I would use plan C without a doubt and seek the Requiem Wood. If there is really nothing to be done, then I would consider the plan A and refine their soul.”

“I too favor plan C more, but the Requiem Wood is hard to locate, and I’m afraid I lack sufficient time. The frequency of Huang’er’s ailment acting up has accelerated.”

“Mm, then this means that the soul brand from the curse is becoming more and more active.” Jiang Chen also frowned. It could be seen that Miss Huang’er had met with a love rival who was bore more than the usual resentment. The force of this curse was truly domineering.

With Miss Huang’er’s age, her ailment shouldn’t have been flaring up so often. This meant that the curse was extraordinarily strong.