Dúgū Xìn's gaze was fixed on the newly acquired information stream, his expression focused, not letting go of any detail. Contained within the information stream was the extremely mysterious "Nail Head Seven Arrows" from the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Transformations. Undoubtedly, this was a world-shattering divine ability.
When "Nail Head Seven Arrows" was mentioned, in the legends of the Investiture of the Gods that he was familiar with in his past life, it was renowned and thunderous. It was with this "Nail Head Seven Arrows" that Daoist Lu Ya successfully subdued Zhào Gōngmíng, a powerful figure from the Jie Sect, thus reversing the tide of battle and becoming a crucial plot point in the war of investiture. Daoist Lu Ya used a seven-inch five-fen mulberry wood arrow, on which the enemy's name and birth date were written in cinnabar. Then, by shooting at a wooden effigy, he would shoot one arrow every day at noon for twenty-one days. Once all seven arrows were shot, the enemy would die of a sudden illness. Such a method was truly unfathomable.
Furthermore, Jiāng Zǐyá also mastered this divine ability. He once used it to punish Marquis Ding, who had defied him at the time, forcing him to submit. This demonstrated the significant status and immense power of "Nail Head Seven Arrows" in the world of Investiture of the Gods.
This divine ability was unpredictable and could kill without being seen. Even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal would face mortal danger under its power. Those who were struck often had no idea they were already in a desperate situation, as if being guided by an invisible force, step by step towards their doom.
In his past life, when Dúgū Xìn first heard of this divine ability, his heart was filled with confusion and disbelief. He felt it was too bizarre, similar to the deceptive tricks of charlatans in folk tales, and once doubted its authenticity, dismissing it as mere trickery.
But now, the course of fate had quietly changed. After Dúgū Xìn studied the information of this divine ability word by word, meticulously and thoroughly, he inexplicably achieved an "acquaintance" level of mastery. Although there was still a great distance to go before complete mastery, he could at least now cast this divine ability, even if its current power was still weak and not worth mentioning.
During his in-depth exploration, Dúgū Xìn keenly realized that this divine ability was closely connected to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. It primarily involved the Path of Curses, also known as the Mysterious Path, and even more critically, the entire foundation of the ability was built upon the profound "Great Dao of Karma". "Nail Head Seven Arrows" precisely locked onto the target by borrowing the power of karma and then launched a fatal blow using curses to annihilate the opponent.
Once he fully understood the underlying principles, Dúgū Xìn's mind was suddenly enlightened. It turned out this seemingly profound divine ability was not entirely elusive. Moreover, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that by comprehending the "Nail Head Seven Arrows" divine ability, he could further fathom the mysteries of the Path of Curses and the Great Dao of Karma. This was undoubtedly an extremely rare shortcut for his cultivation.
Having figured all this out, Dúgū Xìn no longer hesitated. He immediately found a quiet place, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, completely immersing himself in the study of "Nail Head Seven Arrows". All the surrounding noise was shut out. At this moment, his mind held only the mysterious divine ability and the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth associated with it. A deep conversation with the laws of heaven and earth began.
Since comprehending the "Nail Head Seven Arrows" divine ability, Dúgū Xìn had been immersed in its in-depth analysis and research. As his exploration deepened, he acutely sensed that although this ability was incredibly powerful, it also harbored hidden drawbacks.
If used against an opponent with a stronger spirit and will than his own, it was highly likely to fail. Once it failed, he would suffer a terrible backlash. The injury caused by this backlash was a Dao injury, which was extremely difficult to heal. Under normal circumstances, even a thousand years might not be enough for a complete recovery.
Such severe consequences forced him to be extremely cautious when choosing his targets. However, when his thoughts turned to the culprits who robbed Elder Mu and Mù Jiāluó, he began to make plans. Those two culprits were one at the late Foundation Establishment stage and the other merely at the late Qi Condensation stage.
He pondered to himself, thinking it might be a good idea to first test the power of the Nail Head Seven Arrows on the one in the late Qi Condensation stage. With this thought, he slowly got up, left his secluded cultivation chamber, and headed towards the main house.
Upon entering the main house, he saw Elder Mu lying on the bed resting with his eyes closed, while Mù Jiāluó was meticulously organizing herbs nearby. Dúgū Xìn walked up, asked a few questions softly, and then obtained two pieces of clothing from them.
After carefully questioning Mù Jiāluó, he learned that the smaller piece belonged to Wáng Xiǎowú, who was at the late Qi Condensation stage, and the larger one belonged to another individual, Wáng Wúlì, also at the late Qi Condensation stage.
Dúgū Xìn took these two pieces of clothing, selected some unused herbs, and hurriedly returned to his secluded cultivation chamber.
As soon as he entered the room, he got busy. First, he used the herbs to make a straw effigy, and then he carefully inserted the piece of clothing belonging to Wáng Xiǎowú into the effigy's chest.
Once prepared, he sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and began to cast the Nail Head Seven Arrows curse. He picked up the straw effigy with his left hand, began chanting incantations, and a Golden Arrow with a faint golden glow slowly formed on the tip of his right thumb.
Suddenly, he glared, and the Golden Arrow shot out like a meteor, striking the left leg of the straw effigy. Immediately, without pausing, he formed another Golden Arrow and unhesitatingly inserted it into the right leg of the straw effigy.
At the same time, in Wáng Wúlì's home, two streets away, Wáng Xiǎowú was meditating in a cross-legged position. Suddenly, he let out a sharp scream, fell backward, flailed his arms wildly in the air, and cried out for help. His legs felt weak, as if all sensation had gone.
Wáng Wúlì, hearing the commotion outside, quickly broke in. He swiftly helped Wáng Xiǎowú lie down on the bed and asked anxiously, "What happened?"
Wáng Xiǎowú, his face contorted in pain, said with a cry, "My legs suddenly lost all feeling and I can't move them!"
Wáng Wúlì, being a cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage and also an Alchemist, had some understanding of medical principles. He quickly examined Wáng Xiǎowú carefully. However, after a thorough examination, he was helpless, only vaguely sensing that his meridians might have been blocked during cultivation, but he could not pinpoint the exact issue.
Helpless, he could only let Wáng Xiǎowú rest well.
Meanwhile, Dúgū Xìn had not left his secluded cultivation chamber since performing the curse. Every day, without fail, he would spend two hours casting the curse on the straw effigy.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. This day, Dúgū Xìn picked up the straw effigy again. Two Golden Arrows instantly formed on his right thumb. His eyes were sharp as he glared fiercely, and both Golden Arrows simultaneously struck the straw effigy's arms.
Almost at the same moment, in Wáng Wúlì's home, Wáng Xiǎowú, who was lying on the bed, suddenly let out another cry of pain. His chest and abdomen heaved violently, and he abruptly sat up, only to fall backward rigidly again.
Wáng Wúlì, who had been guarding by the bedside, rushed to ask, "Xiǎowú, what's wrong?"
Wáng Xiǎowú's voice trembled with fear, "My arms won't move either, Father. Please think of a way to save me, I feel like I'm going to die!"
Wáng Wúlì quickly took Wáng Xiǎowú's pulse and examined him again carefully, but still had no clue. He felt that Wáng Xiǎowú's meridians were open and his vitality was abundant, but he couldn't understand why such a bizarre situation was occurring. He paced frantically around the room in distress.
Dúgū Xìn remained absorbed in his cultivation and the casting of his curse, performing the ritual on the straw effigy for two hours every day as scheduled.
Another five days passed. In Wáng Wúlì's home, Wáng Xiǎowú could only lie on the bed and groan in pain every day. Wáng Wúlì had examined his entire body repeatedly, yet remained helpless. With his late Foundation Establishment cultivation, he could only detect that Wáng Xiǎowú's spiritual energy was circulating smoothly and his vitality was strong, but the current situation was so bizarre that it was baffling.
He had even called in a professional Physician, but the Physician could not detect anything unusual either. In this world, besides Alchemists, there were also Physicians. Their knowledge was often interchangeable in many aspects, yet both were powerless in Wáng Xiǎowú's case.
Finally, after three more days, it was the last day for Dúgū Xìn to perform his curse. He slowly opened his eyes, a hint of determination flashing within them, and muttered, "Today is the last day. I shall take your life!"
With that, he picked up the straw effigy. Three Golden Arrows instantly formed on the tip of his right thumb. His gaze was like lightning as he glared fiercely, and the three Golden Arrows simultaneously pierced the straw effigy's head, chest, and Dantian.
In Wáng Wúlì's home, Wáng Xiǎowú only managed to let out a short yell before his eyes widened, the whites rolling upwards. He ceased to breathe.
Wáng Wúlì rushed over, examined him closely, and discovered with horror that Wáng Xiǎowú's soul had vanished. He was shocked and terrified. After repeated checks, he found nothing.
After finishing the curse, Dúgū Xìn went out to wander around a day later. During chats with his neighbors, he learned that Wáng Xiǎowú had died. A sense of satisfaction instantly washed over him, a contented smile appearing on his face. He then returned to his residence, feeling quite pleased.
Dúgū Xìn sat quietly in his secluded cultivation chamber, the surroundings filled with a tranquil aura, only the sound of his steady and long breaths could be heard. Recalling the experience of casting the Nail Head Seven Arrows curse over the past few days, his thoughts involuntarily drifted back, every detail vividly replaying in his mind.
When he first decided to use Wáng Xiǎowú as a test subject, although he felt confident, there was also a trace of apprehension. After all, this was the first time he had truly performed this mysterious divine ability.
On the first day, as he sat before the straw effigy, holding it lightly with his left hand while forming the Golden Arrow with his right, he still felt a bit clumsy and nervous. As he chanted incantations and inserted the Golden Arrow into the effigy's legs, his gaze was fixed on every movement of the effigy, as if trying to discern any subtle signs of the curse taking effect. The two-hour casting process felt agonizingly slow, every second filled with intense concentration, daring not to slacken even slightly.
On the second day, he was noticeably more adept. Facing the straw effigy again, his eyes held more confidence and determination. During the two-hour casting, he gradually entered a wondrous state, no longer merely mechanically repeating actions, but beginning to feel the fluctuations of power contained within the curse with his heart.
He discovered that as the curse continued, his consciousness seemed to establish a subtle connection with the surrounding heaven and earth. The mysterious incantations seemed to transform into lively runes, flickering and dancing in his mind.
And in the following days, this wondrous sensation deepened continuously. He steadfastly performed the curse on the straw effigy for two hours daily. During the intervals between casting the curse, he cultivated quietly beside the effigy.
In this process, his comprehension of the Great Dao of Curses grew rapidly, like a new sprout breaking through the soil in spring. The once obscure principles of curses gradually became clear and understandable in his eyes. He began to realize that curses were not simply an outpouring of power, but a mysterious art that resonated with the rules of heaven and earth. The pronunciation of each incantation, the insertion of each Golden Arrow, contained a unique rhythm and cadence that harmonized with a certain mysterious power in the universe.
Concurrently, he also gained a precious inkling of the Great Dao of Karma. While casting the Nail Head Seven Arrows curse, he deeply experienced the miraculous connection of karma. This divine ability precisely utilized the power of karma to lock onto the target and achieve the curse kill. He realized that all things in the world have karma; every action will lead to a corresponding result. And his casting of the curse was using this karmic relationship to weave an invisible net that enveloped the target.
This comprehension of the Great Dao of Karma elevated his understanding of cultivation to a whole new level. This process of rapid enlightenment felt like a beautiful dream, captivating him deeply.
His heart began to ripple, and a thought involuntarily surfaced in his mind: could he curse and kill more people with lower cultivation than himself to accelerate his comprehension of the Great Dao?
As soon doubt arose, it grew like wild grass in his heart. After all, comprehending the Great Dao so quickly was an irresistible temptation for any cultivator.
However, just as he was lost in this thought, the dreadful consequences of backlash instantly doused him like a bucket of cold water. He knew deeply that if he rashly used the curse on others, any failure would result in unbearable Dao injuries. Dao injuries that took a thousand years to heal would not only plunge his cultivation path into despair but could even endanger his life.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shudder, and the greed in his heart dissipated instantly. He sighed softly, slowly stood up, and his eyes regained their former calmness and rationality.
He understood that there were no shortcuts on the path of cultivation; every step required firm footing. Although the feeling of rapid enlightenment was intoxicating, risking everything for temporary greed was an unwise move. He silently warned himself to remain cautious, to advance steadily on the path of cultivation, and never to let momentary desires cloud his judgment.