Chapter 585 - 583: Black Smoke Rising from the Head

Jiang Chen suddenly spat up a mouthful of blood. An incredibly oppressive feeling welled up in his chest, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Even taking the Purple Gold Quality, Third-Grade Qi Leveling Pill he had refined had no effect.

A Qi Balancing Pill was supposed to help a Martial Cultivator quickly enter the optimal state for Cultivation, their mind becoming as calm as still water.

But now, the pill had no effect whatsoever.

The agitation left Jiang Chen at a loss.

’What in the world is wrong?’

Jiang Chen had never encountered a situation like this. He was extremely anxious, and the more he thought about it, the more unsettled he became. It felt as if someone was relentlessly tormenting him from within his own mind.

Finally, driven by his restlessness, Jiang Chen left his room and went out into the manor’s courtyard.

He tried to calm himself, but found he still felt restless and uneasy.

’I’m a Martial King. This shouldn’t be happening to me.’

Jiang Chen began to wrack his brain.

But he came up with nothing.

’Could something have happened to one of my people?’

At once, Jiang Chen headed for the area where the others were gathered.

He summoned everyone to the reception hall.

Zhan Yang, JinLing, Lu Beifeng, Niu Tuo, Xiao Jun, and Mr. Jiao were all there.

Looking at the group, Jiang Chen asked, "Have any of you run into any trouble recently?"

He was trying to find the source of his agitation.

They all shook their heads.

JinLing asked with concern, "Jiang Chen, is something wrong?"

Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment.

He shook his head.

"No, I just feel restless and irritable."

Everyone frowned.

Martial Cultivators are typically able to control their emotions very well.

To feel so restless and irritable... unless an inner demon had taken hold.

Mr. Jiao immediately voiced his suspicion.

"Young Master, could an inner demon have invaded during your Cultivation?"

An inner demon was, in essence, just a psychological obstacle.

However, for a Martial Cultivator, a severe inner demon could completely destroy even a powerful expert.

It was not something to be taken lightly.

Jiang Chen shook his head again.

In the end, they couldn’t find the cause.

Jiang Chen decided to return to seclusion to try and suppress his emotions.

But after three straight days, he had not succeeded.

Left with no other choice, Jiang Chen came out of seclusion.

’I’ll take a trip to the Alchemy Master Guild.’

With that, Jiang Chen headed straight for the Alchemy Master Guild.

As he walked down the street, Jiang Chen suddenly noticed people staring at him.

Someone suddenly pointed at Jiang Chen and said, "Look, why is black smoke rising from that man’s head?"

"Yeah, it looks real. That’s so strange."

"He can’t be a normal person. We’d better stay far away from him."

Instantly, Jiang Chen saw the crowd recoil, not daring to get near him.

And he had heard what they were saying.

’Black smoke rising from my head?’

Jiang Chen grew tense.

He had a very bad feeling.

He took out a Copper Mirror and checked his reflection, but he discovered nothing.

There was no sign of the so-called black smoke.

Without a second thought, Jiang Chen grabbed a passerby and asked, "Can you see black smoke rising from my head?"

The passerby was startled, but he nodded.

"Yes, there is indeed black smoke rising from your head. Can’t you see it yourself?"

Jiang Chen asked several more passersby, and they all gave the same answer.

But whenever he looked for himself, he couldn’t see any black smoke at all.

He quickened his pace and soon arrived at the Alchemy Master Guild.

He met with the President of the Alchemy Master Guild, Venerable Black Water, and the former president, Mr. Qiu Shui.

Both men were greatly alarmed.

They stared at Jiang Chen and asked in astonishment, "Young Master, why is there black smoke rising from your head?"

"What’s going on?"

Jiang Chen was baffled, completely unable to understand it himself.

He pressed, "Are you sure you can see black smoke rising from my head?"

Both men nodded in unison.

Jiang Chen knew that these two would certainly not deceive him.

That meant only one thing: there really was black smoke rising from his head.

And while others could see it, he himself could not.

It was an incredibly bizarre situation.

"Young Master, has an inner demon manifested?"

Mr. Qiu Shui and Venerable Black Water both inquired.

Jiang Chen shook his head. He knew it was highly unlikely for an inner demon to manifest in him.

That meant something else was wrong with him.

"For the past couple of days, I’ve suddenly felt agitated and irritable, and there’s a constant shadow looming over my mind."

Jiang Chen explained his ordeal.

"Oh, right. It started with a sudden, sharp pain in my chest. I spat up a mouthful of blood, and then the agitation started."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Qiu Shui and Venerable Black Water exchanged a look.

Mr. Qiu Shui spoke in a grave tone, "I can’t make sense of your condition."

Venerable Black Water was also clearly at a loss; all he could see was the black smoke continually rising from Jiang Chen’s head.

Having found no solution at the Alchemy Master Guild, Jiang Chen prepared to leave.

"Young Master, my business here is concluded."

"I can leave with you now."

Mr. Qiu Shui intended to follow Jiang Chen. Now that his affairs at the Alchemy Master Guild were in order, he wouldn’t stay any longer and would leave with Jiang Chen directly.

"Alright!"

Jiang Chen did not refuse. With Mr. Qiu Shui in tow, he left the Alchemy Master Guild as Venerable Black Water watched them go.

Under the gazes of many passersby who stared at Jiang Chen as if he were a monster, the two returned to the Lin Family Manor.

"Young Master, you... Why is there black smoke rising from your head?"

Xiao Jun and Mr. Jiao cried out in alarm, pointing at Jiang Chen’s head.

Their faces were drained of all color.

Zhan Yang, Niu Tuo, Lu Beifeng, and JinLing were also staring in utter shock at Jiang Chen, who now had black smoke rising from his head.

Jiang Chen knew he couldn’t see the black smoke himself; only others could.

This made his expression turn exceptionally grim.

However, the situation plunged him into deep thought.

He came up with no answers, leaving him deeply frustrated.

Afterward, he again attempted to enter seclusion to suppress his agitated state.

On the first day, aside from feeling agitated, Jiang Chen experienced nothing out of the ordinary.

But starting on the second day, Jiang Chen felt his body begin to weaken.

"Hm?"

’With my Martial King Cultivation, how could I possibly feel weak?’

Jiang Chen was stunned, finding it hard to believe that his body had begun to weaken.

「By the third day.」

Jiang Chen discovered that his body had weakened even further.

This development sent a wave of panic through him.

If he continued to weaken, he felt that he would die.

’This won’t do. I can’t wait any longer.’

’I must find a solution.’

Jiang Chen took a deep breath.

He began to systematically analyze his current condition.

’A sudden, sharp pain in my chest.’

’Spitting up blood without warning.’

’Black smoke rising from my head, and now physical weakness.’

’This situation... it feels as if I’ve been cursed.’

’Could someone have placed a curse on me?’

Jiang Chen began to carefully piece together the cause of all this.

After all, he had lived two lives; his knowledge and experience were extraordinary.

Now, based on the clues, he suddenly had a line of thought.

Curses. Even in his previous life, Jiang Chen had never understood a bizarre power like the Curse Evil Technique.

In this world, those who could use the Curse Evil Technique were few and far between.

However, he knew of one group that had mastered the Curse Evil Technique.

’The Witch Race. Only the Wizards of the Witch Race can use curses.’

’A Wizard... a Wizard...’

At this thought, a jolt went through Jiang Chen’s entire body.

A Wizard... He happened to know a Wizard. It was Mr. Gu, the man at Second Prince Wen Shixi’s side.

’Could it be him?’