Kasha felt the world spin around her before she landed in a pair of strong arms.
"Ley… Leylin!"
She cried out in surprise.
"Senior Sister, you look like you've been through quite the ordeal!" Leylin rubbed his nose and set Kasha down before tossing a vial to her.
"This is a Purification Potion — it can eliminate the curse aura on you! Use it quickly!"
"Thanks!" Kasha blossomed into a radiant smile, her near-death escape lending her a captivating charm.
"Wait! Um… could I have one too…"
A massive green-skinned barbarian Wizard came rolling over like a ball, a fawning expression on his face.
"Hm?" Leylin looked at Kasha.
"Give him one! We fought side by side together, after all!" Kasha nodded.
*Bang!*
Just then, the numerous dark shadows exploded outward. The black-coated man at their center stood completely unscathed, roaring toward Leylin.
"This feeling… it's not an ordinary curse hybrid — it's a curse meme!" Leylin's expression turned extremely grave.
A so-called curse meme was a far more advanced form of curse — a materialization of curse power itself. It was incredibly troublesome and even more difficult to deal with.
Leylin himself had only mastered a handful of curse templates and knew very little about these higher-tier memes.
"I'll pin it down first! Use your Purification Potions and get out of here — quickly!"
Leylin's voice was low and heavy.
Any curse had certain limitations and a defined range of effect, and this coat man's meme likely could not leave Quicksand Castle — it might not even be able to enter the outer Illusionary Corridor.
Kasha and the green-skinned barbarian Wizard nodded rapidly and opened their potion vials.
"Perfect — for a high-level materialization of curse power like this, I've been wanting to study one for a long time!"
A flicker of fervent interest appeared in Leylin's eyes as he hurled out a great number of potions.
*Boom!* Brilliant green flames blazed to life.
"dkjsklgmnsklm…"
The coat man was clearly wary of the flames, uttering words devoid of any discernible meaning.
"Chip!" Lin ordered.
"Comparing against database — no matching language found!" This time, the language spoken by the coat man had never been recorded by the Chip, so naturally there was no answer.
"Let's go!" Once the black curse energy on Kasha and the green-skinned barbarian Wizard was fully cleansed by the purifying potion, she immediately shouted.
When the coat man saw the three of them retreating, he roared in fury and charged straight at them.
Whoosh! Massive green flames blazed across his body, tearing away huge swaths of his black coat in tatters, revealing the scarred skin beneath.
A long, jagged wound ran from his right shoulder all the way down, resembling a giant black centipede — just one glance was enough to make one's skin crawl.
What furrowed Lin's brows even more was that the deep, brutal curse power was converging on the coat man with even greater intensity.
"Move! Now!"
Lin swung the Falling Star Sword in his hand. Terror-inducing poison and razor-sharp sword light erupted in all directions, and the surrounding buildings crumbled and collapsed one after another.
"Use this!" The green-skinned barbarian Wizard raised a crystal ball in his hand, its surface radiating a mesmerizing glow.
"It's an Escape Crystal Ball — at least five Escape Runes are sealed inside it. More than enough to get us out of here!" When he saw Lin's gaze turn toward him, the green-skinned barbarian Wizard hastily added in an ingratiating tone.
"Well done!" A flash of blue light flickered in his eyes as the Chip instantly confirmed the crystal ball's function and verified that nothing had been tampered with.
He immediately activated the crystal ball, and the three of them vanished in a burst of brilliant light.
A dark blur flashed through the air as the coat man's silver scissor-hands sliced through where they had stood, producing only an incoherent roar of rage.
Inside the Phantom Causeway Corridor, the walls on all sides were adorned with patterns of various plants and flowers. Countless plants raced through their entire life cycles — sprouting, growing, blooming, and withering — in an endless loop.
Thud! Thud! Thud! The sound of heavy objects hitting the ground echoed as Lin and Kasha, the three of them, tumbled into the corridor.
"It's done! I can no longer sense the curse power's tracking here — you're safe!" Lin closed his eyes, then spoke.
Hearing his words, Kasha and the green-skinned barbarian Wizard both let looks of profound relief spread across their faces.
"So then, now — isn't it time we discussed how to 'deal with' this?" Lin pointed at the green-skinned barbarian Wizard, a sinister smile forming on his face.
"Oh! No! You can't do this! I saved your companion before! We fought side by side together!"