"The Ugly Sovereign: Ascending Beyond Mortal Scorn"

The Cursed Fields

The villagers' joy at the revived crops turned to terror. The wheat and barley stalks, once golden and soft, now grew jagged black thorns as long as fingers. Their leaves dripped oily sap that smelled like burnt metal. When the wind blew, the thorns rattled like bones, and the air hummed with a low, angry buzz.

First Victim:

Little Kang, a curious six-year-old, reached out to touch a thorn. It pricked his finger, and black veins spiderwebbed up his arm within seconds. He collapsed, his skin hot as fire, screaming until his voice gave out.

Granny Wen's Struggle:

She boiled herbs day and night, grinding Mistfern Leaves and Sunroot into a paste to slow the poison. "The curse is mutating," she told Luo Feng, her hands stained green from the plants. "It's merging with the land… and you."

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Uncle Tao's Secret

Uncle Tao, a stout farmer with a laugh that once filled the fields, began acting strangely. He volunteered to guard the crops at night but returned at dawn with mud-caked boots and shadows under his eyes.

Xiao Mei's Suspicion:

She followed him one moonless night, hiding behind a charred tree stump. Uncle Tao knelt by the Silverwood sapling and dug a hole with trembling hands. He pulled a Yan Clan talisman from his pocket—a wooden tag carved with a coiled serpent—and buried it under the roots.

The Talisman's Evil:

The moment it touched the soil, the sapling shuddered. Black roots spread like cracks in glass, and the thorns on the crops grew thicker.

Confrontation:

Xiao Mei stepped into the open, her dagger glinting. "Why, Uncle Tao? You've known me since I was a child!"

Tears streaked his weathered face. "They have my daughter… My little Meiying. The Yan Clan took her. They said they'd kill her if I didn't plant the talismans."

The Truth:

He pulled a crumpled letter from his shirt. The words were written in blood: "Obey, or her bones will feed the Dark Bloom."

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Luo Feng's Transformation

The curse in Luo Feng's body worsened. His right arm turned gray and stiff, the skin cracking like dried mud. Thin black thorns pushed through his fingertips, sharp as needles. At night, he dreamt of the sapling's roots wrapping around his heart, squeezing until he woke gasping.

Granny Wen's Warning:

She examined his arm, her fingers brushing a thorn. "The sapling's roots are binding to your meridians. If this continues, you'll become part plant… part monster."

Luo Feng's Fear:

He stared at his reflection in a water bucket—his right eye now flecked with gold, the left pupil shrunk to a pinprick. "Can we stop it?"

Granny's Answer:

"There's one hope: the Moon Lotus, a flower that grows in the Swamp of Whispers. Its petals can purify any poison… but the swamp is deadly."

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Xiao Mei's Perilous Journey

Xiao Mei volunteered to find the Moon Lotus. She packed a small satchel:

A vial of Granny's antidote.

Rope made of braided nettle fibers.

The last piece of Starbloom from Chapter 16.

The Swamp of Whispers:

A foggy wasteland where the air reeked of rot and voices echoed from nowhere. "Luo Feng is already dead!" the mist hissed. "Turn back, fool!"

Dangers Faced:

1.Quicksand: Xiao Mei nearly drowned, grabbing a dead tree root just in time.

2.Mud Serpent: A giant snake with glowing green eyes rose from the muck. She fed it the Starbloom petal, and it calmed, slithering away.

3.The Lotus: She waded into chest-deep black water, thorns tearing her legs, and plucked the Moon Lotus—its petals glowing like moonlight on snow.

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Uncle Tao's Sacrifice

While Xiao Mei was gone, Uncle Tao confessed to Luo Feng. "The talisman is tied to my life. Destroy it… and I die. But it's the only way to weaken the curse."

Luo Feng's Refusal:

"We'll save your daughter! There's another way—"

Uncle Tao's Choice:

He grabbed the talisman and smashed it against a rock. The wood splintered, and he collapsed, blood seeping from his nose. "Save Meiying… She's in the Yan Clan's dungeon… under the old temple."

The Aftermath:

The sapling's roots shrank back, and the thorns softened—but Uncle Tao's body lay still, his hand clutching the broken talisman.

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The Thorn Beasts Attack

At dusk, the Yan Clan struck again. Master Yan unleashed Thorn Beasts—wolves fused with cursed brambles, their eyes glowing red, their fangs dripping venom.

The Battle:

Villagers' Panic: Families barricaded huts as Thorn Beasts tore through walls with clawed vines.

Luo Feng's Rage: He fought with a rusted sickle, his thorned arm stabbing beasts but bleeding black sap.

Xiao Mei's Return: She crushed the Moon Lotus into powder, tossing it into the air. The beasts screeched, blinded by the lotus's light, and fled into the forest.

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The Sapling's Farewell

The Moon Lotus purged the curse from Luo Feng's veins, but the sapling—already weakened—withered to a dry stump. Its last golden leaf drifted into Luo Feng's palm, melting into his skin like snow.

New Mark:

A tiny lotus flower glowed on his wrist, its light faint but steady.

Granny Wen's Words:

"The sapling's spirit lives in you now… but so does the Yan Clan's poison. The balance is fragile."

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A Promise in the Dark

Xiao Mei sharpened her dagger by firelight. "We'll rescue Meiying… and make the Yan Clan pay."

Luo Feng's Resolve:

He flexed his right hand—the thorns were gone, but the skin remained gray and cracked. "This isn't over. They'll keep coming… until we end them."

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Master Yan's New Weapon

In a hidden chamber beneath the Yan Clan's fortress, Master Yan accepted a vial of Luo Feng's blackened blood from the shadowy figure.

"With this," the figure hissed, "we'll create a curse that binds to his soul. He'll destroy himself… and the village with him."