Chapter 885: The Chief Culprit

"It seems everything this guy said is true. This damned thing is truly the one stirring up trouble, inciting the Five Forbidden Zones to attack us. It appears the true calamity for the entire Eastern Region has arrived astonishingly quickly!"

All the leaders of the various factions present revealed grave expressions. They were all too aware of what the Five Forbidden Zones represented. Normally, even mentioning their names was taboo, but now that this curse, capable of effortlessly disintegrating everything, had manifested, all the warriors instinctively fell into extreme panic.

Initially, only Ghost King was surrounded by the curse's power, but within minutes, hundreds of people nearby were infected, and the infection's scope continued to expand as the curse spread.

"Hahaha, Ghost King, didn't you look down on me? Today, I'll make you the first to fall by my hand, you trash! If you're willing to kneel and call me 'Grandpa Karl' now, perhaps I'll grant you a swift death."

"Oh, and I forgot to remind my bandit brothers here: if you don't want to be infected by this curse, direct all your power at Ghost King. If he dies, you might still have a chance to escape this curse."

As expected, facing this terrifying curse, the newly formed alliance instantly dissolved. Without regard for their comrades, the warriors frantically attacked Ghost King in a desperate bid to save themselves.

Xu Yang watched this scene unfold. The various leaders around him all focused their gaze on him, awaiting his guidance. Little did they know, the fate of the entire Eastern Region now rested solely in Xu Yang's hands. If he couldn't handle the situation effectively, his carefully cultivated influence in the Eastern Region would undoubtedly begin to crumble. Conversely, if Xu Yang could genuinely rally everyone and lead them to victory against this calamity, the entire Eastern Region would firmly fall into his grasp, becoming the second territory on the Yingzhou Continent he successfully conquered after the Northern Region!

"I'm not very familiar with the power of curses; I don't know how to deal with this."

Just then, the voice of the Moon Goddess reappeared in Xu Yang's mind.

"Master, only the aura of the ancient jade can counter this curse! I suggest opening the Western Emperor's Domain and guiding these warriors into the Western Ruins first. Then, Master, you can cast the fragmented ancient jade you possess into the Western Ruins space. This will both prevent external toxic sources from further afflicting the warriors and allow them to continuously experience the cleansing ritual of the ancient jade's aura within the Western Emperor's Ruins, thereby purifying the curse in their minds."

It must be said that the Moon Goddess consistently played her unique role at critical moments. Inspired by her guidance, Xu Yang had a sudden idea and immediately opened the portal to the Western Emperor's Domain as she suggested. He then entrusted his ancient jade to the Saber-toothed Tiger and sent a mental message to the large beast, instructing it on the specific operation. Without hesitation, the Saber-toothed Tiger was the first to enter the spatial portal. Following this, over a hundred thousand warriors from various domains present were completely enveloped by the aura of the Western Emperor's Domain.

In the blink of an eye, the vast majority of elites who had gathered for the alliance were spared from the crisis, thanks to Xu Yang's individual effort. At this point, only Xu Yang, the three major bandit faction leaders, and a few dozen alliance leaders who arrived later remained above the Western Desolate Tomb, totaling over thirty individuals. The average strength of these individuals was at the first stage of Earth Martial Artists, with over a dozen being Heaven Martial Artists. Undeniably, they represented the most elite group in the entire Eastern Region.

"Your Excellency A-Yang is truly formidable. We are immensely grateful for your contingency plan; otherwise, the more than a hundred thousand elites we brought would likely not have survived this curse."

Ling Yao was adept at enhancing Xu Yang's presence. As the leader of several major alliances, she immediately bowed to Xu Yang. Seeing her gesture, other alliance leaders also began to show their gratitude to Xu Yang, further boosting his influence in the Eastern Region battlefield.

"There's no need for such formalities, everyone. Everything I do is for the future development of the Eastern Region. After this calamity, perhaps our unity will significantly improve, which might not be a bad thing for us. However, our immediate priority is to find a way to suppress the forces of the Five Forbidden Zones and stop them from spreading this curse."

Clearly, Karl, who was in the distant void, hadn't anticipated Xu Yang having such a contingency plan. After all, by the time Xu Yang opened the Western Emperor's Tomb, Karl was already at the altar of the Five Forbidden Zones and had no idea what had transpired between Xu Yang and the tomb during that period. He had originally intended to use the curse's power to directly infect all the most elite troops of the Eastern Region during the alliance gathering, but now it was evident his plan had failed.

"A-Yang, you bastard, you've disrupted my plan yet again! If I don't make you pay today, then my name isn't Karl!"

Xu Yang burst into laughter. "Don't try to go head-to-head with me. You know very well I could crush you with just one finger. But I have no such intention or impulse right now. What I want to know is what leverage you used to convince the Five Forbidden Zone powers, who have been dormant for thousands of years, to intervene in the Eastern Region battlefield."

Karl gave a cold smile. "The Five Forbidden Zones have always coveted the power of the ancient jade. I simply informed them that you, as the new leader of the Eastern Region, also possess an ancient jade. Furthermore, I played an indispensable role in creating this forbidden curse, providing the blueprint for its formation. Therefore, naturally, I'll be able to share in the spoils with the Ancestral Shamans of the Five Forbidden Zones once it's done! At that point, I will be the sole representative of the Forbidden Zones, becoming the absolute overt ruler of the entire Eastern Region."

Upon hearing Karl's explanation, Xu Yang and the other prominent figures understood his motives.

However, Queen of Spades beside him looked puzzled. "If they're making such a grand move, why haven't we seen the Ancestral Shamans of the Five Forbidden Zones present? Do they truly believe one person alone can stop our onslaught?"

As the Queen of Spades spoke, Xu Yang and the other prominent figures seemed to grasp a crucial point, their expressions instantly turning extremely solemn.