Elias's arm froze in mid-air.
He was just a hair's breadth away.
If the hand gripping his cane had applied just a fraction more force, he would have instantly inflicted himself with another resonance stack.
Guss's words had brought everything to a grinding halt.
"Your Excellency forgets that Calovius is also located within the spirit world."
"We infernal demons are spirit world creatures ourselves."
"We are very familiar with curses related to the spirit world."
The demon explained in its low, rumbling voice, its yellow vertical pupils shimmering with a fawning light.
Elias's pupils trembled violently at those words.
Far from feeling a sense of relief, he felt even more lost.
A deep sense of helplessness and absurdity crawled up his spine like a lingering rot.
'Am I in reality, or am I trapped in that damn hallucination?!' Elias roared inwardly.
His mind raced, and past memories flashed through his brain like a revolving lantern.
Judging from the ridiculous events he had experienced within the previous hallucinations...
Nothing was impossible in a vision triggered by this curse!
The dream demon curse was perfectly capable of capturing the most secret memories and desires from the depths of his soul.
He had even seen an RTX 5090 graphics card in a hallucination!
That was something that should have only existed in the depths of Jiang Huan's modern soul.
Furthermore...
Before he had encountered that terrifying carapace husk, the hallucination had even been able to directly tamper with his perception of time!
Not to mention the encounter on the beach at Hastings Port.
Although that memory gap was largely due to him inhaling dream lotus powder, it was undeniably a terrifying manifestation of the dream demon's power.
God only knew!
God only knew if everything he was experiencing now was a brand new form of hallucination evolved by this cunning curse!
Extreme logic.
Perfect coincidence.
Elias's gaze was fixed on the two vials of clear potion and the roll of old parchment on the ground.
Don't forget!
A Scale Two spirit vision potion was exactly what he currently craved in the depths of his heart!
The hallucination was fully capable of manifesting these spoils of war to break down his mental defenses!
Even the fact that this infernal demon had proactively brought up the dream demon curse...
Elias had to admit a terrifying truth.
The moment Guss had asked, a strong desire had bubbled up from the depths of his own heart to ask the demon if there was a way to rid himself of the curse!
It was a perfect logical loop!
It was hard to say this wasn't part of the hallucination.
"Whew..."
Elias let out a long, heavy breath.
"So?" Elias finally spoke slowly.
"You have a way?"
He stared coldly at the demon before him.
At this moment, whether this was a hallucination or not didn't seem quite so important anymore.
Under the weight of extreme mental exhaustion and constant brushes with death, the reckless streak in Elias's bones was ignited.
He even felt like just letting the world burn.
If it was a hallucination, then the real him was likely already on the verge of death.
He was dead either way.
Before he died, he might as well ask this hallucinated demon for the details of how to solve the dream demon curse.
Even if he died, he would die knowing the truth!
If it wasn't a hallucination, then he had truly hit the jackpot and everything was real.
That would be even better!
It was just that finding so many good things at once, combined with the demon's bizarre obedience, felt far too surreal.
This forced him to instinctively think of the worst-case scenario regarding the curse.
Hearing Elias's question, a fawning smile immediately spread across Guss's red face.
"Actually, it's not that difficult," the demon said dismissively.
"You only need to perform a 'Flesh and Blood Replacement.'"
"What?"
Elias was momentarily stunned by the unfamiliar term.
Flesh and Blood Replacement?
This was a new term he had never heard of in all his occult studies of the transcendent world.
However...
Just from the literal meaning of those four words, he could smell a thick, overwhelming sense of evil.
He didn't need to think twice to know this was definitely not a normal method that would align with human morality.
"Flesh and Blood Replacement," Guss patiently repeated the term.
It continued to explain in that same flat, emotionless tone.
"It is quite easy to understand, Excellency."
"You must realize that the essence of the dream demon curse is anchoring."
"It anchors your soul to the location where the curse occurred, creating a tight connection between the two on the spirit world's coordinates."
"It is like a chain that has tethered you to that specific coordinate."
"Therefore, the logic for breaking it is very clear."
The demon spread its massive palms.
"Since your soul cannot forcibly break free from the anchor of this chain..."
"Then you simply make it so that the soul bearing the curse is no longer you."
Hearing this utterly ridiculous theory, Elias lowered The Roaring Cane from his chest.
"How is that done?"
"The soul is no longer me?"
"Wouldn't that mean I'm just dead?!"
"Ah! You are mistaken, Excellency!"
Seeing Elias grow angry, Guss hurriedly waved its thick arms.
It was terrified that this man might pull out that deadly bone flute again if he was displeased.
"How could I let you die?"
"What I mean is, you only need to find a perfect 'substitute.'"
The demon's voice dropped, laced with a hint of seduction.
"Of course, this substitute cannot be just any random person off the street."
"Ideally, it should be a close relative who shares your bloodline."
"Because similar blood can deceive the curse's perception to the greatest extent, reducing the violent rejection that occurs during a soul replacement."
As Guss spoke, it gestured with its hands in the air, mimicking a certain cruel action.
"Then."
"You need to choose a night of the Waxing Moon, when the spiritual tide is at its weakest."
"Bring this blood relative to the very center of the cursed location."
A cruel excitement appeared on the demon's face.
"Remember, here comes the key step."
"While the other person is fully conscious..."
"Use a blade coated in secret medicine to peel their skin off in one whole piece..."
"Enough!"
Elias's expression became extremely grim.
Just as he thought! This was not a method any normal living being would come up with!
Peeling the skin off a close relative while they were alive?
It sounded evil to the core!
It was the kind of filthy deed only a completely insane cultist would perform!
"Is there no normal way?" Elias couldn't help but ask.
"Is this not a normal way?" Guss found the question strange.
"Fine, say no more!" Elias interrupted him.
Indeed.
This was a 'normal' way for a demon.
"Huh?" Guss, who had been speaking with great enthusiasm, was a bit confused.
It didn't understand why this human would feel such revulsion toward such an extremely effective ritual.
The hypocrisy of humans was something demons could never truly comprehend.
"Just go back to counting your money," Elias said irritably, pointing at the pile of soul coins on the floor.
"As you wish."
Guss didn't take offense and immediately agreed with fawning obedience.
In its eyes, as long as that bone flute wasn't blown, it didn't matter what this ancestor said.
It turned around, plunged its hands back into the coins, and began counting again.
In the deathly silent and oppressive ruins, the dull clinking of the coins sounded exceptionally eerie.
Elias rubbed his aching head, trying to calm the spirituality churning within him.
However.
In the next second.
Sizzle—!
An extremely abrupt and piercing sound suddenly erupted!
Immediately following it.
"What the hell!!!"
Guss lunged upward from the ground, letting out a cry of pain and shock!
Startled by the commotion, Elias snapped his gaze toward the demon.
After all, hearing a devil scream about seeing a ghost was a rare occurrence.
Elias's eyes quickly locked onto Guss.
The demon was shaking its right hand in agony.
One of its thick fingers was actually emitting a stream of extremely pungent green smoke!
"That damn bastard Mester!" Guss roared in Abyssal, his hand still shaking wildly.
Its yellow vertical pupils were filled with extreme wariness and pain.
"He actually prepared a Sacred Candle!"
Guss turned to look at Herm, who was unconscious and barely clinging to life in the ruins.
The unlucky man had unfortunately fallen down with Elias when Guss had smashed through the floor earlier.
His already battered body had suffered even more, sending him into a deep coma.
"Cunning animal!"
In a fit of rage, Guss picked up his sword, wanting to cleave the human body lingering on the edge of death.
But after holding it up for a long time, he forced himself to stop.
Perhaps the penalty for breaching that contract really was severe!
He could only vent his rage impotently, smashing the surrounding debris to pieces.
After venting for a moment, he suddenly realized something and quickly calmed down.
"I cannot stay here any longer!"
"I have to go!"
His massive frame began to retreat, as if the pile of coins on the ground hid some terrifying monster.
Elias looked toward the spot on the ground where the demon had been rummaging.
Among the soul coins radiating the aura of death.
There lay a thick, translucent, milky-white candle.
It emitted a warm, holy glimmer.
In these ruins filled with blood and curses, it looked completely out of place.
"However, that thing will be of great use for your curse, Excellency."
Guss said as he retreated with lingering fear, gathering the coins on the ground to flee, while pointing at the candle.
"You can light that Sacred Candle. It is a holy relic of the Dawn Church, representing the authority of that one."
As Guss spoke, he fearfully raised a finger and pointed toward the sun above.
"One of its functions is to dispel delusion."
"No hallucination can distort it or the light it produces."
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