Demon Blade's Curse of Petrification

The result of my distraction was a simultaneous exchange of blows with the curse master; I was left bloodied from his Demon Blade, while he suffered a portion of his body turning to concrete due to my petrification spell. Both of us had lost our combat capabilities. The curse master gracefully spun and vanished into the sewer from whence he had emerged, disappearing before Fang Yeyu arrived. I never anticipated the battle would end so brutally. 

In a hurry, I used a healing card; although it staunched the bleeding, it could not replenish the stamina I had exhausted, nor could it reverse the blood that had spilled; the healing card lacked the miraculous ability to turn back time, leaving me looking like a blood-soaked mess. Upon seeing my condition, Fang Yeyu disregarded everything else and rushed to embrace me, her voice laced with urgency as she asked, "I'll take you to the hospital right away; you must hold on!" 

"I'm fine for now, but if we go to the hospital, we'll both be finished. Listen to me: that man fell victim to my petrification spell, but my power was insufficient; he'll recover in no more than half an hour. We need to find a safe place to hide quickly.

Can you drive?" Fang Yeyu nodded, and I promptly summoned my business car. However, recalling the silver spikes I had thrown, I focused my mental energy and retrieved them, along with the curse master's soft sword. His soft sword was exceptionally sharp, a rare weapon indeed, which I stored in the Book of Demons alongside the silver spikes. 

Having lost blood and stamina, I chose not to play the tough guy; instead, I let Fang Yeyu support me into the car and directed her to drive eastward toward the city. At this moment, distance was my only concern, so I didn't fret over direction; still, I opted for a path leading away from the axe. Should the curse master return, perhaps I could evade him by utilizing the axe. Of course, if he did not come back, I wished to avoid revealing my weakened state to him; I could not trust that rogue not to kill me and rob me. 

"Fortunately, my nameless martial arts have improved somewhat in recent days; otherwise, I surely would not have escaped the curse master's assassination. I never expected him to target me instead of focusing on the axe.

The axe posed no threat to the curse master yet; if he killed me, the axe would have no opportunity to evade his pursuit. I quickly grasped the significance of this, reflecting on my earlier carelessness. Had the curse master not made a significant error in attempting to show off by channeling my holy light orbs into his sword, the outcome of our battle might have been very different. Had he struck first with the Demon Blade, I would have fared no better.

Relying on my opponent to continually make mistakes is unrealistic, yet I truly had no means to reverse the disparity in our strengths. My abilities were not lacking; overall, I was on par with the curse master, but he possessed extensive assassination experience and remarkable strategic skills, always optimizing his power. The errors he made were solely due to his unfamiliarity with my combat style. 

After two encounters, we both understood each other's capabilities, and with our next meeting, my chances of victory would diminish further.

Following this assassination crisis, I felt less assured about killing the curse master and was at a loss for my next steps. After resting for a while, I gradually regained my strength and contacted the axe, merely informing him that I had engaged with the curse master and allowed my opponent to escape, without mentioning my injuries. I advised him to be cautious and then ended the communication. 

Although my injuries were severe, the healing card facilitated a relatively swift recovery; however, the stamina and blood I had lost could not be replenished in a short time—at least two to three days would be needed to return to peak condition. Currently, I possessed only seventy to eighty percent of my usual combat strength.

The curse master's spells were time-limited; in no more than two or three hours, he would shake off the effects of the curse magic, and the petrification spell was effective for only half an hour. Unless he were exceedingly unfortunate and shattered the petrified limb, I hoped to avoid encountering him within the next few days. 

"I never expected his Demon Blade to be so formidable alongside his swordsmanship, but this should encompass his entire combat prowess. If only I am given time, I will find a way to counter him." Fang Yeyu displayed exceptional driving skills; as we neared the city's outskirts, she found a place to stop at my signal. True to her lineage as a police officer's sister, she remained remarkably composed upon witnessing my battle with the curse master, calmly inquiring, "Where do you intend to go?" 

"Honestly, I wish to return home." Fang Yeyu appeared perplexed by my statement, but I had no intention of explaining; I was merely an ordinary high school student. Borrowing her mobile phone, I called Pan Li'er, stating directly, "I'd like to invite you to travel out of town;

do you think your family would agree?"

Pan Li'er seemed somewhat bewildered by my invitation but responded cheerfully, "Sure, I'm open to anywhere as long as you cover my food, lodging, and travel expenses." 

"Then I shall come to pick you up; please prepare your belongings and wait for me." After hanging up, I turned to Fang Yeyu and said, "Thank you for your assistance earlier. However, I must now go into hiding, so I can only express my gratitude without any material compensation. Please drive this car back for me and keep it safe for the time being.

Having witnessed my battle with the curse master, Fang Yeyu, though curious about my origins, understood the danger of the situation and nodded in agreement. After I exited the vehicle, she drove away. 

Having failed to defeat the curse master in both encounters, I resolved to take drastic measures, bringing Pan Li'er with me to Canada. I aimed first to undergo the trials of the Demon Island Warrior title and then see if there was an opportunity to bring Pan Li'er to the Demon Island. If I could enhance my abilities further over the summer on the island, I believed the curse master would no longer pose a threat to me.

When I returned from the Demon Island, it would not be impossible to sweep away all of Guan Ye's influence. As for my crisis management skills, I had already reached my limits; I could not conceive a better plan. 

I also possessed a fake passport arranged by the Demon Mercenary Corps. Inquiring whether the axe could make his own way to Canada, he hesitated before confirming he could, so I left it at that, instructing him to contact me upon arrival. In a flurry, I completed the necessary procedures, concocting an excuse for my parents. I never anticipated that, in the end, I would still have to return to the Demon Island. My original goal of returning home to live a peaceful life felt a million miles away.