Yuki Tsukumo's mouth twitched. "Does the King of Curses really think he can deal with me alone?"
"I don't know," Tengen said. "But you must be careful—you may be in great danger… Before you face the King of Curses, I suggest you leave a will. I'm not joking or trying to pressure you, but my logic tells me that you might indeed not be a match for the King of Curses."
This was an incredibly offensive statement, yet, surprisingly, Yuki Tsukumo did not feel displeased. This was because deep down, she thought so too… The King of Curses might truly be prepared to kill her, even if he didn't know the specific details of her Cursed Technique.
Yuki Tsukumo felt pressure rising out of nowhere.
Tengen noticed the subtle shift in Yuki Tsukumo's emotions and changed the subject: "Let Gojo Satoru give his student a phone call."
"You want to sway Hakari?" Yuki Tsukumo asked.
"I don't know if it will succeed," Tengen said calmly. "Kinji Hakari respects Gojo Satoru very much. If Gojo Satoru personally invites him, Kinji Hakari will likely not be able to refuse. But I am not sure whether this can make Kinji Hakari betray the King of Curses, because the King of Curses has given him too much. He gave him eternal life, made him his diplomatic representative, and trusts him deeply. This shows that Kinji Hakari must also be very loyal to him."
Yuki Tsukumo looked up and sighed. "Hakari… he's confused."
"Kinji Hakari is too young and has been persecuted by the mainstream jujutsu world. Even Gojo Satoru couldn't give him justice. At this time, the King of Curses stepped in and gave him everything he wanted: power, eternal life, and respect. Let alone Kinji Hakari—look at the jujutsu higher-ups; weren't they also seduced into revealing the secret activities between you and me?" Tengen was not surprised by this.
Yuki Tsukumo gritted her teeth. "It's all because of the current corruption of the jujutsu higher-ups that led to this situation! I used to have an indifferent attitude toward Satoru's ideal of changing the world because I felt that whether the higher-ups changed or not had nothing to do with me. But now my attitude has changed. From today onward, I fully support Satoru! Damn it, the jujutsu higher-ups are not fit for their positions!"
In reality, Yuki Tsukumo was also among those who had been persecuted, but she was fortunate—she was strong enough, and Tengen also supported her in silence. The higher-ups did not want to offend both a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer and Tengen at the same time, so they had no choice but to back down. But this didn't mean they didn't play dirty tricks; it was just that Yuki Tsukumo didn't care.
But now it was different. Someone among the higher-ups had actually dared to act as a spy for the Cursed Spirits. This enraged Yuki Tsukumo, and she was determined to intervene in this power structure.
She certainly had the qualifications.
"In my memory, you were a very ladylike person," Tengen let out a soft chuckle. "I never thought I'd hear such profanity from you."
"It's been so many years," Yuki Tsukumo exhaled, as if trying to blow away all her frustration. "I'm not that little girl anymore."
Yuki Tsukumo really didn't want to dwell on this topic. She was now nearly thirty, and time had begun to leave its marks, but in front of Tengen, she still felt like a child who hadn't grown up. Back then, her rebellion had only been a child's tantrum in Tengen's eyes. Tengen had tolerated her endlessly. Thinking back on it now, she only felt embarrassed, as if her dark history had been exposed, making her want to scream just to cover it up.
She quickly changed the subject. "What do you plan to have Satoru say to him?"
"I remember the Goodwill Event between Tokyo and Kyoto is about to begin?" Tengen asked.
"Two weeks left." Yuki Tsukumo's brow twitched. Gojo Satoru had dumped all the tracking of the King of Curses onto her because of this event. Just thinking about it made her irritated.
"Have Gojo Satoru call Kinji Hakari and invite him to participate in the Goodwill Event," Tengen said. "Kinji Hakari should not refuse this, because it does not involve the King of Curses; it is simply an exchange between teacher and student. The King of Curses will not stop it either, because he is still wary of Gojo Satoru. I can even imagine the King of Curses looking forward to using Kinji Hakari to trade for Gojo Satoru, so he can fight you with full focus, without external interference."
As Gojo Satoru's peer, Yuki Tsukumo naturally knew about Kinji Hakari. She nodded slowly. "That makes sense. If Hakari interferes in my battle with the King of Curses, I would indeed be in danger. I believe the King of Curses will also be wondering whether Satoru is following behind me. If he can use Hakari to exchange for Satoru, it would benefit his confidence. He will agree."
"It's best to contact Kinji Hakari now," Tengen said.
"Now?" Yuki Tsukumo frowned, then suddenly understood. "You want to judge the King of Curses' true strength by observing Hakari from the side as much as possible? Since we now know Hakari is his confidant, he must know the King of Curses' real strength! Even if he cannot actively reveal information due to Binding Vows and loyalty, Hakari himself isn't that meticulous. His behavior and tone will be enough to expose it!"
When it came to information warfare, these old figures truly had their methods. Yuki Tsukumo couldn't help but admire it inwardly.
"Not only that," Tengen said slowly. "I also want to know the extent of this so-called eternal life… especially for Kinji Hakari, who possesses Infinite Cursed Energy. Holding both eternal life and Infinite Cursed Energy, how strong has he become… I am curious."
Yuki Tsukumo understood what Tengen meant.
The information revealed by the King of Curses about evolving people had not drawn much attention from the jujutsu world at first, because similar methods already existed. In fact, the development of modern medicine had significantly impacted the jujutsu world. Many Jujutsu Sorcerers already knew where the Innate Technique resided and where the core of Cursed Energy lay—they could understand it through medicine.
Thus, "making people evolve" sounded shocking, but only to ignorant Curse Users. For orthodox Jujutsu Sorcerers, it was merely a somewhat special Cursed Technique, nothing more.
But "eternal life" was different. This was something on an entirely different level.
Currently, Jujutsu Sorcerers who possessed immortality almost always paid a huge price, accompanied by severe side effects—including Tengen herself. But the King of Curses' "eternal life" was different; it applied to anyone, even ordinary people without Cursed Energy, and seemed to have almost no side effects. Or rather, the only "side effect" was that one had to remain in harmony with the environment. As long as the cycle of Cursed Energy in the atmosphere remained stable, this "eternal life" could continue indefinitely—truly living as long as heaven and earth.
Not only the jujutsu higher-ups, but even Tengen herself was extremely curious. She wanted to see a real example, and Kinji Hakari was the best subject.
"Before facing the King of Curses, you want me to fight Hakari?" Yuki Tsukumo asked.
"Yes," Tengen said. "What do you think?"
"I'm very much looking forward to that!" Yuki Tsukumo's lips curved into a smile. "I've long wanted to see this 'Infinite Cursed Energy' that Satoru keeps talking about!"
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