Chapter 30
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The center of the Xuanmen world, the Chengshu Palace of Mount Dai, has now become a purgatory of corpses and miasma. The first group to rush up the mountain were mostly disciples from the Chengshu Palace. Eager to save people and lacking precautions, many of them were suddenly poisoned by the toxic miasma before even reaching the Ding Xian Ling, inhaling the deadly miasma into their lungs. Fortunately, Iron Sect Master, Changsun Chengfeng, arrived in time with his people. He commanded his disciples to carry the poisoned cultivators down the mountain for urgent treatment, and with a swift incantation, he shook his sleeve, causing a strong wind to rise, instantly forcing the thick black corpse miasma, almost to the point of being unable to see one’s fingers, to retreat.
During this retreat, the surrounding visibility finally cleared slightly, but it was only enough to progress from complete darkness to barely seeing the outlines of objects ten steps away.
The disciples behind him made way and saluted, “Senior Bai!”
Changsun Chengfeng turned around, only to see Bai Xian stepping forward quickly, bowing respectfully, “Sir…”
Changsun Chengfeng helped him up immediately, “What is it?”
Bai Xian still lowered his head respectfully and cautiously, saying, “Reporting to Iron Sect Master, we are now approaching the Ding Xian Ling. Please allow me to go ahead and scout the way.”
Bai Xian had no protection, yet he moved freely in the area where the corpse miasma was rampant. Changsun Chengfeng pondered for a moment, not yet able to come up with a reason to oppose him. Suddenly, Yuchi Xiao caught a glimpse of something in the bushes several steps away. He quickly stepped forward to take a look, and his expression changed suddenly.
It was a small piece of clothing caught and hooked by sharp dry branches.
“This is…”
“Xiang Xiaoyuan.”
Changsun Chengfeng exclaimed, “Isn’t Nephew Xiang with you?”
Yuchi Xiao furrowed his brows tightly, looking towards the distant thick miasma, and said in a deep voice, “He went to the Ding Xian Ling ahead of us.”
Changsun Chengfeng thought he had misheard, “What is he going there for?!”
Indeed, as a low-level junior disciple, what was he doing in the most dangerous Ding Xian Ling?
Yuchi Xiao felt a strange feeling in his heart, as if behind the thick fog, there was a vague and elusive secret hidden, but no matter how he reached out, he couldn’t touch it.
He suddenly remembered the scene when he first met Xiang Xiaoyuan, the dull little demon standing in the front hall of Cangyang Sect, listening to his passionate words and demanding to break off the engagement, and then suddenly falling backward unconscious; and he also remembered that not long after breaking off the engagement, the two of them, who were supposed to never meet again in this lifetime, came to Linjiang City together, fighting side by side against the ghost cultivators, living and dying together. The changes in the world and their circumstances were so great that sometimes he couldn’t connect the Xiang Xiaoyuan who could handle everything with ease, laughing and cursing freely, with the Xiang Xiaoyuan who fainted back then.
There was always a sense of disconnection, making him feel that when the two of them were in Linjiang City, his memory seemed to be missing a part, with subtle irrationalities hidden in the details.
But what was missing exactly?
“What’s that?” “Someone’s there!”
Suddenly, the disciples around him shouted, and Changsun Chengfeng looked up, only to see several figures suddenly appearing vaguely not far away, all dressed in loose and tattered white robes, staggering and stumbling, finally stopping unsteadily only ten steps away.
Immediately after, an even stronger stench of corpses wafted over.
“Are they the tomb guards?” “Are the tomb guards still alive?”
The disciples speculated one after another, some of them impatiently stepped forward to inquire, “Brother, how is Chengshu Palace? What about Alliance Leader Ying and the Sword Sect Mater? What are you guys doing… ah!!”
Changsun Chengfeng and Yuchi Xiao suddenly changed their faces at the same time, “Come back!”
Before the words fell, Changsun Chengfeng waved his sleeve, and a white-golden mechanical arm, tens of zhang long, suddenly burst out from his arm, snatching the screaming disciple in mid-air. The wind blades twisted the black curtain-like corpse miasma, revealing the true faces of those “visitors”—
Their faces were rotten, their eyes murky, dressed in funeral clothes, they were wandering corpses!
“Back off! Gather together!” Changsun Chengfeng cursed loudly, “The Ding Xian Ling is full of corpses, don’t rush in recklessly!”
At this moment, a fierce wind suddenly swept past him, and when he looked up, he saw, “Young Master Yuchi?!”
Yuchi Xiao swept away the zombies with a single sword strike, and the crimson circular sword light broke through the black mist for more than ten zhang. Taking advantage of this brightness, everyone was horrified to find that there were already many zombies hidden not far away, all of them with ferocious faces, all aiming at the direction of the living.
Changsun Chengfeng shouted, “Come back! It’s too dangerous ahead, you can’t go alone—”
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Yuchi Xiao’s loud voice, “I entrust this place to you!”
With the last word, he had already gone far away, with a stern expression, flying straight towards the Ding Xian Ling!
***
Meanwhile, in the underground palace.
Gong Wei single-handedly dragged the unconscious Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui, like dragging two large sacks, gasping for breath as they turned the corner.
The long stone stairs spiraled upwards, with two rows of shadowy candles emitting a faint green light, casting several pale figures ahead in the shadows. Gong Wei’s body, which had not yet formed a core, had little spiritual power to begin with and was now almost depleted. He had to hum a few sentences of that eerie and feeble tune again.
Those figures slowly retreated, but perhaps because their magical powers were insufficient, they still lingered around with ill intentions.
“Go.” Gong Wei’s face changed, using that eerie and incomprehensible tone sharply, “Capture Law Flower Immortal for me. I’ll reward you with his golden core. Hurry!”
Fortunately, most of the powerful masters in the Ding Xian Ling had been dealt with overnight by Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui’s fierce battle. The remaining ordinary zombies were not too difficult to handle.
The zombies twitched slightly, then gradually dispersed and disappeared into the dark depths filled with corpse gas.
“…Ying Kai…” Yuchi Rui was dragged on the ground, dazedly saying, “I think I’ve been caught in an illusion…”
Ying Kai remained unconscious and couldn’t give him an answer.
This wasn’t because his injuries were too severe, but rather a profound Daoist technique—automatically entering the “guard the Yuan and preserve the One” state when severely injured, temporarily withdrawing the five senses from the outside world to allow the powerful primordial spirit to rapidly repair the damaged spiritual veins.
Among all the noble families and sects in the world, only a few senior grandmasters could reach this realm, and Ying Kai’s mastery in this regard was the most profound and exquisite. Even the heaviest injuries were difficult to kill him. Therefore, even Xu Shuangce once said that since the beginning of his foundation building, Ying Kai had already laid the foundation for becoming a grandmaster in the future. If one were to talk about the continuous and unending operation of spiritual power, no one in the world could surpass him.
“Serves you right. I’ve told you not to stare directly into other people’s eyes.” Gong Wei struggled to drag them forward, not looking back as he asked, “What did you see in the illusion?”
Yuchi Rui laid spread-eagled, being dragged up the bronze steps step by step, his breath shallow and full of fear as he said, “I… I think I heard Gong Zhiyu singing…”
Gong Wei fell silent for a moment, then gently said, “Changsheng, I’ll give you one last chance to save yourself.”
Yuchi Rui immediately fell into silence. Only the sound of clothes rubbing against the steps could be heard, and after a while, his particularly small murmurs came:
“…I saw my father.”
What one generally saw in the illusion were their most feared memories. Gong Wei was surprised, “What? Wasn’t it Xu Shuangce who hung you up and beat you because you didn’t finish your homework back then?”
The candles they passed by flickered slightly, casting their shadows on the stone walls, their shapes large and bizarre. Yuchi Rui didn’t say a word, his primordial spirit still immersed in the floating and painful illusion. After a long while, he hoarsely said, “Was it really my father that I killed, Ying Kai?”
Gong Wei said nonchalantly, “Oh, stop thinking about it. Isn’t it just Old Sword Sect Master taking a shortcut in their cultivation? I’ve said it before, there are no shortcuts to ascension. Just eat and drink well and enjoy this life.”
Yuchi Rui closed his eyes tightly, his expression pained, whether he listened or not. After a while, he seemed to remember something, struggling slightly as if trying to break free from the deep illusion:
“…Law Flower Immortal…”
Gong Wei could only reassure him, “I know, I know. Law Flower Immortal tricked us and ran away. Let’s catch him.”
But Yuchi Rui paid no attention, gasping as he asked, “Ying Kai, why did Gong Wei… why did he want to kill Xu Shuangce?”
Gong Wei dragged the two of them up the last step of the bronze stairs, finally straightening up, wiping his sweat in exhaustion.
“Because it had to be done,” he sighed softly.
At this point, they had reached the end of the stairs, and as they turned the corner, a tall figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the tomb passage. He wore a hawk-nosed brown battle robe and red-gold armguards, exuding a fierce and murderous aura. Under the arrow sleeves, two dried-up and blackened hands were faintly visible as he turned slowly to face the living.
The candlelight flickered green, revealing the rotten face under the helmet.
Gong Wei silently took half a step back, trembling as he said, “….You really bring everything to life with your words, Changsheng.”
—It was actually Yuchi Rui’s biological father, the previous generation’s Old Sword Sect leader!
With a clatter, the corpse turned around, and the collision of the burial armor produced a sharp sound.
Gong Wei broke out in a cold sweat and quickly turned back to pull Yuchi Rui. He grabbed his hair and exposed his face, saying, “Senior of the Sword Sect, please stop. We didn’t mean to disturb your rest. Look, this is your own son…”
Clatter! The heavy armor of the corpse collided with the ground again, taking another step forward.
“We’ll leave now. As long as you let us pass, we promise to leave within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Look, this is the legendary Alliance Leader Ying, who commands respect throughout the world…”
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
The corpse, wielding its sword, advanced, and Gong Wei quickly pushed both Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui back behind him. He let out a sharp chant, infused with the last bit of his spiritual power!
At that moment, a hand suddenly reached out from behind, tightly covering his cracking final note.
Then, the corpse swung its sword down, but in the moment of the fierce wind, someone suddenly appeared and with a “clang!” sound, solidly blocked it!
It was Yuchi Xiao!
Gong Wei felt relieved, realizing that it was most appropriate for the descendants of the Yejinmen to deal with the old ancestors of the Yejinmen. He saw Yuchi Xiao dive out like a meteor, effortlessly knocking the sword out of the corpse’s hands. The sword clanged heavily against the tomb wall and fell to the ground; as the corpse tried to pick it up, Yuchi Xiao swiftly swung his sword backhand, chopping heavily at its neck.
—–Crack!
The red-golden armor couldn’t withstand this forceful blow, immediately cracking and shattering, and the decayed neck bone broke with a snap!
The head of the corpse tilted unnaturally to the side, then, with a thunderous roar, fell to the ground and finally stopped moving.
“…”
The tomb passage fell silent for a few breaths, and Gong Wei applauded sincerely, “Well done, young hero! That was amazing!”
Yuchi Xiao calmly said, “My grandfather’s spiritual energy had already dissipated when he passed away, so he had no remaining power. Anyone could subdue him as long as they could reach him.” He put away his Gouchen sword and quickly checked his uncle and Alliance Master Ying. Seeing that neither of them was in mortal danger, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “Where did you find them? What happened down there?”
Gong Wei vaguely felt that Yuchi Xiao’s attitude seemed a bit strange.
However, he had limited knowledge of worldly affairs and couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was odd about it. So, he made up a story on the spot, “I don’t know where this place is. I got lost and was very scared. When I came in, I saw Alliance Leader Ying and the Sword Sect Senior lying at the entrance…”
Yuchi Xiao suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him, then lifted Ying Kai and helped Yuchi Rui up, saying without hesitation, “It’s dangerous here. Let’s talk while we walk.” Then, he walked ahead briskly.
He was much taller and had much longer strides than Gong Wei. Gong Wei hurriedly ran to catch up, cleverly avoiding mentioning the incidents with the four golden coffins and the corpse of “Law Flower Immortal” that he had seen in the deepest part of the underground. Instead, he asked, “How did you find us? What about Iron Sect Master? Where are we exactly?”
Yuchi Xiao replied, “This is the Ding Xian Ling.”
“Why were all those people… those corpses running around outside?”
Yuchi Xiao continued walking, “Those are ‘startled corpses,’ which refer to the corpses of masters being disturbed by living people. It used to be very rare, and this is the first time I’ve encountered it.”
Gong Wei suddenly understood.
“Inside the Ding Xian Ling, there are burials of thousands of cultivators. When I entered just now, I saw many masters who had been startled killed again in the tomb passage. It seems that Alliance Leader Ying Kai accidentally triggered a chain reaction of startled corpses when he entered the tomb for some reason last night. In a hurry, he could only draw his sword to break through; the senior of the Sword Sect came to rescue him, but ended up falling in with him.”
Gong Wei patted his chest sincerely, “I see! It’s really terrifying!”
Yuchi Xiao didn’t reply, but continued to lead them up the bronze steps at the end of the tomb passage.
Gong Wei ran after him, feeling increasingly puzzled. It seemed like he had never seen this side of Yuchi Xiao before. However, his understanding of human nature was limited, and he had little perception of others’ subtle emotional changes. He could only rely on instinct to awkwardly comprehend the situation. After a moment of thought, he found himself asking, “Is Alliance Master and Sword Sect Master okay?”
Yuchi Xiao replied briefly, “They’re in ’embracing the yuan and guarding the one’ state. They’ll be fine.”
He continued to walk briskly, his gaze fixed ahead, without even a spare glance. Gong Wei felt a little uncomfortable, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong. So, he tried to lighten the mood by saying, “I wonder what happened to them that they ended up so severely injured. Perhaps there are many startled corpses lurking in this tomb…”
“Law Flower Immortal,” Yuchi Xiao suddenly interrupted.
“Huh?”
Gong Wei was slightly stunned, as Yuchi Xiao calmly continued, “With the abilities of Alliance Master and the Sword Sect Master, whoever managed to knock them down so quickly has never appeared in the history of the Daoist sect. Even if they were to reappear in this world, they wouldn’t be able to do it. The only possibility is that the person’s remains were so dear to them that they couldn’t bear to retaliate. And the only person in the world who can satisfy this condition is the Law Flower Immortal.”
Gong Wei was momentarily speechless, questioning, “Couldn’t bear to retaliate?”
Yuchi Xiao countered, “What else could it be?”
“But it’s already a corpse.”
Yuchi Xiao finally glanced at him, although with a strange look, “Exactly because it’s the remains of a loved one, they couldn’t bear to strike.”
“….”
Gong Wei thought to himself. You people are really strange. Clearly, once a person dies, there’s nothing left, just a pile of flesh. Yet some people treat them as if they were still alive and can’t bear to fight back, while others harbor such deep emotions and hatred that they want to desecrate the corpses. I really can’t understand.
Gong Wei suddenly remembered the first time he was scolded in public by Xu Shuangce when he was very young. It seemed to be because he attended a funeral with adults and, being extremely bored, went to play with the corpse at the funeral. Even Ying Kai was furious at the time, dragging him out of the hall all the way. Xu Shuangce even asked him what kind of thing he was. It seemed that everyone was the same, with an unusually strong love-hate relationship with corpses. Even Xu Shuangce couldn’t avoid it.
As he pondered over this, he heard Yuchi Xiao calmly remark, “Speaking of which, you’ve been fortunate enough to not run into the Law Flower Immortal on your journey here.”
Gong Wei casually said, “I don’t know. I just wandered around like this…”
His voice suddenly stopped, and he realized how Yuchi Xiao was acting strange—
From meeting until now, Yuchi Xiao hadn’t asked him at all how he found this tomb!
Had he already noticed something?
Looking up, Gong Wei saw Yuchi Xiao still striding ahead, and from his back, there was no sign of anything unusual.
He blinked, and a hint of crimson appeared in his right pupil. Blinking again, it returned to its normal black color. Feeling somewhat uncertain, he tentatively asked, “Young Hero?”
Yuchi Xiao replied casually, “What’s up?”
“Could you turn around?”
Yuchi Xiao remained indifferent, but his voice remained steady, “Why?”
Gong Wei blinked his eyes again, and this time, his right pupil turned into a clear ruby-like red. Smirking mischievously, he said, “If you won’t turn around to look at me, then I’ll have to come to you.”
Yuchi Xiao’s steps abruptly halted.
But before Gong Wei could react, at that moment, there suddenly came the sound of hurried footsteps from the stairs ahead, followed by a group of cultivators rushing over, led by none other than the Iron Sect Master, Changsun Chengfeng!
Gong Wei’s right pupil instantly returned to black. Seeing Changsun Chengfeng approaching quickly, his usually gentle expression now serious, he reached out and took the unconscious Ying Kai from Yuchi Xiao’s hands. “What’s going on? What happened down there?” he asked, frowning. “Is Sword Sect Master under some illusion?”
Yuchi Xiao replied, “Elder, it seems that the Law Flower Immortal is a startled corpse.”
Changsun Chengfeng froze on the spot.
But after a momentary pause, he immediately regained his composure and instructed his disciples in a low voice, “Escort the Alliance leader and the Sword Sect Master out of the tomb immediately. The disciples from the Medical Sect, led by Mu Duozhu, have already arrived outside the Ding Xian Ling.”
Two disciples quickly obeyed his command and left. Changsun Chengfeng then turned to Yuchi Xiao and said softly, “Nephew, to be frank, the rising of corpses is a rare scandal known only to a few within the cultivation world. If the corpses in this tomb escape, it could endanger countless lives. Therefore, we must act swiftly…”
His implication was that he wanted the young master of the Yejinmen Sect to assist him in clearing out the many risen corpses. However, Yuchi Xiao, who was usually very reliable, acted out of character and interrupted him without hesitation. “I understand your intentions, Elder of the Iron Sect. But my grandfather’s body is now exposed outside. Please allow me to lay him to rest first before returning to assist you in clearing out the risen corpses in the Ding Xian Ling.”
Changsun Chengfeng didn’t even have time to persuade him tactfully. Instead, he saw Yuchi Xiao turn around and beckon to Gong Wei. “Come here, what are you standing there for?”
Gong Wei had been silently shrinking in the corner, trying to lower his presence.
Upon hearing this, he was momentarily stunned. Under the scrutiny of everyone’s curious eyes, Yuchi Xiao raised an eyebrow, his expression now somewhat stern. “You are my future dao companion. If you don’t help me lay my grandfather’s body to rest, do you expect me to come and invite you?”
“…”
Gong Wei was speechless, and under the various strange gazes around him, he bowed politely and forced a smile. “Yes, yes.”
Changsun Chengfeng was even more speechless than Gong Wei, but in the face of a matter concerning the dead, it was not appropriate to stop the younger generation from another sect from laying their ancestors to rest. All he could do was repeatedly remind them, “Be careful, both of you, and make sure to return quickly.”
With one hand covering his face, pretending not to see the various strange expressions of the people around him, Gong Wei followed Yuchi Xiao back along the tomb passage.
They had only met with the Iron Sect and others a short while ago, but now they were traveling lightly, moving even faster. In less than a quarter of an hour, they returned to the lower level of the tomb via the bronze steps. Turning a corner, they found themselves back in the tomb passage where they had encountered the risen corpses of the former Sword Sect disciples.
Yuchi Xiao suddenly stopped in his tracks and gestured for silence, whispering, “Listen.”
What’s going on?
Gong Wei subconsciously turned his ear in the direction Yuchi Xiao pointed, but he didn’t hear anything unusual. Turning back in confusion, he said, “I don’t hear anything…”
He froze in place.
The edge of the Gouchen Sword was pressed against his throat. Any movement would result in blood spraying three feet, just as chilling as Yuchi Xiao’s voice from above, “Who are you?”
Gong Wei’s eyes widened slightly.
“When we encountered the risen corpses of the former Sword Sect disciples just now, you chanted a spell at the corpse. When you saw me arriving, you suddenly stopped,” Yuchi Xiao’s tense voice came from above, asking, “I’ve heard that chant before. It’s one of the highest forbidden arts of the Daoist sect, used specifically for communicating with the dead, the Secret Communication of Yin and Yang Chaos Great Mantra.”
“You’re not that timid junior disciple.” Yuchi Xiao’s voice sounded from above, and he asked, “Who are you?”
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