77: Exploring the Corpse Cave Under the Moonlight

The night was as dark as ink, completely swallowing Wild Boar Gully. The mist in the valley actually seemed a bit thinner in the darkness, its hazy outlines traced by the dismal moonlight. The three walking corpses "parked" at the valley entrance stood like three stone statues; the only sign of movement was the occasional fluttering of the Talismans on their foreheads in the breeze.

Li Muchen crouched in a hollow of the cliff wall, his aura restrained to the extreme, blending into the shadows of the surrounding rocks. He waited patiently, his Spiritual Sense extending into the valley like the finest of antennae.

Silence briefly returned to the valley entrance, broken only by the whimpering mountain wind and the monotonous sound of a distant stream. But this silence did not last long.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a low dragging sound, similar to metal scraping, echoed again from deep within the valley, coming from far to near. This time, the sounds were more frequent and heavy; it seemed more than one Corpse Driver was active.

By the hazy moonlight, Li Muchen saw several stiff figures emerge from the mist again. This time there were more, a full six or seven, likewise with Talismans stuck to their foreheads and stiff movements. They were led to the clearing at the valley entrance by two Corpse Drivers carrying Talisman lanterns and shaking copper bells.

The newly arrived Corpse Drivers set down their lanterns and spoke a few words in low voices with the one who had been standing guard. They used a local dialect that was extremely difficult to understand and spoke very fast. Li Muchen focused his attention and barely managed to catch scattered words like "Old Nine," "goods are ready," "tomorrow night," and "Mountain God Temple."

The conversation ended quickly. The two newcomers did not stay long; they shook their copper bells and led the six or seven newly arrived walking corpses back into the depths of the valley mist, seemingly heading somewhere inside. Meanwhile, the original Corpse Driver remained on the spot, responsible for guarding all ten walking corpses at the entrance.

He sat cross-legged on a large rock, placing the Talisman lantern beside him and the copper bell on his knees. He closed his eyes to rest, but his ears seemed to be alertly listening to the surrounding movements at all times.

Li Muchen's mind raced with calculations. "Old Nine" was very likely the "Corpse Old Nine" mentioned in Wu Yuanshan's files. And "goods are ready," "tomorrow night," and "Mountain God Temple" sounded like a gathering before a transaction or operation. These walking corpses were likely the so-called "goods."

It seemed that Release Void's collusion with Corpse Old Nine had likely reached a substantive stage. These driven walking corpses might be part of a trade, or perhaps "Materials" for some evil ritual. And the Mountain God Temple tomorrow night might be the key location.

He had to quickly figure out the situation inside the valley, especially Corpse Old Nine's hiding place and whether Release Void was here.

Li Muchen observed the guarding Corpse Driver. This person's aura was cold, but his cultivation wasn't too high, roughly equivalent to the middle or Late Stage of Qi Refining; his main methods should be in corpse control. Normally, Li Muchen was confident he could silently subdue him without alerting the valley.

But right now, there were ten walking corpses at the entrance. Driven by Talismanic Incantations, though they lacked intelligence, they were extremely sensitive to the Life Qi of living people and fluctuations of magic power. Moreover, they possessed immense strength and were fearless of pain. Once alerted, ten walking corpses attacking together, combined with the Corpse Driver's bell control, would surely cause a commotion that would alert the more dangerous existences deep within the valley.

He needed a more secure method.

Scanning the terrain of the valley entrance and those frozen walking corpses, a plan gradually formed in Li Muchen's mind. He quietly took out a blank yellow Talisman paper from his robe, then a small bamboo tube containing cinnabar powder. He didn't use his own essence blood; instead, he cautiously channeled a trace of extremely faint true essence, mixing it with saliva to dissolve the cinnabar. Using his finger as a brush, he rapidly sketched on the Talisman paper.

What he drew was an improved composite Talisman that combined the effects of the Daoist "Breath Concealment Talisman" and "Soul Soothing Talisman." This Talisman wasn't for direct attack or suppression; instead, it could emit an extremely faint "tranquil" and "soothing" vibration, nearly identical to the earth Qi itself. It could interfere with a low-level walking corpse's instinctive perception of Life Qi within a very small range and make the imprisoned remnant souls and resentment within them temporarily more "inert."

When the Talisman was completed, a faint light flashed and vanished. Li Muchen pinched the Talisman between his fingertips, completely restraining even that trace of true essence fluctuation. Like a gecko, he pressed against the slick cliff wall and slowly moved toward the valley entrance. His target was the corpse closest to the cliff, at the edge of the line.

His movements were extremely slow; every inch of movement was made to ensure not a single sound was produced. He even controlled the friction of his clothes against the rock to the absolute minimum. His Spiritual Sense was highly concentrated, sensing the Corpse Driver's breathing and heartbeat at all times, as well as the subtle fluctuations of the Talisman energy on the ten walking corpses.

Five zhang, three zhang, one zhang... he got closer and closer to the walking corpse on the edge. He could even see the stains on its tattered clothes and smell that peculiar corpse stench—a mixture of earth, decay, and a faint medicinal scent. The Talisman paper on the corpse's forehead fluttered gently in the night wind; the face beneath was stiff and pale, eyes tightly shut.

Just as he was about to enter the one-zhang range of the walking corpse, the ears of the Corpse Driver sitting on the large rock suddenly twitched slightly.

Li Muchen immediately stopped all movement. Even his breathing almost ceased as his entire aura completely merged with the cliff wall behind him and the shadows beneath his feet.

The Corpse Driver opened his eyes in confusion and scanned the clearing at the valley entrance. His gaze swept over each of the ten walking corpses, and he listened intently for a moment. Finding nothing unusual, he closed his eyes again, though he seemed a bit more alert.

Li Muchen felt a slight chill in his heart. These Corpse Drivers, who spent years on the edge of life and death dealing with corpses, indeed had sharp environmental perception.

He waited patiently for an even longer time until the Corpse Driver's breathing became steady and long again before continuing his extremely slow crawl forward. Finally, he silently reached the back of the peripheral walking corpse.

The walking corpse showed no reaction, like a truly dead object.

Holding his breath, Li Muchen carefully stuck the specially made composite Talisman onto the cold skin exposed by the torn clothing at the center of the walking corpse's back. The Talisman attached upon contact, and a faint tranquil vibration quietly spread, covering a range of about three square feet.

It was done.

He did not linger, immediately using the same slow and cautious movements to sneak toward the inner valley along the shadows of the cliff. In this section of the entrance, the mist was relatively thin; with the help of the faint moonlight and his Spiritual Sense, he could barely discern the path beneath his feet. He stayed as far as possible from the ten walking corpses and the Corpse Driver, moving through the boulders and bushes on the other side.

After entering the valley for about a hundred paces, the mist suddenly became thick. It was almost impossible to see one's own hand, and the moonlight was completely blocked out. The air's "deathly" aura grew more intense and pungent, mixed with an indescribable scent similar to formalin combined with herbs and rotting meat.

More man-made traces began to appear on the ground: scattered fragments of Talisman paper, burnt candle wax, spilled dark red liquid, and some clear, unnaturally formed pits.

In his Spiritual Sense perception, there seemed to be many man-made or natural caves in the cliff walls on both sides and underground. Some cave entrances were blocked by crude stone slabs or wooden fences, while others were open, emitting an even denser corpse Qi.

This place looked like a hidden "Corpse Cave" or "Corpse Raising Ground" that had been used for a long time.

Li Muchen did not dare to be careless, retracting his Spiritual Sense to within one zhang of his body for passive defensive sensing only. Like a true ghost, under the cover of the thick fog and darkness, he cautiously moved toward the direction where the deathly aura and man-made traces were most concentrated.

Turning a corner, a dim yellow light flickered ahead, accompanied by intermittent, low-pitched conversation.

Li Muchen stopped immediately, hiding behind a huge rock covered in moss, and peered forward.

Dozens of paces ahead, the mist was dispersed by lamplight, revealing a small clearing. In the center of the clearing burned a bonfire with eerie green-colored flames; the burning wood crackled, emitting a nauseatingly sweet and fishy stench. Three people sat around the fire.

Two of them were the Corpse Drivers who had just led the walking corpses into the valley. They were currently huddled around a clay pot, stirring something with wooden sticks and occasionally adding powders or liquids into it.

And sitting at the head, with his back to Li Muchen, was an exceptionally thin and hunched old man. The old man wore an oily, shiny black robe, and his sparse white hair was tied into a ridiculous little bun at the back of his head. Although he couldn't see the man's face, Li Muchen recognized him at a glance—this was the one Wu Yuanshan's files focused on—Corpse Old Nine!