385: Chapter 385 Jin Wushang!

In the mist, one could vaguely see enormous black coffins arranged sporadically, some standing upright, others lying horizontally. The coffin surfaces were carved with twisted runes, emanating an icy, decaying aura.

The ground was littered with the corpses of numerous Yao Beasts—there were Iron-Backed Yao Wolves with charred fur, Earth Dragon Lizards with shattered scales, and several massive Unicorn Rhinos. They had all been dead for a long time; their flesh was rotting, emitting a pungent, foul stench.

Dark red blood had soaked into the soil, mixing with the black mist to form a sticky, nauseating swamp.

This basin was precisely a carefully arranged site for raising corpse puppets.

In the center of the basin, the largest black coffin lay horizontally atop a high platform.

The coffin lid was as smooth as a mirror, and on its surface, one could faintly see the phantoms of countless resentful spirits struggling and wandering.

A middle-aged man in black robes sat cross-legged on the coffin lid.

His complexion was stiff, like a corpse that had been dead for a long time, but his eyes were scarlet. They were currently slightly narrowed, and he held a jade slip in his hand, seemingly lost in thought.

This person was none other than the Jin Family's only remaining False Core Old Ancestor—Jin Wushang.

Below the high platform, a young Cultivator stood with a bowed posture, his face extremely ugly, his fists clenched tight, and his knuckles white from the exertion.

"Old Ancestor," the young man gritted his teeth and looked up, his eyes filled with anger and resentment, "Brother Wuji... he died! Right there at the Ye Family of Longmai Mountain, killed by that Ye Changge!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Wushang's scarlet eyes turned slightly and landed on the young man.

After a moment of silence, his voice slowly rang out, low and hoarse, carrying a trace of imperceptible exhaustion:

"Wuji... how did he die?"

The young man said hatefully: "Brother Wuji followed the Old Ancestor's orders to go to Longmai Mountain to scout the Ye Family's true strength. They must have set a trap and slaughtered Brother Wuji on the spot! They didn't even leave a whole corpse!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, his voice trembling: "Old Ancestor! Brother Wuji was a direct Bloodline member whom you raised yourself! Now that he's been blasted into ashes by a junior from a Foundation Establishment Family, are we just going to let it go like that?"

Jin Wushang was silent for a long time.

He sat on the black coffin, his body motionless like a stone statue. After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice carrying a sigh of helplessness:

"I already told them not to be too ostentatious. This infiltration into Zhao State territory was meant primarily for plundering, to avoid drawing attention as much as possible. Wuji... he was too impatient."

The young man opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but dared not make a sound.

Jin Wushang continued, his tone gradually becoming deeper: "Right now, the Lingxiao Sect is searching with all its might for those of us who remain.

The Zhao Family of Huazhu Ridge was wiped out overnight, and those Loose Cultivators who had connections to us are either dead or have fled. It is already a tremendous stroke of luck that our Jin Family was able to hide in this Wanshou Mountain Range."

He paused, his scarlet eyes looking toward the exit of the valley where black mist permeated:

"If we seek revenge for Wuji now and rashly go out to stir up trouble, it will only invite more pursuit. By then, the last bit of the Jin Family's Bloodline will truly be impossible to preserve."

Upon hearing this, an expression of unwillingness appeared on the young man's face; he clenched his fists tighter, his knuckles cracking.

He gritted his teeth, and finally lowered his head, his voice muffled: "...Yes, Old Ancestor."

Jin Wushang waved his hand: "Go. Pass on my order: for the coming days, everyone is to keep a low profile and not leave the Wanshou Mountain Range again."

The young man bowed in acknowledgment and turned to leave.

After walking a few steps, he looked back at the withered figure sitting on the high platform. A trace of complexity flashed in his eyes—there was dissatisfaction, confusion, and, more than anything, a sense of stifled frustration with nowhere to vent.

His own Family had been wiped out, the Lingxiao Sect was searching everywhere, and they could only live like rats in a dark mountain ditch, hiding in the Wanshou Mountain Range, struggling to survive.

Now that a member of his own Family had been killed by a mere Foundation Establishment Family, and the Old Ancestor had shown no reaction at all, how could he not feel depressed?

But ultimately, he dared not disobey the Old Ancestor's order, and could only grit his teeth and walk quickly out of the basin.

When that figure disappeared into the black mist, Jin Wushang slowly withdrew his gaze, looked down, and stared at the old jade slip in his hand, his eyes filled with heavy exhaustion and struggle.

"Now that Wuji has also died... the Jin Family's Bloodline is left with only these old, weak, and crippled soldiers hiding in the mountain ravines."

He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, "However, while this Wanshou Mountain Range can serve as a temporary hiding place, it is not a long-term solution."

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the scattered corpses of Yao Beasts, the black coffins, and the pervasive black mist—

"Although there are many Spirit Beasts here, most of them have been used by us to refine corpse puppets and as raw materials for this corpse-raising site.

If this continues, we will sooner or later exhaust our resources. When the Yao Beasts are all killed, what will we use to maintain our cultivation? What will we use to support these Bloodlines?"

Jin Wushang sighed deeply and closed his eyes, his scarlet pupils hidden beneath his eyelids.

"Old Ancestor," he whispered to himself, his tone carrying an absurd sense of self-mockery, "If you told me to go to the battlefield and kill enemies, I would never hesitate. But asking me to manage the Family... this is truly too difficult for me."

He was silent for a long time, then finally opened his eyes again and looked once more at the jade slip in his hand.

The jade slip was ancient and worn, with a few blurry characters carved on its surface, seemingly the name of some Cultivation Technique.

He stared at those characters for a long time, and a trace of unprecedented determination gradually emerged in his scarlet eyes.

"Fine." He clenched the jade slip tightly, stood up, and jumped down from the black coffin.

"Since I cannot protect this Family inheritance, then I will go and fight for it."

He looked up toward the direction outside the valley, his gaze piercing through layers of black mist, as if landing on some distant spiritual mountain far away.

"No matter what... I cannot let the last of the Jin Family's Bloodline be cut off in my hands."

His voice was low and hoarse, carrying the determination of a desperate warlord at the end of his road.

The black mist rolled and surged in the valley, swallowing the black coffins into the shadows, leaving only that solitary, determined figure standing there for a long time.

Meanwhile, deep inside Changge Hall.

Warm fragrance permeated the air, and candle flames flickered, casting a soft, ambiguous, dim yellow halo over everything in the room.

On the white jade bed, the brocade quilt was in disarray, and two figures were intertwined in an embrace, their not-yet-fully-calmed breaths weaving together in the quiet.

Ye Changge lay on his side, one arm still resting on Xiao Caiyue's soft, smooth waist.

That waist had a seductive blush showing through the white skin, and fine beads of sweat covered every inch of her skin. Under the illumination of the warm yellow candlelight, it shimmered with a lustrous and ambiguous sheen, like a newly blossomed peach, emanating an intoxicating, warm fragrance.

His fingertips slowly traced over that smooth and delicate skin, feeling the slight trembling beneath his hand, and he spoke gently: "Caiyue, you have worked hard these past few days."

Xiao Caiyue was held in his embrace, her hair disheveled, her black tresses dampened by fragrant sweat, sticking messily to her elegant, charmingly flushed cheeks.