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Chapter 71: Bodies Drained Dry
Chapter 71: Bodies Drained Dry (To Be Continued)
Burp!
A sound emanated from within Xue Wuxin's body, as if he had just finished a hearty meal and let out a satisfied belch. The pallid complexion on his face now bore a hint of healthy color.
Delicate strands of blood, like spider webs, retracted back into his body from the numerous corpses scattered around. A sinister aura enveloped him, and the color that had briefly appeared on his face once again faded, leaving it devoid of any life.
"The people from the borderlands have such impure and mixed blood. It needs to be refined and purified. But after devouring the essence and blood of so many people, my injuries should be at least half-healed by now."
Xue Wuxin muttered to himself.
He lifted his head, gazing beyond the Endless Mountains, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
The borderlands would be the place of his rise to power.
"I need to find a place to refine this blood and heal my injuries. Only by regaining my strength can I perform the Grand Blood Sacrifice and purify the blood for my cultivation."
"Hahaha! Just you wait, the time for my revenge, Xue Wuxin's revenge, is near!"
Filled with euphoria, Xue Wuxin soared into the sky and vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Left behind on the hillside were over a hundred shriveled corpses, their faces frozen in expressions of sheer terror.
A feverish trend of seeking out masters swept through Qi, and many ventured into the Endless Mountains in search of these elusive figures. Among them was a group led by the son of the Minister of War, and they were not alone in their quest.
The Endless Mountains were fraught with dangers, and those who ventured in did so in large groups, accompanied by guards or recruited experts.
On this day, a team of seekers arrived at the foot of a slope.
"Let's take a rest up there. Who knows where this reclusive master is hiding."
"How did that brat Xu Yan get so lucky to find a master? It's infuriating!"
"Don't lose heart. Finding a master is no easy task. Xu Yan has been searching for years and has even been deceived before."
A group of young masters, protected by their guards, began ascending the slope.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a startled cry pierced the air.
"What's the matter? You scared the young master here!"
"What happened? Aren't you supposed to be a top-notch expert in the martial world? Such a coward! Ah..."
More cries of alarm followed.
Everyone's gaze fell upon the scene on the slope, and a chill ran through their bodies as their scalp tingled.
Over a hundred bodies lay sprawled on the hillside, exuding a faint eerie aura. Each corpse was shriveled, as if all their blood had been drained from their bodies.
On their shriveled faces, the terror of their final moments was still etched.
"Thi... this..."
Someone recognized the identities of the corpses.
"The eldest son of the Minister of War!"
"The second son of the Minister of Rites!"
"And..."
A sense of dread washed over the onlookers, and they instinctively scanned their surroundings, as if expecting some malevolent ghost to choose its next victim.
"How did they die?"
A brave expert stepped forward to examine the bodies, but the more he saw, the more alarmed and fearful he became.
"Their bodies are shriveled... turned into mummies..."
It was too bizarre!
How long had it been since the son of the Minister of War and his group entered the Endless Mountains?
Even if they had died, their bodies shouldn't have turned into mummies so quickly.
Moreover, the look of sheer terror on each person's face suggested that they had witnessed something horrifying in their final moments.
"This is One-Blade King, a renowned top expert from the capital. He's dead too!"
More people recognized the identities of the corpses, which included several well-known peak experts.
Over a hundred people, including many experts and equipped with strong crossbows, had all perished on this slope.
There were no signs of a struggle at the scene.
It was as if everyone had died simultaneously!
The bodies had directly turned into mummies!
Such a bizarre scene shocked everyone, and they lost the heart to continue their quest for a master.
"Let's go! Let's get out of here!"
"The Endless Mountains are too dangerous!"
Frightened, the group dared not linger and quickly descended the mountain.
"Take the body of the son of the Minister of War and a few others with us. We'll bring them back to the capital."
"Yes, we should bring the bodies back. Their deaths are too mysterious. We must investigate, and perhaps Xu Yan, being a martial artist, can discern something."
Someone suggested.
The others agreed, knowing that they would also be rewarded for bringing back the bodies.
As for the possibility of being suspected of foul play, they dismissed it. The strange nature of the deaths and their own capabilities made it impossible for them to be implicated in the deaths of the Minister of War's son and his team.
...
In the capital, Xu Yan had successfully broken through to the Great Perfection stage of the Qi and Blood Realm and gained insight into the innate realm martial technique. His mood was elated.
Emperor Qi sent his congratulations and wanted to host a banquet to celebrate Xu Yan's martial progress, but Xu Yan declined the offer.
After spending a few more days in the capital, Xu Yan set out to return to Donghe County.
Not long after Xu Yan's departure from the capital, news of the strange deaths of the Minister of War's son and his group in the Endless Mountains spread among the court officials.
The bodies were brought back.
Even Emperor Qi personally inspected them.
The shriveled corpses, with their faces frozen in fear, were extremely bizarre.
"Elder Guo, please ask your grandson to come back and take a look at this."
"Yes, Elder Guo, this matter is too strange!"
The court officials were in a panic.
Their own sons were also out seeking masters, many of them in the Endless Mountains.
The Ministers of War and Rites were devastated, having received a tremendous blow.
Elder Guo also realized that the situation was highly unusual, and he wondered if there was some kind of monster lurking in the Endless Mountains.
He immediately sent a message to Xu Yan, utilizing the recently established falcon courier system.
After his ascension as the King of Qi, the Grand Preceptor, and the Crown Prince's tutor, he had requested a few falcons from the Falconry Department to be trained for transmitting messages between Donghe County and the capital.
Mummified corpses?
Deaths under mysterious circumstances?
Xu Yan's curiosity was piqued.
"I once read about a legend in an ancient storybook, about a creature called the Corpse Fiend, which enjoys feasting on human blood. I wonder if they encountered this creature?"
Xu Yan's interest was sparked by this thought.
"It is said that the Corpse Fiend is ferocious and insatiable in its thirst for human blood, and possesses immense strength. Now that I have reached the Great Perfection stage of the Qi and Blood Realm, my abilities are far superior to what they once were. I'm eager to test my skills.
"If it truly is the Corpse Fiend, then it would be a worthwhile challenge."
Xu Yan's eyes lit up with excitement, and he immediately set off for the capital.
He had only come across the Corpse Fiend in an ancient tome, and it wasn't a creature that was commonly known among the populace. Perhaps only a handful of people were aware of this mythical beast.
The Capital.
Xu Yan, who had left not long ago, had returned.
"Where are the corpses? Take me to them."
His first stop was the location where the bodies were kept.
There, he beheld the mummified corpses.
Emperor Qi and his court had all gathered there.
Xu Yan examined the corpses, his brow furrowing. From what he could discern, it seemed that they had died from having their blood drained, and their bodies had turned into mummies.
A faint sinister aura still lingered within the corpses.
However, the deaths did not align with the description in the storybooks, as there were no bite marks on the bodies.
According to the stories, the bite marks would be found on the neck.
Moreover, those slain by the Corpse Fiend would not immediately turn into mummified corpses. Instead, their bodies would take on a dark bluish-black hue, indicative of the presence of corpse poison.
Yet, these corpses displayed none of those characteristics.
They had completely transformed into desiccated mummies.
It was as if they had been left out in the sun to dry, and despite the passage of time, they showed no signs of decay.
"Well, have you discovered anything?"
Emperor Qi inquired.
Xu Yan continued his inspection, shaking his head as he said, "At first, I thought it might be the work of the legendary Corpse Fiend, but upon closer examination, it doesn't seem to fit their modus operandi."
"What is this Corpse Fiend?"
Emperor Qi and his court exchanged glances, none of them having heard of such a creature.
"It's a monstrous creature with an insatiable thirst for human blood and known for its extreme brutality," Xu Yan explained briefly.
Emperor Qi and his court listened with their hairs standing on end. They couldn't believe that such a terrifying creature could exist.
"How did you come to know about the Corpse Fiend, Master Xu?"
One of the ministers, unable to contain his curiosity, asked.
Considering himself well-versed in a wide range of subjects, from astronomy to geography, history to artifacts, this minister was surprised that he had never come across any mention of the Corpse Fiend in his extensive readings. He couldn't help but wonder if Xu Yan had fabricated the story.
"I read about it in an ancient storybook. It's a very old and rare tome, I believe," Xu Yan replied.
He read about it in a storybook?
The minister was taken aback for a moment, his initial response caught in his throat.
Then he recalled the rumors about Xu Yan's obsession with storybook legends, his quest for master teachers, and his pursuit of true martial arts, which had earned him ridicule for being gullible.
But now, it was evident that Xu Yan had indeed achieved remarkable success in his martial arts journey.
With this realization, the minister found himself unable to finish his sentence.
Xu Yan continued his examination, stripping the corpses of their clothing to inspect them more thoroughly.
The Minister of War watched with tears in his eyes, his lips quivering as he prepared to speak. However, a cold glare from Emperor Qi silenced him, and he could only close his mouth.
They allowed Xu Yan to continue his investigation undisturbed.
"This is strange," Xu Yan mused. "If it wasn't the work of the Corpse Fiend, then what could it be?"
Xu Yan was perplexed. He racked his brain, trying to recall any similar descriptions from the storybooks he had read, but drew a blank.
Suddenly!
His eyes narrowed as he noticed a tiny puncture on the chest of one of the mummified corpses, right over the heart.
It was as if something had pierced the heart.
"This..."
Xu Yan's eyebrows furrowed, and he gently touched the wound. The puncture was minuscule, as if made by a tiny stinger.
"A mosquito?"
Their blood had been drained, turning them into mummies, and on their chests, there was a tiny wound.
Xu Yan's mind involuntarily conjured an image of a gigantic mosquito pouncing on the son of the Minister of War, piercing his heart with its proboscis, and sucking him dry.
"Could it be some kind of bloodsucking creature resembling a mosquito?"
Xu Yan couldn't help but think of the Fire-maned Wolf, a creature that had transcended the category of ordinary beasts. It was evident that the perpetrator behind the deaths of the Minister of War's son and his companions was something akin to the Fire-maned Wolf—an entity that defied the boundaries of typical wildlife.
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Yan spoke, "I don't know what the culprit is, but it could be some sort of demonic creature. I'll ask my master about it when I return. Perhaps he will have some insight."
His master was a reclusive expert, and Xu Yan was confident that he would be able to identify the creature responsible.
Could the endless mountains be home to such a creature?
Xu Yan's interest in the endless mountains and these unknown beasts was piqued, and he decided to consult his master about them. With his current strength, he wondered if he would be able to venture into the endless mountains and hunt these beasts.
"I'll ask my master about it."
Xu Yan departed with enthusiasm, eager to return to Donghe County and seek answers from his master regarding the identity of the creature that had drained the victims, its strength, and whether he would be able to confront it.
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(End of Chapter)
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