Eternal Life Starts as a Hunter-Chapter 389 - 145: Gaining Trust, Deepening Chaos, Moving to Cloud Mountain Path
The next day, morning light spilled over the cold cliffs and the open wilds.
The remaining disciples of the Divine Wood Hall regathered.
With hearts still trembling, they looked at the various corpses on the flat yellow earth, bodies skinned and dismembered, their stomachs churning, yet with undisguised fear, they quickly retreated.
Not until they met up with Jing Banfeng, Cui Wuji, and Li Yuan did these disciples finally let out a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Jing Banfeng’s face didn’t look good either. He glanced nervously into the distance but dared not extend his senses to investigate. After some thought, he glanced at the remaining disciples and said solemnly, "Let’s leave here first, then compile our experiences."
Though Cui Wuji’s face was pale as well, he said, "Wait a moment, Patriarch Jing. Perhaps we should investigate the cause of death of these people. Maybe we can gather more information, making this trip worth it."
Jing Banfeng was taken aback and retorted, "What if we summon another attack as before? Cui Wuji, you should know we have no understanding of what triggered that attack."
Cui Wuji said, "We survived one attack. Even facing a second, we would have experience. We can’t give up halfway. The corpses are still apparent. If we wait a few days, they’ll all rot."
Jing Banfeng looked around at the disciples and questioned, "Look, who here wants to do such a thing?!"
Cui Wuji said, "Many things that must be done are things no one wants to do."
Jing Banfeng suddenly turned to Li Yuan and asked, "Master Li, what do you think?"
Li Yuan said, "I’m indifferent."
Cui Wuji said, "Here’s a proposal, Patriarch Jing. If you don’t dare to investigate, then let’s switch tasks. You escort Master Li back, and I will stay to complete the analysis of Paradise Garden... I believe there’s valuable information to be gathered from this attack."
Jing Banfeng snorted coldly, "Elder Cui, you really aren’t afraid of death.
Fine, if you really want to investigate, then investigate. I’ll take Master Li back.
But the flower wall is broken now, and the Rebirth Flowers have withered.
Who knows if there are wanderers or Black Lotus Sect members lurking outside to attack?
If you really want to investigate, you’ll have to wait for Master Li to re-enclose the flower wall..."
Cui Wuji waved his hand to interrupt, "Speed is crucial in warfare. Even if they come to disrupt, it won’t be so soon. Patriarch Jing, you take Master Li back first. I’ll lead the investigation."
Jing Banfeng felt a bit helpless. Obviously, the style of the Gu System and the Jing System was completely different, yet it was hard to say which was better or worse.
Thus, he led Li Yuan away, while Cui Wuji resolutely commanded the remaining disciples to begin the "cleanup analysis."
...
Much later...
Two types of corpses were laid on the rocky ground.
One type was skinned and dismembered. This type was numerous, including death row prisoners, bandits, people captured from nearby counties, and many Divine Wood Hall disciples. Almost all the deceased met this fate.
The other type was a single person, a brawny man, covered in blood. His left chest was soft and sunken; his heart was gone, but his other organs remained intact.
Cui Wuji meticulously observed and analyzed.
"The first type likely perished while playing hide and seek. The cause might relate to the cries of that woman. Perhaps it was because we heard her cries that we encountered the attack. But as long as one hides well and isn’t caught by the ghost, one wouldn’t die."
"The second type... the death of this brawny man is likely related to the gold he picked up. But since he was the only one to die, does that mean he needed to touch and hold the Gold Yuanbao for some time to be attacked?
If that’s the case, I plan to deploy some puppets to pick up this Gold Yuanbao, transport it to a nearby town, and then test it on death row prisoners."
"But what’s baffling is that the woman who made the cries is missing, not even a corpse, which is very peculiar and might hint at another unknown pattern."
"Additionally, the previous spider didn’t eat regular people, yet after contacting the Sixth Grade Powerhouse, it didn’t act immediately. Instead, it seemed to be luring the Gu Family elders..."
Cui Wuji’s analysis unraveled layer after layer.
The more analysis there was, the more it gave one a creepiness to the core.
Just getting a bit closer almost led to annihilation, with complex and intertwined causes... And this seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Li Yuan watched Cui Wuji’s clear analysis, secretly contemplating that none of these elders were simple...
...
After all, this was the main stage of the Divine Wood Hall.
Everything proceeded methodically and was pushed forward.
Several days later...
A Sixth Grade Puppet mechanically arrived, picked up the Gold Yuanbao off the ground, and placed it into the "Storage Box" within its chest.
Li Yuan had withdrawn early to the Inner City of the Divine Wood Hall.
His wives had heard of the dangers of this investigation and were already gathered at the house.
As soon as Li Yuan returned home, they flocked around him.
Even Cui Huayin, who was usually cold and proud, was full of tenderness.
Jing Shuixiang clutched his hand with fearful anxiety, murmuring pitifully, "Husband, I don’t want to lose you, I don’t want to lose you... Please don’t let anything happen to you, don’t do such dangerous things... I beg you... I’m sorry, I’m sorry."
Cui Huayin glanced at Jing Shuixiang’s state, couldn’t help but roll her eyes, and then said, "Since our husband is fine, I’ll go cultivate."
Li Yuan nodded.
Lady Yin, unlike the common people Yan Yu and Xue Ning, was a genius with her own pursuits. Rather than husband and wife, her relationship with him was more akin to "Dao companions."
