The Mortician's Aberration (8000)

After the wailing sound came out, the temperature in the entire tomb seemed to drop suddenly, becoming icy cold.

Xu Bai put down the Black Saber Hundred Rends in his hand, but as he did so, he slightly lifted the Black Saber Hundred Rends upwards, causing the entire Bronze Coffin lid to fly off.

"The atmosphere-building team did a great job."

A dark shadow emerged from the coffin, transforming into a blur as it pounced on Xu Bai Xu Bai astonishing speed, arriving before him in the blink of an eye.

Xu Bai spun his Black Saber Hundred Rends, the fragments transforming into a long whip that lashed fiercely at the shadowy figure. The figure was sent flying backward, tumbling a considerable distance before finally coming to a stop.

At this moment, Xu Bai also got a clear look at the dark figure.

It was no longer a skeleton, but a mummified body covered with bones, looking like an absurd frame.

The clothes on his body were tattered and unrecognizable, but he had different pendants hanging around his neck and on his hands.

A necklace hung around the neck of the mummified corpse. The necklace was made of an unknown rope, and on the rope was a ring of animal teeth.

The presence of animal teeth on the wrists and ankles gives it a Barbaric Lands and untamed feel, which, combined with the horrific shape of the mummified corpse, creates an extremely absurd impression.

"These beast teeth..." Ye Zi seemed to have thought of something and said, "Young master, this should be a Barbarian Tribe."

The Barbarian Tribe were also a major concern for the Great Chu Kingdom.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Great Chu Kingdom, it was a time of internal and external troubles. At that time, the Great Yue Kingdom was eyeing it covetously, and there were also Barbarian Tribe people who wanted to devour the Great Chu Kingdom and establish themselves as kings.

If it weren't for the emperor's decisive action in uniting the people of the martial arts world, the situation of the Great Chu Kingdom would probably have been even more dire.

But even if these threats are kept at bay, they do not disperse for a long time. In the border areas, there are frequent frictions between the Great Chu Kingdom, the Great Yue Kingdom, and the Barbarian Tribe.

Hearing Ye Zi say this, Xu Bai had an idea. Could this be a Barbarian Tribe tomb? But why would Barbarian Tribe tomb end up in Wind Flower Prefecture of the Great Ancestor Kingdom? This was a big question, but Xu Bai couldn't think of any clues to solve it at the moment. More importantly, the mummified corpse that had just been repelled pounced on him again, like a machine that didn't feel pain.

"Very strong, Rank 3," Xu Bai said calmly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the scattered fragments seemed to sense his words. The next moment, these fragments began to spin rapidly, carrying boundless power and melodious music, enveloping the desiccated corpse in front of him.

The intertwined qi was like dark clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to destroy everything.

At the very center of the aura, driven by the fragments, each fragment pierced through the mummified corpse's body.

In less than a breath, the mummified corpse in front of him collapsed to the ground, motionless.

A very strong mummified corpse, dead.

Ye Zi covered her face, feeling utterly helpless.

The young master is good in every way and very gentle in his dealings with people, but his personality makes him prone to offending others.

At first, he kept saying how strong he was, but this so-called strong person didn't even manage to fight back once.

Ye Zi felt fine; the more powerful the young master became, the happier she was, and it was a kind of indescribable happiness.

But if a genius were here, they would probably want to devour Xu Bai right now.

Xu Bai wasn't exaggerating; he was indeed very strong. To encounter a third-rank expert in a place that wasn't even the main tomb chamber was a strange occurrence. It would be a lie to say he wasn't strong.

Any young person who comes to this place will have to fight three hundred rounds here.

Ultimately, however, this mummified corpse encountered Xu Bai, a man who used his third-rank strength to defeat a first-rank cultivator.

The surrounding fragments came together, turning into a black blade, which then gathered again on the hilt. Xu Bai sheathed the sword and walked to the coffin.

The fact that this guy is Barbarian Tribe makes exploring this tomb even more mysterious.

We've looked everywhere, but there's no passageway. The only thing we haven't looked at is this last coffin.

When Xu Bai was inside the coffin, he saw that there was still a board blocking the bottom of the coffin.

Xu Bai reached out and tapped on the board, which produced a hollow echo. Unlike the other coffins, this one was hollow underneath.

The fact that it's empty indicates that there's space below, meaning that this passage goes further down.

Xu Bai took out the Black Saber Hundred Rends and cleaved it into the stone slab below.

The next moment, the stone slab shattered, and a staircase appeared before him, leading straight to the dark underground.

Xu Bai squinted, looked Ye Zi up and down, and then beckoned to her.

Ye Zi stepped forward and glanced at the dark staircase.

"You stay behind me," Xu Bai said.

Ye Zi nodded and silently followed behind Xu Bai.

The Fourth-Rank Puppet was still at the very back, acting as the rearguard.

When Xu Bai took his first step onto the stairs, nothing unusual happened; it was just a simple staircase that looked no different from anything else.

The passageway where the staircase is located is very dark and the space inside is not large. If a normal person holds out their hands, they can touch the walls on both sides.

Xu Bai tried it out, and with his hands outstretched, he could just reach it. He was about to walk forward when he realized that what he was touching was not normal.

The walls on both sides were not smooth, but had bumps and depressions, and felt as if something was inlaid on them.

Ye Zi followed behind Xu Bai. Upon seeing Xu Bai's condition, she cleverly and sensibly raised her hands, with white threads intertwined between her ten fingers, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

As the light came on, Xu Bai was able to see his surroundings clearly.

The walls on both sides are carved with bas-reliefs that look exceptionally vivid.

Because it has always been underground, it has not been eroded by strong winds, and can be seen clearly.

People dressed in the Barbarian Tribe clothes, armed and mounted on warhorses, charged through a city.

The scenes on both sides are perfectly connected, showing one city after another being swept through by them, leaving behind devastation and mountains of corpses, all of whom were dressed in the clothes of ordinary people.

The people wailed and knelt on the ground, raising their hands as if praying for divine protection.

Blood, flames, smoke, and corpses—these elements constantly merge and form the composition of the scene.

A scene was carved on the mural, like Human Realm Purgatory.

"They really don't act like human beings!" Xu Bai frowned.

After entering the martial arts world, he killed many people, but he basically didn't kill these unarmed civilians.

War always results in death, but in Xu Bai's view, this endless killing has nothing to do with war.

The faces of the Barbarian Tribe depicted in the reliefs are also very vividly portrayed.

Each of them wore an excited expression, as if killing these civilians brought them thrills.

This is not for war, but for that perverse selfish desire.

Ye Zi also witnessed this scene, her mountain-like chest heaving slightly. She walked to Xu Bai's side and said, "Young Master, this is how the Barbarian Tribe are."

"In their eyes, people other than themselves are no different from food; they only know how to kill, and even admire this killing."

"This kind of carving on murals is also one of their ways of expressing what they call glory."

As she spoke, Ye Zi pointed to a mural depicting a Barbarian Tribe carrying a military flag.

There were a few words written on the military flag, but they were in the Barbarian Tribe script, Xu Bai did not recognize.

Ye Zi recognized it, after all, there was so much stuff from elementary school to university, and a lot of it was useful.

"This is the Red Wood Tribe. The one you just killed should be a commander of a thousand households."

The Red Wood Tribe is the one whose name I saw on that military flag mural.

As for the head of a thousand households, that was Ye Zi's guess.

Tribes represent the way of life of the Barbarian Tribe.

They had long lived in the Barbarian Tribe lands, and instead of establishing a new state, they lived in tribal communities.

A tribe can have anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand people, and some can even have tens of thousands.

"Chief of a Thousand Households" was an official title among these Barbarian Tribe.

A commander of a thousand households is in charge of several thousand people.

"The Red Wood Tribe?" Xu Bai stroked his chin and said, "It seems that this might be the tomb of the tribe's chief."

If, as Ye Zi described, a commander of a thousand households could only obstruct from the outside, then there must be an important Barbarian Tribe buried here, and the leader is a very good guess.

"Keep going." Xu Bai kept this clue to himself and continued walking further inside.

Along the way, the carvings on both sides of the walls never stopped, mostly depicting similar themes, but only similar, without repetition. This meant that this so-called Red Wood Tribe had committed endless slaughter.

They kill simply because they enjoy it.

Xu Bai said that just walking through this passage today had already made him feel gloomy.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, there were finally new changes ahead.

At the very end of this underground passage is a bronze door, tightly closed, engraved with intricate patterns.

Just looking at the pattern, a fierce and malevolent aura emanates from it. On the uneven parts of the pattern, there are some dried black bloodstains.

"I've heard that these Barbarian Tribe like to irrigate things with blood to demonstrate their so-called power. It seems that you guessed right, young master. This really might be Barbarian Tribe tomb." Ye Zi said after looking around for a while.

Xu Bai nodded. "There's probably something big waiting for me behind the Bronze Gate."

He drew his Black Saber Hundred Rends, and reached out to gently tap the Bronze Gate with the blade, producing a crisp clinking sound.

Apart from that, no other sounds were heard.

Xu Bai swung his sword, and the fragments struck the Bronze Gate. The next moment, the Bronze Gate shattered, turning into countless pieces of debris.

The moment the Bronze Gate was breached, Xu Bai's pupils suddenly contracted.

A sense of extreme danger washed over him, and he quickly took a step back, pulling Ye Zi along with him.

Behind the Bronze Gate was a vast space filled with countless coffins, arranged in a circular pattern around the center. In the very center stood a coffin twice the size of an ordinary one.

The huge coffin was also covered with intricate patterns, but apart from the patterns, a man dressed in plain clothes was kneeling with his back to him directly in front of the coffin.

The kneeling position faces the huge coffin, while the back faces the exit of the underground passage.

Next to the man was a black shovel.

"A shovel?" Xu Bai frowned. "Could this be a grave robber?"

The feeling of danger I had just felt hadn't disappeared; in fact, it was gradually spreading.

He couldn't figure out where the dangers were, but he had a feeling that if he stepped out, he would encounter something terrifying.

"Ye Zi, you stay here." Xu Bai beckoned to the Fourth-Rank Puppet behind him.

The Fourth-Rank Puppet took the package off its back and handed it to Xu Bai, who then passed it to Xu Bai Ye Zi.

Ye Zi was taken aback. After realizing what was happening, she hurriedly said, "Young Master, this place is very strange. Don't take any risks."

Xu Bai laughed and said, "Of course I won't take the risk."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Fourth-Rank Puppet that had already handed over the items moved, lifted its foot, and walked out of the passage.

Since we sense danger, let's send someone to check it out. The most suitable person here is Fourth-Rank Puppet.

Fourth-Rank Puppet has no life; he controls it. It's perfect for exploration.

As the Fourth-Rank Puppet stepped out under Xu Bai's control, Xu Bai saw danger approaching the next moment.

Before Xu Bai's eyes, a thin layer of mist suddenly appeared on the ground. The mist was white and looked no different from ordinary mist. However, as the mist swept in, the Fourth-Rank Puppet standing on the ground suddenly stopped.

Then, a series of hissing sounds came from where the Fourth-Rank Puppet was standing.

The feet of the Fourth-Rank Puppet turned black after touching the mist on the ground.

"It seems this is the trap, and it's highly poisonous." Xu Bai knew poisons and could tell at a glance that the mist was highly poisonous; the sense of danger he felt earlier came from this.

However, his level of poison skills was still too low; he couldn't identify the poison, nor did he have a solution.

Xu Bai frowned. It seemed that he was stuck because of the poisonous fog in front of him.

At this moment, the gravedigger who had been kneeling in front of the coffin finally made a move. He turned his head and looked at Xu Bai's position with a mocking smile on his face.

Strangely, the white mist didn't swirl around him; instead, it stopped around him and didn't erode him.

"Lord Xu, I didn't expect you to actually come looking for me. Would you like to come in and have a seat?" The gravedigger's voice was mocking, but his words sounded like a host greeting a guest.

Xu Bai stroked his chin and said, "You are the person behind it all. Compared to those who dealt with me before, you were the one who was exposed the fastest."

"There's nothing I can do. Who told me to have a traitor on my side? But it doesn't matter, as long as I achieve my goal," the gravedigger said slowly.

He wore the same unchanging smile on his face, still kneeling, but his head was turned sharply towards Xu Bai.

"Lord Xu has been a powerful figure for generations, stirring up storms and waves in the martial world of the Great Chu Kingdom. I wonder if he feels a sense of powerlessness now?" The gravedigger continued to mock, as if such mockery brought him endless pleasure.

"No," Xu Bai replied simply.

The gravedigger was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected Xu Bai to act so unpredictably.

"I see. Are you trying to cover up your incompetence? You're trying to hide your failure because you see yourself failing."

"Really, no." Xu Bai shrugged. "I didn't fail, so why would I hide it?"

The gravedigger was stunned. He pointed incredulously at the surrounding mist. "You still say you haven't failed? Can you come in and fight me? You can't. I know your knife is strange, able to shatter into pieces, but I can tell you, this mist can corrode anything. You can try."

While they were talking, the Fourth-Rank Puppet had already turned into fragments scattered all over the ground.

The mist rose and enveloped the surroundings, but could not be crossed into the passage where Xu Bai was.

In this era, every tomb must leave a way out for survivors.

Its purpose is simple: if any unworthy descendant gets into big trouble, this place may become the basis for their comeback. Now it seems that this passage is a way out.

From within the white mist came the voice of a gravedigger.

"This poison cannot be dispersed by the wind. Anyone below the first grade will die upon contact. You have absolutely no chance of penetrating it."

"Just wait ten days, until I merge with this corpse, and then your nightmare will begin."

"You just said you didn't have it, but I'm going to make sure you do!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Bai laughed and said, "It seems your ultimate goal is to merge with this corpse. Is this corpse really that important?"

The gravedigger did not answer and remained silent, clearly aware that too much talk could lead to mistakes.

An eerie silence fell over the scene.

Xu Bai found a place to sit down, looked at the distance not far ahead, and said, "Come out obediently now, and I'll give you a chance to live."

The gravedigger remained silent, clearly ignoring Xu Bai's words.

Ye Zi frowned slightly. The situation was very dangerous. The other party was like a turtle shell, refusing to come out at all.

But for some reason, their young master remained calm and composed, as if the other party's refusal to come out was giving them an opportunity.

Yes, that's the feeling.

She even saw the young master sit down, looking relaxed and focused, his eyes fixed on what was in front of him.

But Ye Zi didn't say anything or ask anything.

Following the young master, all I need to do is contribute my remaining energy; the rest is simply to unconditionally trust him.

Even if it means death, it doesn't matter.

When she learned of the young master's disappearance, she had already planned to end her life by sinking to the bottom of the river.

So... Ye Zi naturally walked over to Xu Bai's side, sat down, put her arms around Xu Bai's arm, and leaned on Xu Bai's shoulder.

"This is fine too," Ye Zi thought.

It's so noisy outside, it's nice that it's suddenly quiet now.

Xu Bai patted Ye Zi's head, then stared intently ahead.

In fact, if he were in such a situation, he would definitely turn around and leave, because there was really no way to get in.

If you can't get in, just wasting your time here is a waste of time.

But... things are different now.

Through the white mist, he could see the huge coffin, appearing and disappearing in the mist.

Along with the coffin appearing and disappearing, there was also a golden progress bar directly above it.

The gold progress bar is already there, so what's the point of proceeding?

Wouldn't it be better to grind here? And judging from the pace of this progress bar, it's definitely a great skill. Putting aside everything else, the slowness alone makes a difference.

I just heard the gravedigger say that it will take ten days. In those ten days, he can just finish the progress bar first.

This progress bar appears on the giant coffin; perhaps it can resolve the fog here.

By then... hehe.

Kid, let's see how arrogant you can be.

I'm going to kill you.

With this villainous thought in mind, the more Xu Bai looked at the progress bar, the more excited he felt.

But sometimes, the more you want to relax and grind the progress bar, the less reality will let you do so.

Xu Bai's dream is to have an endless progress bar every day, but it seems that something else has happened.

"Tap tap tap tap..."

Behind Xu Bai, a series of footsteps echoed from the underground passage.

"At this time, in this place, someone actually came in?" Xu Bai was slightly surprised. He stood up and turned to look behind him.

Then, Xu Bai's lips twitched slightly.

Behind him, a large group of people ran towards him, a dark mass of at least several hundred, forming a long line that completely filled the passage.

These people included men and women, young and old, but they all had one thing in common: transparent silk threads wrapped around their limbs.

"Lord Xu, I'm here to help you!"

The group of people shouted in unison, their voices deafening, causing the underground passage to tremble slightly.

Xu Bai: "..."

These people... seem to be that Soul Controller? Just as he was thinking this, a group of people stopped in front of him.

Standing at the very front was a woman controlled by silk threads.

The woman glanced at Xu Bai and said, "Lord Xu, I'm here to help you!"

Xu Bai was about to speak when Ye Zi tugged at his sleeve.

"Young master, be careful. I suspect he's not Soul Controller. Soul Controller would need immense strength to control so many people," Ye Zi whispered.

"Oh?" Xu Bai's gaze sharpened slightly as he sized up the group of people.

At this moment, the woman in the lead covered her mouth with her hand and, under the control of the silk threads, slowly spoke, "As expected of someone from the Ye Family, your knowledge is indeed very extensive."

Ye Zi raised her head, and a white light appeared in her hand. If the other party showed any abnormality, she would first play a Death-Calling Demonic Melody.

The woman at the head of the group turned around, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and solemnly bowed to Xu Bai, saying loudly, "Wen Si, the Wen Family from the Wen family, greets Lord Xu."

Xu Bai looked at the woman with great interest, while also glancing at Ye Zi.

Ye Zi was also slightly taken aback. After feeling Xu Bai's gaze, she said, "The mortician is an extremely ancient profession..."

Then, she explained the various aspects of the mortician to Xu Bai one by one.

As Xu Bai listened, his gaze swept over these people.

After hearing everything, he realized that these so-called people were not people at all, but corpses.

The mortician, like the Soul Controller, is a master of control, but is a more advanced Soul Controller.

Soul Controller seize the souls of others, while embalmers use the souls of others as a foundation to exert control.

Soul Controller can control the living, while morticians can control both the living and the dead.

Of course, everyone has their own expertise. Encoffiners are not as good at controlling the living as Soul Controller; they mainly control the dead.

When a person has just died, their soul has not completely dissipated. It is at this time that the mortician uses this as a basis to control it.

As for the various special techniques involved, that is the essence of the mortician's skill, which outsiders cannot know.

The Wen Family was one of the families of morticians, but this family has long been lost to the past.

Of course, the Wen family isn't the only Wen Family.

"Enough with the nonsense, what exactly is your purpose?" Xu Bai asked.

The controlled female corpse, whom we'll call Wen Si for now, answered without hesitation after hearing Xu Bai's question.

"Revitalize the Wen Family."

These four simple words carry a powerful and resounding quality.

Xu Bai narrowed his eyes and said, "Do you think I'm easy to fool? Why don't you tell me why the Wen Family was destroyed and only you are left?"

Wen Si said, "The Wen Family offended His Majesty by setting their sights on those who died for the Great Chu Kingdom, so His Majesty secretly sent people to wipe them out."

"But the Wen Family did serve the Great Chu Kingdom loyally back then, so His Majesty did not tear off the last fig leaf of the Wen Family and did not mention what the Wen Family did."

"It seems you and His Majesty the Emperor are now blood enemies," Xu Bai said.

Wen Si shook her head and said, "No, it was all the Wen Family's own fault. I am the only living member of the Wen Family and I want to rebuild the family. The most important thing for me to do is to regain His Majesty's trust. If I help Lord Xu, there will be no problem."

Xu Bai raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.

The matter has been explained clearly, but Xu Bai is not a three-year-old child and will not believe a single word the other party says.

None of that matters. What matters is that he wants to see how Wen Si will dispel the fog in front of him.

He could have simply sat there, continued working on the progress bar, and waited until the time was up and the progress bar was full before looking for a way to bypass it.

However, now that someone has been able to solve the problem, he is naturally happy to see it happen.

For no other reason than stability is the most important thing.

As for this Wen Si... we'll talk about it later.

Wen Si said, "Lord Xu, I know you can't believe me, but you'll see how I perform next."

Xu Bai waved his hand dismissively, as if to say, "Let's see what you can do."

He and Ye Zi made some space to each other.

Wen Si turned around and waved to the densely packed corpses behind her.

The next moment, one after another, the corpses plunged into the misty fog without hesitation.

Xu Bai was slightly surprised to see this, as he hadn't expected the other party to use this method to break the code.

"Most Barbarian Tribe practice combat techniques and specialties. While they can make things like feng shui or tombs, they lack the finesse," Wen Si explained slowly.

"For example, this poisonous fog has no origin or source. If it is all absorbed by people, there will be no risk. So I let these corpses absorb it without any loss."

As each corpse plunged into the mist, the white fog rapidly diminished, until the last corpse completely disappeared.

Wen Si turned his head, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Lord Xu, I have already resolved it."

Xu Bai glanced inside, and the sense of danger that had been lingering in his heart had vanished.

The gravedigger kneeling in front also noticed the change, turning his head in astonishment. When he saw Wen Si, he clenched his fist.

"The mortician!"

An extremely dangerous feeling lingered in the gravedigger's mind. The white mist disappeared, and he lost his support.

But he didn't leave; instead, he remained in that position, as if leaving would mean losing everything.

Xu Bai pointed at Wen Si and said, "You go in first."

Wen Si knew that Xu Bai was testing him, so he nodded and stepped inside.

There was nothing unusual or dangerous.

"Lord Xu, it's nothing," Wen Si said.

"Kill him," Xu Bai said, pointing at the gravedigger.

Wen Si was stunned.

She asked in surprise, "Lord Xu, aren't you coming in?"

"Why did I come in?" Xu Bai laughed. "Having you inside to do things for me is exactly what you want to do to earn merit, isn't it?"

Although the sense of danger was gone, it didn't mean there weren't new dangers, especially since he didn't trust this guy.

Wen Si stood still, her expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

Xu Bai joked, "You wouldn't be thinking of tricking me into going in, and then dealing with me, would you?"

"I've long heard that Lord Xu, and it seems that's indeed the case," Wen Si said.

Xu Bai continued, "I just don't believe that a family whose entire members were killed by the emperor would trust the emperor again. You can't be that stupid, can you?"

Wen Si fell silent.

Clearly, this statement struck a chord with her.

After a moment, she pointed to the coffin not far away and said, "Lord Xu is indeed far-sighted. How about this, we make a deal: I'll kill this person for you, and then I'll take the body inside, how about that?"

Xu Bai narrowed his eyes.

Take the body.

Considering Wen Si's current line of work, it seems he wants to manipulate this corpse. Regardless of the corpse's identity, the sheer scale of the scene is extraordinary.

"Lord Xu, you have no choice," Wen Si said slowly. "I could have just gone and taken the body directly. The reason I'm discussing this with you is because I don't want to antagonize you."

"The white mist around me was indeed absorbed by my corpses, and the corpses were completely turned to ashes, but that doesn't mean I can't get the white mist out after they've turned to ashes."

"Because, as long as a trace of the corpse's soul remains, it is entirely possible to reverse the situation. This is the essence of the art of mortician."

As she spoke, she snapped her fingers.

A cloud of white mist suddenly burst out not far away, but it quickly disappeared.

Xu Bai said "Oh", and then said, "Then just take it. Don't worry about my feelings. No problem, no problem, just take it."

The way he said that made it sound like he was very understanding and didn't care at all.

The gravedigger looked left and right, somewhat confused about the current situation, feeling that things were developing faster and faster.

Aren't these two supposed to be together? How come they're scheming against each other now? No, that's not the point at all.

The gravedigger lowered his head, secretly pondering a way to break the deadlock.

On the other side.

Despite saying that, Xu Bai didn't move an inch and remained guarding the exit of the passage.

This posture is just like a goalkeeper, guarding the goal with peace of mind.

Wen Si's expression turned strange.

Xu Bai changed the subject, his tone teasing, "What's wrong? I gave you a chance, but you're useless?"

"This tomb is so huge, could it be that my side... is the only exit?"