Xu Bai: Really? I Don't Believe It (8,000)

The bone knife cut into the fatty meat, and fresh blood gushed out.

The bright red blood spread in the water, and before it could spread completely, the spirit fish in the water seemed to smell the most delicious food in the world. They quickly shook their tails and rushed over like the wind, devouring the drop of blood.

The trevally had a bloody scar on its belly. It held its own flesh in its hand and used a bone knife to slice it thin as a cicada's wing. The slices of flesh fell into the puddles with the force of its movements.

"Whoosh!"

The water surface began to tremble violently, with droplets of water bobbing up and down as the spirit fish jostled and pushed each other, vying for the water.

The trevally walked from the furthest point to the closest one. The piece of meat in its hand no longer had the scar on its belly; it had scabbed over, and the blood was no longer flowing.

He shifted the fat on his stomach to cover the wound, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alas, there are no graves left, but I have to feed these spirit fish with my flesh. Am I going to become like that old Daoist priest, actually killing and eating people?"

As the chubby fish sighed, it turned its head, its eyes, hidden in its fat, fixed on Xu Bai's direction.

Through the dim darkness, Xu Bai knew that the other party had discovered him.

The scene before him was extremely bizarre. It was the first time he had ever seen someone raise fish with their own flesh. The eerie atmosphere surrounding it made anyone who saw it feel uneasy.

But now that we've been discovered, it's not a big deal. We can just go out and see what this guy is up to.

Xu Bai closed the window crack, then went to the door and opened it.

The scorpion didn't leave; it remained in place, its gaze fixed on Xu Bai, who had just come out.

"Brother, instead of sleeping this late at night, you're spying on me raising fish. Do you know that this is a very disrespectful thing to us fishermen?"

Fishermen?

Xu Bai rubbed his chin with his fingers. It sounded like a profession, but he was now realizing that the obese man in front of him didn't seem to have any hostility towards him.

Whether it was when I first discovered him or now when I talk to him, not a single word carries hostility; it's as if we're having a normal conversation.

"I heard some noise outside in the middle of the night, so I couldn't resist my curiosity and took a look." Xu Bai put down his hand and smiled, "Please forgive me if I have offended anyone, but judging from the way you are feeding the fish, if you continue like this, even if you were all fat, you wouldn't be enough to feed them."

The trevally fell silent.

A look of sorrow crossed his fat face, as if he were recalling painful memories and caught in a dilemma.

He raised his hand and pounded his head hard, the sound echoing in the night.

His hair, which he was shaking, looked disheveled and fluttered in the wind.

"I know that, but what can I do?"

"I could never learn to eat people like them. If I ate people, would I still be a human being?"

"I can only go to the graveyard to find those skeletons, absorb the energy from them, and then use my own flesh to feed the fish."

The tuna's legs went weak, and it collapsed to the ground, its eyes glazed over as it muttered to itself.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold on. Maybe when I can't feed them anymore, I'll turn into one of those man-eating monsters."

"This world is too hard, too hard. Some people are persevering, but it's still very difficult for them."

"I can't hold on much longer. I don't know how much longer it will be before I end up like them, sob sob sob..."

In the end, the giant scorpion, its fat body hunched over, lay on the ground and cried out in anguish.

The crying sounded like the cawing of a night crow, unpleasant and jarring.

The spirit fish in those puddles popped their heads out of the water, their bright eyes fixed on Xu Bai's direction.

The eerie fish eyes reflected a cold light under the moonlight.

Xu Bai circulated his True Yuan Power, and strange patterns covered his entire body.

Something's not right.

Just now, when those fish were staring at him, he felt a bone-chilling cold.

Looking back at the ground, the trevally was still crying, but its cries were growing fainter.

When the crying became so faint that it could not be heard, the trevally raised its head, and the tears streaming from its eyes were blood-red.

"Can you help me?" the tuna asked. "I don't want to go on like this anymore. I don't want to become a cannibal for resources."

Xu Bai frowned and remained silent.

Just as he expected, these people have changed for the sake of resources, becoming more fanatical and reckless.

Everyone here has a problem, including this trevally in front of you.

"What do you want me to help you with?" Xu Bai asked, narrowing his eyes.

The trevally used both hands and feet to get up from the ground, a hint of madness in its eyes.

"I don't want to kill anyone, and I don't want to harm you either. My spirit fish can replace resources. As long as it can continue to reproduce, we will not lack resources."

"Us?" Xu Bai said, "You mean you want to give me the spirit fish?"

The tuna nodded vigorously. "Of course, I will give you half of the spirit fish, so that even if we have fewer resources, we won't die because of them. But you have to give me something in return."

As he spoke, he slowly approached Xu Bai, his fat jiggling with each step, making him look like a massive mountain of flesh rolling around.

Xu Bai's eyes gradually calmed down as he asked, "What do you want?"

"Your bones!" The trevally licked its lips, its eyes gleaming with greed. "I've tried it, I've tried it many times. Look at these things."

He turned around quickly, ran to a house, and braced himself against it with his hands. The house collapsed instantly under his weight.

The tang kept rummaging through the ruins, and he found human skins one by one, which floated to the ground.

He explained it to Xu Bai in detail while demonstrating it to him.

"Look at these, they are just the skin of ordinary people. After their bones were removed, they had no way to recover with spirit fish."

"I was thinking that if someone in this line of work could be helped by a spirit fish, then I would have a perfect plan."

"You let me dismantle your bones, and after I eat them, I'll feed them to the spirit fish. When they're mature, we'll each have half, and your bones will grow back. That way, the cycle can continue."

The trevally's eyes grew increasingly crazed, its greed growing ever stronger.

Xu Bai stared at the hundreds of human skins, his tone turning icy. "Is this what you call not eating your own kind?"

I never imagined that such a sordid thing could be hidden in such a dilapidated house.

Compared to the old Daoist priest's straightforwardness, the fat, ball-shaped trevally in front of him seemed even more sinister.

Upon hearing Xu Bai's words, the scorpion shook its head in fear and began to explain to Xu Bai.

"I didn't eat their flesh, nor did I kill them; I just used them for an experiment."

"But ordinary people's bodies are too fragile. After they died, I just fed them to the spirit fish."

"I even kept their skins and worshipped them with incense day and night. If they knew they could die to solve the problem of resources, they would probably be very proud."

Xu Bai said, "Why don't you just solve it yourself? Didn't you say you wanted me to help you?"

"No, no, no," the scorpion said quickly. "I have a new method now. Let's cooperate. As long as we cooperate, we can both survive in this resource-depleted world."

He gave Xu Bai a fawning smile, as if he were begging Xu Bai to cooperate.

More and more spirit fish poked their heads out of the puddles, their eyes gleaming with an increasingly cold light, as if they would leap out of the puddles at any moment and tear Xu Bai to shreds.

Xu Bai raised his right hand, gold and gray-white colors intertwining behind him. "I think you might as well just die."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scorpion's face, which had been flattering, changed, becoming gloomy and eerie. His eyes were filled with endless madness.

The scallop walked quickly toward Xu Bai, talking as it went.

"I gave you a chance, I gave you a chance to share wealth and prosperity, but you didn't want it, so don't blame me."

"I will tie you up and take your bones every day, then feed you with spirit fish."

"Don't worry, once you taste the benefits, you'll thank me, because I've allowed you to survive in this resource-depleted world, and that's a tremendous advantage!"

As the trevally moved forward, the fish in the puddles finally stirred.

One by one, the spirit fish leaped out of the puddle, tracing graceful arcs in mid-air, but instead of falling back into the puddle, they remained frozen in mid-air like ancient photographs.

"My darlings, catch him, then you'll have food too," the trevally said, turning its head to the spirit fish.

He was only halfway through his sentence when a terrifying light suddenly erupted not far in front of him.

The blade's edge shone like the blazing sun, scorching across thousands of miles.

Gold and grayish-white hues flickered within the blade's edge, the chaotic aura amplifying its terrifying power.

Before the trevally could even react, it was engulfed by the blade's edge.

There were no screams, not even cries of pain; everything was as calm as still water.

Amidst the blade's edge, the chub turned into a patch of yellow earth, which eventually turned to ashes and disappeared into the sky.

Xu Bai did not stop. He turned his head and looked at the spirit fish frozen in mid-air, and slowly said, "So, you are the true Thought Gods."

In mid-air, the spirit fish's eyes gleamed with an eerie light. As Xu Bai turned around, these fish soared into the sky, merging together in the air.

Each fish collided with the others, turning into clumps of dark red flesh and blood. These clumps of flesh and blood did not fall off, but continued to merge together.

The fused flesh and blood formed a human body. From Xu Bai's perspective, this person looked exactly like the trevally from before, except that he had no skin and was all flesh and fascia.

The Spirit Fish Thought God's eyes were devoid of any emotion, only a chilling madness that seemed to devour all reason.

It raised its thick, fleshy, skinless hand and slapped Xu Bai hard.

Behind the Spirit Fish Thought God was an enormous mountain of human heads.

One head after another, connected by bones, each head bearing the same madness on its face.

They opened their mouths and let out a silent roar, pressing down on Xu Bai as the Spirit Fish Thought God unleashed its palm strike.

Flesh palm, human head mountain.

When the two are combined, even with Xu Bai's current strength, he feels a sense of pressure.

Without the slightest carelessness, he slowly raised his right hand and swept it across the sky.

The Blade Sword Three Absolutes – Slaying Man! A single strike unleashes astonishing destructive power, causing the heavens and earth to tremble.

The earth trembled, and the blade's light illuminated the entire night into day. Within the blade's light, the fleshy palm of the Spirit Fish Thought God was gradually turning to ashes, while the mountain of human heads that followed pressed down heavily.

Even when Slaying Man, only half of the head is destroyed, while the remaining half, accompanied by wails and eeriness, slams heavily onto Xu Bai.

Xu Bai felt immense pressure all over his body, and his bones ached.

This mountain of human heads was actually burrowing into his flesh and blood, its purpose being to penetrate his bones and devour them.

The patterns on the skin grew brighter and brighter, and the mountain of human heads emitted a terrible wail. The deeper it seeped in, the more it gradually turned into ashes.

"You want to eat me, but you don't have the teeth."

Xu Bai's face remained calm, but the True Yuan Power within his body was evaporating at an incredible speed, as if scorched by the blazing sun.

He raised his right hand again and chopped down at the mountain of human heads in front of him.

The dazzling blade light reappeared, and the sky was once again shrouded in white.

The remaining mountain of heads was gradually disappearing. After the last head disappeared, everything fell silent. In the darkness illuminated by the moonlight, Xu Bai stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.

He didn't let his guard down after solving a major problem, because he heard a jingling sound in his ear.

Turning around, my gaze followed the direction of the sound and I saw about ten people slowly walking towards the gate.

The leader, dressed in white, approached while shaking a bell in his hand.

They wore tall hats and their faces were painted with red paint and patterns.

"Strange things keep happening one after another. It seems they don't want me to rest," Xu Bai thought to himself.

He did not retract the Heavenly Change, nor did he use the patterns on his body or the Slaying Man again. His True Yuan Power was rapidly recovering.

He is now alone and facing the mysterious and unpredictable Thought Gods, so he must be on high alert.

The people ringing bells formed a long line and stopped only when they reached Xu Bai.

Only then did Xu Bai realize that the people in front of him were different.

To be precise, apart from the person leading the team at the beginning, the rest were all paper figures.

The paper figure had no facial features, was completely pale, and didn't even have clothes drawn on it; it was just a crudely made figure.

This feeling makes it seem as if it was rushed out of production.

The only slightly refined feature is that these paper figures have strange oil paint patterns painted on their faces.

As the person leading the way rang a bell, the group of paper figures walked in perfect unison, emanating a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

Paper figure?

Xu Bai immediately thought of the Paper Figure Maker trade, since Liu Xu and this trade had an inseparable relationship, so Xu Bai also knew something about this trade.

"Well..."

A soft sigh came from the man who had led the way. He put away the bell, slowly walked up to Xu Bai, and suddenly bent down.

"Thank you, brother, for freeing him completely."

Dressed in white with a tall hat, accompanied by bells on his hands and patterns on his face, this person bowed to Xu Bai, yet there was a strange sense of dread about him.

Xu Bai smiled and said, "Are you very familiar with the tuna?"

"Yes." The man in the white robe and top hat sighed. "To be precise, I am very familiar with everyone on this mountain."

"After they died, I was responsible for collecting their bodies. It's a pity that I didn't collect them this time."

"Collecting corpses?" Xu Bai said calmly, "Are you actively collecting their corpses, or are they being passively collected by you?"

"Of course they were passive." The man in white and a tall hat laughed. "I am Paper Figure Maker and also Corpse Collector. If you die on this mountain, remember to call out the words 'Corpse Collector ' before you die. After all, the dead are a valuable resource."

Xu Bai had expected a fight to follow, but after the man in the white robe and tall hat finished speaking, he turned and left.

There was no fighting, not even a conflict.

A man in white robes and a tall hat led the way, shaking a bell, while the paper figures followed with stiff steps, gradually disappearing into the distance...

Xu Bai's gaze fell on the last paper figure. He saw that there seemed to be a corpse swaying slightly in the translucent white paper.

Having learned quite a few novel things, how could he not guess what the man in the white coat and tall hat was thinking?

"Corpses are also a resource. After people die, they are put into paper figures and used as resources. This world is running out of resources, but they are all struggling. There is more than one way to go than cannibalism," Xu Bai thought to himself.

The first old Daoist priest they encountered practiced cannibalism, the second trevally practiced fish farming, and the third Corpse Collector deliberately targeted corpses.

When a world gradually reaches its end, humans, as the most intelligent of all beings, will inevitably have to find ways to survive in the cracks, which gives rise to countless ways of survival, though they are cruel and disgusting.

Xu Bai did not stop this person because he felt an immense pressure emanating from him. This person's strength was definitely not low; on the contrary, it was even stronger than the person he had just killed.

It wasn't that he was unsure; he just didn't want to waste time on the battle. His goal was the progress bar.

"Let's look around and see if there's anything good here."

Thinking of this, Xu Bai stopped pondering and turned to search through the various rooms. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xu Bai emerged from a dilapidated house, holding a book in his hand.

There were words printed on the book, but he couldn't understand them at all. After all, these were characters from the Ten Thousand Kingdoms War period, so it was normal that he couldn't understand them.

But that doesn't matter at all, because there's a progress bar on it, and that's enough.

If there's a progress bar, it means you can grind for it; anything with a progress bar is a good thing.

"Finally, I've made some progress." Xu Bai put the book in his pocket, glanced at the surrounding night scene, and looked up at the moon in the sky.

The moon remained in its original position, unchanged, just as he had imagined; time itself seemed to have stood still.

But they were able to move freely during this frozen time, a strange feeling that he couldn't quite understand.

"Let's explore this mountain first."

He has only reached the halfway point of the mountain so far, and there is still half of the journey to explore. His current thought is to explore this mountain first before going to other places.

With that thought in mind, Xu Bai didn't linger any longer and walked towards a certain spot.

Following this mountain road, we went straight up, and there was no danger along the way.

After walking for about half an hour, Xu Bai stopped and looked at the mountain path ahead, his brows furrowing tightly.

The mountain road not far ahead looks no different from any other mountain road, but if you look to both sides, you will find two rows of candles on both sides of the road.

The candles had been lit, bringing a sliver of warmth to the dark environment, but this warmth was shrouded in darkness.

The darkness, though warm, carried a hint of gloom.

"What kind of survival method is this?" Xu Bai became interested.

The first is cannibalism, the second is fish farming, the third is corpse collection, and now he really wants to know what the fourth one is.

With this interest in mind, Xu Bai unleashed his divine soul.

The spirit began to spread out continuously, moving upwards along the mountain path.

Under the influence of his divine sense, Xu Bai saw that the mountain road was covered with candles.

Moreover, this candle burns very slowly, and its body seems to be made of an unknown material, making it extremely durable.

The spirit followed the mountain path straight ahead, and finally, the number of candles in front of it gradually decreased, and at the end of the candles, there was a lonely grave.

It was indeed a solitary grave; there was nothing outside the grave, and no other graves nearby.

"Interesting. You have no house, so you give me a lonely grave. I'd like to see what's inside."

Xu Bai lifted his foot and slowly stepped onto the mountain path lined with candles on both sides. As he took his first step, the surrounding candlelight flickered, and several candles were almost blown out by the wind.

Fortunately, the candlelight was very persistent and slowly returned to normal. Xu Bai walked up step by step, and nothing happened along the way. He arrived at the lonely grave without any problems.

There was only one solitary grave, surrounded by desolate mountains and wilderness. In front of the grave stood a tombstone with no words on it, only dried black bloodstains.

"A wordless tombstone, a lonely grave in the wilderness, who is buried here?"

Xu Bai did not sense any danger approaching; in fact, he felt a sense of security here.

This inexplicable sense of security seems rather strange, as if you are in a dangerous world and something strange can bring you a sense of security, which makes the strangeness even more pronounced.

"Why don't we cut it open and take a look?" Xu Bai had a bold idea and really wanted to try it.

There were no words on the monument, nor was there a progress bar; otherwise, Xu Bai might have even dared to carry it away.

After this thought came to mind, Xu Bai became increasingly unable to control himself.

Since it was in Ruins anyway, he didn't care much and just got to work.

He raised his hand and flicked his fingers slightly.

The next moment, a flash of light appeared, and the lonely grave was instantly reduced to ashes.

After the solitary grave in front of us was blown open, a fine coffin was found underneath.

Even though it was covered in mud, you could still see through the cracks in the mud that the black coffin was made of a very high-quality material.

Even after the solitary grave in front of them was blown open, there was nothing unusual, not even a hint of cold. It felt as if it were truly a safe house.

"I'm sorry."

Regardless of the circumstances, it was still a grave-digging business, so Xu Bai said goodbye before taking action.

With a casual push, the lid of the coffin in front of him flew up and landed heavily on the ground.

At this moment, Xu Bai finally saw the situation inside the coffin.

Inside the coffin lay a skeleton dressed in a Daoist robe. The robe was undoubtedly made of excellent material, as there were no signs of decay. However, the body was reduced to skeletons, indicating that it had been buried there for a long time.

The two skeletal arms were tightly crossed and overlapped at the lower abdomen. A letter could be seen through the gaps between the hand bones.

Xu Bai stroked his chin, then finally reached out and picked up the letter.

He was very vigilant during the process, expecting something strange to happen, but everything went as usual and nothing occurred.

The letter's material was clearly of good quality; even after such a long time, it showed no signs of damage, only turning slightly yellow.

Xu Bai apologized again before opening the letter.

"I'm so stupid, I don't even recognize the characters from this period." Xu Bai opened the letter and then realized that the characters from this period were already very ancient.

He was about to put the letter back when, unexpectedly, when he saw the incomprehensible characters on it, he was suddenly struck by a sense of awe.

These words seemed to possess a spirit, resonating directly within his soul, allowing him to understand them.

To be precise, he still couldn't understand it, but the text seemed to be transmitted directly to his soul, conveying its original meaning.

"What a brilliant technique! This person must have been a master of spiritual arts when he was alive."

Xu Bai sighed inwardly, closed his eyes, and focused on the information in his mind.

Lines of text appeared, gradually becoming clearer, and eventually transforming into characters he could understand...

I am Shi Kingdom Princess, and I have studied the Three Lives Temple since childhood. If the latter sees this letter, it proves that we are destined to be together.

"Shi Kingdom Princess?" Xu Bai scratched his head.

He had never heard of this country before, but now he thought it must have been Ten Thousand Kingdoms War period, and by now, it had probably been swallowed up by the wheels of history.

It's rather sad that a princess of her generation is buried in this place, with only a solitary grave.

When an era comes to an end, regardless of one's status, all that remains is this lonely grave.

With these feelings in mind, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional, and he continued reading.

The world has undergone tremendous changes, resources have been depleted, Ten Thousand Kingdoms War. I never imagined that in my short life I would experience such a magnificent and turbulent period.

Many geniuses have emerged, and many have amazed the world, but none can rival the power of heaven and earth, from a golden age to its decline.

I have witnessed countless killings and countless Human Realm Purgatory, and suddenly I feel a profound sense of powerlessness.

I'm dying, but I don't want to do anything to hurt others. If a person harms their own kind just to survive, they are no different from a wild beast.

I will bury myself here, severing all life, and at the same time, lay down Candlelight Formation that will never be extinguished.

Before the Imperial Advisor went mad, he told me that anyone who could pass through the Candlelight Formation would be my destined one. I don't know what a destined one is, but I am already dead.

Perhaps, even those destined to find it will only receive a skeleton.

A candle array? A destined person? Xu Bai couldn't help but think of the two rows of candles he had encountered on the mountain path.

Was that an array? He felt there had been no obstacles along the way. Could it be that the effect had worn off because so much time had passed?

He didn't believe in any kind of destined connection. She had been dead for so long; even if the princess was destined, she was nothing more than a skeleton.

"Sigh, she was a princess of a country after all, what a pity," Xu Bai sighed again.

The letter wasn't finished; it was still going on.

I became a disciple of the Three Lives Temple and learned the Three Lives Dao Formation. I was fortunate enough to use this formation to see the future.

In the future, a young man will come to my grave. He will be wearing armor on the outside and a Daoist robe on the inside.

He is the destination of everything, and also the beginning of everything. At that time, I felt that perhaps he was the one who could solve the problem of resource depletion.

But I later learned that he wasn't, at least not from our era.

I'm about to die, but I desperately want him to come, at least to prove to the world that I was right.

That's where the letter ends.

Although there weren't many words on it, Xu Bai had already sketched out a picture in his mind.

The world has undergone a dramatic change, resources have been depleted, and everything has fallen into Human Realm Purgatory.

Shi Kingdom Princess committed suicide here, buried herself, and set up a candle array, leaving behind this letter.

These are not the most important things. What is important is the man mentioned in the book, who wore armor on the outside and a Daoist robe on the inside.

Xu Bai lowered his head, looking at his outfit, and his lips twitched slightly.

"Could it be that I am the destined one?"

It's very clear from here that it's him.

After all, only he was dressed like that, and the text mentioned the future, and also stated that he was not a figure from the era of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms War period.

There was no one else but him.

After Xu Bai for a moment, Xu Bai put the letter back into the coffin.

Then, Xu Bai spoke six words in a very calm tone.

"Really? I don't believe it."

As soon as those six words were spoken, the candles lit around them flickered suddenly, becoming extremely dim, but quickly returned to normal.

Xu Bai continued speaking...

"What nonsense about being destined for someone? When you invaded my soul and told me the contents of this letter, I realized you were alive."

"If I didn't have techniques related to the soul, I might have already fallen into your trap."

"Let me think carefully, when did it start? It should have started when I stepped onto this mountain path lined with candles."

"From that time on, you started to influence my soul. If I believe you, will you drag me to my coffin next?"

As he spoke each word, the candlelight flickered faster and faster.

As the last sentence was spoken, the surrounding candles suddenly went out.

Xu Bai turned his head and looked at the mountain path behind him. The mountain path, which used to have two rows of candles, was now completely dark.

A sudden gust of cold wind blew up behind him, and Xu Bai felt goosebumps rise on the back of his neck.