Corpse Control Method and a Curious Coincidence

Solutions are always devised by people.

The initial method, while acceptable, had some inherent risks. The biggest risk was that it was easily discovered, since it required controlling a large number of people to dig there.

But things are different now. Looking at the man in front of him, whose soul was now just a remnant, Xu Bai's lips curled up slightly.

"Come over."

If he were in his best condition, Xu Bai wouldn't be able to control him, but now that Overturning Earth has almost destroyed his soul, leaving only some remnants, Xu Bai could easily control him.

"Tell me all the relevant information," Xu Bai commanded the man, who was now only a remnant of his soul.

The man, whose soul was now only a remnant, recounted everything he knew. Half an incense stick later, Xu Bai understood what had happened and grasped the whole story.

This place is heavily guarded, but when it comes to top-tier combat power, there are only four, all of whom are extraordinary seventh-rank beings.

And the man he's currently controlling is one of them.

These four people each have their own special skills. One of them is extremely good at attacking, another is extremely good at defending, and the third is Qi Fortune Master.

As for the one in front of me, he is skilled in controlling the soul.

They each had their own roles: the attackers and defenders were like thugs, the Qi Fortune Master were there because this place was related to fortune, and the one in front of them, who was skilled in spirit, was responsible for checking if anyone had sneaked in.

"Now I've taken down the most important part, and it's the best part for me."

He is now secretly digging down here, and by doing so, he will capture this person who is skilled in spiritual arts. For him, this will increase his safety several times over.

It wasn't really a coincidence. When he slipped up, this person must have noticed first. And this person wanted to take all the credit, so thinking he could get it for sure, he came over alone.

Unexpectedly, Xu Bai's move "Overturning Earth" was able to completely counter him. Moreover, he was only good at the soul. Although he had reached the extraordinary level, he was helpless against "Overturning Earth," which specifically attacked the soul.

"In that case, the plan is complete, and we can begin."

Xu Bai's body underwent a transformation, and his facial features also began to change, quickly transforming into the appearance of this man.

He felt that he had lost all his other abilities, and all that remained was the method of controlling and using his soul.

Thousand Wonders Myriad Faces Art, simulated.

"From now on, you will stay here," Xu Bai said.

The man whose soul remained was named Sun Yun. Upon hearing Xu Bai's instructions, Sun Yun nodded.

With this identity, Xu Bai is even more certain of success.

He left, but his control over these people did not decrease. On the contrary, because he had taken on Sun Yun's appearance, he became even more adept at matters of the soul.

"Next, it's time to implement the plan," Xu Bai thought to himself.

Zhao Kai is one of the Dark Building's spies here. There are many others with the same identity as him, who are specifically responsible for monitoring and controlling the surrounding area.

Today was shift change time, and a colleague came to hand over the duties to him, saying that there were new pigs in the pigpen.

The pigsty was the place specifically for keeping women from the Great Chu Kingdom; that's what they called it.

Zhao Kai rubbed his hands together, said goodbye to his colleagues, and hurriedly headed towards that place.

"The landlord is still good to us. Knowing that we are having a hard time here, he brings some women over every day."

Thinking about what was about to happen, Zhao Kai became even more excited and quickly walked in that direction.

Once inside the mountains, the road was clear and unobstructed. He knew his way around and walked into one of the side paths, entering a small, cleared space.

Hearing the familiar screams of a woman, he approached the steward.

The manager pointed to a room, indicating that no one was there.

For some reason, Zhao Kai felt that the person in charge seemed to be less talkative today. Usually, he would at least say a few words to him, but today he didn't say anything.

However, he didn't suspect anything, after all, it's understandable to be in a bad mood sometimes in this place.

No one wanted to stay here for long, but they had no choice; they were under orders and had to obey.

Without further ado, Zhao Kai walked toward the empty room.

As he approached the door and pushed it open, he was instantly filled with dread.

The room was empty, and the woman's screams echoed in his ears, but in Zhao Kai's eyes, the woman screamed blankly, and there was no one else.

Especially in the very center, there is a large pit.

And every now and then, dirt would be thrown up from the bottom of the pit.

This situation proves that someone is digging down, and a lot of it, because the soil being thrown up is very frequently.

"What's going on?"

"How could there be a pit in the room?"

Who dug this?

Zhao Kai became alert instantly, but by then, his alertness was of no use whatsoever.

He felt a slight tremor in his soul, then lost consciousness and found himself in front of the pit.

Before long, a person climbed out of the pit, with the same expression as him, and silently walked away, while Zhao Kai jumped into the pit and began to dig.

This happens every moment, and with each handover, Xu Bai controls more and more people.

The pit was still being dug, but Xu Bai was very relaxed, staying in a corner of the room.

If there were tea available, he could have even drunk some while waiting.

Originally, he wanted to impersonate Sun Yun, but after thinking about it, he realized that doing so would only allow him to use the techniques of the soul, which would actually increase the danger for him.

He has lost all his other abilities, and at most he can only imitate up to the ninth level of the Transcendent Realm, which actually reduces his strength and is not worth it at all for him.

So after much deliberation, Xu Bai decided to let Sun Yun act in his own way every day, while he waited there.

The pit was getting deeper and deeper, and using this method, Xu Bai's plan had been going very smoothly.

Arriving at the edge of the pit, watching the mud being kicked up and the pit slowly sinking, Xu Bai became increasingly happy.

"I wonder how things are going with Ying Yue. She left in such a hurry. I wonder if there's anything wrong with her."

Since Ying Yue left, she has not appeared again.

Xu Bai didn't go looking for her, after all, Ying Yue had said she had to do her own thing, and he also had things to do.

As time went by, things went smoothly, but the pit became deeper and deeper.

Xu Bai waited patiently.

Because this alternating method of digging is the only option, although it is fast, it requires digging quite deep, and overall, it takes a long time.

According to Xu Bai's estimation, when he blasted the pit in the Ruins, he blasted it particularly deep because he was working at full strength at that time, so just digging like that would take a lot of time.

It's impossible to find them directly now, since there are three other extraordinary experts besides Sun Yun, so Xu Bai can only use this method.

Nearly five days have passed, and the pit has not been completely dug open, but Xu Bai has made a new discovery.

He completely filled the human skin with his liver.

Looking at the words formed by the pale blue smoke in front of him, Xu Bai didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The plan wasn't even finished yet, and the progress bar was already faster than his, which was something he hadn't expected.

The words that only Xu Bai could see appeared before his eyes.

[You observe human skin and comprehend the Corpse Control Method.]

[You observe human skin and comprehend the Corpse Formula.]

"As expected, there are two types. I wasn't wrong," Xu Bai thought to himself.

When Gao Guan gave him this human skin, he said it was the legacy of the Corpse Collector, so Xu Bai had a guess.

Since it's a legacy, it must include both mental techniques and skills. Now it seems he wasn't wrong.

The pale blue smoke appeared and then disappeared quickly, but it did not transform into information because it was about to merge.

Sure enough, soon the pale blue smoke reappeared in front of him, forming a new line of text that appeared before Xu Bai's eyes.

[Mergeable options found, currently in progress.]

[Corpse Formula + Myriad Aspects Heavenly Attraction Mountain Sea Art = Myriad Aspects Heavenly Attraction Mountain Sea Art.]

[Merger successful.]

Only the mental cultivation method was integrated; the other skill was not.

The latest attribute panel appeared before Xu Bai's eyes.

[Name: Xu Bai]

[Realm Level: Eighth Rank Loose Cultivator.]

[The Blade Sword Three Absolutes (Transcendent Tier 9): Max Level.]

[Myriad Aspects Heavenly Attraction Mountain Sea Art (Transcendent Rank 8.5): Max Level.]

[Returning Wind Flowing Snow (Tier 5): Max Level.]

[Nine Revolutions of Action and Ruin (Rank 9): Max Level.]

[Moving Stars and Changing Constellations (Tier 9): Max Level.]

[Undying Demon Soul Buddha Body (Transcendent Tier 1): Max Level.]

[Strengthening Kidney Gathering Art (Transcendent Stage 1): Max Level.]

[Poison Compendium (Tier 9): Max Level.]

[Mechanism Puppet True Explanation (Tier 9): Max Level.]

[Water Adaptation Method (Tier 5): Max Level]

[Feng Shui Arithmetic (Level 9): Max Level.]

[Thousand Wonders Myriad Faces Art (Transcendent Rank 9): Max Level.]

[Yin Yang Coexistence (Transcendent Stage 1): Max Level.]

[Mountain Sea Deity Summoning Method (Transcendent Rank 9): Max Level.]

[Corpse Control Method (Transcendent Rank 8): Max Level.]

[Comprehension: Max level.]

"As expected, the higher you go, the harder it is to improve, and this human skin is probably only at the Transcendent Realm."

There's not much to say about the mental cultivation method; it didn't improve much. However, this skill is somewhat interesting to Xu Bai.

The Corpse Collector are a lineage that collects corpses for people. However, the prerequisite for collecting corpses is that they must control the corpses. Back then, Gao Guan controlled those corpses and hid them in paper figures.

Now Xu Bai has also learned this skill, but for him, this skill doesn't actually have much offensive or defensive power.

Of course, they are not without combat power. On the contrary, the stronger the corpses they control, the stronger they become, because the corpses they control can retain their original abilities.

The only advantage is that it can play a supporting role, for example, right now.

The Corpse Control Method, by simply following a specific procedure, can make these corpses act according to one's will.

Most importantly, even if Xu Bai is far away, the connection will not be severed.

Originally, Xu Bai's method of controlling his soul would fail if he was too far away, and that would expose his trick. But now, he has an extra good thing.

He had already figured out how to avoid being exposed.

Once he had completely hollowed out the place, he killed all these guys and then used Corpse Control Method to control them, making them continue to do things the way they did in life.

Most importantly, a corpse controlled by the Corpse Control Method will not smell bad or develop lividity, just like a living person.

Thinking of this, Xu Bai had accomplished something. Of course, he would hand over the knowledge of the Corpse Collector to the emperor of the Great Chu Kingdom, asking him to help him find a successor, thus fulfilling Gao Guan's entrustment.

"Now we just have to wait for this pit to be dug." Xu Bai stood in the corner, watching the dust that kept rising.

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, another four or five days had gone by.

The pit grew deeper and deeper, and more and more soil was kicked up. Because there was so much soil, some of it was moved to other rooms.

Xu Bai heard a sound as the last cloud of dust rose.

He arrived at the edge of the pit and saw a glimmer of light at the bottom, which filled him with joy.

"Indeed, my method was correct."

After ordering the people at the bottom of the pit to climb out, Xu Bai pondered for a moment, then his mind stirred.

Everyone in the pit climbed out, each one lifeless, dying silently. It was Xu Bai who did it.

"Those who deserve to die must die, especially you guys," Xu Bai said calmly. "Don't blame me for being ruthless; it's just because of what you did before."

Xu Bai still remembers the wounds on those women's bodies, their screams, and their despair.

Even after these spies died, they did not lose their usefulness.

Xu Bai's True Yuan Power surged, and he raised his right index finger, continuously drawing in the air.

Soon, one talisman after another appeared in mid-air and entered the corpses.

Before long, the corpses got up on their own, just as they had been in life.

"Go ahead, hand over the shift as usual," Xu Bai said.

The body walked outside.

Xu Bai waited patiently. Soon, a group of people came over, were killed by Xu Bai, and then controlled by his control techniques before going out to continue the shift handover.

Since Xu Bai had eliminated the only extraordinary expert here who excelled in spiritual cultivation, no one noticed him as he carried out his actions.

This is also to eliminate the living forces here. If Xu Bai encounters an accident when he leaves and these people die, it will reduce the chances of him being caught off guard.

"That's about it, I've reached my limit." Xu Bai took a deep breath.

Even the eighth-level Corpse Control Method has its limits; it reaches its peak when he controls the hundredth corpse.

After all, the spies here are all professionals in the field, and many of them are experts, so controlling this ability takes a lot of effort.

With the Corpse Control Method, even if Xu Bai leaves now, these corpses can still move in the way they did when they were alive.

When he reached his limit, he stopped moving and, looking at the large pit below, jumped in without hesitation.

Intricate patterns appeared around his body; this was the Undying Demon Soul Buddha Body, which he had unleashed.

Although he was excited to see the progress bar soon, he had to proceed with caution, since no one knew just how dangerous the place was.

With the Undying Demon Soul Buddha Body body protecting him, Xu Bai felt much more at ease.

The wind howled in his ears as Xu Bai's figure continued to descend.

When he reached his limit, he suddenly felt a light appear before his eyes, and then he felt solid ground beneath his feet.

How did you get in?

Before Xu Bai could react, he heard a familiar voice.

Following the sound, Xu Bai saw a person.

—Shadow Ying Yue.

At this moment, Ying Yue held a gleaming sword in her hand, which was stuck in the ground. She gripped the hilt with both hands and did not let go, but Ying Yue looked at Xu Bai with surprise in her eyes.

Xu Bai: "?"

Wasn't I falling down? How did I end up here?

Something's not right! Xu Bai looked around and discovered that this was actually a huge space, and most importantly, there was a hazy white light above it.

The hazy white light not only enveloped the area above, but also the ground and walls.

Apart from that, the place was completely empty; in Xu Bai's words, there wasn't even a single hair in sight.

Where are my secrets? Where are all my secrets?

Xu Bai had countless questions in his mind. He looked at Ying Yue and slowly asked, "What exactly is going on?"

Ying Yue was initially surprised, then turned to dejection. "It's over, it's over, you can't get out either."

Xu Bai was taken aback.

What does it mean that we can't get out? He looked at the white light that enveloped the ceiling and slowly flew up.

But when he touched the white light, he found that he couldn't get out. The big hole above was still there, but there was no way to get out.

The white light, as if it were a real object, blocked the way in the middle.

"I can get in, but I can't get out?" Xu Bai frowned and said, "How is that possible?"

"It's not that you were able to come in, but... the moment you entered, I began to draw upon your destiny." Ying Yue took a deep breath, but the dejection in her eyes did not disappear, and slowly explained what had happened.

The matter was complex and took nearly half an hour to explain. After Xu Bai understood the cause and effect of the matter, he had an answer in his heart.

It must have been Chief Mu used some method on him to make everything so coincidental.

The Twin Swords are divided into two. One is kept in the Three Lives Mountain to suppress the fortune, while the other is on Ying Yue's body.

The reason why Ying Yue is able to hide the other half of the Twin Swords is because the swords themselves do not contain any luck.

After arriving here, Ying Yue secretly went to the place where the other Twin Swords were hidden, and used the Twin Swords to activate the luck within, transferring all the luck over.

Next, we arrived here, which is the closest place to where Chief Mu originally arranged the destiny.

Ying Yue planted the sword in the ground and held it with both hands, thus drawing upon the flow of fortune.

However, since the destiny has been buried for decades, communicating with it is a particularly complicated process that takes at least six months.

Therefore, Chief Mu gave Ying Yue a supreme treasure, which was a one-time use item that Chief Mu brought out from the Ruins.

Once the ultimate treasure is used, the surrounding area can be hidden, and the space can be moved hundreds of miles away.

And most importantly, it's incredibly sturdy.

Hiding, plus moving sideways, is enough to keep you undetected.

Add to that an incredibly sturdy structure, and it becomes the most stable of all.

It will only take half a year to completely destroy the fortune.

As luck would have it, just as Ying Yue was activated, Xu Bai walked in.

Xu Bai: "..."

After hearing all this, Xu Bai felt that he really needed to have a good talk with Chief Mu when he got back.

Since he came to this Great Yue Kingdom, everything has been too coincidental. The most crucial thing is that today, he dug a pit and ended up here.

Moreover, as soon as they entered this place, their surroundings were locked down, and they were moved horizontally for hundreds of miles.

"It's over, it's over, we're both going to die." Ying Yue sighed, her little face full of sorrow.

"Why?" Xu Bai asked curiously.

Even so, there shouldn't be any danger.

They have already moved hundreds of miles horizontally and can still conceal their presence. They only need to wait half a year before they can make a successful retreat.

"When the hidden fortune of decades is activated, nothing can be concealed anymore, even if this place can hide the aura." Ying Yue said with a wry smile, "The people who come then will probably not be so simple."

Xu Bai pondered for a moment and said, "Enter the Saintly Realm?"

Xu Bai quickly realized this after Ying Yue said.

Ying Yue nodded. "When the entire fortune collapses, the person who comes will likely be the Prime Minister of the Great Yue Kingdom."

There are nine more Entering Sainthood Expert in this world, with three belonging to each faction, including the Great Yue Kingdom.

The emperor of the Great Yue Kingdom sits in the capital, and the military god of the Great Yue Kingdom guards the Border Pass, so the last one will come.

"Hiss..." Xu Bai gasped.

Don't be fooled by his current success; if he were to face a Saint Realm expert, especially one at the Entering Sainthood Peak, he would be instantly killed.

"What a loss! A huge loss!" Xu Bai said speechlessly, "I feel like I've been tricked by your father. How is all of this related to me?"

Ying Yue shook her head. "I don't know either. I really don't want to drag you down with me. I've already left. I wanted to die here alone, but..."

She had no intention of implicating Xu Bai, and after arriving here, she left alone.

Moreover, having arrived at this place, she planned to activate the power within the sword and confine herself here.

Six months later, when the Prime Minister came to kill her, she was willing to die.

This was her fate; her father had told her that this journey would be a death sentence.

But to my utter surprise, despite all the efforts I had made to prevent Xu Bai from being implicated, Xu Bai still came in on his own.

"I'm sorry," Ying Yue suddenly apologized.

Xu Bai shook his head. "This is not your fault. You're not wrong. You really didn't mean to lead me here. I dug myself into this mess."

Unexpectedly, the old saying proved true: he dug a hole and buried himself in it.

However... this matter is not over! He must find Chief Mu and get all the answers he needs. He has a feeling that Chief Mu definitely has the secrets he needs.

At worst, we can bring Eunuch Wei with us.

"I did a lot of things while I was up there," Xu Bai recounted his actions, then added, "I reckon it'll be discovered very quickly after I leave. It's such a huge pit; once it's discovered, are you sure you won't be able to find it?"

Ying Yue nodded. "The Great Yue Kingdom is very large. We are currently hiding in a very deep place, and we have special methods of concealment. Even a Saint would not be able to find us."

With those words, Xu Bai felt relieved.

Ying Yue asked, "Aren't you scared at all?"

Xu Bai shook his head, then nodded. "How can I not be afraid? But now that we're in, what's the use of being afraid? We'll see when the time comes."

Ying Yue didn't answer, her eyes still filled with guilt. Even though Xu Bai hadn't said anything to her, she still felt that this whole thing was because of her.

Xu Bai took out a sachet from his pocket. "This thing was given to me by your father. He said to use it in the most critical moment. I don't know what it is."

Upon hearing this, Ying Yue's attention shifted, and she saw the sachet in Xu Bai's hand.

She stared at it carefully for a while, then shook her head and said, "I don't know either, but since it's the most dangerous time, let's use it then."

Xu Bai sighed, "What a pity, I didn't find what I was looking for."

His ultimate goal was still those progress bars, but he hadn't found them yet.

"What is it?" Ying Yue asked curiously.

Xu Bai waved his hand, not wanting to mention it anymore.

Ying Yue that Xu Bai had no interest in continuing the conversation, Yingyue didn't ask any more questions.

The situation instantly became awkward.

According to Ying Yue, it will take a full six months.

This was an extremely long process, and Xu Bai felt increasingly speechless at the thought of being locked up for half a year.

Ying Yue Xu Bai didn't speak, Yingyue's eyes darted around.

She loosened her grip on the sword and approached Xu Bai.

A crack appeared in the darkness, Ying Yue rummaged through it, finding all sorts of food.

"Although it's only been half a year, the food I preserved in the shadows can slow down spoilage. Let's eat some first."

She didn't know how to make Xu Bai happy, so she could only take out what she had left.

Upon hearing Ying Yue's words, Xu Bai glanced at her subconsciously.

When he saw what was inside, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

"Wait, don't move!" Xu Bai said.

Ying Yue was taken aback.

Even though Xu Bai had said that, she didn't move and remained in that position.

The black shadow split open, Xu Bai saw piles of books inside, more than twenty in total.

Most importantly, these books have golden progress bars on them.

"How did you get these things? And why didn't I find them when I went into the shadows?" Xu Bai asked, pointing at the books.

Ying Yue asked doubtfully, "Decades ago, when my father came here, he obtained these things. He gave them all to me, saying that I would need them."

"I don't know what it's for. My shadow can be separated. I put things inside and will specifically separate the shadows where the things are placed."

Xu Bai: "..."

Coincidence, yet another coincidence; when coincidences pile up, it becomes design.

Chief Mu visited this place decades ago, so he must have taken everything from inside.

But to my surprise, after he took the item, he gave it to Ying Yue, saying it would be of great use.

What great use it is, only Xu Bai knows, it is extremely useful to him.

It's a progress bar!

These are real progress bars!

Seeing these progress bars, more than twenty in total, deepened Xu Bai's suspicions.

There's definitely something wrong with Chief Mu! He's definitely included himself in the calculations, and he's calculated it with great precision.

"Could it be that he knows about my cheat system? Impossible, he probably knows something else," Xu Bai wondered to himself.

But no matter how much he speculates now, it's useless. The only right thing to do is to go back to the Great Chu Kingdom and ask Chief Mu in person to find out the truth.

After thinking it through, Xu Bai said, "Take your things out first, take out all these books."

Although Ying Yue didn't know what Xu Bai was thinking, she still obediently took out all the books.

Looking at the twenty-odd progress bars in front of him, Xu Bai felt a mix of emotions.

I never expected the ending to be so simple. The progress bar had been hidden by Ying Yue all along. If I had known this earlier, I wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble.

"Do you want something to eat?" Ying Yue suddenly came over, holding out her small, white hand with a pastry in it.

Xu Bai took it casually, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Besides these books, is there only food in your shadow?"

Ying Yue nodded. "I've always been a spy, and I know I only have six months left, so I brought all the good food with me. I want to eat as much as I can in these six months as I can, since I've never had any before."

Xu Bai said "Oh," and then asked, "What I mean is, is there anything else?"

He remembered what the mad old man had said when they were at the Ruins.

This place not only contains secret manuals, but also the mad old man's speculations about that era of resource depletion.

Ying Yue pondered for a moment and said, "No, that's all. My father only gave me these things. I guess there were other things, but he took them."

Upon hearing this, Xu Bai did not ask any further questions. He took the pastry from Ying Yue's hand and silently took a bite.

It seems that Chief Mu took that guess. I'll ask him about it when I get back anyway.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. We only have six months to live," Ying Yue said apologetically.

Since Xu Bai came down, Ying Yue has apologized many times, always feeling that she was the one who harmed Xu Bai.

"There's always a way out. Let's take it one step at a time. Besides, it's not a certain death situation." Xu Bai picked up a book and started reading silently.

In dire straits, he never gives up hope; no matter how cruel the situation, he will never give up easily.

Besides, there's also a secret pouch.

Although it can't be opened now, it might bring a surprise if we open it when we encounter danger.

The best course of action now is to use the next six months to finish all twenty-odd books.

Ying Yue opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it.

The Prime Minister of the Great Yue Kingdom, who has Entering Sainthood Peak, could hunt them down in an instant.

"Alright, that's settled then. We'll see how it goes later," Xu Bai said.

Ying Yue nodded and said no more.

This space fell silent.

Time passed slowly.

This time, almost half a year has passed.

For the past six months, Xu Bai and Ying Yue have been staying here. They don't have to worry about food, as Ying Yue brought enough, while Xu Bai has been constantly grinding the progress bar.

After spending time with Ying Yue, Xu Bai realized that she was actually a rather pitiful person.

She had lived in the Great Yue Kingdom since childhood, but she was a citizen of the Great Chu Kingdom and had an extremely important mission. Moreover, she knew that she was doomed to die, so she lived in an extremely sad environment from childhood to adulthood.

But this woman had principles; she knew that everything she did was right, so she accepted it willingly.

Xu Bai didn't know how to evaluate it because he had never been involved in these matters.

He knew that Ying Yue was carrying a heavy burden, and even with only six months left, all she wanted was to eat something delicious.

Those who have never experienced human suffering are not qualified to comment.

Xu Bai put down the book in his hand and stood up.

"Finally, it's over."

Soon, the trip to the Great Yue Kingdom will be over, and then a new chapter will begin. As for why it's such a coincidence, I will explain later.