Novels online

Chapter 114: The Back Mountain

Upon hearing there was another method, joy erupted in Yang Haoran’s eyes. His emotions, which had only just stabilized slightly, surged with agitation once more, for this was precisely what he needed most at this moment.

"Don't get agitated yet. Listen to me finish, then you can decide for yourself," Xu Meijing said, her brows furrowed and her face cold.

From Xu Meijing's expression, it was clear that the method she spoke of was likely not a good one. But at this moment, how could Yang Haoran care so much? As long as there was a way to save his parents, he was willing to try.

"If your parents could be promoted to Corpse Kings, then they would be able to re-form new souls. Once new souls appear, they would regain their own consciousness," Xu Meijing explained.

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran frowned and questioned, "Only a Corpse Ghoul can be promoted to a Corpse King. My parents are currently only the lowest-level Corpse Puppets; they have no room for promotion. How could they become Corpse Kings?"

Xu Meijing nodded. "That's right, Corpse Puppets have no room for promotion. However, this world has countless extraordinary individuals and reclusive masters. If you were to search, perhaps you could find a method that allows even Corpse Puppets to gain the ability to promote. Still, the possibility is exceedingly slim, so you must be mentally prepared."

"Furthermore, even if you truly found a method one day to allow Corpse Puppets to promote, cultivating two Corpse Puppets into Corpse Ghouls, and then into Corpse Kings, would be an exceedingly long process. And throughout this prolonged period, you would have to continuously seek out flesh and blood to feed them, especially the flesh and blood of living people. I won't even mention how bloody that scene would be; I'll just ask you, where would you find so many people to feed your parents? Everyone has parents; could you bring yourself to do such a thing?"

"And there's the most crucial issue: even if you found a way to promote Corpse Puppets, and you became completely inhumane, daring to use vast amounts of living human flesh and blood to feed your parents, the moment they truly became Corpse Kings, all you would have gained would be two Corpse Kings, not your parents. Because your parents died the moment they became Corpse Puppets. Even if they become Corpse Kings and re-form new souls, they would be new entities, completely unrelated to your parents."

After Xu Meijing finished speaking, the surprise and joy in Yang Haoran's heart vanished completely. He had never imagined that Xu Meijing's so-called method would be like this.

"As I just said, I don't recommend you use this method. But if you insist on doing so, I won't stop you; that's your own choice," Xu Meijing said in a low voice.

This time, Yang Haoran didn't remain silent. Under Xu Meijing's gaze, he gently shook his head.

"I won't do it."

Yang Haoran's answer was resolute, which somewhat surprised Xu Meijing.

Given the frenzy Yang Haoran had just displayed, she thought he might very well choose this method. Even if the chances of success were slim, he shouldn't have given up, she reasoned.

"Why? " Xu Meijing directly voiced the doubt in her heart.

"What I want is my parents to be resurrected, not two Corpse Kings that have developed new souls," Yang Haoran stated.

"Then what do you plan to do? " Xu Meijing asked.

"I'll forcibly take them away first, and then think of a solution step by step," Yang Haoran replied after a moment's thought.

At this moment, his emotions had stabilized further compared to before, and his mind was much clearer. Although he was still enveloped by profound sorrow, at least now he was thinking rationally, unlike his previous frenzy.

Xu Meijing didn't want to discourage Yang Haoran. She knew very well that once someone became a Corpse Puppet, it was not much different from having their soul dispersed. In such a situation, let alone resurrecting his parents, even wanting them to reincarnate was an extravagant hope. She simply didn't voice this, fearing she would provoke Yang Haoran.

As a fellow Night Watcher, she believed it was impossible for Yang Haoran not to understand this. But Yang Haoran knowing it was one thing; her saying it out loud was another.

"Since you've made your decision, I can only wish you good luck."

No sooner had Xu Meijing's words fallen than the Corpse Puppets outside the Yin Qi barrier suddenly ceased their attacks. As if receiving some command, they swarmed out of the courtyard like a hive of bees.

The sudden turn of events caused both their expressions to change simultaneously. Yang Haoran's heart seized with urgency, and without a second thought, he immediately chased after them.

Rushing out of the courtyard, Yang Haoran was stunned by the sight before him.

Within Yangjiawan, the crisscrossing paths were filled with dense masses of Corpse Puppets. They moved on all fours, like beasts unleashed from a cage, frantically dashing in a single direction.

Corpse Puppets weren't inherently fast; their rigid bodies dictated that. However, when they went into a full sprint, their speed was still quite astonishing.

Among these Corpse Puppets were elderly people as old as eighty or ninety, and children as young as three or four; some were even infants. They were all Yang Haoran's clan members from Yangjiawan, and now, without exception, they had all become Corpse Puppets.

This sight made Yang Haoran tremble all over, his fists clenching with cracking sounds.

"They must have been summoned by a Corpse Ghoul, which is why they're frantically gathering in one place. We should quickly follow them; maybe we'll figure out what exactly is going on," Xu Meijing said, catching up to Yang Haoran and reminding him.

Yang Haoran said nothing, merely nodded with a grim face, then chased in the direction his parents had disappeared earlier.

He had originally intended to secure his parents first, but they had blended into the massive horde of Corpse Puppets, losing their tracks. He could only follow behind, searching as he went.

Strangely enough, even though they were surrounded by a vast number of Corpse Puppets, these creatures showed no intention of attacking them whatsoever. They simply focused on frantically sprinting in one direction, completely ignoring their presence.

In a short while, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing arrived at the back mountain. They saw that all the Corpse Puppets had not stopped for a moment, surging entirely onto the back mountain.

Yang Haoran didn't dare to delay in the slightest and quickly followed them up the back mountain, as he still hadn't found any trace of his parents.

The sheer number of Corpse Puppets, combined with the dense trees and overgrown weeds on the mountain, made it even harder for him to find his parents.

Chasing closely, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing arrived deep within the back mountain, finally stopping before a cave.

The cave was large, but its entrance was overgrown with weeds and thick vines, making it seem as though it had never been discovered before.

However, at present, due to the massive number of Corpse Puppets rushing into the cave, the weeds had been trampled flat, and the vines torn apart, thus revealing the cave's existence.

Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing had followed them all the way here, finally realizing that all the Corpse Puppets had rushed into this cave. Both understood that the interior of this cave was certainly not simple, and it was highly probable that the Corpse Ghoul controlling the other Corpse Puppets was inside.

"Do you know this cave? " Xu Meijing asked, looking at Yang Haoran.

Yang Haoran shook his head, indicating he did not know.

Because the back mountain was too dangerous, his parents had never allowed him to play there since he was a child. Although he would sometimes secretly sneak into the back mountain behind his parents' backs, he always stayed only on the outer perimeter and never dared to venture deep. This was his first time in this specific area, so naturally, he had no idea there was such a cave.

Seeing that Yang Haoran didn't know about this cave, Xu Meijing didn't ask further. With her hands in her pockets, she stepped into the cave.

It went without saying that the interior of this cave was absolutely fraught with peril. Aside from the unknown dangers, even the sheer number of Corpse Puppets was no small trouble. Yet, Xu Meijing didn't seem to regard these dangers as anything significant, walking with her hands in her pockets as if she were merely strolling through a street.

Yang Haoran also liked to keep his hands in his pockets, but how could he be in such a mood now? Enveloped by intense sorrow, all he wanted was to quickly find the Corpse Puppets that his parents had become, and then search for a way to re-gather their souls.

Of course, he also wanted to figure out what exactly was going on with all of this.

Seeing Xu Meijing step into the cave, Yang Haoran didn't hesitate either and quickly entered the cave as well.

The inside of the cave was very dark. To prevent their vision from being affected, both of them activated their Ghost Eyes. Under the effect of the Ghost Eyes, the pitch-black cave was no different from daytime.

A glance swept over the interior of the cave; it was much larger than Yang Haoran had imagined. The cave was very damp, and there was an unpleasant stench – the smell of corpse decay.

Strangely, however, he found no trace of Corpse Puppets; not a single one was seen. It seemed all the Corpse Puppets, after being summoned by the Corpse Ghoul, had rushed into the depths of the cave.

Yang Haoran didn't hesitate in the slightest, running towards the depths of the cave. Xu Meijing, however, frowned, hesitated for a moment, then followed him.

The stench here was truly unbearable for her, but she also wasn't at ease letting Yang Haoran go in alone. So, after a brief hesitation, she followed.

The cave was very deep. Yang Haoran ran frantically for ten minutes but still couldn't see the end. Fortunately, there were no forks in the path, otherwise, he might have chosen the wrong way.

The deeper they ventured into the cave, the more nauseating and intense the stench of corpse decay became. Let alone Xu Meijing, a woman, even a large man like Yang Haoran was starting to find it unbearable.

In response, Xu Meijing simply activated her Spirit Power, enveloping her body in a strong layer of Yin Qi to block out the putrid smell.

Yang Haoran also wanted to do the same, but he didn't dare. The Spirit Power within his body was very limited. Doing so would accelerate its consumption rate, and he had no idea what dangers they might encounter later. Preserving more Spirit Power would only bring him benefits, not harm.

If it weren't for the cave being too dark to see with the naked eye, he would even have wanted to retract his Ghost Eye to prevent any consumption of his Spirit Power.

Boom—

A dull thud suddenly echoed, capturing their attention. Before they could even grasp what was happening, a series of booming, muffled sounds continuously erupted, reverberating throughout the entire cave.