Chapter 132: The Cave of Ten Thousand Corpses

The Earth Corpse Sect is a supreme evil faction within the borders of the Yunqi Kingdom. Its overall strength rivals that of the Sword Mountain Sect, the foremost righteous sect, and it is renowned for its secretive operations. To speak of mystery alone, it is no exaggeration to say that the Earth Corpse Sect ranks first in the entire kingdom.

The number of disciples within its ranks, the location of its mountain gates, and the count of its masters at the Heavenly Gang stage remain entirely unknown to the outside world. There are even rumors that the Earth Corpse Sect can be found nowhere, yet exists everywhere. In short, it is a sect that operates with high visibility, yet that very visibility inspires terror. This stems from the only thing the world truly knows about them: their method of cultivation.

Disciples of the Earth Corpse Sect have only one opportunity in their lifetime to refine a natal corpse. Once successful, it remains unchanged for the rest of their lives. This tradition of a master and a corpse traversing the world together has created a legendary, albeit unorthodox, reputation. For these disciples, the cultivation of their natal corpse is just as critical—if not more so—than their own. Thousands of years ago, this mysterious sect shocked the entire Yunqi Kingdom and the Eastern Region of the cultivation world by completely exterminating the Eight Extremities Sect, then the leading righteous faction. From that day on, the name of the Earth Corpse Sect spread far and wide.

They were at the peak of their power, unrivaled by any other. Countless lowly cultivators dreamed of joining their ranks. However, no matter how hard they searched, the sect's gates remained as elusive as drifting smoke.

To the west of the Tianhuan Mountain Range in the Yunqi Kingdom lies a vast swamp, shrouded year-round in a cold, sinister aura. Even cultivators rarely venture here. Beyond the pervasive yin energy, the swamp is filled with the "Nine Earth Miasma," a substance that even masters of the Earth Gang stage fear to touch; those below that level are corroded to the bone upon contact. Such a unique and mysterious environment inevitably breeds monsters. Countless righteous individuals have come to purge the evil, but none who entered these lands ever returned alive, their bones left to fill the depths of the swamp. Gradually, it became a forbidden zone in the Yunqi Kingdom, and no one dared to step foot there again.

At the center of this swamp lies a fog-shrouded region. Inside, the sounds of wailing ghosts and roaring corpses echo ceaselessly. The ground is a vast, filthy bog of black sludge filled with broken bones and rotting remains, so foul that even demonic beasts avoid it. Beneath this mire lies a colossal network of karst caves, branching into countless tunnels, each leading to smaller chambers that extend further into a labyrinthine web. Almost the entire sub-surface of the swamp is honeycombed with these dense, chaotic tunnels. This is the lair of the Earth Corpse Sect.

The central cave, large enough to hold several of Sword Mountain's plazas, contains a massive, ancient array formed by eight giant purple wooden pillars. Waves of profound energy pulse from them, sustaining the black sludge pool above. The pillars are carved with cryptic, grim symbols, and connected by blood-fluorescent beams of light that form interlocking, shimmering circles—a lethal, high-level killing array that protects the sect at all times.

In a small corner of this cavern, eight youths sat cross-legged on giant stones, guarding a massive black teleportation array. Each had a coffin floating behind them. Suddenly, the array flickered, and seven black-clad youths appeared, accompanied by a single coffin.

One of the guards opened his eyes, staring coldly at the newcomers. "Present your token, or die," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Qin Feng, controlling the body of Xing Bing, the leader of the group, stepped forward. He bowed respectfully and said, "Xing Bing of the Fifteenth Corpse-Collecting Squad, returning to report. Here is the token, please examine it." He handed over the pass.

The guard didn't take it. He merely glanced at the token and replied coldly, "Thirty-first Myriad Corpse Cave. Go." He then closed his eyes again.

Qin Feng, still controlling Xing Bing, bowed and led his team away. He signaled to Fan Liu, who immediately led the way into the labyrinth of tunnels. Everything went smoothly, without a single flaw. They traveled for a long time, encountering few people. The sect was unusually quiet due to the recent war, which had seen most of the main forces deployed. Even when they did pass others, they exchanged few words; the disciples of the Earth Corpse Sect were cold and vicious, rarely forming friendships.

Qin Feng felt a secret relief. This sect was the perfect place to hide. The thought of Li Xingjian frantically searching for him brought a faint smile to his lips.

Their destination was the Thirty-first Myriad Corpse Cave. These caves were essentially massive repositories for corpses, enhanced with special arrays to foster their growth. They were the incubators for the sect's power. While they were meant to hold "myriad" corpses, they could easily accommodate millions. They were graded by rank; the higher-quality corpses—ancient, powerful, or millennia-old—were stored in the first three caves, the true foundation of the sect. The Thirty-first was a newer cave, mostly containing fresh corpses, though some were of decent quality.

The path ahead was dimly lit and winding. Without the fragmented memories of Xing Bing, Qin Feng would have been lost, but with Fan Liu leading, he remained undetected. The journey seemed endless; he could only marvel at the sheer scale of the sect's underground network.

Finally, the path opened up into a massive cavern. It was crowded with disciples turning in their missions. A hideous, skin-and-bones old woman sat on a large rock, silent, with a sinister black-green coffin resting before her. Fan Liu whispered that she was an elder at the early Earth Gang stage, tasked with guarding the Thirty-first Cave. Qin Feng sighed inwardly at the sect’s depth—assigning an Earth Gang master to guard a mere secondary cave was a testament to their power.

Two grim-faced men, one tall with a scarred face and the other a heavy, pockmarked man, stood by a giant funnel-shaped pit, inspecting the missions. They were merciless; a new disciple who failed his quota was unceremoniously tossed into the pit, his screams echoing through the cave and chilling the others to the bone.

Qin Feng frowned. The pit was deep and filled with the roars of finished corpses; being thrown in unprepared was a death sentence. When it was their turn, the corpses were dumped into the pit. The two overseers noted the deficit—about a hundred bodies short. The pockmarked overseer smiled maliciously, eyeing the team. "One hundred and twenty short! You have two choices: push one of your men into the pit, or the leader suffers one hundred strikes of the Profound Ghost Blade! And you must make up double the deficit by tomorrow!"

A shiver ran through the crowd. The Profound Ghost Blade was a special weapon embedded with an evil spirit that fed on blood and flesh; most disciples died within three strikes. The overseer was clearly enjoying himself, intentionally escalating the punishment.

Qin Feng, controlling Xing Bing, felt no fear. He let the muscles on the host's face twitch into a crazed, bloodthirsty grin.

"Today," he said coldly, "I will show you what a true ruthless man is."

"Bring the blade."