Chapter 70

Chapter 71: The Dehydrated Corpses (Requesting Votes)

Burp!

A sound came from Xue Wuxin's body, as if he had just eaten to his heart's content, and he let out a burp.

A pale face turned rosy.

Spider-web-like blood vessels retracted from the bodies into his body, a sinister aura enveloped him, and the face that had turned rosy became pale again.

"The people of the borderlands have impure blood, which needs to be refined, but after absorbing the blood of so many people, my injuries can recover to about sixty or seventy percent."

Xue Wuxin muttered to himself.

Looking up at the endless mountains beyond, his eyes showed excitement.

The borderlands must be the place where he rises to power.

"I need to find a place to refine the blood and recover my injuries. Only by recovering my strength can I perform the Great Blood Sacrifice, purify the blood, and use it for cultivation.

"Haha, wait for my revenge, Xue Wuxin!"

Xue Wuxin was in high spirits, rose into the air, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Only on the hillside were left over a hundred withered corpses, their withered faces still showing signs of terror.

A craze for seeking masters swept through the State of Qi, and those who came to the endless mountains to seek masters were not just the group led by the son of the Minister of War.

The endless mountains were full of dangers, so the seekers always traveled in groups, accompanied by guards or hired experts, and entered the endless mountains together.

One day, a group of seekers arrived at the foot of the hill.

"Let's rest for a while. We don't know where the master is hiding."

"Why is Xu Yan so lucky? He can find a master."

"Don't be discouraged. Is it easy to find a master? Xu Yan has been seeking for many years and has even been deceived."

Under the protection of their guards, a group of young nobles began to climb the hill.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a scream echoed.

"What are you doing, scaring me!"

"What happened? You are a top expert in the martial world, and you are so timid? Ah..."

Screams continued to ring out.

Everyone looked at the scene on the hill and felt a chill run down their spines, their scalps tingling.

On the hill, over a hundred corpses lay, exuding a faint sinister aura. Each corpse was withered, as if all the blood had been sucked out.

The withered faces still showed the terror of their last moments.

"This is... this is..."

Someone recognized the identities of the corpses.

"The eldest son of the Minister of War!"

"The second son of the Minister of Rites!"

"And..."

Fear spread among the crowd, and they subconsciously looked around, as if a demon could pounce on them at any moment.

"How did they die?"

A brave expert stepped forward to examine the corpses, becoming more and more frightened the more he looked.

"The corpses are withered, directly turned into mummies..."

It was too bizarre!

How long had the son of the Minister of War and his group been in the endless mountains?

Even if they had died, they shouldn't have turned into mummies.

Moreover, each person's death was extremely terrifying, as if they had seen something horrifying in their last moments.

"This is Yi Wang, a top expert in the capital, and he is dead too!"

People continued to recognize the identities of the corpses, including many well-known top experts.

Over a hundred people, with many experts and fully equipped with crossbows, had all died on the hill.

There were no signs of a struggle at the scene.

It was as if everyone had died simultaneously!

The corpses had directly turned into mummies!

Such a bizarre scene shocked everyone, and they lost the heart to continue seeking masters.

"Quick, let's go back!"

"The endless mountains are too dangerous!"

The group dared not stay and hurriedly went down the hill.

"Take the corpse of the son of the Minister of War, and the corpses of the others, back to the capital."

"Yes, take their corpses back to the capital. Their deaths are too bizarre; we must investigate. Xu Yan is a martial artist; perhaps he can see something."

Someone suggested.

The others thought it made sense. Taking the corpses back could also earn them rewards.

It was impossible for them to be suspected of murder. The corpses' deaths were too bizarre, and with their strength, they couldn't have killed the group led by the son of the Minister of War.

...

In the capital, Xu Yan had broken through to the Great Success stage of the Blood Qi realm and had comprehended the innate realm cultivation method, feeling very pleased.

The emperor sent someone to congratulate him and wanted to hold a banquet to celebrate his martial arts advancement, but Xu Yan declined.

After staying in the capital for a few days, Xu Yan set off to return to Donghe County.

Not long after Xu Yan left the capital, the news of the bizarre deaths of the son of the Minister of War and his group in the endless mountains spread among the ministers.

The corpses were transported back.

The emperor even came to inspect them personally.

The withered corpses, with their faces still showing signs of terror, were very bizarre.

"Minister Guo, quickly have your grandson come and take a look."

"Yes, Minister Guo, this is too bizarre!"

The ministers were all in a panic.

Their sons were also out seeking masters.

Most of them had gone to the endless mountains.

The Minister of War and the Minister of Rites were devastated, suffering a great blow.

Guo Rongshan also realized that this was too bizarre. Was there some kind of monster in the endless mountains?

He immediately sent a message to Xu Yan.

He directly used the recently established eagle messenger service.

After being promoted to the position of Duke of Qi, Grand Secretary, and Tutor to the Crown Prince, he had several trained eagles dispatched from the eagle messenger service of the State of Qi, specifically for communication between Donghe County and the capital.

This ensured smooth and swift communication between Donghe County and the Qi Palace.

Xu Yan, dusty and weary, returned to Donghe County. He had just arrived home, eaten with his parents, and guided them in their cultivation when he received a message from his grandfather.

Withered corpses?

Bizarre deaths?

He became curious.

"I once read a legend in an ancient storybook about a monster called a Corpse Fang that likes to drink human blood. Could they have encountered a Corpse Fang?"

Xu Yan thought, and his interest was piqued.

"Legends say that Corpse Fangs are violent, enjoy drinking human blood, and are incredibly strong. I am now at the Great Success stage of the Blood Qi realm, and my strength has greatly improved. I need to find someone to practice with.

"If it really is a Corpse Fang, it would be a good test."

Xu Yan's eyes lit up, and he immediately headed for the capital.

He had only seen the description of a Corpse Fang in an ancient storybook, and it was not widely known in the folk. Few people knew about this legendary monster.

In the capital.

Xu Yan, who had just left, returned.

"Where are the corpses?"

He immediately went to the morgue.

He saw the withered corpses.

The emperor and the ministers were all present.

Xu Yan examined the corpses, frowning. It seemed they had been drained of blood and turned into mummies.

There was a faint sinister aura in the corpses.

However, it was different from the description in the storybook of a Corpse Fang's victims. There were no bite marks.

According to the storybook, the wounds were on the neck.

Moreover, those killed by a Corpse Fang would not immediately turn into withered corpses but would turn black and blue, containing corpse poison.

However, these corpses were not black and blue and did not contain corpse poison.

They had completely turned into mummies.

They looked as if they had been sun-dried and would not rot even after so long.

"What do you think? Did you find anything?"

The emperor asked.

Xu Yan continued to examine the corpses and shook his head. "I thought it might be a Corpse Fang, but the corpses don't match the description."

"What is a Corpse Fang?"

The emperor and the ministers looked at each other, having never heard of such a monster.

"A monster that enjoys drinking human blood and is extremely violent."

Xu Yan briefly explained.

The emperor and the ministers were chilled to the bone. There were such terrifying monsters in the world?

"Xu Yan, how do you know about the Corpse Fang?"

A minister couldn't help but ask, curious.

He prided himself on his extensive knowledge, having read widely on astronomy, geography, history, and culture, yet he had never heard of a Corpse Fang.

He couldn't help but doubt if Xu Yan had made it up.

"I read about it in an ancient storybook, a very old one, and it's said to be a unique copy."

Xu Yan replied.

In a storybook?

The minister was taken aback and instinctively said, "But stories in storybooks are just..."

He suddenly stopped, remembering that Xu Yan had believed in the legends in storybooks and sought masters, which had been mocked behind his back.

However, he had indeed succeeded in cultivating a powerful martial art!

So, the legends in storybooks might not be entirely unbelievable!

Thinking this, he couldn't bring himself to say the rest.

Xu Yan continued to examine the corpses, stripping off their clothes and turning them over.

The Minister of War was on the verge of tears, his lips trembling, ready to speak, but the emperor gave him a cold stare, and he had to remain silent.

Xu Yan continued to examine the corpses.

"Strange, if it's not a Corpse Fang, what could it be?"

Xu Yan was puzzled, recalling the storybooks he had read, but found no similar descriptions.

Suddenly!

His eyes focused on a small hole on the chest of a withered corpse, as if something had pierced the heart.

"This is..."

Xu Yan frowned, touching the wound. The wound was very small, as if pierced by a tiny needle.

"A mosquito?"

The blood was drained, and the corpse had turned into a mummy, with a small wound on the chest.

Involuntarily, Xu Yan imagined a giant mosquito pouncing on the son of the Minister of War, piercing his heart with its proboscis, and draining his blood.

"Could it be some kind of mosquito-like blood-sucking creature?"

Xue Wuxin thought of the Fire Mane Wolf, which was no longer a mere beast. Ordinary beasts couldn't have such strength.

Could the killer of the Minister of War and his group be something like the Fire Mane Wolf, which had transcended the realm of beasts?

After a moment of thought, he said, "I don't know what the killer is, but it might be some kind of monster. I'll ask my master; perhaps he knows."

His master was a reclusive expert and should know what kind of monster this was.

The endless mountains hiding such a monster?

Xu Yan suddenly became interested in the endless mountains and the unknown monsters. He decided to ask his master if he could go to the endless mountains to hunt monsters with his current strength.

"I'll ask my master."

Xu Yan left excitedly, planning to return to Donghe County to ask his master what kind of monster it was, how strong it was, and whether he could deal with it!

Ten thousand words updated, requesting votes.