Translator: Cinder Translations
---
On this day.
Song Wen, as usual, arrived at the corpse dissecting cave.
He had just entered Yuan Cheng's cave when Yuan Cheng spoke first.
"Ji Yin, there's a batch of special corpses that need your attention. Tomorrow, use Dissecting Table No. 8 to handle this batch."
The dissecting tables used by dissectors are usually fixed.
For instance, Song Wen always used Dissecting Table No. 73.
All dissecting tables have drainage channels that lead the blood from the corpses to the large blood pool in the central area of the dissecting cave.
However, Dissecting Tables No. 1 to 9 have independent blood pools where blood from the corpses is collected separately.
Upon hearing Yuan Cheng's words, Song Wen was taken aback.
"Could it be another batch of special corpses like the old hag's?"
Although nothing unexpected happened during the dissection of the old hag's corpse last time, upon reflection, Song Wen felt somewhat uneasy.
The old hag was clearly a powerful Gu master who cultivated Gu with her own body. Her corpse may have hidden various strange and powerful Gu worms. Every time Song Wen recalled the process of dissecting her corpse, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread and relief.
Perhaps sensing Song Wen's hesitation, Yuan Cheng continued before Song Wen could speak.
"Don't worry, Junior Brother. It's just a batch of mortal children's corpses, no danger involved. However, these corpses are somewhat special. When you dissect them, be sure to do it with utmost care and perfection."
Song Wen glanced at Yuan Cheng, relieved of most of his worries, and replied respectfully, "Understood, Senior Brother."
This time, Yuan Cheng directly handed over four storage bags and a jade bottle.
One storage bag contained the corpses, while the other three were for storing the dissected flesh, organs, and bones.
The jade bottle was used to collect blood.
Song Wen stood in front of Dissecting Table No. 8, probing with his spiritual power into the storage bag. As Yuan Cheng had said, there were indeed a hundred mortal corpses inside, all of them children under the age of five, with some even newborn infants.
Looking at these children's corpses, even Song Wen, accustomed to dissecting, couldn't help but feel nauseous.
The cruelty of demonic cultivators truly surpassed ordinary imagination.
Song Wen knew that these hundred children's corpses were likely born with special astrological signs, imbued with innate special powers. Demonic cultivators often used them for cultivation, corpse refining, or creating ghostly entities.
However, Song Wen understood that none of this had anything to do with him; he just needed to dissect the corpses.
Only with cold indifference could one survive in the Corpse Demon Sect, in this cruel world of cultivation.
Song Wen randomly took out a corpse and placed it on the dissecting table.
It was the corpse of a girl, about four years old. After calming his mind, Song Wen began dissecting.
Since all the bodies were children's, Song Wen dissected them quickly. With only a hundred bodies to process, it took him just over two hours to finish dissecting them all.
This was the first time in six months of being in the dissecting cave that Song Wen wasn't the last to complete his task.
With four storage bags and a jade bottle in hand, Song Wen returned to Yuan Cheng's cave.
Before stepping into the cave, he saw a young man dressed in splendid clothes, with a gloomy expression, sitting on the only chair in the cave.
This chair clearly belonged to Yuan Cheng, but at this moment, Yuan Cheng stood respectfully beside the young man, looking like a loyal subordinate.
Seeing Song Wen enter, Yuan Cheng hurriedly spoke.
"Ji Yin, have you finished dissecting all the corpses?"
Although Song Wen didn't know the identity of the young man in splendid attire, he realized the person must have a remarkable background. He first bowed respectfully to the young man, then saluted Yuan Cheng.
"I have completed dissecting the corpses, Senior Brother Yuan," Song Wen reported.
As he spoke, Song Wen casually waved his hand, using his mana to levitate the storage bags and jade bottle towards Yuan Cheng.
Yuan Cheng made no move to receive the four storage bags and the jade bottle; instead, the young man in splendid attire preemptively took them.
He first checked the blood in the jade bottle, then inspected each of the storage bags in turn. A brief moment of satisfaction flashed across his gloomy face.
The young man nodded and addressed Song Wen, "Considering your cultivation level isn't strong, your dissection of these corpses was decent."
Song Wen didn't know the young man's identity or how to address him, so he could only bow respectfully and reply, "Thank you for your generous praise, Senior."
At this point, Yuan Cheng intervened to introduce Song Wen, "Ji Yin, this is Senior Disciple Wu Sui from the Yin Demon Hall. Senior Disciple Wu Sui's master is Elder Wu Ren, the Lord of Yin Demon Hall."
Senior Disciple of Yin Demon Hall!
Wu Sui!
And the Lord of Yin Demon Hall is named Wu Ren!
This guy must be a second-generation cultivator?
As Song Wen thought this, his expression became somewhat anxious yet also filled with a hint of relief, as if knowing Wu Sui was a great honor.
Song Wen bowed even lower, his voice slightly excited as he said, "Junior Outer Sect Disciple Ji Yin pays respects to Senior Disciple Wu Sui."
Pleased with Song Wen's reaction, Wu Sui nodded and said, "You're quite discerning for a young fellow. If you advance to the Foundation Establishment stage within the next few years, come find me at Yin Demon Hall."
With that, Wu Sui's figure dissolved into faint traces, disappearing into the depths of the cave.
Watching Wu Sui depart, Yuan Cheng cast an envious glance at Song Wen.
"Junior Brother Ji Yin, I didn't expect that merely meeting Senior Disciple Wu Sui once would earn his appreciation. Truly a stroke of good fortune."
Song Wen feigned a belated realization and asked in confusion, "May I ask, Senior Brother Yuan Cheng, does Senior Disciple Wu Sui have any other mysterious identities besides being a Senior Disciple?"
In the world of cultivation, the status of a Senior Disciple is noble, but in demonic sects, it's another matter entirely.
Masters may use disciples for blood sacrifices, cultivation, corpse refining, or even as furnaces for yin gathering and yang replenishment, or vice versa. There are even cases of disciples being used as vessels for soul possession.
In short, in demonic sects, being a Senior Disciple doesn't necessarily imply good fortune.
Ultimately, in the world of cultivation, strength reigns supreme. No matter how prestigious a Senior Disciple is, they are merely Qi refining cultivators and not considered masters.
Regular disciples of the Corpse Demon Sect automatically rise to the rank of elders upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, while Senior Disciples are referred to as disciples of magic or witches.
Yuan Cheng's expression carried a mix of emotions as he said, somewhat complicatedly, "Senior Disciple Wu Sui is actually the grandson of Elder Wu Ren, the Lord of Yin Demon Hall. Moreover, his aptitude is exceptional; it's said he possesses a seventh-grade superior spiritual root. Senior Disciple Wu Sui is only ten years old now and has already attained the seventh level of Qi refining. In a few years, he may successfully establish his Foundation."
Yuan Cheng's expression became somewhat conflicted.
Foundation Establishment is his greatest expectation. Due to lack of backing, despite spending several years at the seventh level of Qi refining, just one step away from the peak of Qi refining, he had to come to this ghastly place of the dissecting cave for duty, hoping to one day receive a precious Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect.
Seeing his age increasing year by year, with barely any years left before reaching sixty, this made Yuan Cheng's heart grow anxious.
In fact, outside the major sects, Foundation Establishment Pills are available, appearing every few years in the major cultivator markets.
However, these pills are generally extremely expensive. Yuan Cheng, whose aptitude isn't considered good, almost never has enough resources to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill, let alone afford one.
(End of the Chapter)