Chapter 128: Survive!

On the lowest deck of the iron ship, disciples of the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven worked in unison to haul wooden crates from the hold onto the deck, preparing them for transport to the burial grounds.

Thirty-two wooden crates, each sealed with steel nails, contained the cold, lifeless remains of the dead. Inside, heavy, unnaturally frigid stones were packed alongside the bodies; the weight was so immense that it often took two or three disciples working together just to hoist a single crate.

Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan emerged from their cramped cabin and stepped onto the deck, their expressions grim. From the deck, Shi Yan gazed into the distance and saw that the iron ship had docked at an island roughly the size of a small town. The island was desolate, shrouded in a deathly stillness, and covered in strange, grotesque vegetation.

Deep beneath the island’s surface, an overwhelming aura of necromancy coiled and lingered. A closer look revealed hundreds of grave sites scattered across the land, each featuring a subterranean cavern accessible from the surface. These graves varied in size, ranging from the dimensions of a basketball court to those of a small room. Connecting these sites were deep, long trenches filled with peculiar materials that emitted a flickering phosphorescent glow. Within these trenches, a faint, greyish-white mist swirled, heavy with the stench of decay.

The island resembled a massive, macabre spiderweb. The trenches served as the silk, and the graves were the junctions, spreading into every corner of the terrain. The flat areas surrounding these features were choked with endless, grey-brown plants that looked devoid of life—an eerie, demonic sight that left one feeling profoundly unsettled.

At the very center of the island lay the largest burial site, topped with stone towers resembling gravestones. Upon these towers stood disciples of the Corpse God Sect, their faces pale and their expressions sinister. Most of these sect members, ranging in strength from the Human, Hundred Tribulations, to Earth realms, paced the towers emotionless before occasionally descending into the graves below.

At the entrances to the grave caverns, disciples of the Corpse God Sect could be seen tending to their work. They carried heavy, freezing rocks and various venomous insects, casting strange materials into the connecting trenches to feed the unique energy of the site. The entire island was cloaked in a chilling, supernatural atmosphere.

The disciples of the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven labored to move the crates from the ship to the docking area. Roughly a dozen members of the Corpse God Sect approached with hollow expressions, opening the crates one by one. One member held a ledger, recording the details of each corpse: their cultivation level in life, the potency of the lingering corpse energy, and the integrity of their remains. The Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples were highly cooperative, setting aside their usual arrogance and acting uncharacteristically reserved as they explained the origins of the bodies. Even the female disciples of the sect moved with caution, their eyes darting about with apprehension as they spoke to the Corpse God Sect members with forced, unnatural expressions.

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru, the two guardians of the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, had already disembarked and were standing near the crates, conferring in low voices with a practitioner of the Corpse God Sect.

Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan stood on the deck, their faces betraying their internal unease.

"Guardian Sui is quite fond of you. If you are willing, she is still prepared to take you as her disciple," Xiao Feng whispered beside Shi Yan. "Just nod, and I will tell her. What do you think?"

Shi Yan sensed the danger. He frowned and cast a distant glance at Sui Yueru before shaking his head. "Sorry, I have no intention of joining the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven."

Xiao Feng’s expression chilled, her pretty face turning gloomy. "You will regret this."

"You two, are you not coming off the ship? Heh, do you need us to invite you down?" Li Wei, who had already disembarked, sneered from the shore. "We are staying at this burial ground for a day; no outsiders are allowed to remain on board. If you do not come down, don't blame us for being impolite."

Shi Yan frowned and looked at Xia Xinyan. "We’re going down," he said quietly. Under the eaves of the roof, one must bow their head.

Xia Xinyan remained composed. Despite the disgust in her eyes, she followed Shi Yan off the iron ship and onto the island’s shore.

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru glanced at Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan from time to time as they spoke with the Corpse God Sect member. The sect member, a man with a long, gaunt face and eyes that seemed to lack focus, occasionally fixed his gaze on the pair, nodding slightly as if reaching an agreement with the two guardians. The three conferred briefly before nodding in satisfaction.

Before long, Li Zhuang announced, "We will rest here for three days. We depart by ship after that."

"Guardian Li, can we... can we stay on the ship?" a female disciple asked, shivering as she spoke, clearly terrified of the burial ground.

"No," Li Zhuang snapped, eyeing her coldly. "You have a long road ahead of you. If you lack the courage for this, don't dream of breaking through in your martial path. Bringing you down here is meant to temper you. Tonight, disciples of the Corpse God Sect will lead you on a tour of the 'corpse slaves' to broaden your horizons. Treasure this opportunity; in the Endless Sea, few factions have the qualification to visit this burial ground."

"Ah!" Many of the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples blanched, their lips trembling in fear.

The Corpse God Sect disciples, their expressions wooden and eyes filled with disdain, finished counting the crates and pulled small bells from their waists, shaking them gently.

"Ah!" The disciples of the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven shrieked again.

As the bells chimed, white-robed corpses suddenly emerged from the nearest grave site. These bodies had eyes devoid of color, like those of the blind. Their limbs were stiff, their movements sluggish, yet they advanced with an aura of chilling, sinister coldness under the pale moonlight.

"These are human corpses, refined only recently. Their joints are still stiff, so they can only do menial labor and have little combat power. What are you afraid of?" A Corpse God Sect disciple glared at the screaming disciples, his tone icy. "Corpse slaves are our best companions. They do not betray us, nor do they stab us in the back. They are more trustworthy and far more useful than the living."

The corpse slaves moved sluggishly, working in pairs to carry the crates toward the nearest grave. Under the moonlight, the swaying, corpse-scented figures with their pale, emotionless faces were terrifying, cold, and uncanny.

Shi Yan frowned as he watched the corpses carry away the crates and observed the Corpse God Sect members skillfully manipulating them. His heart sank.

"You two," Li Zhuang pointed at Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan, "you go to the burial grounds as well."

Li Zhuang did not care for them in the slightest. After the command, he turned back to converse with the Corpse God Sect member, acting as if he had no fear of Shi Yan escaping, nor any belief that he would dare to try. Sui Yueru also glanced at them from afar, frowned, and returned to her discussion.

The three were evidently haggling over the price of the thirty-two bodies.

Shi Yan suddenly grabbed Xia Xinyan’s hand. "We should leave now. The further we get from the sea, the less safe we are!"

"We can't get away," Xia Xinyan whispered, shaking her head. "There are water corpses."

"How do you know?" Shi Yan’s expression shifted, his eyes scanning their surroundings.

"There are at least three grave sites here dedicated to refining water corpses. They have excellent aquatic abilities and can dive deep into the sea. If we leave now, we will be caught by them," Xia Xinyan said softly.

"What do we do?"

"Go to the burial ground first. We’ll find an opportunity to kill the water corpses on the island, then we leave."

"Agreed."

Li Wei kept a distance from them but kept a constant watch on their movements.

"You two, time to move. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to witness the unique corpse-refining techniques of the Corpse God Sect. Oh, by the way, besides refining dead bodies, the Corpse God Sect also has methods for refining 'living corpses.' Do you know what that means? Heh, it means taking a living person and refining them into a corpse while they are still alive. It is said to be quite interesting—perhaps you will get to see it for yourselves!" Li Wei’s face was twisted with malice, his words heavy with hidden meaning.

Shi Yan’s expression changed. He finally understood Li Zhuang’s intentions and why he and the sect member had been looking at them. Li Zhuang had likely sold him and Xia Xinyan to the Corpse God Sect as materials for refining living corpses.

Xia Xinyan’s eyes turned icy, and she clenched her teeth, clearly enraged.

"We must not be separated," Shi Yan said, gripping her hand tightly, his resolve hardening. "There will be a chance. As long as they don't kill me immediately, we will find an opening!"

At that moment, hearing Shi Yan’s words, Xia Xinyan felt a strange sense of comfort. She nodded slightly, and for the first time, she gripped his hand back. "Remember," she whispered, "you must survive. You must live."

Shi Yan was caught off guard, a flash of surprise crossing his face. "Rest assured, we will definitely survive!"

"If we can escape this place alive, I can forgive... forgive your previous insolence. I promise not to trouble you afterward," she added, hesitating for a moment.

"We will make it out alive!"