Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 428

Wei Zhengdao does indeed have this habit.

He felt that sealing away evil spirits and letting time suppress them was simply too much of a waste of time.

It would be better to feed it into the stomach and persuade the evil spirits to return to the right path within the five internal organs.

but……

Looking at the bone fragments on the ground, Li Zhuiyuan knew that Wei Zhengdao was an extremely arrogant person, which could be seen from his writings and his follower Qing An.

Leaving so much trash after a meal doesn't seem to fit Wei Zhengdao's style.

Even if the tomb owner was of a very high status and could not be completely digested, Wei Zhengdao would not leave them here. Instead, he would secretly dispose of them, pretending that he had eaten them cleanly and was indifferent.

Just like in the cave at the foot of Langshan Mountain, there's a table, a chair, and a pair of chopsticks.

It's about capturing a certain mood and seeking a sense of freedom.

However, this is not the time to dwell on that.

If Li Zhuiyuan's initial plan to enter the ancient burial site was to seek personal gain, his most pressing task now is to find the tomb owner's weakness.

When you align yourself with the general trend and take advantage of the convenience it provides, you are also part of the collective. For both public and private reasons, you must prioritize the overall situation.

However, it appears that this knife exists independently, operating autonomously according to its own unique logic.

This suit of armor remains quiet to this day.

Even in this huge banquet hall, it appeared so demure and ordinary.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that the situation would be easier to handle if they made any unusual moves.

The problem is that they are all too normal, making it impossible for me to find any clues.

The worst-case scenario is that the tomb's occupant has no weaknesses here.

But that's impossible, because it goes against the Great Emperor's motivation of using cause and effect to help him close the door early.

His "master" would never be so kind as to let his disciple make a fortune in the ancient burial grounds.

Yes, definitely.

The tomb owner's weakness must lie here.

Li Zhuiyuan attempted to analyze the issue from different angles.

The boy's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and a hint of pain appeared on his face.

This is a sign that the illness is about to flare up.

But soon, the boy's brows relaxed, and his breathing became steady again.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly realized that personal interests should not supersede those of the collective, but the current situation was that his personal interests and the collective interests were highly aligned.

Therefore, the more one tries to divide things up, the more one goes astray.

In "The Book Without Words," it goes to great lengths, employing a complex, layered arrangement, all to lure itself in with benefits.

In the end, it will definitely be for its own benefit.

Now, I should follow this line of inquiry and not force myself to be "noble" because of the responsibilities and pressures I bear.

We should take a "selfish" perspective and pursue the path of maximizing personal interests, and at the end of that path lies the fundamental interests of the tomb owner.

Li Zhuiyuan clenched his right fist and gently tapped his forehead.

Human skin, what I want is human skin.

The tomb owner believed that he needed to have his skin peeled off.

There must be leather factories near the slaughterhouse, and the place where people are skinned must also be a place where human skins are stored.

Where it will be, and where is the best place to do this?

Cattle and sheep are kept in enclosures, prisoners are kept under guard, and the most suitable place to skin them alive is naturally... the prison cell!
The answer, found in the wordless book, had already been given to itself.

According to Ye Dui's account, he was once captured by Wei Zhengdao and used as a stepping stone to reach this banquet hall.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the throne, his mind constantly recalling Ye Dui's statement, trying to reconstruct Ye Dui's perspective from the stumbling words.

Although the "Book Without Words" is no longer in his hands, the words on the first page of the prison wall are still etched in the boy's mind.

After reflecting on it again, Li Zhuiyuan found the answer.

Sure enough, it had been planned all along.

Li Zhuiyuan walked down the steps, stretched out his hand, and first pointed to Ye Dui's description of the banquet hall environment: "Here, it starts from here."
Then came Ye Dui's description of the music. Yes, it was here. Although there were no guests or musicians, the musical instruments were placed here.

Ye Dui's description of the throne is in this direction;

Finally, there is Ye Dui's description of Wei Zhengdao being killed by the tomb owner with a single blow, and at that moment, Ye Dui himself was "kicked" back into the cell.

Li Zhuiyuan quickly stepped back, stopped, and then turned around to face the back of the boy, whose hand pointed to the huge pillar.

This is the entrance and exit of the prison.

There are many pillars like these in this banquet hall.

Zhao Yi walked over and patted the pillar: "Is there something wrong with this pillar?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Zhao Yi checked carefully but found no problems.

Trusting the man surnamed Li, Zhao Yi circled the pillar again, but still found nothing.

"Hey, Mr. Li, why don't you come and take a look for yourself?"

"Brother Runsheng."

"Ah."

"Punch your fist at this pillar."

"it is good."

Runsheng stood in front of the pillar and began to gather his strength.

"boom!"

With a punch, a dent appeared on the pillar.

This pillar is both harder and softer than I imagined.

This special property can greatly disperse Runsheng's punching force.

Zhao Yi: "A-Jing, come over here and take turns with Runsheng."

Chen Jing: "Okay!"

Chen Jing stepped forward, white hair growing out of his body and his right fingernails lengthening.

After each of Runsheng's punches, Chen Jing would follow up with a claw strike.

Things didn't have to be this complicated, but the problem is, we don't have the right weapons right now.

There were readily available armor and weapons in the banquet hall, but they were of ordinary quality and would break as soon as they were used; it was better to use them barehanded.

As for the sword hanging on the throne and the armor on display, they haven't been subdued yet and can't be used for the time being.

This was probably something the tomb owner hadn't anticipated. Well, the tomb owner probably didn't expect that it wouldn't be in its own home at this time.

As the indentation on the pillar grew larger, a thick, silvery liquid gradually seeped out.

Zhao Yi: "What kind of material is this?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's a type of metal."

Zhao Yi: "Metal?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "The purity is very high."

Zhao Yi: "It changed color."

The thick, silvery liquid immediately turned red and black after it flowed onto the ground.

Li Zhuiyuan: "It cannot exist normally in nature."

"Interesting. It's different from some of the special materials I've encountered before." Zhao Yi's fingertips continued to pinch, and the dark red hard lump began to change again. "It's very sensitive, hiss..."

Zhao Yi released his grip, and the hard lump fell to the ground. A crack appeared on the skin of Zhao Yi's palm.

It looks like a burn, and also like frostbite.

Zhao Yi: "It hurts a lot."

You should know that Zhao Yi is wearing a dragon skin.

It possesses extraordinary resilience; to exaggerate, it could be described as "impervious to water and fire," yet it still couldn't stop this.

Li Zhuiyuan: "What if you immersed your whole body in this substance?"

Zhao Yi: "It's hard to imagine. He would go crazy, he would commit suicide."

Li Zhuiyuan: "The cells below should be filled with this kind of thing; it's a water prison in its liquid state."

Zhao Yi: "That's truly a devil."

Li Zhuiyuan: "The purpose of this project is to find it."

Zhao Yi: "I see."

After counting the number of pillars here, if all the pillars were made of this material, it would already be a huge amount, but this is likely just the tip of the iceberg.

Considering the transportation conditions and costs in ancient times, apart from unified dynasties that could collect materials from all directions to build a large building, most local "wonder" could only be built using local materials.

Zhao Yi: "There must be a vein for this stuff down here."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, we came here specifically for this mine."

"Crash!"

Runsheng withdrew his punch, and then Chen Jing used his claw to completely "crack" the pillar.

It pours out like water, and is hollow inside, like a large well.

The reason Zhao Yi hadn't noticed the problem before was because it had used the simplest method to hide it: sealing it with thick materials.

There are no mechanisms or formations; it is simple and unadorned.

Zhao Yi: "Go down?"

Li Zhuiyuan turned around and looked at the knife.

Zhao Yi: "That's not urgent. I think the important things are more important."

It wasn't that Zhao Yi was feigning humility or putting on airs; he knew that the man surnamed Li was currently in a certain urgency, and if he were in Li's shoes, he would feel the same way.

The sooner we achieve our goal, the less pressure those outside will face, and the fewer people will die. Li Zhuiyuan: "First, let me seal this knife for you and remove it."

Zhao Yi: "What's wrong?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "We have to go through the procedures."

Zhao Yi: "I'm a little panicked."

Li Zhuiyuan walked back and, through the red thread, transmitted the array diagram design for the knife to Tan Wenbin and the other two.

The three immediately began making arrangements.

Fortunately, they encountered Wen Xinhe and Cao Liwen's group on the way here. As martial arts practitioners who were able to enter and leave this place, they were allowed to carry their own items.

Picking up their bags was a real lifesaver.

Li Zhuiyuan is skilled in many instant-cast formations, but most of them are used for real-time combat.

To completely seal this sword, a physical array must be set up in conjunction with it; otherwise, it will become a piecemeal tactic like before, where neither side can do anything to the other.

Zhao Yi followed and asked in a low voice, "How about you seal this sword here, and I'll take some men down to scout ahead?"

In such a place, dividing forces is a major taboo.

But if the team that's split off is led by Zhao Yi...

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Okay."

Zhao Yi waved his hand, signaling his men to follow him.

As long as the price is high enough, there's no need to worry about initiative.

In my grandfather's words: As long as you feed them enough good fodder, a good mule will find the millstone to pull on its own.

Zhao Yi led his men and crawled down between the pillars.

Runsheng finished setting up his part first, and his gaze fell on the suit of armor.

Li Zhuiyuan was also staring at the armor.

The boy had just tried various methods to explore the inside of the armor, but all his efforts were in vain, and he received no feedback whatsoever.

It wasn't that the probe was swallowed up, but rather that after entering, it was as if it had entered a vast and boundless expanse.

Just like when you want to test the composition of a sample, you drop a drop of medicine into it and observe the changes, which is a perfectly normal operation.

But what if the samples are in barrels, jars, or even ponds or lakes?

This was Li Zhuiyuan's true feeling when he examined the armor: even if you poured the whole bottle of potion in, it would be diluted instantly.

“Brother Runsheng, I can’t take this armor out, or even if I could, I wouldn’t dare let you wear it.”

"Ah."

Runsheng nodded. If Xiaoyuan said we can't take it, then we can't take it. There's nothing to be disappointed about.

"Brother Runsheng, how much material is left over there?"

Runsheng immediately went to check, and after deducting the amount that Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou would need next, there wasn't much left.

"That's enough, Runsheng. Help me set up another formation in front of the armor."

"it is good."

Runsheng began making arrangements.

This formation is very simple; its function is merely to amplify the effects of feng shui techniques.

Li Zhuiyuan was still determined to examine the armor one more time. Since the traditional method of applying medicine didn't work, he decided to blow air into it.

The boy made a grasping motion with his hands, analyzing the surrounding feng shui and weather. A malevolent dragon appeared, stirring up the waves.

A strong wind arose within the extremely narrow area centered on where Li Zhuiyuan was standing.

The boy's clothes rustled in the wind, and his hair was blown up and spread out.

Once the amplification formation was activated, the wind intensified further, and Li Zhuiyuan felt as if he was about to be blown over.

The boy clasped his hands together, pressed his two index fingers together, and pointed forward.

All the winds flowed into this suit of armor that rested on the throne.

In an instant, the boy's place became calm and peaceful.

Li Zhuiyuan stood there, eyes closed, waiting quietly and sensing silently.

There seemed to be nothing unusual, neither the armor in front of them nor the surrounding environment.

Until... the tip of the boy's hair twitched slightly.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes.

It was a barely perceptible wisp of wind, but he was certain it was a remnant of the feng shui energy he had just extracted.

He had infused the swift wind into his armor, but its residue remained in the banquet hall.

This indicates that the armor represents this Goguryeo tomb, and the two are related.

All his previous investigations, which seemed to focus on the armor, were actually scattered throughout the entire tomb.

"This armor is the embodiment of the heritage of this ancient burial site, representing the... rules here."

In the terminology of battle formations, it is called the "eye of the formation".

Therefore, this set of armor cannot be taken away unless Li Zhuiyuan can move the entire ancient burial site to Nantong.

However, Li Zhuiyuan now has a new question:
If this sword will spontaneously slash at anything hostile to this place, what are the rules governing this suit of armor?

"Brother Xiaoyuan, everything's set up here."

"Well, I'm here."

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to the knife, spread his hands, and the evil dragon reappeared, helping the boy activate the formation.

Perhaps because it had just returned from Zhao Yi's place, the evil dragon was extremely eager to show off, wanting to demonstrate its unwavering loyalty.

With it, almost all of Li Zhuiyuan's operations became much easier and simpler.

With the formation activated, the sword remained in a state of being sheathed by Zhao Yi's blood, essentially passively enduring the seal from Li Zhuiyuan.

But as the seal on the boy continued to accumulate and deepen, the knife began to instinctively rebel.

The sense of separation reappeared, but this time the boy's arms remained unchanged; the cracks appeared on the array materials on the ground.

To speed up the process, Li Zhuiyuan bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence. The evil dragon caught it with its body, its body turning red and its aura increasing.

The scabbard trembled violently, making several "click" sounds as the sword tried to be drawn, but Li Zhuiyuan forcibly pushed it back down each time.

If its owner were present, it would be incredibly terrifying in his hands. But since its owner wasn't home, no matter how unwilling it was, it could only end up being bullied by the boy.

The trembling of the scabbard subsided, and just as Li Zhuiyuan thought the seal could proceed to its final stage, an invisible blade intent suddenly slashed at him.

With no way to avoid it, the blow struck directly into Li Zhuiyuan's mind.

This knife is showing Li Zhuiyuan the evil spirits it has slain in the past.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan was in the same position as those evil spirits, being repeatedly slashed and killed by them.

These are waves of despair and terror, enough to destroy a person's mind.

However, after overcoming the initial discomfort, Li Zhuiyuan quickly regained his composure, and the boy's eyes gradually turned cold.

An invisible blade is indeed more terrifying than a tangible one, but it had no effect on Li Zhuiyuan.

In the desert, no matter how much wind blows, rains, lightning flashes, or thunder roars, in the end it's all just a waste of time and energy.

Moreover, Li Zhuiyuan was even able to calm down and observe what kind of evil spirits this knife had slain.

The vast majority are not evil spirits in the traditional sense, but are human-centered. Of course, when people go astray, they can also be called evil spirits.

The scene flashed by like a fleeting moment; ignoring the negative effects, it moved so fast that Li Zhuiyuan was starting to experience aesthetic fatigue.

Because Li Zhuiyuan and the murdered "evil spirit" share the same perspective, he can see the victim's hands, feet, clothes, beard, etc., but he cannot see the victim's face.

In that case, you can't try to compare the murdered person with historical figures who have left their mark, which would seem... very boring.

Until he saw a person whose distinguishing feature was that the person had very long fingers.

This slenderness is not innate. Li Zhuiyuan's fingers will most likely have the same characteristics as this person in the future. It is the result of long-term, ingenious arrangement and control of feng shui.

This person was struck dead.

Logically, it should be time to replace someone else.

But in the next scene, this same person is still struck dead.

In the next scene, he's still being hacked at.

It's like a scene that's been edited countless times; in any case, during this phase, it's all about hacking at him.

This person was repeatedly cut in half at the waist, sliced ​​horizontally, and beheaded... killed from various angles and in various ways.

The fact that they keep killing him next time only proves that he wasn't truly killed last time.

Li Zhuiyuan guessed who he was.

A person who has long sought death is unlikely to be killed.

The person who came to this Goguryeo tomb did so to seek death.

The tomb owner tried many times, but could never actually kill the person.

Until, suddenly the art style changed.

The knife, which should have been swift as the wind, no longer aimed for a fatal blow; instead, it sliced ​​a roast duck... a process that could be described as slow slicing.

Pieces of flesh were shaved off, interspersed with bone removal.

From Li Zhuiyuan's perspective, there is only "himself" and that knife; everything else is darkness.

He couldn't see what the tomb owner was doing at the time, but during this process, he could already guess what the tomb owner was doing.

The blade, which should have been cold, was now burning hot, as if it had been roasted in hot coals and was now coated with heat.

Therefore, the charcoal marks behind the throne and the pile of bone fragments did not indicate that Wei Zhengdao ate the tomb owner.

Instead, it was because the tomb owner, after failing to kill Wei Zhengdao in his repeated attempts, became enraged and chose the most extreme method of killing him.

It shaved Wei Zhengdao's flesh and bones, roasted him, and ate him.

Moreover, they didn't even let go of Wei Zhengdao's bone fragments; they chewed and crushed every single one, consuming every last bit of bone!
Therefore, leaving bone fragments and barbecue marks behind the throne without cleaning them was a way for the tomb owner to flaunt his wealth, a collection he felt he could be proud of.

The problem is, if the tomb owner ate Wei Zhengdao, then why was it the tomb owner who ultimately lost his physical body?

Wei Zhengdao is not dead.
He was resurrected inside the tomb's occupant?

(End of this chapter)