Starting with the consumables of the Demonic Sect, one can barely achieve immortality.

After Wang Qing's matter came to a close, Yan Cheng organized the information he currently possessed and gained a new understanding of the matter of the dead coming back to life.

The [Whispering Bell] in the hands of the Lord of the Hall of Longevity has yet to demonstrate its miraculous ability to reunite the souls that have dissipated after death.

That makes sense; if this bell were truly so wondrous, it would be far more than just a magical artifact.

It is probably comparable to the legendary ancient artifacts of the immortals.

Whenever someone dies within the range of the Whispering Bell, their departed soul will be drawn to it, either stored within the bell for later use or transformed into a dense fog.

When the corpse cultivators died in the hall, Yan Cheng clearly saw their souls being drawn away by the large bell high on the roof.

If the deceased is fortunate enough to be spotted by Huang Tong and have his body snatched away by shaking the Soul-Capturing Bell, then his soul will be collected into the golden bell.

Although for the deceased himself, it seems that there is no difference.

As for the group of corpse cultivators, including Yan Cheng, they had never actually experienced the process of having their souls collected by the Great Bell.

The mountain village where everyone was located was clearly not within the scope of the Whispering Bell's effect.

After a person dies, their lingering soul remains within the body for up to seven days.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the cultivators of the Hall of Longevity ordered someone to send the deceased to the mountain, and then used the "Secret Method of the Yin Ghost Carrying the Coffin" to awaken the remnant soul from the body.

Therefore, in theory, all corpse cultivators are people who have died once, and in fact, their souls are incomplete.

The only exception was Yan Cheng, who for some unknown reason replaced the original body's remnant soul and took over the current physical body.

The "Secret Method of Carrying the Coffin by Ghosts" definitely made use of the wonders of the Whispering Bell.

However, the various subtle operations involved were beyond Yan Cheng's comprehension, let alone his guessing or even his imagination, as he was not a cultivator of the Netherworld.

His only understanding of the soul came entirely from Tian Tong's usual classroom lectures, and at this moment he could only make judgments based on his limited knowledge:

"After a corpse cultivator dies, their soul seems to remain within the body for a considerable period of time."

"In the hall, the high-ranking cultivators won't let go of the raw materials laid out before them. The moment a corpse cultivator dies, their soul is immediately taken away."

"But what if these guys in front of us are the ones who died in the Moon-Sheltering Palace after the Whispering Bell was taken?"

Their souls will remain within their corpses, nourished by the yin energy within them, and thus endure for a long time.

"Conversely, what benefit would the ancient cultivators gain from keeping these guys' souls alive?"

"We can't just let them continue cultivating and producing malevolent energy in this half-dead state..."

A chill ran through Yan Cheng's heart; he suddenly realized that the possibility was actually quite high.

Ultimately, even if the ancient cultivators' bottom line wasn't as low as that of today's immortal sects, they were still originally from the Northern Territory.

As cultivators from the Northern Territory, their inherent disregard for life and ruthless decisiveness are indelible.

It could even be said that the reason why the Immortal Sect has been able to "reach a higher level" on the basis of the ancient path is inseparable from the atmosphere established by these ancient cultivators!

"The fact that these guys' souls weren't taken away is really unlike the way cultivators from the Northern Territory operate."

"It's almost like... luring newcomers to steal their souls!"

Although Yan Cheng couldn't understand the specific situation at present.

However, the intuition he had cultivated during his six months in the palace made him keenly aware that this was a hook.

Hooks prepared for Netherworld cultivators who step into this place!

A thought suddenly popped into his mind:

"The Silk Weaver...has she been here before?"

"The corpse-raising women feed on souls and yang energy; this sea of ​​coffins is practically an inexhaustible food source for them!"

He remained calm and walked slowly forward.

Having received the warning, Deng Jian and Pei Yi followed him even more cautiously.

The two of them already knew that Yan Cheng's knowledge and insights were far superior to theirs.

Since you've decided to follow in the other's footsteps, you should naturally trust their judgment; otherwise, why follow them?

Even if they knew that Yan Cheng might use them as substitutes for Jie at a crucial moment.

The two of them didn't have any good ideas at the moment!

Yan Cheng, who was walking ahead, had no time to pay attention to the two of them; his gaze grew increasingly gloomy.

"They all have souls..."

"That guy... he probably never came here before."

"Could this not be the correct path to the Moon-Hidden Palace?"

Or perhaps, after arriving here, she obtained some fortuitous opportunity, allowing her to survive for a full six months without consuming souls…

Just then, Pei Yi let out a soft "Eh!" and quickly ran forward, showing Yan Cheng a raven feather she was holding:

"Does Senior Brother remember this item?"

Seemingly having some vague suspicions in her mind, Pei Yi's expression appeared somewhat stiff:

"On the hillside outside the morgue, there we saw before..."

Yan Cheng naturally knew what this was.

Fog crows fly!

Like the crow feathers seen outside the morgue, this object has lost its spirituality and seems to be a remnant left behind by someone using a magic trick.

As for who this "someone" is, Yan Cheng thought and thought and could only come up with one candidate:

"Huang Tong..."

"Has she been here before?"

Based on his understanding of Huang Tong, he simply couldn't believe that the other party would just watch so many souls remain in the coffin without taking them.

Either she had already plundered as much as possible, to the point that even the Soul-Capturing Bell could not tolerate it.

Either she knew that coveting the souls in this place would only lead to a greater crisis!

Thinking of this, Yan Cheng felt somewhat relieved.

If the traps here are set for Netherworld cultivators who can collect and utilize souls, then it has nothing to do with him.

Moreover, as far as he could see, the stone coffins containing the corpses in the surrounding area had not been deliberately concealed.

Aside from the theoretical possibility of them coming back to life, there's nothing to worry about...

What he saw before him made him stop in his tracks.

There were no tombstones amidst the sea of ​​coffins. Only ten steps away, on the spot where there were no coffins, stood a stone tablet over three zhang tall without any inscription, surrounded by mist, like green smoke rising from incense.

It was as if they were offering a sacrifice to the figure of the silk weaver who had been pierced through the heart by a sword and nailed to the monument.

At this moment, Deng Jian and Pei Yi had clearly seen the situation under the stele and stopped in their tracks.

Yan Cheng stood there, his back to the two of them, his expression unreadable.

After a long while, he suddenly stepped forward and drew his long sword.

The silk weaver's body slowly slid down the tombstone, revealing the upper half of her face, which was completely bare under her hood.

Deng Jian and Pei Yi both exclaimed in unison, thinking of the Holy Maiden who always wore a hood and concealed her face. Their exceptionally sharp minds, as disciples of the Immortal Sect, began to work at high speed.

The two knew nothing of the weaver's secrets, nor did they understand why Yan Cheng was so silent at this moment. They only heard Yan Cheng say softly:

"When Huang Tong came back last time, he probably stopped here."

"It seems that she had already followed the Weaver Girl here long before the palace summoned us to explore the Moon-Covering Palace."

"With the Unstable Mist surrounding her, she could easily find her way through the sea of ​​mist and arrive at the foot of this wordless stele."

"But for some reason, we never continued exploring."

"What is the reason for this?"