I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 148 Destroy the Corpse Refining Hall and the Underground Shrine!
The raging fire on Dayin Mountain continued to burn for two full days and two nights.

The shouting, screaming, and fighting inside lasted for two days and two nights.

It wasn't until the early morning of the third day that a thunderstorm extinguished the raging fire that covered an area of ​​more than ten miles. Corpses littered the mountains and plains, turning the river in the valley red.

The strong smell of blood filled the entire valley, making people feel sick.

Countless houses were burned down, ancient pagodas collapsed, and there was hardly a single intact house to be found. Everywhere you looked, there were ruins, bloodstained and grime.

The yamen runners and soldiers from the garrison were collecting the bodies in the rain.

These yamen runners were not the ones who surrounded the village, but new arrivals.

The reason for this is simply that the previous group of soldiers and yamen runners... were all dead.

Not one was left.

"How tragic. I've been working in the county government for less than half a year. I took leave a while ago and missed the action. Fortunately... thank goodness." A government official used a shovel to dig up the mud and bricks of the collapsed house and dug out a bloody corpse from inside.

The body looked like it had been bitten by a dog, with not a single piece of intact skin on it. One could only vaguely tell from the tattered clothes that it was a yamen runner or constable.

Another yamen runner brought a stretcher and urged, "Don't say that. If Lord Wen hears you, you'll definitely get a beating."

"I've said too much. Lord Wen is said to have fought bravely and was seriously injured. Come on, quickly carry the body away. After confirming his identity, we'll need to notify his family and distribute the gifts. We'll be busy for a while."

Just then, several soldiers in armor came over. "What are you two dawdling about for? Hurry up. We've got orders from above to identify all the deceased within three days. Get to work."

The two yamen runners nodded in agreement and quickly carried the body away.

The soldiers took out shovels and started digging the soil to dig out the bodies, and they couldn't help muttering.

"It was horrific. I've been in the military for over ten years, and I've never witnessed such a brutal battle. Over a thousand elite soldiers from the garrison were killed. Six centurions were killed, and even the captain was seriously injured. They say he lost a hand."

"That's right... but this time it was a great relief. Back then, our garrison sent troops up the mountain many times to suppress the demons, but they were always defeated, with countless casualties. Thousands of soldiers have died here over the past century, and those sacrifices were meaningless. This time, however, was different. Despite the sacrifices, we've wiped out the demons in the Corpse Refining Hall. It's truly satisfying."

"It is said that the person in charge of this operation is the eldest princess of the current dynasty... I don't know if it is true or not."

……

Outside the gate of the Corpse Refining Hall, a large area of ​​tents was set up as a command post and meeting place for the aftermath.

Such a massive operation resulted in countless casualties, and the aftermath required serious attention. The deceased demon-suppressing guards, leaders, soldiers, and yamen runners all needed to be identified, their merits determined, gifts distributed, and their families comforted.

There are still some remnants of the Dayinshan who have escaped and need to be pursued and hunted down.

Chen Tie was in charge of the aftermath work. Zhao Qing'er and Wei Haoran were generally responsible for assisting in the work, while Xie Mingfeng, Wen Zaiqing and Liu Chun were responsible for the specific implementation.

However, Zhao Qing'er and Wei Haoran were both rough men, careless when doing delicate work, and full of loopholes, so they were sent out early to hunt down the remaining criminals. Wen Zaiqing still did most of the inventory and record-keeping work.

"Master Chen, we've roughly compiled the casualties." Wen Zaiqing handed a list to Chen Tie. "One hundred and eight yamen runners died, one thousand and twenty-six garrison soldiers died. The Nanyang Demon Suppression Division's Demon Suppression Guards... died ninety-three."

Chen Tiegang took the list, but before he could open it, his hands trembled and his face turned pale.

This time, Li Chaosheng assigned a hundred elite demon-suppressing guards to Chen Tie to suppress the demons in Nanyang. He brought them to Qingwu County to assist the princess, but... almost all of them died.

It was extremely tragic.

Chen Tie couldn't bear to open the list and look at the familiar names. "Have the identities of the deceased been verified?"

Wen Zaiqing, his body wrapped in bandages, folded his hands and said, "Most of them have been confirmed, but the bodies of more than 70 people are so disfigured that they cannot be identified. The bodies of more than 30 people have not been found."

Chen Tiedao said, "Then we will first transport the deceased whose identities have been confirmed down the mountain and distribute the gifts according to the rules, doubling the amount. As for those whose bodies cannot be identified... I will report to the Lord and then make a decision. As for those whose bodies cannot be found... we will continue to search."

It is actually easy to deal with if the body cannot be identified.

The hard part is when the body can't be found. It could be dismembered, eaten by the zombies, or... deserted.

In any battle, there will be deserters.

This is not uncommon.

It may implicate the martyrs who died in battle and whose bodies are nowhere to be found.

"Yes."

Wen Zaiqing bowed and left the tent.

Chen Tie held his forehead with one hand and rubbed his temple with the other. After regaining consciousness, he left the tent and walked through the rain to a nearby tent. He bowed and said, "Chen Tie has something important to report."

"Enter."

A very tired female voice came from inside.

After receiving his permission, Chen Tie opened the door and walked in. He saw Su Yuqing, wearing a light blue silk dress, sitting behind a desk, writing on an important case file. Her hair was a little messy as her arm moved the pen.

Chen Tie stopped three meters away from the desk and detailed the casualties. Finally, he said, "Some of the remaining demons fled to the northwest. I have already sent Zhao Qing'er and Wei Haoran to pursue them. They should be fine. However, some demons continued to flee to the southeast and entered the depths of Dayin Mountain. Regarding this matter... I dare not make any rash decisions."

Su Yuqing's hand suddenly stopped writing. "How many demons have entered the depths of Dayin Mountain from the southeast?"

"More than forty crystal corpses. We didn't have enough manpower to stop them at the beginning."

Su Yuqing frowned for a long time. "Since this group of evil spirits has entered the depths of Dayin Mountain, let's give up. Are there any other evil spirits that have escaped?"

Hearing that Su Yuqing had given up, Chen Tie breathed a sigh of relief, "Not yet."

Ok.

Su Yuqing nodded, "Have you found Yuhe and Xie An?"

Chen Tie shook his head. "I've had people digging deep underground to look for it, but they haven't found it yet. Your Highness, don't worry. I've already dispatched some men, and the spirit hounds will be here soon. We'll definitely find it."

Su Yuqing said seriously, "This time, we were able to wipe out the Corpse Refining Hall. Xie An should be credited with the greatest merit, and Yuhe should be second. These two people must not be harmed!"

If others heard this, they would inevitably be shocked or even upset. After all, everyone fought tooth and nail, with heavy casualties. But the credit went to someone else...

However, Chen Tie knew that what Su Yuqing said was true.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. Once the spirit dog arrives, I will personally lead it to search the mountain." Chen Tie bowed and then left the tent.

As soon as Chen Tie left, Su Yuqing began coughing violently. When she wiped the corners of her mouth with her handkerchief, she could see a hint of scarlet on the aqua blue handkerchief. The weariness on her face intensified, and her complexion took on a sickly paleness.

"Yuhe, Xie An..."

"And what about that old thing... Why hasn't he been dug out yet? Could it be that he's not in the Corpse Refining Hall?"

……

However, when Xie An pulled Yuhe into the secret tunnel, he had only taken a few steps when he felt a bone-chilling cold breath sweeping over his body.

Xie An looked back and saw seventy or eighty crystal corpses gathered outside the secret door. They didn't dare to come in and just kept making hoarse roars.

"Damn thief, come out quickly."

"If you disturb the Holy Lord's rest, you will die a miserable death."

"Get out here and we can let you go."

"I can't just let you go, come out now!"

Hearing the crystal corpse say this, Xie An was shocked.

In order to prevent me from disturbing some Holy Lord, are you willing to let me go?
But Xie An was no fool, so he naturally wouldn't choose to trust the crystal corpse. Once he ran out, his life and death would really be in the hands of the crystal corpse. How could the crystal corpse let him go?

Yu He was also obviously stunned by what the crystal corpse said, but Xie An held her hand tightly and continued to walk down the stairs, "Don't believe them, let's go."

Yuhe finally came to her senses, said "hmm" heavily, and followed Xie An forward.

Behind him, the crystal corpses roared furiously, but none dared to come down. Then, these crystal corpses smashed the ancestral hall crazily, soon shaking the beams and causing the entire hall to collapse...

Boom!

A large amount of dust rushed in through the secret door, causing the entrance to collapse and countless rubble to fall. Xie An and the other man immediately ran forward, and only after turning five or six corners did they escape.

Even so, the two of them were covered in dust. The original light was completely dimmed.

The loud noise made Yuhe's heart beat wildly. "Master, the exit has collapsed, and it looks like the collapse distance is probably over a hundred meters..."

If the blockage is not far away, Xie An and Yuhe can still send out a cry for help.

But the traffic was blocked for a hundred meters and there was no way to get the message out.

Xie An comforted him, "This isn't entirely a bad thing. At least don't beware of the crystal corpse rushing in madly. Do you have a fire starter?" "Yes."

Yuhe took out a tinderbox, blew it up, and used the dim light to illuminate the surroundings.

Xie Anyun looked around with all his eyesight.

This was a very narrow passage, with only one staircase winding down. On either side were damp stone walls, but the steps on the ground were cut very smoothly.

"Shine the tinder here."

Xie An squatted on the ground to check. Yu He didn't understand why, but she still squatted down and moved the tinderbox in front of Xie An. "Master, what are you looking at?"

Xie An reached out to touch the dust on the ground. "Look at the dust on the ground. There are footprints. Look at the direction of the footprints. Someone has been there."

Yu He took a closer look and said, "That's true. Judging from these footprints, three people must have been here. One is from an adult woman, and it looks like an embroidered shoe. The other is from a child... also a woman's shoe..."

Midway through her words, Yu He suddenly thought of something and exclaimed, "These two footprints... belong to the high priest."

Xie An was stunned. "High Priest?"

Yuhe said, "Yes. The high priestess used to be a hunched old woman who wore embroidered shoes. Later, she practiced Mingyu Gong with Li Changchun and regained her youth. She turned into a little girl and also wore embroidered shoes. These two shoe prints... match."

Xie An's thoughts became clearer and clearer. He walked forward with his head down, carefully examining the shoe prints. When he came across a relatively complete shoe print, he would stop and examine it carefully. "What about the other shoe print?"

Yuhe said, "It should be Li Changchun's. He's a tall boy who likes to wear boots. It makes sense."

Xie An nodded slightly, summarizing the above information in his mind:
"So, Li Changchun and the high priest have both been here. And the footprints are very messy, which shows that they have been here many times...quite often."

"That should be the case. However, this is a forbidden area. I can't enter normally. I don't know if the high priest and Li Changchun have hidden a secret door here, and I don't know what they are doing here."

Xie An was not surprised by this answer.

The Corpse Refining Hall, disregarding their own survival, had been plotting a century-long secret. Naturally, no one else would know. Perhaps only Su Yuqing knew something.

Xie An said nothing more and continued walking down.

Yuhe was obviously a little scared, but she still plucked up her courage and walked in front of Xie An, saying "Don't be afraid, sir" many times.

Looking at the little girl like this, Xie An felt very warm in his heart.

Perhaps this is the only bit of warmth we feel in such a strange place.

The two of them continued down, climbing countless steps, but still couldn't see the bottom. Instead, the stone walls on both sides became increasingly damp, with some groundwater flowing down the stone walls, dripping onto the ground with a "tick-tick" sound.

Xie An estimated that they must be nearing an underground river or a spring. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so much water.

After walking a few hundred meters, the surrounding space became noticeably larger.

There was a sound of "gurgling" water ahead.

As I walked, I reached the bottom of the stairs.

Yuhe held up the tinder high and walked ahead to explore the way. "Master, look, there is light ahead."

Xie An turned a corner and saw a blue-green light coming out from the corner ahead.

The blue-green light...it's very creepy to look at.

However, Xie An had no way to retreat, so he could only bite the bullet and move forward. "Let's go and take a look."

This time, Xie An refused Yu He's request to walk ahead and explore the way. Instead, he drew his sword and walked side by side with Yu He. He activated his extraordinary five senses and was alert to any movement around him.

Knowing the strangeness of the blue-green light, Xie An even increased the force of his Chongshan Knife, ready to strike at any time.

Yuhe also realized that something was wrong. She held a fire starter in one hand and a sword paper in the other, ready to attack at any time.

Da da da.

In the quiet cave, only the sound of two people's light footsteps could be heard.

It is cold and damp here, and the temperature is frighteningly low.

Finally, the two of them turned the corner of the passage and saw the scene ahead:

This is a large underground cave. Countless blue and green bell stones hang down from the stone wall above, shining brightly. The light is emitted from these stones.

Directly below the cliff lay a vast, cold pond, roughly four hundred meters in radius. The water was chilly, emitting a bone-chilling chill. Across from the pond, a house carved from ice stood.

Calling it a house isn't quite right; it's more like a temple. Or perhaps something like the tombs in western Hunan that Xie An saw in his previous life: a square pavilion is built, with the tomb placed underneath, providing shelter from the wind and rain. If it rains during the Qingming Festival, it's also convenient for burning paper money.

Xie An had excellent eyesight and saw a two-meter-high shrine in the temple.

Moreover, the white talisman in Xie An's mind actually vibrated and emitted white light, causing Xie An to sense that there were still several hundred strands of immortal energy gathered in this shrine.

Although Xie An had expected this, he was still shocked when he actually saw this scene.

He roughly estimated that this place was at least three hundred meters deep from the ancestral hall above the ground. The immortal energy in the ancestral hall was actually able to penetrate deep into the ground and nourish the shrine.

The high priest is very generous.

However, the scene here is different from what Xie An had deduced in his mind.

I had assumed the High Priest had collected such a vast amount of Undead Qi to nourish some monster. I didn't expect... it was just to nourish the shrine?
A shrine is a place where a memorial tablet is placed. A memorial tablet is just a dead object; how can it absorb immortal energy?
But... this shrine is a bit too big, two meters high... Xie An has never seen such a big shrine.

Xie An vaguely felt that there was something wrong with this shrine.

At this moment, a gust of cold wind blew, making the fire starter make a "ra ra" sound. Yuhe hurriedly reached out to protect the flame, but it didn't work. The flame went out in a few seconds.

Yuhe was very annoyed. "Master, the temperature here is too low and the air is too thin. The fire is out."

Xie An was relatively calm and didn't panic too much. "There's light here, it's okay. We'll wait here. Your young lady has already taken action, and the people from the Nanyang Demon Suppression Division have also arrived. I believe they will soon clear out the monsters in the Corpse Refining Hall. If they find the secret door, they will come down to find us."

Yuhe readily agreed. She found a dry, flat stone nearby, swept away the dust on it with her sleeve, asked Xie An to sit on it, and then went to check around herself.

Although Xie An wanted to absorb the immortal energy in the shrine, he gave up the idea because of the cold pond and the strangeness of the shrine. He planned to wait here for a day or two to see if he could get help.

Since there was no sun here and it was impossible to distinguish between day and night, Xie An sat down cross-legged and practiced Mingyu Gong.

He roughly knew that circulating the internal heat through the body for one full cycle would take about half a quarter of an hour. Furthermore, he could do two things at once. Thus, he could calculate the time by continuously practicing the Mingyu Gong.

What's more, the temperature here is extremely low, and practicing Mingyu Gong is just the right way to keep out the cold.

A whole day passed without any movement.

cold and hungry.

Xie An's continuous practice of Mingyu Gong consumed a lot of energy and he knew that this was not a solution.

Yuhe had never practiced health-preserving exercises, and her endurance was not as good as Xie An's, and it was even more difficult for her to withstand the low temperature environment here.

I saw Yuhe squatting beside me, shivering.

Xie An couldn't bear to see this.

"Yuhe, come here. Let's sit back to back. This way it's easier to keep warm and your body temperature won't dissipate so quickly."

Yu He was a little shy and embarrassed at first, but after Xie An glared at her, she became obedient. They sat back to back, each circulating their internal heat and inner strength.

The situation has improved.

Another day passed.

Still no movement.

This made Yuhe feel extremely desperate, her eyes were red, "Master... Yuhe is sorry for you, I shouldn't have involved you in this in the first place."

Yuhe has been feeling guilty ever since she was surrounded after smashing the big bronze bell.

Xie An comforted her, "Yuhe, please don't say that. This is my own decision. It's not your fault."

Yuhe wiped her eyes and asked, "What should we do now?"

Xie An weighed the pros and cons for a moment, and a feeling of ruthlessness rose in his heart.

Since there is no way to go, we have to explore the shrine.

(End of this chapter)