Oh no! I've been reincarnated as a corpse!

Lu You felt a surge of bloodlust within him and began to panic.

What's going on?

Am I really a zombie?

They want to eat people and drink their blood?

No!

He desperately suppressed the impulse, feeling like a person who hadn't eaten for three days standing in front of a barbecue stand, with reason and instinct fighting fiercely in his mind.

On one hand, there's the argument, "You're human, you can't eat people," and on the other hand, there's the argument, "But they smell really good."

Even from nearly a hundred meters away, Lu You could clearly hear the three people's conversation.

He discovered that his hearing seemed to have improved as well, and he could hear things clearly even from a great distance.

Standing in the middle was a tall, thin young man holding a compass.

He said, "Junior brothers and sisters, always be aware of the flow of Yin energy. This place has just experienced a great battle in the mortal realm and is close to the Yin realm, so corpse demons should have already been born here."

On the left was a fair-skinned, short young woman who pouted and said casually, "Don't worry, Senior Brother Wang. It's only been such a short time since the great battle. Even if there are newly born corpse demons, they'll only be at the level of living corpses at most. They won't be able to cause any trouble."

"You're experienced, so you'll be fine, but since this is Junior Brother Li's first time out here, you'll need to take extra care of him."

As he spoke, Senior Brother Wang looked at the boy on the other side.

The boy looked nervous, glancing around with wide, staring eyes.

Noticing his senior brother's gaze, he quickly straightened his back, his voice trembling, "Don't worry, senior brother, I'll be careful!"

Senior Brother Wang nodded: "Yes, the level of the corpse demons here isn't high, which is perfect for crafting your first corpse puppet. Our White Cloud Temple's corpse control techniques are unparalleled within a thousand miles. Have you been practicing diligently?"

Junior Brother Li nodded hurriedly, like a chicken pecking at rice: "I have thoroughly mastered the methods of controlling and driving corpses!"

The woman beside him chuckled and said, "Then I'll find you a better quality corpse later, so you'll look good when you take it out."

Junior Brother Li's lips twitched, his smile freezing on his face: "...Thank you, Senior Sister."

Hearing the conversation between the three from a distance, Lu You felt a chill run down his spine.

Judging from this, are they cultivators?

The kind that can control corpses?

If I were a normal person, I would definitely be very excited to encounter a cultivator.

This is a stroke of luck!

Perhaps I could be accepted as a disciple, and from then on, I could fly on a sword, ride the clouds, and reach the pinnacle of life.

But the problem is, he seems to be a corpse too, doesn't he?

So, do I belong to the category of those who are being controlled?

And since they have the ability to control corpses, they should also have the ability to process corpse materials, right?

I don't even know if I'm material for refining corpses or for creating corpse puppets? Am I considered a high-quality resource or just scrap?

Lu Youren was completely numb.

No, I have to get out of here!

Although the three of them didn't head in his direction, they were closer than before. If he ran now, he would definitely be discovered, and he would probably be turned into a corpse puppet on the spot.

Let's talk about it after they've gone a bit further away.

Please don't find me... please don't find me...

Lu You was so nervous that she forgot to breathe.

Oh right, he doesn't need to breathe anyway.

Just then, the three of them suddenly stopped.

Senior Brother Wang glanced down at the compass, raising an eyebrow slightly: "The yin energy here is a bit heavy; there should be some goods nearby."

Lu You's heart skipped a beat.

Holy crap?

Could they have spotted me?

Don't come any closer!

I really am just a harmless little corpse!

Lu You was nervous, her muscles tense, ready to turn and run at any moment.

If the three people came in his direction, he would immediately take off running.

However, the next moment, a low growl rang out.

About twenty meters away from the three people, a corpse that had been lying upright and looked harmless suddenly stood up straight.

The posture was as if he had been lifted off the ground by an invisible hand.

Lu You's wide eyes showed astonishment.

Are there other corpses that have come back to life?

So it seems I'm not the only one who's come back to life?

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the corpse's skin peel off piece by piece, falling down like cracked plaster on a wall, revealing the hideous flesh beneath.

The dark red muscle texture was clearly visible, and the blood vessels writhed on the surface like earthworms, pulsating and making one's scalp tingle.

Immediately afterwards, the joints of the corpse made a "crackling" twisting sound, as if someone was twisting a giant twisted rope.

The original human-shaped body was forcibly twisted into a bizarre posture of crawling on all fours in the shadows, with the spine bent at an angle that a normal human could never achieve.

This is not over yet.

Its flesh continued to writhe, and its muscle mass swelled up like fermenting dough. With two "plop" sounds, two fleshy tentacles emerged from its back.

The tentacles, still covered in viscous fluid, flared wildly in the air like two underdeveloped arms, their ends opening and closing.

In the span of a single breath, the corpse transformed into a grotesque, fleshy monster.

After watching the entire scene, Lu You's mind went blank.

Ah? ?

How did a perfectly healthy corpse suddenly turn into this grotesque state?

Most importantly, he realized that he was also a corpse.

Could he become like that too?

No! I don't want to become this ugly!

Lu You felt that being resurrected was actually a good thing.

Although he had become a corpse, at least he still looked like a human being.

He can run and jump, and apart from having a hole in his chest, he doesn't look much different from an ordinary person.

Now it seems that this may not necessarily be a good thing.

First, there was a craving for fresh flesh and blood, and now there's even the possibility of turning into this monstrous form that drives people crazy with their sanity.

Lu Youxin felt utterly heartbroken.

While Lu You was overwhelmed with inner turmoil, the three young people's eyes lit up.

Senior Brother Wang's lips curled into a satisfied smile as he chuckled, "Very strong Yin energy, a decent quality corpse demon. Junior Brother Li, how about this one?"

Junior Brother Li's eyes lit up, as if he were looking at a toy he had longed for, and he nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I think it's pretty good, the tentacles look very flexible, hehe."

"Let's begin then."

The young woman patted the gray-white bag at her waist.

The bag looked like it was made of some kind of leather, with intricate and strange patterns embroidered on its surface, and a faint shimmering light emanating from it.

The bag was opened, and a gray shadow rushed out.

The gray shadow grew larger and larger in the air, and when it landed, it had transformed into a ferocious monster.

This monster is somewhat similar to a corpse demon, but its skin is covered with grayish-white bone fragments, as if it were wearing a tailor-made bone armor. It also has several sharp bone spurs growing on its back, which gleam coldly under the gloomy sky.

After the monster appeared, the young woman waved the flag in her hand, and wisps of gray light emanated from the flag.

The next moment, the bone monster let out a low growl, its four legs slamming into the ground, and it crushed the corpse demon like an out-of-control tank.

The Corpse Demon was not to be outdone, roaring repeatedly as it charged forward, its limbs braced against the ground.

The two ferocious monsters collided with a muffled "bang," and the ground seemed to tremble.

Upon impact, the Corpse Demon was forced to retreat repeatedly by the bone-shard monster.

The body covered by those bone fragments was ridiculously hard; the corpse demon's claws and teeth could only leave shallow white marks on it, unable to even break through its defenses.

Each attack from the bone monster tore a gash in the corpse demon's body, causing dark red blood to gush out and stain the black mud even deeper.

The Corpse Fiend roared incessantly, its voice filled with anger and resentment, but its body was uncontrollably forced to retreat, completely suppressed.

Senior Brother Wang commented with a smile, "Junior Sister Qin, your corpse puppet is getting stronger and stronger. It shouldn't be long before it reaches the Iron Corpse level, right?"

Junior Sister Qin raised her chin slightly, revealing a hint of pride: "Once I break through, the corpse puppet can naturally level up as well. Senior Brother, you should be close to Foundation Establishment soon, right?"

Senior Brother Wang's smile faltered, and he said with a wry smile, "It's not that simple. Although I have reached the peak of Qi Refining, I still haven't gathered all the materials needed for Foundation Establishment. I'm still missing several."

Junior Brother Li suddenly realized, "Senior Brother, did Master leave during this time to search for items to help you establish your foundation?"

Senior Brother Wang nodded: "That's right. Master has treated me well."

Then his expression turned serious, and he suddenly spoke up to remind her, "Junior Sister Qin, go easy on him, don't damage this excellent corpse spirit. Junior Brother Li is refining a corpse puppet for the first time, so better materials will increase his success rate."

Junior Sister Qin hummed in agreement, waving the flag in her hand while making hand seals with her other hand.

Soon, the Corpse Demon was pinned down by the Bone Fragment Monster, its sharp claws piercing its body and pinning it to the ground, making it difficult to move no matter how much it struggled.

Senior Brother Wang nodded in satisfaction: "Junior Brother Li, let's begin."

Junior Brother Li took a deep breath, stepped forward, and formed hand seals, preparing to unleash his corpse-controlling technique.

Looking at the suppressed corpse demon from afar, and then at Junior Brother Li who was preparing to subdue it, Lu You felt a little more relaxed.

If you control that corpse demon, you can't control me, right?

These three came here to find a corpse puppet for Junior Brother Li. They should leave after they've subdued it, right?

Then he can slip away, find a secluded place to hide, and properly investigate his own situation.

This place is too dangerous!

Just as Lu You relaxed slightly, he suddenly felt a slight vibration below him.

He was a little confused, but dared not move for fear of being discovered.

Then, he felt his body rising up little by little.

Hmm? Is it just my imagination?

Lu You was a little confused, but he soon realized that this was not an illusion.

Because his gaze was getting higher and higher.

Lu You: "???"

Wait, what happened? I was lying down perfectly fine, how did I suddenly ascend to heaven?

Before he could react, a low growl came from beneath him.

The sound was deep and muffled, as if it came from the depths of the earth.

Immediately afterwards, he felt the corpses beneath him begin to wriggle, as if something was burrowing under their skin, searching for an exit.

The skin of these corpses constantly oozed a reddish-brown mucus, as thick as expired syrup.

The muscle tissue clung together limply like a melting candle, and the bones made a "crackling" sound as they reformed, a sound that made your teeth ache.

Even more terrifying, two hands grew from the top of the fused body's head, grabbing Lu You's arm with astonishing strength, trying to press him into that writhing mass of flesh.

Lu Youren was completely numb.

Hey, don't include me in this, I'm not the eldest brother!

I'm not that close to you guys, and I don't want to be with you guys forever!

Can't you have a little bit of a sense of boundaries?!