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

When Lu You returned to his little nest, it was already dawn.

The eastern hills were dyed orange-red, and sunlight slanted in through the gaps in the tree canopy, casting dappled patterns of light on the fallen leaves.

Only a few stubborn rays of light pierced through the cracks, drawing thin golden lines on the ground.

I was out running around all night, and although I wasn't physically tired, I felt mentally exhausted.

He lay there lazily all day.

When the sky had completely darkened and the moonlight shone into the cave entrance again, Lu You finally got up from the stone bed and stretched.

Time to get down to business.

This time, he planned to visit the Yin Realm near the mass grave to scout out the location and prepare for the breakthrough ceremony.

Under the cover of night, Lu You left Qinglin Mountain and traversed farmland, forests, and wilderness.

The night wind blew across the open field without hindrance, carrying the scent of earth and wild grass, causing his clothes and hair to flutter backward.

He walked back along the road he had taken when he first emerged from the mass grave.

He had walked that road once, and although more than a month had passed, he remembered every landmark on the road clearly.

The old tree that was split in two by lightning, the slope covered with unknown wildflowers, the clean stream, and the boulder that lay on the ground like a tortoise shell.

Soon, the vast, boundless mass grave came into view.

The mass grave under the moonlight was even more eerie than during the day.

The black soil gleamed with an eerie purplish-brown sheen under the silvery light, with scattered bones and broken armor lying everywhere, like trash carelessly discarded.

In the distance, several crows perched on bare branches, their black bean-like eyes gleaming eerily in the night, occasionally letting out a rough, hoarse cry.

Lu You looked at the mass grave, his feelings a mix of emotions.

It's only been a little over a month since I woke up here.

From being completely lost and chased like a stray dog ​​by the cultivators of Baiyun Temple, to now settling down in this world, having his own little home, cultivating top-level techniques, and even emptying the treasure vault of a third-realm demon general.

He felt as if a very long time had passed.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of those jumbled thoughts.

He quickened his pace and stepped into the area of ​​the mass grave.

That dark realm was located on the south side of the mass grave, while he was currently on the north side.

This meant he needed to traverse the entire mass grave, walking from north to south.

Lu You's current strength is more than one level higher than when he first transmigrated.

He was much faster than before, his figure flashing past in the moonlight, as fast as a shadow flying close to the ground.

In just one hour, he traversed the entire mass grave.

He did encounter two corpse demons along the way.

One was a deformed monster with one arm turned into a huge tumor, and the other was a bizarre creature with a row of bone spurs growing on its back and crawling on all fours.

Both corpse demons were wandering aimlessly.

Perhaps because Lu You himself was a corpse, the two corpse demons did not attack him.

After passing through the mass grave, Lu You was met with a thick gray mist.

The gray fog rose from the ground, like a pot of thick soup that never boiled, churning and surging, yet always remaining condensed and undispersed.

The fog stretched to the horizon where visibility was limited, shrouding the entire world in a gray haze.

The moonlight shone on the gray fog, unable to penetrate it, only refracting a strange, pale luster on its surface.

The dense aura of malevolent energy could be felt from a great distance.

The aura was cold and viscous, as if countless invisible hands were reaching out from the gray mist, trying to grab every living being that approached.

The Yin Realm.

Lu You wasn't really clear about the origins of the Yin Domain.

When I eavesdropped on the conversations of cultivators in the cultivator market before, I didn't hear anyone discussing this topic.

Their discussions about the Netherworld mostly stayed at the practical level of "where the Netherworld has expanded" or "what powerful monsters have emerged in which Netherworld?" No one ever talked about why the Netherworld exists or how it was formed.

His understanding of this world of cultivation came entirely from eavesdropping.

Information channels were extremely limited; whatever we heard was what we got.

However, there was one thing he understood: there were quite a few Yin Realms in this world.

The Yin energy spread and grew continuously in the Yin Realm, causing all sorts of chaotic Yin monsters, such as Corpse Fiend and Yin Fiend, to be born there.

For ordinary living beings, the Netherworld is a hellish realm; once you enter, you can forget about coming out alive.

For a living corpse like Lu You, the Netherworld is equally dangerous, but relatively better.

Standing outside the gray fog, Lu You took a deep breath and then stepped inside.

The moment he entered the Yin Domain, he immediately felt a dense, almost tangible, Yin energy surging towards him.

The gray-black air currents seemed to have their own consciousness, converging from all directions, trying to penetrate his body, seep into his skin, and merge into his flesh and blood.

Lu You was startled.

Holy crap?

Why does this malevolent aura feel so eerie?

It's like it has a life of its own?

He instinctively wanted to activate the Yin energy within his body to form a barrier on his body surface, keeping these Yin and evil energies out.

But before he could make a move, the fragments of the Taiyin disc in his sea of ​​consciousness trembled slightly.

The Yin energy that had already seeped into his body was as if it had been grabbed by an invisible hand and instantly absorbed by the Dao Disc.

Immediately afterwards, the malevolent energy carrying eerie consciousness was crushed, decomposed, and transformed by an overwhelming force, turning into strands of extremely pure Yin energy.

Lu You raised an eyebrow, a smile appearing on her lips.

He almost forgot that the fingernail-sized stone fragment in his mind was a manifestation of the Taiyin Fruit.

Before the Taiyin Fruit, this strange Yin energy couldn't cause any trouble at all.

Although Lu You wasn't sure if there would be any side effects after this kind of conscious Yin energy entered his body, he definitely didn't want to try it.

With the help of the Taiyin disc, he no longer needs to worry about this problem.

All the Yin energy that enters his body will be transformed and absorbed immediately, becoming part of his own cultivation.

Lu You continued to venture deeper into the Yin Domain, spreading his divine sense to perceive the surrounding environment.

Surprisingly, the environment in the underworld is actually a bit better than the mass graves.

At least there weren't mutilated corpses everywhere.

Mass graves are places where you can see half a body or a head with its eyes wide open every few steps, which is really not good for mental health.

Although the underworld was desolate enough to send chills down one's spine, at least it was clean.

However, the entire Yin Realm was so desolate that it seemed as if something had drained all life from it.

The ground was grayish-white, like bleached soil, and made a soft rustling sound when stepped on.

There wasn't a single weed, a single tree, or even a patch of moss.

The entire world was gray and white; the sky, the ground, and the distant fog were all shrouded in the same hue, as if it were a black and white world stripped of all color.

This is probably what the world after death looks like.

As Lu You was pondering this, he suddenly heard a noise coming from ahead.

He turned his head and saw a canine monster made entirely of bones staggering out from behind a grayish-white boulder.

Each of its bones emitted a pale white luster, and the joints between the bones were devoid of flesh and tendons, but were purely bound and fixed by wisps of gray-black Yin energy.

Two dark green flames burned in its eye sockets, standing out starkly against the gray and white world, like two will-o'-the-wisps floating in the air.

Lu You gasped.

Is that the White Bone Demon?

It has no flesh and blood, just a bunch of bones, yet this thing can still move?

All I can say is that this is truly the world of cultivation.

The laws of physics are probably just for show here.

Upon seeing Lu You, the green flames in the skeletal monster's eye sockets flickered violently, like two candle flames being blown by the wind.

It opened its white, bony jaws, let out a silent roar, and then charged towards Lu You with all its might.

The skeletal monster was incredibly fast, its silhouette sweeping across the greyish-white ground like a pale shadow.

In just a few breaths, it rushed to Lu You's side.

A forelimb formed from sharp bone claws rose high and viciously grabbed at Lu You's neck.

The tips of the bone claws drew several pale arcs in the gray mist, emitting a faint whooshing sound.

Lu You remained expressionless. Just as the skeletal claws were about to touch his skin, he slightly turned his body, the movement barely enough to let the claws graz his collar.

Then the black iron sword in his hand moved.

A jet-black sword light flashed through the gray mist, so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible.

The sword precisely cleaved through the junction of the skeletal monster's head and cervical vertebrae.

The few wisps of gray-black Yin energy that were wrapped around the bones were instantly severed by the sword light, like silk threads being cut.

The head rolled off the neck, tumbling twice on the ground, the green flames in the eye sockets still flickering.

The skeletal body lost its support and collapsed to the ground with a crash, turning into a lifeless pile of bones.

Lu You glanced down at the white bones on the ground and smiled slightly.

The sparring match I had with Nangong Yi a while ago was definitely worth it.

He has now gained some experience in controlling his strength, the angle of his sword strike, and the timing of his strike.

Although he is still somewhat inferior to those battle-hardened cultivators, at least he is no longer the novice who only relied on brute force and stealth attacks.

Of course, this is also because the skeletal monster itself wasn't considered fast in his eyes.

If it were a monster at the second level, he probably wouldn't be so composed.

However, the next second, Lu You's smile froze.

On the pile of scattered bones, the malevolent energy suddenly began to flow again.

The gray-black air currents, like tiny snakes, meandered among the bones, reconnecting the scattered remains.

The head that had rolled to the ground suddenly flew up and landed steadily back on the cervical spine.

Then, the skeletal monster stood up again as if it had never been injured.

It shook its skeleton, making a rattling sound, and the green flames in its eye sockets reignited, as it pounced on Lu You once more.

Lu You was startled.

How come they're still alive?

How could a severed head be reattached?

Normally, even a zombie would be dead after its head is cut off, right?

He himself was a living corpse, so he knew this all too well.

Although zombies are resilient, they are not so resilient that they can reattach their heads after being severed.

This thing is even harder to kill than a zombie.

However, Lu You quickly noticed a detail.

After standing up again, the green flames in the skeletal monster's eye sockets dimmed slightly compared to before.

Although the dimming was not significant, his eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary people, and he clearly caught that slight change.

Lu You's heart stirred.

Is this guy's flames his true form?

He dodged the skeletal monster's attack again by sidestepping. This time, he didn't use his sword. He clenched his left fist, transferring power from his waist and hips to his shoulder, and then from his shoulder to his arm. His entire arm was like a spring that had been twisted and then suddenly released. He punched the skeletal monster's head.

boom!

A violent force erupted the moment the fist made contact with the bone.

The skeletal monster's head shattered into countless fragments as if a watermelon had been struck by a hammer, with white bone chips flying everywhere.

The dark green flame at the center of the skull was extinguished by the force of the punch, like a candle being stubbed out, leaving not even a wisp of smoke.

The skeletal monster's body collapsed again.

This time, the malevolent energy that had been entwined between the bones also dissipated. The gray-black energy detached from the bones and merged into the surrounding gray mist, like water droplets flowing into a river.

Lu You stared wide-eyed at the pile of white bones on the ground for a long time, afraid that it would piece itself back together again and give him a surprise.

After waiting for a long time, the pile of bones remained completely still.

There was no sign of the Yin energy recovering.

It must be completely dead.

Lu You finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the very least, this thing isn't immortal.

If you can kill them, there's no problem.

It's simply a matter of putting in a little more effort to pinpoint the weaknesses.

He thought for a moment, then bent down and put the pile of bones into his storage bag.

The bones of demonic beasts can be used as materials for refining weapons. Although the quality of the bones of this white-boned monster is unknown, since it can move around in the Yin Domain, it must have been tainted with a lot of Yin energy. It might be worth a few spirit stones.

Even if they can't be sold, they can be used as decorations. Placing them in a cave will create a terrifying atmosphere.

It might give someone a real scare.

Lu You continued walking deeper into the Yin Domain.

There are quite a few monsters in this dark realm.

He hadn't walked far when he encountered several more skeletal monsters.

Some are canine in form, others are cat-like, with slender and agile skeletons, moving even faster than canine skeleton monsters.

There was also a white skeletal python, its body made up of dozens of vertebrae connected together, which slithered across the ground at an astonishing speed and almost managed to sneak up on Lu You from his blind spot.

Besides the skeletal monster, Lu You also saw two corpse demons wandering around.

These two corpse demons had a very peculiar appearance. They crawled on all fours like wild beasts, with their backs arched high and covered with a row of jagged bone spurs.

Their skin has an eerie bluish-gray hue, and its surface is covered with cracked patterns, like a dried-up riverbed.

They moved slowly through the gray fog, their pace leisurely, as if strolling through their own backyard.

Upon seeing Lu You, they were not afraid. They simply raised their twisted and deformed heads, glanced at him, and then continued to wander around.

Lu You was happy to have some free time and just passed by them.

As Lu You ventured deeper into the Yin Realm, he encountered an increasing variety of monsters.

There was a Yin Sha, whose entire body was formed from black mist and had no physical form, floating in the air like a moving dark cloud.

It was a hybrid monster with one half of its body being skeleton and the other half covered in rotting flesh. It walked with a limp, and the corpse worms on the rotting flesh fell off with each movement.

There was also an enormous skeletal giant, three or four zhang tall, whose every step caused the ground to tremble slightly. Its bones were as thick as palace pillars. Lu You saw it from afar and decided to take a detour.

These monsters are mostly filled with malevolent energy, and their entire bodies exude an unsettling and eerie aura.

Besides monsters, Lu You occasionally sees some rare and precious materials with yin energy.

Several gray-black herbs grew from the gray-white soil, their leaves covered with a thin layer of frost.

There were several pieces of black ore exposed on the ground, with a faint aura of yin energy circulating on their surfaces.

He even found two ghost stones by the roadside, lying there gleaming on the ground like coins that had been carelessly discarded.

Lu You put them all into his storage bag.

Although I don't know exactly what it's for, there's nothing wrong with keeping it.

He wandered around, clearing out the monsters that attacked him while observing his surroundings.

He was looking for a suitable area—one with few or no monsters, so as not to disturb the breakthrough ritual; and one with enough Yin energy to meet the requirements of the ritual.

Just as Lu You was wandering around aimlessly, a figure suddenly emerged from the gray fog ahead.

Its pace was neither fast nor slow, its rhythm steady, completely different from the aimless wandering monsters it had encountered before.

Lu You instinctively became alert, his hand already on the hilt of the black iron sword.

This was the first time he had encountered a human in the Underworld!

Is he going to be another corpse controller?

Just like those people from Baiyun Temple, they ran into the Yin Realm to capture corpse demons and refine corpse puppets?

However, as the figure gradually approached from the gray mist, Lu You finally saw his appearance clearly.

His eyes widened involuntarily, and his hand on the sword hilt slowly loosened.

The person who emerged from the gray fog wore tattered clothes, the original style of which was no longer discernible; only some kind of coarse cloth could be vaguely identified.

Its eyes were empty and blank, and its pupils were cloudy grayish-white, like two frosted glass beads.

Most importantly, his skin had a bluish-gray hue, the color of the dead.

Like Lu You, this was a fully functional, living corpse.

Is this a zombie?!