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

After the illusory stone door swallowed Lu You whole, the two door panels slowly closed.

But it did not disappear from the sky; instead, it remained suspended in mid-air like a semi-transparent relief, emitting a faint silver-gray light.

After a while, footsteps were heard.

Junior Sister Qin rode her corpse puppet and burst out of the white mist.

She immediately noticed the illusory stone gate in the sky, and her expression changed slightly.

"It truly is a hidden paradise!"

She carefully examined the stone door for a few moments.

The light was restrained, the movement was subtle, and there were no earth-shattering phenomena.

"However, the appearance of this grotto-heaven didn't cause much of a commotion, so it probably isn't a very large grotto-heaven."

Junior Sister Qin's expression kept changing as she quickly calculated in her mind.

She wasn't sure when this grotto appeared, nor when it would close.

Perhaps hidden within the grotto are opportunities left over from ancient times.

Although the opportunities in such small grottoes are mostly not too amazing, they are already quite precious for a junior cultivator like her who is still struggling in the Qi Refining stage.

Perhaps there's a elixir inside that can help her break through her bottleneck, or some magical artifact left behind by a predecessor.

The problem is that a living corpse with intelligence is also extremely rare.

One is an unknown hidden paradise, the other is a living corpse that can be grabbed right in front of you.

Which one should I choose if I have to choose between the two?

As Junior Sister Qin was struggling with her decision, the corpse puppet beneath her feet suddenly raised its head and roared repeatedly at the stone gate in the sky.

The sound was deep and anxious, and the four legs kept scratching at the ground, the claws digging deep furrows in the black soil.

Junior Sister Qin's expression changed slightly, and she glanced down at the corpse puppet.

The corpse puppet's reaction... only occurs when the scent of the target it's tracking is particularly strong.

"Did the living corpse enter the cave?"

A surge of joy welled up inside her.

That's great!

No need to agonize over choosing between the two!

Once the living corpse emerges from the cave, she can seize both the living corpse and the opportunities within the cave.

Buy one get one free, it's a steal!

Let's wait and see.

Junior Sister Qin immediately sat cross-legged on the back of the corpse puppet, controlling it to face the direction of the stone gate.

She thought for a moment, then took out a few small flags from her storage bag and planted them one by one on the ground near the stone gate.

After setting up the flag, she made hand seals, and several gray lights flashed across the flag, completing the setup of a small Yin Wind Formation.

That zombie was too agile; last time, I only used the Yin Wind Technique to let it escape.

Just in case, she decided not to give him any more chances this time.

As long as the living corpse emerges, it will be trapped by the Yin Wind Formation before she can take it down, ensuring a foolproof victory.

I wonder how things are going on with Senior Brother Wang and the others.

If Senior Brother Wang and Junior Brother Li manage to deal with that fused corpse demon and come to join us... then some of the opportunities in this cave will probably have to be shared.

Junior Sister Qin's mind raced, her gaze fixed on the stone gate.

…………

Inside the stone gate was a huge stone chamber.

Lu You's body fell from mid-air.

His left leg was already quite weak, and when he landed, he stumbled and fell flat on his face, landing face down in an extremely ungraceful manner.

Fortunately, he didn't feel pain, so he didn't experience anything particularly unusual.

I even found lying like this quite comfortable, and I felt like I wanted to just lie there without moving.

However, this is just wishful thinking.

The unfamiliar environment and the threat of being hunted made it impossible for him to even lie down.

He sat up and rubbed his stiff left leg.

The moment his palm touched his left leg, he felt waves of icy cold energy emanating from under his skin, chilling him to the bone, and even trying to spread upwards along his palm, freezing his hand as well.

Lu You quickly withdrew her hand, feeling a little flustered.

Is my left leg really ruined?

If it gets damaged, wouldn't that be the end of us?

That guy surnamed Qin is still waiting for him outside.

How can you run if your leg is injured? Do you hop on one leg?

The scene was too beautiful for him to imagine.

On another note, I wonder if that guy surnamed Qin will be allowed to come in?

Lu You glanced back.

The stone door that had sucked him in was now closed, completely shut, preventing even a ray of light from getting in.

Hopefully, that guy surnamed Qin won't be able to get in.

Lu You suppressed his worries and began to carefully observe his surroundings.

This is a huge stone chamber, about a hundred meters in diameter, so spacious that you can hear your own echo.

The stone wall overhead was inlaid with patches of silver light, as if someone had inlaid an entire Milky Way into the ceiling.

The points of light shimmered with a soft glow, illuminating the entire stone chamber, yet without being glaring.

The stone chamber was almost empty, except for a solitary stone platform in the deepest part of the chamber.

Three items floated on the stone platform.

A slender, withered branch, about the length of an arm.

A grayish-white stone fragment.

There was also a piece of silver-black tattered gauze.

what is this?

Lu You stared at the three items for a long time, his expression gradually becoming subtle.

A withered branch, looking as if it had been casually broken off from some tree, dry and lifeless.

A piece of stone, grayish-brown, not much different from any pebbles you could kick and pick up on the roadside.

A tattered piece of gauze, silver-black in color, with several holes and frayed edges, looked like a rag picked up from some garbage dump.

To be honest, if Lu You had seen these three things outside, he wouldn't have even bothered to look up.

But the problem is that these three things are floating in the air.

Without any support or suspension, it floated quietly above the stone platform, completely still.

That's a bit strange.

Could it be some kind of treasure for cultivating immortality?

The three cultivators from before had left a deep impression on him.

One can release monsters by slapping a bag, another can control corpse puppets by holding a flag, and yet another carries a compass and searches for corpses everywhere.

If he could, he would certainly like to cultivate immortality.

Especially now that he's still being hunted down.

Even a fool could tell that if that guy surnamed Qin couldn't get in, he would definitely be waiting for him outside.

She might even invite her two senior and junior brothers to squat together.

If these three items are indeed some kind of treasure for cultivating immortality, then perhaps they can help him escape.

Thinking of this, Lu You felt excited.

As for whether there would be any danger, Lu You didn't bother to think about it anymore.

Given his current situation, it couldn't get any worse.

At worst, I'll just die again. It's not like I haven't died before.

If that guy surnamed Qin were to turn me into a corpse puppet, that would be worse than death.

Lu You took a deep breath, got up from the ground, and limped toward the stone platform.

He walked very slowly, his heart pounding with anxiety, his eyes constantly scanning left and right.

He was terrified that a guardian beast might suddenly jump out from some corner, or that a circle of light from an array might suddenly appear beneath his feet, trapping him in place.

After all, that's how it's written in novels.

Where there is treasure, there will surely be guardians.

It's either a ferocious beast, a formation, or a test; in any case, it's not going to be given to you for free.

He was just a newly transmigrated corpse with zero combat experience, so he couldn't withstand this kind of ordeal.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened until Lu You reached the stone platform.

There were no monsters, no formations, and no trials.

It was so quiet it almost felt unreal.

Lu You climbed onto the stone platform, where three tattered objects floated before him, within reach.

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the three items several times.

Which one should we take first?

A dead branch? A stone? Or a tattered piece of gauze?

Finally, he gritted his teeth and reached out to grab the withered branch.

Start with the least valuable item to test the waters; if anything goes wrong, the loss will be minimal.

The moment his fingertips touched the withered branch, a strange change occurred.

Suddenly, the silver specks on the ceiling of the stone chamber, which resembled stars, shone brightly. Countless rays of silver light converged from all directions, condensing into a thick silver pillar of light that crashed down, enveloping Lu You entirely.

Lu You's whole body tensed instantly, and his heart turned to ice.

Damn it! There really are defensive measures in place?!

To die To die!

He knew it wouldn't be that simple!

However, he soon discovered that the silver beam of light did not cause him any harm.

There was no burning sensation, no tearing sensation, and not even the slightest discomfort.

On the contrary, he felt the chill in his left leg receding at an alarming rate.

He quickly looked down and saw wisps of grayish-black mist emanating from his left leg. When illuminated by the silver beam of light, it melted away instantly, like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.

Lu You was stunned for a moment, and an overwhelming sense of joy welled up in her heart.

Is this the chilling aura left behind from being struck by that guy surnamed Qin?

Is this beam of light healing him?

In just a few breaths, the chill in his left leg completely dissipated. The stiff, heavy feeling vanished entirely, and he could once again clearly feel the presence of his left leg.

Agile, powerful, exactly the same as before the injury.

Lu You was almost moved to tears.

Left leg, you're finally back!

I thought I was going to lose you for the rest of my life!

Before he could recover from the joy of regaining his left leg, the withered branch in his hand suddenly transformed into a streak of light, shooting straight towards his brow.

Before Lu You could react, the two items next to him also started moving.

The stone fragment of unknown material and the tattered gauze also transformed into two streams of light, one after the other, following the withered branch, and entered his brow.

Lu You: "??????"

Wait, what's going on here?!

I'm not ready yet!

This is forced buying and selling!

The next moment, he felt as if a whole string of firecrackers had been stuffed into his brain.

A burst of intense white light exploded, and a constant buzzing sound filled his ears, as if a hundred flies were having a meeting inside them.

Immediately afterwards, some images began to appear in his mind.

It was a boundless ocean.

The seawater wasn't blue; it was a kaleidoscope of colors, as if someone had poured all the paint into it, so dazzling it was blinding.

Somewhere in that ocean, a giant cassia tree bursts forth from the water.

The silvery-white bark was covered with mysterious and complex runes, each of which was slowly flowing, as if it were alive.

The branches stretched out in all directions, and silver light poured down from between the leaves, the whole tree exuding a comforting fragrance.

The scene changes.

The ocean began to churn, and yin and yang were first separated.

A wisp of pure silver light rose from the surging seawater, swirled and condensed in mid-air, and finally transformed into a silver jade plate.

On the jade plate, a blurry, illusory figure sat cross-legged.

The shadowy figure's face was indistinct; only an outline could be seen.

But the aura emanating from its silhouette made one want to kneel in worship.

The scene then changes.

A towering, blurry figure appeared in the chaos.

He raised his hand and casually tore off a piece of darkness.

The darkness was adorned with the brilliance of stars and moon, dazzling and profound.

Darkness in his hands was like the softest fabric, which he kneaded at will and eventually transformed into a soft gauze.

Lu You felt that the blurry figure and the figure on the jade plate were the same person.

He strained his eyes, trying to make out the person's face.

The next moment, the blurry figure raised its head.

Lu You couldn't see his face clearly.

He only saw a pair of eyes.

A pair of cold and indifferent silver eyes.

Those eyes seemed to transcend endless time and space, passing through layers of images, and looked straight at him.

It wasn't that they were looking at a particular person in the picture, but rather at the person watching those pictures.

Lu You's heart skipped a beat.

That look... it seems a little unfriendly?

Then his eyes rolled back and he passed out cleanly and decisively.

Lu You collapsed onto the cold stone platform, her consciousness fading into darkness.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he slowly woke up.

As soon as Lu You opened her eyes, she felt her head was throbbing, as if someone had stuffed too much stuff into it and she couldn't digest it all at once.

He frowned, raised his hand to rub his temples, his mind a complete blank.

That's strange, why did he faint?

Lu You tried hard to recall, and memories gradually surfaced.

He put away the treasures on the stone platform, and then those images appeared in his mind.

That colorful ocean, that silver osmanthus tree, that towering, blurry figure...

Then the man looked up at him.

Then he fainted.

Lu You tried hard to recall those silver eyes, but found that she couldn't remember them at all.

I clearly remember it just now, but now it's like something is covering it up, it's blurry and I can't see it clearly no matter what I do.

However, he did learn that person's name.

The name seemed to be etched directly into his mind, so clear it couldn't be clearer.

The Primordial Chaos, the Primordial Yin, the Great Yin, the Beginning of Darkness, the Emperor of the New Moon.

...This name is way too long.

Lu You silently complained to herself.

Isn't it tiring to sign documents with such a long name?