Chapter 2661 - 2723: Eerie Tomb
Under the stone coffin, Li Yifei put his hand on it and jumped right in, then landed softly. As he expected, it was indeed another world down here, yet... it was somewhat different from his calculations because what greeted his eyes was... a multitude of corpses.
Yes, corpses, and the way they were arranged... no, it should be said they were hung. They were all suspended, their hands and necks bound by ropes, hanging in mid-air. Li Yifei felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. Even though he was well-versed in strange things and had seen countless dead bodies in various tragic states, even on the Island of All Beings where he saw so many eerie and silent corpses, the sight of these hanging corpses made his heart thump.
The prayer sounds below continued, and as Li Yifei faced these corpses, he realized that to delve deeper, he would have to pass through them. Some of them were already white bones, yet the bones remained connected, forming complete skeletons, hanging in mid-air. Others had become like mummified bodies, with flesh still intact but desiccated, which was even more terrifying.
Li Yifei gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes as he summoned a burst of True Qi to bolster his courage. At the same time, he called upon his True Qi Armor, ready to defend and protect critical parts at any moment.
As he walked forward, Li Yifei found that these corpses were spaced about one meter apart. Just from what he saw, there were thirty-three in total. From the corpses, it could be seen there were both men and women, yet he had no idea who was so wicked to hang these corpses here, nor did he know if they were hung after death or before it...
If it was the latter, that would be even more terrifying, essentially becoming a live burial.
But then, there was no need to be too afraid; these things were just corpses and weren’t likely to suddenly jump up and attack him.
"Wind-dried Meat..." The term popped up in Li Yifei’s mind, and he quickly shook his head, almost laughing. No way this could be related to dried meat. Even if people here were fond of making preserved meat, it wouldn’t be done like this.
The prayer sounds grew louder, which confirmed Li Yifei’s suspicion: there was indeed another world here, right under the coffin. On the first level were the hanging corpses, and on the second level... it was still corpses, but these were placed in a kneeling posture, with knees bent, bodies leaning forward, heads and hands touching the ground. It seemed as if they were worshipping. A mass of black-clad people, all in this posture, as if they had died maintaining it — even more terrifying than those hanging people. Li Yifei swallowed a bit of saliva, pondering why those ancients loved such theatrics. Death was already frightening enough, yet they had to make it so terrifying.
To say it was meant to deter tomb robbers — well, this place was very difficult to find for ordinary people. Even if they discovered it, the sense of danger would likely drive them away upon entry, making it impossible to venture further.
A mass of kneeling dead bodies, their forms intact, bones and flesh seemingly still there. The air here was very dry, so even if there was water outside, the bodies hadn’t rotted. Perhaps there’s another special reason, but faced with a throng of mummified bodies, if not for that prayer sound, Li Yifei might have felt eerie and frightened too.
Thus, Li Yifei suddenly began to look forward to meeting the other person. In such a terrifying place, how could someone stay here alone? It was simply scary.
How many levels there were, Li Yifei wasn’t sure. But he quickly reached the third level. Unlike the hanging and kneeling corpses, upon reaching the third level, the prayer sounds became even clearer. Yet, it clearly wasn’t here; it seemed to be on the next level, or maybe not far away. The sound was clearer, and it somehow sounded familiar.
Perhaps Miao language sounds similar, thus causing the feeling of familiarity? Li Yifei couldn’t confirm. He habitually squinted, observing the third layer of corpses. With his breath held, he didn’t know what aroma this place had, but with so many mummified bodies, it’s likely not pleasant.
The third layer’s corpses were still terrifying, but compared to the hanging and kneeling ones, these were somewhat more comforting to look at and were far fewer in number. They died sitting quietly, but their postures were still peculiar, different from the normal sitting posture. They squatted, heels off the ground, their bodies upright, looking strange.
There were fewer of them; Li Yifei counted roughly less than half of those on the first level. But unlike before, these corpses were very... fresh. Yes, fresh. Irrespective of gender, they looked lifelike. In technical terms, their preservation was excellent, very fresh. Their skin wasn’t so taut and dry. In fact, at first glance, it seemed there was blood and flesh beneath the skin.
Hiss, this was strange, Li Yifei thought. He had seen some mummified bodies before, called so since their bodies were desiccated with little moisture left; otherwise, they would rot rapidly. Yet, these corpses were very fresh, facial features clear. Li Yifei could even easily tell the genders. Forget gender; he clearly saw that the corpse directly in front of him, with eyes closed, had a scar on its face, and a section of the neck with a tattoo...
This truly was... what the hell, Li Yifei only felt an inexplicable eeriness. A chill flowed through him. If not for the closer prayer sound, seemingly just one level below, Li Yifei would have turned back. Damn, those ancients, what kinds of weird things were they into to create such corpses? Even a group of people would be half-scared to death seeing such a scene.
Bypassing these corpses, Li Yifei continued downward. As he took a step, he paused. The prayer sound suddenly stopped. Did they realize someone was above?
Li Yifei stood still, making no movement. Down below, silence reigned, as still as death itself. Li Yifei was holding his breath, but his heart still beat, wildly pounding. The sudden quiet engulfed him, making his heart race like mad. He had to pinch himself, forcing calmness. He had weathered many storms; would he truly be scared by a pile of dead bodies? Thinking this, Li Yifei felt much better. Fear arose from the heart; if fearlessness prevailed, so would terror vanish.
Taking a deep breath, he proceeded downward. After two steps, the prayer sound resumed. Simultaneously, Li Yifei sensed the presence of a person. Although the aura was faint, barely there, Li Yifei’s senses indicated the person was on the next level. Thus, he no longer hesitated and continued downward.
This step struck a nerve because he saw the situation below. The space... was about the size of a badminton court, not small. The entire space held only one corpse, yet this corpse... was this really a human corpse?
A term popped into Li Yifei’s mind — bloated cadaver, referring to a dead body. Initially, it experiences decomposition, the outer skin remains unbroken, and internal organs decay, producing ample putrid gases that billow the corpse. The organs also expand due to decay, hence ’bloated cadaver.’ Yet, this corpse below... was practically a super bloated cadaver, standing in an upright position, three to four meters tall. Indeed, three to four meters, towering over even the tallest basketball player by more than a meter, this height... utterly terrifying, with a corpulent body measuring over two meters wide.
It stood there, back towards Li Yifei, obscuring the full view of the corpse. It wore clothes, a jade armor made of linked jade pieces, exuding a translucent hue.
As Li Yifei descended, the prayer sound ceased immediately, leaving the space steeped in eerie silence, dead silence indeed.
Li Yifei licked his lips. Despite a resilient psyche, unfearful of ghosts or gods, he still felt his blood boiling, adrenaline surging, especially after the sudden halt of the prayer sounds,
Then... where was that person? The one Li Yifei had been tracking. The space below was substantial. If someone were here, it should be evident at a glance. Li Yifei circled around, unsure if the towering corpse would suddenly spring to life, opting to bypass, yet saw no human figure.
Curious, confusion set in, until suddenly alertness overtook him. Swish, swish, swish, True Qi Armor and True Qi Blade quickly in place because he realized something crucial!
The bloated cadaver-like corpse wasn’t even a corpse; it was a living person. Li Yifei sensed a terrifying aura emanating from this body — no, from this person. Simultaneously, the person turned around. Although their body was bloated, no flesh quivered with movement, seemingly solidified, two dull thuds. The person turned around; their facial features twisted, possibly squashed by fat, making it impossible for Li Yifei to tell who they were.
However, the other person recognized him, surprised yet imbued with a hint of... resentment. Li Yifei sensed it in the voice, hearing them say in the Chinese language, "It’s you, you actually tracked me here!"
Li Yifei remained wary. Hearing the voice gave a sense of familiarity. Though his memory was excellent, not forgettable, it had still been more than a year since his last visit to Miao Village, making it hard for him to remember who this bizarre man opposite him was. Wait, hold on, Li Yifei suddenly thought, he knew few people in Miao Village, and among those few, even fewer men spoke the Chinese language, especially ones with deep hostility towards him. The answer seemed to emerge immediately.
My brother’s new book is entering a PK phase, pen name "Gutless Doll", title "The Stunning School Beauty Clings to Me". It’s a highly intriguing read, undoubtedly worth checking out. I hope everyone can add it to their collection through QQ Reading. This is indeed my own younger brother, writing isn’t easy, and I implore everyone to show some support.