Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

Time slips away like sand through one's fingers, quietly passing through this dark and abandoned mine.

The three-day period has ended.

For the past three days, Gu An has been like a tireless sponge, greedily absorbing all the secret knowledge about the Corpse Puppet Sect that Shen Wan has taught him. From the blind spots of the zombie patrols to the passwords for the zombie generals to change shifts, and how to use the terrain and wind direction to avoid the sense of smell of those few second-tier armored zombies, he has engraved everything into his mind and repeatedly deduced it.

After consuming the Yin Soul Grass, although the "Living Wood Poison" within Shen Wan's body remained a ticking time bomb, her previously collapsing soul miraculously stabilized. She was even able to use a fraction of her divine sense to assist Gu An in maintaining vigilance.

"It's time to go."

Gu An stood up and checked his disguise one last time.

The corpse oil smeared on his leather armor and skin had dried, forming a dark brown, hard shell that emitted a nauseating, stale stench. His Corpse Control Technique operated smoothly, making him appear like a slightly stiff, high-level walking corpse.

He walked to the corner, ripped off the camouflage on the hearse, and revealed the empty compartment underneath.

"This vehicle is too conspicuous. Although the smell of blood on it can mask the presence of living people, it could easily attract high-level demonic beasts. From now on, we'll have to rely on our own two feet."

As Gu An spoke, he squatted down with his back to Shen Wan, "Come on up."

Shen Wan wasn't being coy. Although she could walk with difficulty, her speed was too slow, and she couldn't maintain that high level of breath control for long. In this treacherous place, every moment of delay could be fatal.

She lay on Gu An's back, her slender arms encircling his neck. Although the smell of corpse oil on Gu An was extremely pungent, she did not show the slightest disgust. Instead, she buried her head deeply in the crook of his shoulder and activated the "Withering and Flourishing Spirit Seal" to completely merge their auras into one.

Gu An used several tough animal tendons to firmly secure Shen Wan to his back. Then, he took one last look at this temporary hiding place, made a hand seal, and destroyed the traces left by the inferior array flags.

"Walk."

He let out a low shout, and his figure darted out of the cave like a cat, instantly disappearing into the pitch-black rocky beach outside.

……

The underground structure of the No. 3 mine pit is so complex that it resembles a giant anthill.

Besides the main road leading to the corpse-raising pool, countless abandoned side passages have been carved into the surrounding rock walls. Some of these side passages lead to depleted mines, some are dead ends, and others are secret passages dug by miners in the past to slack off or escape.

Gu An carried Shen Wan on his back, avoiding the brightly lit main road guarded by Corpse Puppet Sect disciples every hundred feet, and plunged into a dark mine tunnel that had already collapsed halfway.

There is no light here.

There was only endless darkness and deathly silence, and the occasional sound of underground water dripping from the cracks in the rocks.

"Tick-tock...tick-tock..."

The sound of water echoed through the empty tunnel, sounding particularly eerie.

Gu An did not use the fluorite; in this environment full of unknown dangers, light would be a sitting duck. Relying on his cultivator's extraordinary night vision and keen divine sense, he traversed the jagged ruins.

"Turn left, there's a fork in the road ahead, take the lower one."

Shen Wan's voice was extremely low, almost whispering in Gu An's ear. Although her spiritual sense was not as sharp as it had been in its prime, her intuition about this kind of formation layout was still intact.

"This road was originally dug to release toxic gases from underground, leading directly to the area below the core. However, because it has been abandoned for so long, the rock strata here are very unstable, so watch your head."

Gu An nodded, and his steps became even lighter.

Every step he took was meticulously executed; his toes would land first, followed by the cushioning effect of his thigh muscles to completely silence the sound of his landing. Even carrying someone on his back, he seemed like a weightless ghost.

They traveled for about half an hour.

The surrounding air became increasingly damp and cold, and the smell of sulfur mixed with rotting corpses faded somewhat, replaced by a more unsettling, fishy odor.

This smell... is like the nest of some kind of social wild animal.

Gu An suddenly stopped, pressing his body against the cold rock wall, holding his breath for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Shen Wan noticed his unusual behavior and extended her divine sense like tentacles, but found nothing amiss.

There's something ahead.

Gu An's voice was extremely low, as if squeezed out from between his teeth, "Not a zombie, but a living thing."

Before he could finish speaking...

Suddenly, a series of faint yet dense sounds came from the once deathly silent depths of darkness.

"Shh...squeak...click..."

The sound was like countless rusty files rubbing against a rock, or like countless claws crawling rapidly on the ground.

Immediately afterwards, two eerie green will-o'-the-wisps lit up in the darkness.

No, not two points.

It's 4 o'clock, 8 o'clock, 4 o'clock...

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of eerie green eyes lit up in the depths of the narrow mine tunnel ahead, like a sea of ​​will-o'-the-wisps floating in the darkness.

With the help of the faint phosphorescence, Gu An finally saw the true face of the person blocking his way.

They were a group of mice as big as house cats.

They are completely hairless, with festering, grayish-white skin, and long tails that resemble whips covered in slime. Most terrifying of all are their teeth; their two incisors are a full three inches long, gleaming with a metallic gleam in the darkness, clearly indicating they are highly venomous.

This is a corpse rat, a low-level demonic beast that lives in extremely yin places and feeds on rotting corpses and yin energy.

A single corpse rat might be manageable even for a mortal martial artist, but these creatures always appear in packs. Once entangled by them, even a cultivator in the late Qi Refining stage would be instantly devoured into a pile of bones if their protective aura was bitten through.

"This is troublesome."

Shen Wan's voice carried a hint of solemnity, "How could there be such a large swarm of corpse rats here? And judging from the looks of it, this is their main nest."

"Could the vent we're looking for be right under their butts?" Gu An's lips twitched, feeling a slight toothache.

"According to the map... it is indeed in that direction." Shen Wan confirmed helplessly.

"squeak--!!!"

Just as the two were whispering, a sharp, piercing screech suddenly came from the swarm of rats.

It seemed they caught a faint trace of human life force hidden beneath the layer of corpse oil on Gu An's body, or perhaps they were simply enraged by the two intruders.

The deep green ocean instantly boiled.

"boom!"

Hundreds of corpse rats surged towards Gu An like a gray-white torrent through the narrow mine tunnel.

They are incredibly fast, moving across the rock face as if it were flat ground, their sharp claws leaving streaks of sparks as they scratch the stones.

"Don't use your spiritual power!"

Shen Wan urgently warned, "This is the armored zombies' patrol area. If a strong surge of spiritual energy erupts here, those big guys could just stomp their feet and this dilapidated mine tunnel would collapse!"

"I know!"

A cold glint flashed in Gu An's eyes. Instead of retreating, he charged forward into the horde of rats.

Not using spiritual power or magic doesn't mean he can only wait to die.

The "Hundred Refinements Golden Body Technique" he cultivated was all about developing a body of copper skin and iron bones, relying on this brute force!

"Clang!"

A crisp sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath.

Gu An now held a fine iron dagger he had acquired from the black market. Although this dagger was merely a basic weapon and not a high-grade magic weapon, it was still a deadly weapon thanks to Gu An's terrifying wrist strength.

"Squeak!"

The first few corpse rats leaped high into the air, opened their mouths full of fangs, and bit down hard on Gu An's throat and face.

Gu An neither dodged nor avoided, his left hand shooting out like lightning.

"puff!"

That was the muffled sound of flesh being crushed.

He grabbed a corpse rat by the head mid-air. Gu An suddenly exerted force with his five fingers, and the rat's head, as hard as iron, exploded like a rotten tomato, splattering black, foul blood all over his face.

At the same time, he drew a strange arc with the dagger in his right hand.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

The three corpse rats that pounced from the side were instantly cut in two, their intestines spilling out and their bellies rotting, before falling to the ground.

But this is just the beginning.

The subsequent swarm of rats crashed onto the shore like waves.

Gu An was like a reef standing in the tide. He didn't use any spiritual power, relying entirely on his physical reflexes and strength to fight.

"Bang! Bang! Smash!"

The narrow mine tunnels limited the rats' numerical advantage; they couldn't swarm forward all at once, but could only pounce on the rats in small groups.

This gave Gu An the perfect opportunity.

His movements were simple, ruthless, and devoid of any frills.

When the dagger broke, he smashed it with his fist; when his fist wasn't working well, he kicked it, kneed it, or even bumped it with his elbow.

Each strike was accompanied by the sound of bones shattering and the agonizing screams of the corpse rats.

"squeak--"

Taking advantage of Gu An's moment of respite, a cunning corpse rat bit his calf.

Those sharp teeth, capable of crushing rocks, snapped shut.

If it were an ordinary cultivator, they would definitely have a piece or two torn off.

But Gu An only frowned slightly.

"collapse!"

A muffled thud.

The corpse rat's teeth seemed to be biting into an iron plate wrapped in extremely tough raw cowhide. Not only did it fail to bite through the "copper skin," but it also broke off one of its front teeth.

"roll!"

Gu Anfei kicked the corpse rat to pieces, sending a string of rats flying behind it.

The battle took place in silence, with only dull thuds and the nauseating stench of blood filling the air.

Gu An was like a tireless killing machine. His body was covered with the entrails and blood of corpse rats. The corpse oil that had been applied to him had long been washed away, replaced by a layer of blood that was even more intense and realistic.

Shen Wan, who was lying on his back, bit her lip tightly, trying to reduce her weight and not cause Gu An any trouble.

She looked at the man fighting a bloody battle against the horde of rats, and was overwhelmed with shock.

Is this what body cultivation is?

No, this is more than just physical cultivation. It's a fighting instinct honed through countless brushes with death. That precise control over power, that instinctive ability to pinpoint vital points, can never be developed through meditation and qi cultivation within a sect.

This man was even more terrifying than she had imagined.

I don't know how much time passed.

When Gu An crushed the head of the last corpse rat that tried to sneak up, the narrow mine tunnel finally fell silent.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of dead rats, and the black blood was ankle-deep, emitting a suffocating stench.

"Huff... huff..."

Gu An leaned against the rock wall, breathing heavily.

Even with his stamina, this intense hand-to-hand combat left him with aches and pains in his muscles. His leather armor was torn to shreds, and his body bore more than a dozen shallow white marks and red welts—the marks left by the rats' frenzied biting. Although they hadn't broken through his defenses, they still stung painfully.

"Are you alright?" Shen Wan asked in a low voice, her voice tinged with concern.

"He won't die."

Gu An shook off the sticky blood plasma from his hands, took out an antidote pill from his pocket, and threw it into his mouth—he had accidentally swallowed a few mouthfuls of rat blood earlier and was feeling a bit nauseous.

He raised his head and looked towards the end of the mine tunnel.

That place is the source of the rat swarm and also a huge natural cave.

"It's right there."

Gu An strode over the corpses scattered on the ground and entered the cave.

The cave wasn't large, only about ten zhang in size. The ground was covered with traces of carrion rats digging and piles of bones.

At the deepest part of the cave, there is a pile of rubble that has clearly been artificially piled up.

A faint, foul-smelling wisp of air was slowly blowing out from between the pebbles.

"Found it, the vent."

A hint of joy flashed in Gu An's eyes.

He stepped forward, preparing to clear the pile of rubble.

Suddenly, the [Plant Affinity] talent in my mind trembled again without warning.

This time, the sensation was not as strong as when I encountered Tai Sui or Yin Hun Cao before. Instead, it was a kind of extremely cold, yet strangely vibrant... cool feeling.

"Um?"

Gu An paused, looking in the direction of the sensation.

At the edge of the ventilation vent, in the shadow of the pile of rubble, several skeletal remains were piled haphazardly together. Judging from their clothing, they were likely miners who died here years ago.

Within the eye sockets of one of the corpses' skulls, several tiny flowers, no bigger than a thumb, pale white in color, with petals resembling fine bone fragments, were growing.

This flower has no leaves, only a grayish-white stem rooted in the pale skull. Surrounded by a filthy, poisonous environment, it emits a faint, soft white light.

Wherever the white light reached, even the stench of corpses in the air seemed to be purified.

[Discovered Spiritual Plant: Bone-Rotting Spiritual Flower]

[Rank: Tier 1 High Grade (Mutated)]

[Characteristics: Grows alongside corpses, using poison to fight poison. Its pollen has an extremely strong effect in neutralizing corpse poison and purifying malevolent energy. It often grows in the core area of ​​a mass grave of corpses.]

"This is……"

Gu An's pupils contracted slightly, then he was overjoyed.

Before he could speak, Shen Wan, who was on his back, also noticed the few inconspicuous little white flowers and couldn't help but let out a soft gasp:

"The Bone-Rotting Spirit Flower?! This godforsaken place actually has such a treasure?"

"Is this thing very valuable?" Gu An asked instinctively.

"It's not just valuable, it's a lifesaver!"