Free Web NovelChapter 123: Chapter 123: Corpse God Pill
For the Demon Hunting Team, changes in the sects above them were an unavoidable part of the shifting landscape.
Their usual opponents were the great clans within the city.
The Cultivators of the Demon Hunting Team were very clear on this point.
Friction between the two sides was constant, and both were relentless.
"A tide of refugees."
Lanshan thought for a moment before saying something that made Bai Mo’s heart skip a beat.
"That was several months ago."
Lanshan gestured with his hand, drawing a large circle before slicing through it.
"They traveled for thousands of miles, getting gradually absorbed by the clans, local powers, and cities along the way."
"By the time they reached the lands of Immortal Arrival City, only a small handful remained."
He took a sip of tea to wet his throat.
"If we weren’t fully staffed at the moment, we might have gone to recruit some of them ourselves."
Bai Mo was puzzled.
"After so many rounds of selection, are there still people among them that you’d find acceptable, Brother Lanshan?"
Bai Mo managed to stop himself from saying the rest were just the bottom of the barrel.
But Lanshan said, "There are still some capable people in there. They’re just so starved they’re unrecognizable, so it’s not obvious. Even some of the children show promise."
"Otherwise, Shopkeeper Bai, why do you think those great clans are so eager? The silver coins they’re handing out aren’t just for buying disposable flesh-slaves..."
Seeing the look on Bai Mo’s face, Lanshan didn’t elaborate.
"There seems to be an inside story, but we wouldn’t know it. If Shopkeeper Bai wants to investigate, wouldn’t it be easier for you than for us?"
After a few more words, Bai Mo collected twenty-six Spirit Stones from Lanshan and headed back on his own.
He hadn’t gone far when he saw a group of Cultivators from the Demon Hunting Team returning, shouting boisterously.
Their turbulent auras hadn’t yet settled, and they looked like they were still running on high adrenaline. Some were even injured.
Judging by the crowd’s boisterous excitement, they must have gotten the upper hand.
Fighting is forbidden inside the city.
But this group clearly hadn’t been holding back outside the city walls.
One of the Cultivators happened to see Bai Mo and was about to greet him when a companion shoved him aside.
"You—"
"Quiet! A disciple of the Xuandao Sect!"
"Let’s go!"
WHOOSH!
The Cultivators scattered with a great clamor, each heading home, expertly melting into the alleyways until they were gone.
A black-robed Cultivator with a sword at his waist walked past, his face grim.
He glanced dismissively at the scattering Cultivators and couldn’t help but snort coldly.
He retracted his gaze and was about to hurry past when he suddenly noticed Bai Mo.
"Huh? You’re... Junior Brother Bai?"
’This was the person Brother Shui had specifically asked Brother Guo to look after. They’d all discussed him quite a bit in private.’
Bai Mo nodded, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in a salute.
"I am. Bai Mo greets you, Senior Brother."
"My surname is Bo, and my given name is Huan. You can call me Brother Bo."
Bo Huan hesitated for a moment before asking,
"Are you a Pill Master, Junior Brother Bai?"
Bai Mo nodded.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Senior Brother?"
Upon hearing this, Bo Huan fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment before telling Bai Mo to follow him.
The two walked off in the direction from which the Demon Hunting Team Cultivators had come.
"Are we heading outside the city?" Bai Mo asked.
"Yes. It’s about the refugees outside the city."
Bo Huan said, "I must ask for your help, Junior Brother Bai."
Bai Mo was taken aback.
"I’m not sure how I can be of help?"
Bo Huan sighed.
"Junior Brother Bai, have you ever heard of the Corpse God Pill?"
...
The Corpse God Pill.
A Pill recorded in the renowned Nether Pill Ancient Scripture. It was one of the signature Pill Grades of a great ancient sect.
Its disciples consumed the Corpse God Pill daily, attaining the "Corpse King Body," which was impervious to fire and water, and invulnerable to blades and spears. The sect’s reputation was immense.
However, after the sect’s decline, the Pill Formula for the Corpse God Pill was leaked, finding its way into the outside world where it was put to other uses.
’Never mind the warnings predecessors left in Pill Books; even common storytellers often use this tale to add spice to the strange legends of the Alchemy Dao...’
Bai Mo murmured to himself as he surveyed the encampment outside the city.
Of course, he knew about the Corpse God Pill.
’Are these refugees somehow connected to the Corpse God Pill?’
Bai Mo’s gaze swept over the refugees.
Their cheeks were sunken, their eyes like will-o’-the-wisps. Oversized clothes hung from their frames, making them look like mismatched clothes hangers.
The area was a mess, likely due to a recent struggle.
Some refugees stared expectantly at the pedestrians passing by.
Bai Mo noticed what appeared to be a grayish-white film covering their eyeballs.
"These refugees... they’ve all consumed the Corpse God Pill!"
Bo Huan replied, his expression grim.
"How is that possible!?"
Bai Mo was stunned. "I’ve heard the corpse qi needed to refine the Corpse God Pill is incredibly rare, and the Pill itself is difficult to create. How could it have become widespread among mortals?"
Bo Huan pulled Bai Mo aside, out of the refugees’ line of sight.
"No one would have believed it before, but a short while ago, a group of strange Cultivators attacked a Secret Realm being jointly developed by the major sects."
"During that period, disciples from our sect were sent everywhere to track down the strange creatures that escaped from the Secret Realm..."
’So that’s why I ran into Brother Shui!’
Bai Mo realized.
"One of the powerful Cultivators killed the attackers and traced them back to their source, eventually discovering a dynasty in its decline."
Bo Huan said in a low voice,
"That dynasty was a pitiful case. Not only was it overrun by rebels, but the burial ground of its past rulers was excavated."
"A corpse dragon was found hibernating inside, emitting an endless miasma of corpse qi that was utterly vile..."
And with that, the source of the corpse qi for the Corpse God Pill was explained.
"They..."
Bai Mo looked at the refugees. ’These people couldn’t be the original perpetrators.’ But it was rumored that the Corpse God Pill caused white hair to sprout from one’s face; it seemed unlikely anyone would willingly take such a Pill.
Bo Huan said, "The corpse qi seeped into the soil, making it difficult to collect."
"The local populace was forced to consume the Pill to alter their bodies, then sent into the burial ground to harvest the corpse qi..."
"After the sects intervened, the already teetering dynasty collapsed completely. The qi of the earth erupted, carrying the corpse qi with it, and that’s how this tide of refugees began."
Bo Huan glanced at Bai Mo.
"We don’t know the nature of the corpse poison these refugees carry. Please, Junior Brother Bai, I need you to take a look!"
Bai Mo’s heart shook. He solemnly agreed.
’No wonder the cities along their path haven’t been able to fully absorb them.’
’The residual corpse poison varies from person to person. No one would dare let them congregate in large numbers on their own turf.’
’If the corpse poison were to gather and cause a plague, it would be a major catastrophe.’
Bo Huan spoke up. "Seven days. These refugees can stay within our jurisdiction for seven days."
"If they don’t move on by then, we’ll have no choice but to drive them away by force."
Bai Mo narrowed his eyes and looked at the gathered refugees.
"Can’t Immortal Arrival City take them in?"
Bo Huan said, "We can absorb another forty percent at most. Any more than that, and we risk unpredictable consequences."
Brother Guo had sent him to handle this, and it was giving Bo Huan a massive headache.
’He’d rather be back to bickering with those great clans!’
From time to time, passing Cultivators would try to assess the ’quality’ of the refugees as they went by.
But they were all just skin and bones. What was there to see?
Only a truly wealthy and influential individual picked out a few men with large frames and led them away.
Bai Mo glanced over, knowing that man would have to invest a great deal more capital in them.
Those large-framed refugees were the ones with the most severe corpse poison in the entire group.
This was evident from their purplish-white lips and the thick, gray film that had built up in the whites of their eyes.
Bai Mo took out a dry-looking leaf, placed it in his mouth, and approached the refugees. He crouched down to examine their unusual condition.
None of the refugees paid him any mind, numbly allowing Bai Mo to do as he wished.
After looking them over one by one, Bai Mo discovered something interesting.
"Brother Bo, the corpse poison in the refugees is contained. It’s safe to approach them."
"However, the degree to which the corpse poison has seeped into their bodies varies. The young and strong aren’t necessarily more afflicted than the elderly."
"Why is that?"
Bo Huan answered casually, "That has a lot to do with how diligently they worked."
"There are intricacies involved."
