Chapter 58: Looting an Eerie Also Yields Goods

"In other words, apart from corpses and existences above Sequence Seven, anyone else here is certain to die."

"What kind of unsolvable nonsense is this?"

"If it were allowed to go to a crowded downtown area or a commercial street, wouldn't it turn into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, with skins flying everywhere?"

This question arose in Li Yu's mind.

That seventh Truth Bubble had already charged more than halfway, its speed far exceeding the past.

Li Yu had not expected that a seemingly ordinary job application would lead him to accidentally stumble upon something no one could have imagined, catching a glimpse of this hidden, eerie object that almost none of the citizens of Wanfu City knew about.

It was fortunate that this was in the real world!

If it were within the Eerie Realm or the Spirit World, Li Yu would even suspect that the disaster before him was likely triggered by him, the "Star of Calamity."

After all, that Sequence Seven team member called Sang Zhu kept shouting about bad luck, saying that such a wicked event hadn't happened for several years.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yu had already glimpsed many secrets from this "Forbidden Eerie."

This even included its weaknesses, as well as methods for containment or slaughter.

Alas, Li Yu could not use any of them.

For instance, there was one method: sacrifice some Monkey Eerie Wine from the [Ancient Black Forest] to it, which could get it drunk.

Although they were all useless, every piece of information could increase the charging progress of the Truth Bubble.

The pity was that he could not keep watching like this.

Because the next moment, Li Yu noticed that this ghostly thing had looked toward his area once again.

"Hiss!"

Not daring to delay for even a second, he returned directly to his body.

Before the fear of death could surge up, Li Yu could not care about breaking the rules; he took an elixir with a crying-face Dao pattern on its surface from his bosom and stuffed it into his mouth.

As the Art of Ingesting was activated, his shell immediately began to mutate: his heartbeat stopped, his muscles stiffened, and a pallor crawled over his entire body; it was as if, in the blink of an eye, Li Yu had become a corpse, even exuding an aura of sorrow.

In these one or two breaths, three more people died in the field.

And above Li Yu's head, a terrifying suction-cup mouth descended silently.

But soon, it paused.

That terrifying head tilted, seemingly falling into a state similar to contemplation.

It was clearly wondering: why did the "living person" who was here two breaths ago now appear dead?

It did not want the skin of a dead person.

Especially since the smell of this dead person was quite foul.

In the void, it slowly turned and walked toward the next victim.

"Playing dead is indeed effective; my life is temporarily saved."

"But this trip is a total loss; I must salvage something, like some rare secret from the forbidden ground."

Li Yu opened a pair of lifeless, dead eyes, and then his Truth Soul Body slightly detached from his physical body, a rainbow-colored palm reaching into the void body of the Skinning Forbidden Eerie.

Looting corpses is common, but looting an Eerie is not.

His thought was that since the time for his authority hadn't passed yet, he might as well use it.

And with this reach, he actually managed to grab something—a lump of unknown matter that felt cold, viscous, and complex in composition.

After Li Yu pulled it back into his bosom and subconsciously asked a question in his mind, the relevant secrets gradually emerged:

"Eerie Essence Sacrificial Meat."

"This is a special flesh and blood taken from the body of the [Skinning Forbidden Eerie], containing the original Eerie essence of said Eerie. It possesses a portion of the power of rules and, having enjoyed many sacrifices, has been tainted with complex human Qi, alienating it into a strange object that can be utilized."

"This meat can be used as a material for alchemy, or to cook special medicinal meals, and it is also a Sequence Seven spirit material for a certain mysterious path."

"If one carries this meat, one can obtain a certain degree of protection within the forbidden ground of the Ten Thousand Eerie Frozen Plains, though the range is not large."

"Judgment passed: can be assimilated and stolen."

……

"Wonderful, I've broken even."

When Li Yu finished reading the relevant information, a faint arc immediately curled onto his dead face.

On this job application trip, he inexplicably lost a Sorrow-Crying Pill and the sixth Truth Bubble.

But after saving his life, he had retrieved such a rare and strange object.

He could not be considered very knowledgeable now, but he had a say in alchemy and medicinal meals. He dared to be certain that if he used this piece of "Eerie Essence Sacrificial Meat" to create his own pill formula, he might be able to refine an Eerie Pill possessing a portion of the Skinning Forbidden Eerie's rule-based abilities; the same applied to medicinal meals.

If it could truly be done, then Li Yu would not just be breaking even, but making a profit.

It was just as Li Yu turned from annoyance to joy that the piercing alarm stopped, a gap opened in the barrier, and a middle-aged man wearing gaudy, colorful clothing flew in.

Upon seeing the horrific scene of the small square flowing with blood, a dozen piles of scarlet bones, and skins flying about, he could not help but frown.

He then immediately pulled a bag covered in colorful cloth strips from his waist and tossed it into the air, and a wild wind suddenly arose.

All the flesh, blood, and skins flew into it, and what horrified Li Yu was that the [Skinning Forbidden Eerie], which was in a void state, was actually forcibly dragged out and sucked into the colorful cloth bag.

Fortunately, his "Truth Authority" still had one breath left at this time; after fixing his gaze on the cloth bag, a secret emerged:

"Strange Object: Colorful Play Cloth Bag."

"Originates from a special path Sequence……"

Just as Li Yu was thinking that he could glimpse another rare secret, his authority ran out.

The extraordinary information came to an abrupt end. Immediately, Li Yu felt miserable.

There was nothing more uncomfortable than having a secret-peeking session cut off halfway.

However, his mood soon turned to relief.

That middle-aged powerhouse, whose path and sequence were both unknown and who was dressed like a colorful performer, turned to glare at all the members of the Ninth Exploration Team after finishing the cleanup.

With a stern expression, a hoarse and majestic voice was uttered:

"Two days ago, I was still praising your Ninth Exploration Team for your outstanding merits."

"Today, you have caused such a great disaster; bringing an 'Eerie' from the forbidden ground back to the camp is a mistake that even a new exploration team would not make."

"Your merits for this month are all deducted."

"Clean up the aftermath; if such a thing makes it into the 'Wanfu Daily,' your entire year's merits will be deducted."

Once he finished speaking, he turned and flew away again, not giving the Ninth Exploration Team any chance to argue.

=9+Shu_Ba

"We've been wronged, Lord Xu!"

"There is something fishy about this, Lord Deacon. Such a thing hasn't happened for several years, and this Forbidden Eerie that snuck in with me clearly wasn't high-level, yet it just wouldn't eat the offerings we brought. Could it be that we are just this unlucky……."

"Alright, stop arguing."

"A perfectly good recruitment ruined. With this happening, where will we find a good cook for our team…… Eh?"

"There's a survivor here!"

When the last sentence entered his ears, Li Yu had just dispelled the medicinal properties of the Sorrow-Crying Pill and returned to his living state.

Hearing this, and thinking back to the words of the powerhouse dressed as a colorful performer when he left, his heart panicked.

A survivor?

What, were they going to silence him?

Li Yu looked up and scanned his surroundings, discovering, as expected, that all the other applicants besides him were dead.

Now, on this camp platform, only he and the Ninth Exploration Team were still alive; even the camp staff responsible for recruitment had been killed by the Skinning Forbidden Eerie for violating the rules because they were not Sequence Seven.

A cool breeze blew, and the lingering smell of blood wafted around his nose.

"Is there really no safe place in Wanfu City?"

"Even in the camp provided by the City Lord's Mansion for the exploration team, such vicious incidents where everyone almost dies can occur?"

As these thoughts stirred, Li Yu's idea of fleeing Wanfu City became even more firm.

At the same time, the next moment, he realized he was surrounded.

"This kid has methods; he's actually the only one who survived. Could he also be a Sequence Seven?"

"Have you ever seen a Sequence Seven cook?"

"I've seen a blood slave of the Forbidden God path, Sequence Seven. His methods were eerie, and he was also a cook. He might be able to kill the captain."

"This child is Sequence Eight; the medicinal scent on him is strong. He should be of a path that specializes in alchemy or cooking medicinal meals."

"Very handsome, I like him."

……

Amidst the muttering, six people were already standing around Li Yu, staring at him.

Li Yu scanned them quickly, soon forming some guesses about their paths and sequences.

Directly in front of him was the two-meter-tall man in scarlet armor, the war hammer in his hand stained with blood, his aura so thick that Li Yu felt as if his head could be smashed open at any moment.

If there were no surprises, he should be a Sequence Seven of the Blood God path, name unknown.

Before Li Yu could speak, the big man grinned, thinking he looked kind but actually appearing ferocious, and said:

"Little brother, your big brother is called 'Zhan Kui,' a Sequence Seven [Blood Rider] of the Blood God path, and also the captain of the Ninth Exploration Team."

"From today on, you are the cook for my Ninth Exploration Team."

Hearing this, Li Yu looked hesitant.

Then, he shook his head and refused:

"Many thanks for the captain's kindness, but this matter is dangerous, and I have decided not to apply."

"Moreover, my medicinal meal skills are very mediocre; the medicinal meals I make are not effective and taste bad."

"I still have a mechanical maid at home waiting for me to bring back a gift. If anything happens to me, she has the authority to automatically report the news to the Heavenly Craft Sect, and the Wanfu Daily will publish it as an urgent report."

The reason Li Yu dared to refuse, aside from the threat implied in the final sentence, was due to other factors.

First, he had conducted an investigation before coming; compared to the notorious overlords of the four districts, the conduct and discipline of the City Lord's Mansion were far superior, and the law forbidding harm to civilians—which was ignored by almost all other cultivators—was still observed by the people of the City Lord's Mansion.

Second was his own subtle intuition that the six members of the Ninth Reclamation Team before him were not vicious perverts.

Of course, Li Yu was also mentally prepared.

Should the situation change, he would immediately display his flexibility and decisively change his tune to submit.

Saving one's life is nothing to be ashamed of.

PS: There is more to come, requesting monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)