Chapter 427: 427: Corpse Qi of Ghost Mountain
As soon as the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng popped out, it began to sniff around like a hound, its face filled with excitement and anticipation.
“Why are you acting like a dog? What exactly did you smell?” Fang Lin asked irritably.
The millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng’s eyes twinkled as it stared ahead and said, “Delicious! Absolutely delicious! My favourite corpse qi, it’s right ahead!”
Without waiting, the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng was ready to dart ahead, but Fang Lin was prepared, snatching it up quickly.
“Release me! I want to go and have a feast! Hurry up, let me go! If you don’t, I’ll kick you to death!” the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng wailed, glaring at Fang Lin.
Fang Lin smirked, “I think you just want to run away.”
“I would never! There really is something delicious up ahead, put me down now!” the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng answered in haste.
Fang Lin looked ahead following its words, only to see a somewhat gloomy fog and the omnipresent strong scent of corpses.
Fang Lin understood that the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng thrived on corpse qi; naturally, this made it particularly sensitive to such qi, even seeming to regard it as its nourishment.
“Listen to me, this is not a place we can wander around freely, be careful or you will lose your life,” Fang Lin said.
The millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng scoffed, “With my innate prowess, what demon or ghoul could harm me?”
Fang Lin laughed, “Want me to let Jin out to nibble you a bit?”
The millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng immediately calmed down, its toughness aside, its greatest fear was Jin, whose sharp teeth might not cause it serious harm, but they would make things quite unpleasant.
“I’m telling you, as long as you take me ahead to absorb the corpse qi, we can forget the fifteen ancient medicinal herbs you owe me,” the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng carefully proposed to Fang Lin.
Fang Lin laughed disdainfully, he had only agreed to give him three ancient medicinal herbs, but the increment kept growing, and now it was asking for fifteen?
“Enough chatter; just shut your mouth for now,” Fang Lin cursed and then grabbed the Corpse Ginseng and headed forward.
After a while, Fang Lin realised that they were gradually surrounded by the mysterious fog. It wasn’t easy to identify the direction and the pervasive smell of corpses was growing stronger, causing him to knit his brows in annoyance.
Meanwhile, the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng was reveling in the situation. With its mouth wide open, it kept sucking in the corpse qi of the area.
“Ah… it feels so good! It’s been a long while since I felt so pleasing,” the Corpse Ginseng made a soulful sound, leaving Fang Lin speechless and feeling like throwing it to the ground and stepping on it.
“Just be quiet and do your thing,” Fang Lin said, while he kept his eyes cautiously trained on the surroundings.
“Kid, I’m just looking out for you, but it seems like there’s an array around here,” the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng mentioned and then continued absorbing the corpse qi, unconcerned about the potential danger.
As the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng said, it really had nothing to fear. Even in the face of danger, its near indestructible body would protect it from harm.
But Fang Lin was different. As a mortal man, he had to be cautious at all times. One wrong step could lead to irreversible disaster.
The surrounding fog wasn’t all that thick, but it wasn’t exactly light either. While visibility remained clear within ten steps, anything further than that became quite vague.
In order to account for any poison gas lurking in the surrounding, Fang Lin carefully consumed a pill.
After waiting on the spot for a while and noting that nothing happened, Fang Lin took a deep breath and ventured ahead.
Fang Lin had just taken a few steps when he noticed many dried bones underfoot, all lying around randomly.
Fang Lin frowned and squatted down to inspect the dried bones.
“These bones have been lying here for at least a few hundred years,” Fang Lin deduced after examining the bones.
Looking ahead, he noticed quite a few more of these dried bones. Moreover, the corpse qi here was denser than before.
“Old Pickle, what kind of array did you say this is?” Fang Lin asked the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng, which was greedily absorbing the corpse qi nearby.
“How am I supposed to know what array it is? I just have a feeling about it,” the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng said, rolling its eyes.
Fang Lin stopped seeking its help. He realized that he couldn’t rely on it and would have to figure it out on his own.
Continuing ahead, Fang Lin noticed more and more bones underfoot. Later on, he found himself walking on a road paved entirely with white bones.
A road paved with bones!
Fang Lin was taken aback wondering, how many people had died here? There were numerous bones by the Blood Lake, and it seemed like Ghost Mountain had claimed just as many lives. It felt like the total would equal the population of a small city.
Walking along the Bone Road, Fang Lin couldn’t shake off the feeling of being watched; as if myriad eyes were staring at him from the fog.
Reacting to this, a flame appeared on Fang Lin’s body. It was the fiery-red Soul Commanding Pill Fire. Its hot aura seemed to disperse some of the mist around him.
In the next moment however, Fang Lin heard the sound of wind breaking behind him. Turning around promptly, he saw a rigid woman charging at him.
Fang Lin was startled. He hadn’t noticed anyone behind him until he heard the wind-breaking sound. If the woman hadn’t attacked, he might not have noticed her at all.
Taking a defensive step back, Fang Lin kicked out at the woman, toppling her to the ground. However, she rigidly managed to get back on her feet and continued lunging at him.
Fang Lin noticed the woman’s pale complexion, her eyes open but pupils rolled upwards, and a strong whiff of the dead emanating from her body, devoid of any life.
“A zombie?” Fang Lin’s brow wrinkled, and he immediately threw the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng in his hand towards the woman.
“Hahaha! Such strong corpse qi, this is my favourite!” the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng called out, immediately pouncing on the woman and viciously sucking on her.
The woman’s body visibly began to exude streams of grey mist which were sucked into the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng. As a result, her actions slowed until she finally came to a halt.
With a thud!
The woman fell backwards, her body quickly turned to bones. Yet, the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng was still greedily hugging her ribs, licking them avidly.
Watching the spectacle, Fang Lin felt queasy. Although already aware that Old Pickle had unusual tastes, it was nauseating to see it licking a corpse.
“Enough, it’s not a rack of ribs, a few licks are enough,” Fang Lin grumbled, picking up the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng.
Being held by Fang Lin, the millennia-aged Corpse Ginseng suddenly wore a startled expression as it stared behind him.