Corpse Dismemberment

"Who are you? How did you intrude into the Corpse Dismemberment Cave?"

Just as Song Wen was surveying the cavern, a sudden voice broke his concentration.

A middle-aged man reeking of foul blood appeared before him, a hint of vigilance in his eyes. However, upon noticing Song Wen's meager cultivation, he refrained from making any drastic moves.

Song Wen cupped his fists and replied, "Reporting to Senior, this disciple is a newly enrolled outer sect disciple, here to serve as a Corpse Dismemberer."

As he spoke, he made sure to display the 'Corpse Dismemberment' token in his hand.

The middle-aged man inspected the token closely and quickly verified its authenticity, though a trace of suspicion lingered on his face.

"With such low cultivation, why were you dispatched to the Corpse Dismemberment Cave? Did you sleep with some Foundation Establishment Elder's Dao Companion?"

A bitter, self-deprecating smile surfaced on Song Wen's face. "Senior, please do not jest. This Junior was merely..."

Before Song Wen could finish his explanation, the man cut him off.

"Enough. Anyone who ends up in the Corpse Dismemberment Cave is a person in dire straits. There is no need to explain the exact details. You also do not need to call me Senior. I am merely a late-stage Qi Refining outer sect disciple. My name is Yuan Cheng. You can just address me as Senior Brother Yuan."

"This Junior is Ji Yin. Greetings, Senior Brother Yuan."

Yuan Cheng nodded. "Follow me."

Under Yuan Cheng's lead, Song Wen arrived at a small cave to the left of the underground cavern's entrance.

Yuan Cheng stepped inside, rummaged through the items on a stone table, and tossed a bone-cleaving knife to Song Wen.

"This is the exclusive weapon provisioned by the Sect for Corpse Dismemberers. It is a Low Grade Magical Artifact."

"The corpses slated for dismemberment today have already been distributed. You will not be dissecting any today. Go walk around the Corpse Dismemberment Cave and observe the essential techniques."

"Tomorrow, between the hours of Chen and Si, come to me to receive your corpses and formally begin dismemberment."

Song Wen instantly understood. Although Yuan Cheng did not state it outright, his words implied that he managed the daily affairs of the entire Corpse Dismemberment Cave.

Yuan Cheng would be his direct superior for the next five years.

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Yuan. I will certainly heed your teachings. Please look after me in the days to come."

Yuan Cheng waved his hand, gesturing for Song Wen to leave.

Song Wen bowed respectfully once more before turning away.

As he walked, he inspected the bone-cleaving knife in his grasp.

The Sect actually issued a Magical Artifact to Corpse Dismemberers. This was something he had not expected. Although it was only a Low Grade Magical Artifact, it perfectly suited his current cultivation.

One shouldn't assume Magical Artifacts were easy to obtain just because he received one upon arriving here. Magical Artifacts were actually quite rare and precious. Even Ji Yin, who had claimed Huang Shang's relics, only possessed a single alchemy furnace Magical Artifact, and that furnace was merely Low Grade as well.

Huang Shang had survived in the Cultivation world as a Rogue Cultivator for decades, yet he had only managed to save up enough for a Low Grade alchemy furnace. This alone proved their rarity. Of course, even among Low Grade Magical Artifacts, an alchemy furnace was far more valuable than the bone-cleaving knife in Song Wen's hand.

In Song Wen's original expectations, the main dangers in the Corpse Dismemberment Cave would be the oppressive blood stench and the lingering corpse and resentful energies. Since his physical body could absorb blood vitality and his cultivation method could refine corpse miasma, he should possess a strong immunity to the cavern's chaotic, turbid energies.

The reality aligned perfectly with his expectations. The moment he stepped into the Corpse Dismemberment Cave, he could feel his body slowly absorbing the ambient blood energy, replenishing the severe vitality deficit caused by a month of cultivating the Corpse King Blood Refining Art.

This discovery lifted his spirits. Judging by the current situation, choosing to become a Corpse Dismemberer had been the right decision.

Amidst his thoughts, he wandered near another Corpse Dismemberer.

He watched as the man wielded his bone-cleaving knife, the blade dancing swiftly over the corpse of an adult woman.

Guided by the Dismemberer's object manipulation technique, the woman's corpse was reduced to a pile of dismembered parts in mere minutes.

It was a display of skill rivaling a master butcher.

The entire process was as fluid as flowing water, without the slightest hesitation. It was as if he had flayed countless humans and knew the body's anatomy like the back of his hand.

Flesh and bone were perfectly separated. The female corpse's skeleton was scraped entirely clean, untainted by a single stray scrap of meat.

The blood from the corpse siphoned through the grooves of the stone altar, coagulating as it drained into a ten-zhang wide blood pool nearby.

The Corpse Dismemberer methodically packed the flesh, bones, and internal organs into separate Storage Bags.

Watching this seamless butchery, Song Wen felt a wave of nausea churn in his stomach.

The visceral impact of a human dissection was immense. Even though he had braced himself mentally, seeing the grotesque reality unfold before his eyes was still difficult to stomach.

However, Song Wen forcefully suppressed his revulsion, forcing himself to stare unblinkingly at the macabre scene.

He dared not show a shred of weakness. Since he had joined the Corpse Demon Sect, walked the Demonic Dao, and entered the Corpse Dismemberment Cave, he had to forge a heart of iron. Otherwise, his life in the Sect would be brutally short.

Cowardice was a trait of the weak, and the weak existed only to be preyed upon.

After finishing the female corpse, the Dismemberer hauled out a male corpse and prepared for another round of dissection.

Using the tip of the bone-cleaving knife, he sliced down from the male corpse's neck all the way to its ankles.

In an instant, the corpse's garments split open, yet the underlying skin remained entirely unmarred. This miraculous precision left Song Wen dumbfounded.

After stripping away the clothing, the Dismemberer began methodically flaying the corpse from the head down.

More than one hour later, the man finished processing his daily quota. He briefly cleaned the dismemberment altar before heading toward Yuan Cheng's cave.

Song Wen, seeing the Dismemberer walking in his direction, hurriedly stepped forward with a respectful greeting.

"Greetings, Senior Brother. I am a newly enrolled disciple. Please look after me in the future."

Song Wen had merely wanted to show his face so he could ask for advice later if he encountered difficulties during his own dissections.

Instead, the Corpse Dismemberer shot him a freezing glare and snapped, "Step aside!"

The icy tone jolted Song Wen awake. He was standing in the infamous Corpse Dismemberment Cave of the Corpse Demon Sect. Not everyone here would be as approachable as Yuan Cheng.

Song Wen quickly stepped back to make way. He watched helplessly as the man brushed past him, entered Yuan Cheng's cave, and handed over three Storage Bags-one containing skin and flesh, one for bones, and one for organs.

There were over a hundred stone altars scattered throughout the cavern, but when Song Wen first entered, only forty-three people were actively dissecting corpses. The rest sat empty.

While he had been observing the gruesome work, several others finished their tasks and departed the cave.

By now, barely two dozen Corpse Dismemberers remained at work.

88.181.249.5

ns88.181.249.5da2