The First Corpse Dismemberment

Song Wen observed another Corpse Dismemberer, remaining in the Corpse Dismemberment Cave until the very last worker departed before he finally left.

According to his observations, each worker processed between 100 to 150 corpses, taking roughly four to six hours.

Upon exiting the Corpse Dismemberment Cave, Song Wen returned to his residence at Cave No. Bing-97.

After receiving their assignments, Wu Sheng, Zhang Xiaofan, and the others had been allocated far better lodgings by the Yin Fiend Hall and the Spirit Plant Hall. Consequently, they had already moved away from these outer sect disciple caves at the foot of the mountain.

Because the Corpse Dismemberment Cave was unfit for habitation, no new quarters were provided for its workers. Song Wen had no choice but to remain in his original cave.

Immediately upon returning to his cave, Song Wen produced the bone-cleaving knife and began to refine it.

Though it was merely a Low Grade Magical Artifact, the spiritual energy within Song Wen's body was far too weak. It took him several hours of concentrated effort just to achieve a basic refinement.

He wanted to test the weapon's power, but the process of refining the bone-cleaving knife had completely drained his reserves. Unable to muster even a single thread of spiritual energy, he was forced to give up.

Patting his empty stomach, Song Wen stood up and made his way toward the menial disciples' cafeteria.

The Inedia Pills provided to him upon entering the sect were completely gone, and the monthly stipend from the Corpse Dismemberment Cave would not be issued until the end of the month. For the time being, he could only rely on the nearest menial disciples' cafeteria to satisfy his hunger.

The number of menial disciples was vast. When Song Wen arrived, over a thousand crowded the cafeteria.

These disciples possessed inferior spiritual roots and wretched aptitude. With scarce reserves and superficial cultivation techniques, most spent their entire lives stuck in the early to middle stages of Qi Refining. Few ever broke through to the late stage.

Should a menial disciple manage to reach the late stage of Qi Refining, they would automatically become an outer sect disciple of the Corpse Demon Sect.

This was the ultimate goal for most of them.

Seeing Song Wen arrive in the cyan robes of an outer sect disciple, many menial disciples looked upon him with envy.

The Corpse Demon Sect was a cultivation sect after all. Though the higher-ups neglected the menial disciples, the food provided was decent.

After consuming three large bowls of rice and a massive platter of meat, Song Wen left the cafeteria satisfied.

He had not noticed it back when he relied on Inedia Pills, but now he realized that his appetite had grown immensely since practicing the Corpse King Blood Refining Art. He now ate as much as several grown men.

Satiated, Song Wen returned to his cave and began meditating to restore his spiritual energy.

The next day, at the Corpse Dismemberment Cave.

Having spent the entire night cultivating, Song Wen arrived early.

Only one other worker had arrived, and Yuan Cheng was currently assigning him his allotment.

Seeing Song Wen approach, Yuan Cheng spoke up.

"Today is your first day on the job. I will give you fifty corpses to practice on. Tomorrow you will handle one hundred, and the day after, your quota will match the others. Any objections?"

Song Wen cupped his fists. "Thank you for your consideration, Senior Brother Yuan. I have no objections."

Yuan Cheng nodded and handed him four Storage Bags.

From his observations the previous day, Song Wen knew that one bag contained the intact corpses, while the other three were meant to separate the bones, flesh, and internal organs.

"Go to platform seventy-three. It is currently vacant."

Song Wen cupped his fists in gratitude once more, took the bags, and walked over to the assigned platform seventy-three.

He placed the four Storage Bags down and drew out the first corpse.

It was a young male under the age of twenty, likely a fallen rogue cultivator.

Staring at the body on the stone slab, Song Wen muttered internally,

"Forgive me. If you must blame someone, blame this cannibalistic cultivation world that denies you peace even in death. I hope that in your next life, you are reborn into a world without cultivators."

Yet he could not even be certain if the youth would have a next life. There was a high probability that the demonic cultivator who slew him had already claimed his soul.

Steeling his mind, Song Wen cast aside all lingering hesitation and pity. He repeatedly warned himself that to survive in this place, he had to be utterly cold and ruthless.

Recalling the procedure from yesterday, he began by stripping the garments from the corpse.

However, he had overestimated his control over the bone-cleaving knife.

Though he had refined the weapon and improved his mastery over it, his technique fell far short of the veteran workers' proficiency.

With every stroke, his hand was either too heavy or too light.

In some places, he sliced too deeply, piercing the flesh. In others, the blade failed to even cut through the clothing.

After finally removing the garments with great difficulty, he began flaying the flesh starting from the head.

Through a series of clumsy, awkward movements, it took him a full two ke just to finish dissecting the first corpse.

Furthermore, his work fell completely short of the perfect separation achieved by the veterans. Residual flesh clung to the bones, the internal organs were badly mangled, and he had even accidentally severed several bones when his concentration wavered.

Despite these flaws, he pushed through to the end.

Several times his resolve faltered, and a wave of nausea threatened to make him vomit, but he forcibly suppressed it.

At certain moments, his body instinctively attempted to devour the corpse's essence blood, but he cut off the sensation immediately.

He had known for a long time that he could control his body's urge to absorb blood vitality; he had tested this back when he consumed the essence blood of Dog Master and his two lackeys. Had he not possessed this control, he would never have dared apply for this position.

If every corpse assigned to him turned into a withered, bloodless husk, it would instantly draw the attention of the Corpse Demon Sect's elders. At that point, he would likely be sliced open and studied.

Without taking a moment to rest, Song Wen drew out the second body.

This one was an adult female.

Strip the clothes, skin the head, separate the flesh...

With the experience from the first attempt, his speed improved noticeably. It took him just over one ke to complete the second dissection.

It took Song Wen over twelve hours to process all fifty corpses.

By the time he finished, his spiritual energy had long been depleted. He had relied entirely on raw physical strength to finish the task, leaving his limbs throbbing with soreness.

Yet the physical strain paled in comparison to his mental exhaustion. The meticulous nature of the work consumed immense focus, and the constant effort required to suppress his disgust drained his mind rapidly. His thoughts felt sluggish.

Gathering the four filled Storage Bags, he walked slowly back to the cave entrance.

"Senior Brother Yuan, I have come to hand in today's harvest," Song Wen said, his voice thick with fatigue.

Yuan Cheng took the bags and swept his spiritual sense inside to inspect the contents.

"Ji Yin, you did well," Yuan Cheng said. "You are a natural talent for demonic cultivation. Go back and rest up. Tomorrow, your quota doubles."

By now, the other workers had already departed the cave. Song Wen offered no further words; he simply cupped his fists and took his leave.

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