Chapter 165: Chapter 165 - The Dead Men’s Blessing and the Growing Team
The exploration continued.
By this point, the important structures around Outer Outpost No. 9 had mostly been searched.
So the group moved on.
Their next direction was Outer Outpost No. 8.
That was where Ji Ruyue, Tang Ziyan, Lin Weiyang, and the others had originally come from.
Su Bai walked at the front.
Behind him, the group followed in a formation that had become much smoother than before.
Everyone looked different from before too.
The treasures had done something frightening to their courage.
Even the newly awakened victims, who had been pale and trembling not long ago, now looked much more energetic.
The group’s confidence had risen greatly.
Following Brother Su meant safety.
Following Brother Su meant treasure.
Following Brother Su also meant occasionally stopping in front of skeletons and maintaining respectful silence.
That last part became inconvenient very quickly.
Su Bai discovered it at the next broken structure.
He found a skeleton seated beneath a cracked stone beam. The skull had a faint curse-rune mark.
So he stepped forward, sat cross-legged, lowered his head, and prepared to use the Vanguard’s Entropy-Detonator.
The others saw him.
Then, without anyone ordering them, they also became quiet.
One cultivator sat down.
Then another.
Then another.
Soon, half the group was sitting with solemn expressions.
Some clasped their hands.
Some closed their eyes.
Some bowed their heads.
A few even looked deeply moved.
Su Bai opened one eye.
What was this?
Why did this look like a memorial ceremony?
The Vanguard’s Entropy-Detonator was hidden in his sleeve.
A silent detonation entered his mind.
The Reversal Body twisted the harm.
Memory fragments surfaced.
At the same time, the cultivators behind him lowered their heads in silence.
Su Bai did not know whether to laugh or sigh.
He could not tell them to stop.
If he told them not to "pay respects," that would be strange.
If he explained he was not praying, that would be worse.
So he could only continue.
After a while, he opened his eyes and stood.
The others opened their eyes one after another.
Several looked peaceful.
One even whispered, "May the fallen senior rest."
Su Bai looked at him.
Then silently looked away.
The misunderstanding had evolved.
It had become organized.
Tang Ziyan watched from the side with clear amusement.
"You look troubled."
Su Bai said calmly, "I am respectful."
Tang Ziyan smirked.
"Of course."
Her tone said she believed nothing.
The group continued toward Outer Outpost No. 8.
Along the way, Su Bai used the newly obtained memory fragments to avoid two dangerous paths.
One had a half-buried signal stone that still reacted faintly to spiritual sense.
The other was a sunken trench where the red mist moved too smoothly.
Smooth mist was never good... for others.
A little later, the group finally encountered other cultivators.
There were nine of them.
They stood near the ruins of a broken stone arch, weapons raised, expressions wary.
The moment both sides saw each other, the atmosphere tightened.
More than thirty cultivators on one side.
Nine exhausted cultivators on the other.
In the Fallen-Star Sanctuary, numbers did not always mean safety.
Sometimes they meant someone had already been swallowed.
Su Bai stopped first.
The group behind him stopped immediately.
That simple reaction made the nine cultivators across from them even more nervous.
A young man in gray robes cupped his fists cautiously.
"Fellow Daoists, we mean no offense."
Su Bai observed them.
He did not answer immediately.
His spiritual sense swept lightly across their formation.
Their breathing was uneven.
Their lotus barriers were thin.
Their robes showed corrosion marks.
They looked tired, frustrated, and poor.
He used the True-Sight Bodhi Bead and observed their reflections.
There were no false bodies among them.
Su Bai did not relax completely, but his gaze eased.
He looked through the group again.
Liu Meng was not there.
Qin Baoshan was not there.
Han Yuelin was not there either.
Su Bai felt a little disappointed.
Then he accepted it.
The Fallen-Star Sanctuary was large.
Meeting them immediately would have been too convenient.
Su Bai asked, "Where did you come from?"
The gray-robed young man answered, "We were sent away from the outpost when we entered. We landed near each other and formed a temporary group."
Another cultivator sighed.
"Unfortunately, we have found almost nothing."
A third added bitterly, "Unless broken tiles count as inheritance."
Several people in Su Bai’s group coughed.
They did not laugh.
Not openly.
But their expressions became difficult to hide.
The nine cultivators noticed.
Their faces became even more bitter.
Su Bai asked, "Have you met anyone suspicious?"
The gray-robed young man shook his head.
"Only miasma beasts and bad luck."
"That is good," Su Bai said.
The young man looked as if he did not know whether to feel comforted or insulted.
Su Bai continued, "We are heading toward an Outpost. Along the way, we will search nearby structures. If you are willing, you may travel with us. Treasures will be divided according to contribution."
The nine cultivators were stunned.
They had expected suspicion.
They had expected rejection.
They had even prepared for being driven away.
They had not expected an invitation.
The gray-robed young man hesitated.
"Fellow Daoist Su, we would not drag you down?"
Before Su Bai could speak, someone from his group laughed.
Not mockingly.
More like a person who had already seen tomorrow’s answer.
"Drag us down?"
Another cultivator patted his storage pouch.
"You will understand soon."
The nine cultivators became confused.
Chen Feng crossed his arms and said, "Following him is profitable."
Everyone turned to Chen Feng.
For him to say that openly, the matter had to be serious.
The nine cultivators agreed.
Just like that, the group became larger.
At first, the newcomers were cautious.
They did not understand the formation.
They did not understand why everyone listened whenever Su Bai raised his hand.
They especially did not understand why everyone became excited when the miasma thickened.
Then Su Bai stopped before a collapsed stone mound.
The newcomers stared.
One whispered, "Is this also a wall?"
Chen Feng’s face darkened.
"Do not ask that."
Lin Weiyang’s mechanisms flew forward.
A hidden gap was revealed beneath the mound.
Inside was a narrow storage room.
And inside the storage room, beneath layers of red dust, were several star-metal strips and sealed jade boxes.
The newcomers froze.
The old group smiled.
A newcomer’s voice trembled.
"This... this was just here?"
An old group member nodded.
"Yes."
"And you found it by stopping?"
"Brother Su stopped."
The newcomer looked at Su Bai as if looking at a walking treasure compass.
The treasures were checked and divided.
The nine newcomers received smaller shares because they had joined late, but they still received more than they had found during their entire previous journey.
Their eyes became bright. Very bright.
Then Su Bai found another skeleton with a usable rune.
He sat down before it.
The old group immediately grew solemn.
One by one, they sat or bowed their heads.
The newcomers stared.
"What are they doing?" one whispered.
An old group member answered seriously, "Tradition."
"What tradition?"
"Respecting the dead seniors."
Another added, "Sometimes, if your sincerity is enough, the dead may point the way."
The newcomers were shocked.
Then they looked at Su Bai.
He sat quietly before the skeleton, robe sleeves still slightly damaged, expression calm, aura restrained.
He did look sincere.
The newcomers exchanged glances.
Then, one by one, they sat down too.
Su Bai had just activated the Detonator when he sensed the movement behind him.
He did not open his eyes.
The memory fragments entered his mind.
Behind him, more than forty cultivators sat in solemn silence.
The scene became even more ridiculous.
A wind passed through the broken ruin.
Someone whispered, "May the fallen senior guide us."
Su Bai nearly lost the memory fragment.
After the process ended, he stood and led them onward.
A short while later, he found another hidden chamber.
This one contained preserved medicinal clay, damaged formation plates, and bundles of corrosion-resistant thread.
The newcomers’ eyes changed completely.
By the time they received their shares, they had become believers.
Not believers in any sect.
Believers in following Brother Su.
The exploration continued.
They moved between the mist-covered structures surrounding the outpost route.
Some places held nothing.
Some places held old warnings.
Some held broken materials that could still be refined.
Some contained records that deepened Su Bai’s understanding of the outer region.
At every stop with skeletons, Su Bai searched for usable skull runes.
At every stop where he sat before the dead, the group lowered their voices.
Then they began doing more than lowering their voices.
They bowed.
They meditated.
They prayed silently.
The first time the newcomers saw the old group do it, they felt awkward.
The second time, they followed.
The third time, someone even brought out incense.
No one knew where he had gotten it.
Tang Ziyan stared at the incense stick.
"Who carries incense into a mystic realm?"
The cultivator answered seriously, "A prepared person."
Tang Ziyan looked at him for a long moment.
Then said, "Prepared for dying, perhaps."
The cultivator silently moved the incense farther from her poison aura.
Su Bai watched this strange development and felt tired.
He was only collecting intelligence.
Somehow, he had gained a traveling memorial procession.
Still, the results were good.
The group became more disciplined.
No one rushed for treasure before checking danger.
No one argued loudly during distribution.
No one wandered alone.
Everyone understood that following Su Bai meant more chances.
...
Along the route, they met more cultivators.
Su Bai checked each group carefully before inviting them.
Not everyone agreed.
One group of six looked at Su Bai’s expanding team and immediately refused.
Their leader frowned.
"With so many people, even if there are treasures, how much can each person receive?"
Several members of Su Bai’s group looked at him.
Their expressions became strange.
The leader continued, "A large group is slow, noisy, and inconvenient. We will search by ourselves."
Su Bai nodded.
"Then be careful."
He did not persuade them.
Everyone had their own path.
The six cultivators left.
The moment they disappeared into the red mist, someone in Su Bai’s group snorted.
"Fools."
Another said, "They think small groups get more treasure."
A third patted his storage pouch.
"Sometimes, small groups only get more danger."
Chen Feng actually smirked.
This shocked several people.
Chen Feng said, "Even I know when to ride someone’s coattails."
The group became silent.
Then someone whispered, "Brother Chen has awakened."
Chen Feng’s face darkened.
"I was never asleep."
Tang Ziyan smiled.
"Debatable."
The group continued.
More cultivators joined later.
Not many each time.
Three here.
Five there.
Two from a smaller sect who looked as if they had nearly cried from hunger and relief.
Many rejected the offer.
Most who saw the group’s order and heard the name Radiant Sky Sect hesitated, then joined.
By the time they neared the route toward Outer Outpost No. 8, the group had grown noticeably larger.
It was no longer a small temporary alliance.
It was a procession.
A strange procession.
At the front walked Su Bai, calm and pale, following directions only he understood.
Behind him were sect geniuses, and people carrying treasures with expressions that were both nervous and satisfied.
And whenever Su Bai stopped before a skeleton, the procession stopped too.
One cultivator even prayed, "Senior, please point Brother Su toward something valuable."
The person beside him whispered, "Be respectful."
"I am being respectful."
"You asked for treasure."
"I asked politely."
Su Bai heard it.
He chose not to react.
The dead, if they still had opinions, were probably also confused.
Yet strangely, the rhythm worked.
Explore.
Check danger.
Collect treasure.
Divide shares.
Respect the dead.
Move again.
After several cycles, even the newly joined cultivators adapted.
Of course, Su Bai did not forget the greater danger.
He continued watching for signs of borrowed faces.
So far, among the groups they met, he had not found an obvious false body.
That was good.
But not comforting.
The cracked shells in the Star-Soul Verification Post remained in his mind.
Some Soul-Bloom Returnees had escaped.
If they were still in the outer region, then sooner or later, they would meet.
Comments