Chapter 145: None of Them Are Human (Part Two)

After Yinyin left, I began to carefully examine the Shadowless Residence.

This Shadowless Residence was actually nothing more than a very rustic courtyard, except that it was surrounded by cyan stone tablets arranged in a crisscross, jagged pattern.

I took two steps back and looked closer, my expression instantly changing drastically.

For what lay before my eyes was no simple, rustic dwelling, but an utterly terrifying ancient array.

Not only did I discover this bizarre array, but Xiyue and Chen Chuyi also furrowed their brows. It was plainly evident that this array was far from ordinary.

" Grandpa Chen, this is..."

Xiyue did not speak; she merely stared blankly at the door before us.

Chen Chuyi let out a long sigh, then smiled bitterly and said, "This is an array known as the Nine-Ring Soul-Returning Array. Every single cyan stone tablet surrounding us is a diagram of the Nine-Ring Array. A so-called diagram is an essential component for setting up such an array. Moreover, these cyan stone tablets do not merely have simple talismans embedded within them; they also contain terrifying nether souls, and every single one of them is the spirit of a female corpse of extreme yin and malice. Yet, judging by the crisscrossing and jagged arrangement of these tablets now, this array has already become incomplete. As for this Shadowless Residence, it is a truly terrifying soul-locking ground."

A soul-locking ground?

Standing at the entrance, Chen Chuyi furrowed his brows as he gazed at the Shadowless Residence enveloped by that expanse of cyan stone tablets.

The small courtyard actually looked very serene. Through the half-open courtyard gate, I could clearly see the rustic furnishings inside, which were extremely elegant.

"In truth, this courtyard is a place of extreme yin and malice. However, because this ancient array cannot function at all, there are still many areas within this small courtyard that serve to nurture vital energy. In fact, yin and malefic energy are not necessarily always harmful. For a person to achieve a balance between yin and yang, harmony between the two is essential, and at such times, yin and malefic energy become an indispensable part."

" ...Sigh, in short, from this moment on, we must remain constantly on our guard. After all, we have no idea what the situation is in this Shadowless Village. Since the village chief arranged for us to stay here, he must have his reasons. Regardless of what his intentions might be, we must first move in and get something to eat. For some reason, ever since I arrived at Shadowless Village, my body has begun to experience normal physiological reactions. This is both a good thing and a bad thing!"

Naturally, bodily reactions were only felt by myself and Chen Chuyi; Xiyue would not experience anything of the sort.

"Grandpa Chen, what do you mean by that?"

Chen Chuyi smiled somewhat bitterly and said, "I once read a text by a senior Yin-Yang master in the Azure Dragon Pavilion. It mentioned a certain place where life is no different from that in the real world, with the sole exception that the inhabitants either lack souls or lack shadows. Yet, they are indeed not human, but a species known as corpse-people."

Corpse-people?

"If I am not mistaken, everyone in this Shadowless Village is a corpse-person. They have no shadows, but their living habits are identical to those of people in the real world. From this point, it is not hard to deduce that many things here are likely corpse-people. More importantly, corpse-people do not know that they are not human; in their own consciousness, they are part of the human race, and among them, some possess special abilities."

"I don't know the exact nature of these special abilities, but looking at this formation, if this place has truly existed throughout the history of Shadowless Village, we can consider ourselves fish on the chopping board."

"What's wrong?"

I could not help but ask, feeling somewhat puzzled. No matter what, even if we had already fallen into someone else's schemes, we could not simply allow ourselves to be slaughtered at will. Besides, hasn't my entire journey been one step-by-step walk into other people's plots?

"Because this Nine-Ring Soul-Returning Array has another name. Do you know what it is called?"

I shook my head, but at that moment, Xiyue showed a look of sheer terror. At first, I thought Xiyue was showing fear because she had seen this place earlier, but then, upon hearing Chen Chuyi's explanation, I instantly understood the reason completely.

"The Nine-Ring Soul-Returning Array actually has another name: the Reincarnation Grand Array. This array is the predecessor of the Three-Corpse Soul-Returning Array, meaning it is the most ancient form of the Three-Corpse Soul-Returning Array. Therefore, if this array was truly set up by the people of this village, it can only prove one thing: not a single person in this village is human!"

"And since these are all corpse-people, we can only be considered temporarily safe once we enter this array. But the moment this array is activated, I believe that the ancient corpse embedded all over with ancient copper coins discovered in Shanxi earlier, along with the former Master Wu Wang, will all appear here."

At the mere thought of this, my heart trembled slightly.

"If that's really the case, whose soul does the Three-Corpse Soul-Returning Array resurrect?"

Chen Chuyi shook his head.

"Let's not dwell on this for now. We should go inside first, because right now we have no idea what will happen!"

I nodded.

"That's true. For now, we can only take things one step at a time!"

Pulling the trembling Xiyue, I followed behind Chen Chuyi. The moment we stepped into the courtyard, the entire compound gave a slight shudder, causing a sudden quiver in my heart.

"As expected, only you could trigger this array..."

He-he-he-he...

At that instant, my heart gave a violent jolt, and I immediately raised my eyes to look around.

"Who is it..."

The words burst out of my mouth almost instinctively, because before my eyes, aside from the rustic, clean courtyard, there was practically nothing. Yet I had heard that sound with absolute clarity, and the voice was entirely unfamiliar—I was hearing it for the very first time.

"Xiaodong, what's wrong?"

Just as I finished speaking and was looking around in all directions, Chen Chuyi turned around and asked.

My expression instantly soured, and in an instant, my entire body began to shake violently, because at that moment I had the overwhelming sensation that countless pairs of eyes were watching me from within that rustic house. That terrifying feeling defied description.

"Xiaodong..."

Cold sweat broke out all over my body, and I did not snap out of it until Xiyue called out to me.

"Ah?"

"Xiaodong, what happened to you just now? Did you see something..."

I shook my head blankly, because I had indeed seen something, yet at the same time, it was something I could not put into words. I had utterly no language to express the scene I had just witnessed.