C3 No8 Hidden Corpse Hall

As dusk fell, a sense of loneliness often took hold of people's hearts.

Yang Huang had spent the entire day in the lab, diligently working on a medicinal concoction, aiming to complete it before the stroke of midnight. By evening, his efforts paid off. The medicine was ready, achieved in one smooth process—a testament to his years of experimentation.

Holding a test tube filled with a dark green liquid, Yang Huang didn't hesitate. He downed the contents in one swift motion and sat in silence, anticipating the medicine's activation.

Once the medicine was inside him, he quickly assumed a cross-legged position on the floor. A scripture materialized in his thoughts, and he concentrated, mentally reciting each word with determination.

Time marched on, and with each recitation, a mysterious Energy Body began to emerge within his organs, casting a soft glow. As this light appeared, waves of green energy swept through, intensifying the glow wherever they touched.

In a matter of hours, the fluorescent light had nearly enveloped Yang Huang's internal organs.

"By my calculations, I should be able to generate the final Innate Qi tonight," he thought. "Creating a courtyard in my mind to gather all 81 Innate Qi will take more time, but this is sufficient. As the scripture reveals, once the 81 Innate Qi have purified my flesh, blood, and organs, my body will transform. After tonight, I'll possess at least a measure of defensive strength." Excitement stirred within him; three years of perseverance were culminating in this moment of fruition.

The medicine's integration was remarkably swift; within hours, the nurturing of the final Innate Qi was 90% complete.

Yang Huang had already achieved 70-80% of the nurturing process for the last Innate Qi before this session. The medicine's role was to act as a catalyst, quickly topping off the remaining portion.

An hour later, as the green glow faded from his body, the fluorescent light had fully suffused his physical form.

Then, in an instant, the countless points of light converged at his chest, forming a luminous spot the size of a fingernail. This sentient speck of light surged towards his brain and vanished into the depths of his mind.

Yang Huang was well aware that within his Brain Region, he had amassed eighty-one streams of Innate Qi. He was simply waiting for the opportune moment to cultivate his own courtyard and ascend into the realm of cultivation he had long aspired to reach.

The human Brain Region is incredibly expansive, yet only a small portion of it has been tapped into.

Upon the completion of the Innate Qi's nurturing, Yang Huang's body underwent a profound transformation. His organs, flesh, and cells seemed to have accomplished a monumental and virtuous task, receiving a significant blessing and commencing a radical metamorphosis.

This transformation was akin to rebirth, freeing Yang Huang from the confines of his mortal form.

In the Ancient Era, Immortal Dao legends were prevalent, with cultivators first refining their Qi. Prior to Qi Refining, they would undergo Marrow Cleansing to align their souls more closely with the heavenly way and prepare their bodies for cultivation.

Yang Huang's current experience bore a resemblance to these ancient practices, yet his approach to Marrow Cleansing was even more sophisticated.

"In today's world, everyone seeks greater strength and evolution to higher planes. But the Grand Upper Essence Returning Divine One Qi transcends such pursuits. I refuse to set my sights so low. My quest is for ultimate freedom, for the miraculous power to traverse heaven and earth unimpeded," Yang Huang mused, his ambition as a learned intellectual bordering on obsession.

His bodily transformation continued apace, with remarkable results.

Firstly, all impurities within Yang Huang's organs were aggressively purged during the transformation, with a foul-smelling black substance erupting from his pores, nearly enveloping his entire skin.

Each organ was purified and fortified eighty-one times, culminating in an awakening that significantly enhanced organ function—more than tenfold that of an average person.

The most noticeable change was in his eyes, which could now perceive details up to ten meters away even in total darkness.

Furthermore, the strength of his muscles and bones increased dramatically, boosting his speed and power well beyond that of an ordinary person, rivaling even that of a Mutated Man.

In summary, Yang Huang's cultivation of the Grand Upper Essence Returning Divine One Qi was still underway, but the progress he made that night was extraordinary.

Yang Huang had to halt his cultivation as there was a more pressing matter that required his attention. Moreover, his family, particularly his sister Yang Xiaoyan, must be searching for him far and wide.

The lab lacked a door but featured a tunnel that Yang Huang had painstakingly excavated before the Earth Mutation. This tunnel led directly out of the dump and into the Corpses Processing Center in West City.

This center was responsible for handling all the city's corpses, regardless of whether they were ordinary people or Evolvers, or whether they had been burned or slain by monsters. All methods of disposal, including cremation, burial, and storage, were managed there.

Yang Huang worked at the center, which, in the post-Earth Mutation world, was considered a stroke of luck for any ordinary person seeking refuge. The Corpses Processing Center was a safe haven, guarded by 36 Evolvers dispatched by the government to protect significant remains from desecration.

Carrying several bottles of pale golden liquid medicine, Yang Huang silently left the lab through the tunnel. After a half-hour trek, he emerged from beneath a long-dead tree.

Departing from the tree, he navigated two more streets before reaching his destination: a landscape of innumerable hills of varying heights, stretching as far as the eye could see. Oddly, not a single hill sprouted green vegetation. The entire ten-mile radius was shrouded in a chilling, deathly aura.

Beneath these hills stood an imposing stone gate, inscribed with the words "Corpses Processing Center."

Few living souls ventured to this place, save for the Evolvers and ordinary people assigned by the government to oversee its daily operations. The ordinary workers here often had influential backgrounds and were tasked with processing the multitude of corpses through cremation, water burial, earth burial, and storage.

Yang Huang was among them, seemingly spending all his time within the center, attending to his basic needs. Rarely did he return home, as his parents, sister, uncles, and aunts were all Evolvers, with many holding positions in various government departments.

He was the only one in his entire family who wasn't an Evolver.

Three years prior, his parents had prepared a precious gift of Ancient Qi for him and Yang Xiaoyan.

Ancient Qi is an essence that emerges in the world, a collection of the quintessence of animals, plants, or even the spirit of mountains and rivers.

Ancient Qi possesses the ability to cleanse the marrow and forge the bones. After refining the Ancient Qi and consuming the Ancient Fruit during Earth's transformation, the combination could lead to a complete metamorphosis and the achievement of something extraordinary.

At that time, Yang Huang had begun practicing the Grand Upper Essence Returning Divine One Qi, which meant that the acquired Ancient Qi couldn't penetrate his body and was even strongly rejected.

This realization plunged his parents into despair. Ancient Qi was an incredibly precious Energy Body, and during the peaceful times on Earth, it was worth a fortune.

Yet, for the majority of the world's population, Ancient Qi was of no use.

Out of ten billion people, nine billion couldn't absorb Ancient Qi, and Yang Huang was regrettably among them.

What compounded the agony for Yang Huang's parents was the intricate connection between Ancient Qi and the Ancient Fruit. Inability to absorb the Ancient Qi also meant an inability to absorb the Ancient Fruit.

Most ordinary people, even if they couldn't absorb Ancient Qi, would still welcome it into their bodies to purify their organs and extend their lifespan, even if it didn't make them stronger.

But someone like Yang Huang, who innately repelled Ancient Qi, was a rarity.

However, there was a silver lining. Yang Xiaoyan, born three years after Yang Huang, had an exceptional talent. She absorbed the Ancient Qi with ease, transforming her body and even awakening a Super Ability, which brought some solace to their parents.

From that point on, Yang Huang's life seemed to be overshadowed by his sister.

"The Corpses Processing Center is quite nice. It's peaceful, allowing me to ponder life without distractions and freely envision the future." In truth, Yang Huang was content with his current situation. Aside from his family of Evolvers, he preferred to lead the life of an ordinary person.

What's the big deal about lacking dignity? After all, you can't eat dignity.

Upon entering the main gate of the Corpses Processing Center, Yang Huang had a two-kilometer trek to his workplace. The journey was solitary, with no one in sight, accompanied only by chilling gusts of wind and an eerie atmosphere that hung in the air.

Yang Huang's destination was a massive, two-story structure constructed from metal materials. Despite having only two floors, the building covered an extensive area. It was windowless, with only a set of double doors that were rust-stained and slightly warped.

But the state of the door was of no consequence. What mattered was the inscription beside it: "No.8 Hidden Corpse Hall." Indeed, Yang Huang resided here. This was where corpses were stored, making it, in a sense, half of his home.

The other half? That would be the laboratory in the garbage dump.

The Hidden Corpse Hall was vast, with seven large rooms and two halls on the ground floor. Yang Huang bypassed the main hall, headed to a corner, and called the elevator to ascend to the second floor.

The second level housed even more rooms, dozens in fact, each secured with sophisticated laser locks that barred entry to the average person. Among these rooms, one stood out as it contained no corpses—it was Yang Huang's living quarters.

His room was spacious, easily over a hundred square meters, capable of accommodating five people, yet it contained only one bed. Clearly, it was meant for Yang Huang alone, and he was solely responsible for the oversight of the entire No.8 Hidden Corpse Hall.

When he had arrived at the Hidden Corpse Hall a month prior, the official documents had clearly stated his role. Despite the skepticism from many Evolvers working at the Corpses Processing Center, they held their tongues.

This situation had already earned him the ire of numerous Evolvers. Managing an entire Hidden Corpse Hall was a privilege usually reserved for Evolvers, yet Yang Huang, a mere ordinary person, had been granted such a privilege, much to the discomfort of those in higher positions.

Moreover, the Hidden Corpse Hall under Yang Huang's management was somewhat unique. In recent days, many Evolvers had sought to trouble him, but he had adeptly defused each situation. Nevertheless, he knew that this could not go on indefinitely.

Therefore, he had already devised a strategy to silence these 'high and mighty' Evolvers once and for all.