Chapter 594
The girl hesitated not for a moment, placing her hand directly on the hand of the shadow.
In an instant, the terrifying phantom surged into her body through the runes in her hand, a wild torrent of dark energy.
**Chapter 304: Food Must Be Delicious (4090 words)**
*(Correction of a writing error: the An Chao is from the "Avenger" path, not the "Ascetic" path.)*
In the silent dungeon of the realm of death, Xia Er sat with her eyes closed, meditating.
She had grown accustomed to the ambient sounds around her, even beginning to block them out on her own.
Beside her, the corpse of a man in the adjacent cell continued to twitch uncontrollably. Even with half of his skull missing and his body in advanced decay, he still exhibited signs of recovery.
Observing the changes in his vital signs and studying the undead had become one of Xia Er's few pastimes during this time, sketching research reports in her mind.
To further her studies, Xia Er even broke through the bars separating the two cells, employing the abilities of "Physician," "Source of Cholera," "Queen Bee," and "Coroner" to conduct experiments on the undead.
The adjacent cell had almost turned into Xia Er's laboratory, with countless dissected flesh pieces neatly categorized for observation of their subsequent changes.
Salis, who shared the same cell with Xia Er, seemed to have grown numb to it all.
She realized that Xia Er would no longer help her and began to rely on the blood she had initially obtained from Xia Er to attempt her own escape—fashioning a bone saw from her own bones to cut through the rusted iron bars.
Straining to saw through the iron bars was something she had previously lacked the strength to do.
Xia Er had advised Salis against this, telling her it would be a waste of effort; even if she managed to cut through the bars, she could not save her family.
In Xia Er's view, Salis had only one path to take if she left the dungeon: death. There was no way she could single-handedly rescue her family, and even Xia Er herself had no confidence in such a feat.
Xia Er wanted to avoid attracting the attention of the undead above the dungeon, but she would not stop Salis from trying to fight for her freedom.
Finally, one day, Salis managed to cut through the chains, turned back to thank Xia Er for the blood and for not stopping her, and then dashed into the dark passageway outside.
In the dungeon, Xia Er experienced little change; instead, through her research on the flesh in the adjacent cell, she made a very useful discovery.
She found that the "Coroner" and the "Queen Bee," which was derived from the "Coroner" path, could simulate the aura of the undead in a specific manner.
This simulation made Xia Er appear as if she were a true undead, like a walking corpse...
Or perhaps it was not merely a simulation; the "Coroner" possessed the innate ability to mask its presence and feign death. With continuous practice and honing of her skills, she could completely mimic the undead...
This revelation cast doubt on Xia Er's previous judgments.
The recovery ability of the undead resembled that of the "Physician," while the suturing and adaptability of flesh and body were strikingly similar to the "Coroner" path...
The third-tier path of the "Physician," "Reborn," allowed for the suturing of flesh with extraordinary materials, while the "Bone Sculptor" and "Weaver" that followed the "Coroner" leaned more towards the transformation of the dead.
Both paths seemed to align with the "God of Death," yet for some reason, these two paths could not be interchanged in reality... This was the point that puzzled Xia Er.
If the paths and abilities of the "God of Death" stemmed from "uniqueness," could it be possible that this "God of Death" possessed two forms of "uniqueness"?
This required more evidence to prove; for now, it remained merely a conjecture on Xia Er's part.
Four more days passed, and thanks to the timing function of her pocket watch, Xia Er had not lost track of time. The characters carved into the wall reminded her of the day.
It had been exactly thirty days since she was summoned to the dark dungeon.
During this time, the companion contract on her right hand emitted a constant glow, and recently, it felt increasingly warm, as if sensing the approach of her companion.
However, before the An Chao arrived, something seemed to stir in the dungeon today.
Footsteps echoed from the dim corridor toward Xia Er, accompanied by the clanking of chains and the crack of a whip, and she could faintly hear curses.
“Damn traitor! The God of Death hasn’t taken away your right to eternal life; you should be grateful! Yet you still try to tempt others, even your own family, to abandon their faith…”
A torch burning with dark green flames drew closer to Xia Er, illuminating everything around her and revealing the figure holding the torch.
It was a grotesque figure, a corpulent man with dark green skin and swollen organs, his bloated insides nearly bursting through his pale skin. Through the stretched, thin skin, one could see his jelly-like innards quivering.
His hands were encircled by layers of fat, but what lay beneath was not mere flesh; it was clearly organs that did not belong to him.
He held a length of iron chain, and his pancake-like face, with a single eye, scanned the surroundings before finding an empty cell and opening the door.
Thud—
The iron door of the adjacent cell swung open, and a figure was tossed inside like a rag. The repulsive, terrifying undead then moved away, torch in hand.
It seemed completely unaware of the extra presence in the cell, nor did it notice Xia Er, who had been watching it intently... Now, Xia Er's aura had completely transformed to resemble that of a true undead.
Perfect, the disguise worked...
Strength around the second tier... mentally weak...
Like a stitched creature with low intelligence, similar to the "Watcher" Xia Er had created before, but with materials far superior to her own.
If the Transmuter failed to notice her, it meant that she could likely walk to the surface without being discovered, maintaining her disguise flawlessly.
If she could keep that second-tier undead for dissection and study, perhaps Xia Er could use its flesh and blood to merge with herself, perfectly becoming one of the undead...
Just as Xia Er contemplated the feasibility of this plan, a faint cough broke the silence beside her.
“Cough, cough…”
Salis?
Xia Er turned to the newly thrown undead in the adjacent cell.
She was dressed in a new prison uniform, which looked more like a restraint suit woven from innards, enveloping her body with only her head exposed.
Salis maintained the position she had been thrown in, leaning against the wall, motionless, her eyes filled with a deadened stare.
Noticing Xia Er's gaze, Salis slowly turned her head, looking in Xia Er's direction. Her lips moved slightly, but no words came out.
After a long silence, Salis finally spoke.
“It was... my brother... who reported me...” Pain flickered in her lifeless eyes as she emitted a sound akin to a beast's wail. “It all started with him…”
As soon as she began to speak, the sorrow within Salis burst forth, her voice trembling with pain and despair.
Xia Er refrained from offering any “I told you so” remarks.
Only one person being awake was a tragedy in itself. Without the presence of the silver rune, Salis could have lived a life like any other undead, entering the Hall of Heroes at thirty, free from the torment of awareness.
When Salis's sobs finally subsided, Xia Er looked at her and slowly asked, “Do you hate me for waking you from the beautiful dream of faith?”
“No... I don’t hate you...” Salis's voice was hoarse, filled with deep repression and anger.
“I’m grateful you helped me see the truth... I only hate myself for not having the power to change it all...”
The flames of anger burned in Salis's chest, hatred consuming her reason.
From the very beginning, through the concealment and deception, Xia Er could see that Salis was someone who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, even daring to deceive “gods.”
Such a person was a double-edged sword.
It would either burn her enemies or consume herself.
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