Chapter 3189: Dead On Arrival To a casual observer, it would seem like a natural accident of the forest, but Elyon’s gaze sharpened as he examined the area more closely. "These trees were moved," he said finally. "Their roots were cut cleanly, and the angles of the fall are too deliberate. Someone used them to hide something." Lin Mu nodded, his expression serious. "Help me clear them." He extended his hand, and invisible force rippled outward as spatial qi applied by meld coiled around the trunks. The massive trees shifted with a low groan, their weight suspended in air for a brief moment before being moved aside. Snow cascaded down from above, revealing a dark hollow in the ravine wall. A small cave entrance lay exposed, barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through. The air that drifted from within was stale and cold, thick with the faint metallic tang of blood and decay. Cattaleya let out a low whistle. "That’s a tight fit," she said, eyeing the narrow space. Meng Bai chuckled awkwardly. "Now I understand why Master prefers to stay in his ’normal’ state. Crawling through such holes with his full physique would be impossible." Cattaleya raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Are you calling me fat, boy?" Meng Bai’s face drained of color almost instantly. "N-no, Senior! I mean—ah, you’re simply... strong! Too strong for such cramped little places. This hole is unworthy of your—uh—graceful power!" One of the things Daoist Chu had taught him about women was to never hint that they were fat, especially strong female cultivators. He had carved the lesson into the boy’s heart, and now he had remembered it instantly. Daoist Chu sighed quietly while Monk Hushu covered a faint smile with his sleeve. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎 Cattaleya’s grin widened as she placed a hand on her hip. "Relax, I’m teasing." Meng Bai exhaled in relief, his heart still pounding. "I should have known..." Elyon cleared his throat, his voice even. "Save your jokes for later. You’ll want to see this." The humor drained from the group at once. Lin Mu gave a nod, and they entered the cave in single file. The narrow tunnel wound downward, the walls rough and uneven. Icy air seeped through the cracks, and faint droplets of water echoed softly as they fell. After several meters, the passage widened abruptly into a large chamber. Lin Mu’s eyes adjusted quickly, and his immortal sense spread out in a wave. What he saw made his expression harden. The cavern was far larger inside than it appeared from the outside. The walls bore the marks of tools, clear evidence that it had been expanded by human hands. Within it stood several tattered tents, now half-collapsed, along with stacks of boxes and sacks filled with stolen goods. Weapons, armor, herbs, and even rare ores were piled haphazardly. But the most striking sight was not the loot. It was the people. Dozens of figures lay scattered across the ground. Men and women alike, some still clutching weapons, others frozen in the act of movement. They were all dead. Their bodies had shriveled into husks, skin clinging tightly to bone, eyes sunken deep within skulls. They looked as though their blood and vitality had been sucked out completely, leaving behind nothing but dry shells. Cattaleya knelt beside one of the corpses and inspected it closely. "No visible wounds. No scorch marks or cuts. Whatever killed them drained them from the inside." "Damn, they look like their blood was drained and then they were hung out to dry in the sun for a whole year." Meng Bai couldn’t help but compare it to how they made dried jerky. Monk Hushu’s brow furrowed. "This is not the work of common cultivators. It feels... wrong. There is a residue of malevolent qi in the air, faint but heavy." Elyon extended his hand and brushed it through the air. Wisps of black smoke responded faintly, swirling at his fingertips before dissipating. "Corruption," he said quietly. "Not just bandits. Someone or something else was here." Lin Mu’s gaze swept across the chamber, lingering on the far wall where faint claw marks were carved into the stone. "Something or someone came for them," he murmured. "And it didn’t leave anyone alive." The silence that followed was heavy. The cold of the ravine seemed to deepen, creeping into their bones as they realized that whatever force had done this was still somewhere nearby. "Be on guard," Lin Mu said softly. "This place is not what it seems." Little Shrubby’s fur bristled, and lightning qi began to hum faintly along his back. The scent of old blood hung thick in the air, and the shadows in the corners of the cavern seemed to pulse faintly, alive with something unseen. Their search for the bandits had led them here, but what they had found was something far worse. The air within the cavern grew heavy as Lin Mu and his companions examined the gruesome scene before them. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the faint dripping of melted frost from the stalactites above. Each body, twisted and dried beyond recognition, exuded a faint trace of lingering spiritual energy, like echoes of screams long past. The smell was faintly metallic, mingling with the musty scent of cold stone and old blood. Lin Mu knelt beside one of the corpses and placed his hand near its chest. The flesh was dry and papery, almost flaking away at his touch. No wounds marred the surface, no burns or slashes... just a complete absence of vitality. "No external trauma," he said quietly. "Whatever drained them did it from within." Daoist Chu examined another corpse, his expression grim. "It was not poison or simple energy exhaustion. Their meridians have collapsed entirely, as if devoured. I can still feel traces of something foreign lingering deep in their dantian, though faint." Cattaleya crossed her arms, scanning the corpses that littered the cavern floor. "Whoever did this, it was not an ordinary cultivator. No one kills like this unless they use dark methods. Even most unorthodox sects don’t practice something this cruel or don’t have such skills in the first place."