Night.

No stars, no moon.

Three dark figures appeared deep in an alley.

"Father."

Zhou Huaijing, wearing a Fierce Ghost Mask, spoke in a low voice:

"You go to the Leng Mansion and kill Leng Xing. I’ll go to the Zhu Mansion and take care of Zhu Ju. Once they’re dead, the resentment hidden within the Cold Pool’s corpse will dissipate."

"Then I can refine it into my Lifebound Zombie."

"Mm," Wu Chun nodded.

"Be careful. Before he died, the Cold Pool held a deep grudge against those two. They must be his murderers."

"Anyone who can kill an expert with a rare Alien Internal Qi must be quite strong. Don’t be fooled by Zhu Ju’s past behavior."

"Don’t worry." Zhou Huaijing grinned.

"I’ve already turned the Cold Pool into a zombie. It’s absorbed the Corpse Qi from dozens of Walking Corpses, making it several times stronger than when it was alive. And that’s not even counting me."

"But you, Father!"

"Leng Xing is now the Patriarch of the Leng Family, and several of his sworn brothers are at the Leng Mansion. If it looks impossible, you should retreat first. We can make another plan when the opportunity arises."

"Haha..." Wu Chun laughed heartily at his words.

"My son, don’t underestimate your father. That whelp Leng Xing has only been Nurturing his Inner Qi for a year. Even with his good-for-nothing brothers, they’re no match for me."

"And if I do run into a real expert, this old man can still put up a hell of a fight!"

With that, he waved his hand.

"I’m off!"

"Let’s take advantage of this gap in the patrols. We’ll be quick. It’ll be a hassle if we take too long."

SWOOSH!

In a flash, his figure was gone, heading straight for the Leng Mansion.

Watching Wu Chun’s back recede into the distance, Zhou Huaijing slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at the Black-Clothed Man behind him.

"Let’s go, too!"

THUD!

The Black-Clothed Man tapped his feet on the ground, bent his knees slightly, and with a light hop, leapt dozens of feet forward.

His Body Technique was strange and swift.

The county town wasn’t large. The two ’people’, one in front and one behind, quickly arrived near the Zhu Mansion.

’The Zhu Mansion has several servants—a cook, a groom, handymen, and so on. No need to worry about them. There are no expert guards in the Nursing Home either.’

Zhou Huaijing’s plan was simple: use the gap in patrols to break into the Zhu Mansion, kill Zhu Ju, and then leave.

As for any obstacles along the way...

He would just kill them all!

As the son of a bandit chief, even if he had changed his surname to Zhou, his hands were still stained with the blood of countless people.

SWOOSH!

The Black-Clothed Man vaulted over the high wall and landed in the courtyard. The moment he touched down, an angry roar came from the side.

"Who’s there?"

A flash of a saber followed immediately after.

Yin Wind Saber!

Ma Xun was a late and light sleeper to begin with, and with guests at the Zhu Mansion today, he hadn’t slept at all.

Sensing someone climbing over the wall, he had instantly sprung into action.

’Hm?’

Zhou Huaijing frowned slightly. He took a Copper Bell from his robes and shook it gently, but no sound came out.

"ROAR!"

As the Copper Bell shook, the Black-Clothed Man suddenly threw his head back and roared, swinging an arm to meet the flashing saber.

He was actually planning to block the sharp blade with his bare flesh.

CLANG...

A sound like metal striking metal rang out. Ma Xun felt a Giant Power surging madly up his blade.

’Not good!’

His Saber Technique, already refined into his very bones, adapted to the situation. He spun like a top, his body rotating rapidly to dissipate the incoming force.

At the same time, he used the rotational force to slash out again with the long saber in his hand.

Yin Wind Saber—Cold of the North Wind!

"Excellent!"

A cry of approval came from nearby.

Songx Meng of the Mandarin Duck Saber, from the Prefecture City, clapped and praised him:

"So young, yet he’s already at Perfection in Entering Strength. His Saber Technique has both form and spirit. I never thought the Zhu Mansion had such a talent."

Ma Xun was only fifteen or sixteen, yet with such cultivation and strength, he would be considered quite impressive even in the Prefecture City.

Wan Shuai and the others nodded repeatedly as well.

But it was obvious that this level of strength was far from enough to defeat his opponent.

The Black-Clothed Man just stood there and swung his arm twice, and the terrifying Giant Power instantly shattered Ma Xun’s Saber Technique, leaving him in a perilous situation.

"Haha..."

Songx Meng laughed and rushed forward.

"Little guy, I’ll help you!"

While in mid-air, he thrust his arms forward, and two strangely shaped short sabers shot out from his sleeves into his palms.

Mandarin Duck Saber!

The twin sabers crisscrossed, their light weaving a web in the air.

In an instant, the courtyard was filled with flashes of the blades, obscuring the figures. The Black-Clothed Man was completely enveloped by the attack.

The intricacy of the Saber Technique and its incredible speed were breathtaking.

DING DING DANG DANG...

The sound of collisions was as rapid as a violent storm.

"This is bad!"

Wan Shuai was the first to realize something was wrong. His face fell, and without even taking the time to draw his sword, he formed Sword Formulas with his hand and charged forward.

Cloud Void Sword Technique!

He formed his fingers into a sword, and Sword Qi, sharp enough to cut through gold and jade, erupted and collided head-on with the Black-Clothed Man’s arm.

PENG!

Powerful Qi surged.

Wan Shuai, Songx Meng, and Ma Xun were all knocked back.

Compared to the other two, Ma Xun was already drenched in sweat, his body trembling slightly. He collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted.

"What is this thing?"

Songx Meng’s expression was grim.

"It’s not afraid of blades!"

Wuu Xuan of the Fire Palm and Fang Yanrong, wielding a slender Treasure Sword, also rushed forward side by side, Sword Light and Fierce Flame interweaving.

WHOOSH...

Although the Black-Clothed Man had tough skin, a rugged body, and astonishing strength, his Body Technique was not outstanding. His clothes were instantly set on fire.

After the mask on its head burned away, its twisted, ferocious face was revealed.

"A zombie!"

"The Cold Pool!"

...

Wan Shuai and the others exclaimed "A zombie!", while Ma Xun couldn’t help but jump up, pointing at the figure and shouting:

"Aren’t you already dead?"

"He is indeed dead." Wan Shuai narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the figure behind ’the Cold Pool’.

"His body was just refined into a zombie by someone."

"To think someone here knows Corpse Refining. They must have obtained a fragmented technique from the Celestial Corpse Demon Sect."

"Who are you people?" Zhou Huaijing’s face was dark. His mind raced as he took a slight step back.

He hadn’t expected that the often-overlooked Zhu Mansion would be hiding so many experts.

Especially the man who had formed his fingers into a sword—the sharpness of his Sword Qi seemed to faintly possess a power that could restrain zombies.

’Flee?’

’I should retreat first and reassess!’

CREAK...

Just then, the door to the main house opened. Zhu Ju, dressed in thin robes, stepped out. His eyes swept across the scene as he spoke with a faint smile:

"It’s certainly lively tonight. Still awake at this hour?"

Zhu Ju!

Zhou Huaijing had actually never seen Zhu Ju more than a few times, but upon seeing him now, a fierce killing intent suddenly welled up inside him.

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

The zombie ’Cold Pool’ in the courtyard let out a series of low growls, its Corpse Qi surging as it grew restless.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly grew tense.

"Go!"

Wan Shuai waved his hand decisively.

"I’ll tie up this zombie! You guys take care of him. A zombie without its controller is easier to deal with."

"Right!"

Wuu Xuan was the first to respond, raising his palm to advance.

"ROAR!"

Reacting even faster was the growling zombie, which bent its knees and lunged at the closest person—Fang Yanrong.

"Look out!"

As the only woman among the four, Fang Yanrong was naturally looked after. There was no time to follow the plan; the others all rushed over to help her.

PENG!

Powerful Qi collided.

A puff of gray smoke erupted from the zombie’s body. As it swung its arms, the smoke spread out in all directions.

"Watch out for the Corpse Qi!"

Wan Shuai shouted in a low voice:

"Remember to circulate your Qi for protection at all times! Do not let the Corpse Qi penetrate your Meridians! Once the Corpse Qi attacks the heart, not even an Immortal could save you!"

The zombie feared neither sword nor saber, possessed infinite strength, and could shatter stone and break walls with a single pounce. Even an Inner Qi Expert would have trouble blocking it.

And they had to be even more vigilant against the Corpse Qi.

Among the four, only Wan Shuai had strength to spare. The slightest carelessness from the others could result in them being injured by the Corpse Qi.

SWOOSH!

Amid the chaos, a long spear tore through the air.

Songx Meng of the Mandarin Duck Saber narrowed his eyes, abruptly twisting his body and swinging his saber to meet the incoming spear tip head-on.

DING...

Both were knocked back.

"The Wu Family Spear Technique." Before coming, the group had naturally learned about Black Tiger Wu Chun, including his Wu Family Spear Technique.

He immediately shouted in a low voice:

"What is your relationship with Black Tiger Wu Chun?"

"Hmph!"

Zhou Huaijing snorted coldly. With a circle and a flick of his long spear, he managed to encompass everyone around him in his attack.

The zombie seized the opportunity to lunge, bending its knees and thrusting its arms forward, executing a strange and bizarre Fist Technique.

Zombie Fist!

The Fist Technique was not sophisticated, but it was perfectly suited for a zombie. Relying on its powerful Physical Body and fearlessness toward blades, a series of punches forced the group to retreat again and again.

"Hah!"

Wuu Xuan roared.

"A mere zombie. You really think we can’t handle you?"

"Fiery Sun Palm!"

BOOM!

A scorching Palm Force shot out and collided with the dense Corpse Qi, instantly filling the courtyard with thick smoke.

Several people fought rapidly within the smoke, the sounds of their clashes echoing ceaselessly.

Suddenly.

SWOOSH!

A figure burst out of the chaos, leaping high with a long spear in hand. Tapping his toes on a stone table in the courtyard, he became one with his spear and shot straight toward Zhu Ju.

"Watch out!"

Wan Shuai roared, only to realize that the zombie had unknowingly trapped them, and they couldn’t break free in time.

’Damn it!’

The opponent’s target was Zhu Ju. It had always been Zhu Ju.

’That makes sense.’

’This is the Zhu Mansion. Who else would they be here for if not Zhu Ju?’

He didn’t actually care if Zhu Ju lived or died, but he had to give his brother-in-law, Luu Pu, face. If Luu Pu found out that Zhu Ju was killed while he was present, not only would Luu Pu give him trouble, but his own older sister probably wouldn’t let him off the hook either.

At this thought, Wan Shuai’s expression turned extremely ugly. ’I knew I shouldn’t have held back and hidden my true strength.’ Now, he could only hope that Zhu Ju could hold on for a little longer.

Facing the incoming spear, Zhu Ju’s expression remained unchanged. He simply raised and stretched his arms.

It seemed as if he had given up resisting.

The next instant.

CLATTER...

Several objects suddenly flew toward his body, assembling themselves onto him at extreme speed to form a single unit.

Breaking Army Armor!

Just as the spear tip was less than a foot from the space between Zhu Ju’s eyebrows, a helmet’s visor silently dropped down, covering his face.

He tilted his head.

SWOOSH!

The spear struck nothing but air.