This was a free benefit just sitting there; Ying Zheng only needed to wait patiently. But if anyone dared to ruin his good fortune, he wouldn’t mind stretching his limbs a bit.

When they reached the Northern Frontier, they saw a Formation Array blocking their path.

Chen Changsheng looked ahead. Soon, two dragon princes approached.

One was the Second Prince Yingyuan. The other was the Dragon Princess, Ying En.

“Daddy! Uncle Chen!”

“Uncle Chen!”

The Old Dragon King asked, “How are things now?”

Yingyuan replied, “It’s somewhat difficult.”

Ying En also furrowed her brows tightly. “Though we’ve set up a blockade, many Mortals inside still haven’t been infected with the Corpse Toxin. Their situation isn’t good.”

Neither of them could solve this problem; the numbers were simply too large.

Chen Changsheng glanced inside the barrier.

With one look, he saw Death Qi spreading densely. Faintly, he could also spot many figures infected by the Corpse Toxin, turned into mindless walking corpses.

Chen Changsheng had initially thought they were tales of Jiangshi (zombies). But after observing them, he felt these people infected with the so-called ‘Corpse Toxin’ didn’t move or change quite like Jiangshi. It didn’t quite fit.

Chen Changsheng murmured, “This probably isn’t just Corpse Toxin.”

“Hmm?” The Old Dragon King looked at him. “Then what is it?”

Chen Changsheng shook his head. “We’ll need to go in to find out.”

The group passed through the blockade.

Chen Changsheng looked back at the barrier. He initially thought it was a Formation Array. Now, he could clearly see it was a Magical Artifact.

Such Magical Artifacts were rare.

But then again, the Dragon Palace’s depth was uncommon too.

In just a few days, the entire Southern Region seemed transformed into a living hell.

Countless ‘corpses’ wandered aimlessly. One city was so packed with mindless people you couldn’t see the ground.

Chen Changsheng scanned as he moved forward. Most were motionless, just standing silently. Others clustered together, moving towards a certain place.

Chen Changsheng lifted two fingers and swept them across his eyes.

Opening them again, his glowing Golden Light swept over the turned ‘corpses’.

“How is it?” asked the Old Dragon King.

Chen Changsheng retracted his gaze. “It’s definitely not simple Corpse Toxin.”

“All the Souls of these people are gone.”

“Gone?!” Yingyuan’s eyes widened. “Then these people…”

Chen Changsheng stated, “I fear they’ve merely been refined into puppets.”

Yingyuan’s lips parted slightly. “How could so many people be turned into puppets in just a few fleeting days…”

Ying En had never heard of such a method either.

Chen Changsheng explained, “It might be related to this Demonic Cultivator’s cultivation method. This Evildoer didn’t cause a corpse plague without reason. His main goal was likely these Souls. Most Evil Spirits escaping the Desolate Sea had endured Heavenly Dao’s lightning strikes. Heavily injured, they needed to devour Souls to restore themselves.”

“This person must be badly wounded. Otherwise, why send these puppets out hunting living people?”

The Old Dragon King’s face grew grave. “Can he be found?”

Chen Changsheng said, “It shouldn’t be hard. He couldn’t have swallowed Souls from a distance.”

“Split up!”

“Catch!”

Chen Changsheng took a stone handed by the Old Dragon King.

“A communication stone,” said the Old Dragon King.

“A good tool,” Chen Changsheng stored it away.

They set out searching in different directions.

As they left, the Old Dragon King gave some warnings to Yingyuan and Ying En. This journey was extremely dangerous, especially because the Demonic Cultivator’s methods were elusive.

Chen Changsheng headed Northwest.

Compared to the Southern Region, the Northern Frontier was much more barren. This was largely due to its climate: perpetually cold, practically no land suitable for crops.

Therefore, ever since Zhao Zhen conquered Great Jing, many Beixiang folk migrated southward. People here became even sparser.

Looking around, many deserted villages and farmland appeared. Ditches and wells brimmed with weeds.

What stood out was Chen Changsheng encountering very few puppets on his way.

This area had likely been cleaned out already!

That meant… probably no living souls remained!

“What a huge appetite!” Chen Changsheng murmured silently. Who knew how many Souls this Demonic Cultivator had consumed!

As his thoughts drifted, Chen Changsheng’s gaze suddenly locked onto a temple Retainer by a Mountain Stream.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived before the temple gate.

This was a Mountain God Temple.

“Mountain God, might you honor me with your presence?”

Chen Changsheng called out.

After his words fell, there was no reaction whatsoever.

Seeing no response, Chen Changsheng spoke again. This time, he didn’t ask politely.

“Command!”

“True God of this Mountain, appear before me NOW!”

White smoke billowed up instantly.

As the smoke cleared, a hunched-over figure was revealed.

The old man froze upon seeing him. He wanted to flee but found himself utterly unable to move.

Panic immediately seized him.

Seeing this, Chen Changsheng spoke calmly. “Mountain God, do not fear. I came here to resolve the corpse plague of the Northern Frontier.”

Wen Yuan was stunned. “You aren’t…?”

Chen Changsheng was puzzled. “Why say that, Mountain God?”

Wen Yuan realized then – this man wasn’t here to capture him.

“Celestial Immortal! Honored Immortal!!” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Wen Yuan cried desperately. “Gone! All gone! The City God Temple’s Yin Attendants are all vanished! Everyone nearby, their Souls devoured! Please, honorable Immortal, act!!”

Chen Changsheng frowned. “Tell me everything in detail.”

“Late one night a few days ago, a Demon Sovereign passed through here. He pretended to offer incense, but secretly wanted to devour this humble god! Luckily, I remained cautious and stayed outside the temple, escaping that trap!”

“At the third watch, screams poured from the neighboring District-Town! Many people ran wildly out! Chasing after them were people with faces like death! Anyone they caught would be bitten… and then turned into the same mindless corpse!”

“By dawn of the third day, the town fell utterly silent. Only then did this humble god dare to look! But still… not a soul… completely empty. Even the City God Temple was deserted! The Earth God vanished too!”

Chen Changsheng’s brow lifted sharply. “What did the Demon look like?”

Wen Yuan answered, “His skin was deathly pale! Hair white as snow too! He reeked terribly of blood!”

“Man? Or demon?”

“A Man! Not a trace of Demonic Qi!”

Chen Changsheng pressed, “You saw him take Souls?”

Wen Yuan shook his head. “I saw the corpses steal Souls… One bite.”

Chen Changsheng frowned. “Anything else?”

Wen Yuan opened his mouth but couldn’t answer. It wasn’t his fault; scant offerings meant poor insight.

“Think carefully, Mountain God.”

Wen Yuan scratched his memory. After a moment, he spoke.

“A pearl! Might have seen one!”

“A pearl?”

“Yes! Like… right in the middle of the Soul-devouring corpse’s forehead! Blood-red!”