"Dare you?"
Zhang Kui sneered, his fingers lightly caressing the newly acquired hilt of the Lu Li Sword. "Speak plainly, don't beat around the bush or play tricks."
"Taoist Friend Heishan, you might not be aware..."
Taoist Yunxu gave a slight smile, with a bitter expression, "To speak of it, it's also a troubling matter for me."
"To the east of Black Water City, ten miles out, there's a Ting Mountain, originally with excellent feng shui, where many wealthy families used to bury their dead. However, three months ago, a ground dragon turned over, revealing a cave."
"Inside the cave, Yin Evil Qi leaked out, causing strange events to occur frequently, and moreover, a group of corpse-refining enthusiasts have occupied it, secretly eyeing our temple. Being poor at fighting, I've had no choice but to widely invite fellow Daoists for assistance."
Zhang Kui stared at Taoist Yunxu,
"Is that it?"
Taoist Yunxu shook his head, "Taoist Friend Heishan, do not underestimate those thieves. Not only have they refined a Flying Corpse, but they also attempt to leverage the Yin Evil power of the cave to transform this Flying Corpse through Thunder Fire into a Wandering Corpse."
"If that happens, I'm afraid it would mean my death."
The fat monk, Zen Master Miaoshan, laughed from the side, "Taoist Friend Yunxu, don't worry, we will definitely help you rid this calamity."
Qing Gu also nodded in agreement from the side.
Seeing the looks from the three, Zhang Kui's gaze slightly shifted, then he laughed heartily, "It's just a small matter, I will certainly assist with all my strength."
"Good!"
Taoist Yunxu was overjoyed, "There's no time to lose, we'll set off tomorrow!"
Zhang Kui touched the hilt and smiled without speaking.
Struggle for territory among the evil ways?
Why doesn't the ghost in the hall move?
This old Taoist is not telling the truth…
...
The next morning, just at dawn, White Cloud Temple was already bustling, with teams of robust men wrapped in Taoist robes running back and forth, loading boxes onto carts, creating a lively scene.
Zhang Kui wasn't surprised when he saw this.
This was a plan set by Taoist Yunxu last night.
According to him, the Evil Qi in the Yin Cave on Ting Mountain was astonishing, making it impossible for ordinary people to get close. A Magic Altar must be set up at noon, suppressing with Pure Yang Fire before they could enter.
At that time, the four of them would enter the cave to eliminate the corpse-refining demons and jointly remove the Flying Corpse.
After everything was ready, the team quickly set off, driving carriages and riding horses out of White Cloud Temple.
The pedestrians on the road, upon seeing this, all had a drastic change of expression and quickly avoided it, hiding away. These fake Daoists from White Cloud Temple were shouting arrogantly.
Just before leaving the city gates, a team of black-armored riders suddenly charged in, meeting them head-on, causing White Cloud Temple's team to come to a halt.
Zhang Kui squinted his eyes slightly.
They were people from the local Astronomical Bureau.
The leader was a white-fat man, raising an eyebrow with a smile that seemed both present and absent.
"Taoist Yunxu, where are you headed?"
Taoist Yunxu flicked his duster and laughed,
"Captain Zhou, I'm just going to do some small matters."
"Small matters?"
Captain Zhou glanced over the team, his gaze pausing on Zhang Kui, the fat monk, and Qing Gu, then he smiled slightly.
"Then I wish the Taoist quick success."
With that, he led his subordinates away.
Seeing this, a thoughtful look appeared in Zhang Kui's eyes.
He initially thought that with the ghost in the hall, White Cloud Temple must have an overwhelming influence in Black Water City, but now it seemed the situation was much more complex than he imagined…
After leaving the city, the team began to accelerate, and in less than two hours, a small mountain abruptly appeared in front of them.
By that time, the sun had risen, but the entire mountain, covered in lush greenery, was still shrouded in a layer of white mist that refused to dissipate.
Zhang Kui surveyed the surroundings.
"Taoist Yunxu, this mountain indeed feels peculiar. The surrounding terrain is flat, yet it stands alone without any veins or roots, resembling a tomb."
Taoist Yunxu chuckled,
"Taoist Friend Heishan is right, Ting Mountain is indeed a tomb, with converging Qi from eight directions, its potential hidden below, making it an excellent feng shui treasure land, even before Black Water City was built, there were ancient tombs of early people on it."
"Unfortunately, when the ground dragon turned over, the underground water veins were severed, making it a deadland, with occasional incidents of risen corpses injuring people, which attracted those corpse-raising thieves."
"The zen master, Zen Master Miaoshan, squinted and smiled, a gleam flashed in his eyes, "There are quite a few renowned corpse refiners in Jianghu, such as the Yan Family and the Wei Family, both are prominent families. Have you seen a way, Taoist Friend Yunxu?"
Taoist Yunxu shook his head and sighed:
"If it were those two families, there might be a way to communicate, but unfortunately, after a face-off, they don't seem like people from the Central Plains."
As they chatted, the team had already entered the forest path.
The ancient trees here had been growing for who knows how long, their canopies tall and dense, with dappled rays of light falling occasionally, coupled with the mist and the ground covered with decaying leaves, it felt as if they had stepped into another world.
After walking less than two hundred meters, scattered tombs began appearing all around, becoming denser as they climbed up, and occasionally one could see stone men entwined in vines.
Suddenly, Taoist Yunxu waved his hand to halt the team.
Zhang Kui stepped forward to take a look and saw the ground of a nearby grave had cracked open, decayed wood and loose dirt scattered about, as if something had burst forth.
The group, however, remained unflustered. Taoist Yunxu cupped his hands towards Qing Gu, "May I trouble you, fellow Daoist."
Qing Gu nodded without saying a word, stepped forward, and removed the large box from her back.
She bit her middle finger, drawing a few bloody symbols on it, and suddenly the box began to thud and shake as if a living thing within was awakening.
Swish!
A shadow suddenly shot out from the box like a kite, fluttering above the group.
A chill filled the air, and a faint laughter echoed from the box, making the faces of the surrounding Daoists turn deathly pale as they hurriedly stepped back.
Zhang Kui squinted his eyes, examining carefully. It was clearly a human skin with white hair and a blue face.
No, it should be called a ghost skin!
This was an Evil Ghost called Corpse Oil Witch. He had slain one during his travels; after death, its corpse oil evaporates rapidly, leaving just the skin.
If not burned, it would continue to cause trouble.
Qing Gu chuckled quietly, sprang up with a leap, and the ghost skin instantly wrapped around her, her entire form flickering eerily in the air.
Taoist Yunxu clapped his hands in praise:
"The magic technique of fellow Daoist Qing Gu is indeed mysterious."
Zhang Kui inwardly sneered.
He had heard of ghost paintings on human skin, but this was his first time seeing someone wear ghost skin. It truly was an eye-opener.
Once Qing Gu donned the ghost skin, her movement became ghostly, soon hovering still above a certain spot on the ground.
Taoist Yunxu's expression turned solemn,
"Move!"
At the order, several muscular men in Taoist robes advanced, wielding hooked scythe spears, plunging them into the soil to haul out a Fuzzy Zombie covered in long hair, writhing and howling.
A nearby man immediately stepped forward with a Ghost Head Saber, and with a swift flash of the blade, the zombie's head was severed.
These were dark sentries set up by the Corpse Nurturers, ready to ambush passersby.
Last time, Taoist Yunxu had suffered heavy losses, so now he chose the time of day when the Yang Qi was strongest, and with Qing Gu's ghost skin guidance, he clearly wouldn't fall for it again.
In this manner, they moved intermittently, occasionally dragging out zombies from the roadside, finally arriving at the mountainside by noon.
Here, a fissure over twenty meters long split the mountain's body, cold white mists continuously spreading out, withered grass and trees surrounding, revealing jagged stones, a scene incredibly bizarre.
Taoist Yunxu quickly shouted:
"Hurry, topple the trees, build the magic platform, do not miss the hour!"
The men in Taoist robes swiftly acted, felling the withered trees to let in the sky's light, unloading wooden dowels and boards from the carts, quickly constructing an eight-meter tall magic platform, and installing eight massive copper mirrors around it.
Taoist Yunxu leapt up onto the high platform, picking up a talisman and a magical bell, chanting incantations as the hand seals continuously shifted.
Zhang Kui had seen wandering Taoists construct magic altars to exorcise ghosts before, but this was a vastly different ritual for communicating with ghosts and gods compared to the past, clearly another system.
Soon, the copper mirrors gradually brightened, the light reflecting and scattering the dark mist on the ground, revealing a dark cave entrance.
Taoist Yunxu jumped down and said,
"Fellow Daoists, our time is limited. No matter the situation, we must be out in one two-hour period!"
With that, he led the way into the cave.
Zhang Kui and the other two exchanged glances, following closely behind.
To be honest, the reward this time was rich. Taoist Yunxu promised each of them a piece of Thousand-Year-Old Ginseng, which was a rare commodity regardless of the world.
But caution is always needed; though they appeared courteous on the surface, they were in fact guarding against one another.
Inside the mountain fissure, it was dark and damp, winding and twisting, and soon the faint light behind disappeared into the dark, rendering it pitch-black.
Zhang Kui, mastering the Cave Abyss Skill, had no trouble seeing in the dark, and the others also did not light any torches, evidently having their own methods.
However, after a few minutes, Zhang Kui began to sense something was amiss.
Despite their cautious approach, their swift speed had brought them over a thousand meters deep within moments. Yet surrounding them were only protruding rocks and the damp, wet ground.
Where were the Corpse Nurturers?
Where were the zombies?
Just as he was about to ask, ahead suddenly opened up into a vast, bizarre scene:
A giant cave filled with stalactites, with a massive spherical structure towering over ten meters in the center.
On a closer look, the sphere was composed of numerous corpses: decayed bodies from graves, hairy zombies, bleeding mountain folk, even oddly dressed alien race members with skulls painted on their foreheads.
Without exception, all these bodies had started to embalm, and the sphere was writhing, emitting a thumping heartbeat sound.
"What the hell is this!"
Zhang Kui's scalp tingled, goosebumps rising all over, and a voice in his heart urged him to run.
Beside him, Taoist Yunxu's face was ashen,
"It's too late… too late…