After finishing his chant, Guman suddenly began reciting a spell. Strange, unsettling sounds erupted from the surroundings, and Qin Yanyan caught a stench so foul it resembled the rot of decaying animal carcasses.
Within moments, Qin Yanyan furrowed his brow, realizing what was happening. He saw the earth atop the high grave mounds being churned up as corpse after corpse clawed its way out of the ground.
Most of these bodies had been decaying for a long time; some were covered in white maggots, while others had eyes dangling from their sockets. They were beyond gender, but judging by the tattered scraps of clothing clinging to them, they appeared to be from an ancient era—likely the Qing Dynasty.
"My darlings, slaughter them all!"
Guman gestured toward Elder Chen, a wicked grin on his face. The corpses that had crawled from the graves shifted their direction, shambling toward Elder Chen and Chen Jiaxin.
"Is this the Art of Corpse Manipulation?"
Seeing this terrifying scene, everyone let out a gasp of shock.
In this world, it was rumored that a malevolent sorcery existed capable of controlling the dead to fight for one’s own ends. Known as the Art of Corpse Manipulation, this dark magic had been particularly prevalent during the Republican era before largely vanishing. Elder Chen and his companions never imagined that this Thai sorcerer would possess such a skill.
Elder Chen had no idea that although Guman was Thai, he had grown up in the Xia Kingdom. He had learned this sorcery as a child from a master of the Xiangxi corpse-drivers, and now, it was finally being put to use.
"Interesting," Qin Yanyan murmured with a faint smile. It was his first time seeing such sorcery, but it didn't matter. With his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, he certainly didn't fear these corpses. Of course, he didn't intend to intervene; he wanted to see how Huang Luo would handle this Thai sorcerer.
"Move aside! Let me handle them!"
Seeing the swarm of corpses approaching, Huang Luo arched his eyebrows. He reached back, pulled his heavy demon-slaying sword from his shoulders, and charged into the fray.
*Slash!*
The heavy sword swung in wide, powerful arcs. In an instant, he decapitated one of the zombies, sending foul liquid spraying in all directions.
"Grandfather, can Uncle Huang defeat these corpses?" Chen Jiaxin asked, watching Huang Luo wreak havoc among the swarm with growing anxiety.
"Don't worry," Elder Chen said with a firm, confident gaze. "Your Uncle Huang is a dual practitioner of both martial arts and Taoist arts; he even received the true teachings of Master Lin. He will certainly be able to resolve this sorcerer and his zombies!"
Elder Chen was right. Huang Luo’s massive sword swept across the battlefield, limbs flying as zombies fell in heaps, turning the ground into a river of blood. Within the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Huang Luo had decimated the entire horde.
"Sorcerer, prepare to die!"
Having cleared the corpses, Huang Luo charged toward Guman, who had fled to the other side of the river, intent on finishing him off.
Just as he was about to reach him, Guman offered a slight smile and stepped to the side. At that same moment, a massive dark shadow blocked Huang Luo’s path.
*Clang!*
Huang Luo’s heavy sword struck the shadow's head with the sound of clashing metal. Huang Luo was sent reeling back several steps before he could regain his footing. His right hand, gripping the sword, tingled with numbness, and he felt as if he could barely hold the weapon.
"What is this?"
He rubbed his eyes hard to focus. The shadow before him was a colossal zombie, as large as a brown bear and over two meters tall. It wore tattered Qing Dynasty official robes, complete with a braid and a mandarin hat.
Even more terrifying were its muscles, which were as dense as iron. Huang Luo’s strike had carried at least a thousand pounds of force, yet it hadn't killed the beast; instead, it had left his own hand numb.
"Heh. General Ao was a famous warrior of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. I refined his corpse into a puppet using secret arts. Do you really think a fraud like you could handle him? General Ao, kill them!"
Guman, hiding behind General Ao, sneered and pointed at Huang Luo, issuing his command.
In an instant, General Ao lunged at Huang Luo, his massive claws, covered in green fur, sweeping toward Huang Luo’s face.
"I’ll risk it all!"
Huang Luo dodged the strike, gritted his teeth, and swung his heavy sword with both hands once more. A thunderous roar escaped him as his bones popped—he was pushing his cultivation to the absolute limit.
*Clang!*
The heavy sword struck General Ao’s head again. This time, it gouged a hole in the skull and sliced off the official’s hat, revealing the crimson scalp underneath. But in exchange, Huang Luo’s demon-slaying sword shattered.
Looking at the broken blade in his hands, Huang Luo was stunned. This sword had been a magical artifact passed down by the legendary ghost-hunting master, Lin Ying—to see it broken was unthinkable.
*Splorch!*
In that moment of distraction, General Ao’s claws pierced his chest. There was a spray of blood and gore as if a ripe watermelon had been ripped apart...
***
Back at Elder Chen’s side.
"I wonder how Brother Huang is doing?"
Because of the darkness and the distance, Elder Chen couldn't see the fight clearly. He was frantic with worry, wanting to help but fearing that he would only get in the way. Just as he was hesitating, something rolled to his feet—a dark, round object.
"What is this?"
Elder Chen lowered his head in curiosity. But as soon as he saw what the object was, his eyes widened in horror. He let out a shriek and collapsed to the ground. The round object was a bloody human head—and it belonged to none other than his sworn brother, Master Huang Luo.
Huang Luo’s eyes were wide open in death. From the neck bone, jagged remnants of flesh hung loose; it was clear that his head had been torn off by sheer brute force.
"Grandfather!"
"Boss!"
Seeing Elder Chen collapse, Chen Jiaxin, Li Long, and the bodyguards panicked, rushing to check on him. They found him unconscious. Meanwhile, a cold laugh echoed from the darkness.
"Haha! None of you little insects from the Xia Kingdom will escape. Soon, you will all be snacks for General Ao!"
Guman appeared, with General Ao standing at his side. The general's claws were dripping with fresh blood—the blood of Master Huang.
Having killed Huang Luo, Guman turned his attention to Elder Chen’s party. Since Elder Chen was related to Chen Yunfei, Guman believed every member of that family deserved to die.
"Protect Miss!"
Li Long stood up abruptly, drawing his handgun. The other bodyguards followed suit, pulling their weapons and opening fire on the zombie.
*Bang! Bang!*
The gunshots rang out sharply in the night. The bullets struck General Ao’s body with a metallic *clinking* sound, sparking against his skin.
Unfortunately, General Ao had been a formidable warrior in life and had been refined into a monster in death; his skin was harder than steel. The bullets couldn't even penetrate his hide.
"A monster!"
"It's a monster!"
The bodyguards were terrified and began to drop their weapons and flee. Although they worked for the Chen Family, they were ordinary people, and in such a situation, the employment contract was quickly forgotten. After all, what was more important than life? A zombie that killed their master and ignored bullets—the pressure was simply too much to bear.
"Do you think it’s so easy to escape from Guman?"
Guman sneered at the fleeing bodyguards. He waved his hands, casting a minor spell. Moments later, the bodyguards running in the distance let out blood-curdling screams as their bodies spontaneously burst into flames.
*Ah!*
Amidst the screams, they were reduced to ash.
"This...?"
Chen Jiaxin felt a cold shiver of fear. General Ao was terrifying enough, but she hadn't expected Guman to be this powerful, capable of killing from such a distance.
"General Ao, hurry up and tear this girl and that man to pieces!"
After disposing of the bodyguards, Guman stood with his hands behind his back and commanded the zombie to finish off Chen Jiaxin and Li Long. As for Qin Yanyan, Guman ignored him entirely; he looked like a mere college student, an ant that wasn't worth a second thought.
General Ao stepped forward toward Chen Jiaxin.
"Miss, I, Ah Long, have been taken in by the Chen family for years, and you have always treated me well. Now, it is time for me to repay that kindness."
Seeing Chen Jiaxin’s face pale with fear, Li Long gritted his teeth and knelt on the ground.
"Ah Long, what are you doing?" Chen Jiaxin looked at her bodyguard, confused.
Li Long didn't waste time. He pulled a syringe filled with a blue liquid from his clothing, rolled up his sleeve, and jammed the needle into his right arm, injecting the substance directly into his bloodstream.
"Is that... adrenaline?"
Chen Jiaxin covered her mouth in shock. Medical adrenaline was rumored to be a special substance that could stimulate the human body’s hidden potential, allowing a person to unleash power several times greater than normal.
However, the side effect was total bodily collapse once the adrenaline wore off. At best, the user would be left paralyzed; at worst, they would die instantly. It was a desperate measure—a way of burning through one's own life force.