Ailao Mountain.
At this moment, the sky was densely covered with dark clouds, and heavy rain poured down.
Under the pattering rain, the ancient tomb was being washed away. The soil turned muddy, and in the end, the tombstone could no longer stand and collapsed.
Boom!!
A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, illuminating this eternally dark environment, revealing the Zombie King who had risen from the coffin.
Old Chen and the others clearly saw the appearance of the Zombie King.
A mouth full of fangs, skin dry and tightly clinging to the bones. As it opened its mouth, white corpse breath spewed out. Like a king among corpses, its every movement carried an overwhelming pressure.
Even from a few meters away, just a single glance sent chills down one's spine.
"Roar!!" The Zombie King raised its head and roared.
The sound shook the heavens, and even the dark clouds above rumbled and rolled from the force of its roar.
Old Chen's scalp went numb at the sight. A single roar caused a celestial phenomenon—this was...
"The Hopping Corpse Bloodline."
He didn't know whether it was the rain soaking his body or the realization that the Zombie King had transformed and awakened the Hopping Corpse Bloodline, but he felt his hands and feet turn ice-cold.
But even so, he did not back down. Instead, he gritted his teeth with determination.
Clang!
The peachwood sword in his hand danced, slashing across his palm. Blood soaked the sword's edge as Old Chen roared.
"Sprinkle the cinnabar ink, set up the formation! Sacrifice blood to strengthen the array!"
"Yes, Martial Uncle!"
Ah Zhen and the others quickly snapped back to their senses upon hearing the command.
Though they trembled in fear, they did not flee. Even knowing that their chances of survival were slim, they understood that they must not let the Zombie King leave Ailao Mountain.
With this conviction, Old Chen and his four disciples went all out. As the Zombie King turned its gaze toward them, they too slashed their palms, sacrificing their own blood to strengthen the Four-Directions Evil-Expelling Formation.
At this moment, deep within the unknown reaches of Ailao Mountain, a formation's light illuminated the dense forest.
The glow enveloped the ancient tomb. The Zombie King was submerged in the formation's light.
Yet, despite the grand display, its effect was minimal.
The Zombie King stood in the light. Other than a faint sizzling sound on its skin, there was not even a hint of damage.
Even as the battle for survival raged on, Old Mu was awakened by the commotion. Ignoring his injuries, he dragged his body forward, stumbling as he joined Old Chen to reinforce the formation's core.
The two yellow-robed Daoists acted as the formation's core. Yet, they could not shake the Zombie King.
Old Chen and Old Mu exchanged uneasy glances.
At the same time, the Zombie King twisted its neck with a creaking sound, then looked toward Old Chen and Old Mu, exhaling a mouthful of corpse breath.
The next second, without warning, it leaped with both legs, crossing several meters in an instant. From the coffin, it directly jumped into the air, and under the horrified gazes of the disciples, landed before Old Chen and Old Mu.
The distance between them was less than half a meter.
The Zombie King reached out with both hands, grabbing Old Chen and Old Mu by their shoulders.
"Ah!!!"
Screams tore through the sky.
The Zombie King's fingers pierced through their shoulders, and blood seeped out, absorbed by its withered fingers like a sponge soaking up water.
At this rate, Old Chen and Old Mu would be completely drained.
"Master!"
The disciples were frantic. Desperately, they continued sacrificing their blood to the formation, hoping to repel the Zombie King.
But to no avail.
The transformed Zombie King, possessing the Hopping Corpse Bloodline, had an invincible body. Even the Four-Directions Evil-Expelling Formation, meant to suppress demons and banish spirits, could do nothing but scratch an itch.
At this critical moment, a string of ancient bronze coins, forming a money sword, shot out like an arrow, striking the Zombie King's chest.
Instantly, a tremendous force sent the Zombie King stumbling back.
Though it was unharmed, it was forced to retreat two steps.
The disciples instinctively turned toward the direction the money sword came from.
Their faces lit up with joy.
Ahead, a figure dashed across the treetops, light as a dragonfly skimming water, moving swiftly through the mountain forest.
The newcomer was also a middle-aged man.
On his back, he carried multiple money swords. Raising two fingers, he pointed forward. The previously launched money sword, as if moved by an unseen wind, flew again toward the Zombie King. The remaining swords on his back followed suit.
"It's the Night Watcher!" Old Chen, upon seeing this, was overjoyed.
"Maoshan's Zhang Feng." Old Mu also recognized the Night Watcher.
This was Zhang Feng, the Deputy Sect Leader of Maoshan, a red-robed Daoist. To think that the 749 Bureau had sent him.
On the other side hearing Old Chen and Old Mu's words, the disciples also rejoiced.
But in their excitement none of them noticed that, in the ancient tomb, the ground that had been washed away and exploded open was now heaving up and down, as if something underground was breathing.
No one paid attention to this detail. Everyone's focus was on the Zombie King.
"Assist me, I'll deal with it."
Without wasting words, the Night Watcher Zhang Feng charged at the Zombie King.
In an instant, the Night Watcher Zhang Feng and the Zombie King were locked in battle.
"Roar!!" As their fight intensified and the Zombie King let out thunderous corpse howls, the sunken ground of the ancient tomb trembled even more.
Finally, from deep beneath the earth, a bronze coffin emerged.
The coffin was ancient beyond compare. At a glance, it was clear that it came from an era long past.
Compared to the coffin that housed the Zombie King, this one was far older.
No.
There was no comparison. The bronze coffin was of a far higher level.
At the same time, the battle between the Night Watcher Zhang Feng and the Zombie King continued.
"Is that Zombie King about to fully transform into a Drought Demon?"
Old Chen's expression kept shifting. He hadn't expected that even with the Night Watcher intervening, the Zombie King had yet to be suppressed.
In fact, as time passed, Zhang Feng's expression grew strained, showing signs of exhaustion, struggling to keep up.
Truthfully, Zhang Feng had not anticipated this either.
As a Night Watcher personally appointed by the 749 Bureau, he found himself unable to handle a single Zombie King.
His face was grim. Clearly, the information reported by the two yellow-robed Daoists was incorrect.
They had underestimated the Zombie King. It had likely possessed the Hopping Corpse Bloodline for a long time, using it to evolve toward becoming a true Drought Demon.
At least half of its corpse blood had already transformed.
Just as he was contemplating how to deal with the Zombie King, 'Hmm?'
Thud!
A sound from the ancient tomb drew Zhang Feng's attention. The Zombie King also noticed it.
When they saw the bronze coffin emerging from the tomb, the Zombie King felt a deep unease.
Zhang Feng and Old Chen's group turned pale.
'Another one?!' Ah Zhen's heart pounded.
Old Chen's heart sank. "Another coffin…"
Unlike Ah Zhen, Old Chen could tell at a glance—judging by its craftsmanship and aura, whatever lay inside was no ordinary being.
Zhang Feng's expression turned heavy.
They hadn't even dealt with the Zombie King, and now another unknown had appeared? What kind of intelligence failure was this?
As different thoughts raced through their minds, the lid of the bronze coffin was pushed open. Then, a hand reached out, shoving the lid aside.
From within, a green-robed figure sat up.
Unlike a zombie, his skin was smooth, his features handsome, his aura extraordinary, and his eyes sharp and clear.
"A human?" Zhang Feng was dumbfounded.
From appearance to presence, he seemed more like a living person than a corpse.
At that moment, the man stretched, yawning lazily. His drowsy eyes scanned his surroundings. Finally, his gaze landed on the Zombie King.
"Hmm." The green-robed figure murmured.
"Such heavy sinful energy… How many lives have you taken? …Forget it, doesn't matter."
Without warning, in the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight, appearing before the Zombie King.
Then, he flicked his finger at the Zombie King's forehead.
Boom—!
With a single flick, the once-mighty Zombie King's head instantly exploded.
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