For thirty years, he has roamed the Northeast, his divine might overwhelming all immortals under hea

I stepped on the old dog's footprints. The frozen ground was slippery with snowflakes, and every step felt firm, but my heart felt like it was being gripped by an icy hand, tightening more and more.

The bewitching miasma in the old forest of Xishan was mostly dispersed by the old dog's roar, but the remaining white mist was still sticky, wrapping around the face like cotton wool soaked in ice, and chilling to the bone when inhaled, even the breath had a fishy and putrid smell.

Huang Dalang's voice was shrill in my head, so anxious it was cracking.

"Thirteen! Hurry up! The cave entrance is only three zhang ahead! Your mother's soul is almost being dragged into the cave! That cave is a yin entrance; once you go in, you won't be able to touch any yang energy. Trying to retrieve her soul will be harder than climbing to heaven!"

I gritted my teeth until my cheeks ached, and took bigger steps. My calves, numb from the cold, were cramping, and each lift felt like they were filled with lead.

The old dog stood in front of me, his muscles taut beneath his black fur vest. He walked barefoot in the snow, leaving barely a footprint, as steady as an old pine tree. His bright yellow vertical pupils swept through the white mist, and he could crush any hint of evil with a flick of his arm, a swift and frighteningly clean action.

After rushing for about ten steps, the white mist in front of them was suddenly torn open by a dark gash.

It was a cave with a crooked entrance, mostly covered by the gnarled branches of old pine trees, revealing only a narrow gap large enough for one person to bend down and enter. The soil at the entrance was black, exuding a damp, gloomy aura that was ten times colder than the winter wind outside.

I spotted it immediately: three faint, almost indistinct white shadows were floating near the cave entrance, pulled slowly into the cave by an invisible black rope.

I can recognize that shadow's shape even with my eyes closed.

It's my mother, my father, and Xiulian!

"Mother! Father! Xiulian!"

My voice went hoarse, and the words I shouted came out distorted. I rushed toward the cave entrance like a madman.

The old dog reached out and blocked me, his large hand gripping the back of my neck. The force wasn't great, but it made me stop in my tracks instantly.

His vertical pupils were fixed on the cave entrance.

"Don't rush in. This cave entrance is equipped with a soul-locking array. If you rush in directly, not only will you not be able to save anyone, but your soul will also be hooked."

Huang Dalang echoed in my mind.

"Yes! Thirteen, don't be reckless! This formation is specifically designed to trap the living. Old Dog knows this; let him break the formation first!"

The old dog didn't say anything more. He let go of me, took a step forward, and stepped on the black soil at the entrance of the cave with his bare, dark purple soles. Suddenly, he bent down, dug a handful of black soil mixed with snow foam into the ground, and threw it onto the pine branches at the entrance of the cave.

The moment the black soil touched the pine branches, it instantly emitted a hissing black smoke, and the pine branches appeared to be burning, covered with a layer of bluish-black scorch marks.

Immediately afterwards, the eerie aura at the cave entrance that was pulling at the soul suddenly stopped, and the three white figures swayed and stopped being dragged.

"It's done."

The old dog muttered something and turned to look at me.

"Follow me, keep your head down, don't look up at the cave ceiling, and don't touch the black moss on the cave walls."

I nodded quickly, followed closely behind him, and bent down to crawl into the cave.

As soon as I entered the cave, the northwest wind outside was instantly shut out, but the cold inside the cave was even worse than outside. It was a bone-chilling cold that made my teeth chatter uncontrollably and the hairs on my body stand on end.

The cave was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering in from the entrance, barely enough to illuminate the path beneath our feet.

The ground was a wet, slippery bluestone slab, sticky and clinging to the feet. There was also a black liquid seeping from underneath, and the stench was ten times stronger than outside the cave, making me cover my nose.

The old dog walked ahead, his bright yellow vertical pupils shining like two will-o'-the-wisps in the darkness, illuminating the path ahead indistinctly. He walked extremely slowly, his ears twitching every now and then, as if listening for any sounds in the cave. His animalistic alertness made me afraid to even breathe too heavily.

The cave widened as you went deeper; at first you could only bend over, but later you were able to stand up straight.

The cave walls were covered with dark green moss, damp and dripping water. The water droplets fell on the bluestone slabs, making a "drip, drip, drip" sound that was particularly clear in the deathly silent cave, each drop like a knock on the heart.

After walking for about half a cup of tea's time, a dim yellow light suddenly appeared ahead.

It wasn't firelight, but candlelight, flickering and swaying in the darkness like will-o'-the-wisps.

Then everything became clear.

My heart clenched suddenly.

I've been to this place before!

Huang Dalang was also shouting in my head.

"Thirteen! Watch out!"

I clenched my fists, my palms were sweaty, and my pace quickened involuntarily.

The old dog seemed to sense something as well. Its vertical pupils narrowed, and it quickened its pace, heading towards the flickering candlelight.

Soon, a solitary thatched hut came into view.

It's still the same as before: mud-brick walls and thatched roof.

What's different is that there used to be three large water vats in the open space in front of the house.

The middle water vat that contained Brother Sanlu was now broken.

The jar was shattered into pieces, scattered all over the ground. The black water from the jar had spilled all over the ground, mixed with broken soil and rotten grass, forming a dark, murky mess. The fishy, ​​putrid smell was coming from this pool of black water.

The two large water vats on the left and right sides were completely intact, their mouths covered with wooden boards, sealed tightly, and their bodies were covered with black moss, looking eerily strange.

I stood in front of the thatched hut, sniffed hard, and my heart sank to the bottom.

There's no sign of life.

Not even a tiny bit.

Even the deathly aura of the dead was faint; there was only a thick, lingering malevolent energy, mixed with the smell of candlelight, that seeped into my nose.

The room felt empty and cold, as if its internal organs had been hollowed out, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

I lifted my foot to walk into the house, wanting to see what was hidden inside and find the old man who had bewitched my family.

But as soon as I took a step, the old dog swayed and stepped into the thatched hut half a step faster than me.

His movements were as fast as the wind, without making a sound. The hem of his black fur vest swept across the ground, stirring up a gust of cold wind.

I quickly followed and stood at the doorway, peering inside.

The furnishings inside were pitifully simple. Apart from a dilapidated wooden bed covered with blackened straw and a wooden table with a missing leg propped up by stones, there was nothing else.

There were no bed curtains, no cabinets, and nowhere to hide.

The old man who used to guard the water tank here is gone.

A thin layer of ash covered the table, and the candle sat in one corner, its wax dripping all over the table and solidifying into clumps of yellowish-white wax that looked disgusting.

The straw on the wooden plank bed was messy, as if someone had lain on it, but it was cold to the touch and had no trace of human presence.

I frowned, wanting to step into the room and carefully check under the bed and table for any hidden compartments or traces of the old man.

Just as my foot was about to step across the threshold...

"Glug... Glug... Glug..."

A strange bubbling sound suddenly came from outside.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear. In the deathly silent cave, it was like bubbles rising from the bottom of a body of water—dull, sticky, and sending chills down one's spine.

My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately pulled my foot back and turned to look outside.

Followed by.

"Snap! Snap!"

Two crisp cracking sounds rang out almost simultaneously!

It was those two perfectly intact large water vats!

The wooden board covering the mouth of the jar was instantly shattered from the inside!

My pupils contracted sharply, and I instinctively took a step back, my back slamming against the doorframe of the thatched hut, making my spine ache.

Inside the two large water vats, black water churned and bubbles rose higher and higher. Then, two bluish-black hands reached out from the vats!

The hand was so thin it was skin and bones, with long, sharp, bluish-black nails filled with black mud and rotten flesh, making it extremely disgusting to look at.

Immediately afterwards, two plump figures, soaked in water, slowly climbed out of the water tank.

I stared intently at those two things, my stomach churning, and I almost vomited on the spot.

These are two walking corpses.

The one on the left is an old man, wearing a tattered black cotton-padded coat. The coat is soaked through with black water and clings tightly to his body. His skin is swollen and white from being soaked in water, and the surface of his skin has begun to ulcerate, peeling off in pieces to reveal the red and white rotten flesh underneath, mixed with black water, dripping with a sticky liquid.

His face was swollen like a steamed bun, his eyes were tightly closed, his eye sockets were sunken, his lips were turned outwards, revealing a mouthful of black and yellow rotten teeth, and black soup was dripping from the corners of his mouth, running down his chin and dripping onto the ground, making a sizzling sound.

His legs were terribly swollen, his trousers were bulging, and with each step he took, the rotten flesh on his legs would jiggle, and black fluid would drip down his trouser legs, leaving a trail of dark, mushy footprints on the ground.

The figure on the right is that of an old woman, wrapped in an old, blackened headscarf. Half of the headscarf has fallen off, revealing her gray, matted hair underneath, which is covered in black water and rotten grass. Her face is also swollen and puffy, with wrinkled skin that is swollen and shiny. Half of her skin has peeled off, revealing her pale cheekbones and dark red muscles underneath.

Her arms were soaked until they were as thick as radishes, her fingers were so swollen they couldn't close, her fingernails were full of filth, and her body swayed like a sack filled with black water, about to burst at any moment.

After the two zombies crawled out of the water vat, without any hesitation, they swayed their swollen bodies and walked step by step toward the door of the thatched hut.

They walked slowly but steadily, without breathing or heartbeats. The only sounds were the dripping of black water from their bodies and the strange creaking noises from their joints as they turned, like rusty parts rubbing against each other, which were painful to hear.

Their target is me!

"Thirteen! Watch out! It's a water-soaked corpse! A zombie raised by being submerged in yin water for forty-nine days! Invulnerable to blades and spears, with immense strength!"

Huang Dalang was getting really anxious in my mind.

"Don't let them touch you! Their black liquid will cause a lot of trouble if it gets on you."

I quickly clenched my fists, took a step back, and leaned against the wall, my muscles tensing up.

I am a shaman, with Huang Dalang as my kinsman and backing me up. But these walking corpses are raised by evil magic, and their bodies are full of yin energy. Ordinary fists and feet can't hurt them at all.

The two zombies quickly reached the doorway, blocking the entire exit of the thatched hut and trapping me and the old dog inside.

They stopped, slowly tilted their heads to one side as if sizing me up, and then suddenly opened their tightly closed eyes!

There were no whites in the eyes, no pupils, only a murky blackness, like two stagnant pools of water, empty, eerie, and exuding a lifeless chill.

The old zombie on the left moved first. He raised his swollen, bluish-black arm, swung his fist, and brought a foul, stench-filled wind with it, smashing it hard towards my head! The wind generated by his fist carried a chilling aura, and the blow stung my face.

I didn't dare to take the blow head-on, so I quickly dodged to the side. The fist grazed my ear and slammed into the door frame with a "bang," smashing a piece of wood off the old door frame, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

What incredible strength!

I was startled. Before I could even steady myself, the old woman zombie on my right moved. She stretched out her long fingernails and reached for my chest. The tips of her fingernails gleamed with a bluish-black light, clearly indicating that they were poisonous.

I bent down and squatted to avoid the grab. The fingernails dug into the earthen wall behind me, leaving five deep marks, and a piece of adobe brick was torn off the wall.

The two zombies, one on the left and one on the right, coordinated perfectly, each attack aimed at my vital points. Their fists, nails, and even their bodies rammed into me, each strike carrying immense force. A chilling aura enveloped me, making my whole body numb and slowing my movements.

I gritted my teeth and, using Huang Dalang's strength, raised my hand to block. My arm collided with the zombie's arm, and it felt like I had hit a cold, hard rock. The shock made my arm go numb, and I felt like my bones were about to break.

I kicked the old zombie in the stomach, but it felt like I was kicking a water-filled sack. It was soft and didn't hurt him at all. Instead, his yin energy made my calf cramp.

For a time, I was evenly matched with the two zombies. I was dodging and weaving, while the zombies attacked fiercely. The table in the room was overturned, and the candle fell to the ground. The candle flame flickered and almost went out. In the dim light, the zombie's swollen and festering face looked even more terrifying. Black soup was spilled all over the floor, and the stench of decay in the room was so strong that it was suffocating.

I gradually lost my strength, my breathing became more and more rapid, my hands and feet, which were numb from the cold, began to move uncontrollably, and I was scratched several times by the claws of the zombies. Although the skin was not broken, the places that were touched were icy cold, as if I was being stabbed by ice picks.

"Thirteen! Hang in there! This zombie's yin energy is too strong; your yang energy is almost depleted!"

Huang Dalang shouted in my head.

"Old dog, aren't you going to help?"

Just as I was about to be hit by the old zombie's fist.

A dark shadow darted past me in an instant!

It's an old dog!

His movements were so fast that they were impossible to see. All that could be seen was the shadow of the black fur vest flash by, and the next second, he was already standing between the two zombies.

Just as the old zombie's fist was about to smash into my head, the old dog raised his hand and grabbed his wrist with his large palm.

That wrist, swollen like a radish, felt like a fragile tree branch in the old dog's hand.

The old dog narrowed its vertical pupils, a flash of golden light appeared, and it gently exerted force with its fingers.

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out, even more piercing than the one heard in the woods before.

The old man's wrist was crushed by the old dog, the broken bones piercing through the festering skin and exposed, while blackish-red blood and black liquid mixed together and sprayed all over the old dog.

The old zombie let out a shrill scream that was not human, so piercing that it made my ears ring.

But the old dog didn't even flinch. He raised his other hand and directly grabbed the old man's skull, pressing his palm down.

"Pfft!"

Like the sound of a watermelon being crushed, the old dog crushed the old zombie's head, spraying black and red blood, brain matter, and black liquid everywhere. The zombie's body swayed, then collapsed to the ground, turning into a pile of rotten flesh, and never moved again.

Upon seeing this, the old woman zombie on the right lunged at the old dog like a madwoman, her long fingernails scratching at the dog's eyes.

The old dog dodged to the side, grabbed her arm with his other hand, pulled her forward, and then kicked her hard in the chest.

"Boom!"