Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

The gunpowder exploded in the air, the sound carrying in all directions, and Liu Mingzi, Sha Huizi, and Yu Tong all received the signal.

The team, composed of government officials, constables, and military households, began to tighten the encirclement of Zhengjia Village, the center of the plague.

This time, because there were enough people, Cao Xiong didn't need to worry about any plague-infested corpses escaping in the chaos.

Not long after, Cao Xiong entered the first village.

This territory, overrun by plague-ridden corpses, may have sensed the invasion from the outside world.

A large amount of fog spread out from the depths, affecting the soldiers' visibility and making it impossible for them to see clearly into the distance.

"Attention everyone, proceed slowly!" Cao Xiong circulated his internal energy, his chest vibrated, and his voice echoed throughout the surroundings.

Just then, the Evil-Sniffing Blade in Cao Xiong's hand trembled violently.

A thought flickered in his mind: it seemed the plague-infested corpses were moving very quickly this time.

"Musketeers in front, prepare for battle!"

Upon hearing Cao Xiong's voice, more than ten soldiers armed with muskets quickly moved to the front of the column.

Cao Xiong released his divine sense, constantly sensing the movements deep within.

Before long, faint but noisy footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Cao Xiong slowly drew his Evil-Sniffing Blade. "Halt! Prepare the muskets!"

Upon hearing Cao Xiong's order, all the musketeers immediately half-squatted on the ground, raised their muskets, and faced into the depths of the fog.

Behind them were officers and soldiers of the centurion's garrison in full armor and military households in half-armor.

The constables, clerks, and military officers stood at the very back.

After a moment, a rustling or scraping sound came from ahead.

Through the mist, the twisted figures of the plague corpses resembled dancing demons.

As the plague-infested corpses drew closer, the constables and military doctors, witnessing such a scene for the first time, subconsciously swallowed hard.

"Release!" Cao Xiong's voice was as steady as a mountain, calming everyone's minds.

"Bang bang bang~"

The musketeers fired decisively, and lead bullets pierced the fog, landing among the plague-ridden horde.

"Roar~"

Plague zombies kept falling under the gunfire, which enraged them. They quickly locked onto their targets and accelerated their advance.

In order to disrupt the musket attacks, the plague corpses dispersed and advanced from both sides, thus avoiding casualties from the musket fire.

This wasn't Cao Xiong's first time fighting the plague corpses. Judging from their movements, he could tell that there were definitely level two plague corpses hidden among them.

Otherwise, these plague corpses wouldn't have the awareness to avoid them.

There were only a dozen or so musketeers, and they couldn't stop all the plague corpses.

Therefore, the horde of plague-infested corpses was getting closer and closer to the soldiers.

The officers and soldiers of the Hundred Households had experienced demons and ghosts, so they were able to remain fearless in the face of these plague-ridden corpses.

However, the constables, the newly recruited clerks and military officers all had solemn expressions and were filled with trepidation.

"Brother Zhou, are you alright? Why are you trembling so badly?" Zhang He asked Zhou Yuan beside him.

"It's nothing, I was just a little agitated. I knew the imperial court had the power to fight against demons and rebels. I was right when I cursed them before, those people are the parasites of the imperial court."

Zhou Yuan's impassioned speech moved Zhang He; his friend was truly someone who couldn't be viewed through the lens of ordinary people.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Cao Xiong raised his Evil-Sniffing Longsword and shouted, "Musketeers and constables, be responsible for intercepting them. Do not allow any plague corpse to escape the encirclement."

"All officers, soldiers, and military households, follow me and charge!"

"kill!"

Cao Xiong's inner strength surged, his voice like thunder from the heavens, and he charged ahead of the plague-ridden horde.

"Kill!" After Cao Xiong made his move, Cao Man, wielding a giant axe, followed closely behind, each step covering more than two meters.

Cao Xiong and Cao Man's imposing presence instantly inspired the officers, soldiers, and military households behind them, and their morale reached its peak.

"The sea of ​​suffering is cut off!" Cao Xiong used the Maha sword technique, sending more than ten plague-ridden corpses flying.

Cao Xiong used the "Leaf-Picking Step" to move continuously among the plague corpses, leaving behind only mangled bodies wherever he went.

Although Cao Man's internal strength was not as profound as Cao Xiong's, his height was already close to four meters.

These plague-ridden corpses were like three-year-old children in his eyes.

Cao Man had no special skills; he simply swung his giant axe relentlessly, using sheer force to overcome all techniques.

"Lord Zhang, shall we go and collect a couple of the plague corpses?" Mao Dafu, who was watching the battle from behind, saw that the government troops had gained the upper hand and there were many plague corpses in the open space in front of them, so he spoke to Zhang He.

After confirming there was no danger, Zhang He agreed, "Okay, come with me upstairs and carry the two bodies."

Subsequently, led by Zhang He, several military doctors bypassed the constables, rushed to the outer edge of the battlefield, and found two relatively intact plague corpses.

Then, they lit a bonfire, and Zhang He and Mao Dafu began to dissect the corpses to study the internal characteristics of the corpse plague.

Ignoring what was behind him, Cao Xiong continued to wander among the horde of plague-infested corpses, his goal being to find the mutated plague-infested corpses hidden within.

Finally, just as he was about to break free of the horde of corpses, he sensed a distinct killing intent.

Cao Xiong looked up and saw a plague-ridden corpse hiding among the horde of corpses, casting a hateful glance at him.

"Found you!"

"Sword Drawing Technique~"

Cao Xiong unleashed his secret technique, and the plague-infested corpses blocking his way were all struck by his long sword.

Their flesh and blood turned into nutrients, which were absorbed by the Evil-Smelling Blade.

Realizing it had been discovered, the clearly conscious mutated plague zombie tried to escape deeper into the area.

"Roar~"

Before leaving, the mutated plague zombie let out a roar.

The ordinary plague corpses around it seemed to be under their control, recklessly rushing towards Cao Xiong in an attempt to stop him.

"You're asking for death!" Cao Xiong leaped into the air, stepping on the head of a plague zombie, and using the momentum, he kept getting closer to the mutated plague zombie.

The heads of the plague-infested corpses that Cao Xiong stepped on exploded one after another.

In a short while, Cao Xiong caught up with the fleeing mutated plague zombie.

He extended his right hand, making a loose fist.

"Bang!"

His palm landed on the plague corpse's head, crushing its skull.

[Killed a level 2 Plague Corpse, 0.1 Fragments]

……

Zhengjia Village.

In the very center of the village, more than thirty plague corpses knelt on the ground, their bodies prostrate, their faces filled with piety, as if on a pilgrimage.

Directly in front of this group of plague-ridden corpses was a pool of blood, its contents churning.

A whirlpool formed in the middle of the blood pool, and a figure could be vaguely seen standing still inside.

Around the human figure, there were also some centipedes, venomous snakes, scorpions, and toads floating around.

The figure in the blood pool occasionally breathed, and a large amount of mist gushed from its nasal cavity and floated into the air.

A middle-aged Taoist priest dressed in a red robe sat cross-legged beside the blood pool, his face filled with excitement.

"The Five Poisons Corpse Refining technique is indeed feasible."

"Poison King, you will become my most perfect creation, carrying my expectations, spreading the plague throughout the entire Guobei County."

The Taoist took a deep breath. "The aura of a martial artist is truly delicious. Let your corpses welcome the arrival of the Poison King."