All Heavens: Dual Cultivation of Magic and Martial Arts Starting from the Republic of China

There are some differences between a zombie and a corpse that has turned into a spirit.

The former requires burial in special shady locations to absorb the earth's energy and the essence of moonlight over a long period, with only a small probability of being born. From weakest to strongest, they are generally divided into black zombies, white zombies, armored zombies, flying zombies, etc.

Corpse spirits, on the other hand, are much more common.

Even the weakest corpse demon can be dealt with by a strong adult man as long as he is brave enough and unafraid.

The powerful ones are similar to ordinary black zombies.

The most powerful ones, such as those that reach the level of "Mother and Child Killing," are roughly comparable to "White Zombie."

Fu Ze had never actually seen a zombie, so he couldn't judge whether the corpse spirit that had turned out to be the body of Miss Feng last night had reached the level of a [Black Zombie]...

However, Fu Ze knew how ferocious the zombies were.

His great-grandfather had encountered this when he was young!

That happened shortly after encountering the "Mother and Child Curse," when my great-grandfather was traveling around with his newly apprenticed Taoist master.

When the master and apprentice settled in a county town in eastern Sichuan, they heard that there were zombies in the vicinity that would suck human blood every night.

This caused widespread panic in the county town. Local gentry fled back to their mansions in the countryside with their families to hide, and merchants from other places also fled in droves, severely damaging the county town's economy and tax revenue.

At that time, the county town was controlled by a battalion commander under a powerful warlord in the southwest, who was also a violent man.

Seeing that the zombie rumors were causing him to lose money, he decided to take the initiative!

In short, it was a huge ordeal, and many soldiers died...

Finally, not far from the city gate, they lured the zombie into a trap, then used two heavy machine guns to fire wildly, two cannons to bombard it continuously, and finally detonated it with hundreds of kilograms of explosives.

They directly performed a "physical exorcism" on the zombie.

Fu Ze's great-grandfather witnessed this scene from afar on the city gate. It was the first time he had seen the power of heavy firearms, and he was deeply shocked!

So there's this kind of fighting method against demons and monsters?

Of course, it was also because the battalion commander was lucky that what was causing trouble in his territory were zombies.

If it is a powerful, malevolent spirit, then this method of "physical elimination" is not possible.

Moreover, not everyone who holds great power is so courageous and bold.

The probability of witnessing such a bizarre sight as "cannons and explosives bombarding zombies" seems to be lower than finding a powerful sorcerer to eliminate it with esoteric magic.

As Fu Ze recalled his great-grandfather's legendary experiences, he also heard the old Taoist priest Yu Mingzi talking about the rumors of zombies near Sanshui Town.

"The first place to report zombies was Lijia'ao, about ten miles away from here..."

Lijia'ao is a small village with only about thirty households, living near the mountains.

Besides farming, they make a living by hunting and selling mountain products.

Because it was relatively close to Fuyang County, many high-ranking officials and nobles lived there and enjoyed eating wild game. They would even pay high prices for rare finds, so life in Lijia'ao was quite comfortable.

About two weeks ago, a hunter from the village went hunting in the mountains and found a dilapidated coffin in a shady ravine. It looked like it had been washed out by flash floods after a landslide caused by heavy rains recently.

The hunter curiously went over for a look and was shocked to find a stiff but incorrupt corpse in the coffin!

The corpse was dressed in tattered official robes from the previous dynasty, surrounded by black mist, with a bluish-purple face, protruding fangs, and fingernails more than half a foot long.

Just one glance was enough to terrify the hunter, who scrambled back to the village and immediately told the village chief what had happened.

The village chief was an old man in his seventies who had seen many strange things and knew some old customs. He immediately told people not to approach and prepared to invite a Taoist priest to perform a ritual for the deceased the next day.

However, a few young men in the village refused to believe in superstitions. They thought that since the corpse belonged to an official from the previous dynasty, there might be some rare items buried with him, so they wanted to get some to sell for money.

That night, five young men secretly went up the mountain and found the body.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they got close, the ancient corpse from the previous dynasty was aroused by the aura of living people. It suddenly opened its eyes, and its corpse aura exploded. On the spot, it sucked all the life essence of the three young men clean, turning them into three dried corpses!

The remaining two were so frightened that they ran back to the village shouting for help.

When the villagers learned of this, they were terrified and couldn't wait until dawn. They immediately sent someone to the county town to invite a Taoist priest.

Unfortunately, before the mage could arrive, the zombie had already sneaked into Lijia'ao.

That night, a violent storm raged, and zombies, like ghosts, broke into the village's houses, stabbing and sucking at anyone they saw.

In just one night, more than ten people died in Lijia'ao. They were all emaciated, and their life essence was drained away!

Those who were still alive after daybreak were so frightened that they moved away from the village overnight. A once thriving village was turned into a ghost town overnight.

Local militia and police sent men to hunt it down, but the zombie was thick-skinned and couldn't be harmed by ordinary knives and guns. Even rifle bullets only left shallow marks when they hit it, without breaking the skin.

It scattered the ranks and killed several more soldiers.

The matter escalated and eventually reached higher authorities. The government, having exhausted all other options, hastily sought solutions, sending people everywhere to search for a highly skilled martial artist capable of dealing with the zombies.

Not long ago, Yu Mingzi finished his secluded cultivation and descended Mount Luofu to travel the mortal world. He arrived in the southwestern region. Upon hearing of this, he volunteered to take on the task of slaying this zombie…

Yu Mingzi sighed deeply as she finished speaking, her eyes filled with regret.

"In chaotic times, demons roam freely, and the lives of ordinary people are as worthless as grass. First, bandits and soldiers wreak havoc, then evil spirits and ghosts cause trouble, and it is always these innocent people who suffer."

He was indeed a person who hated evil and cared deeply for the common people.

Fu Ze remained silent.

He had only been in this world for a day, yet he had already witnessed the vengeful spirits of corpses, the indiscriminate killings of thugs, the tragic deaths of the old and weak, and the emergence of zombies...

One thing after another told him that the "Republic of China" era in this other world was perhaps far more chaotic and dangerous than the same period in his original world.

"Master, have you seen any signs of zombies?"

Fu Ze asked.

Master Yumingzi shook his head.

"There is no definite trace yet. All we know is that it has been wandering around several towns in the vicinity of Fuyang County recently, appearing at night and harming countless people. I have been following the clues, asking the people, and even seeking help from a folk fortune teller, and finally tracked it down to the vicinity of Sanshui Town."

The orthodox Taoist school does not practice divination or fortune-telling.

In fact, this falls under the category of independent, folk practitioners.

So Yu Mingzi consulted a fortune teller who predicted that zombies would appear near Sanshui Town.

"When I passed by the dilapidated temple on the mountainside, I sensed a strong aura of blood and intense killing intent inside, so I came in to investigate."

At this point, the old Taoist priest glanced at Fu Ze, his eyes filled with approval.

"Unexpectedly, I ran into you, young friend Fu, ridding the people of a scourge. Come to think of it, those five scoundrels were so wicked that they deserved their fate."

Fu Ze gave a wry smile.

"I am ashamed... I pity that grandmother and grandson, who were destitute and helpless, and in the end they suffered this misfortune because of me."

When the topic of the grandfather and grandson came up, he still felt guilty for letting those thugs go because of his "saintly" nature.

If we had just killed them cleanly and decisively from the beginning, there wouldn't have been so many problems later.

Yu Mingzi also sighed and offered a soft word of comfort.

"Life and death are predestined. Young friend, you have already avenged them, doing your utmost. There's no need to be too hard on yourself. That's just how the world is. Who knows when it will end?"

"They say a wise ruler appears every three hundred years, but I wonder where this wise ruler who can save the world is?"

Although it was already the Republic of China, there was no longer an emperor.

But Yu Mingzi still hoped that someone would appear who could turn the tide and save the people from their dire straits.

Uh, this...

Fu Ze rubbed the tip of his nose.

He did know of one such person...

But this is, after all, another world, a parallel world, and it's hard to say whether it's the same as my original world.

"Oh, right."

Master Yumingzi stopped dwelling on the matter and looked at Fu Ze.

"Young friend, you are quite skilled at your age and proficient in Maoshan magic. May I ask where you plan to go next?"

Fu Ze then used the same excuse he gave to Feng hope, Feng Wencai, and others, giving himself the persona and experience of "the son of a wealthy overseas Southeast Asian businessman returning to China to trace his roots."

Yu Mingzi gave a word of praise.

"Though living abroad, we never forget our homeland."

Then, I tentatively asked.

"Young friend, I see that you have a solid foundation, pure spiritual energy, and your internal strength is just beginning to develop, which is the time for you to make rapid progress. Would you be willing to join me in dealing with that zombie, to work together to eliminate evil, which would be a way to rid the people of a scourge and accumulate merit?"

Fu Ze chuckled inwardly.

His purpose in coming into this world was to improve his cultivation!

By slaying evil spirits, his Heavenly Decree can also absorb corpse energy and obtain Heavenly Dao Points, which can be used to strengthen his cultivation techniques and enhance his strength.

However, being new to this world, I have little understanding of its sinister aspects and have never seen zombies in my original world. Having a Taoist master like Yu Mingzi as a companion will not only broaden my knowledge but also ensure my safety.

Fu Ze feigned thought and struggle, and after a while, he nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then I will join forces with the Taoist priest to slay the zombies and protect the peace of the people. So, what should we do next?"

Yu Mingzi told him that he could stay in Sanshui Town for the time being and wait patiently.

After consuming large amounts of human essence and blood, zombies typically sleep for several days to digest the food.

Last night, Sunjia Village outside Sanshui Town suffered a disaster, so the zombie will likely be quiet for a couple of days.

He planned to go to Fuyang County tonight to ask the county magistrate for a force to help him, and then search the surrounding mountains tomorrow.

"Then I will accompany the Taoist priest."

Fu Ze also wanted to see more of the local customs and culture of this world.

Yu Mingzi hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"After a zombie has consumed the life essence of a living person, it will indeed calm down for a few days. But I am also worried that something else might happen. I will feel more at ease if you stay here, young friend."

Before, he was alone and felt that he couldn't support the whole team alone. He could only take risks and couldn't worry about too much.

Now that Fu Ze is helping, hopefully things will be a bit more stable.

Fu Ze also thought this made sense. He wanted to experience the local customs and culture of this world, and he wasn't in a hurry.

He agreed and decided to stay overnight in Sanshui Town.

Fu Ze even shamelessly asked Yu Mingzi for a few talismans, so that he could use them to cast spells if anything happened.

He time-traveled too suddenly, and he only had one talisman in his pocket, which he had already used up last night in Fengjia Village.

Yu Mingzi naturally did not refuse.

The two then said their goodbyes for the time being.

Yu Mingzi continued on to Fu Nan County, while Fu Ze returned to the inn he had booked earlier.

In the guest room.

Fu Ze sat cross-legged on the bed, assumed the five-point-to-heaven posture, and began to meditate.

His Niwan Palace was completely full, and he could no longer absorb spiritual energy, so most Xuanmen practitioners no longer needed to do the things they needed to do every day.

Fu Ze now wants to try drawing spiritual energy out of his acupoints and slowly injecting it into his meridians in reverse, to see if he can solve the problem of his congenital meridians being too weak and narrow through the nourishment of spiritual energy.

This is a slow process that requires a lot of patience and care.

As Fu Ze tried, he pondered the problem in his mind.

"Today's exchange with the Taoist priest was quite enlightening. Luofu Mountain is also part of the Shangqing lineage, and is second only to Maoshan in terms of orthodox Taoism. I wonder if I could ask him for some guidance on cultivation methods?"

"Of course, I am not a member of the Luofu Mountain sect, so it would be inappropriate to make such a request so abruptly. Perhaps we could wait until the zombie scourge is resolved before making the request more tactfully? By then, given our shared history of fighting side by side, the old Taoist priest wouldn't be able to refuse me, would he?"

That's right, Fu Ze wanted to use "moral blackmail".

Since he has no morals, no one can hold him accountable.

Of course, Fu Ze wouldn't go too far, asking to see the classics from Mount Luofu or anything like that; he would just have a brief exchange.

……

At night, everything is silent.

After practicing for a while, Fu Ze prepared to go to sleep.

Just as I closed my eyes, I suddenly heard a strange sound coming from outside the window.

It was extremely noisy, accompanied by sounds like someone was playing a suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) and banging drums and gongs.

Who would make such a commotion in the middle of the night? And it seemed like no one else could hear it except me; the whole street remained deathly silent.

Oh?

Fu Ze's lips curled into a strange smile.

"It's true what they say, a small temple with a lot of evil spirits, a shallow pond with many turtles. The town isn't big, but there are quite a few strange things happening."

As soon as he stood up, he floated down from the bed to the ground like a leaf.

I looked out the window.

Good guy!

Sure enough, a group of people, resembling a wedding procession, were seen walking along the deserted stone-paved path of the town late at night, banging drums and playing musical instruments.

But upon closer inspection, it was chilling.

Because none of the people in this wedding procession are human!

A red paper sedan chair was carried by four large, sleek dogs with glossy fur.

Their eyes were red—a sign that they had eaten human flesh in the graves—and they stood on their hind legs like humans, gripping the palanquin poles with their claws.

As for the ones playing the suona, they were two gray-haired rats, each as big as a cat!

It looked incredibly eerie under the moonlight.

Fu Ze looked shocked.

"A rat's wedding? This is something that only happened in the old folk tales my grandfather told me! I never thought it would actually happen to me."

In the world where Fu Ze lives, supernatural events are extremely rare, but ghosts can still be encountered occasionally.

But he had never encountered a demon before!

They only exist in the stories my grandfather told me when I was a child; they are even rarer than ghosts.

And right now, there might very well be a rat demon getting married in the dead of night...