Uncle Nine: You were supposed to drive corpses, so you summoned the Monkey King!

Lin Chen pointed to the soil on the ground.

Uncle Nine and Master Four Eyes walked over.

There was a clear drag mark on the soil, which had flattened a large patch of weeds.

Next to the marks, there were several blurry footprints, the kind of old-fashioned cloth shoes where the forefoot bears the most weight.

"It's that cripple," Uncle Nine concluded.

"He was dragging something inside."

Lin Chen reached out, picked up a bit of soil, and smelled it.

"There was a strong smell of corpse; it must have been Old Master Ren."

Master Four Eyes drew the bronze sword from his back.

"That old bastard can't escape, follow the trail!"

The three followed the drag marks deeper into the mass grave.

The further we went in, the thicker the fog became, and the sunlight was completely blocked by the withered branches overhead.

It took about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

A dilapidated mortuary appeared ahead.

This mortuary was much smaller than Uncle Nine's. The main gate was half rotten, and the walls were covered with black moss. Dragging marks extended all the way into the broken doorway.

Uncle Nine raised his hand to signal the two to stop, and took out two yellow talismans from his cloth bag.

"Be careful, something's not right here."

Uncle Nine held the yellow talisman between his fingertips and chanted an incantation. The talisman spontaneously combusted without fire, transforming into two golden beams that flew toward the broken door.

The golden light vanished without a trace the moment it touched the threshold.

Uncle Nine's expression changed.

"It's a Yin Gathering and Corpse Refining Array!"

Master Four Eyes cursed.

"That old cripple actually knows a thing or two; he's actually set up this formation."

Lin Chen looked at the broken door and could feel several cold, sinister gazes staring at them from inside.

"Master, where is the core of the formation?" Lin Chen asked.

Uncle Nine pointed to the four corners of the roof.

"See those four black earthenware jars hanging there? They must contain the bones and blood of people who died violent deaths."

"Break the earthenware pot, and the formation will be broken."

Lin Chen nodded and formed a hand seal.

The telekinetic ability was activated, and four fist-sized stones rose into the air from the ground.

With a flick of his wrist, Lin Chen sent the stones flying like cannonballs to the four corners of the roof.

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The four black earthenware pots shattered instantly.

Black, foul-smelling liquid flowed down from the roof, and most of the surrounding fog dissipated.

Uncle Nine gave Lin Chen an approving look.

This kid's magic is getting more and more sophisticated.

"The formation has been broken. Let's go in and take a look."

Uncle Nine, carrying a peach wood sword, kicked open the remaining half of the broken door.

The three rushed into the ruined mortuary.

The hall was empty except for a black lacquered coffin placed in the middle.

The coffin lid wasn't nailed shut, leaving a crack through which black smoke was seeping out.

Master Simu stepped forward and used his bronze sword to open the coffin lid.

"Bang!"

The coffin lid fell to the ground.

Master Simu peeked out.

"Empty!"

Uncle Nine walked over.

The bottom of the coffin was covered with a thick layer of glutinous rice, but the rice had turned completely black and still contained traces of bodily fluids.

"That old beast did indeed stay here," Uncle Nine said.

Lin Chen looked around and his gaze fell on a broken table in the corner.

A piece of yellow paper was weighed down on the table with a stone.

Lin Chen walked over and picked up the paper. There was a line of words written on the paper, the handwriting crooked and messy.

Lin Chen read it aloud.

"Lin Jiu, I'll settle the score with you slowly from twenty years ago."

"I accept the Ren family's blood."

After hearing this, Uncle Nine snorted coldly.

"What arrogance!"

Just then, a crashing sound came from underground in the ruined mortuary.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound came from the stone slabs beneath our feet.

Master Four Eyes jumped back a step.

There's something underground!

The bluestone slab in the middle of the hall shattered, and four dark figures sprang out from the ground, rushing straight at the three people.

Lin Chen reacted the fastest, dodging the oncoming black shadow by sidestepping.

He swung his sword backhand, the lightning-struck wooden sword striking the shadowy figure's shoulder.

"when!"

It produced a sound like metal striking stone.

Lin Chen looked closely.

The four shadowy figures were all zombies dressed in tattered short clothes, covered in short black hair, and with purplish-black fingernails.

Although not as tough as Old Master Ren's half-step iron-armored corpse.

But it's still much stronger than a regular zombie.

"It's a black-haired zombie!" Uncle Nine shouted.

"That cripple used a Yin-gathering array to exacerbate the death of the corpses in this mass grave!"

Two black-haired zombies lunged at Uncle Nine.

Uncle Nine stabbed a walking corpse in the heart with a peach wood sword. White smoke rose from the corpse's chest, and it was knocked back several steps.

Another zombie seized the opportunity to swing its claws and grab Uncle Nine's face.

Uncle Nine ducked to avoid the attack, and at the same time, pulled a handful of glutinous rice from his bag and threw it out. The rice hit the zombie's face, exploding into a series of sparks. The zombie covered its face and roared.

the other side.

Master Four Eyes is locked in a fierce battle with a walking corpse.

The bronze greatsword was powerful and heavy, severing one of the zombie's arms, spraying black blood all over the ground.

"You dare to show this piece of junk and embarrass yourself!" Daoist Four Eyes cursed.

He kicked the zombie in the stomach, sending it flying and crashing into the wall.

Lin Chen's battle was the simplest and most brutal, relying purely on physical strength and the attribute suppression of the lightning-struck wooden sword.

The zombie that he had struck in the shoulder hadn't even regained its footing yet.

Lin Chen had already closed in.

The Maoshan Demon-Slaying Sword Technique was powerful and sweeping; with a single horizontal sweep, it severed the walking corpse's kneecap.

The zombie collapsed to its knees with a thud.

Lin Chen gripped the sword with both hands and plunged it fiercely into the back of the zombie's head.

"Pfft!"

The lightning-struck wooden sword pierced through the hard skull.

Blue heavenly lightning energy spread through the zombie's brain, causing it to twitch twice before turning into a pool of black water.

That one is done.

Lin Chen turned to look at Uncle Nine.

Uncle Nine has already immobilized one of them with a corpse-suppressing talisman.

We're dealing with the last one.

Lin Chen formed a hand seal and activated the technique by telekinesis.

A broken blue brick flew up from the ground and landed precisely on the back of the last zombie's head.

The zombie staggered as it was hit.

Uncle Nine seized the opportunity to step forward and stick a yellow talisman on its forehead.

The battle is over.

The dilapidated mortuary reeked of corpses.

Master Four Eyes took out a fire talisman and burned the remains of the walking corpse on the ground.

"That cripple runs fast, though." Master Four Eyes sheathed his bronze sword.

"Leaving these rotten sweet potatoes and stinky bird eggs to disgust people."

Uncle Nine walked to the broken table and picked up the note.

"He didn't run away."

"He is declaring war on us."

Uncle Nine crumpled the note into a ball and threw it on the ground.

Lin Chen walked to the empty coffin.

"Uncle-Master, he has moved Old Master Ren."

"Is there any place near this town with a stronger eerie atmosphere than the mass grave?"

Uncle Nine pondered for a moment.

"have."

"There is an abandoned mine shaft in the west of the town."

"Back then, a mine collapse killed hundreds of miners."

"That place is extremely yin, and you can't even see the sun during the day."

Master Simu slapped his thigh.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's take down his stronghold right now!"

Uncle Nine shook his head.

"It's too late."

"The mine is located west of the town, dozens of miles away by mountain road."

"By the time we get there, it will be dark."

"Fighting evil cultivators in the mine at night is too disadvantageous."

Uncle Nine glanced at the sky outside; the sun was already setting in the west.

"Let's go back to the mortuary first; we need to wait and see."

The three left the dilapidated mortuary and returned the way they came.

By the time they returned to the mortuary, it was already completely dark.

The door was closed tightly.

Lin Chen stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Knock knock knock".

Wen Cai's wary voice came from inside.

"Who?"

"It's me," Lin Chen said.

The bolt was pulled open.

Wen Cai leaned out halfway, holding a peach wood sword in his hand. When he saw that it was Uncle Jiu and the others, he put the sword away.

"Master, you're finally back."

Uncle Nine walked into the courtyard and looked at the empty main hall.

"Where's Awei?"

They ran away as soon as it got dark.

"They said there was urgent official business to be handled at the yamen."

"Actually, I was afraid that zombies would come knocking on my door at night, so I grabbed my men and ran away faster than a rabbit."

Master Four Eyes snorted.

"That coward, you might as well raise a dog to guard the door."

Lin Chen placed the lightning-struck wooden sword on the table.

"Where's Tingting?"

"I'm resting in my guest room," Wencai replied.

Uncle Jiu put down the cloth bag.

"Everyone stay up tonight."

"Since that cripple has issued a challenge, he's bound to make a move."

"Wencai, go and spread out the glutinous rice. Simu, you and Lin Chen stay in the main hall."

"I'm going to the backyard to prepare the altar."