After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

Asking the Way at the summit of Longhu Mountain.

The air pressure inside the side hall was frighteningly low, and the cold air seeped up through the cracks in the floor tiles.

The moon hangs high outside the window, its silvery light covering the thick floor tiles.

The stars hung heavily on the clouds, so low that they were only a sliver above the palm of your hand.

Zhou Ran had no interest in these things.

His gaze was fixed on the Yin-gathering Banner.

On the banner, Li Zhiyao's soul became increasingly ethereal, its edges constantly dissipating into wisps of gray smoke.

A ruthless glint flashed in his purple-gold eyes, and the chilling aura deep within them seemed to pierce the air.

"If you can't save them, I'll save them myself; if you can't bear to part with them, I'll just rob them outright."

Zhou Ran turned his head and coldly glanced at Xu Yun, who seemed to want to speak but hesitated. Every word he uttered carried a sharp edge.

"She can't die before we get the dragon core. Even if she becomes neither human nor ghost, she has to hold on for me."

Miao Yingying hid by the wall, her hands tightly gripping the blackened silver bell, her fingers clenched until they were bloodless.

She looked up at Zhou Ran, the man who had run rampant in the main hall and shattered the Divine Transformation Sword Intent.

It left her with nothing but awe, not any other thoughts.

At the Soul-Suppressing Temple, he created the Silver Armor Corpse for himself.

In the capital, it was he who saved his own life.

Right now, there's nothing I can do to help.

"Brother Zhou..."

After hesitating for a while, Miao Yingying called out softly.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the empty hall.

Zhou Ran turned his head.

His gaze pressed down on Miao Yingying, making her back bend and she almost couldn't breathe.

"explain."

Miao Yingying's throat felt dry, and she swallowed with difficulty.

"Although the spiritual energy here is abundant and can protect the souls of the dead, Miss Li's soul is too weak."

Although the Golden Light Mantra of Longhu Mountain is sacred, it is an intense, yang fire, and for her, every second is torture.

Zhou Ran's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the old demon Ye Futian ceased his sarcastic remarks.

"This girl is quite knowledgeable. If you keep raising her like this, before you even get the Dragon Pill, this female ghost will be evaporated by the fortune of Longhu Mountain."

"Listen to me, use my remnant soul to feed..."

"roll."

Zhou Ran roared inwardly, cutting off the old devil's remaining words.

He looked directly at Miao Yingying:

"What's your plan?"

"Longhu Mountain is the path of immortals, while we Miao people cultivate the path of ghosts."

Miao Yingying pulled a small locust wood jar from her waist. The jar was black and emitted a damp, earthy smell.

"My grandfather left behind a secret, unorthodox method called 'borrowing a corpse to revive a soul.'"

I do not seek physical rebirth, but only to use the death energy of the "God of Joy" to lock the zombie's mind.

I...I don't know if it will work.

Zhou Ran squinted, and the ancient image of the Xiangxi corpse-driving tradition flashed through his mind.

"The God of Happiness?"

Zombies?

Miao Yingying pursed her lips tightly, her voice trembling slightly.

"My grandfather, Miao Laoshi, was the last person in western Hunan who could set up a memorial tablet."

Logically speaking, neither zombies nor spirits are considered things of the mortal realm.

As long as my grandfather's "Seven Star Soul-Locking Stake" is effective, Miss Li's soul can last for at least another thirty days.

I'm afraid my grandfather has a stubborn temper; he hates Taoists the most.

I lied...

Last time I came, it wasn't as a guest, but rather...

Miao Yingying shook her head.

"In short, Miss Li can't leave this place, so it might be difficult to handle."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ran let out a contemptuous laugh.

The black scales on his right hand, the Great Desolate Body, began to churn, as if dragons were swimming beneath his skin, and the surrounding air currents emitted muffled explosions.

"No one has ever dared to say 'no' to me."

Zhou Ran had one hand behind his back, exuding an aura of unyielding oppression.

But his gaze was fixed on Xu Yun.

"Tell your grandfather that he must come tonight."

"If he can protect this woman, I will bestow upon your Miao family a fortune that will change the world."

Miao Yingying was stunned by those pupils.

She frantically pricked her fingertip and smeared a drop of blood onto the scarlet talisman.

"Grandpa, your granddaughter is in trouble at Longhu Mountain! Please, ancestors, save her!"

The talisman suddenly emitted red smoke.

The smoke broke through the layers of barriers, pierced through the sea of ​​clouds, and swept towards the depths of the back mountain.

Fifteen minutes later.

The ever-present sea of ​​clouds at Longhu Mountain was torn open by a brute force.

A cloud of ash, mixed with the stench of decay and rust, swept in from the direction of the rocky valley behind the mountain.

However, this time, at Xu Yun's instruction, the grand formation was not activated.

The dull thuds of each footstep made the floor tremble.

Xu Yun stood at the bottom of the steps, his face grim.

The once tranquil Taoist holy site was suddenly filled with eerie winds, as if a huge, dark cave had been opened up.

"Brother Zhou, he's here."

Miao Yingying's face turned pale as she pointed into the depths of the thick fog.

A verdant bamboo pole extends from the mist, with a pale green lantern hanging from its top.

Miao Laoshi appeared, his face covered in deep wrinkles like old tree bark.

Behind him, six figures dressed in official robes stood straight, arms outstretched, their bodies covered in a layer of iron-blue frost.

"The water at Longhu Mountain is still so hot it's scalding."

Miao Laoshi spat, the saliva passing over the clouds and landing on his granddaughter's face.

"Grandpa! Yingying lied, please forgive me!"

This is the Brother Zhou I was talking about; he saved my life!

Zhou Ran helped Miao Yingying, who was about to kneel down, and said.

"Grandpa Miao, this terrible idea was mine."

I asked you to come because I want to save someone.

Just as Old Man Miao was about to unleash his power, the zombies behind him began to stir restlessly.

But he quickly calmed down.

This person's cultivation level is above mine.

Although he cultivates the demonic path, even his old rival, Xu Yun, gives him some face.

Moreover, this is Longhu Mountain territory.

His gaze was fixed on the Yin-Gathering Banner in Zhou Ran's hand.

"A spirit of the underworld?"

"good."

Zhou Ran flicked his hand, and the Gathering Yin Banner unfolded.

Li Zhiyao's almost transparent soul was exposed to the air, its edges already crumbling.

What a waste!

"Feeding the Yin Spirit with the Golden Light Mantra, do you think it's not dissipating fast enough?"

After understanding the whole story, Old Man Miao cursed under his breath and took off the black leather bag from his waist.

Seven pale white bone nails were placed at his feet, each exuding a chilling aura.

"This is called Seven Star Soul Locking. It locks in one's life and draws out one's karmic virtue."

"Young man, she has very little good karma left. If this stake is driven in, she'll suffer a lot."

"As long as she doesn't die, I, Zhou, will pay the rest of the bill."

Miao Laoshi grinned and slapped his hand on the floor tile.

The six zombies sprang out like springs, each occupying one of the six positions in the Qiankun trigram.

Miao Laoshi bit his tongue, spitting out blood, and his fingers quickly drew a dark red ghost character incantation on the ground.

"The God of Joy crosses the mountain, and the soul returns!"

seal up!"

The seven bone nails ignited with green flames and, with a few soft popping sounds, all pierced into the vital acupoints of Li Zhiyao's soul.

A piercing scream echoed through the hall, a tearing pain from the depths of one's soul.

A faint dark red light gradually appeared in Li Zhiyao's originally unfocused pupils.

Zhou Ran stood there, stunned.

Using such yin and death energy to forcibly block the leaking soul light—this method of achieving a positive result from two negatives—is truly unheard of.

As the last nail was driven in, Li Zhiyao's soul solidified completely.

The phosphorescence that had initially dissipated flowed back to the center under the pull of the bone screw.

Fifteen minutes later, Old Man Miao wiped away his sweat, his body visibly thinner.

"It's saved; it can last another thirty days."

If she can't obtain the dragon energy to cleanse her body of the corpse poison within a month, she will truly disappear completely.

Zhou Ran felt a warmth emanating from the Qilin bone in his left arm, knowing that Li Zhiyao had stabilized.

He looked at Old Man Miao and nodded slightly:

"I will remember this favor."

Miao Laoshi waved his hand, extended his bamboo pole, and disappeared back into the mist.

"If you bring my granddaughter with you on the day you left the dragon, then you don't need to repay this favor."

Just as Zhou Ran was about to speak, a crisp sound like tearing brocade suddenly came from her arms.

"Snapped!"

Zhou Ran's eyes sank to the bottom in the blink of an eye.

This is the mother-child talisman he left for the Su sisters before he left.