"Go to hell." At that very moment, Young Master Liu, mustering courage from an unknown source, unceremoniously yanked the little Drought Zombie from behind Ma Xiaoyan and slammed the wooden bucket filled with black dog's blood over its head. Although this batch of blood, according to Zhang Enpu’s original plan, was tailored for the larger entity, human lives were at stake now, leaving no room for careful consideration. Damn it all, let's kill one less! This thing looks utterly repulsive anyway.

"Ah..." The little Drought Zombie, drenched in dog's blood, let out a pitiful shriek, its mouth agape. Green smoke billowed from its entire body as it trembled uncontrollably.

Zhang Enpu glanced at the poor creature that had suffered, then shot a wary look at the Drought Zombie. He addressed Young Master Liu and the others, "She's about to get enraged. Quickly, take this girl and get out of here. I'll cover your retreat." Seeing her son treated this way, the Drought Zombie's fury was unimaginable. On the other hand, Zhang Enpu knew that even though the little Drought Zombie was emitting wisps of smoke and had lost its aggression, he didn't believe it was severely harmed; otherwise, it wouldn't deserve the title of Zombie King. If the large and small zombies attacked them in concert, he couldn't even guarantee his own safety, let alone the others. Now was the time to save whoever could be saved.

"We're leaving, what about you?"

"I'll find a chance to get back. You’d just be a hindrance here."

"But—"

"No buts, hurry up! Time waits for no one!" Zhang Enpu snapped without looking back.

"Alright! Take care, sir." Seeing his resolve, Young Master Liu could only agree. He bent down, adjusted Ma Xiaoyan's body, hoisted her onto his back, and prepared to make a run for it.

Seeing the murderer of her son about to escape, the Drought Zombie naturally wouldn't allow it. It let out a fierce cry as it waved its hand, as if to say, "You all must die; none of you will leave this place." With that, it disregarded Zhang Enpu completely, raised its two hands that glimmered with black scales, and lunged for Young Master Liu's neck.

Just as the Drought Zombie was about to strike, Zhang Enpu bit his index finger, drew it across the peach wood sword, and roared, "I am your opponent! Deal with me first!" With that, he thrust the sword into the Drought Zombie's body, forcefully interrupting her action, and Young Master Liu and the others were spared.

"What are you staring at? Move! Do I have to kick each of you away individually? Go, now, or it will be too late!" Zhang Enpu fiercely attacked the Drought Zombie, yelling at the three on the ground. Young Master Liu immediately hoisted Ma Xiaoyan onto his back, waved to Tian Guoqiang, and they bolted down the mountain.

The little Drought Zombie writhed on the ground, and the Drought Zombie's heart felt like it was being cut with a knife. She poured all her rage onto Zhang Enpu, adding another third to her force.

In this critical moment, Zhang Enpu unleashed his lifetime's skill. The peach wood sword, stained with blood, glowed intensely red, and he pushed his cultivation to the absolute limit. For a time, the man and the ghost battled fiercely, locked in an inseparable fight.

As the saying goes, going up a mountain is easier than coming down. The malevolent energy of the Drought Zombie, coupled with the unique geography of the Yin Gathering Pool, had already blocked out the sunlight, plunging the earth into deep gloom. When Young Master Liu and the others reached the mountainside, dark clouds rapidly gathered, blocking their path. No matter which direction they tried, the black clouds were always one step ahead, sealing off the road tightly.

"Young Master, what do we do now?" Tian Guoqiang asked glumly, gazing at the dense, encircling mist. Though they had narrowly escaped death, a new crisis had arisen.

Young Master Liu was never very strong, and carrying the eighty-plus pounds of Ma Xiaoyan had already left him breathless. It was a small mercy that the person on his back wasn't Gou Dan; otherwise, he would surely have collapsed. Seeing the path blocked by trees, he set Ma Xiaoyan down and said, "I don't know either. I guess we can only leave after Uncle Zhang defeats that old and young demon pair."

Poor Young Master Liu was still pinning his hopes on Zhang Enpu, but now Zhang Enpu was barely able to save himself. Although Zhang Enpu fought the Drought Zombie to a standstill, his age showed, and he was gradually losing ground, finding it difficult even to break free. The Drought Zombie, however, grew more vigorous and ruthless with every exchange, relentlessly attacking Zhang Enpu.

In the past, Zhang Enpu had a hundred ways to escape the clutches of the Drought Zombie, but this rash expedition was a grave mistake, resulting in him leaving behind many indispensable magical implements. Otherwise, given his status as a Grandmaster, he wouldn't be in such a sorry state. "What should I do?" Zhang Enpu panicked. Before he knew it, the little Drought Zombie, having caught its breath, bit his back, leaving two rows of teeth marks, the flesh raggedly turned inside out.

"Aargh..." Seeing Zhang Enpu was truly at his limit, the Drought Zombie's cry grew piercing.

Halfway up the mountain.

Young Master Liu looked at Ma Xiaoyan, whose face was pale, her eyes wide with terror as she stared behind him. "Xiaoyue, what's wrong?" He then looked behind himself and broke out in a cold sweat. Less than ten meters away stood a small, ragged child, about ten years old, holding a lantern. This child was none other than the ghost kid who had sold him a lantern near the Lingguan Temple.

Young Master Liu tightly shielded Ma Xiaoyan behind him and stammered toward the child, "Y-you... you, don't come closer." He backed away two steps while still protecting Ma Xiaoyan. Tian Guoqiang had been focused on lighting the tinder in his hand and hadn't noticed their distress until he heard Young Master Liu's voice, upon which he looked up and was also greatly alarmed.

"Don't be afraid," the ghost child said. "I'm here to help you leave." With that, the child walked toward Young Master Liu and the others.

"What? Help us?" The three minds momentarily short-circuited. They couldn't figure out what game the ghost child was playing—had it suddenly decided to be a good person? As the child approached, the three heart-pounding youths made way, sensing no malice from the child for some unknown reason. They also knew that ordinary people like themselves couldn't hope to fight a ghost, so their fate was in the hands of heaven.

The ghost child arrived next to the dense black clouds blocking the path. It loosened its grip, and the lantern flew high above the clouds. The child then extended its right middle finger, emitting a green light that shot toward the airborne lantern. Struck by the green beam, the lantern instantly burst forth with a dazzling radiance that lit up almost the entire sky. Illuminated by the lantern's light, the crowd watched in amazement as the surrounding black clouds magically parted, revealing a path.

With the way cleared, the ghost child turned to them and said, "Let's go." Then, it took the lead down the mountain.

Seeing that the ghost child truly meant no harm, the others finally relaxed a little, following closely behind, their hearts still pounding. It wasn't that they didn't trust the ghost child, but the child's very existence was too terrifying to inspire anything but fear.

The descent was smooth. In no time, Young Master Liu, carrying Ma Xiaoyan, reached the foot of the mountain, and the sky began to brighten.

"Aargh..." As the group reached the base, they could still hear the Drought Zombie's enraged shouts echoing from the graveyard.

"You all go now," the ghost child said, waving a hand at them. "The thing in this dam is terrible. I hope you won't provoke it again. Take care of yourselves!"

Normally, on any other occasion, Young Master Liu would have argued, questioning why they shouldn't provoke it when it was clearly the one who sought them out. But in this extraordinary time, dealing with an extraordinary being, he suppressed his urge and gratefully said to the ghost child, "Thank you!" In truth, he misunderstood; the entity the child referred to wasn't the Drought Zombie that Alan had transformed into, but a terrifying presence a hundred, even a thousand, times stronger.

The ghost child did not appreciate Young Master Liu’s gratitude, showing a look of disgust. "Hurry up and go! Mom and Dad are waiting for me. I hope you can sort out the affairs here quickly. I just want to sell my lanterns in peace." With that, the child turned and vanished into the night created by the Drought Zombie. In the instant the child turned, blood streamed down its face, its expression filled with agony, and its limbs trembled uncontrollably. Clearly, dismantling the Drought Zombie's illusion had cost it dearly.

After the ghost child left, Young Master Liu and Tian Guoqiang, still carrying Ma Xiaoyan, wasted no time leaving that place of trouble. They encountered several passersby along the way, who looked at the three of them with puzzled expressions, but they offered no explanations, hurrying back as fast as they could.

Back at home, everyone finally let out a long sigh of relief. But before they could celebrate, tension seized them again, because one person had not returned: Zhang Enpu, who had covered their escape. They wondered what his condition was.

At this moment, Zhang Enpu’s situation was extremely perilous. His head spun, his body was covered in blood, and his talismans were long gone; he was now relying solely on the peach wood sword for a final, desperate fight. Fortunately, the Drought Zombie's power also had its limits. That wrongly aimed spell had inflicted some burden on her, and she was gradually growing weary; her famed swiftness was beginning to slow down—perhaps this was why Zhang Enpu had managed to hold on for so long.

Bang... Overcome by exhaustion, Zhang Enpu was swept off his feet by a horizontal sweep of the Drought Zombie’s arms. He twisted his body, tucked into a cross-legged position, and managed to trip the creature again. However, he knew deep down this served absolutely no purpose.

"Am I going to die?" Zhang Enpu felt a surge of despair. His original goal upon arriving was a swift resolution, leaving no future trouble. He hadn't anticipated that this Drought Zombie would be so formidable, so he hadn't prepared sufficiently. Unexpectedly, this zombie was not only no novice but fiercer than the average Drought Zombie, making it impossible to fight back effectively.

The dark clouds overhead thickened, and the ground fires grew dimmer.

The entire mountain gully was enveloped in a heavy silence: the graveyard, the haystack, the figures, the coffins—all seemed to drift within the same oppressive space.

Zhang Enpu’s arm slowly fell, then he abruptly used the sword to prop himself up, bent over, and coughed incessantly.

At this moment, Zhang Enpu began to gain some awareness. The Drought Zombie’s last attack had been incredibly swift, like a massive sledgehammer pounding directly onto his chest. If he hadn't reacted quickly and instinctively retreated two steps to slow the blow, he would likely be resting in a coffin right now. Out here in the wilderness, that boy Liu wasn't very reliable; he’d probably die without anyone to claim the body.

Pain. Real pain!

This was Zhang Enpu's concrete sensation—it felt as if thousands of hungry little sparrows were pecking at his flesh. Of course, the only difference was that theirs would be external wounds, whereas his was genuine internal injury, unlike the adulterated goods of a black-hearted merchant mixing half white liquor with half water.

"Hoo!" The Drought Zombie’s claw grazed past Zhang Enpu’s cheek for the third time, whipping past the tip of his nose. The chilling, eerie wind it generated swirled like a vortex, stinging his skin and creating the illusion of being slowly hacked apart. Since the distance was so small, Zhang Enpu could clearly distinguish the length and color of the woman’s nails. He quickly leaned sideways, deflecting the blow with an elbow block. But just as he dodged this killing move, before he could catch his breath or loosen his limbs, the little Drought Zombie joined the fray near his feet. Its mouth, full of sharp teeth, clicked open and shut with a grinding sound, targeting the areas Zhang Enpu found hardest to defend. Back and forth they went, leaving Zhang Enpu covered in sweat the size of beans, his face darkened like the bottom of a wok.

Alas! It was difficult for the old man. One must understand that although zombies are categorized—black-haired, white-haired, green-haired, Drought Zombies—they ultimately share one common trait: being 'stiff'! Compared to its brethren, this Drought Zombie was indeed invulnerable to swords, spears, water, or fire, killing humans as easily as crushing chicks. However, its movements were limited to lunging, jumping, and plunging its claws into a victim’s neck. Zhang Enpu had fought this thing for at least a dozen rounds by now and had roughly grasped its pattern, so he was managing to cope, with only minor risks, not becoming utterly disgraced. Since zombies cannot bend at the waist or kick, he only needed to guard his upper body. But adding an unsolicited little one complicated matters immensely! Why? Because this small zombie was newly born, small in stature, like a cat. When it attacked, it naturally targeted Zhang Enpu’s lower body. A one-on-one fight presented a chance, but this two-on-one scenario, with mother and child coordinating, attacking high and low, and covering each other's gaps, was more than Zhang Enpu could handle.

Seeing this, Zhang Enpu executed a "Mandarin Duck Chain Step," springing away from the little Drought Zombie. He rotated his right elbow downward, gripped the sword hilt with both hands, and executed a "Forceful Chop of Mount Hua," aiming directly for the back of the pest's heart, intending to stab down. The large one had matured; ordinary things couldn't penetrate its defenses. But the small one had only been born for less than a week. He believed that by exerting all his strength, he could surely make it shine brightly and pierce its core! However, ideals and reality were often far apart. Just as Zhang Enpu was about to strike, the peach wood sword, halfway through its thrust, was grasped by the great Drought Zombie’s hand. The Drought Zombie sneered, and its other hand reached out to grab Zhang Enpu’s sword hilt. Zhang Enpu’s expression shifted to one of utter shock. In that moment of crisis, he released one hand; the other hand, unable to evade in time, was caught squarely. The little Drought Zombie also turned its head, snot and drool mixing with foul saliva dripping from its mouth like a small waterfall, its eyes fixed on Zhang Enpu with a greenish glare. The small creature was surely calculating, Heh heh, so much meat, I wonder how many meals this will make.

"The essence of Yang Ming, divine power conceals the self. Collect the Yin spirits, retreat and hide the human form. One spiritual talisman, leave the dwelling without a trace. Should there be any defiance, the Heavenly Soldiers shall ascend!" Consider how immense the strength of a Drought Zombie is—once it grips something, it’s like a blacksmith's clamp, impossible to break free. Zhang Enpu, tense, his small arms and legs incapable of struggling, had no choice. He lowered his shoulders and began chanting the 'Ding Jia Divine Incantation' of the Zhengyi sect. The Ding Jia Divine Incantation is a mid-level Daoist spell capable of injecting the caster's own magical power into the magical artifact connected to the body, elevating its lethality by one tier. However, due to transmission loss, the efficiency is never a hundred percent; being grateful for twenty or thirty percent was already a blessing. This is essentially the same principle as what is commonly called 'consecration,' only one focuses on offense and the other on defense, with differing duties.

Zhang Enpu pressed his tongue against his upper palate and settled his breath in his Dantian—not preparing to pass gas, but to unleash the final word of the mantra with powerful resonance. Instantly, the peach wood sword held by the Drought Zombie trembled, and complex, intertwined runic patterns appeared on its blade. This pattern glowed like the spark of a fire, rapidly spreading into a conflagration that cast a faint, bright white aura over the entire sword. The section gripped by the Drought Zombie buzzed like a camera flash, emitting waves of green vapor mixed with black fire, scorching the Zombie's entire palm. The Drought Zombie shrieked, increasing the force on its grip, refusing to let go. Zhang Enpu matched the increase in force, resolved to wear her down before deciding his next move. Unexpectedly, the little Drought Zombie decided to join the fun again, whining and scrambling toward Zhang Enpu’s thigh. The hand Zhang Enpu used to control the sword was held by the large zombie, while his other hand held the sword seal. He was instantly covered in dust and grime, distracted. As his focus slipped, the power flowing into the peach wood sword waned. Following the larger movements Zhang Enpu made to dodge the little zombie's attacks, the sword's radiance dimmed. Finally, with a puff, the green smoke vanished, and the sword returned to its original state.

Zhang Enpu inwardly sighed with regret. If this trick didn't work, he would have to rely on sheer martial arts. As a Celestial Master of Mount Longhu, he was naturally versed in Daoist martial arts. While Daoism emphasized cultivation, unlike Buddhism which specialized in one area, it drew from many sources, encompassing military strategy, medicine, martial arts, and chess. Never underestimate these skills; throughout history, there have been Daoists who attained enlightenment through martial arts, such as Zhang Sanfeng and his seven great disciples, whose Tai Chi skills kept more than a dozen strong men at bay. Zhang Enpu practiced the Dragon-Tiger Xingyi of Mount Longhu, a style characterized by wide, sweeping movements, fierce, powerful strikes, and swift force. But with his arm caught, he urgently tried to break free, while his feet were entangled by the little Drought Zombie, repeatedly failing. He let out a great roar, grabbed the hand of the Drought Zombie gripping his own, and attempted to seize its thumb with his five fingers.

This move was quite vicious, as grabbing a person's thumb and wrenching it could bring even an iron man to the ground. But he miscalculated again. Since this was a Drought Zombie, how could its bones and sinews compare to a normal person's? Zhang Enpu's face turned red from exertion; even using twelve parts of his strength couldn't pry open the zombie’s small thumb. At the same time, the little Drought Zombie climbed up his body from his thigh and bit down hard on his arm. Zhang Enpu shook his arm violently, trying to fling the little pest off, but the little zombie was maddeningly tenacious, dangling and shaking like a kite, yet its mouth remained locked onto Zhang Enpu's flesh as if rooted, refusing to let go.

Zhang Enpu was truly crying now. What in the world was this? Seeing the little Drought Zombie got a taste for biting, the great Drought Zombie became energized too. It opened its mouth and lunged for Zhang Enpu’s neck, determined to suck his blood dry. Having stayed in a coffin all day without brushing its teeth or rinsing its mouth, the smell emanating from its breath was something no ordinary person could endure—worse than eating garlic. Zhang Enpu nearly fainted from the stench. Still, he stubbornly endured, stomped his foot onto the Drought Zombie’s chest, and used that momentum to throw himself into a nearby pile of jagged rocks.