Zhou Huan immediately threw a talisman, slamming it onto the village elder's body, but it was too late. By the time Zhou Huan placed his fingers near the elder's mouth and nose, the man was already dead. This time, the deceased was entirely blackened across his body—the so-called Black Death Qi.

Zhou Huan let out a long sigh, shaking his head. He understood clearly: despite all his calculations, he hadn't anticipated that the one who fled earlier was merely drawing the tiger away from its mountain lair. The real killer wasn't the streak of white light, but this Black Death Qi that had come from some unknown source.

“Zhou… Master Zhou, you… you killed someone!” A short while later, when someone in the crowd finally reacted, they started clamoring, shouting that Zhou Huan was a murderer. Instantly, the gambling village erupted into chaos. The victim wasn't just anyone; this was the head of the village.

The commotion outside drew the attention of Mr. Wang and his men inside the house. Mr. Wang immediately lowered his pistol and rushed out with the two guards who had been watching the entrance. He saw Zhou Huan standing amidst the crowd, and on the ground lay the body of Little Wu Zi, the man who had been so arrogant moments before. Little Wu Zi's corpse was shrouded in a layer of black miasma, his eyes wide open, pupils enormous, showing not a flicker of life.

“Master Zhou, what is going on here?” Mr. Wang rushed over to question Zhou Huan, his expression showing extreme tension.

Zhou Huan smiled faintly. “Surely, Mr. Wang doesn’t believe me? These people don't understand anything and are just shouting nonsense about me killing someone. If I were to kill, I would kill all of you along with them.”

His words, rather than calming things down, made the crowd retreat like chastised cats, backing away until they were a good twenty meters from Zhou Huan, watching him from a distance.

Someone in the group had already called the police, but only the solitary corpse lay on the ground.

“Mr. Wang, tell your men to guard the body. Nobody should touch it, or the situation will escalate far beyond this. Once I locate the source of this Black Death Qi, I will return to deal with this corpse,” Zhou Huan said. As he began to pull out his compass, the needle spun wildly, pointing directly at one of Mr. Wang’s subordinates.

When Zhou Huan turned to look, that subordinate’s eyes were cold and sinister. He then subtly took a step back behind another subordinate, but his gaze never left Zhou Huan.

Noticing this detail, a plan began to form in Zhou Huan’s mind. What exactly was this thing? He wanted to fully draw out the compass to confirm, but he feared alerting the lurking entity. So, Zhou Huan tucked the compass away and instead pulled out his Heavenly Silkworm Gloves and his Bronze Coin Sword.

“Master Zhou, what are you doing? Is the unclean presence among us?” Mr. Wang grew nervous, looking around. He then instructed his men, “Guard the body. No matter who it is, do not let them touch it. If anything goes wrong, the consequences will be severe.”

Zhou Huan echoed Mr. Wang’s warning with a slight grimness. “Yes, if it is touched, the consequences will be severe; it’s very possible one of us might die.” As he spoke, Zhou Huan conceived a strategy. He turned back to Mr. Wang. “Lend me your men for a moment. I will position them. Once the positions are set, it will form an inescapable net formation—the Heaven-and-Earth Snare.”

“The Heaven-and-Earth Snare Formation?” Mr. Wang was confused, unsure of Zhou Huan’s intentions. “I have never seen you use this array before?”

Zhou Huan burst into loud laughter. “The so-called Heaven-and-Earth Snare is a formation our Masters of Longevity recently developed. The formation has no fixed spirits, deities, or souls; its strength varies every time. However, based on my calculations, no ghost or demon can escape this net.”

“So powerful! Then I must witness it myself!” Mr. Wang became intrigued by Zhou Huan’s description.

Subsequently, Zhou Huan began arranging Mr. Wang’s seven or eight subordinates to set the formation, pointedly leaving out the subordinate with the sinister eyes for last.

When Zhou Huan turned back to assign this last person a position, the subordinate turned away. Zhou Huan then positioned Mr. Wang at a key spot: “Elder Wang, you must also participate in this formation. It will be quite entertaining. The two of us will stand opposite you; you form the net, and we will beat the gongs!”

“Hahaha, we have to beat the gongs too!” Mr. Wang was amused by Zhou Huan’s arrangement.

Only then did Zhou Huan turn and look seriously and solemnly at the remaining individual. Zhou Huan sighed deeply. “Alas, it’s just the two of us left. Our task is more arduous. Wait a moment; I will assign your role shortly.” As he spoke, Zhou Huan rapidly executed hand seals. Dozens of talismans ignited and flew outwards, forming a circle around himself and the suspect.

Suddenly, Zhou Huan shouted fiercely, “You little brat, you dare try possession in front of me? Do you think you can escape today?” As his voice boomed, his Bronze Coin Sword was instantly pressed against the throat of the young man beside him.

As Zhou Huan had revealed, the young man was indeed possessed by a ghost. The stimulus caused black energy to slowly seep out of the man’s body. In an instant, the black energy filled the circle Zhou Huan had drawn with talismans. Mr. Wang, who had been sent away, and the onlookers were stunned—what was this spectacle?

“Zhou Huan, you are truly formidable. Even hiding, I couldn't escape your sight. But this time, you won't be able to catch me. You fight my corpse Qi now, hahaha! I must return to my place of corpse cultivation.” The voice seemed to drift further and further away, yet Zhou Huan could see nothing special, only the now-mindless man before him.

While Zhou Huan was still scanning his surroundings, the man opposite him had clamped his hands tightly around Zhou Huan’s neck, squeezing hard. Yellow pus dripped from the man’s mouth, and bugs crawled out of his eyes, mouth, and ears.

“Damn it! I hadn't even prepared to deal with you, and you come causing trouble first? Watch me break your legs!” Zhou Huan felt his breath rapidly constricting, but he remained utterly calm. With a powerful stomp, he swung his Heavenly Silkworm Glove in an uppercut, sending the young man flying a great distance. Coincidentally, the man landed right on the edge of the circle. The moment his hand touched the ash from the talismans Zhou Huan had flung, the power of the charms burned the skin off his hand, seemingly exposing the bone beneath.

The man scrambled up. The pain in his injured hand was unbearable, so he used his other hand to rip the mangled limb off and threw it aside. Black Qi streamed from the severed wrist. Strange—the man felt no pain from the amputation, but touching the talismans clearly caused agony.

Zhou Huan finally smiled. “You’re basically a walking corpse now, yet you don’t feel the pain of ripping off your own arm. What use are you keeping around?” As he spoke, the sirens of police cars wailed, and several vehicles stopped just outside Zhou Huan’s perimeter. Stepping out was the same rookie officer from before, Zhou Shun, a complete fool. He immediately tried to approach the corpse, but Mr. Wang’s men intercepted him, pulling him aside to become one of Zhou Huan’s audience members.

“Roar! I am in agony! If I don’t kill you, Zhou Huan, I won’t feel right! I’ll make you know the taste of death!” The mutated young man had lost all reason. Dragging his legs, he charged recklessly toward Zhou Huan, intending to bare his long, blood-sucking fangs—which were nearly the size of steel spikes—and sink them into Zhou Huan’s carotid artery.

Zhou Huan shook his head calmly. “Truly seeking death. It seems I cannot spare you. Don’t blame me, Zhou Huan, for not saving you; you are simply beyond saving value. Die!”

Zhou Huan’s Heavenly Silkworm Gloves were ancient divine artifacts, or perhaps the ultimate treasures of all ages. Coupled with Zhou Huan’s mastery, the resulting power was unimaginable once unleashed.

With a dull thud, Zhou Huan’s gloved hand tore horizontally through the zombie’s heart region. The heart was held tightly in Zhou Huan’s grasp.

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