According to Zhou Huan’s plan, he would have no lingering concerns of his own, allowing him to wholeheartedly deal with the Siamese Zombie before him.

At that very moment, Shi Bingyuan on the Dharma Platform suddenly floated up, his entire True Qi transforming into a riot of colors, and the aura enveloping the pile of living people seemed to become even more brilliant and dazzling.

“Master, there seems to be some massive movement with Senior Brother. Perhaps he has completely taken control of the situation, or maybe he has comprehended a higher realm?” Tian Xiong leaned in toward Zhou Huan, pointing at Shi Bingyuan as he asked.

Zhou Huan looked on, deeply perplexed, unable to hazard a guess as to what was happening. Did Shi Bingyuan possess the physique of ‘Transmuting Mortal into Saint’? If that were truly the case, Zhou Huan would be delighted; having his disciple achieve such an outcome would be the best possible scenario. However, what worried Zhou Huan most at this juncture was the possibility that this phenomenon was not a transformation into sainthood, but rather something being exploited, a confusion of the mind—that would be troublesome.

Perhaps only Zhou Huan could grasp this point. Being the master of so many high-level practitioners was no easy feat; after all, it required unyielding skill and an analytical mindset, demanding meticulousness to correctly assess every single variable.

“Hahaha, Zhou Huan, stop dreaming! This is a technique enacted by our Boss. Take a good look at your disciple’s face—it’s turned pitch black! Transmuting Mortal into Saint? I fear his soul is about to scatter!”

“What?” Zhou Huan scrutinized Shi Bingyuan closely. Indeed, his face had become ink-black, entirely devoid of any human color. This immediately caused Zhou Huan to feel immense pressure, for he knew that when a person, especially a cultivator, reached such a critical juncture, merely touching their body would shock the cultivator into a cold sweat—and that was the least of it. The main issue was that at least half of the cultivator’s soul would be frightened away, leaving Shi Bingyuan’s original body incredibly weak, instantly forfeiting decades of accumulated cultivation.

Tian Xiong moved to assist, as he possessed items linked to the Divine, allowing him to charge recklessly, but Zhou Huan forcefully held him back: “Don’t go! Let him be for now. Find a way to draw out their Boss, otherwise, we will harm Bingyuan’s foundation.”

“Master, what should we do?” Tian Xiong grew anxious. “If we destroy the two creatures in front of us, no one will know where their Boss is. If we don’t destroy them, they will certainly harass us.”

Caught between these two quandaries, Zhou Huan fell into deep thought, while Li Tianxiong’s heart churned with impatience.

Just then, the three Zombies spoke: “If you act according to our arrangements, we will cease our current actions. We propose an exchange; what do you think?”

“Hah, then I’d certainly like to see what kind of exchange you propose. Moreover, since this is a negotiation, we won’t compromise weakly.”

“Whether you compromise or not is irrelevant. Anyone can see what’s happening by looking at Master Zhou. Once our Boss makes a move, your disciple will surely die.”

“Very well, state your terms first, and I will see if we can accept them,” Zhou Huan said, taking off the Heaven Silkworm Gauntlets from his hands, then wiping them with a Talisman he held.

The three Zombies lowered their heads, and after a moment, they spoke: “Master Zhou, we are not bullying the weak or fearing the strong, and you are neither weak nor strong. Initially, I thought all you Longevity Masters were formidable figures, but I am greatly disappointed by your incompetence. Thus, my first condition is this: you must kill us. Exchange the lives of our three Zombie bodies for the life of your disciple. In other words, kill the three of us, and your disciple will be permanently leased to our Boss.”

The terms offered by the three Zombies were indeed rather harsh. It seemed Zhou Huan’s side would gain nothing and would instead have to sacrifice their beloved disciple.

“Sirs Zombies, do you truly believe that we Longevity Masters cannot deal with you? I must make this clear: it’s not that we can’t handle you, it’s just that the time is not right. When the time comes, you will see if we can give you a thorough lesson.” Zhou Huan began to bluster. Though he still didn't fully understand the situation, Shi Bingyuan’s state of floating in mid-air was clearly wrong, so this matter needed resolving; Shi Bingyuan’s life had to be saved.

The three Zombies grew slightly annoyed and turned back: “You only have a few cheap tricks, yet you talk about a massive fight? We haven’t even taken you seriously. Let us tell you, if we wanted to deal with you, our Boss would only need one move to make all of you float in the sky.”

Zhou Huan knew perfectly well that anyone capable of cultivation who could float in mid-air was already a divine being. For their Boss to make others float meant he was even more divine than a divine being. Thus, Zhou Huan managed a strained reply: “First, release our man, and then we can properly discuss how to resolve this issue.”

“It can’t be resolved, so all of you rest assured. This time we will definitely keep our word. Just kill us, and hand over your esteemed disciple to our Boss. That is to say, our Boss admires the talent and skill present among your people.”

“Stop the nonsense. Fine, we’ll make our move now, and we guarantee you won’t be able to turn the tide.”

As he was speaking, Shi Bingyuan’s position suddenly rose much higher. This time, the colors surrounding Shi Bingyuan abruptly all turned black, accompanied by a thick, fetid stench.

Zhou Huan saw this and realized things were about to go wrong. He couldn't worry about propriety anymore. He turned and shouted: “Tian Xiong, Dongzi, kill them! Remember to send their soul bodies to the Underworld and burn the Zombie bodies. Also, after you burn them, shout loudly a couple of times—saying we killed this Zombie will probably draw someone else out.”

“It seems Master Zhou has agreed to compromise. Very well, we guarantee we won't move while you kill two of us. Come on!” As he spoke, Tian Xiong and Dongzi’s weapons sliced down onto the unified body of the Zombie. Tian Xiong’s blade split the Zombie from crown to sole. While this method was swift, with Shi Bingyuan in the enemy’s hands, they couldn't risk simply freezing to death or being turned into Zombies—a skilled Zombie could certainly wreak havoc on Zhou Huan’s Hall of Longevity.

When Zhou Huan reached Shi Bingyuan’s side, he leaped high, intending to pull Shi Bingyuan down from the air. But the moment Zhou Huan jumped up and his aura brushed against Shi Bingyuan’s aura, he was violently thrown down by an inexplicable force.

This throw sent Zhou Huan sprawling spectacularly, headfirst. Fortunately, his face didn’t strike the ground first. Zhou Huan used his hands to push himself over and flip upright. He looked back to see Shi Bingyuan’s face had already taken on the color of a Zombie, spewing out a large stream of white vapor from his mouth. Looking back again, Shi Bingyuan’s body emitted that stench of decaying flesh, and it rose slightly higher, slowly drifting toward the crowd.

Seeing this, Zhou Huan realized that someone else might intervene, pushing Shi Bingyuan into the crowd, or perhaps already preparing him—the next truly formidable Zombie was likely to be Shi Bingyuan himself.

Zhou Huan made a decisive move, muttering to himself: “It’s not about breaking my word; the issue is that you rotten Zombies are truly worthless.” As he spoke, Zhou Huan threw a Talisman backhand, then told Li Tianxiong to pull out that sutra scroll and hand it over. Zhou Huan then jammed the entire sutra underneath where Shi Bingyuan was floating. However, Zhou Huan took great care during this process, ensuring he did not touch Shi Bingyuan even once, lest he startle him into various complications.

“Hoooo, Zhou Huan, your wrist isn’t strong enough, is it? You still couldn’t hold onto such a fine disciple. Now he belongs to me.” A muffled voice drifted down from the air, which brought a surge of joy to Zhou Huan. Finally, someone was speaking from above with such unwavering confidence—if that wasn't a bully, who was?