After all this time, Zhou Huan finally heard the manipulator behind the scenes. As for Shi Bingyuan, Zhou Huan was absolutely certain of him; Shi Bingyuan, with his inherently kind nature, could be redeemed—his soul saved with just a little patience, even if his physical form suffered some calamity.

The purpose of that Vajra Sutra was to force the evil spirit controlling Shi Bingyuan to manifest. This way, Zhou Huan could easily analyze the evil spirit’s weakness and then effortlessly eliminate the wicked specter.

"Evil spirit, don't think for a second that I, Zhou Huan, don't know where you are. Try taking my disciple, and see if I don't annihilate you." Zhou Huan was employing a provocation tactic, intentionally making the evil spirit overconfident and eager to seize Shi Bingyuan.

Zhou Huan's goading proved remarkably effective. The evil spirit actually accelerated the process of taking over Shi Bingyuan. In mere moments, the black miasma surrounding Shi Bingyuan’s body dissipated with unbelievable speed.

In just a few seconds, Shi Bingyuan’s physical body transformed completely into a thoroughgoing zombie, its putrid, heavy aura spreading a foul stench throughout the air.

"Well, Zhou Huan, look at your disciple now. Next, he will attack you all, turning you into kin like him, and my plan will advance another step," followed by a burst of wild, maniacal laughter.

Zhou Huan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Though the evil spirit was cunning beyond measure, there was one thing it hadn't accounted for. For a renowned Shoushi (Longevity Master) and founding ancestor like Zhou Huan to seemingly abandon his own disciple so easily was exactly what would make the ghost lose its head. In the spirit's mind, Zhou Huan was cornered and helpless. However, the spirit had absolutely failed to notice what Zhou Huan had placed beneath Shi Bingyuan’s seat.

Suspended mid-air, Shi Bingyuan's eyes had lost all semblance of life, staring blankly and stupidly at the people below. Slowly, a long tooth began to emerge from his mouth, dripping with a thick, yellowish saliva.

"I want to eat, eat, eat!" Shi Bingyuan mumbled hoarsely.

At this point, Tian Xiong and Dong Zi grew anxious, both urgently addressing Zhou Huan, "Master, this won't do! Senior Brother is in danger!"

Hearing them, Zhou Huan deliberately spoke in a loud voice, "Your master is also out of options. This must be Bingyuan’s fate. Since things have come to this, we will all accompany him shortly. We have failed." These words signaled Zhou Huan's decision to abandon everything, casting aside all previous efforts.

"Hahaha! Zhou Huan, if you hadn't opposed me from the start, obsessing over every detail, you wouldn't be in this mess. Now that you want to let go, I won't let you! Come join me instead; I promise you plenty of human blood to drink and human flesh to eat." The voice still echoed from mid-air, yet to Zhou Huan, it seemed to emanate from the very midst of the mentally ill patients nearby. This sudden shift gave Zhou Huan an unusual sensation, setting his mind racing with conjecture.

Shi Bingyuan's body began to descend slowly, moving back toward his ceremonial platform—he was preparing to leave the platform to wreak havoc on Zhou Huan. His hands had already sprouted long, sharp nails.

Zhou Huan’s eyes never left Shi Bingyuan’s body as it neared the platform seat. In an instant, Shi Bingyuan’s posterior landed directly onto the sutra Zhou Huan had placed there earlier. Suddenly, Shi Bingyuan’s body shot up into the air like a rocket, whoosh! The agonizing struggle caused the black energy throughout his body to erupt, spraying outwards violently.

"Ah! Zhou Huan, you!" The evil spirit’s voice cried out. Behind Shi Bingyuan, Zhou Huan subtly perceived a dark shadow gradually taking a discernible form.

Seeing that the moment had arrived, Zhou Huan simultaneously unsheathed his Celestial Silkworm Gauntlets and his Copper Coin Sword. He leaped onto the platform in two swift steps, soaring high, launching both weapons into the air to strike the black energy behind Shi Bingyuan, forcing it to retreat repeatedly. Just then, a black light shot out from the crowd of patients, striking Zhou Huan's Copper Coin Sword squarely. Zhou Huan violently lost his grip, and the sword flew far away. Concurrently, another figure materialized behind Zhou Huan, catching the airborne Copper Coin Sword before landing simultaneously with Zhou Huan. As he turned to look at the silhouette, the dark shadow shattered into pieces, and the black light vanished without a trace.

The scene abruptly became eerily silent, devoid of all sound. Shi Bingyuan slumped back onto his seat, repeatedly spitting out black vapor.

Zhou Huan turned to see who had caught his Copper Coin Sword—it was Lingzi. This shocked Zhou Huan. What was going on? How did Lingzi get here? Was she truly involved in this affair?

"Lingzi, why are you back here? Judging by your presence, your skill is now on par with ours, if not surpassing it!" Zhou Huan said respectfully.

Lingzi stood behind Zhou Huan, shaking her head, before returning his Copper Coin Sword. "Master Zhou, please don't be too humble. My skills are merely clumsy. That soul has already fled; luring it out again next time might prove difficult."

"Oh?" Zhou Huan scrutinized Lingzi again. He sensed no malice emanating from her; it seemed she had genuinely come to assist him. But what was her connection to that evil spirit, and why was she interfering in this matter?

"Master Zhou, do you still recognize this Sect Leader's thumb ring?" Lingzi asked, pulling out a ring-like object from her pouch. This item, called a banzhi, served as proof of status.

Zhou Huan took the ring and examined it closely. Upon viewing it, he exclaimed in great surprise, "Could it be, Lingzi, that you are a descendant of my sworn brother, Tianlang?"

Lingzi didn't speak but merely smiled and nodded before taking the ring back.

"Master Zhou, you have reincarnated now, and so has my ancestor. However, after he reincarnated, he became a monk, and I couldn't locate him, so I only kept this thumb ring temporarily. I intended to tell you about this initially, but I realized so much has happened, and you must have been extremely busy, so I held back."

Memories of Zhou Huan's time with Tianlang frequently surfaced. This Tianlang, surnamed Jiang, was Zhou Huan's sworn brother in his previous life. Because their respective cultivation focuses were different, they practiced in different lineages, which led to their separation. From their parting in the past life to seeing this thumb ring again in the present, several generations had likely passed. Zhou Huan remembered this thumb ring so vividly because he himself had chosen the stone for Tianlang, designed the pattern himself, and then commissioned the most famous lapidary to engrave it.

"Lingzi, does your Zombie Sect still have any disciples remaining?" Zhou Huan inquired about the old sect matters. Tianlang's independent sect was the Zombie Sect, meaning they always imitated zombie behavior to hunt zombies. In contrast, Zhou Huan's Shoushi Sect dealt strictly with spirits—handling those who had truly passed away—creating a vast difference between the two schools.

Lingzi didn't answer Zhou Huan's question but simply shook her head. "Perhaps I am the only one left in the Zombie Sect now. Where would others be?"

"Then why is Lingzi so interested in this obvious supernatural event?"

"I overheard Dongzi mentioning it while talking with Hu Tingting. At the time, I paid it no mind. But afterward, as I saw more and more people dying, I checked the records left by my ancestors. Coincidentally, I found a record stating that during your era, Ancestor Tianlang handled a similar incident, but..." Lingzi hesitated at this point, seemingly holding back something difficult to articulate.

Seeing her hesitation, Zhou Huan did not press further, simply stating calmly, "Lingzi, if it is inconvenient for you to speak, would it be convenient for me to investigate it myself?"

Lingzi hesitated for a long while before finally deciding, "Very well. Since it is about doing good for the people, I will break my ancestors' rules. I will take you to my place tomorrow so you can properly see the affairs of our Zombie Sect."

As they chatted, the sky began to faintly lighten. Shi Bingyuan was gradually regaining consciousness; indeed, many things encountered during the night were merely illusions.