“Both of you, kneel now!” the old woman’s voice was commanding. “Kneel down for the sake of your own safety; these creatures are not to be trifled with.”

Ye Xiu understood the terror inherent in all the zombies. They likely felt no pain, but to ensure an unobstructed view of the scene about to unfold, he decided to comply and kneel obediently. Though this Lady Moshu was not a great figure, she had lived in the Xia Dynasty, making her an ancient. A brief genuflection was a small matter.

Conversely, Old Liu found this inexplicable bowing unacceptable. It took Ye Xiu’s repeated tugging to compel him to condescend.

The sight of them kneeling seemed to placate the walking dead. The redness in their eyes instantly subsided, and they turned their heads to prostrate themselves on the ground. At that precise moment, the sky darkened completely, and the petals of the Corpse Flower drifted out with greater density from the characters 'Night Crow Alley' inscribed on the memorial archway.

“This isn't an archway at all; this whole place is one giant Corpse Flower!” Old Liu’s eyes must have possessed some inner sight; he stared intently at the structure, and the thin Mian Blade in his sleeve had already begun to emerge.

Ye Xiu saw his resolve and knew Old Liu intended to eradicate the Corpse Flower. However, facing thousands of shambling corpses, a direct confrontation was impossible. Ye Xiu restrained him, saying, “There are so many here. How many of these corpses can your Thin Mian Blade actually take down?”

“Don't you still have your Violet Flame?” Old Liu barely spared the corpses a glance, his pride evident. “I can dispatch several of these kinds with a single strike. Can't your Violet Flame easily blast them away too? What is there to fear!”

“But what about the archway itself? Can we destroy it?” Ye Xiu truly believed they could handle the corpses with relative ease, but the Corpse Flower’s ability to turn people into zombies meant its power should not be underestimated. For safety, he planned, “If we must fight, let me go first. You stay put and observe. Should the Corpse Flower make any sudden move, you can support me.”

Old Liu nodded, retrieving the vial from his satchel and handing it to Ye Xiu. “The water in this bottle can purify the scent of the Corpse Flower. I suspect the bodies’ movements are provoked by that fragrance. It should be useful at a critical juncture.”

Ye Xiu took the vial, adopting a slight crouch. Just before making his move, he delivered a sharp strike to the neck of the old woman in front of him, successfully knocking her unconscious. Even though those things were zombies, to the old woman, they were still kin. Ye Xiu could not bear to witness a pitiable look in an elder’s eyes.

“Boom!” Instantly, Ye Xiu unleashed his Violet Flame to its full extent with both hands, propelling himself toward the space above the archway. He saw the zombies below rise simultaneously, all standing erect. They craned their necks to gaze at Ye Xiu, their mouths opening as if crying out for help. Ye Xiu could not spare them attention, descending onto the top of the archway, where he immediately directed his Violet Flame into an intense bombardment aimed at the three characters: Night Crow Alley.

“Whoosh!” A sudden gust of wind erupted. Ye Xiu had never anticipated that before his Violet Flame could even make contact with the archway, it would be entangled by the Corpse Flower petals swirling in the wind. The petals danced wildly, somehow extinguishing the Violet Flame in the center. Thwarted, Ye Xiu planted his feet firmly on the archway. He had intended to launch himself higher into the air, but unexpectedly, the petals moved as if they possessed eyes, assaulting him from all sides. Ye Xiu was scraped off balance by the wind of petals and crashed heavily into the surrounding horde of zombies.

“Aargh…” Only then did the zombies fully awaken, all extending their hands toward Ye Xiu’s location. They approached him, baring their teeth, and some even extruded long, tentacle-like appendages from their mouths—clearly plant matter.

“Hah!” Ye Xiu flipped backward, attempting to maintain distance, but their numbers were too vast. The zombies behind him showed no retreat despite his maneuver; they were mindless, driven only to advance. Ye Xiu gritted his teeth, raising both hands to unleash the Violet Flame sideways. The sound of “Ping Dang!” stirred up heavy dust and smoke. Ye Xiu watched as numerous zombies were torn limb from limb under the blast, some sent flying into the air. Yet, the corpses behind him did not yield. One after another, plant-like tendrils pierced through the haze and wrapped around his ankles.

“Damn it, do these things not need sight?” Ye Xiu admitted he could barely move within the smoke cloud, yet the zombies on the periphery managed to pinpoint him accurately and trap him with their weapons. Suddenly, several vicious maws ripped through the dust cloud, lunging toward his neck. In a panic, Ye Xiu enveloped his entire body with the Violet Flame. In that instant, those mouths were instantly scorched black. But as he tried to stand and move, Ye Xiu discovered that the tendrils binding his feet were completely unharmed by the flames; in fact, they seemed to grow stronger and more vigorous within the fire. In moments, they had snaked up from his calves to his thighs.

“Woooo!” The group of zombies behind him, realizing Ye Xiu was restrained, let out strange, mournful cries. They jostled against each other, desperate to reach him, their formation resembling a death-defying army that exerted tremendous pressure.

At this crucial moment, Ye Xiu raised the flames in both hands once more. However, at that very instant, he noticed the fragrance of the Corpse Flower growing intensely stronger, so thick it seemed to envelop him entirely.

“Trouble!” In his confusion, Ye Xiu glanced at his right hand. Violet Flame had been gathering there just a moment ago, but in an instant, it vanished. The Corpse Flower petals floating in the air descended and began to spin relentlessly on Ye Xiu’s arm. Could the Corpse Flower absorb fire? At this thought, Ye Xiu remembered the magic artifact Old Liu had given him. He struggled, fumbling the vial out of his pocket and pouring the entire contents over himself. A miracle occurred: the plant tendrils entangled around Ye Xiu and the Corpse Flower petals on his arm instantly detached. Ye Xiu dared not use the Violet Flame again, turning instead to sprint away. Fortunately, the zombies moved too slowly.

“Swish…” At this point, Old Liu could no longer restrain himself, launching the Thin Mian Blade connected to its thread directly in front of Ye Xiu. The zombies along their path were sliced into several pieces by the sudden appearance of the blade, collapsing onto the flagstones in a bloody, mangled mess. Ye Xiu snatched the Thin Mian Blade, violently pulling Old Liu toward him, and furiously berated him, “Why didn’t you tell me the flame was useless against the Corpse Flower?”

Old Liu smiled faintly and replied easily, “The Corpse Flower is a Flower of the Soul; it has no real physical form. Fire is ineffective against it. However, even I didn't expect this thing could absorb the power of flame and make it its own.”

“Damn it, then how are we supposed to eliminate this Soul Flower!” Ye Xiu glanced at the archway. The Corpse Flower petals were still swirling down like storm debris. Perhaps due to the liquid from Old Liu’s bottle, the wind hadn't managed to find and ensnare the two men.