Gu Yi and Bai Ru turned their heads toward the other side of the sewer passage at the sound. The flowing golden light of the Bagua protective formation, combined with the flashlight beam, vaguely revealed the surroundings, and from the haze, a figure slowly walked out of the darkness.

In the dim light, they could only see this figure shuffling forward with short, choppy steps, both hands held rigidly at its sides. The moment they registered the clothing on this suddenly appearing figure, they couldn't help but gasp in shock. Gu Yi actually sprang up from the ground as if his backside were fitted with a spring, blurting out, "This is impossible."

The clothes on that person were all too familiar to them; it was exactly what Principal Hao had been wearing when he died in Bai Ru’s arms not long ago. Yet, they simply couldn't believe it. Principal Hao was unequivocally dead back then—a fact they were absolutely certain of. Moreover, they had since placed a corpse-suppressing talisman on him and set up a small formation; how could they possibly see him appearing before them now?

Gu Yi’s expression was one of utter astonishment; the shock of this sight truly hit him hard. The way Principal Hao was approaching looked disturbingly like a reanimated corpse, a qishi. But Gu Yi trusted his abilities. The corpse-suppressing talisman bore a restrictive seal; spirits, souls, and resentful ghosts couldn't possibly move that talisman, especially with the added formation in place. Even a vengeful spirit trying to possess the body should have been prevented.

Unless... Gu Yi shook his head in disbelief, twisting to ask Bai Ru, "Did we... see wrong?"

Bai Ru’s face was tightly constrained; she too couldn't believe such a thing could happen. Back then, precisely because they worried about what might happen to Principal Hao's body, they had hesitated on how to dispose of it. She had assumed Gu Yi’s measures would be effective, but now the result was far beyond her expectations.

Bai Ru hesitated before saying, "Gu Yi, when you..."

Before she could finish, Gu Yi shook his head vehemently, "My technique was absolutely flawless."

Bai Ru nodded and said very seriously, "That means the ghost in this sewer is far more powerful than we can possibly imagine..."

Gu Yi finished her thought: "Or, there’s someone else in this sewer besides us—a living person."

The mere idea sent a chill down their spines, but this was no time to dwell on analysis. Watching Principal Hao emerge step by step from the shadows, his form was just barely discernible in the light.

Seeing his appearance, Gu Yi and Bai Ru froze again. At this moment, they began to doubt whether this was truly a qishi after all.

The rising of a corpse (qishi) almost always shows signs: if the corpse’s face swells, the skin turns purplish-black, the hair stands on end, and blisters form, these are omens of reanimation. Soon after, the body will open its eyes and sit up. They usually rise, holding their arms straight out, and run stiffly forward, unable to speak, bend, or turn corners. Their eyes won't move, fixed only on what’s ahead, and their path will be a straight line. Upon encountering a living person, the qishi will lunge forward with its hands; any living person touched by those hands immediately dies and becomes a qishi themselves.

Let alone Gu Yi, even Bai Ru had dealt with several qishi situations and was quite familiar with them. But looking at Principal Hao now, setting aside the gait, his current appearance wasn't quite right. Although his eyes were wide open, the pupils cloudy and fixed, his complexion retained the deathly pale, bluish tint it had when he died. The skin looked somewhat shriveled and damp—one might say he looked like a mobile corpse.

But Bai Ru, ever meticulous, noticed that Principal Hao’s head was tilted slightly upward, his nostrils subtly flaring as if sniffing for a scent. His mouth was constantly moving, seemingly grinding his teeth. Simultaneously, Gu Yi sensed through his Insightful Eye that although no soul was attached to Principal Hao's front or back, a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of resentment enveloped his exterior.

They spoke almost in unison: "A Vengeful Corpse (Yuanshi)."

It was true that a Yuanshi was a type of qishi, but one of the more difficult to handle. The primary factor causing this type of reanimation was a core of built-up resentment that circulated wildly within the corpse. As time passed, this resentment wouldn't dissipate; instead, it would grow stronger. In an environment saturated with deep grievances and deathly energy, such a corpse would be like a fish in water, becoming impervious to blades, fire, or water.

Normally, the two wouldn't be overly fearful of a Yuanshi, but given their current location, they couldn't help but be alarmed. In this sewer, overflowing with resentment, any type of reanimated corpse would be less terrifying than a Yuanshi.

The pair immediately felt the situation was tricky. Normally, encountering a Yuanshi wasn't a major worry, but now they were confined within the Bagua protective formation, with large masses of miasmic fog looming menacingly nearby, and a Yuanshi advancing on them step by step.

Gu Yi took a deep breath, calming his turbulent emotions. "I'll go out; I’ll handle the Yuanshi first."

Bai Ru asked with concern, "Your leg—is it alright?"

Gu Yi lifted his leg and shook it slightly. "Just kidding. This little injury is barely a scratch."

Bai Ru reached out and pulled out several talismans, while with her other hand, she firmly grasped the Demon-Subduing Rod inserted in the formation and gently pulled it out, handing it to Gu Yi. "Take this. Go quickly and come back fast; I’ll monitor the magic inside the formation."

Gu Yi took the Demon-Subduing Rod without much discussion, gripping the silver-flashing staff, and stepped out of the Bagua protective formation.

The reason he didn't let Bai Ru go out was the fear that she might hesitate to strike Principal Hao at a critical moment, even though they both knew it was merely a moving shell.

The moment Gu Yi stepped out of the formation, Principal Hao seemed to sense him. His head moved, locking directly onto Gu Yi’s direction, much like a beast discovering prey. Principal Hao slowly parted his lips, his tongue lolling out immediately, and his pace suddenly quickened significantly.

Gu Yi knew well that there was a reason why Yuanshi were called the hardest type of qishi to deal with. Generally, zombies (jiangshi) could only walk in straight lines, couldn't bend, and would clutch tightly onto any cylindrical object they encountered until destroyed. But Yuanshi were different. With ample resentful energy, they could quickly shed the limitations of conventional zombies. While they still targeted vital energy (yang qi), their movements could become not only fluid but potentially increasingly swift.

A long time had passed since Principal Hao’s body was interred. It was highly likely he had evolved. While his initial appearance hadn't been conclusive, Gu Yi saw the shroud of resentment circling his body through his Insightful Eye—it was emanating from within him.

Gu Yi held the Demon-Subduing Rod angled down by his side, walking toward Principal Hao step by deliberate step. Simultaneously, Principal Hao sensed Gu Yi’s presence. He, who had been moving slowly and stiffly, suddenly transformed like a fierce wild beast, lunging toward Gu Yi in a single bound.

Unlike the Principal Hao in life, he had now become a new species, exponentially enhanced in agility and strength—a jiangshi.

Gu Yi activated the talismans on the Demon-Subduing Rod, intending to use spellcraft to wound the zombie. As Principal Hao lunged, he sidestepped the sweeping hand and swung the rod back, landing a heavy blow squarely on the Yuanshi’s back.

Immediately, Gu Yi realized the Demon-Subduing Rod wasn't as effective as he'd hoped. Even with that powerful strike, he heard the dull thud as the rod connected with the corpse’s flesh. Yet, Principal Hao was merely knocked off balance, tumbling once before planting all four limbs on the ground and springing back up as if entirely unharmed.

If anything, the strike seemed to enrage him. He opened his mouth in a roar and lunged at Gu Yi again. Helpless, Gu Yi had to pivot quickly to avoid the attack.

Thus, Principal Hao stretched out his arms, clawing and lunging relentlessly. His attacks came in a furious storm, forcing Gu Yi into a purely defensive posture.

Although Gu Yi had been engaged in exorcism for a long time, this was truly the first time he had encountered such a creature in an environment so advantageous to a Yuanshi. For the first time, he felt direct confrontation taxing him severely.

However, Gu Yi was not one to yield easily; he possessed a level of arrogance that wouldn't allow him to be controlled by an essentially mindless Yuanshi.

In the back-and-forth, he maintained extreme calm, searching for a weak spot amidst the defense. Finally, seizing an opportunity as he dodged another swipe, he smashed the rod directly into the back of the Yuanshi’s neck.

Instantly, the talismans on the Demon-Subduing Rod flashed with silver light. Principal Hao screamed, falling heavily forward onto the ground, thrashing and rolling.

Gu Yi sighed in relief; his judgment had been mostly correct. The nape of the neck seemed to be a weak spot for this kind of Yuanshi, given that although his offense was fierce, the creature's head movements appeared somewhat inflexible and limited in range.

Just as Gu Yi prepared to follow up and strike the back of Principal Hao’s neck again, he saw the corpse stop rolling after a few turns, let out a sudden howl, and spring directly back up. Extending both hands, he seized the shaft of the Demon-Subduing Rod that Gu Yi held aloft. At that moment, the silver light on the rod surged violently. The talismans carved into it immediately sensed the malevolent energy emanating from the hands gripping the rod and automatically unleashed their latent magic. Blue smoke billowed between the Yuanshi Principal Hao’s hands and the staff; both palms were burned until the flesh peeled away. Although he was only a corpse, the resentment hidden within reacted violently to the magical assault, causing him to scream in agony repeatedly. Soon, he couldn't sustain the grip and released the rod, staggering backward more than ten paces.

"Damn it, is this a Yuanshi or a cockroach?" Gu Yi spat out harshly, swinging the Demon-Subduing Rod once more to meet Principal Hao.

After several exchanges, Gu Yi shifted his footing once more, slipping behind Principal Hao’s back, and brought the rod down with immense force toward his nape—a strike powerful enough to shatter the vertebrae.

Unexpectedly, although Principal Hao appeared merely a corpse, he seemed to possess awareness. He knew this blow was lethal. Immediately, the corpse twisted its body slightly, raising an arm to block Gu Yi’s Demon-Subduing Rod, willing to take a hit on his arm just to shield his vulnerable neck.

"Hell, that’s smart," Gu Yi muttered, eyes wide with frustration. After a brief moment of thought, he rapidly changed tactics, transforming the blow from a smash into a thrust, intending to use the tip of the rod for pinpoint attacks, aiming only for the neck, regardless of whether it was the front or back, even preparing to take a few hits in return.

However, it wasn't just Gu Yi who was changing; the situation around him was subtly transforming as well.