The autumn rain fell gently, lacking the ferocity of summer downpours, yet carrying a chill that seeped into one’s bones.

Yong Province, close to the capital but slightly south, had high humidity. During the rainy season, the cold was particularly clingy. If households didn’t close their doors and windows properly, bedding, furniture, and clothes would all develop a layer of dampness.

In the hall where moments ago people had been drinking merrily, everyone fell into an eerie silence as they looked at the curtain of rain outside.

A warrior at the Lian Shen realm pondered, “There are usually signs before rain. It’s not that unusual.”

The silence broke, and another warrior chimed in, “Right, the fish in the lake should have surfaced to gulp air earlier.”

He offered a small tidbit of knowledge for predicting rain.

Seeing this, other warriors began sharing their knowledge about predicting rainfall.

As they talked, they began to feel that the young man’s “iron-mouthed direct prediction” wasn’t all that special. The reason it had shocked them was because the heavens had been too cooperative.

It rained right after he said it would, giving the impression that the young man’s words could command the weather.

Gong Sun Xiu took a sip of wine. Noticing the old Daoist priest’s solemn expression as he pondered silently, she frowned and asked:

“Daoist Qing Gu, you seem to have a different opinion?”

Everyone turned to look at the old Daoist.

The old Daoist, known as “Qing Gu,” snapped out of his reverie. He didn’t answer immediately, but after a few seconds of silence, he said gravely:

“This old Daoist will speak frankly. The changes in the sky are unpredictable. Some rains have signs, some don’t. Some rains have clear signs but don’t fall, while others come without warning.

“Knowing we were to enter the tomb tonight, this poor Daoist observed the sky last night but found no signs of today’s rain.”

The old Daoist looked towards the lake and said, “This is what we call ‘unpredictable rain’.”

Gong Sun Xiu thought for a moment, then said slowly, “The fish in the lake didn’t surface to gulp air.”

She was refuting the earlier warrior’s statement.

At this, everyone’s expressions became strange again.

After a while, the Lian Shen realm warrior tentatively asked, “If it’s not a coincidence, then… what level would his abilities be?”

To the uncouth warriors, predicting celestial phenomena seemed like the work of immortals.

Not just warriors, but common people, those who could predict celestial phenomena or pray for rain were considered earthly immortals.

The old Daoist said softly:

“I only know that the Rain Masters of the Wu Shen Jiao can pray for rain, the Astronomers of the Si Tian Jian can observe celestial phenomena and set the imperial calendar, and the Gu Masters of the Southern Borderlands’ Tian Gu Clan can read the seasons and know the lay of the land.

“One thing is certain: those who possess such abilities are all of frighteningly high rank.”

The warriors looked at each other, their hearts filled with awe.

Gong Sun Xiu stood up and walked out of the hall, gazing at Yang Bai Lake through the rain. The misty expanse stretched out, the autumn rain cold and gloomy, with no trace of “Wang’s Fish Restaurant” in sight.

“Have you forgotten your promise to that person…”

Gong Sun Xiu murmured, repeating this sentence.

…

In late autumn, this rain was persistent enough to last for two hours with no sign of stopping.

Xu Qi’an, in the latrine of the multi-deck ship, took out a straw rain cape and a bamboo hat from the Book of Earth fragment. Traveling abroad, he naturally had rain gear prepared.

The boat “Wang’s Fish Restaurant” slowly docked at the shore, and the diners dispersed.

Mu Nan Zhi frowned, carefully watching her step, trying to avoid muddy areas, but it was in vain.

Her embroidered shoes were still covered in mud, which made her very unhappy.

Aren’t you the reincarnation of the Flower Goddess? You should theoretically love rainy days and mud… Xu Qi’an thought to himself as he watched her sulk alone.

Mud, mud… If I hide in the mud, no one will find me… No, stop, I can’t think like this anymore, I’m a person, not a loach…

He struggled hard against the side effects of the Dark Insect. Using the Dark Insect’s abilities repeatedly earlier had triggered severe after-effects.

Back at the inn, Xu Qi’an asked the waiter to bring up fine wine and food, starting his second lunch.

Mu Nan Zhi entered the room and kicked off her embroidered shoes behind the door, walking around the room barefoot on her delicate white feet.

She opened the window, then quickly closed it, pouting as she said, “I don’t like Yong Province at all, it’s damp and cold.”

Come to think of it, this was her first winter away from the palace, having shed her identity as a princess consort. Saying goodbye to the luxurious floor heating, this would be a difficult winter to endure.

“If you know it’s cold, why are you barefoot?”

Xu Qi’an glanced down at her feet, and then quickly looked away.

Square inch of skin, round and glossy, white silk embroidered slippers with red lining… This described these divine feet perfectly.

Xu Qi’an had slept with many top courtesans in the pleasure quarters, but none of their feet could compare to Mu Nan Zhi’s jade-like feet.

This was first because the women in the pleasure quarters had to practice dancing, so they couldn’t cultivate such soft, boneless, rosy feet. Secondly, even among beauties, there were different levels, and as humans, everyone had flaws; it was impossible to be perfect.

Only this number one beauty of Da Feng, the reincarnation of the Flower Goddess, was truly a divine being. Even the most critical eye couldn’t find any flaws in her body or appearance.

Well, the above evaluation was a bit hasty, after all, Xu Qi’an didn’t know her that intimately yet.

“Since when did you become such a big eater?” the Princess Consort sat at the table, resting her chin on her hand, smiling as she watched him.

“Ever since I was beaten to a pulp, everything tastes good, and I feel great,” Xu Qi’an said self-mockingly.

He quickly finished the table full of delicacies and called for the waiter to clear the dishes. Mu Nan Zhi quietly tucked her jade feet under her skirt.

She had almost instinctively mastered the art of “keeping a low profile.” As the reincarnation of the infinitely charming Flower Goddess, hiding her face wasn’t enough; her voluptuous figure was also extremely tempting to men. Therefore, the clothes she wore were deliberately oversized.

As the sky gradually darkened, Xu Qi’an stood by the window for a moment, then said:

“I’m going to the underground palace tonight to see that thousand-year-old corpse.”

Mu Nan Zhi: Σ（っ°Д°；）っ

“I’m going to check on its condition and borrow a few things from it. Don’t worry, I’ll be back before dawn,” Xu Qi’an reassured her.

Just then, a carriage passed by. Xu Qi’an’s figure abruptly disappeared, reappearing under the carriage. He hid in the shadows, moving away with the carriage.

Xu Qi’an kept jumping between the shadows of several carriages, gradually approaching the city gate. Then, in the shallow shadow of an ox cart, he left the city.

With his current mastery of the Dark Insect, the maximum distance for shadow jumping was within a radius of fifty meters, and he couldn’t stay hidden in shadows for more than a quarter of an hour.

The ox cart followed the official road westward. The driver was an old man, and judging from the vegetable leaves left on the cart, he was a vegetable farmer from a nearby village.

Xu Qi’an “emerged” from the shadow, watching the ox cart disappear into the distance. Then, he pulled out an ordinary knife from the Book of Earth fragment and turned to walk south.

By now, the sky was dark and night was approaching. He walked alone in the rain, wearing blue clothes, and carrying a knife but no umbrella.

Xu Qi’an walked silently, leaving the official road and trudging through the mud toward the southern mountain range. After a long walk, the outline of South Mountain became clear.

At this point, he saw a dark, deep pit in a mountain hollow.

The mouth of the pit was overgrown with withered grass. It appeared to have been formed by a collapse of loose soil.

Xu Qi’an took a deep look at the deep pit, then resolutely turned to leave.

A few minutes later, he returned.

“It’s still early. If I enter the underground palace now, I’ll end up being their scout…”

“It just so happens that I haven’t completed my two hours of ‘alone time’ today. Everything is for cultivation…”

“Damn, I never thought there’d come a day when a hole would tempt me more than a woman…”

With a twitching face, he jumped in.

…

In the South Mountain range.

On a flat stretch of mountain path, several tents were set up in a cleared area.

The surrounding forest was guarded by people from the Gong Sun family, responsible for driving away jianghu wanderers trying to sneak in for petty theft.

Gong Sun Xiu sat in a tent with the old Daoist Qing Gu and several members of the Gong Sun family, gathered around a charcoal fire, drinking hot tea.

The tent flap lifted, and Gong Sun Xiang Ming strode in wearing a straw rain cape. As he took off his bamboo hat, he said:

“Xiu’er, the rain is getting heavier. We should either go down to explore quickly or wait until the weather clears. I’m worried the rain might cause the entrance to collapse again.”

Gong Sun Xiu frowned slightly and shook her head, “Sixth Uncle, let’s wait a bit longer. We won’t go down until whatever’s in the tomb takes the bait.”

What she had said on the boat during the day was half-true. The hunter who first discovered the underground palace had indeed died.

Because he hadn’t returned home for a long time, other hunters from the village came looking and found a severed arm at this collapsed entrance, as if it had been violently bitten off by something.

Apart from the severed arm, no other parts of the body were found. The hunters didn’t dare linger and hurriedly left with the arm.

Subsequently, the abnormality of this place attracted the attention of officials and jianghu practitioners. Of those who ventured deep into the tomb, none came back alive, including two Lian Shen realm experts from the Gong Sun family.

Those people might have died from tomb traps or unknown monsters.

To lure out the man-eating creature from the tomb, Gong Sun Xiu had hooked a freshly killed pig’s head and thrown it into the hole, trying to entice it with the smell of blood.

“The rope hasn’t moved at all,” Gong Sun Xiang Ming shook his head.

“Let’s wait a bit longer.”

The old Daoist Qing Gu smiled, “The Yin creatures in great tombs, having stayed there for years, lack food. They don’t eat frequently and only hunt when they’re extremely hungry.

“If it doesn’t take the bait tonight, this poor Daoist suggests we continue waiting.”

A young man from the Gong Sun family, unable to hide his curiosity, asked, “When the Daoist mentions Yin creatures, does he mean zombies?”

The old Daoist Qing Gu nodded:

“It could be zombies, or it could be other monsters or even puppets. Given its habit of sucking blood and flesh, it’s likely one of the first two. Whether zombies or monsters, having stayed underground for long, they generally fear the light. To lure it out, we must do so at night.”

Gong Sun Xiu added, “Many experts have died inside. Ordinary zombies don’t have that kind of power.”

Raindrops pattered on the tent, creating a rhythmic sound. When the world is left with only one sound, it paradoxically emphasizes a sense of quietness.

Gong Sun Xiu sipped her hot tea and suddenly said, “I met a master at Yang Bai Lake today. If we could invite him, this tomb expedition would be almost guaranteed to succeed.”

Gong Sun Xiang Ming was taken aback, “What happened? Tell me in detail.”

Gong Sun Xiu then briefly recounted her encounter with the man in blue clothes.

Gong Sun Xiang Ming frowned, “It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a master. He might have been bluffing, or it could have been a coincidence.”

The old Daoist Qing Gu smiled without arguing, “The Sixth Master has a point. It’s all just this poor Daoist’s speculation.”

Indeed, that was the case.

Gong Sun Xiu asked, “Sixth Uncle, you lived in the capital for a few years before. Have you heard of someone named Xu Qian?”

Gong Sun Xiang Ming shook his head and chuckled:

“The capital is full of hidden talents, but experts generally keep a low profile. It’s not because of their nature, but because no one dares to be arrogant in the capital. The ten Golden Gongs of the Night Watchmen’s Office, Jian Zheng’s six disciples, are all extremely powerful yet low-key top figures.

“In addition, there are experts in the military, honored guests in the mansions of high officials and nobles, and so on. The number of Fourth Rank experts far exceeds your imagination. These people truly exist, yet their names are not well-known.

“Those heroes who are famous in the jianghu don’t dare to make a sound once they enter the capital. Even if this Xu Qian is truly an expert, I wouldn’t know.”

A young member of the Gong Sun family sighed, “That’s why Magistrate Xu stands out so much.”

Since his debut, Magistrate Xu had always been high-profile, and increasingly so. At first, his high profile was just about solving cases, then it was about beheading a duke, and recently he made another big move, resulting in the emperor’s demise.

When the court gazette first arrived in Yong Province, no one dared to believe it.

Many jianghu practitioners in Yong Province had even gone to the capital specifically to investigate.

Gong Sun Xiang Ming waved his hand, “In the 600 years since Da Feng’s founding, how many figures like Magistrate Xu have there been?”

Gong Sun Xiu listened with a smile. Recently, whenever she chatted with elders or peers, the conversation inevitably turned to that godlike man.

In front of outsiders or men, she would maintain a certain reserve, but among her family sisters, she would be more open, discussing Magistrate Xu with them.

Just then, a shout came from outside the tent:

“Young Miss, Sixth Master, that thing has taken the bait!”

The atmosphere in the tent suddenly changed. Gong Sun Xiu was the first to rush out, followed by Gong Sun Xiang Ming, and then the Gong Sun family members.

In the rain, over a dozen warriors held torches soaked in oil, while several others were pulling together on a rope as thick as a baby’s arm. The rope was taut, stretching into the collapsed cave entrance.

It finally took the bait… Gong Sun Xiu was both shocked and delighted – shocked that even the combined strength of several warriors couldn’t pull the Yin creature out, and delighted that tonight’s wait hadn’t been in vain.

“Prepare the oil and wire nets!”

Gong Sun Xiu shouted orders while rushing over. She grabbed the rope made of wire and hemp, let out a fierce cry, and pulled together with the warriors behind her.

“Eee eee…”

A high-pitched cry like that of an infant came from the hole. A black shadow was pulled out. In the flickering firelight and wind-blown rain, the appearance of this Yin creature was revealed.

It was about ten zhang long, lizard-like, covered in scales, with a face eerily similar to a human’s. Its eyes were grayish-white and seemed somewhat dull, suggesting poor eyesight.

Black blood flowed from its mouth, with the iron hook deeply embedded in its upper palate.

Illuminated by the firelight, the Yin creature again let out a high-pitched cry like an infant and tried to flee back into the hole.

“Cast the net!”

Gong Sun Xiang Ming roared.

The Gong Sun family members, who had been ready, threw out their large nets, aiming to cover the Yin creature.

Zing zing… The monster, with its immense strength, tore through the wire net, creating a large hole, and crawled out, continuing its escape towards the cave entrance.

It sensed danger and unleashed terrifying strength.

Gong Sun Xiu stumbled and nearly pulled down. The face of this beautiful young woman, who had entered the Hua Jin realm at such a young age, suddenly flushed red, with veins bulging on her smooth forehead.

She raised her foot, hooked it around the rope, wrapping it several times, then stomped hard.

The Yin creature’s head was yanked up violently, with more black blood gushing from its gaping maw.

Meanwhile, Gong Sun Xiang Ming seized the opportunity. With an angry shout, he drew his iron sword, channeled his qi, and thrust at the creature’s throat, where there were no scales, a weak point in its defenses.

The rain seemed to be split for an instant.

The raindrops unfortunate enough to touch the sword hissed as if they had fallen on a red-hot iron, turning into a puff of steam.

“Puff!”

The iron sword pierced the Yin creature’s throat. Black blood immediately seeped out like a gushing spring.

“Eee…”

The Yin creature let out a shrill cry. Its long, powerful tail swept across, striking Gong Sun Xiang Ming’s chest with a “clang,” sending him flying like a kite with its string cut.

Bronze Skin Iron Bone!

Having suffered a heavy blow, the Yin creature’s ferocity was aroused. No longer thinking of escape, it turned, braced its four limbs, and pounced toward Gong Sun Xiu like a black shadow.

Gong Sun Xiu, with a warrior’s intuition for danger, rolled to the side, avoiding it perfectly. The two Lian Shen realm warriors behind her similarly evaded, but the other three, lacking the supernatural sense of the Lian Shen realm, couldn’t predict in advance and failed to dodge.

Bones were broken and tendons snapped, they died on the spot.

After rolling several times, Gong Sun Xiu sprang up without pause – only a Hua Jin warrior could move so smoothly and naturally. She snatched a jar from a warrior’s hand and kicked it towards the Yin creature.

Other warriors followed suit.

Bang bang bang!

The jars shattered against the Yin creature’s thick scaly armor, dousing it in oil.

Gong Sun Xiu, torch in hand, sprinted forward. Suddenly, she dropped to her knees, leaning back in a sliding tackle, just as the Yin creature lunged at her.

They passed each other, one above, one below.

Her warrior’s intuition had allowed her to predict the creature’s attack.

Gong Sun Xiu calmly raised the torch, drawing it across the monster’s belly, and igniting the oil. The flames spread rapidly, engulfing the Yin creature.

The rain couldn’t extinguish the oil fire. The Yin creature let out a piercing scream, rolling frantically in the mud, trying to put out the raging flames on its body.

Gong Sun Xiu calmly gave the order: “Spears!”

Over a dozen warriors brought out the prepared long spears, twisted their waists, swung their arms, and threw with all their might.

With “thud thud” sounds, some spears pierced through the now-brittle scales, embedding themselves in the Yin creature’s body; others were deflected by the scales.

Soon, the Yin creature was pierced like a porcupine. It gradually stopped struggling, though the flames continued to burn. The air was filled with a mixture of scorched stench and a peculiar foul odor.

This type of Yin creature was highly poisonous throughout its body, and even the smell from its burning corpse was toxic.

Cheers erupted.

The Gong Sun family members found Gong Sun Xiang Ming in the bushes. The clan leader’s sixth brother had suffered severe internal injuries, with the divine light on his body dimmed. He had nearly lost his Bronze Skin Iron Bone.

“Sixth Uncle, are you alright?”

Gong Sun Xiu, covered in mud, came forward to inquire.

“Half an hour of rest and I’ll recover.”

Gong Sun Xiang Ming swallowed a few pills and returned to the tent to meditate and heal his injuries.

The Young Miss of the Gong Sun family, who had shone in the recent battle, led the old Daoist Qing Gu and others to examine the half-charred corpse of the Yin creature.

“Everyone, cover your mouths and noses. This Yin creature is highly poisonous.”

The old Daoist Qing Gu tore off a piece of his soaked robe, covering his mouth and nose with one hand while holding a torch with the other, examining the monster’s corpse.

Others followed suit, gathering around the corpse to investigate.

“What kind of monster is this?”

“No crisis warning, no demon core. It doesn’t seem to be of the demon race, but its speed and strength surpass even Lian Shen realm warriors.”

“No, it’s stronger than the Tong Pi Tie Gu realm. Didn’t you see how Sixth Uncle was sent flying with one hit? In a one-on-one fight, even Sister Xiu might not be its match.”

Amidst the discussions, Gong Sun Xiu asked for the old Daoist’s opinion: “What does the Daoist think?”

The old Daoist Qing Gu pondered:

“This should be a tomb guardian beast. Having lived underground for too long, breeding and mutating generation after generation, it has become an entirely new monster. We can’t tell what its ancestors were anymore.

“For a tomb guardian beast to have such strength, the identity of the tomb’s owner cannot be underestimated.”

Everyone felt both nervous and excited. The level of risk was proportional to the potential rewards – the greater the danger, the greater the gain. Of course, the reverse was also true, so they might face even greater dangers ahead.

Half an hour later, Gong Sun Xiang Ming had recovered from his internal injuries. The group lit torches and, carrying weapons and tools, entered the tomb in an orderly formation.

The exploration team consisted of eighteen people, with the lowest cultivation being at the Lian Qi realm, and the highest being Gong Sun Xiu at the Fifth Rank Hua Jin realm.

In the jianghu, a team of this caliber could dominate a county.

Their weapons included long spears, oil, wire nets, chains, insect-repelling powder, and black dog blood, materials rich in yang energy.

As they entered the cave, everyone held their torches high, examining their surroundings as they advanced.

The further they went, the more astonished they became. They had initially thought only part of the tomb had collapsed, but after walking for a long time, there were still obvious signs of collapse all around. If not for the occasional green oak stone wall, they would have doubted whether they were in the right place.

“It looks like the collapse was thorough, burying many tomb chambers.”

Gong Sun Xiu held her torch, walking through the underground palace strewn with rocks.

“Yong Province hasn’t had any earthquakes in recent years. How could it collapse like this for no reason?”

Gong Sun Xiang Ming frowned deeply.

As they continued to explore, they soon came to a half-collapsed tomb chamber. Half of the chamber was buried under rocks, while the other half contained a stone coffin surrounded by several severed arms, legs, and heads.

These dismembered limbs were black and shriveled, not ordinary human limbs.

“These are zombies…”

The old Daoist Qing Gu frowned: “They must have been dug up and eaten by that Yin creature.”

Just as he finished speaking, Gong Sun Xiu furrowed her brow and said, “No, this hand’s cut is too clean. It was severed by a sharp weapon.”

Gong Sun Xiang Ming analyzed, “It might have been the Yin creature’s claws.”

The Yin creature’s claws were sharp, no less than a fine steel blade.

Gong Sun Xiu nodded, accepting this explanation. The group searched for a while but surprisingly found no burial goods.

After walking for another quarter of an hour, they still hadn’t encountered a second Yin creature. It was unexpectedly calm.

Until a majestic stone door, several zhang high appeared before them.

Upon seeing this stone door, everyone’s spirits lifted. Judging by the door’s scale, it wasn’t hard to deduce that the main tomb, the “bedroom” of the tomb’s owner, lay behind it.

Gong Sun Xiu stopped and looked at two Lian Shen realm warriors, instructing them to push the stone door.

Warriors in this realm possessed keen intuition, effectively avoiding traps and dangers.

Creak…

The stone door slowly opened. The two Lian Shen realm warriors, holding torches, turned back and said, “It’s safe!”

Gong Sun Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and led her somewhat impatient companions through the stone door.

She first checked the condition of the torches, seeing that they only dimmed slightly before returning to normal. She immediately relaxed, realizing that due to the collapse, the underground palace was filled with breathable air, so there was no need to worry about suffocation.

Then, she saw what the torchlight illuminated ahead and was stunned.

There was no path ahead, or more accurately, not the path she had imagined.

The cracked ground was scattered with rocks of various sizes, piled up haphazardly, giving the impression of a jumbled ore deposit rather than a tomb chamber.

“Has this place collapsed too?”

A jianghu warrior said in a deep voice.

“Bring a jar of oil!”

Gong Sun Xiu took a jar of oil from a clan member, wiped the torch across the jar’s mouth, then threw it forcefully.

Bang!

The jar shattered in mid-air, its oil splashing out, turning into a dazzling spray of sparks flying in all directions.

The entire tomb chamber suddenly lit up, allowing everyone to see the condition of the main tomb. Indeed, a collapse had occurred here. Rather than a tomb chamber, it would be more accurate to describe it as a cave.

Apart from piles of rocks and jagged stone walls, there was nothing else in the main tomb.

Suddenly, Gong Sun Xiang Ming’s pupils constricted slightly, and he said in a low voice, “What’s that?”

Everyone followed his gaze and vaguely saw a dark figure sitting cross-legged in the distance. But by this time, the scattered sparks were falling and dimming, burning quietly, unable to illuminate the distance.

Gong Sun Xiu immediately reacted. Using her sense of direction, she threw her torch. It spun through the air towards the distance, landing and splashing up bright sparks.

It happened to fall right in front of that dark figure.

A Hua Jin warrior’s control over force was incredibly precise.

The blazing torch revealed the true appearance of that figure. He wore tattered yellow robes of indeterminate age. His hair was sparse, his skin tightly stretched over his facial bones, dry and blackish-blue in color.

His nose was nothing but two nostrils. His eyes were closed, and he remained motionless.

This was an extremely ancient corpse. It wasn’t lying in a coffin but sitting cross-legged amidst the ruins.

A zombie?

No, how could a zombie know how to meditate… Unless it was no ordinary zombie… The bold and skilled Gong Sun Xiu was about to lead the group closer.

Unexpectedly, the dry corpse opened its eyes first. In its somewhat hollow eye sockets were set a pair of dark black eyeballs.

Seeing living beings intruding into its territory, a red light flashed in those dark eyeballs. The dry corpse opened its mouth and inhaled forcefully.

Instantly, whirling air currents formed. The dry corpse’s mouth seemed to turn into a vortex, sucking in everything around it.

Including Gong Sun Xiu, all eighteen warriors felt a terrifying force lock onto them, pulling their bodies gradually towards the dry corpse.

Such, a terrifying zombie. This is not something mortals can resist… Gong Sun Xiu’s heart sank. Fear, shock, regret, and many other emotions surged within her. Then, she felt something leaving her body.

Straining to turn her eyes, she looked to the side and her eyes suddenly widened in horror.

A companion beside her was rapidly withering. His skin wrinkled, clinging to his bones. In just a dozen breaths, he had turned into a dry corpse, all his vital essence completely drained.

Everyone present was losing vital essence to varying degrees. Those with strong cultivation, like Gong Sun Xiu, could hold out for a while longer.

Those with lower cultivation would be drained into husks within thirty breaths.

Replenished with vital essence, the dry corpse grew even more powerful, and the air currents intensified.

The death toll kept rising – two, three, four…

The survivors became increasingly terrified. Gong Sun Xiang Ming’s eyes were wide open, bloodshot, his body’s muscles convulsing as he desperately resisted, but to no avail. His vital essence was draining rapidly.

In his many years of wandering the jianghu, he had never encountered such a terrifying and bizarre zombie, nor had he ever felt so powerless and frightened.

Watching himself slowly approach death.

The old Daoist Qing Gu, not being a warrior, was at the back of the group and had luckily survived so far. But he couldn’t escape his fate. He suddenly aged ten years, looking like an old man on his last legs.

Am I, am I going to die here… Despair welled up in Gong Sun Xiu’s heart. At this moment, she suddenly remembered the man in blue clothes she had met during the day, recalling his warning about the dangers of the underground palace.

Now it had come true.

Yes, that’s right, he said if we encountered an insurmountable danger in the great tomb… Gong Sun Xiu had no other choice. With the mentality of trying anything in a desperate situation, she shouted:

“Have you forgotten your promise to that person!”

These words seemed to contain some kind of power. The terrifying air currents disappeared, and the draining of vital essence stopped.

The nine surviving warriors, plus one old Daoist, all collapsed to the ground, their knees giving way.

“We’re, we’re saved?!”

Gong Sun Xiang Ming was both shocked and delighted, feeling joy at this narrow escape from death, as well as confusion and bewilderment.

The others felt the same, not understanding why this bizarre zombie had suddenly shown mercy.

It, it worked… Gong Sun Xiu’s beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

“I don’t have many promises with people. In this world, only he has one with me. What’s your relationship with him…”

The dry corpse remembered that guy’s promise to return within ten years and restore their destiny. It immediately became excited:

“Where is he? Did he give you something to pass on to me? Did he give you something to pass on to me~~!! Little girl, answer me quickly!!!”