Palm Thunder

Zhou Sheng's opera box contained four types of weapons: a saber, a sword, a golden whip, and a Snake Lance. All of them had been used by Yu Zhensheng in his time and were no ordinary items.

Take this golden whip, for example. It was called the God-Beating Whip, but in the grave-robbing trade, it was known as the Four-Edged Gilded Whip, also called the 'Corpse-Beating Whip'.

This whip had twenty-one segments and the angular edges of a mace. Its color resembled brass, and it was extremely heavy and dense. The concave sides of its four edges were Yin-engraved with the Demon Subduing Corpse Spell and Taoist Thunder Patterns.

Legend had it that Wu Zixu had whipped the King of Chu's corpse three hundred times after digging up his tomb, which was why zombies feared being whipped.

Yu Zhensheng had never mentioned how he acquired this golden whip, only that he had once instructed Zhou Sheng that it was most effective against reanimated corpses.

As it turned out, Master's words were accurate.

The corpse was incredibly heavy and possessed immense strength, but once entangled by this whip, its corpse energy would melt away like ice and snow, severely limiting its power.

Thus, despite its desperate struggles, it was slowly pulled away from the ancient well.

"Get... out!"

Zhou Sheng let out a great roar, his voice like blooming thunder. For the first time after taking the medicine, he channeled all his strength to its limit. His feet planted in the Primordial Stance, a surge of Dantian energy shot straight to the crown of his head. His spine twitched and vibrated, like pulling the tail of nine oxen, completely dragging the heavy corpse out of the ancient well and onto the ground.

Once on land, it was easier.

With a flick of his wrist, the God-Beating Whip soared like a dragon, its shadow dancing. In the blink of an eye, he struck the corpse nine times, each blow landing with a crackling explosion.

The corpse let out continuous screams, its corpse fluid mixed with blood splashing out. Wherever it landed, even the plants and trees were corroded.

In its agony, its body transformed into streams of foul-smelling mist, scattering to hide.

But Zhou Sheng was currently playing Jiang Taigong. Although he didn't possess the Heavenly Eye of Erlang Shen, he wasn't someone a mere evil corpse could deceive.

A clear light shone in his eyes, and the Taiji Diagram pattern on his forehead subtly rotated. His spiritual sense became so sharp that it seemed to instantly reach a wondrous state.

"Found you!"

Whoosh!

He swung his whip. Before the tip even arrived, the wind bit, and the whistling sound of air being torn apart was like thunder. The heavy, angular segments of the golden whip struck a willow tree.

In an instant, the willow tree, as thick as a bowl, snapped into two pieces with a crack. The broken ends were scorched black and smoking, as if struck by lightning and fire.

A shrill scream echoed in the air, and black blood dripped down.

As if pushed to its limit, the evil corpse finally fought back desperately.

It revealed itself, its mountain-like body already mangled and covered in scorched whip marks. One arm was missing, and corpse fluid continuously flowed from the wounds.

With a furious roar, even with half its face ripped apart, the evil corpse charged at Zhou Sheng, its body rapidly expanding. Its belly, already stretched to its limit, grew even larger, emitting sounds like tearing fabric.

A surge of corpse energy brewed within it.

Zhou Sheng's pupils contracted as he felt a terrifying pressure. Was the opponent intending to perish together?

If the evil corpse exploded after reaching him, even with his swift movements and exquisite whip techniques, he would still be injured by the corpse fluid.

Moreover, the commotion here was too great; Zhou Sheng could already hear footsteps approaching.

He had to end the battle quickly!

With this thought, a hint of resolve flashed in his eyes. He swung the golden whip again, using a clever technique to make it spin and entangle the evil corpse's feet.

Thump! The evil corpse fell to the ground, but its body continued to swell, on the verge of exploding.

Just then, Zhou Sheng voluntarily released the whip handle. He then bit his fingertip and quickly drew a thunder pattern on his left palm.

"Universe in Sleeve Hides Li Fire--

Where Palm Lines Crack, Electric Snakes Dance!"

He quickly recited the opera lines, then spread his five fingers, raising his palm towards the sky.

Boom!

The next moment, a thunderclap like a clear sky splitting open sounded. A bolt of lightning, as thick as a chopstick, descended from the heavens and struck the evil corpse squarely.

Palm Thunder!

Legend had it that Jiang Ziya, being half-immortal, was not only skilled with the God-Beating Whip but also proficient in the Five Elements Evasion Techniques and Palm Thunder.

With Zhou Sheng's current magical power, he couldn't use the Five Elements Evasion Techniques while impersonating Jiang Taigong, but he could already unleash this Palm Thunder.

With a sizzle and a burst, electric snakes danced. The black corpse fluid and rotten flesh vanished under the lightning, utterly unable to resist.

Palm Thunder belonged to lightning techniques, possessing extreme Yang and masculinity, fierce and overbearing, capable of suppressing all demons and ghosts!

Soon, the evil corpse disappeared, leaving only the scorch marks of lightning fire on the ground.

However, the Luoshu had not yet begun to glow.

Zhou Sheng knew that although the evil corpse's physical body was destroyed, its remnant soul still existed and had not completely dissipated.

This was mainly due to his limited Dao cultivation, which made the Palm Thunder he summoned too weak. Otherwise, where would any lingering spirits survive under the lightning?

As expected, he soon saw a faint figure floating in the air. It was an old man with a grizzled beard and an honest face, seemingly dazed by the lightning. His body was almost transparent, as if it could dissipate at any moment.

"Uncle Xu?"

Zhou Sheng was startled. He recognized him as Old Xu, who used to play the erhu for him to practice his vocalizations when he was a child.

Besides practicing their voices every morning, opera performers also frequently engaged musicians to accompany their vocal exercises.

In simple terms, it's about practicing classic opera segments with the accompaniment of a huqin or guban, usually starting at a normal pitch and then gradually raising it. This, combined with relevant training, helps maintain vocal flexibility and achieve a rounder, fuller tone.

Old Xu was a musician in an opera troupe in Qinggu County. After the troupe disbanded, he went on to play music for a living in restaurants and brothels.

When passing through Molting Season, Master specifically hired him to train Zhou Sheng's voice. He trained him for a full three years.

Since Old Xu was recognized by his Master, his skills were naturally excellent. When training his voice, his qin playing was just right, not tight at all, with a good balance of tension and release.

Old Xu played an indispensable role in Zhou Sheng's safe passage through Molting Season.

"Collect!"

Recognizing an old acquaintance, he quickly took out the Ghost Raising Altar from the opera box, collected Old Xu's soul into it, sealed it, and immediately fled the scene.

A moment later.

Outside the Zhu Mansion, Zhou Sheng had removed his face paint. Carrying the opera box, he stood under a large banyan tree, quietly regulating his breathing. At the same time, he could hear the growing commotion from within the Zhu Mansion.

He cast a deep glance at the vermilion painted gate.

In his memory, Uncle Xu was a very easygoing and kind person, friendly to everyone, always speaking in a gentle tone. Even if someone requested a song but didn't pay, he would just smile casually.

But the evil corpse just now was filled with extreme malice, almost maddened.

How did Uncle Xu die? And why did he turn into an evil corpse?

Most importantly, why did he sneak into the Zhu Mansion after his death? Was it for revenge?

Zhou Sheng took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

His complexion finally looked a little better.

The Palm Thunder from earlier, while appearing powerful, had consumed more than half of his magical power, leaving him feeling quite weak.

After a long period of regulating his breathing, he finally recovered somewhat.

Just as he was preparing to leave, a faint voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"Don't look back. The Guardian Soldiers worshipped in the Zhu Mansion are observing you from behind."

"You little brat, you really know how to stir up trouble."