Uncle Jiu had already begun taking action in the funeral home.
He took out a stack of Evil-Suppressing Talismans and pasted one in every mortuary room.
Once the yellow talismans were in place, the Killing Intent in those rooms diminished greatly, and the corpses inside would not turn into zombies.
Two Baleful Corpses suddenly sprang out along the way, roaring as they lunged at him.
Uncle Jiu did not panic in the slightest.
With a stomp, he sidestepped the two Baleful Corpses.
Then, he leaped up in one smooth, flowing motion and slapped two Corpse Control Talismans onto their foreheads, instantly subduing both Baleful Corpses.
Afterward, he forced the Killing Intent out of their bodies and sent them into the room where the coffins were kept.
By the time he had pasted talismans in every room, nearly half a shichen had passed.
Yet at that moment, the Killing Intent within the funeral home grew ever denser, white mist formed from it filling every corner.
Uncle Jiu's expression turned grave as he muttered to himself:
"This funeral home's location was originally a nearby feng shui formation's core, capable of suppressing Baleful Intent."
"But once it is invaded by a great amount of Killing Intent, it will turn from yang to yin and become a place of fierce evil."
"That will ruin Jiang City's feng shui, raising the Killing Intent throughout the entire city by a whole level and bringing disaster for a thousand years."
"Not only that, those yellow talismans will not hold out either. Once the corpses inside turn into zombies, who knows how many common folk will suffer."
With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth on the spot.
At last, he made up his mind.
"As a feng shui master, I must safeguard a city's peace."
"If I eat from this bowl, I must bear its responsibility. Duty demands it; I cannot refuse."
With that, he spread out nine sheets of yellow paper.
All nine sheets were specially made, each faintly emitting threads of yellow light.
Uncle Jiu bit open his middle finger and began drawing blood talismans.
For every blood talisman he drew, his face grew a shade paler, and several white hairs appeared amid his black hair.
After drawing all nine blood talismans in succession, his face was white as paper, and he could barely stand steady.
His originally jet-black hair had turned completely white overnight.
Uncle Jiu braced himself against the table and panted for a moment.
Grasping the nine blood talismans, he walked to the open courtyard at the center of the funeral home.
"Yin and yang have their arts; blood talismans suppress Baleful Intent—go!"
The nine blood talismans ignited without wind, turning into streaks of fire that vanished into the void.
Unexpectedly, the Killing Intent in the funeral home truly began to diminish.
Moments later, the Killing Intent that had condensed into white mist was swept away completely.
If one looked down from the sky, one would see even the enormous vortex of Killing Intent beginning to disperse!
Inside the funeral home, Uncle Jiu let out a long breath.
"It was not in vain that I spent my essence and blood to draw the Nine Yang Evil-Suppressing Talismans. As long as I hold out until sunrise, there will be a turn for the better."
But at that moment, movement came from the mourning hall behind him.
Uncle Jiu's expression changed drastically.
"Oh no, Mangzi's body is still in the rear courtyard. It has not turned into a zombie, has it?"
He hurried toward the rear courtyard, only to see that Mangzi's corpse had indeed stood up and was standing in the middle of the main hall.
Without another word, Uncle Jiu took out an Evil-Suppressing Talisman and pasted it onto Mangzi's forehead.
Just then, a figure appeared behind Uncle Jiu like a ghost.
It was Golden Dragon Abbot.
His strike was as swift as lightning. He chopped the back of Uncle Jiu's neck with the edge of his hand, knocking him unconscious.
"Hmph, that fellow nearly ruined my great plan."
"Perhaps in the arts of yin, yang, and feng shui, Lin Jiu has already entered the hall and ascended the chamber."
"But yin-yang arts cannot be converted into combat strength. In the end, he still fell into this old monk's hands."
Golden Dragon Abbot removed the yellow talisman from Mangzi's forehead, looking at Mangzi's body with immense satisfaction.
"What a superb corpse for refining! So long as I draw forth the nearby Killing Intent, I can temper it into a Vigor Copper Armor Corpse!"
"As for Lin Jiu, he will make perfect blood food for the Bronze Armor Corpse."
"The essence and blood of a Third-Rank Martial Artist will be enough to whet the Bronze Armor Corpse's appetite."
As he spoke, Golden Dragon Abbot also took out a huge gourd, from which streams of Killing Intent condensed into white mist poured forth.
He began chanting strange incantations, stirring up the Killing Intent from all directions.
The Killing Intent that Uncle Jiu had dispersed once more condensed into white mist, surging madly toward the funeral home and rapidly entering Mangzi's corpse.
Mangzi's eyes snapped open. His eyes were blood-red, green fur sprouted all over his body, and his aura rose higher and higher.
Golden Dragon Abbot revealed a satisfied smile.
"I have plotted for years, and today is the day. The Bronze Armor Corpse is almost complete!"
"Bronze Armor Corpse, Bronze Armor Corpse, I have brought you blood food. In another shichen, you will be able to drink Lin Jiu's blood."
"Kehehehehehe."
Golden Dragon Abbot's laughter echoed through the funeral home.
At the same time, within the Mass Burial Grounds.
Zhu Tong and the others ran wildly across the wilderness beneath the moonlight.
Before long, they saw the town in the distance.
Zhu Tong braced his hands on his knees and gasped for breath.
"We finally made it out. We should be safe now."
Old Zhang suddenly cried out.
"Where's Little Bai? Why is Little Bai gone?"
Zhu Tong was greatly alarmed.
"Little Bai did not get lost, did he? What should we do?"
Old Zhang cursed.
"Damn it, Little Bai saved our lives. We cannot leave him behind."
He was about to go back to look for him when Little Wang grabbed him.
Little Wang said:
"Brother Little Bai is blessed with great fortune. He is a martial artist and knows yin-yang arts too, so getting out should not be a problem for him."
"If we go back now, we will only get in his way."
Zhu Tong heard this and nodded repeatedly, trying to persuade him.
"Exactly. Little Bai is stronger than all of us. Maybe he has already made it into town."
"Let's go, let's go. Once day breaks, we can go back and have a look."
Having heard that, Old Zhang could only follow Zhu Tong and Little Wang as they ran toward the town.
Meanwhile, Bai Yu was running in the opposite direction.
"Master Meng taught me: if someone gives me a peach, I repay him with a plum; if someone gives me a papaya, I repay him with fine jade."
"Uncle Jiu has treated me well. I cannot just leave him behind."
Uncle Jiu truly treated Bai Yu like both a son and a disciple. Whenever he had anything good, Bai Yu was never left out.
He had practically wanted to impart the Yin Talisman Scripture to Bai Yu in its entirety.
Man was not grass or wood; who could be without feeling?
As Bai Yu ran, he let out a long howl.
Before long, a figure raced toward him through the darkness.
Old Mo!
"Woof woof..."
Old Mo barked several times, then turned and ran.
Bai Yu followed close behind.
He had already seen through Golden Dragon Abbot's suspicious behavior and instructed Old Mo to keep watch on them in secret.
Golden Dragon Abbot and his disciples had focused only on Bai Yu and the others, never imagining that a black dog was tailing them.
Bai Yu had long since changed into dark night clothes and ran wildly behind Old Mo.
Before long, he saw a monk on a small hill, chanting an incantation and performing a ritual.
A gourd stood before him, continuously releasing white mist of Killing Intent.
Bai Yu recognized him. He was a monk named Jue Yuan, Golden Dragon Abbot's second disciple.
He nodded at Old Mo. Man and dog moved in perfect understanding, circling around from both sides.
Old Mo in particular had nearly blended entirely into the darkness, impossible to distinguish with the naked eye.
Bai Yu lowered his body and slowly crept forward.
A moment later, he had crept to within a dozen meters of Jue Yuan.
Just then, Jue Yuan sensed something.
"Who's there?"
"The one here to take your life!"
Bai Yu suddenly erupted.
Before you continue