Traitor Among Humans

Li Mansion.

Old Man Yun and the other two arrived in a leisurely, unhurried manner.

Before Lu Jun and Master Li's conversation, Lu Jun had asked Master Li to send a note to Old Man Yun and the other two.

Li Tuo looked at the headless Green Zombie corpse in the courtyard and shuddered with horror.

Fang Yilin, meanwhile, had crouched beside the corpse, examining its condition.

Master Li repeated everything he had discussed with Lu Jun and told Old Man Yun.

Old Man Yun listened quietly, but his pair of cloudy eyes gazed toward the depths of the Li family residence in the distance.

"Uh... what's Lu Jun up to now?" Li Tuo asked as he went over to Lu Jun.

"Nothing much. I went out to find something to eat just now and happened to run into a zombie, so I killed it while I was at it," Lu Jun said casually.

"..."

Li Tuo said nothing. He merely edged away from Lu Jun in silence.

Damn, this guy's seriously sinister.

Before coming here, he had hacked down hundreds of Weasel Demons, along with the extremely rare Misty Mirage Demon.

And now, only three days later, right after settling down at the inn, Lu Jun had slipped out without a word and killed another zombie.

He had already racked up a far more impressive record than Li Tuo, a Bronze-Robed member, despite not even having joined the Demon Slaying Division.

If he joined the Demon Slaying Division, who knew what kind of monster he would become?

"It is indeed the Puppet Corpse Dock's divine technique—Soul Transfer and Zombie Control Technique." Fang Yilin said, "And it should indeed have been that Puppet Corpse Dock disciple, Ye Chen."

Old Man Yun nodded lightly to show that he understood.

"Soul Transfer and Zombie Control?" Lu Jun raised an eyebrow.

Fang Yilin thoughtfully explained it to Lu Jun.

"Not all Law Seekers join the Demon Slaying Division. There are also Rogue Cultivators and people from other factions."

"The Puppet Corpse Dock is one of the native Law Seeker factions in Yunzhou. They also drive out demons and monsters."

"The Acquired Divine Abilities they cultivate are extremely unique, and all of them are related to zombies."

"They raise zombies, strengthen zombies, and can even split off a thread of soul to control zombies from afar and use them in battle," Fang Yilin explained.

Lu Jun raised an eyebrow.

Could I have killed the wrong person?

But the thought was immediately dismissed by Lu Jun.

His See Through Myriad Illusions could do more than merely see demonic aura. It could also see the evil thoughts and malice within living beings.

The evil thoughts emanating from that fellow had been genuine.

Even if he was a Law Seeker, he clearly wasn't a good person.

Besides, even taking the worst-case scenario into account, so what if Lu Jun had killed the wrong person?

He had killed a demon, and the reward had been real.

When he killed demons, whether they were domesticated or wild, wasn't it only natural to wipe them out on sight?

Besides, wasn't the man himself still alive?

As for the other party coming to seek revenge?

Heh, that would be even better.

Then Lu Jun could defend himself in response and wipe out the roots while he was at it.

That was called legitimate self-defense and necessity.

Okay, the logic is airtight and completely justified.

Lu Jun no longer felt the slightest psychological burden.

Then a complicated look flashed through Fang Yilin's eyes as well. "But you really didn't kill the wrong person this time."

"A year ago, Ye Chen, that Puppet Corpse Dock disciple, betrayed the Puppet Corpse Dock and fled. Instead, he joined an evil cult—the Great Black Cult."

Lu Jun asked, "What is the Great Black Cult?"

Old Man Yun answered Lu Jun this time.

"The Great Black Cult is a type of evil cult. Evil cults are made up of Human Race members who offer sacrifices to demons and monsters to obtain power, gaining divine abilities bestowed by demons and monsters and becoming Law Seekers. Generally speaking, this process is extremely fast. They don't need to cultivate techniques for five to ten years like ordinary people to give birth to an Acquired Divine Ability. Thus, some people take this evil path to gain power quickly."

"Of course, this shortcut has its own grave drawbacks. First, the power of your divine ability will forever be restricted by the demon or monster you worship. If the demon or monster takes a dislike to you, it can even reclaim the divine ability it bestowed at will. Second, your mind will become disordered, and your soul will be corrupted. No matter what you do, you will generally become extreme and frenzied."

Then Old Man Yun continued, "You must have encountered Ye Chen before. What was his temperament like?"

Lu Jun raised an eyebrow. "Arrogant, domineering, savage, and conceited."

After Lu Jun said this, Master Li secretly glanced at him, then quickly looked away again, a complicated expression flashing through his eyes.

When it comes to savage arrogance and domineering behavior, no one can compare with you, my lord...

Old Man Yun nodded. "Those are manifestations of his disordered mind and corrupted soul."

Then Old Man Yun thought for a moment. Seeing Lu Jun's decisive killing intent, he hurriedly added, "Of course, not everyone with a vile personality belongs to an evil cult. You still have to distinguish carefully... Don't accidentally kill an ordinary person..."

Lu Jun nodded.

He possessed the divine ability See Through Myriad Illusions, so the odds of killing the wrong person were extremely low.

Seeing Lu Jun behave so obediently, Old Man Yun was satisfied. He continued speaking to Lu Jun.

"The demon worshiped by the Great Black Cult is called the Great Black Buddha Mother. This demon is extremely powerful, and its concealment abilities are exceptionally strong. At the very least, our Demon Slaying Division still hasn't found its location. The Great Black Buddha Mother often bestows each cultist a ghost fetus. The cultists implant it in a young woman with vigorous life force, where it absorbs her vitality to grow. Once it hatches, it tears open the mother's abdomen and becomes the cultist's weapon in battle," Old Man Yun said.

When Master Li heard this, every inch of his body turned cold. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, grief-stricken as he muttered, "Why... why... did such a tragedy have to happen to my daughter..."

Old Man Yun explained, "The young miss of your esteemed residence never lacked food from childhood. On top of that, she ate delicacies from land and sea, fine rice, and refined flour, while physicians regularly tended to her health. Her body was richly nourished and well-developed. Compared to the other women in this town, she was naturally the finest vessel."

Master Li was struck dumb. Tears still streamed down his face as he went forward and grabbed Old Man Yun's leg tightly.

"My lord, please! Save my daughter... I'm willing to pay any price!"

Old Man Yun sighed and said, "Take us to see her."

The group made their way to the entrance of a room deep within the residence.

Once they arrived, aside from a trembling young maid standing outside the room, there was basically no one else there.

When the maid saw Master Li arrive, the fear on her face faded somewhat, but her voice still trembled.

"Master, the young miss is still hungry. She keeps smashing things..."

Before the maid could finish speaking—

Crack!

Violent sounds of things being smashed came from inside the room, along with a woman's hoarse, grief-stricken cries.

"Father, I'm so hungry! I want something to eat!"

Every time the woman cried out, a childish voice would follow from inside the room, imitating the woman's pained voice and crying out in exactly the same way.

"Father, I'm so hungry! I want something to eat!"

The eerie female voice and childish voice intertwined with agonized wails, lending the entire courtyard an even more sinister and terrifying air.

Cold sweat drenched Li Tuo's back. He silently moved everyone behind him.

Fang Yilin's face also showed a trace of fear.

Old Man Yun merely furrowed his brows slightly.

Lu Jun's eyes were filled with savage killing intent, and the strange silver mark between his brows flickered faintly.

Before his eyes—

An endless, boundless mass of dense, pitch-black demonic aura surged toward him, with evil thoughts and resentful thoughts woven throughout it.

"You can leave for now." Master Li sighed and instructed the maid by the door.

The maid nodded as though granted a great pardon and hurriedly left.

Then Master Li explained to Old Man Yun, "Previously, Ye Chen instructed me to strictly limit the food I gave my daughter, allowing her only the amount a normal person would eat in three meals a day. But my daughter could never get full. She cried and shouted every day."

Old Man Yun said, "There are two reasons. First, while the ghost fetus grows, it needs not only the mother's life force as nourishment, but also her resentment. Since your daughter cannot eat her fill, resentment naturally builds within her. That allows the ghost fetus to develop even more powerfully."

"Second, the ghost fetus's growth rate is related to the mother's life force. If the mother were allowed to eat as much as she wanted, the abundant energy in her body would cause the ghost fetus to grow too quickly. By then, the demonic aura it exposed would be overwhelming. Any Law Seeker with even a little cultivation would notice it. Your Li Mansion would no longer be able to hide, and neither would Ye Chen."

"Ah!" Master Li said in terror. "So I did the wrong thing!"

Old Man Yun shook his head and said, "It wasn't exactly wrong. Controlling the mother's food intake can allow the ghost fetus to mature completely and make it harder to detect, but it also limits the ghost fetus's growth rate. If you hadn't done as Ye Chen instructed, perhaps your daughter would have already been cut open and killed by the ghost infant a year ago."