Thousand-Year Flying Zombie

The world is about to be thrown into chaos, and harsh governance is more fearsome than a tiger.

Some families migrated to sheer cliffs, creating an idyllic paradise, guarding their simple and difficult lives;

Some blocked roads to become bandits, collecting tolls from passersby;

Others occupied mountains to become kings, living as carefree mountain lords.

If you were to ask who the most formidable mountain lord was in the Tuoyun Mountain area, You'd have to discuss it thoroughly.

But if you were to ask who the most rule-abiding mountain lord was, Lord Black Armor would claim second place, and no one would dare claim first.

"This is a bandit's lair?"

On the hillside, Mo Chuan looked at the furrows in the mountain valley, finding it hard to believe.

It turned out that after extracting the mastermind's identity from the ghost matchmaker, the two of them had rushed to the fierce bandits' stronghold without delay.

Mo Chuan mused that if they were bandits, they should at least occupy a place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

At the very least, they should have built a mud wall.

Unexpectedly, what met his eyes was just an ordinary village.

It looked almost the same as Li Guanqi's village.

If he had encountered it normally, he might have even gone in to ask for a bowl of water!

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but times are hard. Many bandits are actually villagers and hunters from nearby. They farm when busy and rob when idle. It's not uncommon for an entire village to become a bandit lair."

Wei Lai, quite knowledgeable, explained.

Mo Chuan pondered this.

"Let's go! Rumor has it Lord Black Armor is the most rule-abiding. I, this humble one, must see where his rules lie!"

Wei Lai's eyes showed anger as he walked towards the mountain valley.

Mo Chuan followed closely behind.

Before the two could get close to the village, the farmers working in the fields stood up warily, staring directly at them.

Even more so, a child from the fields darted into the village to deliver the news.

Before long, a lean man, surrounded by several hunters, came out to meet them.

"Who are you?"

"The ghost matchmaker asked us to come and deliver a message to Lord Black Armor."

"The ghost matchmaker?"

The lean man's expression changed slightly, and he muttered, "This old woman's mouth is getting looser and looser, just like her life gate!"

While cursing, he patiently asked, "Do you have a token?"

Wei Lai raised his hand and tossed a smooth, polished copper coin.

The lean man caught it and examined it closely. Seeing the missing part of the inscription on the coin, he immediately felt relieved.

"Follow me!"

He said, making a gesture and heading towards the village.

Seeing the gesture, the farmers working in the fields also relaxed and continued to face the yellow earth with their backs to the sky.

Once Mo Chuan and Wei Lai entered the village, they immediately felt as if countless eyes were staring at them.

From the thatched huts, behind the mud windows, by the fences... it seemed as if countless eyes were fixed on them.

This made them feel out of place.

Fortunately, since they were here to cause trouble, this slight discomfort was not important.

Before long, the two entered the center of the village and stepped into a stilted building with a plaque that read "Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness."

Inside, more than a dozen burly men sat around, looking at them with half-smiles.

Lord Black Armor sat at the head.

His appearance matched his name; he was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and his open chest revealed dense chest hair, making him look like a black bear.

"What do you two call yourselves?" Lord Black Armor asked.

"This humble one is nobody. The ghost matchmaker's message is more important!"

"Oh? What message?"

"The ghost matchmaker wants me to ask Lord Black Armor if his conscience ached when he ate people to refine evil arts?"

Wei Lai asked with cold eyes.

Clang!

The rustling sound in the hall stopped abruptly!

Amidst the surprised and uncertain expressions of the strong men, Lord Black Armor chuckled and said, "I knew that old woman would get into trouble! One stick for a job, but she had to go around in circles, making all sorts of fancy, useless things. Now look, she cast a long line and caught a man-eating fish! Speaking of which, this building of mine has buried Daoist priests and hidden monks, but never a scholar. Today's the perfect day to complete the set."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lord Black Armor grabbed an axe and swung it.

Endowed with immense strength, this axe strike was as fast as lightning.

With a "bang!", it landed on the threshold, splitting the waist-thick doorframe in two.

"On me!"

As he threw the axe, Lord Black Armor roared and simultaneously pulled two giant axes from under the table.

Unexpectedly, as the shout went out, the various leaders in the hall suddenly rolled their eyes, and dense black curse marks crawled all over their bodies.

Like insects, they gnawed at flesh and sucked bone.

Trembling all over, they spat blood and collapsed to the ground with a thud, their bodies spasming uncontrollably.

After a single breath, they were all completely dead.

Lord Black Armor was stunned.

Wei Lai was also stunned.

"Witchcraft?"

Lord Black Armor was terrified by this peculiar Daoist magic.

"Body protection divine ability?"

Wei Lai was astonished by the divine ability that ignored the death curse!

"Die for me!"

In his shock, Lord Black Armor's rage surged. With a loud shout, he grabbed his axe, leaped over the long table, and swung it.

Wei Lai raised his hand and flicked out a talisman crackling with lightning!

Snap!

The talisman streaked through the air and struck Lord Black Armor, immediately erupting in dazzling blue arcs of electricity.

However, Lord Black Armor acted as if nothing had happened, continuing his charge!

A flicker of panic crossed Wei Lai's face.

He instinctively took a step back, formed another talisman, and was about to throw it when a figure shot up from behind him, forcefully interrupting his action.

Mo Chuan crouched and lunged forward, moving like a nimble cat. He dodged Lord Black Armor's wildly swinging axes, circled behind him, hooked his long sword around Lord Black Armor's neck, and, against the momentum of Lord Black Armor's charge, sliced down fiercely.

The force, capable of cutting an ordinary person in half at the waist, was met with a grating resistance.

It felt like stabbing into dried beef.

Unfortunately, even dried beef couldn't stop the enhancement of the Daoist magic. That neck, as thick as a bowl, was still ultimately flesh and blood.

Lord Black Armor's charge suddenly stiffened.

He widened his eyes, staring at the scholar standing close by, talisman in hand and ready to cast. The last vestiges of his consciousness were filled with disbelief.

Clang!

The giant axe slipped from his loosening grip, its tip hitting the floor and sticking upright in the wooden planks.

Thump!

Lord Black Armor's bear-like body could no longer maintain its balance. It collapsed to the ground, his head twisted into a knot, leaving only a thin layer of skin and flesh connected.

"Your footwork is impressive, Daoist brother!"

Wei Lai couldn't help but praise as he looked at the corpse sprawled on the ground.

"You flatter me!"

Mo Chuan cupped his hands and gestured with his chin, "Before the bandit stronghold reacts, let's interrogate them quickly. Where did they hide the silver?"

Wei Lai's expression turned strange.

"I'm just a cultivator from the wilderness. I don't have a Daoist temple to support me, and I have to earn my own living expenses. I've caught a big fish this time, so I naturally have to feast!"

Mo Chuan explained, his heart bursting with joy.

This large bandit lair must have at least a thousand taels of silver, right?

Converted to gold, that would be over a hundred taels of gold.

Good heavens, if he could take this back to Earth, he wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life!

Wei Lai found this rather absurd. After thinking for a moment, he bent down and touched Lord Black Armor's forehead.

However, Lord Black Armor's eyelids seemed sealed shut, refusing to open no matter what.

"No soul?"

Wei Lai's brows furrowed. As his thoughts wandered, his eyes suddenly widened, "Oh no, this is a black zombie!"

"Roar—"

A low growl suddenly came from the lower floors of the village stronghold, like spring thunder, making one's scalp tingle and the small building tremble as if the earth itself was moving.

"Run!"

Wei Lai shouted a warning, then scrambled to flee, his initial gentle demeanor completely gone.

Mo Chuan's expression changed, and he quickly followed.

"What's wrong?"

"This is a thousand-year flying zombie's lair!"

As he spoke, the two had just rushed out of the stilted building when a deafening roar sounded, and the massive stilted building collapsed!

The two looked back and saw a humanoid figure slowly rising into the air amidst flying wood chips and billowing dust.

"...It's over!"

Wei Lai turned to look at the figure suspended in the air. Even with his long-standing Daoist lineage and numerous abilities, his face had turned deathly pale at this moment, as if he had lost his parents.