Based on the information provided by Constable Xiao Qin and Wang Xiuyun.
Chu Ge knew that the corpse driver's strength lay in the Flying Head Zombies he controlled. His own strength might not be all that impressive.
So to catch the bandits, you had to catch their leader first. The Flying Head Zombies were controlled by the corpse driver.
As long as the corpse driver was killed, the Flying Head Zombies would naturally be unable to run amok.
Now that Linyuan City had been surrounded, Chu Ge could hardly stay out of it. His only hope was to seize an opportunity amid the chaos and break through, carving out a way to survive.
On the fork of a great tree, the night wind cut to the bone.
Chu Ge gazed into the distance in every direction. With the keen senses of a Blood Change Realm expert, he could already detect one fierce presence after another darting through the streets and buildings.
Farther away, a multitude of presences mingled around the government office.
Even in the sky, a shadow could be seen diving down. A powerful black pillar of qi surged up, and a scream instantly tore through the night.
"So there's more than one Flying Head Zombie."
His expression grew grave. He plucked a Pigeon Eye paper cutout from one of the kites, pressed it to his brow, then grasped the string of the kite he had already sent aloft.
At once, a much broader view of Linyuan City spread before his eyes.
Through one of the Pigeon Eye paper cutouts, Chu Ge could see many powerful pillars of qi colliding in the streets outside the government office.
As he drew his view closer, he could make out constables fighting the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult disciples, who were dressed in cloaks.
Tian Youji and Hu Xuezhi, the two Blood Change Realm martial artists, were wielding weapons as they struggled against a bizarre Flying Head Zombie hovering in the air.
Their blasts of qi could smash the hard, milled stone bricks of the street, yet when they struck the Flying Head Zombie, they could barely force it back.
The Flying Head Zombie's entire head seemed as hard as ironwood. Ordinary weapons could hardly hurt it, and though the mighty qi of a Blood Change Realm expert could shatter iron plates and strike through walls, it still couldn't do much damage.
Chu Ge's expression changed as he watched.
Just from the Flying Head Zombie's black pillar of qi, he could tell it was more than twice as thick and long as the qi-and-blood pillars of Tian and Hu. It was even stronger than the Flying Head Zombie he had seen earlier.
If the Flying Head Zombie weren't so clumsy in its attacks, the two men wouldn't even be able to keep it at bay.
But at this rate, Tian Youji and Hu Xuezhi would eventually run out of strength without being able to do anything to it. Then they would be the ones to meet a gruesome end.
This Flying Head Zombie was far more terrifying than he had imagined.
Even if he joined the fight and used Crimson Scale Claws, he might not be a match for it.
More importantly, the corpse driver who had set all this in motion was still hiding somewhere in the dark.
"I have to find that corpse driver and deal with him immediately. Otherwise, this will get ugly!"
He immediately scrutinized the area, but saw no sign of the corpse driver near the government office.
He promptly abandoned the idea of joining the fight as the porter and stuck to his plan of catching the leader first.
He quickly headed for the other places where he had sent kites aloft.
He himself also practiced Left Path Skills, so he knew these kinds of methods well. They always had weaknesses and were never as direct as martial arts; otherwise, they wouldn't be considered Heretical Left Path.
For instance, whether it was Shadow Lanterns, paper figures, or kites, they all needed a medium and a certain range to work. They couldn't be controlled regardless of distance or without a medium.
From that, he reasoned that the corpse driver's control over the Flying Head Zombies must work the same way. He couldn't be too far away, and he must have already entered the city.
A short while later.
In an alley in the city.
With a sharp crack, a suspended figure's neck twisted in the darkness. His eyes rolled back, and he died without even a groan.
A thick hand gripped the man by the throat. The instant it released him, the corpse hit the ground with a thud and gave two last convulsions.
"Tap, tap—"
A tall, burly old man in a black cloak emerged from the alley. It was Chu Ge, wearing the Porter Mask.
His face stern, he looked at the bandit across from him, who was holding a four-year-old girl hostage. His voice was hoarse and calm. "Put her down! I'll leave your corpse intact!"
The bandit stared at Chu Ge in alarm and disbelief, sensing the intimidating aura rolling off him.
This was definitely a Blood Change Realm expert. How had such a major player slipped through the cracks in Linyuan City?
"The Holy Cult shall shine forever!"
His expression suddenly turned feverish. Like a madman, he roared and swung the long blade in his hand at the little girl.
Whoosh!
At that taut, heart-stopping moment, a dark cloud flew in and swallowed the blade's gleam, like a giant shield spinning rapidly over it.
"Clang—"
The long blade was instantly caught in the cloak, which was infused with qi.
In the next instant, an iron fist emerged from beneath the cloak, its muscles bulging beneath a web of blue-black veins.
Like a giant hammer, it slammed into the bandit's head.
Crack! His bones burst apart with a sharp, explosive sound!
Chu Ge's violent punch blew the bandit's head apart, killing him on the spot.
Boom!
A surge of qi burst from Chu Ge's massive frame, instantly shaking off all the blood and gore that had splattered toward him and sending it flying in every direction.
He swept the cloak around the girl and lifted her into his arms, then set her down on the ground.
Hearing the cries of a woman from a nearby building, he frowned slightly, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
Led by that corpse driver, these Heaven and Earth Incense Cult fanatics had invaded the city. They weren't just robbing wealthy households; some were even abducting young children. Their depravity had reached new heights, and he couldn't fathom what they were after.
But time was pressing, and he had no time to concern himself with too much else.
Hearing the woman's cries draw closer, Chu Ge didn't linger. The Dragon Clock tattoo on his wrist glimmered faintly, and both corpses were taken away.
He swiftly vaulted over a residence and reached the locust tree near where he had sent a kite aloft. He pressed the corresponding Pigeon Eye paper cutout, which served as its medium, to his brow.
In an instant, everything in the surrounding city fell within his sight. Even in the dead of night, it was quite clear, with presences scattered everywhere.
This was the fourth kite observation point he had checked in the short time since setting out. It was in the south of the city, relatively close to the government office.
The first three observation points—covering the western district, the northern district, and the central area—had revealed no sign of anyone matching the corpse driver.
If he still found nothing at this kite point, only the final one remained: the observation point set near the city wall.
Most of the area covered by that point lay outside the city.
Suddenly, Chu Ge's eyes shifted as he watched.
Through the Pigeon Eye kite high in the air, he had spotted a pillar of qi and blood rising nearby.
The pillar was extremely thick and long, even somewhat stronger than his own. Its owner was likely a martial artist nearing the peak of the Blood Change Realm.
"If he's only a little stronger than me, the Beast Power Paper Talisman should make this manageable."
Chu Ge's heart stirred. He let out more kite string and drew his view closer. On the upper floor of a residence, he spotted a figure.
The figure wore a dark blue robe and held a large banner. Facing the government office, he slowly waved it back and forth. Several bodies already lay on the ground inside the residence.
"With a setup like that, it has to be him!"
Chu Ge's gaze turned cold. He exhaled sharply and immediately dashed off.
At that moment, he truly resembled a mountain tiger, his aura hidden yet terrifying. Though he moved swiftly, his steps were soundless as the wind, like a fierce tiger prowling the mountains in search of prey.
As he ran, the qi and blood throughout his body surged into motion. Every hair stood on end, his face flushed, and his senses sharpened to an extraordinary degree.
On the upper floor, the Soul Chasing Old Man stared fixedly at the government office in the distance, where the fighting was taking place. As he waved the Corpse Driving Banner, the small bottles attached to it clinked faintly.
Only the Flying Head Zombies he had raised on his own blood essence could hear that sound.
By using it to command the little ghosts dwelling within the Flying Head Zombies, he could control them as easily as his own limbs.
By now, he could sense the enemy's resistance weakening and more and more openings appearing.
In just a little while, the two Blood Change Realm martial artists would run out of strength and be at his mercy.
"I underestimated those Demon Suppressing Division men. I never imagined that one of them would escape and survive, then bring word back to these two."
"Otherwise, dealing with them would have been much easier."
The Soul Chasing Old Man seethed inwardly, a venomous glint flickering in his eyes.
Once people learned the characteristics of any method, they could take precautions against it, and the threat it posed would be greatly diminished.
Tian Youji and Hu Xuezhi had both learned about the Flying Head Zombies' capabilities from Lin Hongtu. As they fought, they had been careful to avoid getting caught by the Flying Head Zombies' whip-like intestines, which was why they had lasted this long.
But now, the two men were at their limit, their qi and blood badly depleted.
A terrifying glint flashed in the Soul Chasing Old Man's eyes. He shook the banner violently, making the small bottles clatter loudly as he prepared to end the fight in one final assault.
Suddenly, his heart gave a jolt. He sensed a subtle change in the surroundings, and his keen nose caught the scent of the living.
"Who's there?!"
He spun around, and the small bottles on the back of the banner began to rattle.
"Roar—"
A withered, terrifying head with wild hair suddenly flew out of the rooftop darkness, its vicious maw full of fangs opening wide as it lunged at the figure in the dark.
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