Fortunately, all the windows and doors in the attic were open, and the aroma of wine was slowly fading.
Since Chu Ge had been on guard, it hadn't affected him too much.
But as the wine's aroma dissipated, the large Flying Head Zombie lying drunk on the floor would also wake up.
Chu Ge didn't dare be careless. He immediately approached cautiously and, after confirming there was no danger, pressed his hand against the large Flying Head Zombie's hideous face.
The creature looked blue-faced and fanged, with its windpipe and intestines still attached to its neck, dangling like strips of dried beef. It looked bizarre and revolting.
The instant his palm touched it, Chu Ge felt something cold and hard, with some parts slick to the touch.
The Dragon Clock tattoo on his arm glimmered faintly.
Sacrifice!
A faint force of resistance reached him, and the large Flying Head Zombie's black eyelids twitched.
Chu Ge's gaze sharpened. His Crimson Scale Claws, covered in faint red scales, reached out. If anything seemed amiss, he would strike first.
But in the next moment, the large Flying Head Zombie abruptly vanished, successfully sacrificed into the Dragon Clock.
"Phew, that was close."
Chu Ge let out a long breath of relief.
Fortunately, the Dragon Clock's ability hadn't let him down.
Anything he had brought under his control counted as something he had mastered, and could be sacrificed straight into the Dragon Clock.
But things that resisted too strongly couldn't be sacrificed directly into it.
For instance, he couldn't simply press his palm against a house and sacrifice it.
Only if he could lift it with one hand and completely control it would it be judged to be something under his control.
At that moment, dozens of things lay inside the Dragon Clock. More than twenty of them were old items Wang Xiuyun had given him to trade.
Information about the corpse herder and the two Flying Head Zombies had also appeared.
"Yu Xinghong: Description: (A Blood Change Realm martial artist, nicknamed Soul Chasing Old Man. An enforcer of the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult stationed at Mount Mingyun in Chizhou, and an outcast of the Corpse Herding Sect. Ranked seventy-third on the Blood Ranking, and a Class D Fugitive wanted by Great Zhou.
Skilled in black magic, Blood Refining Head Zombie Art, and the Corpse Banner Staff at the Greater Mastery stage. Exotic power secret technique: Blood Rage.)"
"Imperfect Flying Head Zombie: Description: (An imperfect Flying Head Zombie created by using Blood Refining Head Zombie Art to refine the head of a Blood Change Realm martial artist. It must be used together with a Refined Imp and an Exotic Power Crystal to be controlled.)"
"Flying Head Zombie: Description: (A true Flying Head Zombie created by using black magic to refine the head of a Force Condensation Realm expert. It must be used together with a refined spirit and an Exotic Power Crystal to be controlled.)"
"Corpse Driving Banner: Description: (A corpse banner made by the Corpse Herding Sect from special spiritual materials and Corpse King Blood. It can be used to drive corpses, and seems to store a small amount of Exotic Power Crystals.)"
"Ranked on the Blood Ranking, an outcast of the Corpse Herding Sect, a regional enforcer of the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult, and a wanted criminal of Great Zhou. Soul Chasing Old Man."
The old man I killed had quite a few titles. He must've been a promising young man in his day, but he sure didn't do anything decent!
Chu Ge grumbled inwardly. He couldn't help being rather interested in those so-called Exotic Power Crystals, too.
He hadn't examined the spoils carefully while gathering them earlier, so he didn't know what they were.
Now it seemed that Soul Chasing Old Man and the two Flying Head Zombies, one large and one small, had quite a few valuable things on them.
He just didn't know which ones the Dragon Clock would choose to extract.
Soul Chasing Old Man was dead, and Chu Ge had sacrificed the large Flying Head Zombie.
There was still the small Flying Head Zombie he had glimpsed outside, but without Soul Chasing Old Man controlling it, it shouldn't be much of a threat.
As for the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult bandits, they were just a handful of stragglers. Tian Youji and Hu Xuezhi could handle them.
Chu Ge didn't linger. He was just about to gather his things and leave the attic when he suddenly heard the flutter of clothing outside.
He glanced through the window and immediately recognized the two figures as Tian Youji and Hu Xuezhi. They must have chased the large Flying Head Zombie here.
As soon as he saw them, they spotted him in the attic, too. Their gazes lingered on the dark, elderly face and the arms covered in faint red scales. Both felt a jolt in their hearts as a powerful, mysterious aura, like that of a demon god, rushed toward them.
Chu Ge didn't want to reveal his identity. He swiftly sprang backward out of a window on the other side, vaulted over the courtyard wall in a few bounds, and left.
"Senior, please wait!"
Hu Xuezhi's voice quickly rang out.
"Don't follow me, and don't rush into the attic. The corpse herder and Flying Head Zombie have both been slain!"
Chu Ge replied from a distance in a deliberately hoarse, aged voice, but he sped through the alley even faster, vanishing into the darkness.
Whoosh—
Tian Youji and Hu Xuezhi each landed on the attic's roof with a somersault. Their expressions were uncertain as they looked into the courtyard below.
The ground was clearly marked by a fierce battle, and several corpses came into view. Both men's eyes narrowed.
They swiftly leaped down.
Dozens of breaths later, they stopped at the foot of the attic stairs. Both hurriedly covered their mouths and noses, sealed their pores, and backed away, their expressions wary.
"What's that smell?"
"Wine, I think? What a strong, intoxicating aroma. I only caught the faintest whiff, and I'm already dizzy."
"That man just now... I think he was the one who rescued Wang Xiuyun last time. I can't believe he's still in the city, and that he stepped in again."
"And he's a demon martial artist, too."
As Tian Youji and Hu Xuezhi spoke, they exchanged glances. Then they saw each other's sorry state: one had a hand severed, while the other had broken ribs. Both could only smile bitterly.
First a corpse herder, and now a demon martial artist—the little backwater of Linyuan City was getting livelier by the day.
Still, at least the newcomer was a friend, not a foe.
"He said Soul Chasing Old Man and the Flying Head Zombie have both been slain. Is that true? If they're dead, how did their bodies disappear so quickly?"
"Hard to say. Last time, after this man took down Ding Ying and the others from Snow Saber Martial Arts School, their bodies couldn't be found either. Perhaps he has some special way of making corpses disappear quickly."
"Let's put that aside for now. While our injuries haven't worsened, we should quickly assess the situation in the city and wipe out the other bandits. Afterward, we'll bring the Wang Family's young lady here to take a look."
After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.
Chu Ge had already raced back to his home.
Fortunately, his own house hadn't been raided by bandits this time.
But from other houses not far outside, he could hear bandits fighting the guards hired by wealthy families.
Chu Ge listened for a while.
Before long, he heard a great many footsteps heading that way, followed by cheers. It seemed the city's constables and guards had begun their counterattack.
Only then did he relax. He went inside, took off the Porter Mask, and ended the Crimson Scale Claws' innate state.
As the faint red scales vanished one by one, pain surged through his arms. His skin and muscles quickly bruised and swelled.
"Yikes."
Chu Ge frowned.
The Crimson Scale Claws had been formidable in the battle, but after repeatedly clashing with Soul Chasing Old Man, whose qi and blood far exceeded his own and who had used an exotic power secret technique, he had still been injured.
Fortunately, protected by the Crimson Scale Claws' innate ability and exotic power, he had suffered only superficial injuries. Otherwise, his hand bones might have cracked, and his meridians might have been damaged.
"Soul Chasing Old Man was ranked on the Blood Ranking, and he truly lived up to his reputation. He was terrifyingly dangerous—a top-tier villain among Blood Change Realm martial artists."
"Still, I beat him to death in the end."
Chu Ge took off the Beast Power Paper Talisman from his back, now much dimmer than before. He also glanced at the Flying Pig Boots, whose soles had been trampled through, and couldn't help feeling annoyed.
He'd taken quite a loss this time.
He had used almost every method he'd prepared, and the Beast Power Paper Talisman probably had only one use left.
Worst of all was the wine infused with exotic power. There was no way to make more of it.
He could only hope that Soul Chasing Old Man and the two Flying Head Zombies would yield something good.
He took off the ruined boots and threw them into the brazier to burn.
Then he found some ointment in the house, applied it to his arms, and quickly reduced the swelling.
Afterward, he called out the servants who had been hiding, while he began cultivating his qi and blood by expending exotic power.
This fight against an expert like Soul Chasing Old Man, who was ranked on the Blood Ranking, had shown him just how shallow his own foundations still were.
After all, he had only recently broken through to the Blood Change Realm. His qi and blood weren't robust enough, and he had nearly been gravely wounded by his opponent.
In the end, he had killed the man, but without all his Left Path Skills, he might have been the one to die.
This world is just too dangerous. The Blood Change Realm isn't the end. After this, I should write to big sis and hurry to the prefectural city to get more resources and break through to the Force Condensation Realm.
Chu Ge pondered as he felt pure exotic power turn into surging qi and blood, steadily strengthening him. Only then did his mind settle.
He was still young, not some old geezer. His physique was strong, and all that hard muscle he'd built wasn't for nothing.
He'd fought a huge battle without suffering any internal injuries. All in all, he felt pretty good.
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