Rotting Corpse

Bang!

The door facing the courtyard gate swung open instantly, and a figure rushed out from within at high speed.

"Brother Zheng, don't hurt my mother!"

Zhao the Second looked panicked. He shouted at Zheng Que while striding toward Old Lady Zhao.

Zheng Que's expression shifted, and he hurriedly shouted back at Zhao the Second, "Don't get close! Neither of them are human!"

However, the moment he was distracted, Sun Cui'er suddenly threw her head back and let out a sharp, shrill shriek.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

The cry was piercing and grating, as if some invisible force were striking directly at his soul.

Before the cry had even ceased, Sun Cui'er's appearance underwent a heaven-shaking transformation: her fair, pretty face lost its vitality at a rapid pace, with large and small corpse spots emerging; her moist eyes shriveled and sank into hollow, pitch-black pits; her hands spasmed like chicken claws, curling up unnaturally; and the small bundle of vegetables she had been holding quickly rotted away, turning into a clump of withered grass. Her fingernails surged in length, turning a greenish-black, resembling sharp blades.

The wooden hairpin in her bun crumbled into dust and fell instantly, her tied-up hair cascading down to drape over her face. Her neat dress became covered in spots of filth and bloodstains, emitting a thick, earthy stench, as if she had been buried in the ground for a long time.

In the blink of an eye, the beautiful young woman had transformed into a long-rotted corpse, with murky yellow corpse fluid dripping from her collar and cuffs.

Zheng Que stood his ground. For a moment, his eardrums ached from the shock, and he felt dizzy, but his soul was far more stable than that of an ordinary cultivator. After only a moment of discomfort, he regained control of the chaotic spiritual blood mist, maintaining its encircling formation to ensure Sun Cui'er could not escape.

"Let... let go..."

"Let go of my daughter-in-law!"

Suspended in mid-air, Old Lady Zhao flailed her limbs, roaring shrilly.

Seemingly deeply concerned for her daughter-in-law's situation, Old Lady Zhao continued to scream as her two arms suddenly elongated like snakes emerging from a hole. One hand lunged toward Zheng Que, while the other reached toward the trapped Sun Cui'er.

Her arms extended with incredible speed, reaching in front of both Zheng Que and Sun Cui'er in an instant.

Just then, Qing Li's figure appeared beside Zheng Que in a flash. She also extended both hands—tap!

Qing Li's slender, fair palms firmly clamped onto Old Lady Zhao's arms.

Crack, crack, crack...

Without a moment's hesitation, Qing Li exerted force, causing a series of crisp snaps to erupt from Old Lady Zhao's arms. The old woman's arms were instantly severely deformed, twisted into bizarre angles, with shattered bones piercing through the skin and protruding outward—a truly horrifying sight.

Seeing that Qing Li clearly held the upper hand, Zheng Que felt a surge of confidence and began to exert his full strength in the Ghost Controlling Technique.

As long as he could turn Sun Cui'er into his own Ghost Servant, the coming battle would be three against one!

By then, the fight would be over in no time!

Zheng Que's hand seals grew faster and faster, and the mist-like spiritual blood began to transform into individual runes, branding themselves into Sun Cui'er's body in sequence.

Sun Cui'er struggled desperately, her withered body twisting incessantly. Her dark, cyan skin cracked open to reveal the ghastly white bones beneath. As her bones ground against each other, corpse fluid dripped down, emitting a foul stench.

Watching this scene, Zheng Que felt a faint sense of unease. Sun Cui'er's reaction after being hit by the Ghost Controlling Technique was completely different from what Qing Li had experienced back then!

As his thoughts raced, Zheng Que accelerated the operation of the Ghost Controlling Technique, driving more and more runes into Sun Cui'er's body.

At the same time, seeing her daughter-in-law on the verge of death, Old Lady Zhao's expression turned ferocious. She shrieked hoarsely, "Die! Die! You all must die!!!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the dense Yin Energy on her body erupted suddenly.

Hum!

Somewhere in the void, a loud boom seemed to echo. Pitch-black smoke centered on Old Lady Zhao and surged rapidly in all directions. A violent chill swept through the surroundings, and a layer of frost quickly condensed on the ground. The light dimmed in the blink of an eye, as if the entire Zhao household had been covered by a lid, forming an isolated space.

Although the sun had not yet fully set, not a single ray of light could penetrate the old Zhao residence; it was as if they had been locked inside a box.

Boom!

The next moment, Qing Li, who had just gained the upper hand, was instantly blasted away by Old Lady Zhao.

Almost at the same time, Zheng Que finally completed the Ghost Controlling Technique.

As the final rune was branded into Sun Cui'er's body, Zheng Que immediately splayed his fingers, aiming the "Command" character in his palm at her: "Halt!"

However, the three-on-one scenario he had envisioned did not occur. Sun Cui'er stood in place, motionless, showing no reaction to his command!

BOOM!!!

Old Lady Zhao's arm slammed down, instantly creating a smoking crater where Zheng Que had been standing just a moment before.

At this moment, Zheng Que's figure appeared in mid-air. At the critical second, a coarse hemp rope had tightly constricted around his neck, hoisting him up and allowing him to dodge Old Lady Zhao's lethal blow.

"You human brat, you are truly foolish!"

"That is nothing but a useless corpse!"

Just then, Qing Li appeared out of thin air beside Zheng Que, her cold, ghostly voice reaching his ears.

Hearing this, Zheng Que snapped back to reality. Looking at Sun Cui'er again, he saw her collapse straight to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Murky corpse fluid seeped into the ground from the hem of Sun Cui'er's skirt. The Yin Energy that had originally lingered around her shell transformed into billowing black smoke, flowing toward Old Lady Zhao like a river returning to the sea.

In an instant, Old Lady Zhao's Yin Energy surged, black smoke rolling off her in waves. Its intensity suddenly surpassed that of Qing Li.

Old Lady Zhao slowly raised her head, her graying hair whipping in the cold wind. Her face was as hideous as a demon's, and her crimson eyes stared fixedly at Zheng Que and Qing Li. "My daughter-in-law is dead!"

"You killed my daughter-in-law!"

"I am going to kill you all!!!"

As she spoke, Old Lady Zhao immediately lunged toward Zheng Que and Qing Li, who were suspended in mid-air.

Zheng Que hurriedly grabbed the rope loop and shouted, "Quick, let me go!"

Before the words had even left his lips, the pressure on his neck vanished, and his body plummeted toward the ground.

At the same time, Qing Li drifted forward like a phantom, engaging Old Lady Zhao in close-quarters combat.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

The two sides exchanged blows rapidly. Black mist billowed and surged, quickly swallowing their figures.

Zheng Que did not hesitate. The moment he landed, he immediately cast a series of hand seals; he intended to use the Yin Gathering Technique to help boost Qing Li's strength!

But then—

Bang!!

Qing Li's figure flew backward out of the black mist, slamming heavily into the ground. The packed earth erupted, sending a massive spray of dirt showering down like rain.

From within the black mist, Old Lady Zhao's scarlet gaze instantly locked onto Zheng Que.

Zheng Que's pupils dilated slightly. A bone-chilling cold washed over him, instantly enveloping his body and soul. The familiar scent of death rushed toward him!