The Second Refined Corpse

"Here already?"

Zhou Yan looked up at the moon. It was still early in the night, not the best time for a Zombie to come out.

That alone showed this Zombie wasn't being controlled by anyone. It was also very weak, and had probably only recently transformed. Its intelligence was inferior even to that of some clever wild animals.

He didn't attack right away. Instead, he had the Corpse Controlling scout the area, making sure no one was hiding nearby and that there wasn't a second Zombie. Only then did he slowly get to his feet.

Zhou Yan had taken only a few steps when he saw a figure hopping along in the distance.

This was a Zombie that had yet to transform into a Black Zombie. Most of the hair on its body was black, with a few scattered white hairs. It was still a little way from fully transforming into a Black Zombie.

Fortunately, it hadn't completed the transformation. Once a Zombie became a Black Zombie, its strength and appetite would both increase dramatically.

By then, it wouldn't be just one person who died, but at least several.

These low-level Zombies were like wild animals, hunting to fill their bellies.

As long as they were full and hadn't been startled, they wouldn't kill people without reason.

Otherwise, a single Black Zombie could easily slaughter a village of over a hundred people.

"Take it down."

Zhou Yan gave the order, and the Corpse Controlling immediately charged at the Zombie.

"Roar..."

Startled by the Corpse Controlling's sudden appearance, the Zombie let out a roar.

But it quickly realized that the other was one of its kind.

Before it could even feel happy about that, the Corpse Controlling pounced on it and slapped it flying.

"U-u..."

After hitting the ground, the Zombie quickly jumped back up, looking somewhat aggrieved.

It seemed unable to understand why one of its own had attacked it, and was even reluctant to fight back.

It had only just become a Zombie, after all. Its intelligence was poor, and it wasn't very aggressive, so it didn't realize that anything was wrong.

"Thud!"

Another heavy slap sent the Zombie crashing to the ground. It couldn't get up for a long while.

The Corpse Controlling didn't care whether the other was one of its kind. Under the combined control of Zhou Yan's Corpse Refining Technique and Corpse Controlling, the chance of it turning on him was practically nonexistent.

Even though the Corpse Controlling was improving at a decent pace, Zhou Yan's proficiency grew even faster.

"Don't kill it!"

Seeing how poorly the Zombie was holding up, Zhou Yan hurriedly gave the order.

He planned to turn it into one of his refined corpses, so he couldn't afford to waste it.

The problem was that refining a corpse himself took too long.

What's more, raising a refined corpse's level required him to expend his own Profound Yin Essence Blood. That damaged his body and hindered his progress in cultivation.

But this Zombie only needed to be converted before it could become one of his refined corpses.

Even if its potential was inferior, Zhou Yan didn't care about that for an ordinary Zombie.

He was only going to use it as cannon fodder.

The Corpse Controlling Zhou Yan truly valued had to be one with a special fate. Only then would it have enough potential to grow alongside him.

Otherwise, it would be nothing more than a temporary tool.

To be honest, even his current Corpse Controlling was only a stopgap.

Otherwise, after refining it so long ago, it wouldn't still be nameless.

Before long, the Zombie had been beaten to the brink of death and lay motionless on the ground.

Zhou Yan stepped forward and cast the Corpse-Suppressing Incantation, sealing the Zombie completely.

His Corpse-Suppressing Incantation had reached the proficient level. Once suppressed, the Zombie wouldn't make a sound for three days and three nights.

After all that, Zhou Yan took the Zombie to the Ancestral Hall.

"I've subdued the Zombie."

At his announcement, the people of Zhao Family Market and the constables hurried over to watch, their eyes wide with astonishment.

Soon, cheers rang out.

Zhao Family Market, which had been as silent as the grave, suddenly grew noisy. Everyone went from door to door, spreading the good news.

Some bold children even crept up to the Zombie to take a look, then ran back in fright, drawing peal after peal of laughter.

Many people gazed at the Corpse Controlling with admiration, clicking their tongues in praise.

"What a brave man!"

"Exactly! He subdued a Zombie with his bare hands."

"Wait, I heard it was the sorcerer who subdued it. This fellow was at most the sorcerer's sidekick."

"A sorcerer's sidekick is no ordinary person either."

"Right, right. I heard that while the sorcerer was casting his spell, this brave man charged in and held the Zombie off, giving the sorcerer time to subdue it."

"Really..."

"..."

With the danger gone, the long-lost feeling of safety returned. Many of the people in Zhao Family Market were positively giddy.

They had no idea that the mighty man in their eyes was also a Zombie—and a far more powerful one.

Since beginning his cultivation, Zhou Yan seemed to have grown unaccustomed to situations like this.

Besides, he needed to take the Zombie back as soon as possible.

Otherwise, once dawn came and the sun rose, its yang energy would clash with the Zombie's, and it would be ruined.

"I'm leaving first. Handle the rest yourself," Zhou Yan whispered in Ma Yan's ear.

Ma Yan nodded slightly. "All right. Go ahead. I'll take care of the aftermath."

Zhou Yan said no more and quickly left with the Zombie.

The people of Zhao Family Market were still curious, so Ma Yan explained, "The sorcerer has to deal with the Zombie. These things are evil spirits, and if they aren't handled properly, they can cause trouble. That's why he has to take care of it right away."

At this, the people of Zhao Family Market nodded one after another.

Zhou Yan hurried back with the Zombie, but by the time he reached the city, the gates had already closed.

Fortunately, he had a document from Ma Yan, so he was able to get in without difficulty.

Shen City had no stationed troops. The people guarding each city gate were all from the Police Station, and security wasn't very strict. They were mostly just going through the motions.

Once home, Zhou Yan immediately laid the Zombie on the ground and examined it closely.

The Corpse Controlling had hit the Zombie hard, but fortunately, Zombies were tough by nature, so it wasn't in too bad a shape.

In the short time since, the yin energy and moonlight had already helped it recover from some of its injuries.

That was what made Zombies so troublesome: they were tough-skinned and healed frighteningly fast.

If they had a blood pack, they could return to peak condition in minutes.

But for Zhou Yan, that was good news.

He stripped the Zombie of its clothes and belongings, then picked up his talisman brush and swiftly drew Corpse Refining talismans on its body.

He had already ground his proficiency in this area to the brink of mastery.

In just a little while, the Zombie's body was covered in talismans.

A barely perceptible red glow flashed, and the cinnabar talismans quickly sank into the Zombie's body.

That meant the second Corpse Controlling had been successfully refined...