Ominous Fiend

"Damn it, the Qing Dynasty is long dead, yet these remnants of the old guard are still so filthy rich."

The attention of Chen Yulou and his group was immediately drawn to the golden coffin, and Hua Maguai's tone was filled with resentment.

"They've spent centuries scraping the fat off the people; of course they have money."

Chen Yulou shook his head. As the leader of the Xieling, he wasn't about to be intimidated by a mere golden coffin.

Standing not far away, Lu Yan had already activated his Sharingan to peer at the coffin.

From Lu Yan's perspective, pitch-black corpse qi was surging out of the golden coffin, constantly shifting shapes as it clashed against the yang energy of the ink-marked net.

"Tsk tsk, how ferocious."

Lu Yan clicked his tongue in wonder. For the corpse qi to be this potent in broad daylight, it was highly likely that the Border Imperial Clan member had already become a Furry Zombie.

After Simu's crash course, Lu Yan had gained some understanding of zombies.

Common zombies were generally classified into Purple Zombies, White Zombies, Furry Zombies, Flying Zombies, and Indestructible Bones.

In this era where Taoist arts were in decline, a Flying Zombie could reign as a zombie king; unless a Golden Core stage master appeared, no one could subdue it.

Fortunately, zombie kings were extremely rare, and most common zombies were just Purple or White ones.

A Furry Zombie, however, was a formidable opponent—possessing copper skin and iron bones, agile movements, and strong immunity to ordinary spells. They were no longer afraid of common fire, or even sunlight.

If this Border Imperial Clan member had truly become a Furry Zombie, it was no wonder Qianhe couldn't handle it in the film, and it had taken the combined, desperate efforts of Simu and Master Yixiu to finally resolve the threat.

Lu Yan rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought, but his actions startled Hua Maguai.

"Chief, look."

Hua Maguai circled around to stand behind Chen Yulou and whispered.

Chen Yulou turned to look, his eyes widening in genuine astonishment.

Born in a dim underground palace, Chen Yulou possessed "night eyes" that allowed him to see in the dark, a trait that had always been considered extraordinary by others.

Yet, Lu Yan, who had previously had black hair and black eyes, now had eyes that had turned blood-red, each containing three tomoe-like patterns. It was truly astonishing, if not terrifying.

If it weren't for the bright daylight and the presence of a high-level Taoist like Simu nearby, Chen Yulou might have suspected that Lu Yan was possessed by a demon or ghost.

Lu Yan naturally noticed the movements of Chen Yulou and his group, but he didn't mind, simply turning his head to offer them a smile.

Suppressing his inner shock, Chen Yulou stepped forward and asked, "Brother Lu, your eyes are clearly not of this world. Might you explain them?"

Seeing Hua Maguai and Red Maiden pricking up their ears to eavesdrop, Lu Yan teased, "Is the Chief not afraid that I am a monster?"

"Haha, Brother Lu, you jest. How could I ever think you were a monster?"

Chen Yulou replied with a boisterous, heroic air, laughing heartily.

"This is a natural ocular technique of my clan, known as the Sharingan. It has many marvelous uses."

Lu Yan smiled, deciding not to tease him further.

"I see."

Chen Yulou nodded, exchanging a glance with Hua Maguai and the others.

Hua Maguai pulled Chen Yulou aside and whispered, "Chief, it seems this Lu Yan has some real skills. Should we invite him to Bottle Mountain?"

Chen Yulou pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Let's wait and see. We still don't know the true extent of his abilities."

Ignoring them, Lu Yan walked over to Master Yixiu and Simu, who had just emerged, and told them exactly what he had seen.

"Junior Brother Qianhe is in big trouble this time."

Simu's face turned grave as he listened.

"Amitabha, we must inform Brother Qianhe of this matter."

Master Yixiu twirled his prayer beads, also sensing the gravity of the situation.

"I'll go tell him."

Simu headed straight toward where Qianhe was resting.

"Junior Brother, you..."

After hearing the news, Qianhe was left dumbfounded, clearly unaware of the situation until now.

"What are we to do?"

"This ink-marked golden coffin won't be able to hold a Furry Zombie."

Qianhe paced back and forth anxiously. He had only aligned himself with the old guard because they had abundant resources that facilitated his cultivation; he had no intention of dying for them.

"Oh my, Qianhe, what are you dawdling for? Let's get moving!"

Steward Wu, who was waiting nearby, grew impatient, waving a handkerchief and speaking in a shrill, mocking tone.

"If you delay Prince Forty-One's schedule, you won't have a good end!"

Lu Yan curled his lip in disdain as he listened. Prince Forty-One? My good man, the Qing Dynasty is long dead.

He stepped forward and suggested, "Daoist Qianhe, I see the corpse qi boiling; the zombie is likely desperate to break free. Why don't you head out first? We will follow closely behind, and we can eliminate it together."

Qianhe hesitated for a moment, then his expression hardened. "Fine, let's do that."

"Senior brother, Fellow Daoist Lu, Master Yixiu, I shall take my leave first."

Qianhe bowed deeply, then led his group to set off once more.

Watching the party disappear into the distance, Chen Yulou and his men stepped forward. Chen Yulou asked with curiosity, "Daoist Simu, what is going on?"

Simu shook his head with a grave expression. As he walked back, he said, "I'm going to fetch my gear. Ask Lu Yan."

"Amitabha."

Master Yixiu patted Lu Yan on the shoulder and also headed back to retrieve his ritual implements.

"Brother Lu, what is this about?"

Chen Yulou was bewildered, unsure of the situation.

"The Border Imperial Clan member in that golden coffin is a Furry Zombie."

"We are preparing to take it down."

Lu Yan had no intention of returning; all his belongings were either on his person or in the Kamui Dimension.

"A Furry Zombie..."

Chen Yulou gasped, clearly aware of its formidable nature.

"Chief Chen, would you like to come along and join the fun?"

Lu Yan tilted his head, looking at Chen Yulou with a faint, inscrutable smile.

Seeing the look on Lu Yan's face, Chen Yulou naturally didn't want to be looked down upon. He puffed out his chest and declared loudly:

"Of course I'm going."

"As the leader of the Xieling, I, Chen Yulou, am hardly one to fear death."

Seeing Chen Yulou like this, Lu Yan was reminded of the prideful Chen Yulou from the films and nearly couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Chief Chen, what spirit!"

Lu Yan patted Chen Yulou on the chest and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Let's go."

Before long, Daoist Simu and Master Yixiu were fully prepared and walked out.

"A bit excessive, isn't it?"

Lu Yan was left speechless at the sight of Simu's getup.

At this moment, Simu had a ritual sword strapped to his back, and in his hand, he held a massive, thick ritual blade.

"Daoist Simu, what kind of forging philosophy is this? The bigger, the stronger?"

Lu Yan truly couldn't help but tease him.

Master Yixiu, holding a large string of prayer beads, laughed heartily: "Once, Simu encountered a snake demon. The demon's body was so massive that the wounds from his sword didn't even tickle it, and Simu suffered a great loss."

"After returning, he reflected on his failure and kept forging his swords larger and larger."

"Stinking monk, enough!"

Seeing Lu Yan and Chen Yulou trying to suppress their laughter, Simu's face turned dark, and he snapped in embarrassment.

"Enough talk, let's go."

Seeing Simu's flustered state, Yixiu waved his hand and took the lead, rushing forward.

"Let's move."

Lu Yan and the others exchanged glances and quickly followed.