Eat Dry and Wipe Clean

Beside the stables, two figures—one tall, one short—collided violently, surrounded by seven pale-faced Living Dead.

At the center of the fray, one man possessed a black face and fangs, his ten fingers like the claws of a beast.

The other stood two full heads taller than an average brawny man, his arms as thick as tree stumps, his entire frame shrouded in a layer of toxic mist.

On the muddy ground, aside from a dead horse with half its skull gnawed away, five Living Dead lay mangled beyond recognition.

At this moment, two more figures arrived in quick succession.

"Third Senior Brother." As Liu Feng spoke, the seven Living Dead turned their gazes in unison.

Daring not approach Zhu Li, the seven immediately marked Liu Feng as their target, shifting direction to pounce on him together.

"Li Si." Liu Feng let out a cold snort, channeling toxic Qi into the Nightmare Gu Larva.

With a slight movement of his palm, the Medicine Slave Li Si darted out.

Only by taking control himself did he realize how Shen Yushu had been guiding Li Si.

The Nightmare Gu Larva acted like a magnet, which the Nightmare Gu Mother inside the Medicine Slave's skull could sense; by channeling toxic Qi and providing a slight tug, he could direct Li Si toward his targets.

Using his own vision to guide the slave proved far more effective than Shen Yushu's method!

Facing the seven Living Dead, Li Si's figure surged forward while eight holes tore open in the back of his loose robes.

Eight insect legs, resembling steel blades and spears, extended outward. As the figure flashed past, all seven Living Dead were impaled upon the limbs.

As the Medicine Slave Li Si twisted his waist, the brute strength of the martial artist drove the eight insect legs. A series of "chi-la" sounds rang out, and in the blink of an eye, fourteen severed remains littered the ground.

Without pausing, the Medicine Slave Li Si shifted his target.

The Walking Corpse currently clashing with Zhu Li had no time to react before Li Si struck from a distance, forcing the creature to stagger back several steps.

Before it could steady itself, the Walking Corpse felt a blur before its eyes and lost all sensation.

Compared to his father, this Walking Corpse's body had not been refined to perfection; Li Si's palm strike sent true Qi into its core, shattering its internal organs.

Just like that, both the old man and the middle-aged man—the two Walking Corpses—had perished.

Zhu Li grabbed the middle-aged Walking Corpse killed by Li Si and said, "Let's head to Second Senior Brother."

Liu Feng nodded and turned back toward the side room with Zhu Li.

They had only taken a few steps when they heard a series of "crackling" sounds.

Looking toward the source, they saw a black shadow burst through the roof of the manor's main house, flapping its wings as it took to the sky.

"It's a Hunting Falcon, abnormally large; it might be a Spirit Monster." Liu Feng caught sight of the shadow's true form at a glance.

As they watched the falcon fly away, Shen Yushu strolled over. He said indifferently, "We are following it."

Liu Feng was startled by these words, realizing the implication: they intended to follow it and wipe out the entire nest.

"Isn't tracking it a bit risky?"

"How can one reap great rewards without taking risks? If you live long enough, you will eventually understand this principle."

Shen Yushu gave Liu Feng a meaningful look and opened his palm, revealing a Blood Crystal.

"That old thing had a Blood Crystal in his body, accumulated from years of cultivation."

"As for his daughter-in-law, she has already been drained dry by the Vine Wood Spirit. Third Junior Brother, give me the one you have as well."

"I have taken these spoils; you two can divide the Blood Crystal."

With that, Shen Yushu tossed the Blood Crystal in his hand, his eyes glowing with a cyan light as he peered at the distant, retreating Hunting Falcon.

With the "Mountain God" Exotic Gu to track movements through the flora, there was no way that little Spirit Monster could escape.

Zhu Li caught the Blood Crystal, snapped it in two, and tossed one half to Liu Feng.

"How do I use this?" Liu Feng held the crystal, his throat feeling dry; this had just been pulled from the body of a Walking Corpse.

His question received no explanation from Zhu Li; the Third Senior Brother demonstrated on the spot, tossing his half of the Blood Crystal directly into his mouth.

"Let's go. Wipe out their nest, and there will be more rewards." Shen Yushu flicked the Vine Wood to snatch up the middle-aged Walking Corpse and darted out first.

Zhu Li, chewing the Blood Crystal, and the Medicine Slave Li Si followed closely behind.

Liu Feng trailed at the back. With the sound of rain clamoring in his ears, the youth stood in the downpour, unable to process the situation.

"Gu, gu..." The Soldier Gu "Split-Tooth" let out a strange cry, its two insect legs reaching toward the Blood Crystal, appearing famished.

Liu Feng found it truly difficult to stomach, so he tossed the crystal to the "Split-Tooth" behind him before dashing out of the manor.

Before he could catch up to the three figures ahead, he saw a corpse tossed aside—it was the middle-aged Walking Corpse whose organs had just been hollowed out.

"Whoosh!" The torrential rain eased, turning into a light, drizzling shower.

Old Huang and Little Fuzi, the grandfather and grandson, remained unconscious under the eaves. Within the vast manor, there were no other living souls left.

It was not yet midnight, yet the pair of "hunters" and their daughter-in-law, along with the twelve Living Dead, had instead become the prey, picked clean by others.

If one were to count carefully, it was unclear if the dismembered Corpse-Eating Gall had also been part of this family.

"Screech..."

Under the cover of night, a male eagle with a wingspan of over a zhang descended.

In the mountain forest below, several bandits heard the sound, raised their torches, and walked to the cave entrance.

As the eagle landed, it folded its wings and stepped onto the ground with its talons, walking forward quickly like a human.

Its human-like eagle eyes swept over the bandits, but ignoring them, it headed straight into the depths of the cave.

"It's Second Master's Falcon Spirit Monster," a Bald Bandit called out, hurriedly making way.

Seeing the eagle enter the cave, the rest of the bandits dared not stop it.

Watching this spirit monster head straight for the depths of the cave, seemingly in a rush to find Grand Master, the bandits all felt a vague sense of unease.

Usually, the Falcon Spirit Monster only returned for one purpose: to bring a bag of Blood Medicine refined by Second Master from the vital essence of living people, and to carry back "bait"—beasts caught in the mountains—upon its return.

However, just now, the falcon was completely bare, carrying nothing at all.

The Bald Bandit, a minor leader, said in a low voice, "Something may have happened to Second Master. Go and wake all the brothers."

A short while later, the bandits who had been fast asleep in the cave were jolted awake, and over forty steel blades glinted under the torchlight.

Deep within the winding tunnels of the cave, there was a small pool beneath the cave wall.

The pool was filled to the brim with Blood Medicine, and amidst the thick scent of blood, wisps of red mist coalesced.

An old man was submerged entirely within this sludge-like Blood Medicine, with only his white hair visible.

The Falcon Spirit Monster strode in, and just as it entered the chamber, it spoke from afar, "Grand Master."

"You delivered a bag of Blood Medicine only half a month ago, why tonight..."

Before he could finish, the Blood Medicine churned and parted, and the white-haired old man stared fixedly at the falcon's neck with bloodshot eyes.

There was nothing at all on the falcon's neck; there was no Blood Medicine whatsoever!

In an instant, a layer of frost crept across the cave floor, centered on the small pool.

Upon that frost, flickering clusters of ice-blue Corpse Fire danced, appearing and vanishing in a flash.

"Speak, what happened to the Second?" The blood-red light in the old man's eyes receded, and he slowly closed them.

The Falcon Spirit Monster, already a creature of spirit, stood frozen in place, its neck feeling as if it had been encased in ice.

It was only when the old man closed his eyes that the human-like terror in the depths of its gaze began to subside.

"Second Master... is gone, and the one who did it has followed us here!" the Falcon Spirit Monster trembled.

"Seeking death."

As the gloomy, cold sneer fell, the cave returned to a deathly silence.