"Ah!!!"
Splat!
"Save me! Save me!!"
Splat! Splat!
"Help me!!"
"..."
Utterly shrill screams rang out.
Something terrifying had already happened.
These refugees and disaster victims were clearly not normal. After swaying to their feet, they opened their blood-filled maws like walking corpses and bit at the normal people beside them.
Among these refugees and disaster victims, those who had undergone this bizarre change accounted for two-thirds. The remaining one-third were still normal.
And now.
These refugees and disaster victims who had undergone bizarre changes pounced upon the normal refugees and disaster victims.
Thus.
Xu Qing and the others watched with their own eyes as refugees and disaster victims were thrown down by monsters resembling walking corpses, then bitten alive to death.
It could be said.
Such a scene, such an image, was truly quite shocking. It resembled an apocalyptic scene from a biochemical crisis; after undergoing bizarre changes, these refugees and disaster victims were like zombies.
"Careful."
"These people are no longer normal."
"!!!"
Everyone's pupils contracted.
Roar!!!
At this moment.
Ghastly Corpses came charging in from every direction. At some point, Xu Qing and the others had already been surrounded by these Ghastly Corpses.
"We've... we've been surrounded."
"Don't be afraid. Though these people have turned into walking corpses, they were originally refugees and disaster victims, skin and bones. If we work together, we can definitely break through the encirclement."
"..."
Liu Xiao, Su Changhe, and the others shouted loudly.
"Kill!"
"Charge!!"
"Don't you dare show mercy!"
"They're all monsters! They're no longer human! We don't need to bear any psychological burden!"
"..."
Splat! Splat! Splat!!!
The battle erupted.
At this very moment.
Xu Qing and the others were trapped within the encirclement. Joining forces, they drew their weapons and hacked down Ghastly Corpse after Ghastly Corpse, trying to break out.
Blood splattered everywhere, and the stench was piercing.
Clang!
Xu Qing only drew the Fine Iron Sword in his hand. He did not draw the LV10 Iron Sword on his back, lest someone recognize it.
"Kill!"
Splat! Splat!
Xu Qing struck. His swordsmanship was exquisite; before the surrounding Ghastly Corpses could even get close, Xu Qing had already severed their heads, turning them into true corpses.
"Ah!!!"
Suddenly.
Xu Qing heard a scream.
It could be seen.
There were simply too many refugees and disaster victims. Even if only two-thirds had undergone the bizarre transformation and become Ghastly Corpses, they still outnumbered Xu Qing and the others by dozens, even hundreds, of times.
Therefore.
Once Xu Qing and the others fell into the encirclement, they were already in a perilous situation. A Patrol Team member had already been pounced upon by over a dozen Ghastly Corpses and was ultimately bitten alive to death.
The shrill screams stimulated everyone's nerves.
Roar! Roar! Roar!!!
Most importantly.
This was not merely trouble in the area Xu Qing had been patrolling. Rather, every refugee and disaster victim outside the city had undergone calamity-induced changes at this very moment.
Looking around.
At least forty thousand people had turned into Ghastly Corpses. Fewer than twenty thousand disaster victims and refugees had remained unchanged, yet they were devoured clean by the Ghastly Corpses at the very first instant.
Moreover.
After these Ghastly Corpses consumed enough flesh and blood, they actually evolved, undergoing entirely new changes and becoming stronger.
Buzz! Buzz!
Furthermore.
If one looked on from afar, one would discover that the surroundings were filled with dense yin energy, Killing Intent, and deathly energy, which faintly formed something like a formation.
"Not good!"
"Something's happened!"
"..."
On the city wall.
At the very first moment.
The patrolling guards noticed the disturbance outside the city. They immediately sounded the alarm bell, its piercing chimes echoing in all directions.
The experts of Qingbei Town's outer city were all alerted.
"The alarm bell has been sounded."
"This is..."
"Something must have happened outside the city."
"Go!"
"..."
Without hesitation.
The powerful figures and experts of Qingbei Town's outer city rushed over at once.
Among them.
Du Cangying was naturally included.
The two heads of the Crushing Stone Martial Arts School and the Crimson Eagle Martial Arts School had also gone.
At this moment.
Outside the city.
"Something isn't right."
Xu Qing frowned. He swept his gaze around and faintly sensed an extremely unsettling aura. Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly found an opportunity to avoid the others and put on the Ghost Mask.
Buzz!
The Ghost Mask's ability activated.
The next moment.
Xu Qing had transformed into a brawny middle-aged man with a square face.
Clang!
The cry of a sword rang out.
Whoosh!
Xu Qing drew the LV10 Iron Sword from his back. Beneath the moonlight, the iron sword swept out, blooming with brilliant sword light as a single strike annihilated ten Ghastly Corpses.
"Go."
Xu Qing took a deep breath. He glanced at Liu Xiao, Su Changhe, and the others, but did not save them. Instead, he turned and swiftly left.
Splat! Splat! Splat!!!
It could be seen.
Xu Qing erupted with his full strength, unleashing the power of Dan Force. Combined with his incomparably exquisite swordsmanship, every Ghastly Corpse that closed in on him was slain.
It could be said.
These Ghastly Corpses could not stop Xu Qing's advance at all.
Buzz! Buzz!
Suddenly.
Xu Qing halted. Gray mist spread through the surroundings, carrying a chilling and bizarre atmosphere as it expanded and enveloped his entire body.
"Come out."
Xu Qing's expression remained calm. "Stop playing tricks and pretending to be ghosts."
The gray mist churned.
Immediately after.
Xu Qing saw several familiar faces: the old man from before, that delicate-looking little girl, and several other refugees.
Moreover.
Xu Qing saw the three people who had vanished.
"Young master."
The old man extended his trembling hands. "Please, please show mercy and let us eat you. We haven't eaten anything for many days."
"Young master, please show mercy..."
"Show mercy..."
"!!!"
The next moment.
All these figures changed. Their faces became ferocious, and in the blink of an eye, they all turned into ghostly shadows, pouncing upon Xu Qing from every direction.
"The Thirteenth Sword! Sky-Covering Sword Shadows!"
Clang!
Xu Qing gave a low cry. With a flick of his right hand, the Dan Force within him erupted as he unleashed the thirteenth strike of the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking, 'Sky-Covering Sword Shadows.'
In an instant.
As Xu Qing thrust out this sword, countless sword shadows appeared, as though flowers were blooming across the sky. These sword shadows fell, shattering every ghostly shadow.
The ghostly shadows broke apart and turned into gray mist that filled the sky.
"You overestimate yourselves."
Xu Qing snorted coldly.
However.
Xu Qing discovered that the gray mist around him had not dissipated.
Buzz! Buzz!
The next moment.
The gray mist around him churned once more.
Before long.
The old man and the others actually emerged from the gray mist again. Once more, they stretched their trembling hands toward Xu Qing, revealing ferocious smiles. "Please, please show mercy and let us eat you. We haven't eaten anything for many days!"
"!!!"
One had to know.
When Xu Qing had attacked just now, he had used the Thirteenth Sword. Coupled with the strength of his Dan Force, he had clearly shattered every ghostly shadow.
Yet.
They had not died.
They had appeared again.
Clearly.
There was something wrong with these things.
Very wrong.
"Sky-Covering Sword Shadows!"
Clang!
Xu Qing gave a low cry and attacked again. The LV10 Iron Sword in his hand thrust forth, unleashing sword shadows that filled the sky and once again annihilating the old man and the others, who collapsed into gray mist that filled the sky.
Buzz! Buzz!
Immediately afterward.
The gray mist churned once more.
"Young master..."
The old man and the others appeared yet again.
"They can't be killed?!"
Xu Qing frowned, his expression turning slightly solemn as he gripped the iron sword in his hand. This was beyond his expectations. These ghostly things could not be killed?
"Evil entities? Aberrations?"
Xu Qing pondered, sinking into thought.
In truth.
Xu Qing knew something about this as well.
Within the 'Treacherous Path.'
Besides the more common varieties of ghosts and ghost cultivators, there were also the rarer 'evil entities' and 'anomalies.' Every evil entity and anomaly possessed exceptionally peculiar methods and abilities.
Just like now.
The ghostly things Xu Qing had encountered, along with the thick gray mist, were most likely an evil entity—or perhaps an anomaly. It actually possessed such a bizarre ability to revive.
Troublesome.
Extremely troublesome.
"Can they really not be killed?"
Xu Qing asked in a deep voice.
Clang!
The ring of a sword sounded once more.
Xu Qing made his third move, unleashing Sky-Covering Sword Shadows for the third time and shattering every ghostly shadow. Yet as the gray mist spread—
Those ghostly shadows appeared once again.
"Summon."
Buzz!
With a thought—
Xu Qing touched the Ghost Mask with his left hand. Gray-black mist surged forth as the Shaman Evil Ghost was summoned by Xu Qing once more.
"Shaman."
Xu Qing asked gravely, "Do you have a way?"
"Master."
The Shaman Evil Ghost manifested and surveyed the surroundings. "You have now fallen into the 'field' of an evil entity. The rank of the evil entity you have encountered is actually not high."
"I am not here to listen to your explanation."
Xu Qing's expression darkened as he rebuked, "I need to know how to deal with them."
"Master."
The Shaman Evil Ghost revealed a delighted, savage grin. "Allow this servant to handle it for you. Though your strength is formidable, this servant is still more skilled at dealing with evil entities."
"Kehehehe..."
As soon as her words fell—
The Shaman Evil Ghost opened her gaping, bloody maw, transforming into something like a terrifying monster. Ghostly shadows rushed out from within that blood-filled mouth one after another.
There were eighteen ghostly shadows in total.
Upon closer inspection—
These eighteen ghostly shadows were the eighteen resentful souls refined into the Ghost Mask. They had now all become like Fierce Ghosts, pouncing toward the little old man and the others.
Battle erupted.
Xu Qing watched from the side and noticed something: the Shaman Evil Ghost and the others had pounced onto the little old man's ghostly shadows, biting and tearing at them. Every chunk they tore off was swallowed straight into their bellies.
These ghostly shadows were devouring one another.
Roar! Roar!
The Shaman Evil Ghost was tearing and biting at the delicate little girl. Yet the little girl was no longer delicate; she had transformed into a hideous ghost creature.
In the end—
All the ghostly shadows were devoured by the Shaman Evil Ghost. She even let out a satisfied belch, the ghostly aura around her growing ever denser, while an unusual gleam appeared in her eyes as she looked at Xu Qing.
"Return."
Xu Qing's expression remained calm.
"As you command, Master."
The Shaman Evil Ghost lowered her head.
Buzz!
The next moment—
She transformed into a streak of light and merged into the Ghost Mask.
At this moment—
The gray mist around them was gradually dispersing.
Before you continue