Chapter 11：zombie

On the way here, Li Yunyang took the time to introduce the two of them. The granddaughter of the headmaster was named Sun Yueying, and she was currently the third strongest in the entire Taifu Sect. It was said that the strongest was a man named Li Yunhua, who had reached the peak of the Condensed Spirit Realm. The second strongest was Di Fu, who had also attained the same level, though still slightly inferior to Li Yunhua.

Li Yunyang himself ranked fourth. The first and second masters of the Taifu Sect were currently training outside, but they would surely return in time for the upcoming Four Sects Martial Tournament.

"Don't worry, old man. We'll go with you now and surely resolve this matter," Sun Yueying comforted the elderly man, her hand gently grasping his as she spoke, trying to ease his evident concern.

"Thank you. You all must be like gods. With your help, there's no doubt the problem will be solved," the old man replied gratefully.

The villagers were simple people, having little experience with the outside world. They lived off farming, and anyone who practiced a bit of magic was revered as a celestial being.

The three of them followed the old man down to the village, and as they made their way, the elder explained the situation in detail. The village had always enjoyed peaceful days, but not long ago, one of the villagers had suddenly gone mad. His eyes turned blood-red, and he attacked anyone in sight, biting and clawing like a beast. Two were injured, and one was killed. The man had always been kind-hearted, often helping the elderly, so no one understood how such a change could have overtaken him. The villagers eventually managed to subdue him and lock him away.

They buried the man he had killed—an elderly villager with no family—and the two injured were taken home by their families. For a time, it seemed the nightmare was over, but soon, things took a terrifying turn. The wounds of the two injured villagers showed no signs of healing, and their minds began to grow more erratic. Eventually, both of them went completely mad, attacking their own families with bloodshot eyes. They, too, had to be bound.

The horror only deepened when the buried man rose from his grave. His face was rotting, yet he seemed unaware of it, grinning menacingly like a ghost from hell as he attacked the villagers. With combined effort, they subdued him once more and tied him up.

By now, fifteen people had been scratched or bitten. Anyone who was wounded lost their mind after a day, becoming violent and feral. Seeing no other choice, the village chief had come to the Taifu Sect to seek help.

It was almost dusk when the four of them finally arrived at the village. The moment Tian Fan stepped into the place, he was struck by an eerie atmosphere that made his skin crawl. He frowned and glanced at the others, but they seemed unaffected.

As soon as they arrived, a group of villagers gathered around them. "Chief, did they agree to help us?"

"Yeah, Chief, will they save us?"

Some of the villagers noticed Tian Fan and the others and asked, "Who are these people, Chief?"

"Are they the gods who will help us?"

A small child, hiding behind his father, piped up, "But gods have long, white beards! They don't!"

"Quiet, everyone! These three were sent down from the mountain to help us. I'm sure they can solve our problem," the old man said, coughing lightly as he tried to calm the crowd.

"They're really gods?"

"The gods have come to save us! We're saved!"

"With the gods here, we have nothing to fear!"

The entire village erupted with excitement. Everyone wanted to invite the three to their homes, hoping to share a bit of their divine presence, but the villagers' overwhelming enthusiasm left the trio feeling awkward. Finally, the village chief intervened, saying, "Everyone, calm down! We need to focus on the task at hand. Once they have saved our kin, we can show our gratitude."

"Yes, yes, let them save our loved ones first."

"Of course! We almost got carried away!"

"This way, please, I'll show you to our wounded friends."

The villagers led the three to a large, open courtyard filled with trees. As soon as they entered, they saw over a dozen people tied to the trees. Their hair was disheveled, and their faces were obscured. Sensing their approach, one of the bound individuals suddenly lifted his head, letting out a guttural roar. His eyes were blood-red, his mouth filled with sharp fangs, and he struggled violently against his restraints, trying to lunge forward.

Upon seeing this man's face, all three were taken aback. Could this still be considered human? His entire face was decaying, and a foul stench of rot wafted from him. His eyes were bloodshot, his eyelids blackened, and his mouth oozed with putrid yellow saliva. Sharp fangs protruded from his lips.

"Be careful, gods! They've lost all reason and are dangerous!" one of the villagers warned, though he knew the three were no ordinary people.

From the villagers, the trio learned that this man was Zhang Gu, the one who had originally died. The villagers had buried him, but to their horror, he had crawled out of his grave and attacked them. Though Tian Fan and the others were skilled in cultivation and could easily sense the life force in others, they felt nothing from Zhang Gu. He was nothing more than a corpse, yet here he was, rampaging like a beast.

After inspecting all fifteen villagers bound to the trees, the three noted that, aside from Zhang Gu, the others still retained some semblance of life, though their minds had become muddled. Nine men and six women—all showing varying degrees of rotting flesh and frenzied behavior.

"What do you think, Senior Brother Li?" Sun Yueying asked seriously after they had finished their inspection.

Li Yunyang furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment before speaking in a grave tone, "If my guess is correct, we're dealing with a Zombie King here."