Chapter 40

That night, Zhao Yun and Niu Hong stood before a dense, old forest.

"Right here."

Niu Hong took a swig of wine and pointed inside.

"North of the mountain, south of the water."

Zhao Yun murmured, looking around. The Heavenly Book of the Mystic Gate stated that the north of the mountain and the south of the water were places of yin, but the specific conditions also depended on the terrain. If all three lights were present, yin could be transformed into yang. The three lights referred to sunlight, starlight, and moonlight.

"You have a good sword; lend it to me for a bit."

Niu Hong, quite aware, pulled out the Zixiao Sword from Zhao Yun's waist.

Zhao Yun said nothing.

Going in to find someone to fight, how could they go without weapons?

With that, the two stepped in together.

As they entered the forest, they felt a cold wind. The further they went, the heavier the yin energy became.

Deep inside, it greatly affected their visibility.

"When we face that old man, just focus on fighting. Leave his soul-capturing bell to me; I have a way to deal with it," Niu Hong whispered. Last night, Zhao Yun had failed to defeat the sorcerer mainly because of the soul-capturing bell, which could disrupt the mind, causing Zhao Yun to be restrained in his attacks. If not for that, he would have surely defeated the sorcerer.

"What method?"

Zhao Yun asked casually, looking down at the ground. The soil was deep black, and when he looked up at the sky, the starlight and moonlight were obscured by the yin energy.

"A family secret."

Niu Hong chuckled but didn't reveal more, keeping it mysterious.

Whistling...

Suddenly, they heard this sound, unsure if it was the cold wind or the wailing of ghosts.

"Don't be afraid; I'll protect you."

Niu Hong patted his chest, perhaps having been there before, and walked with the same arrogant posture, carrying Zhao Yun's Zixiao Sword.

Zhao Yun looked around, occasionally glancing back.

Since entering the forest, he felt a cold wind at his back, always sensing someone watching him.

The two continued deeper, one in front of the other.

The yin energy became more pervasive, and the whistling sound grew louder.

"I think we've been here before!"

"It seems so; I remember this crooked tree clearly."

"How many times have we been here?"

In the forest, the two kept muttering.

They were lost.

Indeed, they were lost, having walked back and forth in the same place over a dozen times.

Once again, the two stopped.

In the middle of the night, they couldn't get out of the forest.

"Confusing Array." Niu Hong mused.

"Most likely." Zhao Yun sighed, thinking the sorcerer must have known they would come for revenge and set up the Confusing Array in advance.

"Should we burn the forest?"

Niu Hong rubbed his thumb and index finger, producing a flame.

"It won't work well."

Zhao Yun looked up at the sky, unable to see the stars. He then walked in a certain direction.

Every time he passed a tree, he would stop and examine it.

The Confusing Array was a type of formation. Since it was a formation, it must have a key point. Finding and breaking it would solve the problem, as stated in the Heavenly Book of the Mystic Gate. He hoped the sorcerer's level wasn't high enough; if the Confusing Array was too advanced, the key point would be hard to find.

"What are you looking for?"

Niu Hong followed, having read the same books as Zhao Yun.

"Treasure."

Zhao Yun's eyes were sharp, not missing any detail.

Soon, he squatted down.

In front of him was an ancient pine tree. At first glance, it looked like any other tree, but upon closer inspection, he saw a small rune carved at the base of the trunk, hidden by weeds and hard to notice.

"It's you."

Zhao Yun released a thread of true essence, shattering the rune.

Immediately, the yin mist thinned.

Seeing this, Zhao Yun knew his method was correct, and the Confusing Array wasn't of a high level.

"I get it." Niu Hong's eyes lit up.

The two worked diligently, walking and searching, breaking any runes they found.

After about half an hour, they broke the Confusing Array.

Exiting the forest, they found themselves in a cemetery, overgrown with weeds. Many graves had no tombstones, and it was unknown who was buried there or for how long. There were quite a few graves.

"Sorry for the disturbance."

Niu Hong became talkative, bowing all the way.

"This is a place of extreme yin."

Zhao Yun murmured, noting the north of the mountain, south of the water, the deep black soil, the cold wind, and the gathered yin energy. Now, there were also many old graves.

Multiple signs indicated this was a good place to raise zombies.

The sorcerer, it seemed, was not only skilled in witchcraft but also had considerable expertise in feng shui. Just by choosing this place, he had shown his brilliance.

"See that? Over there." Niu Hong pointed.

Zhao Yun looked in the direction. In the distance, there was a small hill with a Taoist temple on top.

However, the yin energy was so thick that it was hard to see clearly.

Without a word, the two headed straight for it, weapons in hand.

As they took a few steps, the yin energy grew heavier.

More bizarrely, despite being only a few hundred yards away from the temple, they walked for a long time without reaching it. When they looked up, it still seemed far away.

"Are we in a ghost loop?"

Niu Hong coughed, sensing something was wrong. It felt like they were walking in circles, unable to leave the cemetery.

"It's an illusion."

Zhao Yun said, encountering such a situation for the first time.

"The old man knows a lot!"

Niu Hong cursed, first the Confusing Array, then the illusion, quite a variety.

Zing!

Zhao Yun flicked his wrist, sending a flying knife straight up.

Boom!

A loud explosion echoed in the silent night. The power of the explosive talisman was considerable, clearing a large area of yin energy.

With less yin mist, starlight and moonlight shone through.

To break the yin energy illusion, light was needed. He only knew the basics, but it was enough because the sorcerer's level was limited. If the sorcerer's level were higher, even more explosive talismans wouldn't work.

Now, they could see clearly.

Straining their eyes, they saw two figures standing at the entrance of the temple.

They were two Taoist boys.

"They are the sorcerer's disciples." Niu Hong said, having seen them before.

However, they didn't see the sorcerer.

He was likely hiding in the temple, still recovering from the explosion last night.

"Good boys."

The two Taoist boys, looking down from above, laughed sinisterly.

Zing! Zing!

Zhao Yun and Niu Hong wasted no time, rushing up the hill with their swords.

"Overconfident."

The two Taoist boys sneered, both making hand seals.

Immediately, the yin energy, which had just dispersed, gathered again, forming another illusion.

Not only that, the cemetery became restless.

The old graves trembled, the earth pushing out and sliding to the sides, as if something was about to crawl out.

Indeed, the old graves were not just for show.

Under their watch, a corpse crawled out of each grave. They weren't hopping zombies but walking corpses, each dressed in tattered clothes, emaciated, with rotten flesh covering their bones, emitting a strong, putrid smell that made one want to vomit. They were not only terrifying but also disgusting.

"Zombie transformation?" Niu Hong raised an eyebrow.

"Raising zombies." Zhao Yun said.

These corpses were likely buried by the sorcerer, absorbing yin energy in the graves. They lay there when there was nothing to do and were summoned to fight when needed. The longer they stayed, the more powerful they became. Judging by the number of walking corpses, there were at least hundreds or thousands. Who knew how many bodies the sorcerer had stolen over the years.

"Should we go home?"

Niu Hong coughed, his bravado from earlier gone. The number of walking corpses was overwhelming. If each one took a bite, they would be reduced to nothing.

"Eliminate the caster, and they will stop."

Zhao Yun's eyes were deep. It would be foolish to fight the walking corpses directly.

"You're right."

Niu Hong stood up straight, his teammate was reliable.

Zing!

Another flying knife shot into the sky.

Boom!

The explosion was loud, accompanied by thunder, clearing the illusion again.

"Come."

The two shouted in unison, charging forward from both sides.

Whistling...

The walking corpses moved, surrounding them from all sides, spitting yin energy, and lunging at them. Although numerous, they were at a disadvantage in certain areas, likely due to their low level. Their movements were slow, and they didn't know how to use secret techniques.

"Scatter."

Niu Hong shouted, swinging his sword wildly with no particular technique.

Zhao Yun did the same, his Longyuan Sword covered in lightning, slashing wildly.

The walking corpses suffered, being cut into pieces, bones cracking. Even with only half a body, they still moved, crawling on the ground.

"Charge through."

Niu Hong's true essence surged, leading the charge to clear the way for Zhao Yun. Knowing Zhao Yun's agility, he aimed to kill the two Taoist boys, which would stop the walking corpses.

This strategy was correct.

Zhao Yun understood, using the Wind God Step to move between the walking corpses. When he passed Niu Hong, he switched from the Longyuan Sword to the Zixiao Sword. For an assassination, the Zixiao Sword was better, being lighter and not hindering his speed.

Seeing this, the two Taoist boys panicked.

They were good at controlling the corpses but poor at fighting.

They couldn't match Zhao Yun.

"Stop him." A cold voice came from the temple, the sorcerer.

His condition was not good.

He was indeed recovering, one sleeve hanging empty, his arm having been blown off by Zhao Yun's explosive talisman the previous night. He had been ruthless, cutting off his arm.

Puff!

Below, Zhao Yun split a walking corpse with one sword strike, charging up the hill. Niu Hong was still trapped in the crowd of walking corpses, overwhelmed by their numbers.

"Burn you."

Seeing Zhao Yun approach, the two Taoist boys sneered, making hand seals.

Following their master's order, they had to stop him.

Then, fireballs rained down from the sky, aimed at Zhao Yun.

The fireballs were large but moved slowly.

Zhao Yun, using the Wind God Step, easily dodged them.

The two Taoist boys stepped back, continuing their hand seals.

Initially, it was ghost fire, now it was a rain of corrosive water, a type of water-based secret technique. Each drop was corrosive.

Boom!

Zhao Yun ignored it, summoning beast fire, his body engulfed in flames.

Water met fire and evaporated.

The two Taoist boys' level was not high. If a practitioner of the Mystic Yang Realm had used this technique, it would have been different, possibly extinguishing the beast fire and killing Zhao Yun.

"What else do you have?"

Zhao Yun said calmly, stepping onto the last stone step and attacking the hill.

"Die!"

The two Taoist boys, with fierce expressions, made hand seals, forming two large, illusory talismans.

The talismans looked impressive.

However, they were only impressive, lacking any real attack power. At the Condensing Essence Realm, the sorcerer's disciples could perform for an audience, but in a fight, they were far inferior to martial practitioners of the same level. Their weak bodies could be shattered with a single palm.

These types were better suited for support roles.

Without a tank to protect them, once they were close, their fate was not good.

This was a clear example.

Zhao Yun's sword not only broke the two talismans but also forced the two Taoist boys to retreat, leaving deep wounds on their chests. If the talismans hadn't weakened the sword's power, they would have been split in two, and a direct hit would have been fatal.