Chapter 49

Zombies, born from the怨气 (resentment) and 死气 (deathly aura) of heaven and earth, come into being through a malevolent force. They do not age, do not die, and cannot be destroyed, being cast out of the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity, wandering without a home, homeless and destitute. Their bodies are stiff, and in the human world, they use resentment as their power and blood as their food.

These zombies are newly formed, their limbs not yet fully stiffened, and due to their recent transformation, their abilities are also quite limited. To Bawuyue, they are not particularly formidable. He charged forward with the stick, thrusting and poking, and with a "pfft," he created a hole in the glazed tile roof!

The glazed tiles, which had cost a fortune to build, were now shattered by Bawuyue's stick, creating a large hole in the table, allowing the pale sunlight to shine directly onto the zombies. However, they merely swayed slightly, emitting a wisp of bluish-white smoke from their bodies, suffering no damage at all—

Instead, Bawuyue's sudden leap startled them, and they all turned their heads in unison!

The sound of "thud, thud, thud" echoed as two zombies jumped out from the adjacent room, their faces as black as ink, fangs protruding deeply. Though their knees did not bend and their waists did not move, making them appear clumsy and ridiculous, their movements were actually very agile! The necrotic spots on their skin had turned into dark patterns, and their skin had stopped decaying, becoming extremely stiff. As they leaped, there was even a faint sound of metal clashing... The two zombies stopped when they saw Bawuyue, their mouths and noses making a hissing sound, but their eyes were fixed on the wooden stick in his hand!

If zombies can feel fear, know when to advance or retreat, and understand gain and loss, then they possess a certain level of intelligence. They are not only a hundred times more powerful than new zombies but are also superior to ordinary old zombies!

These two zombies were none other than Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin!

Bawuyue's eyelids twitched slightly, thinking to himself, "I knew these two had turned into zombies, but how could they be so powerful? It's as if they were cultivated for a hundred years! No, I must first drive away the bats and use the sunlight!"

With this thought, he suddenly charged forward a few steps, heading straight for the person who was being bitten!

This sudden charge was like a pot exploding. Except for the two zombies, Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin, who only hissed but did not attack, the others rushed over, poking, pinching, biting, and grabbing... blocking his path.

As Bawuyue was about to collide with the first zombie, he suddenly changed direction, letting the zombie pass, then swung his stick to push two zombies away. He then pulled the stick back, using the momentum to hit the first zombie, knocking him to the ground.

The zombie in front immediately pounced again!

There were many zombies, and it would take considerable effort to eliminate them all, but this was not Bawuyue's plan!

After knocking the first zombie away, he suddenly pulled the stick back and thrust it into the center of the pentagram hexagram array drawn by Kongfeng, right into the bowl filled with incense oil and peach wood ash!

With a quick movement, the bowl of incense oil slid toward him!

At this moment, two new zombies had already rushed to Bawuyue. He leaned back, kicked both zombies in the chest with his feet, sending them flying backward!

This collision slowed down the other zombies!

Bawuyue's body was suspended in the air, and he landed on the back of the fallen zombie, using it as a cushion to avoid pain. The bowl of incense oil had slid right in front of him!

He quickly took off his robe, placed the bowl inside, and wrapped it up with the sleeves, tying them together.

The two zombies from the Qin family felt a sense of danger, though they did not know what he was doing, they sensed something was wrong and pounced over!—too late!

Bawuyue stuffed the talisman paper into his robe, stood up, and threw the bundle into the air with all his might!

It immediately disappeared into the thick swarm of bats.

A cold smile appeared on his lips. Ignoring the two zombies from the Qin family, he clasped his hands in the Lion's Hand Mudra, recited the Vajrasattva Body Mantra, and shouted:

"Swastika! All five elements are present! Great power! Three realms!" He pointed his finger at the sky and shouted, "Fire! Swastika!"

With a loud explosion, a huge fireball burst in the sky, scattering countless flames. The incense oil and peach wood ash were sprayed everywhere, enveloped in thick smoke and fire, like countless talismans exploding at once, instantly creating a sea of flames in the air!

The dry bat corpses immediately turned into thousands of fireballs, falling to the ground and burning into ashes, mixing with the soil and becoming untraceable.

The sunlight shone down, and the red sun illuminated everything, a beam of light shooting through the hole in the roof!

How could the new zombies withstand this sunlight? They immediately began to emit green smoke and catch fire. A few tried to escape, but Bawuyue knocked them down with his stick one by one!

In the sunlight and flames, the two zombies from the Qin family dared not come closer. They suddenly turned and jumped back into the room. Bawuyue, who had been watching their movements, did not make a sound. He picked up the bowls from the pentagram hexagram array, regardless of the remaining incense oil, and threw them at the two zombies.

The two zombies were immediately drenched in incense oil and ash, ready to catch fire with just a spark!

The ground, roof, and zombies were all burning. How could there be no source of fire? Bawuyue casually used his stick to create a spark.

"From the boundless void, I lead the boundless, the auspicious cloud opens the gate of life, the auspicious smoke seals the gate of death, from the beginning of the mysterious origin, to connect the auspicious and responsive mechanism, transcending the immortal source, vast and naturally clear... I request the ghosts of the underworld to restrain and save all sins, to relieve all calamities, to subdue lonely spirits and wandering ghosts, to guide them to the three paths of rebirth, to eliminate karma and repay debts!"

He swung the stick at the backs of the two zombies, and the flames immediately ignited on their bodies! These two zombies were not ordinary zombies and would not sit and wait to die. They still staggered toward the room, causing fires in all directions. In a short time, the house would be engulfed in flames. Bawuyue did not hesitate, sighing, he said:

"Karma and retribution are the will of heaven, yin and yang are naturally balanced. If one does not cross over in this life, how can there be a next life?" He broke the stick in half, took a piece of magical rope, and tied it to both ends to make a流星锤 (meteor hammer). He swung it around a few times and threw it at the legs of the zombies.

One end hit Mr. Qin's leg, and the other end wrapped around Mrs. Qin and flew back, causing both zombies to fall to the ground!

Bawuyue picked up two peach wood stakes that Kongfeng had ordered to be made but were not yet completed. Finding them suitable, he walked over and thrust them into the backs of the struggling zombies, piercing through them completely.

He did not stop there, continuing to thrust the peach wood stakes into the bodies of the new zombies, regardless of how much they had burned, as long as they were not completely charred, he did not spare any of them...

He then called the female ghost and Zunxianbao to bring the second young master out—placing the unconscious second young master in a sunny spot near the cave to ensure his safety, the female ghost fetched water, and Zunxianbao helped extinguish the fire.

He used the stick to erase the pentagram hexagram array on the ground, then searched a few rooms and brought out several bronze mirrors. He arranged the bronze mirrors in a hexagonal shape around the cave entrance, reflecting sunlight into the cave, forming a large beam of light that shone straight down.

As he arranged these items, the sounds of ghosts wailing and howling faintly rose from the cave. Hearing this, Bawuyue's hands trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and continued placing the items, muttering:

"Destiny and calamity are the will of heaven, I am but a mortal and cannot change it, I feel ashamed... ashamed..."

However, his hands moved faster, and in a few seconds, he had finished arranging everything. He then ordered:

"Stay above, I will go down and take a look!"

Holding the rope ladder, he leaped down without a word!

※

Kongfeng held the small sword to his throat, shouting in anger and frustration, "Become a ghost..." "Stop!" A thunderous voice suddenly shouted, "Becoming a ghost for three lifetimes of evil, the mind must be clear! How can you become a ghost and make us, your fellow disciples, act like this?"

These words, like a sudden enlightenment, cleared his mind. He looked up and saw a person fall from the cave entrance, the very old man he had despised so much.

The old man's beard and hair were like a bird's nest, black and smelly, with traces of burning. He had discarded his robe and was now wearing a greasy, dirty old cotton jacket, looking like a roadside beggar—yet, for some reason, his calm and commanding demeanor made Kongfeng feel a chill, and his气势 (aura) was unknowingly diminished!

There was a faint aura of immortality and Daoist wisdom about him.

Kongfeng did not have time to examine the old man in detail. He turned his attention to the undead bone in the crowd, sneering and cursing, "I thought you were something special, but you're just a damn thing—hey! Aren't you supposed to bite people? Come over here and see if you can bite me!"

He directly challenged the undead bone.

The undead bone had already noticed Bawuyue when he fell from the cave entrance. Hearing this, the bone claw suddenly loosened, and the person it was holding fell to the ground, blood gushing from four wounds in his neck. After a few convulsions, he lay still... Counting the people in the cave, only a few remained, the rest were either dead or struggling on the ground, clearly beyond saving.

The undead bone floated toward Bawuyue, leaving a trail of blood behind...

Seeing the undead bone approach the old man, Kongfeng felt a strange sensation, hoping to see the old man die at the hands of the zombie. Although he knew he would not survive if the old man died, this thought stubbornly clung to him, refusing to fade!

It was not just jealousy or pride, but a deep-seated resistance to the old man.