Volume One: The Soul-Guiding Gourd and the Spirit-Igniting Lamp Chapter 19: The Fury of the Corpse

Dark clouds shrouded the moon, and gusts of chilling wind swept through the surroundings...

Moments ago, Gu Mo had been unconscious, but now he rose suddenly, as if gravity held no sway over him. This abrupt movement startled Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue so thoroughly that she stood petrified.

With a thunderous crash, Gu Mo, standing upright, was immediately enveloped by a green ghostly flame. The terrifying wound on his chest healed in an instant!

Within the blink of an eye, thick black mist began to billow from Gu Mo's body, his two arms lifting mechanically as though he were a puppet.

Crack, crack, crack—

His joints emitted a series of bone-chilling noises.

Gu Mo's eyes were hollow and white, his arms rigidly extended before him. At the tips of his ten fingers grew elongated, sharp black nails.

Ha—

As soon as Gu Mo opened his mouth, a torrent of frigid air surged forth. Inside that ghastly maw, two sharp vampiric fangs emerged.

The air was thick with ghostly menace, utterly terrifying.

Now, Gu Mo resembled nothing of a living man; he was clearly a horrifying zombie.

Behind him, Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue was utterly at a loss, confused and disoriented.

A sudden whistling sound was heard.

Zombie Gu Mo left only a shadow on the ground as he instantly appeared before the Spirit within the Painting.

A flash of cold light startled the Spirit, who quickly evaded.

With a ripping sound, the red silk was torn to shreds!

Li Gang, bound within a giant cocoon of silk alongside Zombie Gu Mo, plummeted heavily to the ground.

Gu Mo’s waxen, ghastly face and those dreadful fangs sent a chill through Li Gang’s body, causing him to shudder uncontrollably.

When Li Gang crashed onto the ground, he felt a turbulent surge in his bladder, and the orange-hued liquid once again trickled out.

With a thud, Zombie Gu Mo landed, spun around, and leapt with all his might.

The Spirit within the Painting, seeing there was no escape, flung a red silk ribbon from her sleeve and wrapped it tightly around Gu Mo’s ankle.

In the nick of time, she yanked the ribbon, causing Zombie Gu Mo to crash heavily to the earth.

He then stood up stiffly, and as he opened his mouth, the icy breath gushed forth once more.

Instantly, the temperature in the woods dropped precipitously!

The Spirit, startled, quickly brandished a hand and unfurled an old-style oil-paper umbrella before her.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The chilling air was completely blocked by the umbrella.

Crack, crack, crack—

Frost began to form thickly on its surface, spreading along the ribs of the umbrella.

In a flash, as the sound of the cold breath ceased abruptly, the Spirit swiftly retreated.

Meanwhile, with a crisp snap, the frosted umbrella was torn apart into several pieces.

Thud, thud, thud—

With a few leaps, Zombie Gu Mo was now directly before the Spirit.

Startled, she once again swung her pale hands, sending seven or eight red silk ribbons snaking around Zombie Gu Mo like serpents, binding him tightly.

The ends of the ribbons were fastened to the surrounding trees, suspending Zombie Gu Mo high in the air, immobilized!

Seeing herself temporarily safe, the Spirit opened her gaping maw and shot towards the petrified Li Gang.

Still shaken, Li Gang pinched his thigh hard and summoned every ounce of strength to dash away.

Bang!

With a loud crash, the panicked Li Gang turned his head and ran straight into the trunk of a tree.

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Leaves fluttered down from the tree, creating an enchanting spectacle.

Blood gushed from Li Gang’s forehead.

Before he could cry out, the Spirit had already floated behind him.

A chilling, sinister laugh echoed.

"Hehehe~ One day as husband and wife, a hundred days of grace; a hundred days as husband and wife, as deep as the sea. Let me have you, then!"

With these words, she swept aside her long hair, revealing the highly decayed side of her ghostly face once more.

Now, trembling all over, Li Gang was a lamb awaiting slaughter, while the Spirit calmly extended a ghostly hand, caressing his neck, apparently searching for the best spot to bite.

She then extended her blood-red tongue and, with two rows of terrifying fangs, bit down fiercely on Li Gang’s neck.

In a flash, from within Zombie Gu Mo shot a soul-binding chain, gleaming with icy light.

With a metallic clang!

The Spirit’s fangs shattered like broken porcelain, scattering across the ground.

The chain wrapped tightly around her neck.

Infuriated, the Spirit furrowed her brows, and without moving her body, twisted her head 180 degrees.

Her throat convulsed, and two plump, white maggots shot like bullets straight at Zombie Gu Mo’s eyes.

Just as the maggots neared their target, the black mist on Gu Mo erupted, burning the maggots to ashes.

Foiled, the Spirit glared ferociously.

At that moment, Zombie Gu Mo opened his maw wide and let out a bone-chilling howl that echoed through the forest, his zombie form radiating unstoppable authority.

Seeing this, the Spirit muttered fearfully to herself:

"Who is this boy? How does he possess the power of the yin soul? This zombie looks strangely familiar!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Gu Mo’s body shuddered, snapping the red silk bindings surrounding him.

Seeing the tide turn, the Spirit fled swiftly towards the painting.

With a ripping sound, the iron claws swept across her back, leaving deep, bone-revealing gashes.

Ah—

A terrifying scream pierced the air.

With a swoosh, the Spirit, paying a heavy price, slipped into the painting.

Without a target, Zombie Gu Mo leapt before the painting.

His hollow eyes glanced at the scroll; its content matched Li Gang's earlier description.

Within the painting, the Spirit was alluring and graceful, her red gauze lively and ethereal. The ghostly woman stood beneath a blood-red peach tree, holding an oil-paper umbrella.

Strangely, a blood-colored lotus mark adorned her forehead.

Suddenly, from afar, Li Gang emitted a pig-like shriek.

Zombie Gu Mo immediately turned and, with a single leap, covered over thirty meters.

Meanwhile, blood began to seep from the scroll lying flat on the ground.

A gust of eerie wind swept through. Li Gang, still shaken, was scared half to death.

Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue, observing nearby, shouted to Li Gang:

"Hold your breath!"

Though Li Gang couldn’t see Jiang Jingxue’s figure, he desperately sucked in a breath and covered his nose and mouth to save himself.

Zombie Gu Mo parted his iron-stiff lips, and icy breath slowly spilled out.

Li Gang, holding his breath, trembled all over.

Then, Zombie Gu Mo bent forward stiffly, in a movement reminiscent of Jackson’s anti-gravity dance.

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Zombie Gu Mo leaned close to Li Gang, sniffing around him with his nose.

It seemed his hollow, white eyes could see nothing at all.

Yet Li Gang, sweating profusely, was unmistakably alive, carrying the scent of life.

Li Gang felt oxygen running low in his lungs.

Suddenly, gas in his belly started to churn through his intestines.

A bead of sweat slid down his sallow, aged face.

Pff—

A foul, stinking gas spread in the air.

Zombie Gu Mo paused, then suddenly straightened and thrust his iron claws forward.

Terrified, Li Gang instinctively dropped flat to the ground.

A sharp crack was heard.

A tree thick enough for three people to embrace snapped instantly!

Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue was stunned.

"Could it be that the corpse poison wasn’t fully cleansed?"

The scene shifted. Li Gang, panic-stricken, buried his head in the earth, using the soft soil to breathe faintly.

Zombie Gu Mo, losing his target again, was overtaken by his zombie nature.

With howls and furious clawing, seven or eight large trees fell in succession.

Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue, her powers depleted, could only stand frozen, unsure what to do.

Still, she managed to conjure three clusters of green ghost fire, ready to act as needed.

Suddenly, from high above came a hearty laugh.

"Hahahaha!"

As the laughter faded, a ragged figure landed gracefully from a tree branch.

With him came a yellow talisman.

With a crisp slap, the talisman landed squarely on Gu Mo’s forehead.

Instantly, Zombie Gu Mo opened his mouth wide, spewing forth the most chilling corpse breath.

Once the breath had been expelled, Zombie Gu Mo shuddered and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue narrowed her eyes and examined the ragged beggar, who formed a Taoist seal with his hands and smiled:

"Boundless Heavenly Honor!"

After reciting this, the beggar stepped forward, using his fingers to check Gu Mo’s breath.

"Luckily, I arrived in time!"

He then stood and gazed carefully at Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue.

She remained where she was, her pale hands transformed into claws, ready to unleash three balls of ghost fire at any sign of hostility.

After a few moments, the beggar clasped his hands respectfully and said:

"You must be the newly appointed Yan Wang?"

Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue was taken aback.

In these past days, only this beggar had discerned her true identity. Instinct told her this Taoist was no ordinary man.

She lifted her elegant face, looked at him, and asked:

"Are you friend or foe?"

The beggar formed a Taoist seal and replied, "Yan Wang, there’s no need for concern. I am simply connected to Mr. Gu—otherwise, I would not be here to assist."

Upon hearing this, Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue nodded, half-convinced. The three balls of ghost fire gradually dissipated.

Suddenly, the Spirit within the Painting erupted from the scroll, her bloodshot eyes shining like bulbs, her gaping maw opened wide, fangs gleaming with chilling light...

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