I have the face of a great demon.

When Tie Zhu learned that his hometown was haunted, he was extremely anxious, as if his heart was on fire.

He and Liu Xingchen rode at full speed, rushing home without stopping.

Along the way, they passed through sparsely populated areas, so desolate it felt like entering a ghost town. There wasn't a soul in sight on the roads or in the fields, a situation that weighed heavily on Tie Zhu's heart.

Daze Village is not far from Lingshui Town, only 50 li away, and it was reached quickly by horseback.

The village was small and the roads were difficult to navigate, so they dismounted at the village entrance and walked in.

As soon as you enter the village, you feel that the whole village is deathly silent; you can't even hear the crowing of roosters or the barking of dogs.

There were no elderly people or children who used to sit and chat at their doorsteps. All the houses I passed by had their doors and windows closed, and no one was home.

After passing about ten houses, I finally saw an old man sitting in the sun outside one of them.

Upon seeing this, Tie Zhu hurriedly asked, "Fourth Master Zhao, what happened here?"

The old man raised his head, looked at him with his cloudy, lifeless eyes for a while, and then recognized Tiezhu.

"It's Tiezhu! You're finally back! Our village has suffered a disaster."

"What trouble did you encounter?"

“Some time ago, someone in the village died mysteriously, and the death was extremely gruesome. Everyone thought it was the work of a villain.”

"But as more and more people died, someone finally discovered that it was an evil spirit that came out at night to hurt people."

"That evil spirit is too powerful, no one can defeat it. Many people have died in our village and Xiaoze Village."

"People are panicking now. Everyone who can run has run away. Only old men like me can't run anymore and can only stay here to wait for death." The old man's tone was full of fear.

Tie Zhu became even more anxious upon hearing this: "Many people have died in the village. What about my mother?"

"Your mother? Sigh! Tiezhu, hurry home and take care of the funeral arrangements. Leave before it gets dark, don't waste your life here."

Tie Zhu's heartbeat seemed to drown out all other sounds. He didn't even listen to what Master Zhao was saying before he hurriedly ran home, his footsteps echoing in the empty streets.

Seeing this, Liu Xingchen quickly followed behind.

As soon as I arrived at my doorstep, I saw a heartbreaking scene.

The gate was half broken, with wood chips flying everywhere, clearly indicating that it had been forcibly smashed open.

Tie Zhu's heart was in his throat. He rushed in anxiously and found the room in a mess, with furniture overturned and items scattered all over the floor.

Tie Zhu's gaze finally fell on a corner of the room, where his mother lay quietly, her body cold, having been dead for many days.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still, and Tiezhu's world collapsed instantly. He held his mother's body, tears streaming down his face like a burst dam, and cried out in anguish.

Liu Xingchen's expression was solemn. He squatted down and examined the wound carefully, discovering clear bite marks on Tiezhu's mother's neck, with signs that the blood had been drained.

What kind of monster could be so ferocious?

His brows furrowed, and an unnamed rage surged within him.

He immediately consulted the jade slip left to him by his master, looking for some characteristics of the ghost, and discovered that it seemed to be the work of a zombie.

"Zombies?" Upon hearing this, Tie Zhu jumped up, his grief turning into rage.

"You damned zombie! How dare you harm my mother! I will grind you to dust and avenge her!"

Suppressing his grief, Tiezhu buried his mother on the back mountain, a place overlooking the entire village, so that she could rest in peace.

He stood before the grave, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.

“Brother Xingchen, I want to kill the evil spirit that is harming people, avenge my mother, and rid my fellow villagers of this scourge.”

"Okay, I'll go with you."

Now that the two have achieved success in their cultivation and possess numerous exorcism talismans, dealing with a ghost that might be a zombie should not be a problem.

Even if he encounters a powerful zombie, he's not afraid. With the spirit ghost around, Liu Xingchen can even unleash the attack power of a Golden Core stage cultivator. He doesn't believe he can't kill a mere zombie.

They decided to stay in the village that night and wait for the ghost to appear.

At that moment, the two saw a group of people standing in the distance.

Tie Zhu asked in confusion, "Huh? Didn't they say everyone had run away? How come there are still so many people left?"

Liu Xingchen thought for a moment and said, "People are afraid of ghosts and have all run away. Those who stayed must be here to deal with them. Let's go, Tiezhu, let's meet up with them. Otherwise, the two of us might not be able to find the ghosts."

As the two approached, they realized it was someone they knew: Chief Shi of the Lingshui Gang.

"Chief Shi, what are you doing here?"

When Chief Shi, who was busy directing everyone's actions, saw the newcomers, he was overjoyed and said:

"Liu Xingchen and Tiezhu, it's you two! Haha, long time no see. What happened to you two, you've become Taoist priests?"

“Chief Shi, we… have our own destiny. By the way, who are you here?” Liu Xingchen asked.

Chief Shi sighed, "Alas, as you probably already know, this area is haunted, many people have died, and even the government is helpless, so the villagers have no choice but to flee."

"However, if the government doesn't take care of it, someone has to."

"Everyone here has run away. If the ghosts can't find anyone, they'll definitely go somewhere else."

“Look, it has harmed Daze Village, and now it’s going to harm Xiaoze Village. It’s heading north.”

"If we keep going, we'll reach Lingshui Town."

"Tell me, how can our Ling Shui Gang not step forward to protect our home?"

Chief Shi's words filled Liu Xingchen and his companion with respect. These tough men, even knowing that the ghosts would eat people, still rushed forward without hesitation, ready to fight the ghosts to protect their homeland.

Such men are true heroes, far superior to those who spend their days vying for fame and fortune, engaging in deceit and treachery.

Liu Xingchen said, "Chief Shi, we're here to help you."

Tie Zhu followed closely behind, his eyes slightly red but firm, and said, "Chief Shi, to tell you the truth, I am from Daze Village. My mother... she was killed by that ghost. This revenge must be taken! I'll join too."

Upon hearing this, Chief Shi's eyes flashed with admiration. He patted the two men on the shoulders and laughed loudly, "Good! You two are true men. I, Shi, have not misjudged you. Come on, let's eat first. Only when we are full will we have the strength to fight ghosts."

As he spoke, Chief Shi pulled the two men along and warmly introduced them to the group of heroes from the Lingshui Gang.

These simple, honest men still remembered Liu Xingchen and Tiezhu, the two strongmen from the entrance exam. Liu Xingchen, in particular, looked so gentle and refined, yet he could throw the stone lock so high, leaving a very deep impression on everyone.

"Haha, do you still remember these two young men? They're Taoist priests now. With them around, we're even more confident in dealing with that ghost!" Chief Shi's voice was full of pride.

Upon hearing this, the crowd cheered. The news that a Taoist priest was coming to deal with the ghost gave them even more confidence.

After a group of people sat together and enjoyed a hearty meal, Chief Shi began to plan the ghost-hunting operation for the night.