Starting with the Earth God, the path to immortality is deduced!

"Such overwhelming ferocity!"

Zhou Yuan was terrified, but he didn't stop what he was doing.

He held up the blue lamp and shone it fiercely at the jumping zombie!

A bluish halo, like a sharp sword, pierced straight into the jumping zombie in the coffin!

however!

Just as the azure light was about to touch it, the leaping, stiff figure vanished from the coffin in a flash!

too fast!

It was so fast that Zhou Yuan's soul and thoughts could barely keep up!

boom!

The blue light missed its target and struck the coffin hard.

The hard wooden board made a "sizzling" sound under the bluish light, emitted a puff of black smoke, and was instantly corroded into a large hole!

"Where?!"

Zhou Yuan's mind was tense, and his soul's perception was heightened to the extreme.

"Hehehe..."

A strange laugh came from above his head.

Zhou Yuan suddenly looked up!

The jumping zombie, like a gecko, clung tightly to the beams of the ancestral hall, looking down at him with its scarlet eyes, staring at him mockingly!

Its movements showed no trace of the stiffness of a zombie.

He's clearly more agile than a monkey!

"Damn it!"

Zhou Yuan cursed under his breath and urged the Azure Lamp to shine again.

The jumping zombie swayed and flashed again, easily dodging the attack and landing on another roof beam.

Zhou Yuan's soul was completely unable to pinpoint its weakness!

This thing's speed is too unpredictable!

Moreover, the powerful force emanating from it made Zhou Yuan's soul instinctively tremble!

In the midst of this chase and dodge, Zhou Yuan finally saw something on the jumping zombie's chest.

That thing froze his very soul!

On the stiff chest, beneath the tattered burial shroud, a simple copper coin was tightly bound with a red thread!

The copper coin was completely black, with strange patterns engraved on it, and it exuded an extremely cold aura.

It's ghost money!

The pattern on this ghost coin is exactly the same as the one I got from that drowned ghost!

boom!!!

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Zhou Yuan's mind!

Drowned ghost...

Ren Jia jumped into a daze...

Money from the underworld!

These two things are not independent at all!

Behind the scenes, there is an unseen hand controlling everything!

That mysterious person not only raises ghosts in the river, but also refines corpses in the Ren family mansion!

What exactly is he trying to do?!

"roar!!!"

Just as Zhou Yuan lost his composure, the jumping zombie seemed to seize the opportunity!

It could taste the deliciousness of Zhou Yuan's soul!

That was an unparalleled tonic for it!

With an angry roar, it stopped dodging and kicked off the roof beam with all four limbs!

The entire body, like a black cannonball, descended from the sky with a fierce wind that tore through the air, and pounced on Zhou Yuan's soul!

Those two jet-black claws drew ten sharp, cold streaks in the air!

"not good!"

Zhou Yuan was deeply shaken, and an unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped his entire body!

He wanted to hide!

But the jumping zombie was too fast, and the energy had completely locked onto him!

There was no way to avoid that claw!

At the critical moment, Zhou Yuan poured all his soul power into the Azure Lamp!

The ancient bronze lamp shone brightly, forming a thin cyan light curtain in front of him!

Bang! ! !

A loud bang!

The leaping zombie's sharp claws slammed into the cyan light screen!

Click!

The light barrier lasted for less than a breath before shattering!

Zhou Yuan felt as if his soul had been struck by a giant hammer weighing ten thousand pounds, and he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall of the ancestral hall.

"puff……"

His soul dissipated for a moment, and he was almost forced back to his original form.

On the "arm" in its soul form, five deep claw marks were left by the residual force of the sharp claws, and wisps of soul power were escaping from the wounds.

A tearing, excruciating pain shot straight to my soul!

"So strong!"

Zhou Yuan had only one thought left in his mind.

The power of that leaping zombie was far beyond what he could currently contend with!

There must be an even more powerful evil force supporting it!

"roar!"

Having landed a successful blow, the jumping zombie became even more excited, its scarlet eyes filled with greed and savagery.

It gave Zhou Yuan no chance to catch his breath and roared as it pounced on him again!

"We can't beat them!"

"If we don't leave now, it will tear our souls to shreds!"

Zhou Yuan made a decisive move, no longer harboring any desire to continue the fight.

A head-on confrontation is suicidal!

He endured the excruciating pain in his soul, and with a thought, his entire soul instantly transformed into a streak of light, shooting towards the direction of the ancestral hall's gate!

His ability to "walk through the underworld" allowed him to ignore physical obstacles!

"roar--!!!"

The delicious food that was about to be eaten flew away, and the jumping zombie let out a resentful and angry roar, smashing a nearby pillar to pieces with one claw!

……

In the corner of the wall.

Zhou Yuan's body jolted violently, his drooping head snapped back up, and he opened his eyes!

"puff!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face ashen white.

"hiss……"

Zhou Yuan clutched his chest, panting heavily, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

The pain of a broken soul is a thousand times more unbearable than physical injuries.

He felt like his head was about to split open.

"Damn it... the Ren family is even more treacherous than I imagined!"

Zhou Yuan glanced back at the Ren family mansion, which resembled a ghost town, his eyes filled with lingering fear and solemnity.

If he had reacted any slower tonight, his soul might have truly perished there!

"Jumping zombies...ghost money..."

"There's definitely a big problem behind this!"

Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth and slowly stood up, leaning against the wall.

He alone, relying on his soul to fight alone, couldn't possibly defeat that monster.

We have to go back!

Let's go back to the coffin shop and discuss this further!

...

Zhou Yuan staggered and pushed open the creaking wooden door of the coffin shop.

A strong smell of medicine and wood wafted towards me.

This is a place he is familiar with.

It is home.

Pfft!

He could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground like a rag doll. The excruciating pain from the damage to his soul made his vision go black.

"Joo Won!"

A crisp exclamation rang out.

The curtain to the inner room was suddenly flung open, and a petite figure rushed out.

It was Ma Ling'er.

She had woken up. Although her face was still a little pale, she could move freely, indicating that the corpse poison in her body had been temporarily suppressed.

"What happened to you, you look like a monster?!"

Ma Ling'er was startled when she saw Zhou Yuan's pale face and the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth. She quickly squatted down to help him up.

"Don't touch me!"

Zhou Yuan let out a low growl, his voice hoarse like a broken gong.

He is in a very bad state right now, his mind and soul are unstable, and he cannot be touched by even a trace of the yang energy of a living person, otherwise it will only make things worse.

Ma Ling'er's hand froze in mid-air, stunned.

Zhou Yuan struggled to sit up against the door frame, panting heavily. Each breath aggravated the wound in his soul, causing him to grimace in pain.

"You...you went to the Ren family?"

Ma Ling'er was incredibly clever and guessed the general idea in an instant.

Zhou Yuan didn't answer. Instead, he took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured out a dark pill, and put it into his mouth without even looking at it.

This is the "Soul-Stabilizing Pill" left by Uncle Liu, specifically used to stabilize the soul.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a cool sensation rushed straight to the top of the head, finally suppressing the tearing pain somewhat.

He took a long time to calm down before raising his head, his eyes filled with a terrifyingly solemn expression.

"There are no black zombies in the Ren family mansion."

"What is it?"

Ma Ling'er's heart also jumped.

Zhou Yuan said, enunciating each word clearly:

"It's... a hopping zombie!"

"What?!"

Ma Ling'er's face turned even paler than Zhou Yuan's in an instant!

As a descendant of a family of witch doctors, she knew better than anyone what the words "jumping zombie" meant!

That's no ordinary evil spirit!

It was a ferocious creature that had already developed intelligence, was as fast as a ghost, and possessed immense strength!

"Impossible! How could a jumping zombie suddenly appear out of nowhere in a small place like Fengzhou City? Even a corpse-raising ground wouldn't be this fast!"

She cried out in disbelief.

Zhou Yuan gave a wry smile and pointed to the location of his injured "arm".

"I've fought it before."

"One move."

"With just one move, it almost tore my soul apart."

"That thing is a hundred times stronger than I imagined, and the magic array in the ancestral hall is still continuously providing it with power!"

Ma Ling'er gasped. Looking at Zhou Yuan's lingering fear, she knew he hadn't exaggerated at all.

Even a powerful figure like him, who could wield the "Azure Lamp" technique, was defeated in one move. The ferocity of that jumping zombie had exceeded her expectations!

"Oh no...this is a huge problem!"

Ma Ling'er was so anxious that she paced around in circles.

"If this thing gets out, everyone in Fengzhou City will have to become its snack!"

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He stared at Ma Ling'er and revealed the most crucial discovery.

"I saw something in that throbbing chest."

"What is it?"

"A piece of...ghost money wrapped in red thread!"

"Ghost money?!"

Ma Ling'er's steps suddenly stopped, as if she had been struck by lightning, and she froze on the spot.

She turned around abruptly, staring intently at Zhou Yuan, her voice trembling.

Are you sure?!

"Did you see clearly?!"

"What pattern?!"

Zhou Yuan was taken aback by her barrage of questions, but still answered in a deep voice:

"Absolutely true!"

"The markings are very strange, exactly the same as the ones I found on that drowned ghost in the river!"

boom!

Ma Ling'er's mind completely exploded!

Drowned ghost... Jumping zombie... Ghost money!

At this moment, all the clues came together to form a single line!

"Second Uncle...this is what Second Uncle is looking for!"

She muttered to herself, a hint of fear in her eyes, but more than that, there was an excitement and determination to find her goal!

"So... those evil cultivators... have already extended their reach into Fengzhou City!"

Zhou Yuan frowned: "Do you know who's behind this?"

Ma Ling'er suddenly raised her head, her small face full of fierceness.

"It's more than just knowing!"

"These evil cultivators who use ghost money to refine corpses and raise ghosts are the mortal enemies that my Ma family has been tracking down for three years!"

"They killed several of my people!"

"My second uncle came to Fengzhou this time because he had followed a lead, but he never expected them to make such a big fuss!"

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred.

That's it!

No wonder Uncle Liu had contact with the Ma family; it seems they had been keeping an eye on this group for a long time!

Ma Ling'er gritted her teeth and said hatefully:

"These bastards! They're using living people, the entire city's inhabitants, to forge their evil artifacts!"

"This hopping zombie is probably just one of their 'creations'!"

"No! We absolutely cannot let them succeed!"

Zhou Yuan looked at her and calmly poured cold water on her enthusiasm.

"How can we stop it?"

"You think you can beat me? I think I can beat you?"

"That thing is still absorbing yin energy in the ancestral hall. Once it's completely finished, it'll probably be a 'flying zombie.' At that point, even if the two of us were tied together, it wouldn't be enough to fill its teeth!"

Ma Ling'er was speechless after hearing his words, and her face turned bright red.

Yes.

We can't beat them.

Even Zhou Yuan's soul was severely injured in one move. With her limited cultivation, what difference would it make if she went up there? It would be no different from suicide.

But should we just let it go?

She is not reconciled!

Suddenly, Ma Ling'er seemed to remember something, and her eyes lit up!

"Yes! I still have a way!"

She slapped her thigh and exclaimed excitedly.

"I can't beat them alone, but I can call for help!"

Zhou Yuan was taken aback: "Help? In this Fengzhou City, besides Uncle Liu, who else can we turn to?"

Ma Ling'er puffed out her small chest, looking smug and mysterious.

"Hmph, not human!"

"These are the deities I worship!"

"Immortals?"

Zhou Yuan was even more puzzled. He hadn't fully understood the cultivation system of this world yet, and now a new term had appeared.

Seeing his blank expression, Ma Ling'er explained:

"Our Ma family of the Northern Continent practices the methods of witchcraft, which are different from the Taoist practices of your Central Plains."

"We don't cultivate our own spiritual essence; instead, we form contracts with powerful spirit beasts of heaven and earth, worship them, and borrow their power to slay demons and monsters!"

"These mythical beasts, we respectfully call them 'immortals'!"

Zhou Yuan was completely confused: "A spirit beast? Is it...is it a fox or weasel that has become a spirit?"

"Pooh!"

Ma Ling'er spat.

"Don't compare those insignificant demons to my immortals!"

"My immortal abode is a genuine ancient and extraordinary species, the Iron-Eating Beast!"

"An iron-eating beast?"

In an instant, a round, chubby figure with black and white stripes flashed into Zhou Yuan's mind.

panda?!

He almost spat out the Soul-Stabilizing Pill he had just swallowed.

"The deity you worship... is a panda?"

"What panda? That sounds awful!"

Ma Ling'er glared at him with displeasure.

"That's called the Iron-Eating Beast! A divine beast that even the ancient demon god Chi You rode!"

"It's amazing! Wait till I bring it out, it'll scare you to death!"

Looking at her confident demeanor, Zhou Yuan was skeptical.

But for now, this seems to be the only option.

"good!"

Even if you have divine assistance, we cannot act rashly.

Zhou Yuanqiang struggled to his feet, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"That jumping zombie is blessed by an evil formation and protected by yin money; it's very strange."

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!"

"I need to know its weaknesses!"

As he spoke, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Om-!

An ancient, heavy bronze book silently appeared before him.

It is indeed "Tales of Gods and Monsters"!

Ma Ling'er stared wide-eyed with curiosity; this was the first time she had ever seen Zhou Yuan's treasure.

Zhou Yuan stretched out his finger and gently tapped the page.

"Deduction!"

He let out a low shout and poured his last remaining wisps of Yin energy into the divine book without hesitation!

This is all the wealth he accumulated after sealing the red-clothed female ghost and purifying the drowned ghost!

On the bronze pages, a faint light flowed, and tiny golden ancient characters seemed to come alive, rapidly combining and arranging themselves!

Zhou Yuan's face grew increasingly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

Deduction is extremely taxing on mental energy and yin energy.