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

"You beast!"

"Purify me!"

He shouted and pressed the talisman, burning with the essence of his own fingertips, hard against the throbbing zombie's chest—the very spot where the "Gathering Yin Coin" was located!

Snapped!

The instant the talisman was affixed!

A blindingly bright blue lightning bolt seemed to flash across the heavens and earth!

Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!

An indescribable burning sound rang out!

Centered on the talisman, a blue purifying fire, more than three times stronger, suddenly erupted!

The flames, like maggots clinging to bones, frantically burrowed into the jumping zombie's body, burning away the corpse energy and resentment it relied on for survival!

"roar--!!!"

The jumping zombie let out its most piercing and painful roar since it appeared!

The sound was utterly otherworldly, filled with boundless terror!

Its massive body trembled and convulsed violently, and wisps of black energy burst forth from its seven orifices, only to be instantly purified by the azure flames!

The strange coin on its chest began to shatter inch by inch under the scorching heat of the blue flames!

Become!

Zhou Yuan was overjoyed!

He could feel the zombie's energy rapidly waning!

But that's not enough!

To cut the weeds, you must pull them out by the roots!

A fierce glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes. He endured the stinging pain of his soul being burned by the azure flames and activated his strongest trump card!

"Tales of the Supernatural!"

"Sacrifice!"

Om-!

An ancient bronze book appeared out of thin air in front of his soul!

The book pages turned on their own without any wind, revealing a blank page!

An irresistible, deep, black hole-like suction force suddenly erupted from the pages of the book, instantly engulfing the hopping zombie that was screaming in pain!

The enormous body of the leaping zombie suddenly stiffened!

It seemed to have encountered the most fearsome natural enemy in the world, and for the first time, pleading and despair appeared in its scarlet eyes!

But it was all too late!

"No--!"

A faint, unwilling roar became its last sound in the world.

Before Zhou Yuan and Ma Ling'er's shocked eyes, the ferocious and powerful jumping zombie's massive body rapidly shrank and shriveled like a deflated balloon!

Its flesh and blood, its bones, its corpse aura, its resentment...

Everything about it!

They were all forcibly separated by that invisible suction force, turning into an incomparably pure and enormous black-gray airflow that surged wildly into "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters"!

In just three breaths!

All that remained was a charred, humanoid shell and dust covering the ground.

Then, with a "crack," the empty shell shattered completely and vanished with the wind.

It was as if it had never existed in this world.

boom!

At the same time, "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters" suddenly trembled and burst forth with unprecedented brilliance!

On the page, a lifelike image of a hopping zombie with a blue face, fangs, and covered in corpse hair slowly emerged!

Below the design, lines of ancient golden characters were imprinted!

[Monster: Jumping Zombie]

[Supernatural Power: Fortitude (Passive)]

[Supernatural Power Description: Sacrificing a jumping zombie, extracting its indestructible essence, can greatly strengthen the host's flesh, bones, and skin, making it harder than refined iron, and difficult to harm by ordinary swords and blades!]

An immense amount of pure Yin energy poured out of the divine book and instantly surged into Zhou Yuan's nearly depleted soul!

That feeling was like rain after a long drought!

The injuries to his soul were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and were even more solid and powerful than before!

Not only that, but a strange warm current also separated from the divine book and flowed into his physical body lying on the ground through the connection of his soul.

Zhou Yuan could clearly "see" that earth-shattering changes were taking place inside his body!

Bones, muscles, fascia... are all being tempered and reorganized by a mysterious force!

An unprecedentedly powerful feeling filled his entire body!

The jumping zombie was sacrificed, and the oppressive evil aura in front of the ancestral hall dissipated.

The phantom of the Iron-Eating Beast let out a satisfied growl, transformed into specks of spiritual light, and returned to Ma Ling'er's body.

Ma Ling'er stumbled and almost fell. Her face was as pale as paper, but her eyes shone brightly!

To her surprise, the corpse poison that had been lurking in her body and had even troubled her second uncle had vanished without a trace!

Once the source is eliminated, the corpse poison will dissipate on its own!

Zhou Yuan's soul also returned to his body at this moment.

He suddenly opened his eyes, leaped up, and felt as if his whole body was filled with inexhaustible strength!

He clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked loudly.

"We...succeeded!"

Ma Ling'er looked at him, her voice trembling with excitement.

"It's a success!"

Zhou Yuan nodded heavily, a smile of relief spreading across his face.

He glanced at the shrine in disarray and heard the faint barking of dogs in the distance.

"This is not a place to linger!"

"With such a commotion, someone will be here soon!"

"Hurry up!"

Ma Ling'er also realized what was happening and dared not delay any longer.

The two exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and vanished in a flash.

The two moved with lightning speed, passing through several dark alleys.

Finally, they stopped in a quiet, dead-end alley.

Zhou Yuan leaned against the cold wall, panting heavily, but his face couldn't hide his excitement.

He could feel an unprecedented surge of power emanating from his limbs and bones.

He subconsciously raised his hand and lightly punched the earthen wall beside him.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

He smashed a clear fist mark into the hard rammed earth wall, and spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards!

Zhou Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted!

This...this is my power?

He looked down at his unscathed fist, a storm raging within him.

He saw clearly the description of the supernatural power of "firmness" in "Strange Tales of the Gods and Monsters".

Experiencing this physical transformation firsthand still left him with an unparalleled sense of awe!

The skin and membrane of muscles and bones are stronger than fine iron!

These eight words are no longer just empty talk!

With this physique, combined with Taoist techniques, his ability to survive when encountering evil spirits will be greatly enhanced!

In this world of supernatural forces and strange phenomena, he finally had a sense of security and a place to live!

"Hello!"

Ma Ling'er's voice interrupted his thoughts.

She leaned against the wall, her face still pale, but her breathing had become much more steady.

A pair of bright, large eyes were fixed on Zhou Yuan, filled with surprise, doubt, and a hint of...inquiry.

"That punch you just threw..."

She had clearly also seen the fist marks on the wall.

"And what's the story behind that strange book we just saw?"

"It...it actually ate that ferocious hopping zombie?!"

Ma Ling'er racked her brains but couldn't think of a suitable word to describe the bizarre scene that had just happened.

Zhou Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.

"Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters" was his greatest secret, and he could never reveal it to anyone easily.

He withdrew his fist without changing his expression and said calmly:

"These are family heirlooms, not to be shared with outsiders."

"Just think of it as the Zhou family's most treasured magic-exorcising artifact."

"A magical artifact?"

Ma Ling'er tilted her head, looking completely disbelieving.

"What kind of magical artifact can directly devour evil spirits?"

"It can even strengthen your physical body?"

"Most importantly..."

She stretched out her wrist and waved it in front of Zhou Yuan.

"The corpse poison in my body is completely gone!"

"Not a single trace left!"

Her tone was full of surprise and disbelief.

"My second uncle said that this corpse poison is extremely potent and that we must find the source and slowly eradicate it using the secret methods of the witchcraft sect."

"So the juvenile freak died, and I was cured?"

Zhou Yuan nodded.

"Once the source is eliminated, the corpse poison will resolve itself, which is perfectly normal."

"Normal my foot!"

Ma Ling'er stamped her foot, leaned closer, and whispered:

"Zhou Yuan, tell me the truth, are you the heir of some reclusive sect?"

"Is that book of yours some kind of legendary magical treasure?"

Zhou Yuan looked at her face, which was filled with the word "curiosity," and felt a headache coming on.

He shook his head and started spouting nonsense with a straight face:

You're overthinking it.

"It's just a tattered book that records evil spirits; it can only ward them off."

"As for strengthening the physical body, that's called... the price."

"cost?"

Ma Ling'er was even more confused.

"Yes, every time I sacrifice evil spirits, I have to endure tremendous pain. Afterwards, my bones and muscles feel like they're about to break. It's like fighting poison with poison. Over time, my body becomes stronger."

Zhou Yuan lied without changing his expression, and at opportune moments, he would reveal a hint of "pain" on his face.

Ma Ling'er looked at him with suspicion, but seeing his serious expression, she couldn't find any flaws for a moment.

"Okay, you pass."

She pursed her lips and didn't ask any more questions.

Everyone has their own secrets, and she understands that.

Zhou Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say something when his gaze was drawn to a reflection on the ground.

He bent down and picked up a cold object from the dust where the Ren family's zombie had finally dissipated.

It was a copper coin.

It was entirely black, emanating a faint aura of yin.

The copper coin has an ancient and eerie design; the front features a blurry ghost face, while the back has the seal script character "敕" (chì).

Zhou Yuan's face instantly darkened.

"It's this again!"

Ma Ling'er also came over, and her expression changed when she saw what he was holding.

"Underworld money?"

"It's exactly the same as what was found on the drowned ghost and the woman in red!"

Zhou Yuan gripped the yin coins tightly in his palm; the icy touch made him incredibly clear-headed.

"There's no mistake."

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of coldness.

"From the woman in red searching for her husband, to the evil spirit blocking the road, and then to the Ren family raising a zombie..."

"These events that happened in Fengzhou City were by no means accidental!"

"There's a dark hand controlling everything behind the scenes!"

Ma Ling'er shivered.

"Who exactly is this person? And what is their purpose in doing this?"

Zhou Yuan shook his head.

He couldn't figure out this problem for the time being.

But there was one thing he was certain of.

This net is getting tighter and tighter.

……

The next day.

As dawn broke, Zhou Yuan returned to the mortuary.

However, the atmosphere at the mortuary today was somewhat off.

Several local deities gathered together, whispering among themselves, their faces showing a hint of fear and unease.

"What happened?"

Zhou Yuan stepped forward and asked a familiar waiter.

The waiter's face turned pale, and he said in a trembling voice:

"Brother Zhou, Uncle Wang... Uncle Wang is missing!"

"Uncle Wang?"

Zhou Yuan frowned.

Uncle Wang is the old manager of the mortuary, responsible for managing all affairs of the mortuary. He is a steady and reliable person and has worked here for more than 20 years without ever making a mistake.

"How could it be gone?"

"He was fine last night, but this morning, his room was empty, and the bed was cold, as if... he didn't come home all night!"

Another local deity added.

Has the government reported it?

"We reported it. The constables came to check and said that he might have gone to visit relatives. They told us not to make a fuss."

The man looked worried.

"But Uncle Wang has no relatives or friends in Fengzhou City, where can he go?"

"Moreover, he was in charge of the keys and ledgers of the mortuary, and then he just disappeared like that...this is too eerie!"

The crowd discussed it amongst themselves, all feeling that something strange was amiss.

Zhou Yuan's heart sank suddenly.

His intuition told him that Wang Bo's disappearance was definitely not simple!

Perhaps... it's related to the mastermind behind it all!

He didn't make a sound, silently returned to his room, and closed the door.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged and focused his mind.

The ancient pages of "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters" slowly unfold.

After the sacrifice of the jumping zombie, the yin energy accumulated on the pages of the book had reached an extremely considerable amount.

There are a total of thirty-six!

This is equivalent to thirty-six months of ascetic practice for an ordinary person!

"Deduction!"

Zhou Yuan silently recited in his heart.

What he lacks most right now is a means of tracking down clues.

The previous "Azure Lamp" and "Soul-Soothing Curse" were mainly for purification and attack, but they were lacking in detection.

As soon as he gave the order, five of the thirty-six strands of Yin energy in the "Tales of Gods and Monsters" were instantly consumed!

Light flowed across the pages of the book, and countless profound runes and information flooded into Zhou Yuan's mind like a tide!

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, a hint of understanding flashing in them.

The new Taoist technique is complete!

[Taoist Arts: Connecting with the Netherworld]

[Description: Consumes soul power to sense abnormal auras such as yin energy, malevolent energy, and ghostly energy within a certain range. The stronger the soul power, the larger the range and the more precise the perception. It can trace back to the source and investigate the residual traces of spiritual entities.]

That's it!

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Yuan immediately began to try.

"The soul leaves the body!"

His soul left his body and once again used the [Netherworld Connection] technique.

hum!

The whole world instantly changed in his eyes!

The air was filled with all sorts of colorful scents.

The yang energy of the living, the spiritual energy of plants and trees, the death energy of the inanimate objects...

Inside the mortuary, the aura of death and yin energy was particularly strong.

His gaze fell on Uncle Wang's room.

After using the [Soul Connection] technique, he clearly saw that on Uncle Wang's bed, there remained a faint trace of Uncle Wang's soul.

This aura, as if drawn by an invisible thread, stretched outwards from the door, drifting and swirling towards the outskirts of the city!

"It's not that they've disappeared, their souls have been stolen!"

Zhou Yuan was terrified!

This is some kind of extremely sophisticated bewitching technique!

Wang Bo's physical body probably followed his soul, becoming a walking corpse!

He dared not delay, and his soul immediately followed the faint aura, tracking it all the way.

The thread of his soul drifted and swayed through the streets and alleys, eventually leading him to an abandoned mass grave on the outskirts of the city.

The silk thread eventually disappeared into a dry well.

Zhou Yuan's soul hovered above the well opening, looking down.

At the bottom of the well, there was a hidden world!