Tao Heru gritted his teeth and bit through his index finger, intending to use fresh blood as bait to manipulate the living corpses against Xiao Sanda and the others. But the moment he bit his finger, all the living corpses turned their heads in unison and stared at him, sending a chill down his spine. Before he could react, over a thousand corpses charged at him and, in the blink of an eye, overwhelmed him.
At the same time Tao Heru was being pinned down, Xiao Sanda broke free from Gao Liang and immediately sprinted toward the grave where Tao Heru had been hiding. Without hesitation, he leapt in and began rummaging through it with both hands.
Gao Liang considered going after Xiao Sanda to pull him back, but after a brief hesitation, he grabbed Xiao Heshang and ran toward the outer edge of the cemetery where the Yin wall was. The two began digging down along the base of the Yin wall. As they dug, Xiao Heshang shouted toward Xiao Sanda, "Sandar! Come back! These zombies won't hold much longer!"
But Xiao Sanda acted like he didn't hear him and kept frantically clawing through Tao Heru's grave. Xiao Heshang sighed and stopped trying to persuade him. He continued digging with Gao Liang. The Yin wall extended three feet underground—once they dug that deep, they could create a tunnel leading outside the cemetery. But without any tools, they had to dig with their bare hands. Their palms were already a mess of blood and shredded flesh before they even reached three feet.
Just then, a strange howl came from within the pile of living corpses—"Awoo!" The sound startled all three men. Xiao Sanda hesitated for a moment but ultimately couldn't let go of whatever was buried in the grave and kept digging as if he hadn't heard anything. Xiao Heshang and Gao Liang, ignoring the pain in their hands, dug even faster. They were almost at the three-foot mark.
"Awoo!" Another howl, and the pile of corpses began to shift. At that moment, a sword tip suddenly pierced through the Yin wall not far from Xiao Heshang, sending ripples across the transparent barrier.
Crash! The sound was like a massive sheet of glass shattering. A towering figure, over two meters tall, suddenly stepped through the broken Yin wall. Behind him followed two or three dozen people—it was Pu Dage and the group he had taken with him. Judging by their appearance, they had been waiting outside the Yin wall for quite a while, though it was unclear why they couldn't be seen earlier.
Xiao Sanda was also startled by the noise and looked up to see Pu Dage leading his group back onto the scene. Pu Dage gave a nod and signaled for a few men to assist "Section Chief Xiao." Realizing his plan had fallen through, Xiao Sanda gritted his teeth and finally gave up on the grave. When the men came over and greeted him, he didn't respond and reluctantly walked over to Gao Liang and Xiao Heshang.
At the same moment the Yin wall shattered, something also changed on Tao Heru's side. The corpses pinning him down suddenly went berserk—not attacking him, but turning on each other, tearing into one another like they were ripping apart enemies from their past lives, biting off chunks of flesh with every snap of their jaws.
Tao Heru struggled to his feet from the heap of corpses, kicked aside a few that blocked his way, and looked around at the horrifying scene. He was in a sorry state. Though the corpses hadn't seriously injured him, his body was covered in dense rows of bite marks.
Ignoring everyone else, Tao Heru fixed his gaze on Gao Liang. It was clear he had decided the chubby man in front of him was the culprit behind the living corpses' sudden betrayal. After staring for a moment, he clapped slowly and said, "Well done. The Ghost Path Sect made its name by controlling ghosts, and in all my hundred-plus years, this is the first time I've been hurt by the undead I summoned myself. Looks like our sect's reputation is in shambles today."
He let out a long sigh, then frowned in puzzlement. "You were able to make the corpses turn on me. How did you do it?"
Gao Liang just smiled and didn't answer. Xiao Heshang, on the other hand, curled his lip and said, "No rush. Once you're dead, we'll summon you and let you experience it firsthand."
Tao Heru ignored the sarcasm and spoke to Gao Liang again. "You've got reinforcements now, so telling me won't hurt. You've got two choices: one, you tell me, and then you all kill me together. At worst, only a dead man will know your secret.
"Or two, you still tell me, and then I kill every last one of you. And as a thank-you, I'll let you die a little less painfully."
"There's a third option!" Xiao Heshang cut in—he could never resist a verbal duel. "You're definitely dying today, and we just don't tell you anything. Let's see how it feels to die confused."
Pu Dage, who had stayed silent the whole time, finally lost his patience. "What's with all the nonsense? Who lives or dies—just fight and find out!" With that, he took a few strides forward, raised his sword, and sliced a living corpse cleanly in half.
As Pu Dage asserted his dominance, Tao Heru's gaze finally shifted away from Gao Liang. He narrowed his eyes as he got a clear look at the sword Pu Dage held and let out a cold laugh. "I recognize that sword," he said, glancing again at Pu Dage. "Fine weapon... what a pity."
With that, he gave Pu Dage another look, filled with contempt.
Pu Dage snorted. He wasn't good at talking, but when it came to fighting, there was no one in the Special Case Handling Office who could outmatch him. He raised the sword, pointed it at Tao Heru, and said, "Like it? Take it!" As he uttered the final word, he flung the sword at Tao Heru.
Startled, Tao Heru hadn't expected Pu Dage to throw the sword. As it flashed through the air like lightning, Tao Heru knew how deadly that weapon was. He didn't dare block it and quickly dodged to the right. He had planned to seize the hilt in the process—but what happened next nearly scared him to death. The sword suddenly changed direction midair, the tip curving to the right, aiming straight for his head.
In sheer panic, Tao Heru twisted his head with all his might. The blade scraped past his scalp, slicing a bloody groove into his brow. In an instant, a stream of blood trickled down from above his eye.
But that wasn't the end of it. After circling behind Tao Heru, the treasured sword came flying back straight at his back again. A flying sword! He had heard of it before, but never seen it in action. So it was real after all. At this point, Tao Heru was already filled with regret—if he'd known this big guy could wield a flying sword, he would've bitten his tongue and escaped in a blood-evacuation technique long ago.
Unable to dodge in time, the treasured sword left another gash on his lower back. This time, the sword returned to Pu Dages hand and did not come flying back again. Just these few strikes had already shocked Tao Heru into a cold sweat.
Pu Dage raised the sword in his hand and looked at Tao Heru's wretched state. With a snort, he said, "What was that you were saying earlier? What a pity?"
Tao Heru stared fixedly at the sword in Pu Dage's hand, ignoring the wounds on his body. Strangely enough, after bleeding for a while, the two wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. But once they closed, Tao Heru's complexion had turned much paler.
"I said it's a pity that such a treasured sword is in your hands!" Tao Heru suddenly sneered at Pu Dage and continued, "This sword is called Zhu Xie, isn't it? A fine piece indeed. Pity you're not worthy of wielding it."
Pu Dage let out a sarcastic laugh. "Hah, keep running your mouth."
As he spoke, he flicked his hand again, and the sword flew out toward Tao Heru. Just as the sword left his hand, Gao Liang suddenly shouted, "Wait! Don't strike yet!" But his shout came half a beat too late—the sword had already shot toward Tao Heru's face like a bolt of lightning.
This time, Tao Heru was prepared. He sidestepped the blade. As it flew past, Tao Heru suddenly reached into the air and gave a yank. Miraculously, the sword changed direction midair, its tip pointing downward and hovering beneath Tao Heru's arm.
Tao Heru yanked hard, and Pu Dage was suddenly pulled to the ground, as if something had been dragged from his hand. It looked like he was holding onto something strange, and the other end was in Tao Heru's grasp. With a fierce tug, Tao Heru dragged Pu Dages entire body over to him. The object seemed to be wrapped around Pu's wrist, preventing him from breaking free, so all he could do was watch himself being dragged over.
By the time Xiao Sanda, Gao Liang, and the others rushed forward to save him, it was already too late. Tao Heru made a sound like blowing a whistle, and the corpses and ghouls that had been tearing at each other suddenly seemed to regain awareness. They dropped their opponents and staggered toward Xiao Sanda's group.
With the ghouls blocking the way, any chance to save Pu Dage was lost. In just a few pulls, Tao Heru had reeled Pu all the way to his side.
"I really thought you knew how to use a flying sword," Tao Heru sneered at him. "Still, you've got some skills, managing to leave two cuts on me. Tell me, how should I thank you?"
Pu Dage had been lying face-down, but as soon as he heard those words, he flipped over, already holding a dagger in his hand, and leapt toward Tao Heru's chest.
Tao Heru moved at the same time. He thrust out his left hand, fingers together, aiming for Pu Dages heart. Pu was just a split second too slow—Tao Heru's hand pierced into his body first. Pu's eyes widened, unable to believe the outcome. After struggling briefly, he collapsed, dead.
After confirming Pu's death, Tao Heru picked up the Zhu Xie Sword and examined it carefully. It turned out there was a nearly invisible thread tied to the hilt. The thread was so transparent that Tao Heru tried multiple times but still couldn't untie it.
Just then, a few of Pu Dages men broke through the ghoul encirclement and saw Pu's now cold, lifeless body. Rage consumed them, and they charged at Tao Heru with weapons raised.
But Tao Heru made no move to resist. With a cold sneer, he casually performed a few hand signs. Just as the men were about to reach him, Pu Dages corpse suddenly stood upright, blocking their path.
The men recoiled in horror, momentarily frozen in place. From behind, Gao Liang shouted, "Corpse-Control Technique! Scatter—" but before he could finish, Pu Dage had already seized the lead attacker by the throat and lifted him into the air.
Crack. The man's head twisted grotesquely to the back. Pu dropped him, and the man convulsed briefly on the ground before dying completely. The other two men immediately reacted, biting their tongues and spraying tongue-tip blood directly onto Pu's face.
But the blood did not have the expected effect. Pu only paused for a brief moment before returning to normal. Grabbing the two men by their necks, he applied force with both hands—snap—breaking their necks instantly. In a flash, four lives were lost.
Behind Pu, Tao Heru sneered. "And here I thought you might have something new. Turns out it's the same old tricks from the Religious Affairs Committee. Decades have passed, and you people still haven't improved. The Corpse-Control Technique of our Ghost Path Sect isn't something you can deal with by spitting a bit of blood."
Bang!
Just as Tao Heru finished speaking, a gunshot rang out. The bullet struck Pu Dage in the forehead, and he collapsed immediately. The shot came from Xiao Sanda, who had snatched a pistol from someone nearby. Originally intending to shoot Tao Heru, he switched targets at the last moment and fired at Pu instead.
One shot hit its mark, and Xiao Sanda immediately turned the gun on Tao Heru and fired repeatedly—bang bang bang bang bang—emptying the entire magazine into him. Tao Heru staggered back several steps, only staying upright because a tombstone behind him braced his back.
As Xiao Sanda fired, I had already noticed the pistol in his hand—it was a "Type 54" model. Though engraved with some basic runes, it was nowhere near as powerful as the standardized sidearms issued by the Paranormal Investigation Bureau decades later. Not to mention, those used silver bullets infused with concentrated cinnabar. So this one likely wouldn't do much damage to Tao Heru. Based on the situation, it seemed these pistols weren't favored within the Special Affairs Office. Only a few like Gao Liang carried them; most, like Xiao Sanda and Pu Dage, preferred their own weapons.
Sure enough, the bullets didn't do much. Tao Heru only had a few superficial wounds. Once he steadied himself, he stared at Xiao Sanda, clapped mockingly, and said, "Now that's more like it. Better than those useless ones earlier."
Xiao Sanda kicked down an oncoming ghoul and was about to reply when Gao Liang leaned over and said in a low voice, "Something's wrong with Tao Heru." Xiao Heshang replied, "No shit! Everyone can tell he's not normal." Gao Liang ignored him and continued, "The spots where Tao Heru was shot—it's two layers of skin."
Xiao Sanda froze for a moment before realizing what he meant. These people all had spiritual vision. Looking closely at the bullet wounds, he saw what Gao Liang described—some of the skin was flipped outward, but there was no exposed flesh. Inside the wounds... there was another layer of skin.