Allow me to elaborate further. Humans sometimes emit a certain aura that lingers within their corpses—this is known as corpse energy. Even after the flesh rots away, it remains within the bones. When the coffin is opened, it disperses, vanishing into nothingness when exposed to sunlight. The white variety is the weakest, almost harmless to humans; those with weaker constitutions may only need a few days of rest to recover. The black variety poses a greater threat—once inhaled, without a remedy, it can cause the entire body to rot.
The red, however, is the most terrifying of all. And this demonic crimson can only mean that the zombie behind the stone door has reached an utterly monstrous level, one that looks down upon the world with no rival. A peerless warrior among warriors. If the seven zombies who opened the door were supreme masters, then this one emitting red corpse energy is the supreme among supremes.
The stone door was heavy, its intricate patterns uniquely designed, seemingly only openable by zombies. The carvings appeared to be absorbing the energy of the undead.
I shouted, “Xie Xiaoyu, be careful!” The stone handle activated massive gears, and the uniquely designed mechanism clanked as it slowly opened. From the widening gap beneath—
Red corpse energy seeped out. The door opened a meter, then two, before grinding to a halt halfway, unmoving. The red mist continued to flow outward. Dai Hao couldn’t quite see clearly and stepped forward to take a closer look. I lunged and yanked him back. Thinking I was attacking, he swiftly drew his gun in one fluid motion. I dodged to the side as the bullet grazed my scalp.
“I was saving you!” I yelled. “Red corpse energy is seeping out! Squint and take a quick look!” Dai Hao hastily followed my advice and indeed saw the red mist. He tossed a piece of pork from his pocket toward it—the meat corroded instantly, dissolving into bloody liquid.
Abe Keiko shouted, “Everyone, be careful!” The six others retreated behind her. I pulled Xiaoyu back from the red mist—her face was deathly pale, nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Opening the stone door had drained her strength.
Guo Furong muttered, “This door is strange. Once you touch it, it’s hard to let go.” Aside from Xie Xiaoyu, the other six zombies were also nearly spent. Guo Jue frowned. “What’s going on? Why is there movement inside?”
“Is someone living in there?” Gu Xiulian asked.
I cursed. “Your sister! Would a human emit red corpse energy like this?”
Deep down, everyone knew what lurked inside—they just avoided saying it, still clinging to the delusion that a normal person resided within.
“The elixir of immortality is in there,” I shouted. “Along with a zombie king emitting red corpse energy. If you’re eager, go take a look. If not, turn back now.”
Before such a creature, all struggles were futile. Unless someone like the Grandmaster—defying the heavens—appeared, or perhaps Ye Guyi, whose rise was meteoric, no one could hope to subdue the zombie king within. Anyone else touched by that red mist would dissolve into blood in an instant—what kind of fight would that be?
Forget Guo Jue, forget Hua Chongyang—they were nothing but weaklings in comparison.
Once the door opened, only darkness greeted us, the red mist still curling ominously. Everyone retreated, too afraid to approach. I called out twice. Only the monk chanted, “Where there is treasure, demons guard it. Why not leave now? Life is fleeting—why seek immortality?”
From the depths of the cave came the screech of a cat—a sound like fur standing on end, piercing and agonizing, like a crying infant. It was He Xiaomao. She had vanished the moment we entered the tomb.
Now, her screams echoed from within, desperate and anguished.
Xiao Jian, who had retreated to the back, went wild upon hearing He Xiaomao’s cries. Barking madly, he dashed toward the source of the red mist, his seasickness forgotten as he charged inside.
I yelled, “Xiao Jian, be careful! Come back!”
But the dog was too fast to hear me. He weaved through the crowd, deftly avoiding the red mist before slipping through the open door.
Once inside, darkness swallowed him—a shade of death. I couldn’t turn back now. Determined to save both animals, I gritted my teeth, gripped the jade ruler, and rushed in after him. The blue glow from the ruler intensified, forcing the red mist back.
Dai Hao’s voice rang out: “Are you all waiting for this kid to finish his business before going in for a tour?” His voice boomed. Master Hammer was the first to scramble to his feet. “Old Master, shall we go in?”
I ran fast, the blue light illuminating the blackened walls as others followed. Xiao Jian’s barks echoed ahead. Footsteps closed in behind us, and soon, the oil lamps in the tomb’s second layer flickered to life, revealing dust and intruders.
At the center of the tomb lay an enormous stone coffin—similar in color to the one I’d seen in the old building in Lügang, but much larger. Red corpse energy seeped from its seams. Xiao Jian crouched beside it, on the left. He Xiaomao’s sharp claws tore at the red mist, but it ensnared her relentlessly.
Her body was bleeding profusely.
Xiao Jian barked frantically.
“Xiao Jian loves He Xiaomao” had once been a joke of mine. But now, it had become reality. With sudden resolve, Xiao Jian leaped to her side, using his paws to claw at the mist entangling her.
I circled the coffin, only to be blocked by the red mist. It lashed at me, tearing my clothes, but my arms remained unharmed—likely thanks to the Yin Snake. Seeing the mist couldn’t harm me, I tightened my grip on the jade ruler and stepped forward, pressing it onto the coffin. The red mist recoiled instantly, and the massive stone coffin stilled.
He Xiaomao was bleeding all over, her once-vibrant black fur now dull, clumps of it scattered on the ground.
Xiao Jian whined, licking her wounds as if suffering the greatest sorrow in the world. I pried open her mouth and trickled water inside, only to find her body growing colder, blood seeping from her lips. She had been poisoned by a lethal strain of corpse toxin.
Strangely, her hind legs were stiffening. Xie Xiaoyu caught up—she had spent much time with He Xiaomao. Kneeling, she placed her icy hand on the cat’s head.
He Xiaomao let out weak, intermittent mews—like sobs, like whispers.
The others entered, eyeing the jade ruler suppressing the coffin.
Guo Jue remarked, “I never imagined this ruler held such power—to seal the Zombie King within.”
Hua Chongyang said, “Is this the final chamber? Let’s find the elixir of immortality.” At his words, Master Hammer eagerly scoured the room. Ancient inscriptions lined the walls, indecipherable. Spotting something, he grinned—until a poisoned dart shot out.
Hua Changsheng shouted, “Watch out!”
But Master Hammer, consumed by thoughts of immortality, ignored the warning. The dart pierced his throat, blood gushing as he clutched the wound. His breath came in ragged gasps.
“Young Master,” he choked out, “tell my grandson… Grandpa won’t be able to watch Pleasant Goat with him…” His blood pooled on the stone floor, tracing the patterns beneath. As it spread, the zombies in the room grew restless. A wisp of corpse energy slithered from the sealed coffin once more…
Hua Changsheng wept. “Master Hammer, I won’t deliver that message…” The old man’s body stiffened, the poison having done its work. No chance of revival. Only regretful tears remained—quickly dried by a passing breeze.
When you die, strangers won’t mourn. Only your loved ones will grieve.
Death opens another door.
He Xiaomao’s expression twisted in pain as her body slowly petrified. What was once a lively creature turned into a piece of black jade—still unmistakably a cat in form.
Who could have guessed? He Xiaomao was never a living being—just a priceless, flawless piece of black jade. But how had she lived within this tomb?
Xiao Jian barked weakly before collapsing, his body pressed against the cold jade. A wisp of green smoke drifted from him, settling over Master Hammer’s corpse.
The fallen old man twitched.
“Qingqing…”
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