novelapdf Chapter 116 Zombie Queen
Chapter 116 Zombie Queen
Fog Demon?
The moment those two words were uttered, the expressions of all the demon slayers present changed.
Even Jiang Mu was taken aback.
On the very first day he transmigrated, the Fog Demons breached Huzhou City.
That was a terrifying demon of at least the tenth rank that even the guardians of the twelve realms were struggling to fight!
They could be crushed with a flick of a finger.
How could a powerful demon of this level appear here?
Jiang Mu's face was grim.
Didn't that old bastard Tian Wenjing swear that the highest level of monsters here are only fifth-tier?
How come even such a powerful demon has appeared?
Could that old man be deliberately setting a trap to kill me in retaliation for my previous disrespect?
Although that's what he thought, reason told him that it must have been a complete accident.
After all, the Demon Slayer of Fazhou City is also here.
It seems this was purely an incredibly unlucky accident.
"Quick! Everyone retreat into the cave!"
Tang Guixin reacted quickly and shouted sternly.
As if waking from a dream, everyone rushed towards the demon's lair.
Seeing Jiang Mu still standing there, frowning and staring blankly at the approaching blood mist, Tang Guixin grabbed his arm and urged anxiously, "Lord Jiang, don't just stand there! Come in with me!"
Jiang Mu snapped out of his daze, glanced at her, nodded, and led his horse into the cave with the others.
As he passed the cave entrance, he caught a glimpse of a folding fan on the ground out of the corner of his eye.
It was the magic weapon that fell when Yang Tianci was knocked away by him.
Jiang Mu casually grabbed the folding fan and stuffed it into his pocket before stepping into the cave.
After everyone had entered, Ming Cuicui was counting heads when she suddenly asked in surprise, "Strange, why didn't the people from the Sixth Hall come in?"
The sixth hall was occupied by Yang Tianci and his group.
Tang Guixin was startled and wanted to peek out of the cave to check, but saw that the scarlet blood mist surged to the cave entrance like a tide.
"Damn it! It's too late!"
She gritted her teeth and quickly took out two jade talismans from her bosom, sticking them on the stone walls on either side of the cave entrance.
Then, he took out a black crystal, placed it in the center of the cave entrance, and crushed it with one foot.
"Buzz"
A light blue, semi-transparent protective barrier rose up, sealing the entrance to the cave.
The surging blood mist crashed against the barrier, making a sizzling corrosion sound, but was ultimately kept outside.
Seeing that the blood mist had been successfully blocked, Tang Guixin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Mu watched this series of smooth and skillful maneuvers and secretly admired them.
As expected of a seasoned leader, he was indeed more composed and experienced than a young man like him who only knew how to fight and be fierce in the face of such a sudden and desperate situation. He also had more methods to use.
"That bastard Yang Tianci..."
Tang Guixin's face was grim, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "It seems he deliberately feigned unconsciousness, and while we were entering the cave, he had his men escape with him!" "Escaped?"
Zhu Chang looked at him incredulously, "There are mist demons outside! Isn't he afraid of dying?"
Tang Guixin said coldly, "As the only son of the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, he must have some trump cards to save his life."
"Sister Tang, what do we do now?"
Ming Cuicui looked at the churning blood mist outside the cave, her voice trembling, "This protective barrier can only last for two hours at most."
The others were also in despair.
Facing a powerful demon of the Mist Demon's caliber, they would have no way to deal with it unless a strongman of the rank of Garrison Commander Shangguan personally came to their aid.
Tang Guixin stared at the blood mist outside the barrier without saying a word, her brows furrowed, as if she was pondering something.
After a moment, she shook her head and said in a deep voice, "No, it can't be the real Mist Demon."
Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at her.
Tang Guixin explained:
"According to the Commander-in-Chief's intelligence, after being severely injured by General Shangguan, the Mist Demon has fled to the depths of the Southern Frontier to heal, damaging its very essence. It is highly unlikely to recover anytime soon. Moreover…"
"Look at the speed and density of this blood mist's spread; it's far less than that of a real mist demon."
"Then what are these...?" Ming Cuicui asked, looking puzzled.
"have no idea."
Tang Guixin looked worried. "This blood mist is exactly the same as the Mist Demon's supernatural power. Perhaps... it is a supernatural power displayed by a demon that is close to the Mist Demon or has obtained part of its inheritance."
She paused, then continued:
"Even if it's not the real thing, judging from the range and the pressure it exerts, this demon's strength is extremely terrifying, at least around the eighth rank. However, once this level of demonic energy fluctuation appears, the Demon Slayer Division's patrol team will definitely detect it immediately."
Fortunately, the Water Master isn't far from us. If she can arrive in time... perhaps we still have a chance.
Eighth rank...
The glimmer of hope that had just been ignited in everyone's hearts sank again.
Eighth-tier demons are overlords in their own right; crushing them is as easy as crushing ants.
Jiang Mu asked:
"Master Tang, does the appearance of this blood mist here mean that the true form of that demon is nearby?"
Tang Guixin shook her head:
"Not necessarily. Blood Mist is a kind of domain-like supernatural power with an extremely wide coverage area."
"Back then, the Mist Demon could cover the entire city of Huzhou. Now, even if this demon is slightly weaker, it's more than enough to cover an entire peak of White Deer Peak." Jiang Mu understood: "So this demon might be nearby, on the mountainside, or even at the summit, but it's definitely within White Deer Peak." "That's right."
Tang Guixin nodded, her expression grave.
"Judging from the current situation, it has sealed off the entire mountain and intends to kill all the cultivators inside White Deer Peak."
Jiang Mu's heart sank.
Xu Fu and Zhang Dachi are still searching on the mountain.
Can they handle these guys?
Jiang Mu asked, "What if Chief Water can't get here in time?"
Tang Guixin smiled bitterly:
"Then we can only leave it to fate. Either we hope that this monster can't maintain its supernatural powers for long, or as long as it doesn't last more than two hours and the barrier doesn't break, we'll be fine."
"After all, maintaining such a large-scale supernatural power consumes a lot of demonic energy."
"Either... we'll just wait to die."
A sense of pessimism permeated the hearts of everyone present.
Everyone knows that demons are different from human cultivators.
They are born with strong physiques and their demonic energy reserves far exceed those of cultivators of the same level, making them famous for their endurance.
Two hours?
They should be able to hold out for at least two days.
Jiang Mu also frowned, somewhat at a loss.
He has a magic gauge cheat, which allows him to fight against fourth and fifth-tier monsters with unlimited endurance, and even kill monsters of higher levels.
But this eighth-tier great demon…
The gap in strength is too big; going out there would be like offering yourself up as food.
"Damn it, I should have stripped that brat Yang Tianci naked earlier and seen what kind of fog-avoiding magic he had on him." Jiang Mu thought with some annoyance.
The atmosphere became extremely oppressive, and a sense of despair spread through the cave.
"Wait! There's another way!"
Tang Guixin's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said loudly.
Everyone turned to look at her, their eyes gleaming with hope.
Tang Guixin spoke very quickly:
"I once overheard the Water Master mention a method. If you can use a large number of monster corpses to refine enough monster corpse oil, then wrap the corpse oil in strips of cloth to make torches."
Once lit, it can dispel the blood mist to some extent!
As long as the monster's true form doesn't appear, this blood mist alone won't harm us!
Monster corpse oil?
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then their eyes lit up and they subconsciously looked into the depths of the cave.
In that battle just now, Jiang Mu killed over a hundred demons!
What's piled up inside now are ready-made raw materials, aren't they?
There is always a way out!
"Quickly! Do it now!"
Tang Guixin made a quick decision and directed everyone to take action.
Some were responsible for moving the bodies, some for setting up makeshift oil refining frames, and some for finding containers to collect the oil…
Everyone had a clear division of labor and worked quickly.
At this rate, enough demon corpse oil should be produced within two hours.
Watching the busy crowd, Jiang Mu took a break and sat on a clean rock in the corner, taking out the folding fan she had just picked up and examining it carefully.
Several of the fan ribs were broken, and the fan surface was severely damaged. Most of the spirit patterns on it had faded and disappeared, making it look like a piece of junk. "Let's see if we can repair it."
Jiang Mu tried to mobilize the demonic energy in the magic slot and slowly poured it into the folding fan.
Having just absorbed the demonic energy of over a hundred monsters, his demonic energy level was now overflowing, rising by more than half—a testament to his immense wealth. As demonic energy continued to pour in, the folding fan began to tremble slightly.
The broken fan ribs automatically reconnected under the nourishment of demonic energy, the damaged fan surface began to repair itself, and the incomplete runes regained their faint glow, becoming even more complex and profound.
Once the demonic energy stopped flowing in, the folding fan was completely restored to its original condition.
Jiang Mu held the folding fan, sensing the information contained within it.
After being repaired, this magical artifact can not only imprison space, but its range is also much larger than that of Yang Tianci's earlier attempt. It can even interfere with the enemy's spatial perception to some extent.
"Not bad, good stuff. Next time we encounter something that runs fast, we'll give it a fan first."
Jiang Mumei happily tucked the folding fan into her bosom.
At this moment, Tang Guixin, having arranged the oil refining matters, came over and sat down next to Jiang Mu.
She gazed at Jiang Mu's youthful profile, her eyes somewhat unfocused, and asked softly:
"Lord Jiang, how old are you this year?"
Jiang Mu was taken aback, not understanding why the other party suddenly asked about her age, and casually replied, "In my early twenties."
Tang Guixin asked curiously, "Are you from the Jiang family of Nanyuan?"
Jiang Mu shook her head: "Never heard of it."
"So, which sect did you cultivate under before?"
"Without a sect or faction."
"So your parents are also spiritual practitioners?"
"Just an ordinary businessman."
Tang Guixin grew increasingly surprised as she asked, "When did you start cultivating? Who taught you?"
Jiang Mu smiled and said truthfully, "I only started cultivating after joining the Demon Slayer Division, less than a year ago."
"What?!"
Tang Guixin's eyes widened in shock, and she exclaimed, "Less than a year?!"
Jiang Mu nodded and said modestly:
"My innate talent is lacking, so I'm only at the fourth realm so far. I was lucky enough to get a proper star official position, but I'm sorry to have embarrassed Hall Master Tang." Tang Guixin's lips twitched wildly, and she was speechless for a moment.
He reached the fourth realm in less than a year?
He also possesses a legitimate star position? This... what kind of monstrous talent is this?
After a long pause, she sighed:
"If you're not lying to me, then your talent is so exceptional that you'd be a rare find even in the entire Daqing."
Even those so-called peerless geniuses in the capital either come from illustrious families with sustenance from a young age, or are nurtured by renowned teachers and students. For someone like you, with your self-taught background, to achieve this… no wonder you're so arrogant.”
Such people certainly have the right to be arrogant.
Jiang Mu said in a serious tone, "Master Tang has misunderstood. I am actually very kind. Everyone says so."
Tang Guixin was speechless for a moment.
After a moment of silence, she asked again, "Are your parents also in Huzhou City?"
Jiang Mu shook her head:
"He's already gone. On the day the Mist Demon invaded, our family suffered a disaster, and I was the only one who survived."
He didn't mention the cheap, effeminate woman.
Hearing this, a pang of pity welled up in Tang Guixin's eyes, and she said softly:
I'm sorry, I brought up something that upset you.
After a while, she sighed softly:
"I used to have a son too. If he were still alive, he would be about your age."
When he was little, he was actually quite talented, but unfortunately... I couldn't protect him. And in some ways, whether it's your eyes or that stubbornness, you're really like him."
Jiang Mu remained silent.
This topic of grief over losing a child is really difficult to discuss.
However, he also understood why Tang Guixin had favored him before, even at the cost of offending Yang Tianci.
I guess seeing him triggered empathy, reminding her of her son who died young.
Looking at the silent Jiang Mu, Tang Guixin smiled slightly:
"Don't worry, I'm not trying to get close to you on purpose, I just suddenly wanted to chat."
With your current talent and ability, you definitely have a bright future ahead of you, and your rise to prominence is just around the corner.
"And those of us who deal with demons and monsters, our heads are always on the line, we don't know when we'll die. Climbing now is useless, we might be dead tomorrow."
Sensing the woman's genuine emotions, Jiang Mu raised her head: "Lord Tang, if you don't mind, you can just call me Xiao Jiang." Tang Guixin was taken aback, then her face lit up with joy:
"Alright, Xiao Jiang, then you don't need to call me Hall Master Tang anymore, just call me Aunt Tang."
Perhaps it was an innate affinity, but the more she looked at Jiang Mu, the more she liked him, and she couldn't help but think of her son who had died young.
Especially after learning that his parents had both passed away, her maternal instincts naturally overflowed.
When she mentioned the word "aunt," she suddenly laughed again, thinking of her own stunningly beautiful head of the household.
Because Shui Miaozheng is so charming, she is always pursued by many suitors, especially some young men who are ignorant of their own limitations, such as Yang Tianci.
So whenever this happens, Shui Miaozheng deliberately asks people to call her "auntie" to remind them of her age.
They tried to use seniority to sever the other person's feelings.
However, the effect doesn't seem to be significant.
Tang Gui thought for a moment, then took out an exquisite jade pendant from her bosom and placed it in Jiang Mu's hand:
"Since it's our first meeting, Aunt Tang doesn't have anything nice to give you. This jade pendant was passed down to me by my master years ago. It's a rather old magical artifact with the power to protect you from evil spirits and calm your mind."
Originally... it was intended for my son, but giving it to you now is putting it to good use.
A hint of sadness and relief appeared on her face.
Jiang Mu initially wanted to politely decline, but upon hearing the other party mention her son, she silently put the item away and solemnly said, "Thank you, Aunt Tang."
Tang Guixin smiled gently, looked at Jiang Mu, and then asked curiously:
"Xiao Jiang, are you married yet?"
Jiang Mu shook his head: "Not yet, still single."
Tang Guixin sighed deeply, "Speaking of which, I also have a daughter..."
Ok?
Jiang Mu's expression changed, and she subconsciously shrank back:
"Aunt Tang, this isn't very nice of you. Just a moment ago you were all smiles and loving family, and now you're trying to set me up on blind dates?"
So it turns out they're looking for a son-in-law!
Tang Guixin realized what was happening and scolded him irritably, "What nonsense are you thinking! My daughter is only thirteen years old this year."
"call"
Jiang Mu breathed a sigh of relief and said awkwardly, "You startled me. I'm sorry, I misunderstood."
Tang Guixin was amused by him:
"With your handsome looks and great abilities, there must be many women who like you. It's not Aunt Tang's place to worry about your marriage."
Aunt Tang simply lamented that her daughter still hated her and wasn't close to her because of the time she abandoned her. She added that if her daughter got married, her mother wouldn't be able to see her off at her wedding, let alone watch her leave.
"Now that I've acknowledged you as my nephew, if you ever get married, at least I, as an elder, can help you with the arrangements and even offer my wife a cup of tea." Jiang Mu looked at the desolation in her eyes and said earnestly:
"Don't worry, Aunt Tang. If I get married in the future, I will definitely make you my elder and let you sit in the ancestral hall."
Tang Guixin nodded with a smile, her eyes slightly moist.
Jiang Mu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Aunt Tang, is your daughter in Fazhou City?"
Tang Guixin shook her head, her expression somewhat bitter.
After a while, she said, "Little Jiang, have you ever heard of the Heavenly Blade Sect?"
Heavenly Blade Sect?
Jiang Mu subconsciously gripped the Blood Mad Blade from the Heavenly Blade Sect at his waist and nodded: "I've heard of it."
Tang Guixin gazed into the distance and slowly said:
"I was once... the wife of Duanmu Hanshan, the leader of the Heavenly Blade Sect."
Jiang Mu was genuinely surprised this time.
This newly recognized Aunt Tang in my family is actually the wife of the leader of a first-class martial arts sect.
This person has quite a background!
Tang Guixin smiled bitterly and slowly began to recount the past:
"I was quite well-known in the martial arts world back then, and later I married into the Heavenly Blade Sect. At that time, the Heavenly Blade Sect was at its peak, and it was founded by my father-in-law."
In addition, my father-in-law was a sworn brother of He Qingyang of the Divine Sword Sect and was highly respected in the martial arts world.
Later, in order to protect a so-called great demon, the eunuch angered the imperial court and other martial arts practitioners, and was isolated and ostracized.
Although General Chang and others intervened and saved the sect from destruction, the Heavenly Blade Sect never recovered. After the eunuch's death, it further declined into a third-rate sect.
Jiang Mu had heard Ran Qingshan mention what Tang Guixin was talking about before.
Perhaps because he had received a treasured sword personally forged by the other party, he still held a good impression of the stubborn yet loyal Heavenly Blade Ancestor. Tears welled up in Tang Guixin's eyes.
"Actually, at that time I didn't care about the sect, I just wanted to live a peaceful life as a wife and mother. But later... my son was killed in an accident!"
The murderer has connections to the imperial court.
I want revenge, but my husband won't allow it.
Because the Heavenly Blade Sect was in dire straits at that time, teetering on the brink of collapse, he dared not clash with the imperial court, fearing it would bring annihilation upon the sect. In a fit of anger, I left the Heavenly Blade Sect, severing all ties, abandoning my husband and my newborn daughter, and joined the Demon Slayer Division. Later, with the help of the Water Master, many years later I finally avenged my son, personally killing my enemy. But…”
Tang Guixin wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"But now that I've taken my revenge, I don't know what to do next. I don't know how to get back."
My husband has a new wife, my daughter doesn't recognize me, and there's no place for me there anymore.
In addition, I feel indebted to Chief Water, I owe her my life, and I have many friends here, so I thought I would rather die here..." Hearing Tang Guixin's words, Jiang Mu felt very sympathetic.
As a mother driven mad by hatred, it is understandable that she would abandon everything to avenge her son.
There's nothing to condemn about a daughter who grew up without her mother's company and isn't close to her.
As for her husband, she couldn't put herself in his shoes, since he was responsible for the fate of the entire faction. His son's death must have been incredibly painful, yet he had to rationally suppress his hatred and protect others.
This is the helplessness of those in the martial arts world.
Jiang Mu remained silent for a moment, then unfastened the long sword from his waist and handed it to Tang Guixin:
"Aunt Tang, can you recognize this knife?"
Tang Guixin was somewhat puzzled, so she took the long sword and examined it carefully.
Because the knife had undergone significant changes in appearance and aura due to the repeated infusion and refinement of Jiang Mu's demonic energy and Blood River's true knowledge, it had become more restrained and profound, and Tang Guixin did not recognize it at first.
Until she saw the hidden blade pattern on the hilt, unique to the Heavenly Blade Sect, she exclaimed in surprise:
"This is... the Blood Frenzy Blade forged by my father-in-law!?"
Jiang Mu nodded:
"I got it from a demon, and I've been using it ever since; it's very handy."
Tang Guixin gently stroked the blade, deeply moved:
"My father-in-law poured his heart and soul into forging this knife, intending to present it to that important figure, but unfortunately, the important figure didn't think much of it. Later, my father-in-law treasured it and kept it until his death, regretting that he couldn't let it drink blood and become famous."
After my father-in-law died, my husband feared this murderous knife would bring trouble to the Heavenly Blade Sect, so he threw it away. I never imagined it would end up in your hands after all this time.
Tang Guixin handed the knife back to Jiang Mu, her gaze softening as she looked at him:
"Little Jiang, it seems you have quite a connection with our Heavenly Blade Sect and Aunt Tang."
Jiang Mu took the knife and tentatively asked:
"Aunt Tang, since this sword is a treasure of the Heavenly Blade Sect, your husband probably won't want it back if he finds out, right?"
Tang Guixin saw through the man's little scheme and smiled:
"Don't worry, now that he's abandoned the knife, he'll be too ashamed to ask for it back. And Aunt Tang won't ask you for it either."
However, this Blood Frenzy Blade is extremely special, and it even has a matching sword technique called "Blood Sea Frenzy Blade," which has always been within the Heavenly Blade Sect. After this mission is over, Aunt Tang will shamelessly return to the Heavenly Blade Sect to get the sword manual for you. I think my husband will still remember that old favor.”
Is there also a matching knife technique?
Jiang Mu was overjoyed: "Thank you so much, Aunt Tang!"
The two chatted for a while longer, while Zhu Chang, Ming Cuicui, and the others had almost finished disposing of the monster corpses in the cave.
They refined three large barrels of dark brown corpse oil and made more than thirty torches wrapped in oilcloth.
Torches stained with the corpse oil of demons burn faster than normal torches, but can only burn for about 15 minutes.
However, with so many torches being used in rotation, as long as they didn't unfortunately encounter the true form of that eighth-tier demon, they could hold out until they safely descended the mountain. After all preparations were complete, the group waited patiently for a while, and the protective barrier at the cave entrance finally dissipated due to energy depletion.
The crimson blood mist surged over like a tidal wave.
"ignition!"
Tang Guixin gave the order.
"call!"
The crowd immediately lit torches.
Including the three wounded soldiers who are unconscious in Yancheng, there are now a total of thirty-two people.
Tang Guixin divided the group into six groups, with five people sharing one torch and taking turns to save corpse oil.
She and Jiang Mu, being the two strongest, each carried a torch and scouted ahead.
As the torch was lit, a strange, acrid smell filled the air.
Sure enough, the blood mist that had been spreading menacingly seemed to have met its nemesis upon encountering this smoke, and retreated to both sides, forming a safe passage.
"it works!"
Seeing this, everyone finally felt a sense of relief.
However, not long after everyone stepped out of the cave.
suddenly!
A sharp, piercing scream, like the wail of a vengeful ghost, suddenly erupted from the depths of the mountains and forests!
"ah!!"
The sound seemed to possess a terrifying penetrating power, piercing directly into everyone's eardrums and the depths of their souls.
"puff!"
Apart from Jiang Mu and Tang Guixin, everyone else felt a sharp pain in their eardrums, a buzzing in their head, and a churning of blood and qi.
Many people coughed up blood, their faces turned deathly pale, and they swayed precariously.
It took a while for everyone to calm down.
Seeing Tang Guixin's extremely pale face, Jiang Mu asked, "Is this the sound made by the demon that released this blood mist?"
Tang Guixin shook her head, her voice trembling:
"No...this is not a demon."
"That's the howl of a zombie!"
"Zombies?"
Jiang Mu immediately thought of the fifth-tier zombie that the He family had encountered.
"right."
Tang Gui thought to herself, "And judging from this oppressive aura, it's at least the ninth rank, maybe even the tenth!"
"This is... the Zombie Queen!!"