281: Chapter 281 Black Cloud Gorge, Zombies Wreak Havoc

Three days later, in the deepest part of the Black-Corner Region, four figures—three men and one woman—approached slowly, walking as if strolling in a garden.

The youth in the lead, wearing a cyan robe, was none other than Hun Tiandi, who had left the Dazheng Dynasty. Following behind him were Yan Xing, Liu Ling, and Qing Yue.

After finishing his secluded cultivation to refine the Taixu Purple Dragon Pill that day, Hun Tiandi made arrangements and quietly departed with the three of them.

Of course, An Lin, who was hidden in the shadows, also left with them, disappearing from Chang'an City.

At this moment, upon entering the deepest part of the Black-Corner Region, they encountered a bottomless mountain ravine. The peaks on both sides were jagged and stretched out as far as the eye could see.

It was thousands of feet high and spanned thousands of miles, quite vast. Amidst the cliffs and precipices, dark clouds swirled, and wails echoed incessantly.

This was: Black Cloud Ravine.

Located deep within Jia Nan Academy, almost no one ever set foot here; simply because anyone who entered never came out again.

Therefore, the higher-ups of Jia Nan Academy also prohibited students from entering Black Cloud Ravine without authorization.

The night was thick, and moonlight was like a veil. The four figures moved as if flying, their toes lightly tapping the ground as they headed deep into Black Cloud Ravine, walking cautiously along the mountain path.

Along the way, undead creatures occasionally launched sneak attacks, only to be incinerated into ashes by Liu Ling's Sun True Fire, which he kept at the ready.

"Your Majesty, there are actually zombies in this Black Cloud Ravine. Fortunately, they haven't escaped; otherwise, there's no telling how much harm they would cause to the Black-Corner Region."

Roar...

Yan Xing forcefully suppressed and killed a demonic creature, saying coldly, "Hmph, whether they are zombies or demonic creatures, we'll just kill everything we see!"

"It's fine. I also want to see exactly what makes Black Cloud Ravine so terrifying."

Hun Tiandi pondered slightly and continued walking toward the depths.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, ghostly howls drifted from deep within the ravine, moving from far to near, echoing through the continuous mountain ravine with a touch of eeriness.

"Many are the hardships on the road of the living; follow me on the road to the Yellow Springs. A hundred years of time, the soul breaks in the night; between life and death, the netherworld, heaven, and earth!"

A haunting poetic chant rang out. Yan Xing and the other two were startled and stopped in their tracks, looking into the ravine.

"Your Majesty, singing in the cold mountains at midnight in Black Cloud Ravine is quite eerie!" Yan Xing's expression was solemn as he looked ahead.

"The ballad that person is singing on the mountain path seems a bit strange. I have a bad feeling!"

As an Alchemist with powerful soul strength, Liu Ling spoke slowly while gazing into the deep ravine.

"Young Master, this..." Qing Yue said timidly.

Her delicate little hands gripped the corner of her clothes, betraying her uneasy state of mind.

"Let's go take a look. Who cares who it is? If it's zombies running rampant, we'll just kill them!" Hun Tiandi's expression was grave, but his steady aura made the other three feel as if they had found their pillar of support.

The road ahead was dangerous. Yan Xing and Liu Ling glanced at each other, their minds already made up. Through numerous life-and-death trials, the two had developed a silent understanding.

They followed Hun Tiandi and vanished into the vast night.

Ding-ling...

A crisp yet haunting bell sound rang in their ears. In the quiet ravine, especially at night, it sounded extremely jarring and struck fear into one's heart.

Hun Tiandi's group leaped onto a low mountain peak. Looking ahead, the terrifying sight caused a chill to rise from the bottom of their hearts.

The chill spread from her feet to her entire body. Qing Yue's face was pale, and her eyes were filled with fear.

Under the starlight, a figure dressed in black robes held a bell and walked along the path in the ravine, followed by a neatly arranged team of ten.

They followed closely behind.

This eerie scene appeared very strange.

"Are these... dead people? Zombies?" Yan Xing's voice rang out faintly.

Liu Ling shook his head, not knowing. There were simply too few zombies on the Fighting Qi Continent, and they almost never appeared, so not many people knew about them.

But Hun Tiandi had some recollection of records about zombies in the ancient texts of the Hun Clan.

Zombies had once plagued the Fighting Qi Continent. Everywhere they went was a bloody massacre. Anyone bitten would soon turn into a zombie, making the ranks grow larger and larger.

Back then, the top powers of the continent joined forces and paid a heavy price to wipe out the zombie army and end the disaster.

The methods of corpse refinement had long been destroyed by various clans and nearly eradicated from the continent; the inheritance shouldn't have been passed down.

"These are people, dead people... and also corpses. The leader should be someone proficient in the Corpse Refinement Technique!"

Perhaps because he practiced the Purgatory Soul-Suppressing Art and had seen many hellish ghosts while practicing the nether demonic zither, Hun Tiandi frowned and spoke with a hint of uncertainty.

Atop the mountain peak, the howling yin winds ceased, and the air became bone-chillingly cold.

The black clouds in the sky did not dissipate; instead, they grew thicker. Thick starlight cascaded down, unable to be blocked even by the sky-covering black clouds.

"So, these are zombies!" Yan Xing said in surprise.

The mountain path was deep. The black shadow rang the bell, followed by the neat team with their long hair disheveled, yet without any scent of blood or filth.

Under the starlight, these people's eyes were open, showing only the whites with no black pupils at all, like the walking dead.

Their faces were not hideous or terrifying; instead, they looked no different from humans.

"Is this... corpse refinement? A person's Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Spirits spirits gather in the pupils. With no black pupils and stiff limbs, and a faint corpse qi emanating from them that can still be sensed, this should be a type of zombie!"

Hun Tiandi spoke softly, a hint of solemnity appearing in his eyes.

Zombies are born from the resentment of heaven and earth. Over hundreds or thousands of years, they absorb the essence of the moon and stars and swallow the earthly baleful yin qi; the person dies, but the corpse lives.

Therefore, they do not exist within the Heavenly Dao, do not enter the Five Elements, and are supremely ominous and baleful.

"The Corpse Refinement Technique uses living beings as pawns, reverses Yin and Yang, refines people into corpses, and corpses into zombies, manipulating them with treasures to obey orders!"

Hearing this, Yan Xing and Liu Ling looked at each other and saw the fear in each other's eyes. When did His Majesty learn the Corpse Refinement Technique?

Everyone fell silent, watching the black shadow drive the group of corpses further away until the sound of the bell became faint.

"Jie jie jie, this King is not proficient in the Corpse Refinement Technique; I just happened to see it in an ancient text once..." How could Hun Tiandi not know what the two were thinking?

"It seems Black Cloud Ravine hides some secret; otherwise, someone like this, who walks between Yin and Yang, would not easily appear here!"

Yan Xing pondered slightly and spoke slowly.

Liu Ling opened his mouth, about to say something, when the bell rang again nearby.

"Your Majesty, he has discovered us!" Liu Ling said urgently.

Just as they were about to flee, several black shadows rushed over and blocked their way. Yan Xing's expression changed, and he reached out to draw his large saber, ready to strike at any moment.

Yin...

Liu Ling clenched his hand, and a ball of golden-yellow flame appeared on his palm, radiating terrifying high temperatures. Above his head, the Sun True Fire condensed into a lifelike Three-Legged Golden Crow.

But the group of zombies flickered and retreated slightly, standing in various positions. Bone-chillingly cold corpse qi surged, connecting with the Earthly Baleful Qi of Black Cloud Ravine.

It was as if they had formed some kind of terrifying formation.

"Jie jie jie, since you are here, sir, why act so secretively? That would be beneath someone of your status."

Hun Tiandi spoke slowly, his voice containing Purple Dragon King Qi and carrying a strange energy that affected the souls of the ten zombies, making their figures sway.

In the dark night, it appeared extremely gloomy and terrifying.

"Jie jie jie, Purple Dragon King Qi and Human Emperor Qi!" At this moment, a low voice came through as a black-clad old man slowly walked out from the night.

He passed through the zombie formation and appeared before Hun Tiandi's group of four.

Gazing at Hun Tiandi, a hint of greed appeared in his eyes. If he could refine someone possessing Purple Dragon King Qi and Human Emperor Qi into a zombie...

Once successful, it would definitely be a top-grade zombie, ranking at the king level.