3: Zombies???

Bang...

Another dull thud echoed as the rigid black shadow, exuding a dense Death Qi, leaped into the stable.

It seemed drawn to the horse corpse in the corner, jumping straight towards it, each movement slow and heavy.

"How could there be a zombie in this world...?"

Li Ke's expression grew serious.

In his previous life, the ones he least wanted to provoke were the mysterious and enigmatic secret Disciples of the Corpse-Controlling Sect.

The zombies they manipulated were soulless, with formidable Physical Bodies, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Most crucially, these things naturally countered one of his trump card methods...

In Li Ke's understanding, zombies should be unique products of the cultivation world, so how could one appear in this place?

While Li Ke was pondering, the zombie had already reached the horse corpse.

It began clumsily attempting to bend down, seemingly wanting to suck the congealed, blackened blood on the ground.

But its joints seemed rusted, unable to complete even the simple act of bending over smoothly.

It could only keep bumping against the nearby wooden fence, emitting creaking, grating sounds that were particularly grating in the surrounding silence.

Soon, its tattered coarse cloth clothes were rubbed away in a large patch from the repeated friction, revealing the dark, corpse-spotted flesh underneath.

One could even vaguely see several plump white maggots slowly wriggling in the decaying flesh!

"Hmm?"

Upon seeing this nauseating scene, Li Ke's eyes suddenly glinted.

"Good, it's just a Corpse Puppet."

True zombies have completely rigid flesh and blood, their entire bodies as hard as metal and stone, impervious to water and fire; such decay and maggots would be impossible.

This thing before him was at most a Corpse Puppet in the process of transforming into a zombie, but not yet fully complete.

Both its lethality and defensive capabilities were worlds apart from a true zombie.

Seeing the Corpse Puppet still clumsily shuffling beside the horse corpse, showing no intention of leaving, Li Ke remained hidden deep within the hay, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

A moment later, he quietly pushed aside the hay in front of him, slowly inhaling a cold, viscous, heavily putrid air.

Then, he extended a pale finger and lightly tapped the rotten wooden board in front of him.

Tap.

Tap, tap...

The sound was not loud, but in the dead silence of the stable, it carried exceptionally clearly, Li Ke pebbles dropped into a calm lake.

Beside the horse corpse, the Corpse Puppet's movements suddenly froze.

It rigidly turned its head, whose features were completely indistinguishable, and its hollow eye sockets stared directly towards the compartment where Li Ke was hiding.

Then, it began hopping towards the compartment.

Bang...

Bang...

The heavy thuds grew closer, as if not landing on the ground, but directly striking one's heart, bringing a heavy sense of oppression.

Li Ke's face was ashen as he picked up an ordinary pitchfork from the hay.

This was a common tool found everywhere in the stable; its wooden handle was rough and cracked, and its iron tines were rusty.

But the few sharpened, pointed tines still gleamed with a cold, metallic light under the pale moonlight.

Soon, the Corpse Puppet arrived outside the compartment door.

It stopped, seemingly listening, carefully discerning the movements behind the door.

A more intense, nauseating stench of decay, almost palpable, permeated through the door's cracks, nearly suffocating him.

Li Ke silently held his breath, his body motionless.

Bang!

Bang!

After a brief silence, the Corpse Puppet seemed to lose patience.

It began to violently ram the wooden door of the compartment in front of it, repeatedly, with its stiff, heavy body!

The wooden door groaned under the strain, the entire panel shaking violently.

Fine wood chips rained down Li Ke a shower.

The mortise and tenon joints connecting the door panel continuously emitted creaking, groaning sounds as if about to break.

Li Ke narrowed his eyes slightly.

In his Dantian Qi Sea, the newly formed drop of ink-colored Devilish Qi slowly rotated, gently infusing strands of extremely pure Devilish Qi into the pitchfork in his hand.

A faint, almost imperceptible yet profoundly deep dark glow quietly lit up on the sharp tines.

Crack!

Accompanied by a crisp snapping sound, the wooden door could no longer hold, suddenly collapsing and shattering inward!

The shadowy black Corpse Puppet, propelled by immense momentum, lunged directly into the compartment Li Ke a cannonball!

Now!

A cold light burst forth in Li Ke's eyes!

Instead of retreating, he suddenly stepped forward, pushing off with his foot and twisting his waist, using all his strength to thrust the Devilish Qi-infused pitchfork, which had long been poised, forward!

"Pfft!"

A teeth-grating thud of a Sharp Weapon piercing decaying flesh!

The pitchfork, at an extremely cunning and ruthless angle, pierced precisely into the Corpse Puppet's chest!

Li Ke clearly felt the resistance from the tines was minimal, Li Ke stabbing into a piece of thoroughly rotten, long-discarded meat.

"Hoo..."

The Corpse Puppet let out a muffled, hoarse growl.

It swung its stiff, thick arm, bringing with it a whistling wind, directly grabbing at Li Ke, who was within arm's reach.

Its fingernails were black and sharp, Li Ke ghostly claws.

Li Ke's face was expressionless, his movements devoid of any panic.

He suddenly flicked his wrist!

"Myriad Things Demon Contamination!"

The pure Devilish Qi infused into the pitchfork's tines instantly erupted, drilling into the wound Li Ke a living thing!

It was overbearing and utterly unreasonable, forcibly twisting, polluting, and assimilating the chaotic Death Qi within its body!

The Corpse Puppet's movements suddenly stiffened, and its body trembled violently Li Ke a sieve!

The already decaying flesh on its surface rapidly shriveled, withered, and lost all color at a visible rate!

Pfft...

Li Ke yanked out the pitchfork, bringing with it a gush of dark, foul-smelling, ink-Li Ke blood.

Then, without any hesitation, he thrust again, this time directly at the Corpse Puppet's head, at the eye socket!

Pfft!

Another dull sound, and the pitchfork directly pierced through the Corpse Puppet's empty eye socket, emerging from the back of its head.

The Corpse Puppet's body completely stiffened, all its movements abruptly ceasing.

Then, Li Ke a puppet with its strings cut, it heavily fell onto the dirty, cold ground.

"Hoo..."

Li Ke gently exhaled a breath of turbid air tinged with decay.

In his Dantian Qi Sea, the newly condensed drop of Devilish Qi liquid had slightly dimmed in luster.

He did not relax immediately but vigilantly scanned all the dark corners around the stable.

Only after confirming there were no other hidden dangers did he slowly walk to the Corpse Puppet's side, squatting down to examine it carefully under the faint moonlight.

This face...

Li Ke's pupils slightly contracted.

From the Corpse Puppet's shriveled face, Li Ke dried orange peel, he could still vaguely discern the contours of the deceased's facial features.

And he had seen this face in the fragmented memories of his original body.

It was precisely the Old Ma Nu who was responsible for cleaning the stable with him.

An ominous premonition quietly crept into his heart.

Could it be... everyone in this manor is turning into zombies?

The sheer number...

A chill ran through Li Ke's heart.