6: Jurisdiction blocking

The white smoke dissipated, and the zombie absorbed the last fragments of the Soul body into its form.

At this moment, the wounds on its body, caused by the pitchfork, had completely vanished, leaving not even a scar.

Not only that, but its physique seemed to have subtly grown taller, appearing more robust and heavy.

In this strange place, thick with Death Qi, the zombie's growth rate was astonishingly fast…

Li Ke's gaze shifted slightly, signaling the zombie to continue moving towards the periphery.

He himself became more cautious, deliberately avoiding the remaining wooden huts, and followed closely, entering the not-so-dense Hazelnut Forest.

On the outskirts of the forest.

From a distance, Li Ke saw several translucent, distorted figures in the shadows ahead, aimlessly wandering among the trees.

They were the same ghosts from before.

Li Ke's eyes flashed, and without hesitation, he quietly retreated, disappearing into the shadow cast by a dilapidated wooden hut.

Meanwhile, Old Ma Nu, the zombie, followed his previous command without faltering, striding straight into the depths of the Hazelnut Forest.

Thump… Thump…

Heavy thudding sounds echoed through the silent forest.

Initially, the wandering ghosts showed no reaction to the zombie's approach, still drifting aimlessly.

It wasn't until Old Ma Nu, the zombie, suddenly extended its stiff arm and grabbed the nearest ghost.

Rip!

The translucent ghost was easily torn in half, Li Ke fragile paper.

Immediately, the shattered spirit body transformed into white smoke, which the zombie inhaled through its nostrils.

This action was Li Ke poking a hornet's nest!

The remaining ghosts in the forest were instantly startled.

“Ahhh!!!”

They all let out silent screams, their distorted faces gaping in exaggerated mouths that almost covered their entire faces.

Then, Li Ke sharks smelling blood, they frantically lunged at Old Ma Nu, the zombie.

However, the zombie was completely unaffected by these howls, which were capable of tearing apart the Souls of ordinary people.

It merely mechanically extended its other hand and grabbed another ghost that had lunged close.

Again, tearing and devouring…

A large group of ghosts frantically circled around the zombie, using their ethereal and sharp claws to constantly scratch at the zombie's lead-gray skin.

But these attacks, landing on the zombie's iron-tough Physical Body, only left faint white marks that quickly vanished without even breaking the skin.

Some ghosts' sharp claws passed directly through the zombie's body, yet carried nothing away, as if grasping at air.

In the shadow of the wooden hut, Li Ke watched this scene, his expression calm, without the slightest surprise.

Zombies, these abnormal beings of heaven and earth, were considered troublesome even by Cultivators in his previous life.

Besides their formidable Physical Body and their instinctive bloodlust and Soul-devouring nature, there was another extremely important characteristic.

That was their lack of Soul and spirit.

All attack methods targeting the Divine Soul and consciousness, whether mental shock, illusionary confusion, cursed Talismans, or formations specifically designed to counter Soul bodies, were all ineffective against zombies.

This was also why he had felt such a headache when he previously suspected Old Ma Nu was a zombie.

Because his trump card, the Phantom Building Fist, was essentially an illusionary technique that acted upon the Divine Soul and consciousness, rendering it completely useless against zombies.

And now, the attacks of these ghosts clearly belonged to the Divine Soul level, and for Old Ma Nu, the zombie, who had no Soul, they were no different from a gentle breeze.

Instead, these ghosts themselves were simply a plate of snacks delivered to the zombie's mouth.

A moment later, the few ghosts in the forest had been completely torn apart and devoured by Old Ma Nu, the zombie.

Only then did Li Ke leisurely emerge from behind the shadow of the wooden hut.

After devouring the Soul bodies of several ghosts, Old Ma Nu, the zombie's body, visibly grew another size.

It stood there silently, Li Ke an upright black stone coffin, with wisps of black Death Qi even beginning to rise and coil around its body, emitting an even colder, more deathly aura.

Just as Li Ke approached, Old Ma Nu, the zombie's pure black, emotionless eyes suddenly turned and stared intently at Li Ke!

A cold, violent aura locked onto him, undisguised.

“Hmm?”

Li Ke's brows instantly furrowed.

Without hesitation, he quickly formed several complex hand seals.

In his Dantian Qi Sea, the Demonic Liquid, which had only recently recovered, consumed several more wisps of pure Devilish Qi.

As the spell was cast, Old Ma Nu, the zombie's body trembled slightly, and a layer of fine, blood-colored runes faintly appeared on its surface, then quickly faded.

Those lifeless eyes finally slowly shifted away, returning to their previous dazed state.

“Hmph!” Li Ke snorted inwardly.

“As expected of an anomaly rejected by heaven and earth; it's only just begun to grow, and it's already showing signs of devouring its master.”

Of course, Li Ke also knew that this was related to the crude corpse-refining method he currently possessed.

Once he dealt with the current trouble and left this cursed place, he would find the true supreme Legacy of the Corpse Driving Sect, the Corpse Control Secret Canon, from the "demon-referencing tablet", and then re-refine it, which should resolve this problem.

Suppressing the thoughts in his mind, Li Ke signaled the zombie to continue forward.

One man and one corpse, they once again stepped into the Hazelnut Forest, heading towards the direction of the manor's outer wall in his memory.

However, the further they went, the more bizarre the surrounding environment became.

Unbeknownst to them, a thin layer of mist had gradually permeated the forest.

The mist grew thicker and thicker, visibility rapidly decreased, and the pale moonlight was also blocked out, making the surroundings dim and oppressive.

Li Ke frowned, leading the zombie through the thick fog for a long time.

According to the distance in his original body's memory, they should have already seen the manor's outer wall.

But now, as far as the eye could see, there were only distorted tree shadows and endlessly rolling thick fog; there was no sign of any wall.

Li Ke stopped, his face looking somewhat grim.

With a thought, he ordered Old Ma Nu, the zombie, to continue exploring alone.

The zombie didn't hesitate, striding its stiff legs, jumping and leaping into the depths of the thick fog ahead.

Li Ke stood still, sensing the zombie's position through the faint connection granted by the corpse-refining method.

The zombie went further and further… Soon, that mental connection became extremely weak, almost exceeding the maximum distance he could currently control.

But Old Ma Nu still hadn't sent back any message of touching a wall.

Li Ke had no choice but to order the zombie to stop, then turn back.

However, something strange happened.

As soon as the zombie turned around, it jumped forward less than ten steps.

Thump!

After a dull thud, the zombie's tall, stiff figure appeared right in front of Li Ke!

Li Ke's pupils suddenly contracted.

He immediately turned around, leading the zombie, and quickly retreated in the direction they had come from.

But similarly, after only a few steps, the surrounding mist suddenly thinned, and visibility cleared.

Not far away, those familiar rows of low wooden huts stood quietly.

It was precisely the place where he and the zombie had just devoured the ghosts!

Li Ke's face instantly became incredibly grim.

A word that made his heart sink surfaced in his mind.

“field domain…”