After dark, Xie Guilan, the village chief of the village at the foot of the crematorium mountain, sat at the village entrance, enjoying the long-lost tranquility.
After the Qingming Festival, the weather gradually turned warmer. The elderly in the village liked to gather at the village entrance after sunset to cool off and chat. However, after the strange occurrences before, no one in the village dared to go out at night.
Later, when Yan Shouyi and his companions appeared and resolved the issues, the village finally regained its peace, and people dared to venture out again.
Tonight, there were faint clouds drifting across the sky, and the moon was just a sliver, making the sky very dark.
Xie Guilan stretched lazily, then suddenly felt a chilling wind blow.
"What's going on? Is the weather turning cold again?"
Xie Guilan sensed that something was wrong. That gust of wind was too eerie, as if the village had returned to the state of terror it had been under not long ago.
She looked into the distance, and although she couldn't see anything, an ominous premonition struck her. She hurried out to warn everyone:
"It's dark, don't go out!"
Something big was going to happen tonight!
What Xie Guilan couldn't see was that the small road outside the village was now densely packed with ghosts. The minor ghosts led the way, forming a long dragon, with the line stretching hundreds of meters!
In the middle of the procession were the palanquins of the Yu family's Ghost King and the Wei family's Ghost King!
Ordinary people like Xie Guilan couldn't see these ghostly entities.
However, ordinary people did have some perceptive abilities. For instance, if you go to places where few people have been and feel a chill, don't doubt it, there's definitely a ghost near you. It might be following right behind you, tiptoeing, resting its chin on your shoulder, and blowing cold air into your ear...
The procession was grand, like an army marching out in ancient times, with all the minor ghosts holding weapons.
Besides the minor ghosts, the Yu and Wei families had also brought many extraordinary individuals. These were mostly talented people whom the two families had invited into their households from the Jianghu over the years. They included inheritors of folk sects and defected disciples from major sects; in short, they were no ordinary people.
In the Ghost King's palanquin, Yu Jinhong frowned and said,
"It's one thing that the Yao family's Ghost King doesn't show up, but what's the deal with that old man Shen Chun? Why hasn't he appeared yet? Does he look down on our Yu family?"
Wei Qin, the Wei family's Ghost King, said, "The Shen family generally doesn't get involved in these matters, but I don't think Shen Chun would dare to defy us. I heard Shen Chun has been in seclusion today, so it's understandable if he arrives a little later."
Yu Jinhong sneered, "What's he in seclusion for? Is he trying to follow in Zhou Yuhu's footsteps?"
Hearing this, Wei Qin fell silent. He didn't want to speak up for Shen Chun anymore, lest the Yu family start suspecting him as well.
The Yu brothers were naturally suspicious and ruthless. Today, they might be treating everyone as friends, but tomorrow, the Yu brothers might turn their swords against them. Wei Qin had seen this clearly, especially after learning that Zhou Yuhu had been utterly annihilated.
However, Wei Qin had no choice. Qian Tang was now the Yu family's Qian Tang. If the Yu family wanted to destroy Shen Shuzhen, Wei Qin had to act, otherwise, the Wei family would be next.
In this regard, the Wei family's situation was very similar to the Shen family's.
Yu Jinbo said indifferently, "Shen Shuzhen doesn't have many useful people under her. Whether Shen Chun comes or not is not important."
"Haha, that's true. The last time I saw Shen Shuzhen, I saw dark energy swirling around her face. I fear she doesn't have many days left to live. As for the rest... they are all spineless cowards. Once we get to the mountain, I'm afraid they'll surrender in fear when they see our formation! Hahahaha!"
Yu Jinhong looked down on the people at the crematorium from the bottom of his heart, so he didn't take them seriously at all.
In fact, Yu Jinbo thought the same.
Conquering the crematorium would only cost a few foot soldiers.
Just as they were feeling smug, there was a sudden commotion ahead of the procession.
Wei Qin couldn't help but stand up and stare ahead, asking, "What happened?"
Before long, a minor ghost stumbled over and reported to the three Ghost Kings, "Our ancestors! Several zombies have suddenly emerged from the front!"
"Zombies? Corpse handlers?" Wei Qin frowned. "I remember Shen Shuzhen had someone named Zhong Yan under her, who is a corpse handler. It seems this is his doing."
Yu Jinhong sneered dismissively, "Zhong Yan's zombies are not even as fierce as a few wild dogs. They're not worth mentioning!"
When Yu Jinhong had dealings with the crematorium before, he had learned something about Zhong Yan.
But the minor ghost said,
"This time is different. The zombies ambushing ahead are very fierce. Several of our masters have already fallen to them!"
The masters the minor ghost referred to were the extraordinary individuals under the employ of the two families. Zombies could not attack ghosts, so those living people became targets.
But the three Ghost Kings never expected that the zombies this time would be so fierce, killing several of their hired extraordinary individuals!
Yu Jinbo frowned and said, "Wei Qin, go and take a look at the front."
"Alright!"
Without a word, Wei Qin transformed into a ball of ghostly energy and flew over the procession to the very front.
He saw that the rugged and narrow mountain path was blocked by several zombies. Several bloody corpses lay on the ground, their deaths extremely tragic.
Wei Qin looked again and saw that these zombies were all covered in fur, with sharp claws and fangs that looked like those of a wild boar!
"Weren't Zhong Yan's zombies all red-eyed zombies? When did they become hairy zombies?!"
Wei Qin exclaimed in alarm. Hairy zombies were much more formidable than red-eyed zombies. Red-eyed zombies were only slightly stronger than ordinary people, but hairy zombies possessed immense strength and drank blood!
In the blink of an eye, several hairy zombies killed a few more people. They hadn't even reached the mountain yet, and they had already lost so many men at the foot of the mountain!
Wei Qin couldn't stand it any longer. He rushed down and swept all the hairy zombies into the sky, then hurled them down fiercely.
The hairy zombies fell from dozens of meters high, smashing into pieces. Yet, they struggled to get up. However, their bones could no longer support their movements. Even without the sensation of pain, they could no longer stand.
"There's something strange about this mountain...!"
Looking at the struggling hairy zombies on the ground, Wei Qin felt a vague sense of unease.
Just a few minutes ago, everyone hadn't taken the crematorium seriously, and they looked down on Zhong Yan, the corpse handler, from the bottom of their hearts.
But who would have thought they would encounter such tough opponents at the foot of the mountain!
Could it be that all the folk sect inheritors at the crematorium had hidden their strength?
The extraordinary individuals and minor ghosts at the front of the procession began to feel fear and apprehension. They all stopped in their tracks, looking up at Wei Qin.
Wei Qin said coldly, "What are you still standing around for? Keep moving forward!"
With that, Wei Qin flew back into his palanquin, eager to discuss this matter with Yu Jinbo and Yu Jinhong.
After a brief rest, the procession continued up the mountain, but the people and ghosts at the front moved noticeably slower, fearing that something formidable might suddenly emerge from the mountain.
It was only right for those extraordinary individuals to be afraid, and for the minor ghosts, this was the first time they had felt fear since their deaths.
In the past, living people feared ghosts, but today, they finally encountered something that even ghosts feared.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the mountain, Zhong Yan revealed a look of satisfaction:
"Fortunately, thanks to Mr. Yan's Corpse-Binding Formation, all my red-eyed zombies were forcefully promoted to hairy zombies, giving the enemy a formidable display!"
"It's a pity that Wei Qin intervened, and none of my zombies survived. Now, it's up to the skills of others!"
"Mr. Yan, please hurry back!"