Meanwhile.
Outside the Yunnan Worm Valley, in a place shrouded by a corpse tide fog so dense it was almost viscous.
The ground was littered with mountains of bones, human and Gu insect alike. Upon closer inspection, these skeletal remains were all fragmented limbs, none intact, as if their owners had been torn apart before death.
Furthermore.
A careful examination of the bones revealed bite marks, suggesting that the deceased had not only been torn apart but also gnawed to death.
Perhaps due to the sheer number of corpses.
Perhaps due to the terrifying scene.
The area was eerily silent, so quiet that the fall of a pin could be heard. Not a single Gu insect could be found for half a step around, making it seem like the safest zone within the Yunnan Worm Valley, free from the threat of zombies or Gu insects.
Yet, despite the silence, it wasn't entirely devoid of sound. Because of the extreme quiet, any noise made here, even the drop of a needle, would be clearly audible. Thus, any sound seemed to be amplified infinitely, heard with perfect clarity.
Listen closely.
One could discern, besides the absence of living beings, a very regular "hoo-hoo" sound. If a medical professional were present, they would undoubtedly recognize the sound of breathing.
And judging by the steady, rhythmic breaths, the breather seemed to be asleep.
However.
This peaceful slumber, which had perhaps lasted for countless years, was shattered when a peculiar fluctuation spread through the area. It was a ripple emanating from the depths of the Yunnan Worm Valley, the same fluctuation that had drawn the corpse tide back to the lake.
Then.
In the depths of this place, two pairs of terrifying eyes suddenly snapped open.
The next moment.
This place, silent for who knew how many years, was suddenly struck by an unprecedented 'earthquake.' Two indescribably terrifying auras shot towards the sky, their impact vibrating the refractions above, causing the light beams to sway.
For a time.
The sky outside the Yunnan Worm Valley seemed to be filled with divine wrath. The heavens flickered unsteadily, as if two ancient deities were enraged, and the nine heavens themselves were destined to sink.
This scene was soul-stirring.
Simultaneously.
In the area shrouded by the corpse tide fog, the dense mist churned. Two figures of unparalleled presence, exuding terrifying auras, emerged. They were a man and a woman, clad in ancient attire from an unknown dynasty. Their clothes were tattered, their patterns indistinguishable, but their archaic style was enough to prove their ancient origins.
They walked side by side, their gazes filled with fury, fixed directly on the direction of the Yunnan Worm Valley, and proceeded to walk towards it.
Along the way.
Much like Wan Tai Sui, they showed no fear of the so-called dangers of the Yunnan Worm Valley. Even when encountering poisonous winds, they walked straight through, without detours, enduring the cleansing of the toxic winds with their physical bodies, emerging unscathed apart from their clothes being more tattered.
Not only that.
Even when they encountered Gu insects, even swarms of them, they remained undeterred, stepping directly into the territory of the Gu insect nests.
As if recalling something.
The woman among the pair stopped, reached into a nest, and pulled down a honeycomb filled with honey. She showed no fear of retaliation from the Gu insect swarm, taking it right in front of them.
Unexpectedly.
Unlike when they encountered Zhang Wei and his group, the Gu insect swarm, upon seeing the two, did not retaliate despite the theft of their honeycombs. Instead, they moved away from the woman, appearing to be filled with righteous indignation but unable to voice it.
Almost all the way.
The encounters between the man and woman and the Gu insects and zombies were similar, making it unbelievable. The Gu insects and zombies did not attack; they all avoided them, as if the so-called 'dangers' of the Yunnan Worm Valley were insignificant compared to the true 'danger' they perceived in the man and woman before them.
However.
This was not due to the Gu insects and zombies developing a fear of humans, because while the man and woman appeared human in appearance and attire, their deathly pale skin was enough to prove their identity. They were definitely not living beings; they were zombies!
Not long after.
The man and woman, or rather, the two ancient zombies, arrived at the entrance to the depths of the Yunnan Worm Valley and entered.
Upon reaching the depths.
They stopped, looked around, and seemed to be sensing something. Within two seconds, they locked onto a direction, the direction of the lake, and proceeded to walk towards it.
...
On the other side.
Near the lake, on a rocky outcrop on a hillside.
The corpse retriever emerged from the lake and, following the markers left by the paper effigy craftsman, found his way here, locating Huang Xiao Dan and the others who were hiding.
Upon meeting.
Hu Shiliu anxiously inquired:
"Mr. Li, how is it? Was Captain Zhang Wei rescued? Why isn't Captain Zhang Wei with you?"
She noticed only the corpse retriever had returned, her young face etched with worry.
The corpse retriever did not conceal anything, explaining his search at the bottom of the lake:
"Captain Zhang Wei was not found at the bottom of the lake, nor was the venomous python. They searched everywhere, as if they had vanished into thin air. However, the door-sealing zombie is still there searching."
"Damn it, you left the door-sealing zombie there alone? Aren't you afraid that if the door-sealing zombie finds Zhang Wei, it might try to harm him?"
Huang Xiao Dan raised an eyebrow.
The corpse retriever shook his head in response:
"There's no need to fear that. I left my corpse-retrieving rope on the door-sealing zombie. I can sense the situation there. If it makes a move on Zhang Wei, I can use the corpse-retrieving rope to deal with the door-sealing zombie from here."
Before he finished speaking.
The corpse retriever did not dare to linger and directly asked:
"Let's not talk about that for now. You should all come back to the lake with me. The corpse tide has been lured away, so we can have more people search the lake bottom for Captain Zhang Wei. Oh, and there's something else."
As he spoke and led everyone towards the lake.
"Did you hear a loud noise, like a scream, about a few minutes ago? The door-sealing zombie said it heard it from the bottom of the lake."
Upon his words.
Everyone was stunned and looked at each other with confusion:
"No."
"Corpse Retriever Li, why are you suddenly asking this? We were so afraid of the corpse tide just now that we didn't dare to breathe loudly. I can tell you with certainty, we didn't hear anything."
Just as everyone was in doubt.
The old corpse herder suddenly asked:
"You said a few minutes ago?"
His words.
He instinctively glanced at the cage containing the zombie bird in his hand. At the same time, Master Lin Gu, seeing this, also froze and then looked at the gourd on his waist containing the Gu insect king.
Both of them suddenly remembered.
Just a few minutes ago, while they were hiding here to avoid the corpse tide, they were hiding peacefully when suddenly, the zombie bird and the Gu insect king became inexplicably agitated, causing quite a commotion. This startled everyone, and both of them thought it was because they were afraid of the corpse tide, so they quickly went to pacify the zombie bird and the Gu insect king.
It was at this moment.
The actions of Master Lin Gu and the old corpse herder were noticed by everyone, who also recalled the incident:
"Wait, wasn't that when Old Master Corpse Herder and Master Lin's zombie bird and Gu insect king became agitated a few minutes ago?"
"So it wasn't that they were scared?"
"Their agitation was related to that scream? But why couldn't we hear it?"
As everyone spoke.
The old corpse herder and Master Lin Gu exchanged glances and said in unison:
"Perhaps it was a sound that only zombies and Gu insects could hear."
...