The demon corpse floated up, the Yin Yang Bagua mirror on its back falling to the ground.
Shi Jian and his party, seeing that the zombie was not yet dead, looked increasingly grim.
"The demon corpse is heavily injured and its strength must be greatly diminished. Strike while the iron is hot!"
Zhang Yuanxuan led two earth masters and immediately attacked the gravely wounded demon corpse.
"Right, I almost forgot about the portrait of Zhong Kui."
Shi Jian took out the Zhong Kui portrait from his Taoist robe, picked up the fallen lightning-struck peach wood sword, and smeared his blood onto the blade.
Then, using his foot to hold the lightning-struck peach wood sword, he picked up the portrait.
He stamped his right foot down forcefully and chanted, "I, a descendant of Maoshan, Shi Ye Jian by name, above I command, spirits descend to the capital, devouring demons and monsters, bringing peace to the four quarters. I invite the blessed and house-protecting holy lord Zhong Kui to display his might and come to my aid."
After reciting the incantation, the Zhong Kui portrait on the lightning-struck peach wood sword ignited.
When the portrait had burned to ashes, a golden light entered Shi Jian's forehead from the embers.
"I, Zhong Kui, am here. Wicked demons, cease your rampant acts!"
Shi Jian, possessed by Zhong Kui, formed a sword finger gesture with his left hand, gripped the peach wood sword in his right, and placed the sword behind him.
"Summoning Divine Art!"
Zhang Yuanxuan and his companions, who were entangled with the demon corpse not far away, saw Shi Jian use the summoning art and quickly retreated to the side.
"Playing tricks and deceiving people. No matter what you are, I'll deal with you all together."
The demon corpse, seeing Shi Jian possessed by Zhong Kui, did not yet perceive the danger and vowed to deal with Zhong Kui as well.
"Wicked demon, let's see who deals with whom!"
Zhong Kui, controlling Shi Jian's body, wielded the peach wood sword and teleported towards the zombie.
At some point, the wooden sword in Zhong Kui's hand transformed into a brand-new Azure Edge Seven-Star Sword.
Arriving behind the opponent, Zhong Kui struck with the demon-subduing sword.
A scream rang out, sparks flew from behind the demon corpse, and green light emanated once more.
"Demon-Subduing Sword!!!"
Zhang Yuanxuan, hiding to the side and watching, recognized the sword emitting a red glow in Shi Jian's hand as Zhong Kui's Demon-Subduing Sword.
"The Demon-Subduing Sword, the divine sword of Celestial Master Zhong Kui?"
The two earth masters from Longhu Mountain, looking at the treasure sword emitting a red glow, showed a hint of reverence in their eyes.
According to the ancient texts of Longhu Mountain, the Demon-Subduing Sword had slain countless demons and monsters and possessed immense power.
Seeing that it was no match for Zhong Kui, the demon corpse hastily used its teleportation ability to escape.
"I, Celestial Master, am here. You wicked demon shall not escape."
Zhong Kui once again controlled Shi Jian, brandishing the Azure Edge Seven-Star Sword (also known as the Demon-Subduing Sword).
The Demon-Subduing Sword struck the demon corpse's arm.
Celestial Master Zhong Kui controlled the sword and flicked it upwards, sending an arm flying into the air, which then turned to ash.
"Your arm can't regenerate. What kind of weapon do you use?"
The demon corpse staggered back several steps, looking at Zhong Kui before it in terror.
"When you reach the underworld, you will naturally know what weapon this Celestial Master uses."
"Oh, I forgot. You wicked demon has no soul or spirit, so you cannot go to the underworld."
Celestial Master Zhong Kui repeatedly swung the Demon-Subduing Sword in his hand, stabbing towards the demon corpse's eyes.
The heavily injured demon corpse was no longer able to resist and could only endure a few blows from Zhong Kui.
"A wise zombie knows when to retreat. When I recover my strength, I will come back for revenge."
The demon corpse tried to escape using flight and teleportation, only to find that neither ability worked.
"Wicked demon, you still wish to run before this Celestial Master!"
Celestial Master Zhong Kui controlled Shi Jian, bit his finger, and smeared his blood onto the Seven-Star Sword.
Soon, the Seven-Star Sword in Zhong Kui's hand glowed with blue light, the seven small points on the blade corresponding to the Big Dipper.
"Celestial Master Subdues Demons!"
Zhong Kui shouted and controlled the Demon-Subduing Sword, thrusting it towards the demon corpse before him.
The Demon-Subduing Sword pierced the demon corpse's body, but the zombie did not die. Instead, it slowly began to run down the mountain.
"Still trying to run!"
Zhong Kui controlled Shi Jian's body, teleported in front of the demon corpse, pulled the Demon-Subduing Sword out of the zombie's body, and kicked it flying.
"Oh no, I forgot the time is almost up."
Zhong Kui sensed that the summoning divine art was about to expire and no longer held back, using the Demon-Subduing Sword to strike the demon corpse's head.
With a scream, the zombie's body turned to ash from head to toe, until the entire corpse vanished from the world.
Seeing the demon corpse destroyed, the Demon-Subduing Sword in Zhong Kui's hand transformed back into the lightning-struck peach wood sword.
Along with the disappearance of the Demon-Subduing Sword, the summoning divine art also vanished at that moment.
With the summoning divine art's time limit passed, Shi Jian collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"Master!"
Li Xuyan, who had been hiding in the shadows, saw the demon corpse being eliminated by Zhong Kui with his Yin Yang Eyes and quickly ran out to check on Shi Jian's injuries.
"The demon corpse is finally dead. I didn't expect this kid to have a trick up his sleeve."
Zhang Yuanxuan and his two companions arrived beside Shi Jian and checked his injuries, finding no major harm.
It was just that the summoning divine art consumed too much essence, qi, and spirit, making it difficult to recover immediately.
"Phew, I almost died here. Buying that Zhong Kui portrait was indeed a wise choice."
Lying on the ground, Shi Jian was very glad that he had bought the Zhong Kui portrait for a silver dollar back then.
A silver dollar to protect several lives seemed well worth it, not to mention eliminating the demon corpse, a major threat.
"Old Celestial Master, stop staring. I'm not dead yet!"
Shi Jian slowly got up from the ground, held the lightning-struck peach wood sword, walked over to the Yin Yang Bagua mirror, and picked it up.
"Kid, quickly return the lightning-struck peach wood sword you're holding."
"What lightning-struck peach wood sword? I don't know!"
"Don't play dumb with me, Daoist priest. Hand over the lightning-struck peach wood sword you're holding."
"Otherwise, don't blame me for bullying a junior like you."
Shi Jian listened to the old Celestial Master's words and continued to feign ignorance.
"Oh dear, I feel dizzy and can't remember. I'll rest when we get back."
With that said, he and Li Xuyan quickly ran down the mountain.
"Kid, wait until I see you next time, I'll definitely teach you a lesson."
Zhang Yuanxuan was so angry that his vision blurred. The immediate priority was to deal with the bodies of his fellow disciples, and it was not advisable to pursue Shi Jian using teleportation.
The two Longhu Mountain Taoist priests reminded him, "Senior brother, we should sort out our junior brother's remains first."
They were also helpless with Shi Jian's actions.
Having exhausted their energy during the fight with the demon corpse, they had no strength left to chase Shi Jian.
"The Taoist can run, but the Taoist temple cannot. We will meet again someday."
"Fu Sheng Wu Liang Tian Zun!"
The two Longhu Mountain Taoist priests chanted scriptures beside their fallen comrade.
After reciting the scriptures, Zhang Yuanxuan walked over to his fellow disciple, whose neck had been broken by the zombie, carried him on his back, and headed back to Longhu Mountain.