From within the b1ood pool, a pitch-black, decaying hand reached out and grabbed the red-furred zombie, pulling it in with a splash of b1ood droplets scattering everywhere. The red-furred zombie struggled fiercely, rolling and twisting, but in the end, it dissipated into the b1ood pool.
Even Tian Fan was shocked by this scene. Since entering, he had known that there must be an old zombie lurking here, and he had been on guard against a sneak attack from it. However, he hadn’t found any trace of it—until now. All his doubts were instantly answered; it was clear that the old zombie was hiding beneath this b1ood pool.
After devouring the red-furred zombie, the entire b1ood pool began to boil violently, like water brought to a furious boil, emitting a stifling heat. Simultaneously, a sinister aura started to spread out.
Tian Fan and his two companions remained vigilant, stepping back a few paces while gripping their long swords, their eyes fixed on the b1ood pool.
Boom!
The b1ood in the pool surged violently, massive bubbles bursting forth, and then a hulking figure flew out of the b1ood pool. B1ood dripped slowly from its body, staining the ground in large patches of red.
Bang!
The entire mountain cave trembled as the figure landed, creating a small pit under its feet, cracking the ground and causing Tian Fan and the others to widen their eyes in shock.
“A drought demon!”
Upon seeing its form clearly, Sun Yueying exclaimed. According to the “Records of Strange Phenomena”: In the southern regions, there exists a being two or three meters tall, bare-bodied, with eyes on top of its head, moving as swiftly as the wind, called a drought demon. Wherever it appears, severe droughts ensue, turning the land into parched wastelands. Zombies that transform into drought demons can fly, slay dragons, and swallow clouds, causing droughts.
People thus would always search for zombies during droughts, burning them to ashes. It is said that when zombies cultivate into demons, they become drought demons, and once transformed, these flying zombies are considered kings among zombies!
Sun Yueying wore a bitter expression, and Li Yunyang’s face changed dramatically as well. They never expected to encounter a drought demon here. The cultivation level of this drought demon had already reached the peak of the Spirit Condensation Stage, almost comparable to a regular cultivator in the early stages of Cloud Heaven! It’s important to note that although the mid-stage of Spirit Condensation and the early stage of Cloud Heaven are only one minor level apart, the difference in strength is immense.
“Hehe, little girl, you’re quite knowledgeable to recognize the presence of this king! As a reward, this great king shall devour you! The flesh and b1ood of a cultivator must be exceedingly delicious!”
The towering figure of the drought demon radiated oppressive heat and emitted a sinister aura, eerie and extraordinarily bizarre, with searing heat and chilling cold coexisting in one body!
Without any extra movement, the drought demon lunged forward, extending its right hand, covered in black fur, toward the frontmost Sun Yueying.
Sun Yueying held the Violet Purity Sword horizontally in front of her chest, resisting the drought demon’s attack, while behind her, Tian Fan and Li Yunyang leaped up, raising their long swords high and aiming at the demon’s outstretched hand.
Clang!
The two swords struck the right hand of the drought demon, producing a metallic clang and sparks flying, but they failed to cause any damage.
“You two pests, get lost!” the drought demon roared, slamming its left palm out.
The two figures in mid-air were startled, immediately positioning their swords horizontally in front of their chests.
Bang!
The thick arm slammed into the two swords with a dull thud, sending the two flying backward, crashing against the mountain wall. The drought demon, being a king among zombies, possessed an exceptionally hard body, and having soaked in b1ood for countless years, absorbing the essence of the b1ood, its body had become even more terrifying.
“Urgh…”
Li Yunyang spat out a mouthful of b1ood. The drought demon’s cultivation was already much stronger than his, and its incredibly resilient body made it even more terrifying. Just one strike had inflicted a minor injury on Li Yunyang.
At that moment, Sun Yueying seized the opportunity, and the purple light from her Violet Purity Sword burst forth, infused with all her mid-stage Spirit Condensation strength as she slashed down with all her might.
“Hiss…”
A deep wound appeared on the drought demon’s right hand, with black b1ood oozing from the cut. A foul stench filled the air, immediately corroding the soil beneath. The sight of its black b1ood shocked everyone.
“Arrgghr!” It howled in pain. “Humans! You’ve actually hurt me! I’ll make you pay, a terrible price!”
Sun Yueying’s attack seemed to have wounded its pride. It roared angrily, its entire body glowing with a scarlet light, and even its arms turned b1ood red as it smashed down toward the front.
Sun Yueying held her Violet Purity Sword firmly, parrying its blows. Though the drought demon’s body was exceptionally strong, its movements were somewhat clumsy, while Sun Yueying moved gracefully and swiftly, continuously attacking the demon from all sides.
The Violet Purity Sword frequently struck its body, leaving scar after scar. This was only possible because of its formidable physique; even with a weapon as sharp as the Violet Purity Sword, it could only leave marks on its body. If it were anyone else, they would have died countless times already.
Despite enduring several strikes from the Violet Purity Sword, which didn’t inflict substantial damage, the demon was still extremely enraged.
“Arrrgh!”
The drought demon let out a furious roar, its body emitting a monstrous red glow, even stronger than before.
A powerful gust of wind blasted out, sending Sun Yueying flying from her position around it.
Li Yunyang got up and caught the airborne Sun Yueying. “Junior Sister, you’re hurt!”
Sun Yueying had b1ood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and her face was pale. The impact from the earlier clash had injured her, but after a brief breath adjustment, she said, “I’m fine, Senior Brother Li. Be careful; this zombie is incredibly strong!”
The towering figure of the drought demon stood in the center of the area, its expression cold as it spoke to the three of them. “With your meager cultivation, you dare break into this king’s lair to kill me? Utterly reckless! Five hundred years ago, an old undying cultivator far surpassed you. Back then, I was only at the early stage of Spirit Condensation. Although he defeated me, he couldn’t kill me—he could only seal me away. Now that I’ve broken through the bottleneck and reached the peak of Spirit Condensation, even if that old undying came here himself, this king would not fear him. Hmph, you little clowns think you can kill me? Foolish beyond measure!”
The drought demon’s entire body emitted intense heat, the crimson glow flickering on its surface as it sneered at the trio. There was one thing it didn’t mention: upon reaching the peak of Spirit Condensation, some ancient secrets had emerged in its mind, seemingly deliberately left there by someone. As its strength increased, the benefits it received would surely grow.
“You… you… you are that zombie king from five hundred years ago!?”
Li Yunyang was utterly shocked, his face turning as pale as a sheet. He recalled reading in the ancient texts of the Great Sealing Sect that the zombie king from back then was exceedingly ferocious, killing countless people, including many cultivators. During that battle, several Spirit Condensation stage cultivators died, and it took an early Cloud Heaven stage elder to finally defeat and seal it. He never expected that five hundred years later, it would break free from its seal and reach the peak of Spirit Condensation.
“That’s right, it’s me!” the drought demon declared proudly.
“We’re doomed!” Li Yunyang lamented upon hearing the drought demon’s confirmation. “Damn it, what terrible luck! I’m in the prime of my youth, handsome, charming, admired by all, and now I’ve run into such bad luck! Damn it, I haven’t even gotten married yet! It’s not fair!”
Tian Fan couldn’t help but chuckle at this outburst, finding it amusing that Li Yunyang could say something like that at such a moment.
“Since you already know, you shall meet your end here!” the drought demon sneered coldly, slowly advancing toward the three of them.