Chen Changsheng inquired about what lay further ahead.

The Mountain God, Wen Yuan, told him that beyond was no different from here; it was basically deserted, most had turned into walking corpses, their whereabouts unknown.

“Approximately how many lived in this area?” Chen Changsheng asked.

“About three hundred households, close to four hundred people.”

“And including further back…”

“Likely more than fifteen hundred!”

After learning this, Chen Changsheng said, “Mountain God, please remain hidden in the mountains for now to protect yourself.”

Wen Yuan knelt and kowtowed, saying, “Bless you, Celestial Immortal! May you catch that Demon Sovereign soon!”

“Do not worry.”

Chen Changsheng left that place, but did not proceed in his originally intended direction. Instead, he followed the place where Death Qi felt heaviest.

He hadn’t expected this Demonic Cultivator to have methods involving puppets to devour people’s Souls. The bead the Mountain God spoke of might be one such method, or perhaps it was formed by demonic arts.

Walking corpses with a Blood Bead at their brow must be rare. Finding one could lead him straight to that Demon Sovereign.

Chen Changsheng sent this news to them via the sound-transmitting stone.

After they knew, they began searching amongst the walking corpses.

Word came back shortly after.

Ying En spoke to the sound-transmitting stone: “Uncle Chen, I think I’ve found the Blood Bead you mentioned!”

“Watch him. I will be there immediately.”

Chen Changsheng brought two fingers together and summoned the Rain-Listening Sword.

He used Sword Flight and soared towards Ying En’s location.

Along the way, he encountered the Old Dragon King who was also rushing there. In about seven or eight minutes, they reached Ying En.

Looking ahead, outside the city walls, it was completely filled with walking corpses!

This place was the neighbor city to the former capital of Beixiang, called Mangxue City. It got its name because frost lasted all year and snow never settled.

Now, outside Mangxue City, countless walking corpses surrounded the entire city.

Those standing atop the Fortress Wall mostly wore official uniforms, without armor. Others were dressed like farmers, holding hoes.

“Father! Uncle Chen! The walking corpse with the bead is over there!” Ying En pointed.

Chen Changsheng followed her direction and spotted the walking corpse among the masses with the dark bead at its brow.

“This city hasn’t been defiled yet.”

Yingyuan arrived hurriedly. Seeing the scene before him, he couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.

“How many can there be?!”

Dense and packed, they encircled the city.

Just one glance revealed nearly ten thousand.

Chen Changsheng also felt a shock. It seemed most of the walking corpses had gathered here.

“Uncle Chen, what should we do now?”

“First drive these walking corpses back and protect the people in this city. But be careful! Do not harm the walking corpse with the Blood Bead on its brow. That Demonic Cultivator will surely call it back!”

As he spoke, suddenly a figure atop the wall opened its mouth and spat fire.

“BOOM!!”

Fierce flames rushed down the wall towards the walking corpses below.

The walking corpses shied away from the fire, not daring to press closer for now.

“There’s a Cultivator inside the city,” remarked the Old Dragon King.

Chen Changsheng leaped down from the sky, followed closely by the Old Dragon King and the others.

“Who goes there?!”

Lv Shan, standing atop the wall, looked up, a frown on his face. He held a Talisman ready, preparing to defend.

But upon seeing the newcomers more clearly, he froze.

“Mr. Chen!!”

Lv Shan called out, relief washing over him.

Chen Changsheng looked at this Cultivator and recognized him. “To think it’s Daoist Friend Lv.”

“Greetings, Mr. Chen!”

Lv Shan then looked at the others.

He was startled again.

“Lv Shan of Tianji Mountain bows to the Dragon Lord!”

“These two are…”

“The Second Prince Yingyuan, and the Dragon Princess Ying En.”

“Greetings Second Prince, greetings Dragon Princess.”

Lv Shan felt somewhat awed. This was quite the gathering.

The Old Dragon King said, “So you are a distinguished disciple of Tianji Mountain.”

“I am not worthy, truly not,” Lv Shan hastily replied.

Chen Changsheng asked, “How long have you been here?”

“Mr. Chen, I’ve been in the Mortal World for four days,” Lv Shan answered. “I stayed after discovering the walking corpses here. But, well… a single log cannot make a boat. In the end, I could only save this city’s inhabitants. Most are just lucky survivors I managed to bring here.”

“How many people are in the city now?”

“About fifteen thousand.”

Lv Shan’s expression turned grave. “Also, sir, in the past days I discovered that the Evil Spirit uses water sources to control Mortals. Mangxue City escaped disaster only because the river froze earlier. Now the weather is warming, so I cut off outside water supplies, barely managing to protect the city.”

“Water sources…”

Yingyuan’s expression tightened. “No wonder so many cities have fallen!”

“Is it poison magic?” Ying En asked.

Lv Shan shook his head. “Blood magic!”

Hearing these words, even the usually calm Old Dragon King frowned.

“That Cultivator controls Mortals through his own blood!”

Chen Changsheng looked at the Old Dragon King. “Do you know about this?”

The Old Dragon King knitted his brows tightly. “Long ago, I heard of this Blood Cultivator lineage! Perverse and evil!”

“Generally, most Blood Cultivators aren’t overwhelmingly powerful, but trying to catch them is especially hard. When they reach deeper levels, they can even turn their own bodies into blood. If even a single drop escapes, they can be reborn! You could say they are almost unkillable!”

“For one to control this many walking corpses using his own blood… his skill in Blood Cultivator arts must be terribly deep!”

“Neither subduing nor killing him will be easy.”

The Old Dragon King wasn’t entirely confident.

“The Dragon Lord speaks truly,” Lv Shan nodded. “I consulted with elders at my sect earlier. They said these Blood Cultivators fear fire the most. If we attack with fire, there might be a chance.”

The Old Dragon King looked at Chen Changsheng. “What do you think?”

Chen Changsheng said, “Finding that Cultivator’s hiding place must come first.”

Lv Shan sighed and shook his head. “I’ve searched every day for clues. Found nothing. Do you have a plan, Mr. Chen?”

“Daoist Priest Lv, here’s the situation…”

Ying En quickly explained.

Lv Shan’s gaze fell upon the horde below the wall. He seemed to glimpse a blood-red mark on the brows of some walking corpses.

“So that’s why…”

Lv Shan seemed dazed. “He’s using Souls to recover from injuries. That makes sense.”

“Then now, we just need to disperse these walking corpses?”

“Correct,” Chen Changsheng nodded.

Lv Shan hesitated before asking, “Mr. Chen, if I may ask… is there any chance these people… can be restored?”

Chen Changsheng paused before replying. “Likely not. That Blood Bead does more than absorb… it also refines…”

Lv Shan fell silent. “I… understand.”

He stared down at the countless walking corpses below. He couldn’t help but think:

How many broken homes resulted from this disaster?

Even those who survived by luck… how will they live from now on?