BOOM!
A thunderous explosion!
Hu Liang's tombstone shattered instantly, crumbling into powder.
Deep within the Forest of Withered Bones, a pair of blood-red eyes flickered with astonishment, followed by a sudden change in expression.
"This is bad, I'm losing control!"
A strange wave of energy burst forth from his crimson eyes, silently transmitting into the ground and covering the cemetery, as if suppressing something beneath the earth.
Only after completing this did his expression relax, though a flash of anger crossed his eyes - anger directed at Gu Qingfeng.
He hadn't intended to kill them, but this fool was being so reckless, truly courting death!
"Patience. Just one more True Qi Realm warrior's blood and the great work will be complete. Can't let one bad apple spoil everything."
But just as he finished speaking of patience, Gu Qingfeng's voice rang out again.
"You turtle bastard!" Gu Qingfeng shouted arrogantly. "I've smashed your tombstone and you still won't come out? Wang Fatty, Xu Daizi, start digging! Let's dig up his grave!"
The blood-red eyes flickered with changing emotions, momentarily uncertain how to respond.
Meanwhile, on Gu Qingfeng's side.
Wang Fatty and Xu Daizi received the order and immediately wailed, "Lord Gu, please let it be! Show respect for the dead, let him rest in peace!"
"No way!" Gu Qingfeng flatly refused. "I gave him a chance before, but the old fool dared to deceive me. If I don't tear him to pieces today, I'll change my surname!"
"Oh, my lord, how about... if it's really necessary, could I apologize on his behalf?"
Gu Qingfeng's eyes bulged as he raised his Evil-Slaying Sword threateningly: "Are you going to dig or not?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm digging, okay?"
Wang Fatty and Xu Daizi hurriedly began digging up Hu Liang's grave.
Before long, thanks to the hard work of two eighth-stage Body Tempering warriors, a wooden coffin appeared before them.
"Move aside."
Gu Qingfeng shooed the two away and kicked the coffin directly.
BANG!
The coffin shattered into pieces.
Inside lay a corpse, somewhat decomposed and blackened with time, maggots crawling upon it.
But Gu Qingfeng recognized Hu Liang instantly.
Trying to deceive me? I'd recognize you even as a corpse!
Before Gu Qingfeng could make his move.
Hu Liang's corpse suddenly sat bolt upright, blood-red eyes snapping open, filled with endless violence and killing intent, staring fixedly at Gu Qingfeng's group.
"Z-z-zombie!" Wang Fatty screamed, quickly hiding behind Gu Qingfeng, though Gu Qingfeng's frame was far too small to conceal his massive bulk.
At this moment, Xu Fan's puzzled voice rang out: "Strange, the corpse appears to have died recently, but how is the corpse energy so strong? It's already transformed into a jiangshi?"
"Xu Daizi, what are you wondering about? It's a jiangshi, a jiangshi!" Wang Fatty nervously exclaimed.
Xu Fan shook his head: "Though Village Chief Hu has become a jiangshi, the transformation is recent, and he wasn't a warrior in life, so he's only a low-level jiangshi. His strength is roughly equivalent to the fourth stage of Qi Gathering. Nothing to fear."
"Fourth stage of Qi Gathering?!" Hearing this, Wang Fatty instantly perked up and stopped hiding behind Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng ignored the two, merely grinning viciously at Hu Liang: "Old timer, you've led me on quite a chase."
However, the transformed Hu Liang seemed to have lost all consciousness, becoming purely a blood-thirsty monster. Instead of responding to Gu Qingfeng, he roared and lunged straight for him.
Gu Qingfeng's brows furrowed as he suddenly kicked out, sending the jiangshi flying.
"Xu Daizi, what's going on? He was fine when he was deceiving me earlier, but now he seems to have lost all reason."
After spending some time together, Gu Qingfeng had discovered Xu Fan's strong points - the kid was well-read and knew all sorts of strange knowledge, which is why he asked him.
"Lord Gu, if I'm not mistaken, what deceived you earlier was Hu Liang's ghost - his soul after death. What you see now is his corpse transformed into a jiangshi, and jiangshi have no consciousness."
Hearing this explanation, Gu Qingfeng became unhappy - so this wasn't even the real deal?
By now, the jiangshi Hu Liang had crawled back up, showing no fear as it charged at Gu Qingfeng again.
Gu Qingfeng hadn't used his full strength earlier, originally planning to torture him slowly, but now knowing the jiangshi had no consciousness, he abandoned that idea and decided to finish it quickly before seeking the real target.
Just as Gu Qingfeng was about to act, Wang Fatty suddenly stepped forward: "Lord Gu, there's no need for you to handle such fourth-stage Qi Gathering trash. Leave it to me!"
Ever since learning the jiangshi was equivalent to a fourth-stage Qi Gathering warrior, Wang Fatty had been itching to show off and curry favor with Gu Qingfeng.
However, Wang Fatty didn't realize he had just put his foot in his mouth.
"Who are you calling trash?" Gu Qingfeng asked ominously.
Wang Fatty instantly realized his mistake, his heart skipping a beat.
Oh no! He'd forgotten Lord Gu was also at the fourth stage of Qi Gathering.
Thinking about Gu Qingfeng's petty nature - how he wouldn't let go even after being deceived by a demon - Wang Fatty realized this unintentional mockery might cost him his life.
"My lord, please calm down! I was talking about Hu Liang, not you..."
Before he could finish explaining, Hu Liang charged forward.
Wang Fatty's small eyes bulged - damn you, if it weren't for you, would I have misspoken?
He struck out in anger, raising a leg as thick as an adult man's waist and viciously kicking Hu Liang.
This kick unleashed the full power of an eighth-stage Qi Gathering warrior and his three hundred pounds of weight!
Hu Liang flew back like a cannonball, crashing through a row of tombstones, his supposedly hard jiangshi body nearly falling apart.
"Oh? Not dead yet?" Seeing Hu Liang still struggling to rise, Wang Fatty strode forward with determined steps.
But when Hu Liang stood up, instead of attacking immediately, he threw back his head and roared!
ROAR!!!
The undead howl shook the forest!
Wang Fatty carelessly picked at his ear, but finding his fingers too thick to fit inside, he had to pretend to pull them out and blow on them, about to make some boastful remark.
The ground... began to shake!
Then, before Wang Fatty's terrified eyes, the tombstones began to crack one by one, and rotting, withered arms reached up from the earth.
Then one jiangshi, two jiangshi... a hundred, two hundred!
They frantically emerged from the ground, filling the cemetery as far as the eye could see!
And it wasn't over - more jiangshi continued to crawl out, all with blood-red eyes filled with mad bloodlust!
ROAR!!!
Hundreds of jiangshi roared in unison, a sound that seemed to scatter the clouds above, letting cold moonlight shine down on the earth.
After roaring, their blood-red eyes all turned toward Wang Fatty, who stood closest to them!