Chapter 433: Demonic Zombie!

The panic within Wulong Fucheng spread like ink dropped into clear water, rapidly diffusing.

Although the Town Guard Office and the Prefectural government office immediately imposed quarantine under the pretext of a suspected plague.

But the combination of "emerald-netted patterns," "high fever and drowsiness," and "contagion" was enough to shatter the psychological defenses of ordinary civilians.

Rumors spread faster than the "strange illness" itself.

Some claimed it was the vengeful spirits of Mo Sect demons who had died in Poisonous Dragon Gorge.

Others said it was the Mountain God angered by the Giant Spirit Sect's destruction of a demon lair.

Still others whispered in hushed tones, suspecting a new, even more terrifying demonic art had emerged.

The clinics were overflowing.

Not only were there patients, but far more were civilians who felt similar symptoms or came purely out of panic seeking diagnosis.

Several common heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs in the apothecaries were completely sold out, their prices soaring.

Streets were nearly empty; even those forced to go out moved with fearful expressions, covering mouths and noses with cloth, avoiding each other hastily upon meeting.

The Giant Spirit Sect's response was not slow; after receiving Chen Mu's warning and request for cooperation via official channels, they quickly dispatched one internal disciple skilled in herbal medicine and another adept at exorcism and purification, along with over a dozen related disciples.

Yet faced with this unprecedented "strange illness," the two disciples initially had no solution.

"Not poison, not gu, nor ordinary evil qi entering the body."

The herbalist disciple, surnamed Su, frowned deeply as he carefully examined the pulse and subcutaneous patterns of a critical patient: "The pulse is deep and sluggish yet strangely rapid and slippery, as if a living thing crawls through the blood vessels—but these emerald-netted patterns are not physical gu… more like an extremely sinister 'curse force' or 'disease-source qi' parasitizing."

The exorcism disciple, Liu, attempted to expel the yin evil qi from the patients using special true qi and purification incantations; initially it had some effect—their body temperature dropped slightly, and the patterns faded.

But within half an hour, the symptoms would return, even worse than before.

"This thing is like a gangrenous sore rooted in the host's essence and blood qi; ordinary exorcism methods can only suppress it temporarily, never eradicate it—and may even provoke it, accelerating the patient's life force depletion."

…

Chen Mu did not go to the clinic himself, but through Tang Bin's detailed report and his own powerful spiritual sense, he remotely perceived the patients' condition.

That cold, filthy, life-draining eerie aura reminded him of ancient records he had once read about "plague miasma" and "curse poison."

This was no natural occurrence—it must be a deliberately crafted yin evil art.

…

Just as the two disciples were overwhelmed and the Town Guard Office struggled to trace the source with slow progress.

On the third night, another change occurred.

In Chengxi, near the city wall, in the poor district known as Pottery Alley, a temporary quarantine courtyard suddenly erupted in piercing screams, followed by the crash of collapsing structures and the chaotic cries of fleeing people.

The two Town Guard soldiers assigned to guard that area arrived first, finding a low-rank warrior servant collapsed on the ground, his chest torn open, his heart vanished, blood pooling everywhere.

And the middle-aged patient, previously isolated alone in the room and in a coma, now stood upright in the courtyard, his eyes entirely ghastly green, the emerald-netted patterns beneath his skin writhing like living vines, exuding a nauseating stench and a violent aura.

His fingernails had turned black and sharp, dripping viscous fluid; blood and bits of flesh clung to his lips.

"Zombie transformation? Or demonic mutation?!" one young guard cried out in shock.

The "demonized patient" emitted a guttural gurgle, whirled his head, and locked his ghastly green eyes onto the two guards, then lunged forward with speed far exceeding human limits—rigid yet swift, carrying a stench of blood.

Though startled, the two guards remained composed—they were elite Town Guard soldiers—and immediately drew their blades to meet the threat.

But after several exchanges, they were horrified to discover this demonized creature possessed immense strength and feared neither pain nor death; their blades struck its body with metallic clangs, leaving only shallow wounds.

And the fluid oozing from those wounds was not bright red blood, but thick emerald-green pus; when it splashed onto the ground, it hissed and corroded small pits.

Worse still, the fighting and the scent of blood seemed to stimulate other nearby quarantine courtyards—several inhuman roars followed, clearly indicating more patients had mutated!

…

The news reached Chen Mu swiftly.

Chen Mu's eyes flashed with cold light, and his figure vanished from where he stood.

…

Above Pottery Alley, Chen Mu hovered in midair, taking in the chaos below.

Three courtyards had already lost control; four "demonized patients" were rampaging, while Town Guard soldiers and Giant Spirit Sect disciples joined forces to contain them.

But they were constrained—needing both to subdue these powerful, toxic monsters while minimizing further casualties and contamination—and were now locked in stalemate.

Chen Mu's spiritual sense swept through, clearly "seeing" how the latent emerald "disease-source" within these demonized ones had fully erupted, consuming most of the host's life force and transforming into a filthy, evil energy that controlled the ruined bodies.

At their heart regions, the energy was most concentrated, faintly forming a twisted rune.

"The core is in the heart… or rather, it has replaced the heart."

Chen Mu understood.

This method was cruel and effective: turning living humans first into vectors of infection, then transforming them under specific conditions into mindless monsters driven solely by slaughter and contamination—inciting panic, draining suppression forces, and possibly serving as Sacrifices or components of some ritual.

This could not be allowed to continue.

Chen Mu no longer hesitated; he did not land, but from afar, pointed his finger like a blade and struck downward at a demonized patient lunging toward a civilian.

There was no earth-shattering spectacle—only a thread of crimson light, condensed to perfection and nearly invisible to the naked eye, shot forth at speed beyond visual capture.

Puff!

The crimson thread pierced the demonized patient's heart with pinpoint accuracy.

The demonized patient's sprint froze instantly; he emitted a short, shrill shriek. The writhing emerald patterns on his body stiffened, then vanished like snow under sunlight.

The ghastly green glow in his eyes extinguished; his entire body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, utterly lifeless, skin returning to a dead, ashen gray, devoid of any sinister aura.

Nine Yang Tyrant Blade!

The most yang, most righteous true qi, forged into a blade—specialized in destroying all yin evil curses and filthy origins.

Chen Mu had not unleashed his full power, but against these puppets driven by evil energy, it was precisely the right remedy.

Immediately afterward, Chen Mu's fingers flicked again, releasing three more crimson threads, each striking the heart of the other three demonized patients.

The same process occurred—within moments, all four demonized patients were completely "purified," collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】