The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Gu Cheng looked up at the dark night sky, letting the rain hit his face.

He recalled Cheng Zizai's meaningful smile before he left, and how he had gradually stepped into this meticulously designed trap.

"Someone always has to be the villain."

Cheng Zizai's voice still seemed to echo in my ears.

"And you are the most suitable candidate."

At the time, he agreed without hesitation. Looking back now, it's laughable. A dignified General of the Western Garrison, willingly becoming a pawn.

A bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, illuminating the sharply defined profile of the lonely city.

His eyes were filled with regret.

I should have chased after them.

He whispered to himself.

If he had chosen to pursue Zhu Lu and join forces with Ye Qiu back then, perhaps the situation wouldn't be so passive now. But Cheng Zizai's warning still echoed in his ears—

"We cannot bear the wrath of the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect."

Rainwater slid down his brow bone, like silent tears.

Gu Cheng gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"General!"

A scout rushed over and knelt on one knee.

"There's something unusual happening in the southern part of the city!"

Gu Cheng's eyes sharpened.

"explain."

"Master Zhou, Master Zhou"

The scout's voice trembled slightly.

"He transferred all the constables to the east side of the city, and now to the south side."

"What's wrong now?"

The voice of the lone city suddenly rose.

The scout swallowed hard.

"There are people moving in the ruins of the southern city, but they are not alive."

Gu Cheng's heart skipped a beat.

He turned around abruptly and said sternly to He Liang.

"You stay here. If Ye Qiu comes, send the signal immediately!"

Before He Liang could respond, Gu Cheng had already strode off towards the south of the city. The armored vehicles clanged dully in the rain, like the pounding of an uneasy heart.

Meanwhile, in the ruins of the southern city.

Old constable Wang Defu trembled all over, not because of the cold autumn rain, but because of the extremely bizarre scene before him.

"Lord Zhou Zhou."

His voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

"What is that?"

Zhou Ze stood in the rain, his black robe soaked through and clinging to his thin body.

He stared expressionlessly at the dark figure slowly rising from the ruins, but a strange smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Wait."

He uttered those two words again, his voice so cold it was almost inhuman.

Wang Defu's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

He had been a constable for over thirty years and had seen countless crime scenes, but he had never seen such a horrifying scene—those "people" who crawled out of the ruins, their bodies twisted and their movements stiff, as if they were being pulled by invisible threads.

Gu Cheng stood amidst the ruins of the Liang Prince's Mansion, his feet resting on shattered blue bricks and charred wooden beams.

The north wind howled, swirling up the ashes on the ground at his feet.

He reached out and caught a falling ash, gently rubbing it between his fingertips, and the ash turned into fine powder that slipped through his fingers.

“Two years”

The lonely city murmured to itself, its voice almost swallowed by the wind.

His gaze swept over the once magnificent mansion, now reduced to ruins.

In the past two years, every major move by the North has been accompanied by an inexplicable and mysterious element.

Like this ruin, it appears to be the result of war, but he knows the truth is far more complex.

The scene of Xian Zhen, the number one war god of the nation, returning from the Battle of Hulao Pass two years ago is still vivid in my mind.

If Xie Xuan and Tao Hongjing hadn't intervened in time, Hulao Pass would probably have already fallen.

The recent righteous alliance's siege of the demonic sect's mountain gate in the Qilian Mountains also seems rather strange.

Not to mention the tragedy at the Hanging Temple on Guangcheng Mountain in Fufeng County—when Zen Master Huitong passed away, all the monks in the temple were brutally murdered, but they all came back to life after the monks returned from the Hanging Temple.

"The dead have come back to life."

Gu Cheng narrowed his eyes, the ashes reflecting an eerie dark red in them.

Although the Hanging Temple tried its best to cover up the incident, the news still spread like wildfire.

He looked up towards the south of Longhai County, where a dark cloud was currently hanging over the area.

Meanwhile, in the southern part of Longhai County, puppeteer Zhou Ze sat on his warhorse, his face ashen.

Behind him stood eight hundred fully armed policemen, now in complete chaos.

"Sir! Those dead people have risen up again!"

A policeman pointed ahead in alarm.

Zhou Ze looked in that direction and saw pale hands emerging from the ground in the ruins, followed by heads and torsos. The corpses that should have been dead were now twisting and crawling out of the ground.

Their eyes were empty and lifeless, their skin had an unnatural bluish-gray tint, yet their movements were unusually agile.

"Shut up!"

Zhou Ze shouted and drew his military sword, its blade gleaming coldly under the gloomy sky.

He spurred his horse forward and swung it down on the head of a dead man who had just crawled out of the ground.

"Crack!"

The head rolled off, but the headless corpse continued to crawl forward.

Zhou Ze's expression changed, and he swung his sword again, this time cleaving the corpse in two at the waist. The corpse finally stopped moving, but more dead bodies were surging in from all directions.

Upon seeing this, the eight hundred constables were terrified, and some had already begun to retreat.

"Anyone who dares to back down will be killed without mercy!"

Zhou Ze roared, his voice booming like thunder.

With a swift turn of his sword, he pierced through a fleeing constable. Blood splattered, and the man stared wide-eyed at the blade protruding from his chest in disbelief.

"You should know the rules of this isolated city."

Zhou Ze said coldly, withdrawing his longsword, and the corpse fell to the ground with a thud.

This startled everyone. Although the eight hundred constables were pale, none of them dared to take a single step back.

Just then, a long, drawn-out Buddhist chant drifted from the sky.

"Amitabha--"

The sound, like a clear spring flowing, made the restless dead freeze in their tracks.

Zhou Ze looked up and saw a white figure walking through the air, followed by a girl in black.

The white-robed monk had a handsome face, a dot of vermilion between his eyebrows, his eyes were slightly closed, and lotus flowers bloomed with each step he took.

The girl in black had a cold and stern face, a short sword hanging at her waist, and eyes as sharp as knives.

"Master Kongchan!"

The old constable exclaimed in surprise and almost knelt down.

The white-robed monk Kong Chan did not linger; he and the black-clad girl Yu Youwei headed straight for the depths of the ruins.

Zhou Ze's gaze sharpened as he saw a deep, shadowy figure standing silently in the darkest part of the ruins, with a strange beast resembling a lion or tiger but with ram's horns crouching beside it—the legendary ferocious beast Taotie.

"Everyone, attack the ruins!"

Zhou Ze made a decisive move and pointed his sword forward.

The old constable also raised his arms and shouted.

"For the sake of Longhai County! Kill!"

Eight hundred constables roared and charged into the ruins with gritted teeth.

However, the warhorses could hardly move forward in the rugged ruins, so Zhou Ze had to dismount and continue on foot with the others.

Deep within the ruins, Kong Chan and Yu Youwei were already facing off against the figure. The Taotie let out a deep roar, saliva dripping from between its fangs, corroding small pits into the ground.

“Benefactor, manipulating the dead is against the will of Heaven.”

Kong Chan clasped his hands together, his voice calm.

The figure emitted an eerie laugh, the sound like the scraping of metal.

"Little monk, doesn't your Buddhist sect preach the salvation of all sentient beings? What's wrong with me giving them a new life?"

"This is not rebirth, it is blasphemy."

Yu Youwei said coldly, her short sword already drawn.

The figure said no more, raised his hand and waved it, and the surrounding corpses suddenly accelerated and rushed towards the two of them.

Kong Chan suddenly opened his eyes, which shone with golden light. He struck out with his palm, and the Buddhist swastika symbol appeared in his palm, instantly transforming into a giant golden hand that pressed down all around.

"boom!"

The giant golden hand landed, crushing dozens of dead people into blood and bones. Wherever the Buddha's light reached, the evil spirits retreated.

"With such a murderous intent, how dare you call yourself a Buddhist disciple?"

The figure sneered.

Kong Chan did not answer and continued forward. Seeing this, Taotie roared and soared into the sky, colliding with the giant golden palm.

boom! "

A deafening roar shook the heavens, and the golden giant hand was shattered into pieces by the Taotie.

Kong Chan swayed and took a half step back.

Yu Youwei swiftly stepped forward, her short sword flashing silver as she aimed straight for the Taotie's eyes. The Taotie turned its head to dodge, its tail sweeping out and forcing Yu Youwei back.

"Be careful, this beast is not simple."

Yu Youwei reminded her.

Kong Chan nodded, clasped his hands together again, and his body radiated Buddhist light, transforming into a majestic Dharma image three zhang tall. The Dharma image was solemn and dignified, with a halo of Buddhist light behind its head, holding a vajra, and fighting against the Taotie.

In the distance, Zhou Ze and the eight hundred constables witnessed this scene and were all shocked. The old constable's legs went weak, and he murmured.

"This is a miracle!"

Golden Buddhist light and the black malevolent energy of the Taotie intertwined and collided above the ruins, unleashing a deafening roar. The dead, illuminated by the Buddhist light, fell to the ground, turning into withered bones.

At the same time, in the ruins of the Liang Prince's Mansion, Gu Cheng and Lu Jianxiong looked up simultaneously.

"Something has changed in the southern part of the city."

Lu Jianxiong said in a deep voice, his hand already on the hilt of his knife.

Gu Cheng nodded.

"The Buddhist monks have arrived."

His eyes held a complex expression.

"Kong Chan and Yu Youwei. It seems that the matter of the Hanging Temple is indeed not simple."

In the direction of Jiangchuan, Pei Guoguo suddenly stopped, and the little monk Kongkong's expression also changed.

"Such a powerful aura of a sage."

Pei Guoguo frowned.

Jiang Chuan noticed that Kong Kong's expression was unusual.

"Little Master, what's wrong?"

Kongkong shook his head silently, but his eyes were full of worry. Fourth Senior Brother Chen Ping suddenly turned to the west, his expression changing drastically.

"not good!"

Almost simultaneously, Chen Qing and Pei Guoguo also showed signs of unease.

Jiang Chuan and Wang Han exchanged a glance, both seeing tension in each other's eyes.

The youngest, Su Wen, was so frightened that he couldn't speak, his fingers tightly gripping the hem of his clothes.

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-"

The sound of clashing swords pierced through the rain, starting as a few scattered notes, but quickly becoming a continuous, metallic sound.

Gu Cheng stood in the courtyard, raindrops sliding down his cheeks.

He closed his eyes and felt a deathly aura spreading from the west, like the Grim Reaper's scythe slicing across the earth.

"Ye Qiu."

Gu Cheng silently recited the name in his heart.

He prayed for his dear friend's return, but his intuition told him that Ye Qiu wouldn't die so easily. Or rather, he wouldn't return so easily.

The rain was as heavy as iron, and three thousand armored soldiers stood in formation outside the Liang Prince's Mansion. Rainwater flowed along the patterns on their armor, forming streams that splashed countless times on the bluestone slabs.

Mad Saber He Liang held the saber in one hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. Rainwater flowed down the seven-foot-long blade, spreading a dark patch on the bluestone slab.

"Commander Liu."

He Liang's voice was hoarse, and rainwater streamed down his thick beard.

"Have the archers prepare the fire arrows."

Liu Kuan, the commander of the prefectural army, wiped the rain from his face; the rainwater mixed with cold sweat.

"General He, the rain is too heavy; I'm afraid the rockets might..."

"Just do it."

He Liang didn't turn around; his gaze was fixed on the end of the long street.

"Those things are afraid of fire."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sickeningly loud grinding sound of bones came from the direction of the west city.

Through the rain, countless dark figures could be vaguely seen moving slowly and steadily toward this side.

The stench of decay could not be masked even by the heavy rain, like an invisible hand gripping everyone's throat.

"Raise your shield!"

He Liang suddenly roared.

Three thousand armored soldiers moved simultaneously, and the iron shields forming the city wall gleamed coldly in the rainy night.

He Liang mounted his horse, and the dragon-scaled horse pawed restlessly, its nostrils emitting white steam.

"General He!"

Liu Kuan's voice trembled.

"Then what is that?"

At the end of the long street, the first decaying figure finally broke through the rain.

It could no longer be called human; half of its face was drooping, revealing stark white bones, its chest was wide open, and its internal organs had long since rotted away, yet it could still walk.

Then came the second, then the third, and in the blink of an eye, the entire street was filled with corpses.

"Fire arrows!"

The rocket pierced the rainy night, only to be extinguished by the rain before it could reach the corpses.

He Liang spat and twirled the Mad Blade of Sorrow in his hand.

"Kill with me!"

With a long neigh, the dragon-scaled horse charged out like an arrow.

A mad sweep of blades, unleashing a torrent of energy, instantly cleaved dozens of corpses in two. Rotten flesh and black blood splattered, but were washed away by the rain before they hit the ground.

Three thousand armored soldiers followed closely behind, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

Amidst the flashing swords and clashing blades, corpses fell one after another, yet more kept pouring in.

He Liang fought with increasing ferocity, and wherever his mad blade passed, corpses fell like straws.

However, there were simply too many corpses, and the three thousand armored soldiers were quickly divided and surrounded.

"Form a circle!"

He Liang shouted and simultaneously cleaved three lunging corpses in two with a single stroke.

"Don't scatter!"

The corpses attacked silently, without shouts or fear, only endless stench and death.

A soldier was grabbed by the ankle by a corpse and dragged into the horde of corpses in an instant, his screams abruptly cut short.

On the high walls of the Liang Prince's Mansion, Long Xiang, the young master of the Demon God Temple, pushed open the window, and the stench of corpses rushed out.

He squinted, raindrops sliding down his long, silvery-white hair.

"Yan Yun."

Long Xiang's voice was filled with suppressed excitement.

"Look at this scene, doesn't it look like Hulao Pass two years ago?"

A tall, thin man with a pale face emerged from the shadows behind him.

"Young Master, this technique does indeed resemble Li Tianxing's style."

Long Xiang's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Investigate who is controlling these corpses. If it's one of Li Tianxing's people, perhaps we can cooperate."

"Young Master, please reconsider."

Yan Yun frowned.

"To seek help from a tiger for its skin."

"Shut up!"

Long Xiang suddenly turned around, his eyes glowing red.

"How many years have the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect and the Jixia Academy suppressed us? Now our chance has come!"

Yan Yun lowered his head and remained silent.

Long Xiang snorted coldly, leaped out of the window, and disappeared into the rainy night in a few bounds.

At the same time, a burst of golden light suddenly shone from the south of the city, illuminating half the sky.

The people of the city flocked to the golden light, but were terrified by the corpses on the way and scattered in all directions.

In the backyard of the Liang Prince's mansion, Jiang Chuan slammed his fist against the wall, blood seeping from his knuckles. (End of Chapter)