Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

Then, Liu Mingzi kept tossing out copper coins, his expression sometimes relaxed, sometimes puzzled and serious.

Half an incense stick later, Liu Mingzi's face was as pale as paper.

"Pfft~"

As he spat out a mouthful of blood, Liu Mingzi put his tools away.

"Inform the hundred households that Zangpo Long is currently in the Ten Thousand Mountains. However, in five days, he will go to the northeast of Guobei County, in the Chou-Yin direction, to the hills and forests, near water, and hide in a dilapidated temple or earthen kiln."

Cao Xiong pulled out a map of Guobei County from his desk and scanned it with his eyes.

After taking a short break and regaining some strength, Liu Mingzi got up and walked to Cao Xiong.

He pointed to an area, saying, "It should be in this location."

Cao Xiong looked at the spot where Liu Mingzi's finger had landed and murmured, "Mating Township."

After Liu Mingzi left, Cao Xiong pondered, "According to the information provided by Nie Xiaoqian, this Zangpo Dragon is quite mysterious. Its own strength is much weaker than that of the Yaksha, but it is skilled in using poison. If you are not careful, you will be poisoned."

"There are still five days left, we should have enough time!"

Next, Cao Xiong threw himself back into cultivation, striving to double his strength before searching for the Burial Dragon.

The talent attribute he chose did not disappoint him. Now, his daily cultivation progress is more than 20% faster than before he awakened the attribute [Martial Arts Correction].

The most advanced technique is still the "Maha Knife Technique," which is about to reach its pinnacle.

Cao Xiong decided to press on and cultivate the "Maha Knife Technique" to its highest level, so as to comprehend its secrets.

In the courtyard behind the barracks, Cao Xiong lowered his waist and mounted his horse, raising his long sword high above his head. He combined the strength of his waist, shoulders, and arms to deliver a powerful vertical slash from top to bottom, the blade straight and unbiased, the power concentrated in the blade.

This move is the first move of the "Maha Knife Technique", "Vajra Splitting the Mountain".

Drawing inspiration from the Vajra Warrior's ability to split mountains and cleave peaks, it emphasizes unwavering determination and direct confrontation to defeat the enemy.

The sound of the blade was deep and muffled, like thunder, and the downward force of the blade could easily shatter bluestone.

"The Vajra Challenges the Moon"

Cao Xiong's swordsmanship changed, and his sword movements became light, agile, and swift.

Unlike the powerful and heavy "Vajra Splitting the Mountain", this move emphasizes skill within strength.

Following the momentum of the "Diamond Splitting the Mountain" strike, Cao Xiong suddenly flipped his wrist, and his longsword slashed upwards from below, the tip of the blade rising in a crescent moon-like arc.

"The sea of ​​suffering has run dry."

Cao Xiong shifted his feet to the side, extended his long sword and swept it horizontally, extending the sword's momentum and increasing the area of ​​impact.

The swordsmanship was like a long river that had stopped flowing; the energy was dense and continuous, and the sword shadows flew, obscuring Cao Xiong's entire body.

"The Brahma Sounds Subdue Demons~"

Cao Xiong's moves changed once again, his longsword clanging and chanting mingling with the sounds of Buddhist chanting.

"The Buddha's Wrath"

Cao Xiong's eyes widened, and the killing intent he had been holding back erupted completely, his blade blazing brightly, his power overwhelming.

Each strike carried an aura of domineering arrogance, as if he were the only one worthy of the task.

"Thousand Thoughts Slash"

His footsteps never ceased, his long sword slashed swiftly without stopping, one strike after another, the shadows of the blades intertwined, the moves overlapped, and the real and the illusory were created in harmony.

Dozens of sword shadows seemed to appear in the courtyard, weaving together in a dazzling display. Before the force of the previous sword had dissipated, the next sword had already been unleashed.

"Mahayana Returns to Oneness"

As Cao Xiong unleashed the final move of the "Maha Saber Technique," the myriad sword shadows suddenly ceased, the long saber slowly fell, and all the released saber energy and killing intent were withdrawn into his body.

Cao Xiong let out a deep breath, "Martial arts cultivation is indeed powerful; I've never felt so exhilarated."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

【Maha Knife Technique (Perfect) 400/400】

Cao Xiong finally mastered the "Maha Knife Technique" to its ultimate perfection. His knife skills were no longer bound by form, but rather moved freely and spontaneously.

"Then let's break through and see the true power of the Maha Sword Technique."

Cao Xiong drew his Evil-Smelling Longsword, channeling his inner energy into the blade. With each wave of his hand, the sword's energy swept across the surrounding area.

The wind howled like a vast ocean, a stampede of ten thousand horses, perfectly embodying the all-encompassing meaning of "Maha".

Cao Xiong's swordsmanship embodies his own essence, energy, and spirit. When he moves, his sword energy can cleave rocks and break metal; when he is still, his long sword stands upright, and his aura is as deep and restrained as an abyss.

"Immovable King Slash~"

As the blade struck, a low chanting of Buddhist hymns echoed in the courtyard. The blade's light transformed into a phantom of a wrathful king, with one face and two arms, glaring eyes and fangs. His left hand held a rope-like grip, binding and locking the enemy's energy, while his right hand wielded a blade, slashing and crushing with a deafening roar as flames enveloped the blade's light.

"Boom!"

The long sword landed, and the bluestone slabs within three meters instantly turned to dust.

Cao Xiong knelt on the ground, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face.

At this moment, he clearly felt even weaker than after Nie Xiaoqian had drained his yang energy.

【Mahayana Knife Technique (Transcendental Realm)】

[Derivative Secret Technique: Immovable King Slash]

Cao Xiong sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, and his internal energy became increasingly refined.

"According to Liu Mingzi's divination, tomorrow, Zangpolong will leave the Ten Thousand Mountains and enter Mating Township."

After tidying up briefly, Cao Xiong rode away from the Hundred Household Office alone.

……

……

……

Qinghe Village, Guobei County.

Sha Huizi carried two tightly bound civilians, who had just been infected with the corpse plague, and threw them next to Zhang He.

"Dr. Zhang, these two people haven't completely turned into plague corpses yet; they are the lightest infected people we can find in this village."

Zhang He quickly walked up to the two men, his voice filled with excitement, "Thank you, Commander Sha."

Sha Huizi nodded slightly. "The plague corpses in this village have been almost completely eliminated. Next, we may need to divide our forces."

Upon hearing this, Zhang He frowned slightly. The research and development of the antidote for the plague corpses had reached a critical moment, and it would be inconvenient to travel around with the government troops.

"Commander Sha, we need to stay here, so we won't be going anywhere else with the team."

"Alright, I will bring a small squad of soldiers to guard this place. Doctor Zhang, you can rest assured." Sha Huizi clasped his hands and left the military doctor's tent.

After Sha Huizi left, Zhang He carefully observed the two people who had just been brought over.

The two people had tears in their eyes and their bodies were stiff.

"My lord, save me! I don't want to die!"

As soon as Zhang He removed the burlap gag from one of the men's mouths, the man began to wail in pain.

"Don't worry, just cooperate." Zhang He kept his voice as gentle as possible.

Hearing the commotion, Mao Dafu came over. "Lord Zhang, how are these two?"

"He hasn't completely lost his mind yet. His eyes are bloodshot, and his veins are swollen. He hasn't been infected for long, so he's perfect for testing the antidote." After observing him, Zhang He stuffed the burlap into the man's mouth.

"Then let's begin!" Mao Dafu's voice trembled.

Subsequently, a military doctor took out a packet of medicinal powder containing twenty-seven kinds of herbs and began to boil it.

Before long, the army doctor brought Zhang He the prepared antidote.

"Drink this bowl of medicine." Zhang He pulled the burlap sack from someone's mouth.

The man's eyes gradually lost focus, and his mind began to wander, but he still nodded vigorously and drank the antidote in one gulp.

Zhang He, Mao Dafu, and others stared intently at the people who had drunk the antidote.

After about ten minutes, everyone saw the reddish-blue blood vessels in the man's eyes fade and his body gradually soften.

Before the group could even rejoice, the person who had taken the antidote suddenly convulsed, his eyes becoming bloodshot again, and he bared his teeth at Zhang He and the others.

"How could this be? We tested it with the corpses of plague-infested zombies. Logically, the medicinal herbs should be fine." Mao Dafu frowned, finding it hard to understand.

"It might not be a problem with the medicinal materials. How about we change the firewood to dried mugwort and peach wood to enhance its detoxifying power, and try it again?" Zhang He thought for a while and proposed a solution.