Chapter 21: The Evil Corpse Ghost (Part 1)
The Western Regions are vast and sparsely populated. Upon entering this place, the Black Dragon finally understood how naive he was. When he was in the Central Plains, he had thought that as long as he entered the borders of the Western Regions, he would definitely be able to find that small village where he was born and raised. However, upon arriving here, he realized his mistake. The vastness of the Western Regions' territory and its broad expanse were not one bit inferior to those of the Central Plains. Moreover, this place had few people, and most of them, just like the villagers he used to live with, did not have any understanding of the outside world. When he was in the Central Plains, he could still ask for directions, but upon arriving here, he could only rely on himself to feel his way around. Three days had already passed, a full three days, and the Western Regions' highlands seemed endless. He no longer knew whether he was getting closer or farther away from Lianyun Mountain. On this vast highland, he felt how small he was.
The scorching sunlight was shining on the earth, and because of its location in the highlands, the air was abnormally hot during the day. If it weren't for Hailong having a certain level of magical power, he might have been sunburned already. He took out a water bag from the Qiankun Ring and drank a mouthful, gazing far into the distance with a secretly bitter heart. He had encountered four or five villages or tribes before, but after inquiring, it turned out that no one knew about Lianyun Mountain. Now deep in the Western Regions highlands, although he could tell east, south, west, and north apart, he didn't know which way to go next either.
As he wandered aimlessly, a figure entered his line of sight. The person was moving forward slowly, stumbling and falling every few steps, but immediately getting back up to continue on, as if driven by some unyielding determination. Suddenly seeing the figure in this vast empty land, Hailong's heart leapt with joy, and he floated towards the person. As they drew closer, he saw the person's appearance clearly - a man in his forties, looking extremely disheveled, with a head of messy hair like overgrown weeds covering his face, and clothes that were tattered and worn out like Hailong's when he met the Yu sisters. His hands were covered in sunburn marks, with skin as dry and cracked as a withered tree, splitting into fine lines.
He floated in front of the middle-aged man and asked, "Uncle, what's wrong with you?" The middle-aged man's appearance had already touched his sympathetic heart.
The middle-aged man heard the voice and suddenly raised his head. When Hailong saw his appearance, he couldn't help but take a breath of cool air. The middle-aged man's face was covered with ulcers, and the dry, yellowish-brown scars looked extremely disgusting. His dull eyes had no luster, and when he saw Hailong, he suddenly shouted loudly: "Get out, get out quickly, stay away from me."
Hailong took a step back subconsciously and asked cautiously, "Uncle, what's wrong with you? Is there anything I can help you with? I have water and food here."
The middle-aged man's body shook, and in his hoarse voice, he shouted: "No, no, get out of here, quickly, leave me alone, I don't need your help. Get out!" His voice was filled with desolation. Seeing him in such a pitiful state, Hailong couldn't help but think of his own past experiences of being oppressed, and he could no longer care about politeness, taking big strides to walk up to the middle-aged man, stretching out his hand to grab him. The middle-aged man seemed to have seen something terrifying, and his body suddenly retreated, but he was clearly already very weak, stumbling and falling to the ground, causing Hailong's grab to miss its mark.
"Don't touch me, get away from me, do you want to die?" The middle-aged man's voice became even more shrill.
"Uncle, I didn't mean any harm, I just wanted to help you! If you keep going on this vast land, you'll die."
A hint of desolation flickered in the middle-aged man's eyes as he muttered, "Death, yes! Death, that's all I want! Get away from me quickly. I've been infected with corpse poison, which is highly contagious. I don't want to harm you. If you get infected, you'll become like me too. Don't bother about me, hurry up and leave this place."
"Corpse poison? Poison on a corpse? Uncle, can you tell me what's going on? Maybe I can save you. I won't go over there, just listen here. Here, drink some water first. Don't worry, this canteen is yours to keep, and I have many more, so don't be polite." As he spoke, he tossed his own canteen over.
Perhaps feeling the sincerity from Hailong's heart, the middle-aged man seemed to calm down a lot. He was indeed thirsty and grabbed the water bag, gulping it down with gurgling sounds, half of the water quickly entering his stomach. As his breathing gradually stabilized, the middle-aged man moved his body back a bit, looking at Hailong with some gratitude, saying: "Young man, thank you. You're a good person."
Hai Long felt a strange sensation in his heart when he heard someone call him a good person for the first time. He wasn't usually one to meddle in other people's business, but the middle-aged man had stirred up memories from before, so he made up his mind to help him. With a faint smile, he said, "Uncle, tell me what's going on. I'm not an ordinary person, you know? Maybe I can really help you." To show off his strength, Hai Long waved his left hand and released a red energy from the Blood Eight Trigrams, instantly blasting out a shallow crater about one to two feet deep in the ground nearby.
The middle-aged man looked at the sea dragon in surprise and said, "You, what is this? Alright, I'm almost dead anyway, so I'll tell you. However, you have to promise me that after hearing my story, you'll immediately use the light you just emitted to knock me into that hole, and then bury me with soil. If possible, it would be best if you could burn my body with fire first."
Hai Long detected the middle-aged man's fear of corpse poison from his tone and replied indifferently, "You first tell me your business, then I will naturally help you."
"I'm called Sha Si, originally from a small tribe dozens of miles away. We lived on the western highlands, herding for a living. Although life was poor, we were happy. I had a beautiful wife and two sons, 23 and 17 years old. They were my greatest pride. But our happiness was destroyed a few days ago. My eldest son returned late from herding, his face grayish-blue. I thought he was tired and didn't think much of it. He went to rest without eating, but something terrible happened that night. A scream woke me up, coming from my sons' tent. I saw a horrific scene: my eldest son had grown fangs and was biting my younger son's throat, his skin rotting, dripping yellow pus. My younger son was already dead when I arrived. I was terrified, not knowing what was happening, while my wife shouted for help. My eldest son stood there, staring at me blankly. The tribe leader and others came after hearing my wife's cries. He recognized the signs of corpse poison, a terrifying disease with contagious properties. We didn't know how to handle it. My wife rushed into the tent, calling out my eldest son's name. Suddenly, he pounced on her, biting her throat. My heart shattered. I knew everything was over. I grabbed a wooden stick and hit my eldest son, trying to get him to release my wife. During the struggle, he bit me, and my wife died. I used all my strength to tie him up. I knew if I let him continue, the whole tribe would be destroyed. My younger son's body began to convulse, about to become a zombie. For the tribe's sake, I had no choice but to bind my two sons and wife together and set their bodies on fire. The best way to deal with zombies is to destroy their bodies completely. The flames consumed my loved ones, my teeth were clenched in pain, my body convulsing, my heart bleeding! Only then did I notice the bite wound on my hand, realizing I had also contracted corpse poison. To avoid infecting others, I wanted to throw myself into the fire with my family. But they wouldn't let me go, holding me back. The tribe leader comforted me, saying maybe it wasn't serious since I was only bitten a little. But I knew he was just comforting me. Corpse poison spreads quickly through the body, and although I'm still alive, I know I'll never be able to get rid of it. The next day, I escaped when no one was looking. I just wanted to run far away, not wanting to infect anyone else. I hate that zombie who killed my eldest son, destroying our family. It's been three days since I left, and I don't know why I'm still alive. Young man, kill me, please! I'm in so much pain, help me end my life!"
Hai Long's eyes flashed with cold light, and he said in a deep voice: "Are there any zombies around your village? Could it be an undead spirit. If it were just an ordinary zombie, your eldest son wouldn't have been able to return to the tribe after being bitten. It must be an undead spirit. Hmph, I'll go back with you and help you kill that undead spirit for revenge." When Hai Long was at Lian Yun Mountain, he had heard Ling Yu Zi talk about undead spirits before. So-called undead spirits were actually humans who used a specific method to transform themselves into zombie-like creatures in order to pursue their cultivation of the dark arts. However, they possessed intelligence. For undead spirits, the vital energy of living people and the flesh of zombies were their foundation. This kind of evil cultivator was not even considered a worthy opponent by those on the evil path. The greatest advantage of cultivating as an undead spirit was that one could achieve a strong cultivation in just a few decades. Only the most evil of people would choose this method of cultivation, and once an undead spirit's cultivation reached a certain level, it would inevitably lead to the destruction of living things and the spread of zombie poison, which could bring catastrophic disaster to ordinary people. Sha Si's story filled Hai Long's heart with anger, and he agreed to help him take revenge without considering the consequences or whether his own cultivation was enough to contend against an undead spirit.
Shashe clenched his teeth and muttered, "No, I can't go back. I've already become like this. If I go back, I'll infect everyone with the corpse poison. I won't go back. Thank you, young man. If possible, just help me avenge my death. From here, head west and you'll see our tribe. The Corpse Ghost might be nearby." After finishing speaking, he suddenly grabbed a sharp stone from the ground and stabbed it into his own throat with great force. A yellow-green liquid flowed out of the wound as Shashe's life quickly slipped away. As he looked at Hailong, although he was about to leave this world, he had obtained Hailong's promise, and his eyes revealed a satisfied expression. With the hope of avenging his death, he no longer had any regrets. His body thudded to the ground, and he was gone.
Hai Long stood there, but in fact, he had enough time to stop Sha Si earlier, yet he didn't do so. Sha Si's body was already completely invaded by the corpse poison, and even if Tian Dao Zun were here, it's uncertain whether he could save him. Moreover, what would be the point of saving him? His most beloved family members are all dead; rather than letting him live a lonely life, it's better to let them reunite underground.
A faint blue light enveloped the body of the Sea Dragon, while a red glow burst out from the Blood Trigram, and Sasha's corpse was deeply buried underground. A new patch of yellow earth suddenly appeared on this vast plateau. From his bosom, the Sea Dragon pulled out a small iron rod, took a deep breath, and pushed his magical powers to their limits, transforming into a shadowy figure that flew rapidly in the direction Sasha had pointed. In the air, a crystal clear water droplet floated. The water droplet fell onto the yellow earth, quickly seeping into it, and everything returned to calmness, with a gentle breeze bringing a hint of desolation. Perhaps, after many years, on this patch of yellow earth, plants would take root and sprout. Sasha's great selfless spirit would nourish their growth.
