The attacker appeared suddenly, but Yu Lie's reaction was just as swift.
His eyes narrowed, and before he could even clearly see the assailant, the crow whistle in his mouth let out a sharp cry.
"Screech!"
The Divine Fire Crow, which Yu Lie had released earlier, collided head-on with the attacker and exploded, scattering bright red flames.
The heat wave surged, rapidly burning the air in the cave.
Even though Yu Lie was several steps away, he could feel his mouth and nose drying up, and a slight sense of suffocation in his throat.
A humanoid figure engulfed in flames appeared before his eyes.
Only then did Yu Lie realize that the attacker who had suddenly pounced out from the cave was not a ferocious beast or a tiger.
The enemy, struck by the Divine Fire Crow, was forced back several steps, but its body didn't split apart.
Instead, it let out an inhuman roar.
Yu Lie's heart tightened.
He immediately reached for another Divine Fire Crow, ready to strike again.
But in the thick smoke, the enemy's body emitted waves of black, foul-smelling gas.
The flames on its body not only didn't extinguish but instead seemed to grow fiercer, as if fueled by oil.
The stench of burning flesh grew stronger.
Before Yu Lie could release another Divine Fire Crow, the humanoid beast was consumed by the flames that refused to die out, burning it to death.
A pile of charred bones collapsed in front of Yu Lie.
Yu Lie stared at the scene, his eyes filled with doubt and suspicion.
After testing the situation, he confirmed that the enemy was truly motionless before boldly stepping forward and crushing its neck with a stomp.
"Crack!"
The attacker, who had just withstood the explosion of the Divine Fire Crow, now had its neck bones shattered by Yu Lie's foot, proving to be even more fragile than the winged tigers on the ground.
This situation gave Yu Lie a clue about the attacker's identity.
However, he didn't immediately crouch down to inspect it.
Instead, he first scanned his surroundings and threw a fireball for illumination.
"Whoosh!" A white light flared up.
About ten steps behind the charred remains of the enemy was the end of the cave.
There were no other dangerous creatures inside.
Feeling slightly reassured, Yu Lie crouched down to carefully examine the enemy's remains.
"It's indeed a zombie!" After his inspection, a look of understanding flashed in Yu Lie's eyes.
Zombies, as the name suggests, are corpses that have become stiff after death.
However, in the eyes of cultivators, zombies are more than just stiff corpses.
They refer to corpses that have been nourished by yin spiritual energy, causing them to "revive" and become walking dead.
Ordinary human corpses can turn into zombies, but even dogs fear them.
Only after consuming enough blood and undergoing further transformation do they become monstrous creatures capable of tearing apart tigers and leopards, impervious to blades and spears.
If the corpse of a cultivator, especially one who has achieved a body of copper tendons and iron bones, turns into a zombie, it becomes even more formidable, directly comparable to an eighth-grade ferocious beast, incredibly vicious.
Fortunately, although zombies are mysterious and unafraid of pain, they have a weakness: they fear yang energy.
Even ordinary sunlight can disperse the corpse energy within them.
The Divine Fire Crow Yu Lie had used earlier was a fire weapon crafted based on the "Lead and Mercury Fire Treasure Compendium," containing gunpowder.
Gunpowder, fierce and yang-rich, is exceptionally effective at burning away yin and evil energies, making it a top-tier tool for dealing with zombies and ghosts.
Thus, when the zombie in the cave was struck by the Divine Fire Crow, although it withstood the initial explosion, it couldn't endure the subsequent burning of the gunpowder.
The yin energy within its body was ignited, causing the flames to grow fiercer and ultimately burning away all the yin energy inside it.
Of course, this was also because the zombie in the cave was at most a low-grade eighth-grade creature, not a particularly powerful one.
Yu Lie's mind raced with thoughts.
He looked at the charred zombie on the ground and then at the eleven winged tigers he had slain, his heart filled with doubt and suspicion.
"Why would a zombie appear in a cave full of winged tigers? Was someone deliberately refining a corpse here?"
One conjecture after another appeared in Yu Lie's mind, filling him with both surprise and excitement.
This situation made him even more convinced that there was something unusual about this place!
With great anticipation, he first searched the zombie's body and then scoured the dark cave.
Sure enough, although the zombie's clothes had been burned to a crisp, making it impossible to identify, Yu Lie found tattered pieces of a Daoist robe in the cave.
It was clear that the zombie had been a cultivator in life, at least a mid-level Daoist disciple!
Immediately, a clearer conjecture formed in Yu Lie's mind:
"Perhaps the group of winged tigers in the cave were raised by the Daoist who turned into this zombie. He was their master, which is why there are both winged tigers and a zombie in this cave..."
Following this line of thought, Yu Lie continued to search the cave and found more clues.
The most convincing evidence was the four copper collars he discovered, covered in bite marks, twisted and misshapen.
But Yu Lie was certain that these collars were from the Beast Hall in Blackwater Town!
Although he had figured out the identities of the winged tigers and the zombie, as well as the relationship between them, Yu Lie still paced around the cave, pondering patiently.
This was because he had neither found any legacy left by the Daoist nor any rare treasures in the cave.
Suddenly, Yu Lie reached the end of the cave and thought to himself:
"Ordinary beasts might not think of having multiple escape routes, but a Daoist who was healing or living here would surely consider the possibility of being trapped, unless he didn't stay overnight..."
He pressed against the rock wall at the end of the cave, tapping it in various places.
After a while, not finding any hidden compartments or passages, he decided to step back, draw his bow, and fire explosive arrows randomly into the cave.
"Boom! Boom!"
Rocks shattered, and dust flew everywhere, covering Yu Lie's robes and making him look like a miner.
But the next moment, he put away his bow, a look of delight on his face, and rushed forward.
Just as he had suspected, there was a weak spot at the end of the cave!
Yu Lie walked over and, using his brute strength, kicked it open.
A cold, yin energy immediately swept out from the cave, sending a shiver down his spine.
This cold sensation didn't frighten Yu Lie; instead, it filled him with joy.
"Yin energy!"
He lit a torch but didn't immediately step into the hidden chamber.
Instead, he called in the myna bird that had been keeping watch outside and sent it in first.
After confirming that there were no major anomalies in the hidden chamber, Yu Lie bent down and crawled inside.
Soon, an even colder chamber appeared before his eyes, with water inside.
Yu Lie stepped in, his expression changing slightly.
The water in the chamber was colder than he had imagined, and faint traces of yin energy seeped into his body, causing even his copper tendons and iron bones to prickle with goosebumps.
The deeper he went, the colder the water became, but this only heightened Yu Lie's anticipation.
Suddenly, something came into view.
It was as large as a table, black like lacquer but with a fleshy hue, resembling a large lump of fat or dyed agar.
When Yu Lie saw this, his eyes lit up with excitement.
"Flesh Ganoderma, the Stone Yin Tai Sui!"
He finally understood why the Daoist's corpse had turned into a zombie despite the lack of yin energy in the outer cave.
Most likely, the Daoist had entered this hidden chamber, touched the Stone Yin Tai Sui, or even cut off a piece and taken it outside!
And the reason there were over a dozen winged tigers in the cave, coexisting with the Daoist zombie, was also because of the Stone Yin Tai Sui!
(End of Chapter)