Inside the Wàng Ruò courtyard, the scene of utter devastation left Lady Zhao’s wife, Madam Ruan, completely stunned.
Just minutes ago, she had been abruptly awakened from a dream.
Upon hearing the commotion from the backyard, she hastily donned a plain outer robe and rushed with her maidservants to investigate.
At this moment, Madam Ruan’s hair was loose, several strands of silver hair hanging beside her pale cheeks.
Her bright eyes now brimmed with terror and disbelief, and tears threatened to spill as she saw the Zhao family members in the courtyard—drenched in blood and wailing—and the city guards desperately trying to hold the line.
Her gaze finally settled on her husband, Zhao Zongchang, lying before her, drenched in blood and barely breathing, and on the twisted figure not far from her side, shrouded in a dark red malevolent aura, emitting a piercing, guttural roar.
Even though the figure was distorted and blurred, even though they were separated by the dense night, Madam Ruan recognized them instantly.
“Yin… Yin Yin…”
Her lips trembled as she barely whispered the name, afraid to disturb whatever remained.
Her body shook violently.
If not for the two maidservants holding her up tightly, she would have collapsed.
The scene before her was a nightmare beyond all nightmares, devouring her heart utterly.
Then, suddenly—
“Mother… so tasty!”
Sensing her mother’s presence, Zhao Mingyin let out a feral screech.
Drawn by the intense lure of familial blood, she abandoned all other targets.
The black corpse aura swirling around her surged violently, transforming into a streak of black wind, invisible to the naked eye, rushing straight at Lady Zhao with astonishing speed.
The fetid wind stirred around her so fiercely that even Lu Li, watching from afar, narrowed his eyes in alarm.
“Ah! Madam, be careful!”
Though pale with fear, the two maidservants bit their lips and stepped forward, shielding Madam Ruan behind them.
The Qi Refinement Stage 2 maidservant shouted sharply, quickly forming hand seals.
A faint blue Spirit Power Barrier flickered into existence, instantly enveloping the three of them in a protective shield.
The Qi Refinement Stage 3 maidservant did not hesitate; she plucked the Jade Hairpin from her hair and transformed it into a sharp jade-green streak of light—her Magic Weapon—aiming straight at Zhao Mingyin’s chest.
But their modest cultivation was like ants trying to shake a tree compared to the overwhelming power of a Foundation Establishment Zombie like Zhao Mingyin.
“Crack! Pfft!”
Zhao Mingyin’s claws, coated in black scales, tore through the thin blue barrier like paper, shattering it into a cascade of scattered light.
Then, her claw slammed down with precision on the jade-green light forged from the Jade Hairpin.
With a crisp snap, the magic weapon’s glow dimmed and shattered into fragments.
The powerful backlash surged through the maidservant’s mind link, crashing down like a bomb.
“Ah!”
Both maidservants cried out in pain, their bodies flung backward like kites with broken strings.
Blood poured from their mouths as they crashed onto the cold bluestone floor several yards away.
After struggling briefly, they fell unconscious—their fates unknown.
Seeing this, the mortal Madam Ruan was paralyzed with terror.
She collapsed to the ground, her face drained of color, lips trembling in fear, unable to utter a single word.
But one thing she was certain of: this was not her daughter!
“Yin Yin! That’s your mother! Your real mother!”
“Zhao Mingyin! Stop! You must stop right now!”
Zhao Zongchang, grievously wounded, roared with a heart-wrenching scream that seemed to tear his very soul.
Only now did he realize the truth: the one who had been resurrected was not his daughter, but a bloodthirsty, violent monster wearing her skin.
With his faith shattered, Zhao Zongchang fell into utter despair.
Meanwhile, Lu Li had no time to dwell on Zhao Zongchang’s desperation.
“Young Master Shang! Qingkong! Hurry and save Lady Zhao!”
“Yes, Master.”
“Yes, Senior.”
At Lu Li’s command, Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu moved at once, becoming streaks of light as they lunged toward the white-clad zombie.
Almost simultaneously, Lu Li drew the remaining Twelve Spirit Swords from his storage pouch.
With the earlier Twelve Spirit Swords, they combined to transform the ethereal sword formation into the Supreme Demon-Slaying Sword Formation of Duanqing Peak!
“Hmph! Monster! Don’t get too arrogant!”
“Lady Zhao! Hold onto me!”
Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu, both system bearers who had returned to life, activated their system energies simultaneously.
Gu Qingying opened a cognitive modification, disguising her system as her family’s traditional movement technique.
She suddenly vanished, then appeared right beside the zombie Zhao Mingyin.
At the same time, Gong Shangyu activated and then released time stop.
Within the frozen moment, she transferred Madam Ruan and the two wounded maidservants to a safe distance.
Just as the two women prepared to strike simultaneously—using the Treasure Cauldron and the Familial Sword to attack and draw the zombie’s hatred, buying Lu Li time to set up the sword formation—
Suddenly, a black figure lunged forward, sword drawn, stabbing at the zombie Zhao Mingyin with fury!
The figure was none other than Zhao Zongchang himself, who had been silent and broken after losing his faith.
At this moment, he drew from the last reserves of his life’s essence—power far beyond his physical limits.
That power came from regret, from despair, and from the heaviest of burdens: his duty as a father, a city lord, and above all, a protector.
Like a moth drawn to flame, Zhao Zongchang charged into the roaring zombie Zhao Mingyin!
At the exact moment their bodies were about to collide, a cold gleaming Familial Sword appeared in his hand.
It was the magic weapon he had painstakingly forged for his daughter’s fourth birthday, months of gathering cold iron, every detail carved with care.
On the hilt, the crooked but loving character “Yin” was etched—a promise to protect her life and happiness.
And now, this sword, meant for protection, had become the weapon he thrust into his daughter’s body!
“Pfft…”
With the sound of flesh tearing, the sword—infused with the same corpse aura as the zombie—pierced straight through the wound in Zhao Mingyin’s chest previously made by Gu Hongchen’s Spirit Sword.
It continued from back to front, driven by Zhao Zongchang’s cruel resolve and overwhelming sorrow, pinning Zhao Mingyin firmly to the cold, hard ground.
“Ahh! Roar… Daddy! It hurts…”
Zhao Mingyin unleashed a furious roar, the agony in her chest and the restraint driving out her monstrous nature.
She kicked and clawed wildly, desperately trying to rip apart Zhao Zongchang’s fragile chest and abdomen.
Inside Zhao Zongchang’s belly, she tore and twisted madly!
“Ughh…”
Zhao Zongchang trembled violently, blood gushing from his mouth like a spring, staining his beard and the White Stag Insignia on his official robe.
But even so, he did not loosen his grip.
Using his last ounce of strength, his arms clamped down like iron bands, holding the cold, rigid, struggling body of his daughter tightly.
In this way, his flesh and blood became a shackle, imprisoning Zhao Mingyin in place—preventing her from harming any more innocents, preventing further mistakes.
By now, Zhao Zongchang understood clearly.
As the city lord of Yangzhou, he could not allow this monster wearing his daughter’s skin to exist in a world still holding hope.
He forced his head up, eyes meeting Lu Li’s, who was still casting the Supreme Demon-Slaying Sword Formation at a distance.
Through the maddened biting on his shoulder and the blood draining from his body, Zhao Zongchang gave a bitter, resigned smile.
“Sorry, Master Lu…”
“Because of my selfishness… I’ve caused you so much trouble.”
He was filled with shame beyond words.
“Please… end both my life and Yin Yin’s…”
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