Chapter 109: The Pursuit

“I don’t mind absorbing his essence to increase my strength,” Jiu’er said, licking her lips and narrowing her eyes slightly.

The Nightwalker from the Heavenly Demon Sect had a vigorous life force, even stronger than those of the heretical disciples. If she devoured his essence, she might become even more powerful, Jiu’er speculated silently.

She understood clearly that only by growing stronger could she avoid being bullied and protect those she cared about. Everything hinged on strength, so she was eager to become more powerful without violating her principles.

“Heh heh, Jiu’er is clever. I originally planned to use him for a midnight snack, but the essence of these small fry doesn’t do much for someone at my level. For you, though, it will be very beneficial. You’re an anomaly—I’ve never seen a zombie wield magic before. Perhaps you’re the strongest among zombies your rank, and maybe you’ll even surpass us, or the other two great guardians. Let’s head to the hospital first,” said Iron Bull, grabbing the Nightwalker’s corpse and tossing it into the SUV.

Jiu’er pounced on it like a bloodthirsty beast. Zhang Shouzheng, standing nearby, was utterly disoriented and increasingly worried.

Seeing Zhang’s confusion, Iron Bull patted his shoulder with a grin. “Don’t worry, she’s not a mindless corpse. She retains her full soul—or rather, her body has simply transformed. Get in the car. The private hospital belongs to Jade Eye, and with her here, those Nightwalkers will surely be found.”

Zhang nodded and got into the car with them.

It was already one in the morning. The hospital was quiet, especially this private one, where the elite of Dragon City resided. The facilities were top-notch, even guarded by special police at the entrance.

Naturally, the two Nightwalkers from the Heavenly Demon Sect couldn’t enter through the front gate; they climbed over the three-meter-high walls instead. Once inside, they easily found the inpatient ward, quietly knocked out two on-duty doctors, and changed into white coats.

The vehicle pulled into the hospital parking lot. Under Jade Eye’s arrangement, the corpse inside was quickly taken to the morgue. The body was shriveled, with most of its blood drained. Jiu’er wiped the blood from her lips, smirked, and belched. Catching Zhang Shouzheng staring at her in shock, she turned her head in embarrassment.

“Two Nightwalkers from the Heavenly Demon Sect have infiltrated the hospital. I need Sister Jade Eye’s help to find them. They carry vital information and must not be killed,” Zhang said sternly after regaining his composure.

Hospitals were chaotic places for cultivators. Life and death created a disturbed magnetic field. Even this mountaintop private hospital was no exception. Nobody knew how a corpse slave like her had survived so long—since the underworld’s ghostly enforcers would come to claim souls upon death, risking confrontation.

Perhaps those ghostly enforcers didn’t oversee zombies beyond the Three Realms and the Five Elements, so they didn’t trouble her.

“Alright, we’ll investigate personally. If they’re inside, they should be in the inpatient ward,” Jade Eye said coldly, adjusting her glasses as she led them toward the ward. At the entrance, she sniffed the air and frowned. “There’s definitely a living person’s scent in here.”

“You can detect that?” Zhang asked in surprise.

“What’s so strange? Do you think anyone can enter this private hospital? Only the powerful have access to the inpatient ward, so their scent is very familiar. When strangers come in, how could I not notice? Heh, Jade Eye’s level surpasses mine by a lot—she can smell blood from miles away,” Iron Bull boasted, earning a cold glare from Jade Eye as they proceeded to the third floor of the ward.

Zombies had an acute sense of smell. As flesh corpses, they relied on scent rather than sight; everything appeared blood-red to them. Upon evolving into iron corpses, their eyes became functional, and their sense of smell even keener.

The nurse station was deserted. Two doctors chatted in the duty room. Jade Eye snorted coldly, pushed open the door, and surveyed the room. Several nurses and doctors lay unconscious on the floor, two male doctors stripped of their coats.

“Those youngsters have some nerve, breaking into my hospital and injuring my doctors,” Jade Eye said frostily.

“You…” The two impostor doctors, who were actually enforcers from the Heavenly Demon Sect, were caught off guard. They didn’t expect to be found so quickly, especially with the female doctor and the strange man who could easily snap necks behind her, along with Zhang Shouzheng and Jiu’er.

“Tell us where Qingya is. If you cooperate, I might spare your lives. If not, think about your fate,” Zhang said, stepping forward with a clenched fist, pointing a broken sword at one of them.

The two exchanged glances before coldly replying, “How can we trust you won’t go back on your word? Don’t talk to me about oaths—we don’t believe in them!”

“What do you want then? Don’t force me to drain your essence and imprison your souls, turning you into ghost slaves. Then you won’t have a choice but to confess,” Zhang warned.

Jiu’er raised an eyebrow and licked her lips, causing the two enforcers to involuntarily take a few steps back in fear.

The Heavenly Dao Sect’s Yin Sha branch was well-versed in crafting ghost slaves, even if other sects weren’t.

The enforcer’s expression shifted slightly. He knew all too well about ghost slaves and spoke without hesitation:

“I’ll tell you now since it’s come to this. Senior Qingya arrived in Dragon City recently, but a reckless youth pursued her relentlessly. What’s strange is that Qingya could have easily killed him several times but held back at critical moments, letting him escape. When he recovered, he chased her again, and she once more spared him. Yesterday, Qingya retreated to an abandoned house in the suburbs. After that, we don’t know.”

“That’s true. Now, can you let us go? You’ve already killed two of our brothers,” the other enforcer said angrily, clenching his fists.

“We killed two of your brothers? Ask yourself how many righteous disciples you’ve slain. Are righteous people not human? Don’t give me that nonsense. Tell me the exact location of that suburban house and the details. Once I verify it, I’ll decide whether to let you go. Don’t make demands—you don’t have that right. You have half an hour. Think carefully,” Zhang said before turning and leaving. He wondered how the massive killing formation at the school was faring and the fate of those inside.

With Jade Eye and Iron Bull here, they weren’t worried about the Nightwalkers escaping.

“That temper is really becoming more like the master’s,” Iron Bull said with a smile as Zhang and Jiu’er departed.

“Nonsense. He’s the master’s direct bloodline. Now, start interrogating them—this is your expertise,” Jade Eye instructed coldly, shooting Iron Bull a sharp glance.

Just as Zhang Shouzheng and Jiu’er reached the school gates, a tremendous explosion echoed from afar. Thunder roared through the void. The two exchanged a glance and sprinted toward the source. Zhang knew this was the manifestation of his thunder talisman. It seemed Jiang Mingyue had activated it, though whether to strike the enemy or break the last formation node was still unknown.