Is this what a zombie is?

52. 9 lives

Nangong Erya appeared to pass through a low-altitude half-circle, then her sky-blue flame wings retracted, turning into specks of sparks and dissipating into the air.

She landed on the ground without making a sound, as light as a swallow.

She hurried through the cells in Block A, only to find utter silence, which made her frown.

The scene before my eyes was too bizarre.

The ground was littered with the bodies of hardened criminals, some lying on beds, others on the ground, in various postures, but without exception, all of them were lifeless and devoid of any vitality.

Strangely, there was not a single external injury on these people, no signs of struggle, and no indication of poisoning.

If it were drained dry by the Blood Curse of Ten Thousand Spirits, it wouldn't be like this.

Just like pressing oil, after the oil and water are extracted, only residue remains. There will be no complete corpse that can be identified.

It was that pitch-black slash that swept across the entire prison, and that unknown spirit rune.

And the person who performed the spell must be nearby.

Nangong Erya closed her eyes slightly, her senses instantly expanding as she carefully searched for any remaining spiritual energy fluctuations.

As Nangong Erya flew low into Black Stone Prison, Jiang Chen and Cat Master both saw her, but she didn't notice the man and the cat.

Because Cat Lord concealed its aura and Jiang Chen's aura, not revealing a single trace.

"hiss--"

The cat, perched on his shoulder, tore through his skin with its claws, digging deep into his flesh with great force, causing Jiang Chen to gasp in pain.

Jiang Chen turned his head and saw that the usually lazy cat was now looking flustered, with even its black fur standing on end. It was obvious that it was stressed and very nervous.

It seemed not to notice Jiang Chen's gaze at all; its emerald green eyes were fixed on the figure that swept low overhead, and the emotions in its eyes were extremely complex.

It was so complex that Jiang Chen couldn't tell for a moment whether it was hatred, resentment, fear, or nostalgia.

Or perhaps, both!

"Master Cat, do you know her?"

Only after Nangong Erya disappeared from sight did Cat Master calm down, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I don't recognize it, but I recognize that kind of flame; it's the Nanming Li Flame."

"I'm warning you, don't go near her. The Southern Ming Fire is extremely strong and yang, and it can destroy all evil and heretical forces. Someone like you, half-dead, will be burned to ashes if you get even a spark on her, and you'll say goodbye to this world forever."

"Southern Bright Fire...Vermilion Bird?"

"Yes, Suzaku, she is from the Four Spirits Clan."

"Are they the Four Symbols I know: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise?"

Jiang Chen read a lot of these myths and legends when he was a child, and once regarded the Four Divine Beasts as his idols.

But as they grew up and were exposed to more and newer things, they saw many beings whose settings were even more powerful than the Four Divine Beasts, completely overwhelming them.

Over time, they naturally stopped being fans.

"That's right, the totems of the Four Spirits Clan are these four spirit beasts. They have protected this land for thousands of years, and most of the time, they serve the government."

"Most of the time?"

"They didn't get involved much during the Qing, Yuan, and those chaotic periods of the Northern and Southern Dynasties."

"Oh, I see." Jiang Chen understood. It seemed these families still had some integrity. He then asked, "So, the official organization you mentioned earlier, is that them?"

"It's them." Cat Master sensed Jiang Chen's dangerous intentions and immediately nipped the idea in the bud. "But don't even think about contacting them. If they find you, they'll kill you without hesitation."

"Why? Do they have a grudge against me?"

Jiang Chen's subconscious question was met with silence from Cat Master, and that silence itself was the obvious answer.

There is indeed a deep-seated hatred between them, perhaps even a blood feud.

Just then, a light footstep came from behind.

Attorney Luo followed the edge of the huge, charred crater left by the lightning strike and groped his way over.

"Cat Lord!"

"Come here, we're here."

With everyone present, Cat Master made a quick getaway without hesitation.

One, two... a total of eight tails emerged from behind, stretching out, adding to the original one, making a total of nine tails.

Nine fluffy tails danced wildly in the air, enveloping Jiang Chen and Lawyer Luo, forming a giant black cocoon.

The next second, the space where they were located suddenly shrank inward, creating a ripple-like distortion.

The two people and the cat vanished into thin air.

Almost at the same moment they disappeared, Nangong Erya, who had already found the Ten Thousand Bones Pit, suddenly looked up at the spot where Jiang Chen had disappeared.

She detected a faint, yet incredibly peculiar, fluctuation of spiritual energy.

Her figure transformed into a blue streak of fire, arriving at the spot where Jiang Chen had disappeared. The place was already deserted, but the remnants of that spiritual energy fluctuation were real.

And if she wasn't mistaken, the owner of this spiritual energy fluctuation should be...

"...Nine Lives!"

……

Hundreds of kilometers away, inside a sprawling luxury villa.

The huge living room, spanning several hundred square meters, was dimly lit, with only a large 100-inch screen on the wall emitting a faint glow.

It's not that we don't have the money to turn on the lights, it's just that we want this atmosphere.

Ai Yi, like a boneless shrimp, nestled in the large leather sofa, holding a big bucket of popcorn, intently watching the horror movie playing on the screen.

The plot of the old movie was quite good; he was so engrossed in it that he even forgot to eat his popcorn.

Unlike modern horror movies, which are full of jump scares and then end with a dream, a real-life prank, or a mental breakdown, instantly destroying any sense of immersion.

The eerie background music, amplified by the high-end sound system, created an extremely sinister atmosphere in the entire living room.

Suddenly, a piercing electrical noise exploded.

The 100-inch screen flickered wildly a few times, then went completely black, and then turned into a screen full of flashing static.

"Damn, we've just reached the crucial point!"

Before Ai Yi could even complain, the space in front of the screen began to distort without warning, like a pebble thrown into the water.

Immediately afterwards, two figures staggered out of that distorted space, fell headfirst onto the floor, and instinctively crawled forward a couple of times.

In the air, several black, furry tails were whipping wildly before disappearing quickly.

Under the pale backlight of the snowy screen, distorted and elongated shadows instantly filled the entire living room wall, baring their fangs and claws like ghosts.

Ai Yi was so startled that she jumped up from the sofa, scattering the popcorn she was holding all over the floor, and let out a pig-like scream:

"Waaaaah! I wasn't watching Sadako! How did she crawl out of the TV?! You have no sportsmanship! I wasn't prepared at all! Help me!!!"