Now that he knew everything, Luo Yu was even more opposed to Uncle Jude Luo's actions, as well as his father's. He argued desperately, citing reason and logic. If the timeline was correct, next month would be the day their ancestor returned.
Jude Luo said nothing, only telling Luo Yu not to defy his father's decision any further. His father was doing this to protect his life; there was no other way.
Luo Yu was in agony, and fear began to creep in. Over the years, everything in the Luo Family had gone smoothly; though there were occasional setbacks, the family flourished and became a prominent clan in the region.
Luo Yu knew exactly whom his father would choose—it would be his ten-year-old cousin from his second uncle's family, who was not very bright. He wanted to escape and warn his second uncle's family, even though both his second and third uncles had been taken away. Their families, however, remained untouched.
When Lucy Lu came to bring him food, Luo Yu begged her to let him out, but Lucy refused. Furious, Luo Yu lost his temper, and Lucy immediately began screaming.
In the end, the corpse handlers at home came in and subdued Luo Yu, locking him up again. He felt as if everyone in the family had gone mad.
This whole thing was completely irrational, and after death, they would become zombies. The more Luo Yu thought about it, the more terrified he became. He recalled that many of the elderly corpse handlers would leave the family. He had asked his father about it before, and his father said that because of their health, staying in a house constantly exposed to corpses would only worsen their condition. So, when they grew old and weak, unable to handle corpses anymore, the family would give them money to retire in a quieter countryside.
But these people were sent to Gourd Village, where they waited to become zombies.
Luo Yu screamed and shouted, feeling that everyone in the family had lost their minds. He finally understood why their corpse handling had always been so successful—even when they encountered zombies, they could escape because they carried the bloodline of their ancestor.
A few days later, one night, his father came to see Luo Yu. Luo Yu kept questioning him, asking why they couldn't change professions and end all this, but his father only smiled and shook his head.
His father spoke of his own childhood, recalling when he witnessed the ancestor return home. All the children who were to inherit the family business watched as the ancestor told them: only the strong could inherit and continue the Luo Family. Anyone who refused would see everyone killed.
Luo Yu stared at his father in disbelief. He urged his father to seek help from people in the ritual community, but his father shook his head and said those people would never help them. Some in the ritual community knew that the Luo Family was allied with the corpse realm, which explained their years of peace.
His father began to cry. He told Luo Yu that if he didn't do this, it would be Luo Yu who died this year. If he defied the ancestor, thousands in the Luo Family would be slaughtered.
His father spoke of what Luo Yu's grandfather had witnessed: originally, the main family consisted of four branches. When one branch tried to defy the ancestor, they were exterminated. Hordes of zombies came, and in a single night, hundreds were bitten to death.
Even after learning everything, Luo Yu still couldn't accept it. But now, all he could think about was finding a way to deal with the ancestor—he had to end this madness.
Many people were crying, but no one dared to speak. Finally, his father, overcome with guilt, spoke up. Among all the Luo children, Luo Yu was the smartest. If the family was to survive, it had to be led by Luo Yu.
Just then, a strong smell of blood filled the air. Luo Yu's eyes widened as he saw a handsome young man with long black hair descend from the sky. He looked to be about twenty, with red lips and white teeth. Many elderly people present knelt in worship.
At that moment, Luo Yu shouted, questioning the ancestor named Luo Yichen about his cruelty. The Luo Family should have ended corpse handling long ago—he wanted to end it himself. Why had it been allowed to continue until now?
His father hurriedly grabbed Luo Yu. Luo Yichen raised a finger, and Luo Yu floated toward him. Just as everyone thought Luo Yichen was going to devour Luo Yu, he smiled.
Luo Yichen told Luo Yu that he was a promising strongman and would surely achieve great things. He knew exactly what had happened in the Luo Family—in order to maintain stability, Luo Yichen had already gone to the prison and dealt with Luo Yu's two uncles.
When the uncles' families heard this, they wept bitterly but dared not make a sound. Luo Yu shouted that one day he would kill Luo Yichen, but Luo Yichen just smiled and walked into the black curtain. To Luo Yu, that smile seemed utterly false and repulsive; he was just a corpse, devoid of humanity and emotion.
A scream echoed from inside the curtain, and soon Luo Yu saw blood seeping out from beneath it. Shortly after, Luo Yichen emerged, looking euphoric, his skin now flushed red instead of pale white.
Afterward, Luo Yichen nodded with satisfaction, appointing Luo Yu as the next heir of the Luo Family. He demanded that Luo Yu continue to expand the family and promised perpetual prosperity—but warned he would return in fifty years, and Luo Yu must not forget.
After Luo Yichen left, Luo Yu seemed to awaken. He no longer resented his father and uncle for what had happened, for he was clever and understood their predicament.
His father seemed to sense Luo Yu's intentions and gave him three years. After that, Luo Yu must return home and inherit everything. To ensure Luo Yu had someone to look out for him, his father sent Uncle Jude Luo and Lucy Lu to accompany him.
Luo Yu's only goal was to find a practitioner capable of dealing with the ancestor.
First, Luo Yu went to the Mount Mason Order. But as soon as he tried to climb the mountain, the Daoists stopped him, immediately recognizing him and his companions as being associated with the corpse realm. Even though Luo Yu explained his intentions and asked for help against the zombies, the Mount Mason Order refused.
Disappointed, Luo Yu and his companions could only turn to the Buddhist sect. The largest temple at the time was Universal Temple, newly built. They were not stopped upon arrival, but when they consulted the abbot, Abbot Fortune, he told Luo Yu he was powerless to help. They were facing the control of the corpse realm, and as monks, there was nothing they could do.
After being politely refused again, Luo Yu grew angry. He couldn't understand why everyone in the ritual community was like this. The next sect, Hades Circle, was considered a major sect, but their power was too weak to help with the zombies.
Left with no choice, Luo Yu visited some smaller sects, but as soon as they heard it involved the corpse realm, most recoiled in fear. After wandering for over half a year, Luo Yu still hadn't found anyone willing to help.
At that time, the turmoil caused by the evil ghosts in the ritual community had subsided. During his travels, Luo Yu heard that the seven evil ghosts who had wreaked havoc in the living world had been captured by the Underworld. Now, the corpse realm was the most powerful force, and its frequent activity seemed linked to a female ghost who had been captured by the Underworld. Rumors had it that the corpse realm might be planning to attack the Underworld.
After a year of wandering, on a snowy day, Luo Yu finally met the legendary Master Boundless at a remote mountain sanctuary called Boundless Sanctuary. Master Boundless greeted them kindly, listened to their story, and agreed to help.
After hearing the whole story, Master Boundless said that even if he intervened, he would not be a match for the zombies. The only solution was to sever the Luo Family's bloodline.
Luo Yu was disappointed. He hoped Master Boundless could gather others from the ritual community to help clear the zombies from Gourd Village, but Master Boundless said he could not leave the sanctuary.
However, Master Boundless pointed Luo Yu in another direction, suggesting he try to contact the Mount Mason Order. Luo Yu was surprised, thinking Mount Mason Order had been wiped out long ago, but Master Boundless explained that some disciples had escaped and, after many years, the order was recovering. Some Mount Mason Order people had even visited recently.
After telling Luo Yu where Mount Mason Order disciples might be found, Luo Yu went down the mountain. Following Master Boundless's clues, he searched and finally found a Mount Mason Order disciple in a dilapidated sanctuary.
However, when Luo Yu explained his purpose, the Daoist suddenly attacked, declaring that Mount Mason Order and the Luo Family were mortal enemies.
Jude Luo quickly subdued the Daoist, whose strength was less than Luo Yu had expected. After tying him up, Luo Yu waited until he calmed down and then began to explain his thoughts and the situation in the Luo Family—that they were actually being controlled by their ancestor, Luo Yichen.
Upon learning this, the Daoist seemed to realize something. He explained that zombies used this method to continually create more powerful zombies, and that the ancestor was likely maintaining the family's numbers to strengthen himself, storing power for the day he would become a Prime Revenant.