Zhi Ruo heaved a sigh, seeing the Nogral coming at her with a furious snort. She was well aware that once a beast that was once alive and not born into an undead beforehand, turns into an undead creature loses its ability to have a complete thought. And only it's instincts remain.
This would also mean that the undead creature cannot use it's inborn abilities or skills as it turns into an undead creature.
That is what's happening with the Nogral right now, Zhi Ruo doesn't understand how that hair like tree could control the Nogral. But it was apparent that the Nogral's instincts was stronger than whatever that hair like tree had done.
The Nogral was responding to Zhi Ruo this way, because it was threatened by her presence. And because it was threatened, it sought to fight back.
Zhi Ruo jumped on one of the trees around her, she comfortably crouched into one of it's low branches. She looks at the giant form under the tree that was furiously charging and clawing to her way, and sighed.
And then she moves.
She dropped from her location directly into the back of the Nogral with a harrumph. And the back of the beast, where the three people on its back was looking at her appalled. Their mouths were clamped shut, and their bodies sustained some injuries that was now healing in a faster rate now that they were awake.
Zhi Ruo did not untie the hostages, instead she dropped kicked the Nogral who was not happy that Zhi Ruo jumped to it's back. The Nogral that was snorting, growling and jumping around trying to get Zhi Ruo out of its back howled in pain, when Zhi Ruo's feet collided to it's head.
It momentarily stopped, but Zhi Ruo dropped kicked it again with a laugh. The Nogral's legs failed on itself and could not hold Zhi Ruo's kick and it's face collided to the ground floor in a quick succession.
It growled threateningly, and Zhi Ruo was reminded of that one lion that was being captured at the zoo back in some foreign place she could not remember. Zhi Ruo did not feel a least bit threatened, but the undead creatures around her was. As those creatures wailed in fear and ran away from their fight.
Zhi Ruo took a look at the three survivors at the back of the Nogral and noticed the sword that was strapped into one of the guy's waist. The man glared when he could feel Zhi Ruo's eyes on his sword. But could not do anything when Zhi Ruo took it with a swipe. The man grunted in distress, but Zhi Ruo merely grinned unter her mask.
Zhi Ruo briefly smiled when she pulled out the blade from it's sheath with a quick motion, Zhi Ruo kicked the wailing Nogral again in the head. And the sword quickly followed Zhi Ruo's kick afterwards.
The sword was unusually sharp, as it made a clean cut directly into the brain of the Nogral. But that didn't do anything because the Nogral was turned into an undead, virtually, it could not be killed in the same way a living creature could be killed.
The blade still inside the head; Zhi Ruo swung the sword and cut the half of the Nogral's head. She swung again to the other way, and the head finally detached itself from the body.
The body of the Nogral twitched at it's second death. And fell on the earthen ground bellow. Zhi Ruo rode the Nogral like a skate board as it fell.
Zhi Ruo hummed as she sheathed back the sword on her hand. The owner was making quick work of the binds that was around him and his companions. She didn't bother on helping them with their binds, she tossed the sword back to it's owner hazardously not caring wether it was returned properly or not.
She was far too interested on the undead creatures around them, and the screeching tree at the center of the clearing to bother with how the guy caught it in between his teeth with a glare.
Zhi Ruo swiped the crystal that was inside of the head of the Nogral, she had stuck her hand to the brain matter of the Nogral and she pulled out the bigger crystal with relative ease.
She ignored how her hand dripped with cold blood as she tossed the crystal into the lotus mark on her forehead. And without delay she jumped into the numerous undead creatures around her.
The mere forced of her punches and the timely fashion on how her movements moved mid air as she fought, made the undead creatures rekindle it's instincts. That is, do or die.
Except, instead of fighting, they chose to turn their backs towards Zhi Ruo. And they ran was fast as their undead bodies could take them as far away from the one man army.
Although Zhi Ruo was heavily outnumbered, and her cultivation rank had only touched the minimum requirements. Her rampage was alotted to the fact that she was using her MP to the point where it was called stingy. So she moved as if she had enough stamina to last for weeks.
Zhi Ruo wasn't worried about the screeching tree that was a distance from her. She had noticed not too long ago that the tree could not move as it pleased.
Before long all (not including the tree) the undead creatures was either caught by Zhi Ruo and killed, while a good number of them had escaped. She didn't bother with ones that escaped, if she did, she would only be wasting precious MP and mental energy trying to catch them one by one.
"Grahh!" The man that Zhi Ruo had robbed out from his sword finally broke the last restraints from his companions body. And he shouted with vigour as he jumped to kill the nearest undead.
By the time Zhi Ruo crained her head at their direction, the three people were already moving in unison. The man that got his sword taken away from him briefly noticed Zhi Ruo's gaze, but he could not see her face. He grunted and continued to fight seeing that Zhi Ruo showed no indication that she addressed their presence.
"Brother, do you know why their is an horde of undead creatures at this hour of day?" One of the men shouted at Zhi Ruo's direction as he fought to clear out the moving corpses. He glaced at the tree wearily as he moved.
Zhi Ruo took a second, confirming that the man was indeed talking to her, but had mistook her for a man. "...I have no idea. I was merely passing by and saw this horde." Zhi Ruo adapted that these amount of undead creatures could be considered a horde.
The man grunted as he swing his sword to sever the last head of the undead creature,he blinked in surprise hearing Zhi Ruo's voice. "Apologies! For misinterpreting your gender!" The man said first, the girl beside him rolled her eyes.
"Gege, stop apologizing, what do we do with that?" The two guys looked at their only member in silence, as the girl pointed at the tree at the distance.
All the undead creatures were dead or have escaped, the tree remained screeching alone in the middle of the clearing. Unable to lay a hand at Zhi Ruo who was perched upon a tree, and the three people that had finished the last group of undead creatures.
"If I recall, thats the tree of dead slaving." The man cautiously looked at the distance at the tree. Zhi Ruo glanced at the guy before leaning at the tree she was perched in. "Our senior brothers and sisters are usually the people that would take care of such trees. Because the tree of dead slaving is on par with someone who is on Gathering; Concentration rank 8." The man had continued.
"The tree are usually very annoying to deal with, I once heard. Because they gather undead beasts that clump together, making it hard for extermination."
"The tree that takes corpse and brings them back to life? That tree?" The girl beside the two man whispered aghast.
"By putting one of those hair inside the corpse, yes. That's how they enslave a corpse" One of the guys nodded.
"Are they a part of the demonic class beasts? That sounds like necromancy your are talking about." Zhi Ruo spoke up motioning to the tree.
"Necromancy is of a forbidden spell, it's a lost one too. A mere tree of dead slaving cannot possibly have learned such a spell. Slaving the dead is their inborn skill." The man who got his sword borrowed scoffed at Zhi Ruo. "Besides, necromancy is bringing a dead permanently back alive in a cause of a master slave contract— or something. It's totally different."
Zhi Ruo rolled her eyes when the guy scoffed at her, of course she knows what the common knowledge of necromancy is. He didn't have to say it so depreciatingly at her face. Technically not directly to her face, but whatever.
"Unfortunately or fortunately, the tree seems to be stuck at one place." Zhi Ruo turned her attention to the tree that was leaning at their direction, screeching a tune that would deafen ears.
"Unfortunately?? Do you want the tree to grow legs and run at us or something? Why do you sound so disappointed!" The girl shouted at Zhi Ruo.
"The tree is probably a useful one if it can be refined into a pet." Zhi Ruo recalled a piece of information as she turned her back. "Sadly it's gonna be useless if it cannot move, now can it?"
"Who in their right mind would want to refine a pet that creepy? Hey where are you going—" the girl scoffed before noticing that Zhi Ruo was moving.
"Away from this place if that's what your asking!" Zhi Ruo answered back. "Sayonara people, nice meeting you~" the people could feel Zhi Ruo's nonchalance through her voice.
The man that had his sword taken instantly jumped into the branch that Zhi Ruo was perched on. But although his actions hinted that he was about to grab Zhi Ruo, he didn't in the end.
"Aren't you going to help us in taking that tree down? Where are you going?" The man questioned Zhi Ruo, who stopped in her tracks.
'Thats gotta be the most stupidest things I've heard all day.' Zhi Ruo could not help but scrunch up her nose at the man's question. Before she raised her hands up in defense, putting a safe distance between her and the man.
"Look, if you wanna play hero then be my guest." The man furrowed his brows when he heard what Zhi Ruo said, though his face was full of grimes and dirt it didn't do anything to hide his displeasure. "Don't go bringing me into your stupidity while you're at it." Zhi tilted her head scanning the man from head to toe.
"If we can't eliminate this Tree, then it's going to cause a problem because it's near the entrance! More lives will not be spared." The man beside the girl on the ground shouted, having heard what Zhi Ruo said.
"Or, hear me out, you guys return back to the Sighted Valley and inform the seniors there to have them deal with that tree." Zhi Ruo threw a thumb at the direction of the tree, her voice laced with a kind pretense.
"Or we can deal with it ourselves, aren't you strong? You atleast have to be a grade lower than that monster right?" The girl shouted at Zhi Ruo.
'no I'm only on Gathering; Concentration rank 5, what do you mean a grade lower? Did you actually think I'm Gathering; Concentration rank 7? Darling your are way off, by like, 3 points. I'm barely qualified to enter here.' Is what Zhi Ruo wanted to say, but she settled in sighing loudly.
"Don't be a coward." Is what the man said to Zhi Ruo, harrumphing.