**Crack! Crack! Crack!**
The sound of dry branches snapping underfoot jolted Su Yun back to consciousness. Light and shadow danced across her pale face, while the green leaves overhead, swaying on tree branches, gleamed like the emperor jade.
The road beneath was rugged and uneven. Even if one ignored the sudden jolts, the constant rises and dips were unmistakable. Su Yun still hadn't fully recovered. The throbbing pain in her head was driving her mad. The world around her spun like a green blur, and it felt as if birds were falling from the sky while trees twisted their branches into the heavens like creeping vines.
She weakly raised her hand to touch her lips, dry and cracked like withered wood, but fainted again before she could.
Meanwhile, Fang Yuan was calculating the direction in which the flying elders had gone. It wasn't hard to guess; the vast, cloudless sky made it clear—they were heading straight for their sect.
[If I follow their southern route, I should be able to find the sect. This girl is clearly talented, so she's probably one of their prized disciples. From her clothes, she's either an inner disciple or the daughter of an elder.]
[Hahaha, in any case, this girl is a real treasure—a ticket straight into their sect.]
Fang Yuan went over his plan to infiltrate the sect.
[First, I'll scout the area. I've concealed most of my deathly aura with the Immortal grapes. For now, I'll need to stay under the radar, so I'll use a fake identity. 'Lu Zheng' should work.]
[I am Lu Zheng, a zombie hunter who accidentally saw this injured senior sister. I was tracking a pack of zombies in the mountains when I got caught in a storm.]
Fang Yuan smirked. It was a flawless cover.
[My sword is broken, I'm injured, and I barely escaped the demonic beasts while carrying the senior sister to safety.]
As a zombie hunter, he could easily justify the faint trace of zombie aura still clinging to him.
**Whoosh!**
Suddenly, eight figures appeared in the sky, moving as fast as lightning. Spotting Fang Yuan and Su Yun below, they immediately descended upon them.
"My daughter!!!"
Elder Su rushed to Su Yun, shoving Fang Yuan aside, and cradled his daughter in his arms. Moments later, his gaze finally landed on Fang Yuan, and a murderous aura erupted from him. His eyes blazed with fury as he roared, "Who did this?!"
Fang Yuan bowed hastily, his voice trembling with fear. "L-lord immortal! I found senior sister like this in the mountains. She was gravely injured, and I thought if I brought her to the nearest village, I might be able to save her."
Elder Su clenched his fists, but after a tense moment, his anger began to subside.
Three venerable elders had accompanied him. Along with them were two reporting elders and two other sect members from the Mist Sect.
"Who are you?"
One of the three venerable elders, stroking his beard, cast a sidelong glance at Fang Yuan as if sensing that something wasn't quite right about him.
"I am a zombie hunter, Your Excellency. Lu Zheng—Lu Zheng from White-swan Village."
"Hmmm, a zombie hunter, you say? Let's see... Are you sure *you're* not a zombie yourself?"
Without warning, the elder's sword shot through the air, piercing Fang Yuan's shoulder.
**Screech!!**
"Elder!!! Please, have mercy! We zombie hunters use special potions that have unique effects on our bodies. I'm human, but to escape the zombies and hide from the demonic beasts, I had to take a potion that makes me appear dead!"
"I don't have a weapon to defend myself—I'm injured, and I was carrying senior sister with me. Her life force was so weak that it didn't attract attention. But I was different. I had to reach safety, no matter what, to save us both!"
The venerable elder twisted his sword deeper into Fang Yuan's shoulder.
**Screech!!!**
"I know how cunning those demonic bastards are! They'll use any means to harm us. I don't trust you."
Suddenly, the elder raised his hand and drew a magical symbol in the air, binding Fang Yuan in place.
"You claim to be Lu Zheng? Very well. We'll deal with you once we return to the sect."
An elder from the Mist Sect cautiously suggested, "venerable elder, that sounds wise. Let's take him back to the sect immediately..."
But the elder raised a hand to interrupt. "I meant the supreme Moon Sect. We'll interrogate him there."
Fang Yuan, though outwardly panicking, was laughing inside.
[Hahaha! How amusing... You want to interrogate me? Fine! If this is how you plan to welcome me, I'll gladly play along.]