"That is…" Lu Shimming frowned as he looked toward the center of the Yin Qi Lake. He could see a piece of higher ground in the middle, standing tall like a small island. On top of it lay a person.
"Jin Ho…" he muttered, a trace of grief in his voice. It was Jin Ho's dead body. 'What if he were alive?' As soon as that thought emerged, Lu Shimming knew he was being ridiculous, desperately clinging to hope. But it wasn't possible.
There was no way Jin Ho could have survived after being stabbed and falling from such a height.
Yet, Lu Shimming clenched his fist. How could he just leave Jin Ho's body here and walk away? There was no way he could do that. If he left it, under the influence of the environment, Jin Ho might turn into an undead.
'What if I call for him to rise?'
A terrifying thought emerged in Lu Shimming's mind. He was willing to wield his power now. Whether it was evil or not, time would tell. But a small part of him felt truly wicked for even considering raising his loved ones.
'Was this allowed?'
'Would they resent me for doing so?'
'Wouldn't the heavens resent me for going against the natural order?'
Lu Shimming jumped down from the rock wall, his eyes fixed on the center of the lake.
"He died because of me…"
That was the truth. Jin Ho had been dragged into a conspiracy and used as bait by those who wanted to kill Lu Shimming. He was innocent, but they had killed him in such a brutal manner. How could one be called evil for reviving a dead person when such people could roam freely without any consequences?
The light in Lu Shimming's eyes deepened as he firmed his resolve.
"But how do we retrieve him?" he muttered, realizing the distance between them was too great for his authority to work. As he took a step forward to get closer to the lake, Bai suddenly pulled him behind a rock with a quick movement.
"What are yo—" Before Lu Shimming could finish, he felt a frightening presence near the lake. A bloody aura, accompanied by a nauseous stench, assaulted his nostrils, making the airways in his throat choke.
Gritting his teeth, Lu Shimming slowly peeked over the top of the boulder. What he saw made his blood run cold.
A Zombie.
The mere sight of it made Lu Shimming feel as if he had been submerged in a pool of blood, the terrifying killing intent drowning him. As he felt hopelessness creep in, the Spiritual Qi in his Spirit Sea erupted, calming him slightly, though cold sweat still trickled down his back.
'Foundation Establishment Stage…'
Those words immediately popped into Lu Shimming's mind, and he gulped inwardly. This was a terrifying foe.
Zombies were the next evolution of Skeleton Knights, their major trait being the growing flesh on their bones as they strove to reconstruct a body.
"Grr!"
The Zombie circled the lake once and then sat down at one corner. It seemed to be waiting for something, its behavior puzzling Lu Shimming. It looked as though it had just evolved into a Zombie, but even so, it could still swat Lu Shimming to death like a fly.
"Is it here for Jin Ho's corpse?" he wondered. But seeing the Zombie take no action, Lu Shimming understood that it was also afraid of the Yin Qi Lake. In that case, what was it waiting for?
As Lu Shimming carefully observed the lake, his pupils turned milky, enhancing his sight. In this world filled with colors, he noticed something—small drying marks around the Yin Qi Lake. Upon closer inspection, he could see vapors rising from the lake.
The lake was drying!
'Is it because of the light penetrating from above?' he pondered, considering the possibility.
"What do we do, Bai?" Lu Shimming sighed as he slumped with his back against the boulder. They could barely handle a Skeleton Soldier—how were they supposed to deal with a Zombie?
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and Lu Shimming's ears perked up as he heard something approaching. It was a loud, rhythmic noise, bringing with it a wave of bloody, cruel aura.
Even Bai grabbed his Bone Spear instinctively, as if preparing for battle.
Lu Shimming once again peeked out, watching the scene nervously. And there he saw it. A legion of skeleton soldiers was marching toward the lake, and this time, their leader was with them.
A Skeleton Knight!
No, it wasn't that simple.
The b'stard was huge, and it didn't seem to be a simple human.
'Was it a giant?' Lu Shimming thought. He had only heard of those creatures in legends, beings capable of wrestling with Dragons with their bare hands. 'But at the end of the day, it's only an undead Skeleton Knight, comparable to the Peak of the Qi Refinement Layer. Could it even fight a Zombie with a legion of Skeleton Soldiers?'
The Giant Skeleton Knight approached the lake and glanced at the Zombie sitting on the other side. The Skeleton Knight carried a massive bone hammer on its shoulder, and in a show of power, it slammed it into the ground, causing the entire area to shake.
Lu Shimming's eyes widened in surprise.
He took back what he had just thought—this place was not following common sense.
As Lu Shimming sat quietly in his place, other undead creatures slowly began to gather around the lake as well. All of them rivaled Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators, from the lowest to the peak. Most of the low-level undead were led by figures that seemed to possess some intelligence.
Yet, not a single fight broke out among them.
It was as if there was a silent agreement between them, and this surprised Lu Shimming. His view of the undead creatures shifted slightly. He had thought Bai was very special, and he was, but the other undead were not as mindless as he had assumed.