"Whoosh!"
The Undead Zombie appeared behind the Giant Skeleton Knight like a reaper, emerging from the shadows where it had been lying in wait for the right moment. It knew that the Giant Skeleton was no ordinary undead, and engaging it head-on would be a poor choice.
The Undead Zombie's razor-sharp claws dug into the Giant Skeleton's back as it attempted to break apart its bones with brute force. Despite its smaller stature, the Zombie was a creature at the level of Foundation Establishment, a stage where the journey toward the Immortal Path of Cultivation truly begins.
The Giant Skeleton's entire frame creaked under the immense pressure. Its body trembled as it was forced to its knees, and just when it seemed it would finally succumb, silver runes suddenly lit up across its body, writhing like worms.
In an instant, the Giant Skeleton surged with terrifying strength. It took a strong step on the ground and pushed itself back up, then grabbed the Undead Zombie clinging to its back like a lizard and slammed it onto the ground.
The Undead Zombie let out a miserable shriek, its vocal cords developed enough to express pain, though not yet capable of proper speech.
The Giant Skeleton's teeth clattered in fury. It had come dangerously close to its end, and now it was enraged. Yet, instead of finishing off the Zombie, it turned its head, scanning for Lu Shimming. The Zombie could be killed at any time, but finding what it sought was the priority.
Its hollow eyes finally locked onto Lu Shimming, who was being dragged by a small Undead Squirrel towards the other end of the valley, where the soil had turned red—a line dividing two territories.
The Giant Skeleton rushed forward, trying to stop them from crossing, but it was already too late. They had crossed onto the red soil, and the Giant Skeleton's steps halted just inches away from them. It needed just one more step, but something prevented it from crossing the line.
The Undead Zombie, sensing the danger, attempted to flee, but before it could escape, a bone hammer came swinging down. The Giant Skeleton Knight had lost its primary prey, but it would not lose the secondary one. Devouring the Zombie's soul might help it advance to the next stage, and once it did, it would dare to cross the territories.
Though it was undead now, it had once been a member of a mighty race. Its memories were vague, but the pride in its bones still remained.
...
Lu Shimming lay on the ground, his body slowly healing. He had been dragged deep into the valley, surrounded by a bloody mess. Corpses were piled around, some still rotting, filling the air with a putrid stench.
The tremors from the direction of the Giant Skeleton Knight and the Undead Zombie grew weaker.
As the pain from his depleted Spirit Sea subsided, Lu Shimming's body continued to heal.
"Bai..." he muttered, but no tears formed in his eyes. It seemed he had lost his ability to cry. He wasn't sure what he was anymore.
The Undead Squirrel sat by Lu Shimming's side, gazing at him. Its thoughts were unknown, but suddenly its ears perked up as a black portal opened behind Lu Shimming, and a Skeleton walked out.
"Hmm?" Lu Shimming suddenly felt a presence, and in the next instant, a skull entered his vision, its hollow eyes staring down at him.
"Sh*t!" Startled, Lu Shimming scrambled to his feet, only to twist his ankle and crash back to the ground.
The Skeleton and the Squirrel stood side by side, watching Lu Shimming flail on the ground like a worm trying to break free from its cocoon.
"Don't scare me like that! You're Bai, right?" Lu Shimming finally sat up, calming himself. He stared intently at the Skeleton, nervous it might be someone else. But Bai, as if understanding, nodded, and Lu Shimming breathed a sigh of relief, holding his head.
"Pat!"
A bony palm gently rubbed Lu Shimming's head, and he looked up at Bai with a smile. This Skeleton was indeed different. But why was it still alive—or existing? He wasn't sure of the right term; he just wanted to know the answer.
From what he had read, the undead were immortal only until their heads were crushed and their Spirit Seas destroyed. It was in the Spirit Sea that one's soul resided. If a person died with strong regrets, their Spirit Sea might remain intact, preventing their soul from entering the Cycle of Reincarnation. Such souls would then slowly become corrupt and take the form of the undead.
But, this wasn't the case for Bai. He was different from the rest. In all of this, Lu Shimming could only identify one variable—himself. Did anyone else have powers like his? He didn't need to commit evil to raise the dead, unlike other evil cultivators.
As Lu Shimming pieced it all together, a theory formed in his mind. When Bai died, his Spirit Sea took a hit and was exhausted. When it recovered, Bai was summoned back. Did that mean his summons would truly be immortal as long as he had enough Spiritual Qi to support them?
This was still just a hypothesis.
But the mere conjecture was terrifying.
Just what path was he walking on?