"Not good, retreat!"
As Xiang Yu shouted the warning, he swung his axe down.
A loud bang echoed, and sparks flew everywhere!
Yelü Zhigu's helmet shattered into two pieces, but she remained completely unharmed. Her long, jet-black hair flowed down, framing her pale face, giving her an otherworldly appearance.
"Not a scratch?"
Xiang Yu was astonished; his wrist ached from the impact. Normally, a swing like that could kill a full-grown tiger, yet this woman seemed unscathed. Was she a monster?
"Brother Yu, run! She's a zombie; you can't kill her!"
Yi Xiaochuan, who had already retreated a few steps back, shouted anxiously.
He knew just how fierce zombies could be from watching movies and TV shows.
"Whether she's human or a zombie doesn't matter!"
Xiang Yu bellowed and mustered all his strength for another strike.
This time, Yelü Zhigu didn't just stand still; she swiftly leaned back three feet and seized the axe handle, effortlessly snatching the giant axe away from him.
Having lost his weapon, Xiang Yu didn't retreat an inch. He drew his dagger and charged again.
However, the disparity in strength was too great. Within a few exchanges, his hands were bloodied, and he was bleeding profusely.
"Brother Yu, don't push it! This zombie is so agile; she might be a thousand-year-old one. Once her ferocity fully shows, you won't stand a chance!"
Yi Xiaochuan, now ten meters away, shouted his warning.
"Thrilling, thrilling…"
As Xiang Yu dodged and countered, he grinned through gritted teeth. It was his first time facing such a powerful opponent, and the exhilaration was simply intoxicating.
Suddenly, with a crunch, Yelü Zhigu's axe struck Xiang Yu's treasured blade, shattering it.
"Not good!"
Realizing he was unarmed, Xiang Yu quickly retreated.
Yelü Zhigu pursued him. Each swing of her heavy axe struck the ground with tremendous force, creating eye-catching craters.
"Brother Yu, catch!"
Yi Xiaochuan threw his dagger.
Unlike Xiang Yu's ordinary blade, this dagger had been forged seventy years ago from a meteorite by the king of Chu, making it incredibly hard.
It had previously belonged to his master, Xiang Liang, and he had only borrowed it after much pleading before it was suddenly called into action.
With his hair in disarray, Xiang Yu rolled, using a peach tree as cover to reach the dagger.
Two meters away, Yelü Zhigu swung her heavy axe and split the peach tree in half.
"Let's do this!"
Xiang Yu shouted, charging back in.
Faced with such a tough, powerful zombie, it's no wonder he was later revered as the Patriarch of the Brave Combat sect.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The violent clash of their weapons resonated through the peach grove.
One represented the martial spirit of China; the other was a thousand-year-old zombie. It was the most dazzling display of single combat the world had ever seen.
"Brother Yu, this zombie is getting more ferocious. If you keep fighting, you'll die. Use whatever strength you have left to stick that yellow talisman back!"
Yi Xiaochuan, having found the talisman, rushed forward.
But before he could reach, he froze in place.
The once valiant Xiang Yu was sent flying, crashing through countless peach trees.
The thousand-year-old zombie turned her icy gaze towards the talisman in Yi Xiaochuan's hand.
"Oh no!"
Yi Xiaochuan felt a chill run down his spine, trembling uncontrollably.
The grim reaper-like zombie was locking onto him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Peach trees fell, struck down by the giant axe, and red peach blossoms filled the air, turning the entire world into a sea of flowers.
In poetic terms, it was like petals flying alongside the mud, and blades merging with the heavens.
With her black hair flowing, Yelü Zhigu steadily approached.
"I'm not trying to seal you; that thing isn't mine!"
Yi Xiaochuan tossed the yellow talisman away and began to retreat.
Yet Yelü Zhigu seemed to have fixed her sights on him, changing her direction.
Each heavy footfall felt like a hammer striking Yi Xiaochuan's heart.
In a moment of crisis, a large block of ice cracked, exploding into shards. Cao Yi appeared, covered in ice debris.
"Daoist Priest!"
Yi Xiaochuan exclaimed, overjoyed.
Seeing the surrounding peach trees looking like they'd been bombarded, the grim-faced Cao Yi demanded, "Who told you to remove the yellow talisman?"
"It wasn't me! It was Brother Yu; he didn't understand the power of a zombie!"
Yi Xiaochuan ran, his face twisted in a grimace.
"Ah, it's my fault for choosing incorrectly."
Cao Yi sighed, taking the blame.
"Daoist Priest, don't blame yourself; just subdue her!"
Yi Xiaochuan was nearly out of breath.
Cao Yi opened his gourd and pulled out the Three Pure Bells, shaking them vigorously.
Yelü Zhigu despised the sound of the Three Pure Bells the most and immediately abandoned Yi Xiaochuan, charging toward Cao Yi instead.
Cao Yi then took out the thousand-year-old peach wood sword.
As Yelü Zhigu drew near, he suddenly threw the sword.
Another annoying item!
Yelü Zhigu swung her axe to chop it.
Seizing the opportunity, Cao Yi retrieved a talisman as before, but Yelü Zhigu was much faster this time. Before Cao Yi's hand could reach her forehead, she had already sidestepped more than a meter.
"Has she evolved?"
Cao Yi exclaimed in surprise.
A sly smile appeared on Yelü Zhigu's face as she flashed, reappearing at Cao Yi's side, aiming a blow at him.
"Seal!"
The giant axe suddenly vanished, leaving Yelü Zhigu in a mid-swing pose.
"Seal again!"
A pulling force emanated from the purple-gold gourd.
Yelü Zhigu instinctively resisted, creating a momentary deadlock.
Cao Yi seized the chance to dash forward and slapped the corpse-sealing talisman onto her forehead.
The zombie crisis came to an end.
Cao Yi walked over, collecting the scattered items, including the yellow talisman Yi Xiaochuan had discarded.
"Daoist Priest, thank goodness you were here, or we'd be in deep trouble."
Yi Xiaochuan approached, looking relieved.
"Ten jin."
Cao Yi replied curtly.
"Ten jin of what?"
Yi Xiaochuan asked, confused.
"You've destroyed my peach grove and released a thousand-year-old zombie. I've spent a lot of my spiritual power to subdue her, so ten jin of gold is a modest request."
Cao Yi spoke with a businesslike attitude.
These two had caused such a disaster, and if he didn't teach them a lesson, who knew what trouble they would stir up in the future?
"We're modern people; can't we be a bit more reasonable?"
Yi Xiaochuan attempted to be friendly.
"Ten jin of gold; not a single tael less."
Cao Yi refused to relent.
Was this really the same Daoist Priest who had looked remorseful just moments ago?
This was the same Daoist Priest who had warmly served guests tea yesterday.
Yi Xiaochuan felt utterly defeated.
"Ah!"
From a distance, Xiang Yu, who had just regained consciousness, cried out in pain and then fell unconscious again.
"Brother Yu!"
Yi Xiaochuan rushed over to check on him.
Seeing Xiang Yu's numerous wounds, he panicked.
"That's quite the injury."
Cao Yi appeared like a ghost at his side.
"Daoist Priest, please save Brother Yu!"
Yi Xiaochuan pleaded desperately.
"Sure."
Cao Yi replied matter-of-factly.
"Really?"
Yi Xiaochuan was taken aback, realizing that the Daoist Priest was fundamentally a good person who wouldn't just watch someone die.
He had wronged him earlier!
"Add fifty jin."
Cao Yi added.
With a thud, Yi Xiaochuan fell to the ground.