The explosion was so loud that Park Su's eardrums felt a bit painful, but Xu Nuo didn't stop. He pulled Park Su towards Ge Qing and Lu Shang, as they had come together and should leave together.
Ge Qing and Lu Shang weren't having an easy time either. The second-level zombies were fast, and unlike Xu Nuo, they didn't know the strange footwork technique. They were nearly caught several times.
Fortunately, Xu Nuo quickly reached their position, throwing two lightning talismans to eliminate at least five second-level and ten first-level zombies, thus resolving their immediate crisis.
At this moment, Park Su naturally used his wood-based ability to control the surrounding plants, collecting all the crystal nuclei that had fallen to the ground.
When Xu Nuo detonated the second set of traps, about thirty percent of the zombies were eliminated. Most of these were second-level zombies, likely because higher-level zombies are faster than lower-level ones.
With the third-level zombie unable to command them, the zombies hunted more instinctively, so those near Ge Qing and Lu Shang were mostly second-level zombies.
Park Su didn't waste any time, collecting all the crystal nuclei from the dead zombies. Once they had used all their traps, they accelerated their retreat.
Upon reaching the lawn, they realized the third-level zombie hadn't died and was still pursuing them, evidently more enraged after being injured by the explosion.
Xu Nuo frowned, regretting that he had lowered the level of the formation's talismans to hide his capabilities from Ge Qing and Lu Shang. This decision had turned into a problem.
He said, "Park Su, take them away. I'll handle this."
Ge Qing and Lu Shang also saw the situation. After what they had experienced, they deeply understood the truth in Xu Nuo's earlier statement about them needing protection.
Before participating, they might have believed their strength would be an asset and shouldn't be underestimated. But now, they realized they might have been more of a hindrance to Xu Nuo.
Xu Nuo might not be able to fully use his abilities in their presence and might have to show them things better kept secret. If it came to that, they knew Xu Nuo could easily overpower them.
So, they nodded at Xu Nuo and left, regardless of Park Su's response.
Park Su, noticing Xu Nuo's concerned expression, stayed and said, "Don't worry about me. I'm a third-level ability user, so even if he scratches me, I won't necessarily turn into a zombie. Plus, I won't engage the third-level zombie directly. I'll help manage any second-level zombies he brings, giving you time to focus on him."
Seeing Xu Nuo about to refuse, Park Su bit his lip and added, "I can't just wait in the car because I'm too worried about you. I know you're strong and can handle a third-level zombie, but you're human too, and I worry about you."
Xu Nuo was slightly shaken by Park Su's words, turning to look at him with a soft glimmer in his eyes. No one had ever expressed concern for him like this. He was used to being the protector, and now this person wanted to stay behind to protect him.
Xu Nuo grabbed Park Su's hand, deciding not to refuse. After all, he could protect him too. Remembering the previous illusion, his eyes deepened in color. "Alright then, just stay safe," he said.
Park Su, pleased with Xu Nuo's response, nodded immediately and instructed Green Ivy to release the energy stone and come out to fight.
Despite being injured, the third-level zombie hadn't slowed down much, reaching them within two or three minutes.
Unexpectedly, its target wasn't Xu Nuo but Park Su, as it believed Park Su had taken its treasure.
Ignoring Xu Nuo, it lunged at Park Su. Xu Nuo, who had been prepared for an attack, looked unusually grim.
He quickly stepped in front of Park Su, blocking the zombie's claws with his sword just in time. Then, with a dark expression, he said to the third-level zombie, "Your opponent is me. Don't touch him."
Without waiting to see if the zombie understood, Xu Nuo stabbed it with his peachwood sword.
Park Su, who had been ready to fight, felt a bit frustrated. He hadn't expected Xu Nuo to protect him so well. How little faith did Xu Nuo have in his abilities, thinking he couldn't even handle a single attack from a third-level zombie?
Sighing, Park Su realized he needed to impress Xu Nuo with his skills and strength, not just his charm. He feared being seen as a burden and discarded one day. The thought of such a possibility was something he couldn't accept.
Considering he was Xu Nuo's disciple, his combat abilities had to be up to par. He had no time for further reflection, as second-level zombies following the third-level one soon arrived.
Refocusing, he used the surrounding terrain to make the weeds grow taller, creating a giant net to slow down the advancing second-level zombies.
However, the second-level zombies had sharper claws and could jump higher, so some managed to break through the weed net.
Green Ivy, acting as a hunter, waited under the net, killing any zombies that passed through.
Park Su quickly created more weed nets and repaired the damaged ones, adding obstacles for the following zombies and easing Green Ivy's workload.
As Park Su's nets multiplied, Green Ivy found the task easier. Initially, there were a few zombies that Park Su had to deal with personally.
Eventually, he no longer needed to kill zombies himself, just maintaining the nets and letting Green Ivy handle the rest.
Green Ivy even complained about having too many nets, making it hard to kill zombies. Seeing Green Ivy handling things so well, Park Su turned his attention back to Xu Nuo.
He realized that Xu Nuo had gained the upper hand in his fight with the third-level zombie, or rather, was completely dominating it.
Xu Nuo could clearly tell that the zombie was no match for him. Under normal circumstances, he could have dispatched it quickly. However, he chose not to kill it in one blow, instead inflicting multiple cuts.
The third-level zombie had a slow self-healing ability, but the wounds wouldn't cause it pain and wouldn't last long. However, it couldn't heal them instantly, leaving it with torn clothes and a frustration at being unable to harm the prey before it.
Its rage made its attacks increasingly erratic, giving Xu Nuo even more control over the fight. After a few minutes of playing, Xu Nuo suddenly decided to end it, disarming the zombie by severing its arms.
The zombie's self-healing was only slightly better than a living person's; it couldn't regenerate limbs. Now, it was effectively powerless, furiously hopping but unable to cause harm. Park Su couldn't help but wonder if Xu Nuo had some vendetta against the zombie from its past life.
Despite its injuries, the zombie persisted in attacking Xu Nuo, but the fight was already decided. Watching Xu Nuo toy with the zombie felt odd to Park Su, prompting him to say, "Maybe we should finish this quickly. Prolonging it might drain my abilities."
He expected Xu Nuo to agree, but instead, Xu Nuo glanced at him briefly and continued slashing the zombie, saying, "I'm doing this to show you that I can handle a third-level zombie without your worry. Also, this is an opportunity for you to test your limits. Keep weaving your grass nets, use Green Ivy and your new dandelion helper to see how many second and first-level zombies you can take down. Understanding your limits is crucial, and who knows when you'll get another chance to collect so many second-level zombie nuclei."
Park Su hadn't realized Xu Nuo was putting him through a training session. He thought he had stayed to support Xu Nuo, but it turned into a lesson. Sighing, he resumed weaving his grass nets, releasing the hallucinogenic dandelion to aid in the hunt. After all, he couldn't disregard his master and lifeline's instructions.
The dandelion, unaware of the valuable zombie nuclei, was puzzled about why they needed to fight these irrelevant zombies. However, bound to Park Su, it begrudgingly complied.
Ever since willingly becoming Park Su's pet, the dandelion hadn't experienced any of the benefits Green Ivy had promised, instead finding itself constantly working hard.