Zhang Yang gradually regained consciousness but found himself in complete darkness. A pungent smell of rot and mold filled the air.
"What is this place? How did I end up here?"
He raised his hand to feel around, but realized his limbs were stiff. His arms couldn't bend, as if his joints were rusted.
He could only confirm that the environment was extremely cramped, with wooden panels surrounding him on all sides. It felt... like a coffin!
The unsettling sensation, combined with his physical discomfort, made Zhang Yang feel an inexplicable irritability.
"What kind of place is this? Who locked me up here? No, I need to get out of here as soon as possible."
With that thought, he stopped hesitating and stretched out his hand to push with all his strength.
Creeeak—
The stiff sound echoed through the silent environment, and it was somewhat terrifying.
Bang!
With a loud crash, dust flew everywhere.
The wooden board blocking his way had been pushed down.
Zhang Yang discovered that although his arm appeared very stiff, its strength was surprisingly substantial, and he couldn't help but feel a little satisfied. It seemed that he hadn't been injured.
Bang!
His legs remained completely straight, arms extended horizontally, and he leapt two to three meters in one go.
This was completely a subconscious move.
Zhang Yang's original intention was to take a step forward, but his subconscious mind had taken over, causing his body to leap instead.
"Eh? What's going on?"
Only then did Zhang Yang begin to pay attention to the strange state of his body.
He turned his stiff neck and took a look at himself. Even with his boldness, he almost fainted from shock.
He was wearing decayed clothes, with an ancient, classical style that looked like it had been around for some time. His exposed skin, like his hands, was dry and yellowed, and his fingernails were dark purple, over an inch long…
Moreover, although there was no light in the space, it should have been pitch black, he could clearly see the surroundings.
A strong sense of unease suddenly washed over Zhang Yang.
Not far away, on the ground, there was a bronze mirror lying.
Zhang Yang lightly jumped.
Bang!
His heavy footsteps hit the ground, kicking up dust, and the sound of something heavy falling echoed in the eerily silent and somewhat terrifying space.
His stiff body made even crouching feel like an extravagance.
Thankfully, even by simply lowering his head, he could still see his reflection in the bronze mirror.
A green face, sharp teeth, dry and stiff skin, eyes bloodshot and filled with malice...
A zombie—
Zhang Yang was instantly floored!
All that remained in his mind was this one concept.
Suddenly, a series of screeching noises filled the air.
Bang!
Bang!
Wooden boards were knocked down, sending up clouds of dust.
Zhang Yang stared in horror as, from the standing coffins around him, one zombie after another jumped out...
Zhang Yang, male, 26 years old.
During the college entrance examination, he had a moment of brilliance, scored above average, and got into a third-tier university.
He muddled through for four years, but after graduation, failed to find a job, and naturally became a glorious and honorable "宅男" (homebody), living the stereotypical life of watching movies, browsing the internet, and indulging in self-pleasure.
After setting a personal record of 116 days without leaving his house, one day he suddenly realized it was summer. Thinking about the beautiful women out on the streets in their colorful summer dresses, the homebody's heart was stirred, and after wiping the drool off his face, he decided to end his reclusive life.
But alas, as soon as he reached the university gate, before he could even see any attractive girls, he collided with an old beggar.
"Young man, please wait!"
Zhang Yang reflexively turned his head, only to see the old beggar circling around him, inspecting him from head to toe as though he were the most beautiful woman in the world.
"Young man, I see your bones are extraordinary, your potential is exceptional! You are a rare talent in a century. This book, Taiyin Lianxing, is perfect for you. We are fated, so I'll sell it to you for just ten yuan. How about it?"
As he spoke, the beggar mysteriously pulled out a black leather book from his robe.
Zhang Yang snorted disdainfully. He thought to himself, This is such a low-level scam. Not only would I, a young man of the 21st century, not fall for it, but even a seven or eight-year-old child on the street wouldn't.
But, for some inexplicable reason, Zhang Yang took the book and opened it.
Inside, there were no words, just countless black halos that spun and swirled...
Suddenly, Zhang Yang's head began to spin uncontrollably, and he lost consciousness.
When he woke up, he was in this strange place.
"That old beggar must have been behind this. Look at me now, I'm clearly a zombie!"
Zhang Yang muttered as he tugged at his skin to confirm that this was no illusion.
"But how did I turn into a zombie? Damn it!"
"Could it be that the old beggar is some kind of god who made me possess a zombie body to experience another life?"
Being a typical homebody, Zhang Yang had a certain level of awareness. After being immersed in online novels, he quickly realized what had happened.
Zhang Yang was naturally adaptable, and after a short while, he accepted his new identity as a zombie.
"I passed out right after looking at that old book, and then woke up here. So where's the book now?"
Just as he thought about Taiyin Lianxing, the book appeared in his mind.
"I can't believe it!"
Zhang Yang was startled.
"Hallucination? It doesn't seem like it!"
Zhang Yang focused his consciousness on the words Taiyin Lianxing, and immediately small letters appeared in his mind:
"Dead bodies refine shapes underground, claws grow and extend, the corpse appears as if alive, over time becoming a Daoist technique…"
The more he read, the more serious Zhang Yang's expression became.
This was clearly explaining how zombies were formed and the methods for cultivating greater strength.
Zhang Yang's heart raced.
Even if he had become a zombie, becoming a strong zombie was definitely more exciting than being a weak one!
"Forget it, whether it's true or not, I'll give it a try!"
With his mind made up, Zhang Yang looked around at his surroundings.
It was a dark, damp, and eerie cave, with poor ventilation.
Luckily, the space was large enough, and the dozen or so zombies in the cave didn't feel cramped.
While Zhang Yang was considering whether or not to greet his "companions," the zombies seemed to have agreed on something, all leaping toward the exit with synchronized movements.
Zhang Yang's heart stirred, and he followed them, jumping out.
The cave was narrow and damp, and the sound of their heavy footsteps echoed in the silence.
As Zhang Yang followed them out, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A bright moon hung high in the sky, surrounded by faint clouds that resembled wisps of blue smoke.
The smoke didn't dull the brightness of the moonlight, which shone over the entire land, casting an ethereal glow.
The ground was surrounded by mountain ranges, with strange and jagged rocks and towering peaks in various shapes.
From the mountains came the roar of beasts, adding to the desolate atmosphere.
At that moment, a white-robed immortal flew by on a sword, like a beam of light streaking across the sky.
Her flowing robe shimmered in the moonlight, and her divine, inviolable presence was evident.
As if noticing something below, the immortal slowed down and looked downward.
The cave was surrounded by dense trees, and the dozen or so zombies stood motionless like wooden posts, devoid of any life. The immortal seemed to have noticed nothing unusual. After a slight hesitation, she continued forward.
A world of immortals!
This was a world of immortals!
Zhang Yang's heart surged with excitement.
Being transported to a world of immortals, fighting monsters, leveling up, searching for treasures, chasing after beauties, and pursuing immortality—this was the dream of every homebody!
But then Zhang Yang hesitated.
Damn it! It's not that I don't want to be a handsome, righteous man who could easily charm beauties, or at least one who looks decent. But look at me now—this zombie form! Forget about charming immortals, if that white-robed immortal saw me, she'd probably send a sword straight at me, shouting "Demon, perish!"
Being transported into a cultivation world and not being able to woo any immortal beauties might just be the greatest tragedy for someone like me!
Bang!
The rhythmic sound of heavy footsteps interrupted Zhang Yang's thoughts.
Looking up, he saw a dozen or so zombies jumping down the mountain.
Growl—
Zhang Yang let out a low growl, wanting to follow them, but after a moment's thought, he stopped.
As a zombie, he didn't feel particularly strong.
On the contrary, as a fan of Mr. Vampire, Zhang Yang knew all too well the awkward position of zombies—they were often hunted down by humans.
Looking at his stiff body, he realized that even facing that immortal who had just flown by, he'd have no chance of survival.
Charging recklessly without understanding his own strength or the situation around him would be unwise.
After realizing this, Zhang Yang calmed down and began to focus on Taiyin Lianxing. Sure enough, in his mind, the black book appeared once more, and pages of small letters appeared one by one.
Taiyin Lianxing was divided into four parts: Body Refining, Object Refining, Puppet Refining, and Miscellaneous Sections.
Sharpening the axe does not delay the cutting of the wood. Zhang Yang started from the beginning, carefully reading each part and selecting a technique that would suit him for cultivation.
The content of Taiyin Lianxing was vast, and much of it required careful thought.
Zhang Yang paused often to reflect as he read, until the moon hung low in the sky and he had finished reading the entire book.
Zhang Yang withdrew his consciousness from above and let out a gentle breath, closing his eyes to organize his thoughts.
At this moment, Zhang Yang had gained a certain understanding of his current situation.
Taiyin Lianxing recorded that zombies were categorized from highest to lowest in terms of rank: Jumping Corpse, Walking Corpse, Purple Zombie, Black Zombie, Hairy Zombie, Flying Zombie, and Drought Corpse. These corresponded to human cultivation levels in the Immortal Realm: Ordinary People, Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Divine Transformation Stage, and Crossing Tribulation Stage.
By comparing various characteristics, Zhang Yang ultimately concluded that his body was nothing more than a lowly Jumping Corpse.
A Jumping Corpse was a zombie that had just been formed in the underworld. It was relatively strong, about two to several times stronger than an average human, but its movements were stiff, and it had no intelligence—of course, as a transmigrator, intelligence was no problem for Zhang Yang.
If an ordinary strong man had a suitable weapon and could overcome his fear, he could easily deal with a Jumping Corpse.
Zhang Yang felt a surge of emotion. "Great, it's really starting from zero..."
However, he was not entirely discouraged.
"It's okay! With Taiyin Lianxing, and with my brilliant mind, even a lowly Jumping Corpse will eventually cultivate into a Drought Corpse that can traverse heaven and earth, daring to challenge the gods."
"Hmph! Damn it, I'm going to show you. In my past life, I was a silk, but now that I've transmigrated, I'm going to live a glorious life!"
Zhang Yang let out a low growl and raised his middle finger to the sky.
It was impressive that his stiff fingers could manage such a complex motion.