Zhang Yang's only way to save himself now is to desperately control the turbulent flow of energy within his dantian and guide it along the small circulatory path of the microcosmic orbit.
Once a true microcosmic orbit is formed, the energy flow will circulate according to the natural order, putting everything back on track. It will no longer harm his body but instead become his aid, allowing him to break through the threshold and progress to become a "youshi" (a higher undead being).
This is similar to a flood. When it overflows, it brings disaster. But when it flows within the confines of a riverbed, it can irrigate the land, enable navigation, and benefit the people.
Understanding this concept, Zhang Yang no longer hesitated and immediately set to work.
However, the energy flow within his dantian was far too violent, and Zhang Yang felt completely lost, as if he had no idea where to begin. With his current strength, those energy flows wouldn't obey his commands.
He had the life-saving method, but not the strength to execute it.
Zhang Yang was in a state of inner turmoil!
...
The vital blood from the giant serpent continued to surge in, transforming into wisps of gas under the effect of the "Taiyin Liánxíng" (Moon Yin Transformation) technique, accelerating Zhang Yang's demise.
A sudden thought struck Zhang Yang.
If I can't control the violent energy flows in my dantian, can't I still control these new incoming wisps of gas?
Focusing his mind, he directed the incoming wisps of gas along the small circulatory path described in the "Taiyin Liánxíng · Body Refining Chapter" to form a microcosmic orbit.
It worked!
Zhang Yang was overjoyed to find that the delicate wisps of gas very obediently started to circulate along the small orbit.
Zhang Yang didn't dare to be careless and maintained the circulation of these "wisps" with the utmost caution.
A miracle occurred. With each complete cycle of the orbit, a wisp of the surrounding violent energy flowed into the "wisps."
One orbit… two orbits…
The "wisps" grew thicker, their power grew stronger, and the efficiency of absorbing the surrounding energy flow also increased.
At this point, it was clear that the violent energy flow inside Zhang Yang's body would no longer cause him harm.
At this rate, as long as he had enough time, this warm current would eventually be completely absorbed. However, Zhang Yang still felt incredibly anxious.
The reason for his anxiety was that the east had already begun to brighten—dawn was approaching!
Zombies can only move at night. Once exposed to sunlight, they are instantly reduced to ashes.
Zhang Yang had already experimented with this, and it was indisputable.
If he couldn't regain his freedom before the sun rose, the sunlight would turn him, a mere "little zombie," into ashes.
For a zombie, this was the most terrifying death. According to the "Taiyin Liánxíng" records, zombies are born in the realm of Yin, and before advancing to the purple zombie stage, they are annihilated by sunlight, with their souls unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
"Faster! Faster! Faster!"
Zhang Yang's face remained expressionless, but his heart was burning with anxiety.
However, the more anxious he became, the worse the situation got.
In his haste, the energy flow that he had just managed to organize began to "jump" erratically, almost causing a mistake.
From the corner of his eye, Zhang Yang could already see the lightening sky to the east, with an orange-yellow and deep blue hue, and above that, a few scattered stars in the dark sky.
If Zhang Yang had the luxury of admiring the view, he would find it breathtakingly beautiful.
But for Zhang Yang in his current state, it was the sound of death's trumpet.
The sun rises quickly in the mountains. In less than an incense stick's worth of time, the sunlight would surely reach him.
Last night, in order to absorb the moon's essence to the maximum, Zhang Yang had chosen a place for cultivation that was sparsely wooded. Only a dozen or so trees, and the surrounding bushes, had been cleared away when the giant serpent's death throes swept through the area.
Zhang Yang had no doubt that as soon as the sun rose, the sunlight would immediately shine on him, completely unimpeded.
The eastern sky grew brighter, but his body showed no signs of change. Zhang Yang's heart began to sink into despair.
"Am I really going to die like this? It was already a tragedy to be reincarnated as a zombie. Just as I was beginning to accept it and resolve to train hard, aiming for a supreme corpse body, immortal and undying, here I am, about to be reduced to ashes."
Zhang Yang let out a bitter smile, but strangely, his heart grew calmer.
As his thoughts settled, the "Taiyin Liánxíng · Body Refining Chapter" naturally entered its proper rhythm. With the foundational effect of several days of practice, the warm current in his body rapidly circulated along the route, one cycle after another...
Zhang Yang's body began to undergo a visible transformation.
His waxy yellow skin started turning into something resembling an epidermal layer, his teeth continued to protrude, making his face even more sinister, and his originally three-inch-long nails didn't continue to grow longer but turned purple and black, looking much sharper than before...
Just as the sun rose, and the first ray of sunlight touched the earth, Zhang Yang felt something inside his body suddenly shift.
Boom—
It turned out that the energy circulating along the microcosmic orbit in his dantian had finally accumulated to the point where it surpassed the violent energy within.
The accumulation of quantity had brought about a qualitative change.
In that moment, the water inside the riverbed completely overpowered the water outside the riverbed.
All the energy flows were instantly subdued, merging into one, and began to circulate entirely according to the small circulatory path, forming a small vortex in Zhang Yang's dantian.
Zhang Yang's eyes lit up.
...
Whoosh!
A zombie suddenly sprang from the giant python's body.
Zzzzzzz—
Pop! Pop!
As sunlight struck the zombie, a thick smoke began to rise from it, accompanied by faint explosions, as though cold water were poured over limestone.
Wuu—
The zombie felt nothing physically, but the sunlight not only corroded its body, but also inflicted tremendous damage to its soul.
This soul-wrenching pain made Zhang Yang involuntarily scream.
However, at this moment, he could not afford to waste a single second.
The moment he landed, his legs kicked the ground, and with a whoosh!
He shot into a nearby cave like an arrow.
Even after entering the cave, he did not pause. He made several small jumps, swiftly sliding into the coffin that stood upright against the wall.
Wuu—
With a low, mournful sound, the coffin lid suddenly tilted up.
Bang!
In a loud crash, the lid slammed shut.
Wuu!
It was only then that Zhang Yang was able to catch his breath. The decaying and dark aura within the coffin made him feel a sense of strange peace.
He checked his body. His back and left arm, the parts exposed to the sunlight, were as if they had been burned with sulfuric acid; his clothes had been corroded into tatters, leaving only strips and patches, and his body was in a pitiful state. Some of the flesh had turned to ash, emitting a nauseating odor.
Fortunately, the parts not touched by the sunlight remained intact, and had even developed a layer of keratin, feeling as hard as armor.
But none of that mattered. The important thing was that he was still alive.
Zhang Yang's heart was filled with immense joy at having survived.
Living is truly wonderful!
Though he was now a zombie, Zhang Yang had never given up on the belief in life!
Another thing that made him happy was that, through adversity, he had successfully advanced to the "you" zombie state.
Zhang Yang focused inward, sensing the small vortex of energy in his lower abdomen. His heart was filled with delight.
"Guiding my vital energy to circulate in a small loop within my lower abdomen to form this small vortex—that's the sign of a first-level you zombie! Haha, I really have become a first-level you zombie!"
Zhang Yang laughed with pride. However, his smile, combined with his zombie's ghastly face, made him look even more terrifying.
Zombies were ranked from low to high as follows: jumping zombies, you zombies, purple zombies, black zombies, hairy zombies, flying zombies, and drought zombies, corresponding to human cultivation levels from ordinary person, Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Divination Stage, and Tribulation Stage.
Just like humans officially cross into the realm of cultivators once they enter the Qi Refining Stage, zombies begin their cultivation journey from the you zombie stage.
Jumping zombies are primitive creatures with no awareness of the surrounding energy, merely driven by bloodlust.
Once they advance to the you zombie stage, even ordinary zombies start to sense and absorb the surrounding yin energy and can introspect their own bodies. Only after reaching the purple zombie stage can they extend their spiritual sense outward. The presence of a small circulating vortex in the abdomen and the ability to introspect are the two key signs of advancement to a you zombie.
Zhang Yang's mind shifted, and he immersed himself in his inner consciousness.
Indeed, the condition of his veins, bones, and internal organs was clearly displayed in his mind.
This wasn't just a visual experience, but it was far more detailed, as if he could sense every tiny capillary being reflected through his neural signals to his brain.
It was a truly wondrous feeling.
What made Zhang Yang even more excited was that the "Taoyin Body Refining · Miscellaneous Notes" contained techniques for training spiritual awareness. And the foundational practice for this technique was precisely the ability to introspect.
This meant that, for Zhang Yang, he didn't have to wait until advancing to a purple zombie to extend his spiritual sense outward. With diligent cultivation, he could achieve this earlier.
Zhang Yang clearly understood the importance of spiritual sense.
Zombies were generally sluggish, and extending spiritual sense outward would allow him to better perceive his surroundings, increasing his chances of survival.
For instance, in the earlier encounter with the giant python, Zhang Yang had been caught off guard due to his poor vision.
Had he been able to extend his spiritual sense, he would have detected the python's approach in time and been prepared, avoiding the predicament.
Zhang Yang couldn't wait any longer. He immediately focused his spiritual sense and meticulously examined his own body.
"Hmm, everything seems normal! Even the bones that were broken by the giant python have been repaired thanks to the nourishment of my essence blood energy."
Zhang Yang nodded with satisfaction.
He circulated the essence energy in his body, and felt the small vortex in his lower abdomen spinning rapidly along the circular path. The speed of circulation was much faster than before, bringing him a sense of joy.
Advancing from a jumping zombie to a you zombie truly marked a significant leap forward, with the two major signs of introspective spiritual sense and the small circulating vortex being tangible milestones.
Although Zhang Yang was only a first-level you zombie, he was confident that if he encountered the giant python again, he would easily defeat it.
While circulating his essence energy, Zhang Yang could even feel faint yin energy penetrating through his skin, continuously joining the energy flow within him, just like a small stream joining a great river.
This was something that had never happened during the jumping zombie phase.