Jumping corpse, even when practicing 'Taiyin Lianxing · Lian Ti Pian', can only absorb the essence of the moon.
In other words, one can only practice during the night when there is moonlight.
Starting from the You Shi, zombies truly cross the threshold of cultivation, beginning to absorb the surrounding yin energy.
Zhang Yang was fortunate. During the three days since his arrival in this world, it coincided with a full moon. Originally, he had been worrying about what to do when there was no moonlight in the coming days. However, a giant snake, instead of taking his life, became a catalyst, allowing him to evolve into a You Shi earlier than expected.
After circulating his qi for a few rounds, Zhang Yang felt that the effect of absorbing yin energy was somewhat weaker compared to absorbing the moon's essence.
"Looks like the quality of this yin land isn't that great," Zhang Yang muttered in resignation.
Human cultivators need to absorb spiritual energy from the heavens and earth. The concentration of spiritual energy depends largely on whether there are spiritual veins in the area and the quality of those veins.
Similarly, zombies cultivate by absorbing the surrounding yin energy. The concentration of yin energy is greatly influenced by the presence of yin veins and their quality.
The best of the yin veins are called "Nine Yin Land."
Yin veins are already much rarer than spiritual veins, and Nine Yin Lands are extremely hard to find.
However, the cave where Zhang Yang originated from didn't have any yin veins at all. It could barely be called a "yin land," and naturally, the cultivation effect wasn't ideal.
After examining these issues, Zhang Yang stretched out his arms and gently pushed.
Creeeeak——
Bang!
The coffin lid in front of him was pushed over.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Zhang Yang jumped out of the coffin, his gaze sweeping across the other coffins around him.
Twelve of them!
There were twelve coffins along the wall, all with their lids sealed.
The night before, the number had been fourteen.
When zombies leave their coffins, they push the lids open and jump out of the cave; when they return, they enter the coffins and stand, causing the lids to seal.
This meant that there had been fourteen zombies here the night before, and now only twelve remained.
Zhang Yang didn't know what his zombie companions had gone down the mountain to do, but he didn't think they could have gotten lost.
It seemed that things weren't very peaceful around here!
Moreover, his zombie companions were always going out and causing trouble. It was possible that one day they might attract a powerful entity, and the cave would be wiped out in one fell swoop.
To avoid getting dragged into a disaster, it was better to leave as soon as possible!
Besides, Zhang Yang had no real attachment to this low-quality yin land.
If he could find a place with yin veins, even a small one, it would accelerate his cultivation several times over.
Time waits for no one in the path of cultivation.
Zombies live much longer than humans, but unless they reach the level of a Han Kua (旱魃), they are not immortal.
Missing the best time for advancement would make later cultivation increasingly difficult.
Zhang Yang was determined to achieve an invincible undead body, one that would be immortal and unkillable, so he had to seize every moment to cultivate!
At this point, he had made up his mind to leave.
However, the time to leave was not yet ripe.
Zhang Yang knew nothing about the surroundings, and if he left the cave now, he would be blind in the wilderness.
This world was not peaceful, that much was certain.
He had been concentrating on being a "well-behaved zombie" in the cave, meditating quietly, only to be ambushed by a giant snake. If he ventured out and wandered around, danger would lurk at every turn.
Relying on the zombie's dull reflexes, he would definitely not be able to handle such dangers.
Only by cultivating a powerful divine sense could he accurately grasp the situation around him, like an airplane equipped with radar. Only then would he be ready for long travels.
Until he had developed his divine sense to the point where it could be sent out and refined into something powerful, going out into the wilderness would be far more dangerous than staying in the cave.
Thinking of this, Zhang Yang hesitated no longer, returned to his coffin, and began to focus on his cultivation.
The summer weather can change abruptly.
Just a moment ago, it had been clear and sunny, but suddenly, a gust of wind blew through, and the sky seemed to sink like a huge iron slab.
In an instant, a lightning bolt split the sky, accompanied by a loud rumble. Soon, torrential rain poured down, and the world turned into a white blur!
Normally, in such weather, no one would be out.
However, on the winding mountain path, three people in Daoist robes were hurrying along.
Although they looked somewhat bedraggled, their movements were quick and agile, and it was clear they were no ordinary people.
"Senior Brother, it's raining too hard! It doesn't matter if the junior brothers get wet, but if you catch a cold, won't that delay our monster-hunting mission?"
The three Daoists were all around seventeen or eighteen years old, each carrying a large wooden box. The one in the lead had a stern expression, slightly more mature, but still only in his early twenties. He seemed at ease, carrying only a sword on his back and holding a whisk in his hand.
The one who spoke was a young Daoist around seventeen or eighteen.
Another Daoist behind him added:
"That's right, Senior Brother! And our treasures—if they get wet, they might lose their ability to ward off evil!"
"Hmph!" The senior brother, Ming He, snorted coldly. "Stop trying to find excuses to slack off. You're young and strong, full of energy—are you afraid of getting wet? Don't embarrass us cultivators! As for the treasure bags, they're made from top-grade purple sandalwood. How could they leak?"
Hearing this, the two younger Daoists immediately looked unhappy.
The slightly chubby Daoist muttered:
"Since you know it's made of purple sandalwood, why make us carry it for so long? It's heavy as hell! You're a Qi Refining Realm expert, with your energy flowing effortlessly, so it's fine for you. But we're still mortals, and having to endure the rain—how can we bear it?"
The other Daoist quickly pulled his companion's sleeve, signaling him to be quiet.
"Chong He, stop talking. Be careful, Senior Brother will hear you, and you'll be in trouble again!"
Chong He, the slightly chubby Daoist, sighed and didn't speak again.
These three were disciples of the nearby Laoshan Sect.
The Laoshan Sect, originally a prestigious sect in the cultivation world, was a true Daoist sect. However, in the past hundred years, the sect had seen a decline in talent and had gradually fallen to the level of a second-rate sect.
The current disciples were of the twelfth generation (with Daoist names starting with Xu), and the thirteenth and fourteenth generations followed suit.
The three young Daoists were disciples of the thirteenth generation, with Daoist names starting with He.
They were not inner disciples, nor were they considered core disciples; they were barely outer disciples who had entered the sect.
Sensing the dissatisfaction from his younger brothers, Senior Brother Ming He slowed his pace and turned to say:
"This rain is only a small inconvenience for us; but for zombies, it's a fatal danger. Zombies are born in yin lands, absorbing yin energy, and are purely yin beings—lightning and thunder are especially attracted to them. In this kind of weather, they will have no way to escape. Do you see that mountain ahead?"
Ming He said, pointing to the mountain ahead.
Before them, a mountain peak stood, surrounded by numerous flashes of lightning. The bolts of lightning seemed to converge and twist around the peak, like silver snakes, and the thunder was deafening, as if all the lightning in the sky had been attracted to it. The power was overwhelming.
The two younger Daoists looked on in fear.
Ming He continued:
"The continuous lightning and thunder around the mountain show that the yin energy there is extremely dense. If I'm not mistaken, the corpse cave we are looking for should be on that mountain."
Hearing the words corpse cave, the two junior brothers exchanged nervous glances, their fear clearly evident.
"Senior… Senior Brother, do we really have to go to the corpse cave?"
"Yes, Senior Brother. What if the corpse cave isn't as we expect, and suddenly a few high-level zombies appear? That would be bad."
The last Daoist spoke hesitantly, then quickly added, "Of course, Senior Brother, your powers are unmatched, so it's no problem for you. But we haven't even developed a sense of Qi yet and haven't reached the Qi Refining stage. We might just slow you down. If you're distracted dealing with us and let even one or two zombies slip away, wouldn't that harm your reputation? How about we send a message to the sect, and if they send reinforcements, we can decide what to do next?"
Chonghe and Chenghe sang in unison, but it was nothing more than cowardice.
Yin Wu, the senior brother, naturally understood what was going on. He sneered inwardly. If it weren't for needing manpower to capture the zombies, he would have long wanted to abandon these two useless disciples.
Though he harbored resentment in his heart, he patiently explained on the surface:
"Don't worry. Since we dared to act, I'm confident in my ability. Over the past few days, we've visited more than a dozen villages at the foot of the mountain and confirmed that there are fewer than ten zombies left here, and they are all of the lowest grade—jumping corpses, not even wandering corpses. Otherwise, how would I be risking my life? Besides, these thunderstorms will be our best weapon against the zombies. If it were a normal time, with just our few people, breaking into a zombie lair would be a death sentence. But now, with the thunder and lightning, we can use the Thunder Drawing Talisman to call upon the power of the heavens. Even level eight or nine wandering corpses would be blasted to bits. This time, we are bound to succeed."
At this point, Yin Wu paused and then continued:
"Think about your positions. As outer sect disciples, what kind of pills and techniques can the sect provide you? Not to mention, you're also burdened with all these chores... If you don't take the initiative, how will you ever stand out? By taking down these few zombies and ridding the nearby villagers of their terror, you'll also earn the sect's favor. After we return to the mountain, the elders will surely look at you with new eyes, reward you with pills and techniques, and you'll enjoy fame and glory!"
Having said that, without waiting for their response, he called out and continued to lead the way.
Chonghe and Chenghe exchanged a glance, seeing that they couldn't persuade their senior brother, they could only helplessly shake their heads.
Chonghe silently took out a paper crane, muttering a few words under his breath, and with a flick of his hand—
Pa-la, pa-la!
With a soft sound, the paper crane flapped its wings and flew down the mountain, glowing faintly with yellow light, while the falling raindrops slid off its surface.
Yin Wu glanced at this scene and snorted coldly, not stopping him. After all, they were already very close to the zombie lair, and even if a fellow disciple came over now, he would have already dealt with the zombies inside. He wasn't worried about anyone stealing his credit.
But in his heart, his disdain for these two inept disciples grew even stronger.