"Crack, crack!"
Countless electric sparks like silver snakes danced through the air, and the sound of thunder was deafening.
"Creak, creak!"
In the cold mountain cave, a sudden screeching noise echoed, accompanied by the backdrop of heavy rain, sending a chilling shiver down one's spine.
"Bang!"
A loud crash came from a coffin standing upright against the wall; the heavy coffin lid flipped over and slammed onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
In the sound of something heavy falling, a zombie leapt out of the coffin.
With a blue face, sharp fangs, and a ferocious expression, its arms stretched stiffly forward, its purple-black nails glinting ominously. Its body was covered in a waxy yellow layer of skin, resembling armor, indicating that its defense was incredibly strong.
This zombie was undoubtedly Zhang Yang.
It had been nearly half a month since Zhang Yang had advanced to the level of a roaming corpse.
After rigorous cultivation, although Zhang Yang had not advanced further, his current level as a roaming corpse had been stabilized. Another significant achievement was that, according to the methods recorded in the "Miscellaneous Notes," he had practiced his spiritual sense and could now extend it outward—although only for a meager distance of about ten meters.
It had only taken Zhang Yang ten days to cultivate his spiritual sense to this extent, but in the following days, no matter how hard he tried, the range wouldn't increase any further.
Zhang Yang knew that continuing to push forward would likely be futile.
This was due to the limitations of his realm—before an advancement, the issue would be difficult to resolve.
Given the scarcity of Yin energy in this barren cave, advancing was nearly impossible.
For various reasons, Zhang Yang felt that the time had come for him to leave this place.
However, at that moment, a sudden downpour began.
Thunder rumbled incessantly, continuously circling above the mountain peak.
All the other zombie companions huddled nervously inside their coffins, not daring to move.
Zhang Yang also felt a chill in his bones, but he suppressed the fear and leapt out of the coffin.
It wasn't that Zhang Yang was reckless, but he didn't believe that another layer of coffin lid would provide any real protection. If a lightning bolt struck, no matter how thick the coffin lid, it would be useless.
Peering through the cave entrance and watching the sky light up with flashes of lightning, feeling the terrifying might of the heavens, Zhang Yang silently shuddered.
It seemed that zombies were truly cursed by the heavens! These little zombies, hiding in a mountain cave, were constantly surrounded by lightning. If they were on flat ground, they'd probably have been reduced to ashes by now.
"Damn it! Why am I so unlucky? Not only am I reincarnated as a zombie, looking ugly to top it off, I also have to constantly worry about being struck by lightning!"
If Zhang Yang were still human, he would probably be crying by now.
At that moment, a faint human voice suddenly came from outside the cave.
The voice was low, almost imperceptible over the constant rumbling of thunder and the pattering of rain.
But Zhang Yang trusted his instincts.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He lightly jumped over and hid by the side of the cave entrance, extending his spiritual sense.
Around him, every little detail was reflected in his mind as if watching a video—raindrops hitting the ground, creating tiny bubbles; a few earthworms crawling out of the soft soil, breathing freely...
Apart from that, there were no other suspicious signs.
Zhang Yang didn't let his guard down. His spiritual sense could only cover a radius of about ten meters, which was a very short distance. It might be useful in combat, but as a reconnaissance tool, it was far too limited.
Sure enough, soon after, voices grew louder.
"... It's nearby..."
"... There must be an entrance..."
"... Keep looking..."
Amidst the thunder and rain, the words were fragmented, but Zhang Yang was thrilled to realize that he could actually understand what they were saying.
In an unfamiliar environment, being able to understand the local language was undoubtedly an extra layer of protection for survival. Otherwise, with his current zombie state, learning the foreign language of this cultivation world would have been impossible.
The voices grew closer, and finally, an excited voice rang out:
"Senior Brother! I found it! There's an entrance here!"
Through his spiritual sense, Zhang Yang saw a plump little Taoist priest outside.
Soon after, two more Taoist priests with joyful expressions ran over.
Generally, a zombie would need to reach the level of a Purple Corpse to match a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage before their spiritual sense could extend outward—of course, this only made it possible, and whether they could achieve it depended on their individual cultivation.
Zhang Yang, who had trained in the "Taiyin Body Refining Method," was an exception. Even though he had just reached the first level of roaming corpse, he could already extend his spiritual sense. This was a huge advantage.
...
Taoists?
Were they coming to capture him and the other zombies?
Could it be so unfortunate? If they had come a day later, he would have already left this place. But of course, they had arrived just in time to trap him.
Zhang Yang's heart pounded. The brief joy of being able to understand their language was now gone.
The cave only had this one exit, and with the Taoists standing in front, the way out was completely blocked. There was no room for escape.
As for fighting back? Zhang Yang hadn't even considered it.
Since they dared to come here, they must have something to rely on. Zhang Yang didn't believe that he, a mere first-level roaming corpse, could defeat a group of Taoist priests.
Zhang Yang's heart raced. He quickly scanned the surroundings and then fixed his gaze on a coffin standing against the wall. Suddenly, an idea struck him—he would have to gamble on this one. Hopefully, he could sneak by undetected.
Thud, thud, thud!
He quickly hopped over and hid behind the coffin, pressing his body tightly against the wall and not moving a muscle.
Just as he finished his actions, a gust of wind blew through, and the three Taoists had already entered the cave, holding long swords.
Upon seeing the coffins leaning against the wall and the empty cave, their faces visibly relaxed.
"Move quickly! Seal all the coffins that have lids!"
The sinister Taoist leader entered and immediately took the wooden box from the plump Taoist. He opened it with swift movements and pulled out several items.
Zhang Yang, peering through the gap in the coffin, could clearly see that there were yellow paper talismans and ink sticks among the items.
The two little Taoists quickly took the ink sticks and rushed toward the nearest coffin.
Working together, they opened the ink stick and quickly drew a series of black lines on the coffin, creating a dense web-like pattern. Their movements were practiced, and in just a few moments, they finished the task.
Without pausing, they quickly moved on to the next coffin.
Meanwhile, the sinister Taoist leader took a large brush, dipped it in golden ink, and casually swept it across the coffin, drawing ghostly symbols. The whole process was smooth and elegant, almost like a dance.
Just like this, the little Taoists were responsible for drawing the ink webs, while the sinister Taoist leader used the brush to draw symbols. In a short time, they had sealed up four coffins.
Just as they were approaching the fifth coffin, something went wrong.
The two young Taoists had just shot the first black line, and the zombie inside the coffin immediately reacted, forcefully pushing the lid.
Whoosh—
The coffin lid flew off with a whoosh and fell heavily to the ground.
Boom!
A zombie jumped out. Its body emitted a strong smell of blood, clearly the result of excessive blood consumption; its exposed skin was yellow and waxy, and its face was hideous, with claws nearly three inches long...
Ooo!
As soon as the zombie appeared, it immediately howled and lunged at the nearest young Taoist.
Though the two young Taoists were startled, they didn't panic. They quickly pulled the inked rope and flicked it.
Pop!
The ink rope hit the zombie, and with a soft explosion, thick smoke began to rise. The zombie's clothes and flesh were corroded, and it let out a painful howl before stiffly collapsing to the ground.
The sinister Taoist took advantage of the situation and threw a talisman.
Snap!
It struck the zombie's forehead.
The once ferocious zombie, which had been roaring, immediately froze, as if it were held in place by a binding spell.
Zhang Yang, who was hiding behind the coffin, couldn't help but feel a chill.
In the half month since, the number of zombies in the cave had decreased sharply, with only seven remaining. The one just subdued was the strongest of these remaining zombies. Though it was not as powerful as Zhang Yang, it had already reached the peak of a "jumping corpse." With enough blood essence, it could evolve at any time.
Yet, this zombie was subdued in a single encounter.
The Taoists were so powerful that Zhang Yang instinctively shrank his body back and silently prayed not to be discovered.
The noise of the battle startled the six remaining zombies in the coffins.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With a series of loud sounds, the four sealed coffins had black ink ropes and ghostly talismans flashing with bright yellow light, firmly restraining the coffins.
The other two zombies that hadn't been sealed in time immediately burst out of their coffins.
Whoosh—
One of the coffin lids flew out with a whistle, striking one of the young Taoists.
Ah!
The event happened so suddenly that the young Taoist didn't manage to dodge in time. He screamed and was struck against the wall. Half of his body was pinned under the heavy coffin lid, his face contorted in pain.
Zhang Yang's heart skipped a beat.
Damn it, the young Taoist just happened to fall right next to me. If he looks up even a little, he'll spot me.
"Cheng He!" The slightly plump Taoist shouted in panic as he rushed to rescue.
"Idiot! Don't mind him, deal with the zombies first!" The sinister Taoist scolded, waving his peachwood sword toward one of the zombies.
"Ow!" Cheng He cried out in pain.
The next moment, injured Cheng He looked up and saw Zhang Yang, the zombie hiding behind the coffin, standing by the wall. His expression froze, and his mouth opened as if about to shout.
Not good! I've been exposed!
Zhang Yang cursed inwardly. Taking the first opportunity, he pushed forward.
Whoosh—
The coffin without a lid spun through the air and smashed toward the sinister Taoist.
The principle of "capture the thief first, capture the leader" was something Zhang Yang understood. Among the three Taoists who entered, the most powerful was the sinister Taoist. If he could land a sneak attack and take him down, the remaining two would be much easier to handle.
The sinister Taoist, focusing all his attention on the two newly emerged zombies, raised his sword in his right hand and a yellow talisman in his left, ready to perform a spell to subdue them. But before he could react, the huge black shadow had already crashed toward him.
Boom!
With a loud sound, the sinister Taoist couldn't react in time and was directly pinned under the coffin.
Zhang Yang felt a rush of joy. This truly was a stroke of luck. The coffin was heavy, and he was trapped underneath. There was no way he could get out with his own strength.
In an instant, the situation reversed. The three originally imposing Taoists were now reduced to one injured and one effectively trapped, leaving only the last plump Taoist.