In the deep, fetid cave, a zombie stood rigidly in the corner, its arms pressed tightly against its body, stiff and straight.
If it were twenty days earlier, Zhang Yang never would have imagined that one day he would stand to sleep. Even more unimaginable was the fact that he had crossed over into a cultivation world and ended up as an unfortunate zombie.
But the world was truly strange. There's nothing that can't happen, no matter how impossible it might seem.
Of course, Zhang Yang didn't feel thankful for this strange turn of events. Right now, he could only feel immense pain all over his body.
The tiger's den was deep and shadowy, free from direct sunlight.
However, the tiger was the king of beasts, the epitome of both strength and sunlight. As a result, the feng shui here was of the extremely yang type, with almost no trace of yin energy.
Especially after the sun rose, the intense sunlight added more yang energy, making Zhang Yang, as a pure yin being, feel even more discomfort. He could only try his best to find a cool, shaded corner to stay in.
"Ugh! My lack of experience!" Zhang Yang thought to himself. "Since I crossed over, I've been stuck in a tomb for the dead. While it lacked enough yin energy, at least it was a place of yin. Who knew that zombies would be so weak in the daytime!"
He regretted it deeply. Had he known this would happen, he would have taken a detour to find a place with more yin energy, even if it meant walking a bit more.
He had no mood to sleep now, so he closed his eyes and focused on operating the small vortexes within his body.
The two small vortexes spun in a clockwise direction while simultaneously rotating around each other in a counterclockwise fashion. Their mutual interaction caused his internal spiritual power to circulate rapidly, nourishing his body with each pulse.
Slowly, Zhang Yang's mind began to calm down.
Suddenly, Zhang Yang's eyes snapped open, blood-red with a murderous gleam.
"Someone's coming? Again, someone else?"
Zhang Yang felt incredibly frustrated. Why was he always so unlucky as a zombie?
Thud!
With a soft jump, Zhang Yang crouched beside the cave entrance, pressing himself tightly against the cave wall.
He sent out his spiritual sense and noticed two figures entering his range — Daoists! Again, Daoists!
"Could it be that the disciples of those little Daoists from yesterday have come after me? But I've traveled over two hundred miles overnight. How could they possibly have tracked me down?"
Zhang Yang wasn't about to entertain any false hope. He didn't believe that these Daoists had come here by mere coincidence. Most likely, they were after him.
Sure enough, a few words from the conversation outside confirmed Zhang Yang's suspicion.
"Hm? I feel like someone was watching us just now?" The older Daoist suddenly stiffened.
"Master, you're overthinking it. How could anyone be around in this desolate mountain range?" The younger Daoist looked around and said.
Zhang Yang didn't expect the older Daoist to have such sharp senses. This might also be due to Zhang Yang not fully controlling his spiritual sense, unable to release and retract it freely.
"It's probably just the loneliness of this place making you feel things," the older Daoist said without further suspicion. "It's here! Look at the footprints of that zombie; it definitely entered this tiger's den."
"Heh! This tiger's den is so hidden, and it's such a yang place, who would have thought the zombie would hide here? If it weren't for your tracking talisman, Master, we wouldn't have suspected this place even if we passed right by it."
"Maybe the tiger tried to hunt the zombie and ended up getting killed by it. We only need to deal with the zombie; we don't have to bother with the tiger. That'll save us some energy. Get ready with the corpse-binding talismans! The sun is at its peak now, and the yang energy is strongest. The zombie is most likely asleep. If we don't disturb it, one swift strike should do."
"Yes, Master!"
The two Daoists outside were discussing their plan.
Zhang Yang, however, was secretly alarmed. These two were clearly coming for him, and it seemed like they knew what they were doing.
"Hmph! They think I'm asleep and want to use corpse-binding talismans to deal with me? Fine, I'll give them a little surprise."
With that thought, Zhang Yang shrank back, trying to hide even more carefully, and held two talismans in his hand, ready to strike.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two Daoists charged into the cave, one wielding a long sword and the other holding talismans in their hands, advancing in tandem.
The sun was blazing outside, and the sunlight was intense. Inside the cave, however, it was dark and gloomy, and the stark contrast caused the two people who entered to momentarily lose their vision.
Taking advantage of this moment, Zhang Yang acted quickly.
His first target was the older Taoist priest. From their earlier conversation, it was clear that the older Taoist's abilities were likely superior to the other one's. His strategy was to eliminate the stronger one first, and then deal with the weaker one afterward.
Roar!
Zhang Yang moved swiftly, charging directly toward the older Taoist priest from behind.
Just as it seemed he would succeed, the older Taoist priest unexpectedly reacted swiftly, flipping over and stabbing his sword.
Puff!
The sword landed squarely in Zhang Yang's shoulder.
Immediately, a series of faint popping sounds echoed, and the sword, as if it were a red-hot iron bar, began to rapidly corrode within Zhang Yang's body.
Zombies typically did not feel pain, but this sword seemed to possess some strange power that made Zhang Yang experience a soul-deep tremor.
Ugh!
The surprise attack had failed! Zhang Yang hesitated for a moment, and the older Taoist priest seized the opportunity to roll away, completely escaping.
"Yunhe!" the older Taoist called out as he rolled.
"Yes, Senior Brother!" the other Taoist responded, chanting a spell, and then casting a talisman.
Buzz—
It was as if a voice from the heavens, or perhaps from deep within one's soul, resounded. Zhang Yang felt a strong wave of energy strike his spirit, making him momentarily dazed, as if he wanted to fall into a deep slumber.
Suddenly, a black, worn-out book with a black cover appeared in his mind's eye. The words "Taiyin Lianxing" (Moonlit Form Refining) flashed across it like black lightning, instantly awakening his consciousness.
Though all this seemed to take a long time, in reality, it lasted less than an instant.
Not good!
Zhang Yang's heart raced as his remaining awareness snapped into focus. He saw a yellow talisman growing larger before his eyes, seemingly about to stick to his forehead.
Roar!
Zhang Yang let out a howl and struck out with his right claw.
Boom!
Ah!
Yunhe, the Taoist, had thought he had succeeded, and he was no longer on guard. He never anticipated Zhang Yang's fierce counterattack. He was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.
This entire sequence of events left the older Taoist completely stunned.
What… what is this? A zombie trapped by the "Zhen Shi" talisman actually regained its consciousness? That was a second-grade Zhen Shi talisman, after all!
The older Taoist's mind was in turmoil, but his hands did not stop. He took a jade box from his waist.
Whoosh—
A flash of spiritual light, and a yellow talisman shot out, hovering in mid-air. It swayed back and forth, surrounded by powerful waves of spiritual energy.
Zhang Yang's pupils dilated instantly—this was a Thunder Summoning talisman!
The violent aura made it clear this was a Thunder Summoning talisman. Even Zhang Yang, with his limited experience, could easily tell that this talisman's power was far greater than the one he had activated the previous night.
If he got struck by it, his purely Yin body would definitely be obliterated!
Zhang Yang felt the breath of death closing in.
Without hesitation, he activated the Earth Escape talisman in his hand.
Boom!
He vanished underground in an instant.
Almost simultaneously, there was a deafening roar in the sky.
Crack!
A massive bolt of lightning struck down.
Boom!
The ground exploded, creating a deep pit several meters wide.
Due to the urgency of the situation, Zhang Yang had not managed to escape the blast radius. Half of his body was hit, and the damage was severe, leaving his form riddled with burns and wounds.
However, he did not dare to pause for even a moment. He continued to use the Earth Escape talisman's power and vanished deeper underground.
"Huh?"
At this point, the two Taoists were completely stunned!
A zombie that could escape underground?
What… what is going on here? Even a Purple Zombie wouldn't be capable of escaping underground! Furthermore, judging by its aura, this zombie seemed to be just a wandering corpse, weaker than both of them.
Zhang Yang was underground, but he did not dare to escape completely.
He knew that with the power of a first-grade Earth Escape talisman, it would not be enough to carry him too far. If he failed to escape and was caught by these two Taoists, he would have no ability to resist in his heavily injured state.
Rather than running, he decided to strike while they were still in shock, catching them off guard!
This was his gamble! He was going all in!
In the next instant, a zombie suddenly emerged from the ground behind the older Taoist. With a fierce and brutal gaze, its face twisted grotesquely, and it lunged forward at lightning speed…
The older Taoist had just snapped out of his shock, and as he turned around, the zombie's claw was already in front of him. There was no time to dodge. Everything happened too fast!
Puff!
The claw, gleaming with cold light, pierced the older Taoist's chest.
Rip!
The Taoist's heart was torn out.
Ah!
Boom!
The older Taoist's eyes widened in pain as he screamed, his body collapsing to the ground and twitching uncontrollably.
Zhang Yang, in a final surge of strength, had torn the older Taoist's heart out with his bare hands.
Looking at the still-beating heart in his hand, a primal urge for blood surged within Zhang Yang, almost impossible to resist.
His body was still suffering from the lingering effects of the Thunder Summoning talisman, his body riddled with pain from the lightning's corrosion. The pain was almost unbearable.
In this dual stimulus, Zhang Yang's rationality was almost completely overridden. Without a second thought, he shoved the still-beating heart into his mouth.
"Chomp! Chomp!"
As he chewed, blood flowed from the corners of his mouth. With his zombie-like appearance, sharp fangs, and grotesque face, he looked even more terrifying.
"Ah—"
Yunhe, already injured and collapsed nearby, could no longer withstand the gruesome sight. His mind was nearly shattered. His hands trembling, he fumbled for another Thunder Summoning talisman and was about to activate it.
Zhang Yang wouldn't give him any chance. He had already activated his own Thunder Summoning talisman, his consciousness guiding the spell. In his mind, he called out fiercely:
"Quick!"
Crack!
A bolt of lightning struck down, and Yunhe had no time to evade. He was reduced to a pile of charcoal. Only the unactivated Thunder Summoning talisman remained, slowly drifting to the ground. His charred corpse twitched with spasms.
The battle was over!
A Pyrrhic victory!