Chapter 23

Wu...!

As Yan Laogui looked, a fierce cold wind was raging, and in the darkness, a human-like figure slowly emerged, enveloped in a thick mist and emitting a pungent, putrid odor, as if from a decaying corpse.

"Zombie?"

Zhao Yun, who was being held, narrowed his eyes and could now see the figure clearly. It had a human shape but not a human appearance, more like a skeleton covered in rotting flesh. On its body, he could see wriggling maggots, still alive, which was disgusting. The most terrifying were its eyes, which were red.

"A walking zombie."

Zhao Yun muttered to himself. According to the elders, zombies were stiff and had their arms outstretched, hopping around. This one, however, walked step by step on its own.

To be honest, this was the first time Zhao Yun had seen a zombie, and it was even more terrifying than what the elders described. The pale, corrosive mist around it caused the surrounding plants to wither visibly, as the zombie absorbed their vital energy.

"No wonder there was a coffin lid."

Zhao Yun mumbled, finally understanding. He looked around; this place was deep in the mountains, a damp and desolate area, and it was always dark. According to feng shui, it was an extremely yin place. Burying a corpse here would make it easy for the body to absorb yin energy and transform into a zombie.

Understood.

The coffin lid he saw earlier must have been lifted by the zombie after it transformed, with considerable force, hitting him directly.

"It must be a zombie that has been around for at least a few hundred years."

Zhao Yun had a big heart; even though he was captured, he still had the presence of mind to marvel. However, in terms of aura, the zombie was even more powerful than Yan Laogui.

Yan Laogui's frown deepened. He was older and more experienced than Zhao Yun, and he had seen zombies before. However, a walking zombie like this was a first, and its aura was incredibly strong.

"Retreat subtly."

Without much thought, Yan Laogui, still holding Zhao Yun, turned and fled. It wasn't that he was afraid of the zombie; if it came to a fight, the zombie would not be his match. No matter how strong it was, it was still just a transformed corpse without human thoughts or consciousness.

At least, it couldn't use secret techniques.

A temporary retreat was the right move. He needed to find a place to study Zhao Yun, take his lightning and secret techniques, and then his mission would be complete.

Swoosh!

As he retreated, the zombie moved as well, like a ghost, moving at an incredible speed. Moreover, it emitted a powerful suction force, which even reduced the speed of the highly skilled Yan Laogui. Not only that, but the blood and true essence in his body were also being drawn out, all due to the zombie's suction force. If he wasn't careful, he would lose his true essence and blood to the zombie.

In an instant, the zombie was upon them, its withered hand reaching out to grab Yan Laogui. Although it lacked human thoughts, it had an instinct to capture yang energy.

Yan Laogui coldly snorted, turned abruptly, and with his left hand still holding Zhao Yun, he channeled true essence into his right palm and struck out through the air.

Bang!

The two hands collided, causing a thunderous explosion.

The zombie was pushed back.

Yan Laogui also grunted, having underestimated the zombie. Despite its unimpressive appearance, the force of its strike was formidable, causing his arm to ache. It must have been buried for too long and absorbed too much yin energy, gaining some strange power. Such an old zombie was the most difficult to deal with.

Swoosh!

The cold wind raged, and the zombie came again, enveloped in yin energy. The closer it got, the stronger the suction force became.

"Want to die again? I'll grant you that wish."

Yan Laogui coldly shouted, clearly irritated. He casually threw Zhao Yun away, knowing that holding him would only slow them down, and they would eventually be caught by the zombie.

In that case, he would destroy the zombie.

Clang!

Before Zhao Yun hit the ground, a sword cry was heard. It was Yan Laogui, drawing his sword from his sleeve, with true essence swirling around it, emitting a cold light, and slicing through the air like a rainbow.

The zombie, lacking thoughts, did not know to dodge. Yan Laogui's sword pierced its forehead, and green, highly corrosive fluid flowed from the wound. Yan Laogui's sword, which was of high quality, was corroded and pitted by the fluid.

This was not the main issue; the main problem was that the zombie was unharmed, with no consciousness or pain. The suction force was so strong that Yan Laogui felt his true essence and blood being drawn out, becoming nutrients for the zombie, causing it to grow more rotten flesh on its exposed bones.

"What a strange zombie."

Yan Laogui coldly snorted, pulled his sword back, and retreated, forming a hand seal as he did so, creating a fiery lion in front of him that lunged at the zombie.

The zombie, however, spat out yin energy, extinguishing the fiery lion without even a ripple.

"It won't come for me, right?"

Not far away, under a wet old tree, Zhao Yun, bound in a large net, wriggled like a worm, trying to free himself. Seeing the zombie's strength, which even made Yan Laogui struggle, he knew he would surely die if it came for him.

"Your time is running out."

The Moon Goddess said casually, still lounging with her hand supporting her cheek, looking at the vast expanse without a hint of worry.

As for the zombie, it had no time to deal with Zhao Yun. It wouldn't come for him as long as Yan Laogui was still around. First, Yan Laogui's true essence and blood were more concentrated. Second, Zhao Yun had heavenly lightning inside him, which was a yang force that naturally countered yin.

Zhao Yun didn't speak, having no time to curse. He struggled fiercely, trying to escape while Yan Laogui and the zombie were fighting. If he didn't, he would surely die no matter who won.

"I'm watching you."

The Moon Goddess said calmly. One must experience life and death to truly transform, and this transformation referred to the mind, not the body. This was a necessary quality for a strong person.

That's why she had gone to great lengths to create this trial, knowing about the old grave and the zombie. She had directed Zhao Yun here.

Yan Laogui was also part of the plan.

Now, she had clearly taken Zhao Yun as her disciple, and she was playing the role of a master: training her disciple to the brink of death.

"Open, open for me."

Zhao Yun's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled, using lightning to form a sword and slashing at the bindings.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Not far away, Yan Laogui was displaying his prowess, wielding his killing sword and slashing repeatedly, each strike more powerful than the last. The sword light flashed, and the zombie's body was cut into gashes.

Embarrassingly, the zombie was not destroyed. It was still lively, and the gashes it received healed on their own. Yan Laogui, on the other hand, was drained of true essence and blood each time he made contact with the zombie, and he was exhausted.

Additionally, his body was covered in gashes, all from the zombie's claws, each infused with yin energy, which was a form of corpse poison.

However, the Xuan Yang realm could withstand it.

If it were Zhao Yun, he would surely die.

"Can't be killed?"

Yan Laogui's face was grim, realizing that such a strange zombie could not be defeated with just a few strikes. It needed to be reduced to ashes in one go to stop it from moving.

With this in mind, he suddenly flicked his sleeve, and a spirit talisman flew out and stuck to the zombie's body. Then, he retreated quickly.

"Explosion talisman?"

Zhao Yun had once seen the talisman and recognized it. It was inscribed with a special secret technique, a lost art that almost no one used, making it extremely rare and valuable.

Named the explosion talisman, it would indeed explode.

Zhao Yun didn't know its power, as this was the first time he had seen it.

Boom!

In an instant, the explosion talisman detonated.

Pfft!

The old zombie, which couldn't be killed by slashing, was blown to pieces by the explosion. Green fluid instantly splattered like rain, and when the light faded, the zombie's body was reduced to ashes, leaving only its head, which fell to the ground.

"Is it that tough?"

Zhao Yun gasped, realizing that even an explosion talisman couldn't destroy the zombie's head, which was incredibly hard.

"Still not dead?"

Yan Laogui gritted his teeth, raising his sword. To destroy this zombie, he had wasted his last explosion talisman, and he couldn't find another one. The thought of it made him feel a deep pain.

Pfft!

As he approached, the zombie's head opened its eyes and spat out a mouthful of yin energy, then exploded, splattering fluid everywhere.

Dodge!

In an instant, Zhao Yun broke free from the net and fled into the ground, moving quickly.

Ah...!

Zhao Yun had escaped, but Yan Laogui let out a惨叫, as the zombie's fluid splashed into his eyes. The corrosive power was so strong that his eyes bled and he instantly went blind. His body was also splattered with the fluid, which corroded his skin, making a sizzling sound that was terrifying to hear.

The scene was like a corpse dissolving powder being dropped on a person, but the zombie's fluid was even more corrosive.

Ah...!

Yan Laogui's scream was filled with anger and pain, having been tricked by the transformed zombie, which was truly hateful.

When he tried to sense Zhao Yun, he was gone.

This was what truly angered him.

He had gone to great lengths to capture Zhao Yun, but before he could get the treasure, Zhao Yun had escaped.

Pfft!

Whether from the corpse poison or anger, he spat out a mouthful of blood, staggering and almost falling. He had never suffered such a defeat since he started his path.

"Damn old ghost."

Zhao Yun cursed as he ran, faster than a rabbit, having narrowly escaped death. It was extremely dangerous.

You have passed this test.

The Moon Goddess said nothing, lying on the moon and smiling at Zhao Yun. A mere Ninger realm cultivator escaping from a Xuan Yang realm was not something anyone could do.

"Go back and raid his casino."

Zhao Yun, unaware of the Moon Goddess's intentions, was still cursing, determined to return to the Forgotten Ancient City and raid Yan Laogui's underground casino, with the Moon Goddess as his godlike support, ensuring his victory until Yan Laogui was bankrupt.

Ah...!

Even far away, he could still hear the screams, which were undoubtedly from Yan Laogui, who must be in great pain.

Zhao Yun ignored it, finding a