Chapter 28

As everyone gathered their team and prepared to move to a new location to gather medicinal herbs, a rustling sound suddenly came from all around, and a large number of zombie ghosts surrounded them all.

"What's going on? How can there be zombie ghosts here? Our Chen family has been gathering here for several years, and there has never been any trace of zombie ghosts."

Chen Yiming was puzzled. His family came to this place every year, and they were well aware of the surroundings. He was very confused about the appearance of the zombie ghosts.

Zombie ghosts are actually a form that people take after death. Many people die in the Qiyang Mountains, and their bodies are buried underground by their companions. Absorbing the essence from the ground, they do not completely decay but instead transform into zombie ghosts. They emit a pitch-black corpse gas, have hollow eyes, and enjoy consuming the essence and blood of both beasts and humans.

Ordinary zombie ghosts take several years or even decades to form, and some can grow into zombie kings after several decades, gaining some intelligence. Such zombie kings are truly terrifying. If discovered by the Demon Sect, they will be refined into zombie generals and turned into puppets.

The cultivation system of the Divine Martial Continent is diverse, with demon cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, Daoist cultivators, martial cultivators, physical cultivators, and even ghost cultivators. The zombie ghosts do not belong to any of these categories; they form naturally. If infected by corpse gas, one will quickly be assimilated and turn into a zombie ghost.

A strong smell of decay and stench filled the air. Some of these zombie ghosts were half-rotten, some were just skin and bones, and some had their skin rotted away, leaving only tendons connecting their bodies.

"Don't panic, everyone. We must work together to face the zombie ghosts if we want to break out."

Chen Yiming saw that some of his guards were starting to panic and quickly tried to calm them down.

There were about a hundred zombie ghosts, moving slowly and gradually closing in on the group. The herb gatherers were not very powerful, with the best being at the Third Stage of the Postnatal Realm, and they huddled together, trembling with fear.

"Brother Ye, where are the disciples of Dalu Academy?"

Seven disciples of Tianling Academy formed a circle, looking around and noticing that the three disciples of Dalu Academy were missing. They quickly asked.

"Let's not worry about them for now. We need to prepare for battle!"

Ye Feng didn't have time to speculate on where they had gone. He needed to deal with the current situation first. If they were assimilated by the corpse gas, they would quickly become one of them.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

The zombie ghosts were only a few dozen steps away from Ye Feng and the others. They couldn't wait any longer. The corpse gas was spreading, and the air was heavy with it.

"Attack!"

Chen Yiming was the first to act, leading his guards into battle with the zombie ghosts.

"Crack!"

Chen Yiming, a top disciple of Liuli Valley, sliced a zombie ghost in half with one sword strike, and the corpse gas gushed out, leaving a pile of flesh on the ground.

"Be careful, everyone!"

Ye Feng said, drawing his axe from his waist and chopping at the nearest zombie ghost, creating a brilliant axe mark.

"Crack!"

The bones broke, and the zombie ghost was split from top to bottom. The blood had long dried, and the internal organs oozed out, emitting a foul smell that almost made him gag.

The others quickly joined the battle. Although the zombie ghosts were terrifying, their combat strength was not very high. Their attacks were simple, relying on the corpse gas.

With continuous axe strikes, Ye Feng quickly killed several zombie ghosts, and the ground was covered with shredded flesh, with no intact bodies left.

"Ah!"

Just as the battle was intensifying, a scream interrupted everyone's thoughts. One of Chen Yiming's guards made a mistake and was caught by three zombie ghosts, which pounced on him and began to feast. In a moment, the guard was reduced to skin and bones.

"No!"

Another guard lost his composure, inhaling the corpse gas, and his eyes became vacant, his movements slowing down.

"What are you doing!"

A man near the guard suddenly shouted in anger. The guard had been assimilated by the corpse gas and attacked his companion, resulting in another death.

Far away, Chen Yiming was extremely angry. He swung his sword, killing several more zombie ghosts. The girl nearest to him also wielded a sword, though her attacks were not as powerful as Chen Yiming's, she managed to kill a few zombie ghosts. The brother and sister barely managed to hold off the zombie ghosts.

The Chen family siblings held their ground, determined not to let the zombie ghosts harm their people. Losing even one person would be a significant loss for the Chen family. Ye Feng's group was temporarily safe, as the Tianling Academy disciples were all quite powerful and could protect themselves.

"Xiu Yue Slash!"

The number of zombie ghosts was increasing, and they were still closing in. Ye Feng frowned, wondering how the zombie ghosts had discovered them. They had searched the area for several miles and found no trace of them. Their sudden appearance was very puzzling.

The axe mark fell, and a dozen zombie ghosts were reduced to shredded flesh. The ground was covered with death and corpse gas, and a single misstep could result in inhalation.

"This place is not suitable for staying. We must retreat quickly!"

Ye Feng led the six disciples behind him to retreat, and the Chen family members began to join him, concentrating their strength.

They fought while retreating, and the zombie ghosts surged forward, showing no fear of death, only a desire to consume human essence and blood.

Outside the forest, a sharp whistle sounded, and the speed of the zombie ghosts suddenly increased, much faster than before, as if they didn't want Ye Feng and the Chen family to join forces.

The number of zombie ghosts increased, surrounding Ye Feng and blocking his path. The seven people were in a critical situation, while the Chen family was strangely not under heavy attack.

"Brother Ye, what should we do? The zombie ghosts are increasing, and it's hard to break out."

One disciple was very anxious. If this continued, they would all die here. Once the corpse gas invaded their bodies, they would fall apart without the need for the monsters to attack.

"Don't panic, everyone. You retreat first, and I'll hold the line!"

With one axe strike, a vacuum path appeared behind them, and dozens of zombie ghosts died at Ye Feng's hands.

"Go quickly!"

Ye Feng shouted, and the six disciples instantly retreated. As soon as they withdrew, the zombie ghosts filled the path again. Ye Feng was about to leave but was too late, finding himself surrounded by the zombie ghosts.

Seeing Ye Feng sacrifice himself to save them, the six disciples' eyes flashed with determination, and they charged at the zombie ghosts.

"Brother Ye, we're here to help you!" The six disciples fought desperately, killing one zombie ghost after another.

"Retreat quickly! I can find a way out on my own!"

Ye Feng shouted. If they also got trapped, his efforts would be in vain. He had barely opened a path to save them, and if they got trapped again, it would be extremely difficult to escape.

"No, we can't abandon you. We will live or die together!"

One disciple was highly emotional, his sword acting like a meat grinder, advancing relentlessly. If Ye Feng died, they would not survive either.

Ye Feng was deeply moved. Although he had saved them out of camaraderie, they had not abandoned him but were willing to live or die with him, a bond of shared adversity.

"Xiu Di Slash!"

Ye Feng shouted, his axe transforming into nine shadows, and the entire area was filled with his shadows, forming a vortex that began to wreak havoc. One by one, the zombie ghosts were mercilessly shredded, turning to ash, leaving only flesh on the ground.

Fifty to sixty zombie ghosts were completely killed, and a vacuum area appeared around them, giving Ye Feng a chance to catch his breath. He leaped into the air, infusing his feet with true qi, intending to bounce off the zombie ghosts and break out of the encirclement.

Just as Ye Feng leaped, a palm wind suddenly appeared, with no warning. If he didn't retreat, he would be hit by the palm. But if he retreated, he would be trapped again by the zombie ghosts. The ground was already covered with shredded flesh, leaving no place to stand.

"Outrageous!"

Ye Feng shouted in anger, realizing someone was attacking him. He swung a punch at the palm, but with his feet off the ground, he lost his balance, and his strength was limited to about 700 newtons.

"Bang!"

A wave of qi spread out, shaking the surrounding branches. Ye Feng's body flipped in the air and landed back in the midst of the zombie ghosts. A figure appeared on a distant giant tree.

"So it's you. You're the one who brought out these zombie ghosts!"

Seeing the figure, Ye Feng seemed to understand the truth. The one who had pushed him back was Hei Wuchang, a disciple of Dulu Academy.

"That's right. These zombie ghosts are indeed my doing. I have a secret technique that can summon them. You can die with your eyes open."

Hei Wuchang did not deny it, admitting that it was his work, intending to kill all the disciples of Tianling Academy.

Everyone present knew what had happened. The Chen family's faces turned grim, realizing that this was the work of Dulu Academy. Although they had not suffered significant losses, this affected their reputation, and no one would dare to hire them as guards in the future.

"Hei Xiaojia, let's talk things out. If there are any grievances, we can settle them outside the Qiyang Mountains. There's no need to fight here."

Chen Yiming bowed to Hei Wuchang, hoping he would call off the zombie ghosts and leave the area to discuss matters.

"Chen Gongzi, I'm sorry, but this is a matter between Dulu Academy and Tianling Academy. They must die today."

Hei Wuchang's attitude toward the Chen family changed significantly after learning that Chen Yiming was a top disciple of Liuli Valley. In the past, he might not have hesitated to destroy the Chen family.

"Hei Wuchang, you are too much. Do you really think we, the Tianling Academy, are afraid of you?"

The six disciples, though temporarily out of danger, knew the zombie ghosts could return at any moment and surround them again.

"Ha ha ha, do I need you to be afraid of me? I want you all to die!"

Hei Wuchang laughed, a strange whistle appearing in his mouth. A sharp whistle sounded, and the speed of the zombie ghosts instantly increased, surging toward Ye Feng, intent on overwhelming him.

Standing in the center, Ye Feng's eyes turned blood red, a bloodthirsty look appearing in them. His body emitted a dense killing aura, and he was truly enraged.