“Boom!”
With a loud crash, the zombie smashed a large hole in the mountain wall, enduring the attacks raining down on it. Black smoke billowed, corpse qi drifting as it rushed into the mountain core space.
“Corpse Control Army, three thousand iron armours, awaken for me!”
The zombie flung a wave of corpse qi toward the altar at the centre of the mountain core.
But…
“Where’s the Corpse Control Flag?” The zombie stood dumbfounded.
In the mountain core space, three thousand ashen corpses clad in dark iron armour stood silently, some holding spears, others with swords and shields, and some wielding strong bows. There were even three hundred corpse riders and their mounts.
Yet, these three thousand iron corpses showed no trace of aura or soul fluctuation. Before them stood a half-man-high altar, but the Corpse Control Flag meant to command them was gone.
“Where’s my Corpse Control Flag?”
At the altar’s side, Lu Zheng stood calmly, blinking innocently, “Yeah, where’s the Corpse Control Flag?”
“The Corpse Control Flag is nurtured on the altar, its qi linked to the three thousand iron corpses. You couldn’t have taken it!”
“You’re right!” Lu Zheng nodded matter-of-factly, “Makes sense!”
“Huff! Huff!”
The zombie panted heavily, glaring at Lu Zheng, its cheeks twitching, revealing two fangs, its eyes blood-red.
The next moment, it kicked off the ground, charging at Lu Zheng like lightning, “Give me back my Corpse Control Flag!”
“Sorry, don’t have it!” Lu Zheng grinned, vanishing into the ground.
At the same time, Daoist Mingzhang and the other three entered the mountain core through the passage the zombie had opened.
“This is…” Guangyue gaped, “There’s such a place inside the secret realm’s mountain core?”
Daoist Jiuzhen said, “Forget those dead things for now. Since this zombie has ventured into the mountain core, seeking its own doom, let’s make sure it doesn’t get out!”
“Attack!”
“Be careful not to damage these iron corpses,” Daoist Mingzhang quickly warned, “With Taoist methods, they can be refined into fine spirit soldiers!”
“Got it!” Yan Hongxia replied casually, her sword light flashing, grazing an iron corpse’s cheek and leaving a gash.
Daoist Mingzhang grimaced, thinking how wasteful she was, and hurried forward. He stepped in a ritual pattern, formed a seal with his hands, and chanted, aiming at the zombie.
“By the Supreme’s decree, flowing clouds slay demons, swiftly!”
…
In the mountain core space, Lu Zheng emerged on the other side, only to see the zombie charging at him like a mad beast.
“Good grief, really won’t give up, huh?”
Lu Zheng quipped, sending two red jade swords flying, only for the zombie to deflect them back. Catching them, he saw the zombie closing in and vanished underground again with the Earth Travel Technique.
“Boom!”
The zombie’s claw struck, shattering stone, but Lu Zheng had already escaped underground.
“Come out and die, give me back my Corpse Control Flag!”
Lu Zheng popped up elsewhere, catching his breath.
Indeed, using the Earth Travel Technique through solid rock consumed much more mana.
But…
He glanced at the zombie’s half-severed neck, its left arm broken at the elbow, and the countless wounds oozing corpse qi, flickering with thunder, cloud qi, Buddhist light, and sword qi…
The results were impressive!
Seeing the zombie charge again, Lu Zheng blinked, with no intention of finishing it off while it was weak. Instead, he turned and fled.
…
“Aaah! I’m not reconciled!!”
“Crack!”
“Bang!”
“Swoosh! Swoosh!”
A red jade sword and a white sword qi pierced through the zombie’s eyes, shredding the last of the corpse qi in its head.
As the corpse qi dissipated, its true spirit and soul vanished with it.
What was once tougher than refined iron now collapsed like a tattered sack.
“Finally dead…”
This was the strongest enemy Lu Zheng had ever faced, not only powerful but with a foreseeable potential to grow even stronger had he not intervened. The 292 strands of fate light absorbed by the jade seal proved it, nearly surpassing three hundred, a true millennium-old monster!
Lu Zheng sighed in relief, having feared the zombie’s death wouldn’t count as his contribution, leaving the jade seal without fate light.
Good, good, it seemed the zombie’s demise was indeed tied to him.
Hmm…
That thought felt a bit off… but no matter!
“Finally dead…”
The others also exhaled in relief. The five had fought for nearly a full day, with Guangyue and Yan Hongxia nearly depleting their true qi. If the zombie hadn’t died, they’d have had to retreat.
“If this zombie hadn’t failed to fully master the Nine Yang Transformation Technique, we might not have taken it down,” Daoist Jiuzhen shook his head, “This zombie likely had over five hundred years of cultivation.”
Daoist Mingzhang nodded, “If not, close enough.”
Then he glanced around regretfully.
Of the three thousand iron corpses, four or five hundred were shattered, leaving just over two thousand five hundred.
But…
Still so many!
“How are there so many iron corpses in this secret realm’s mountain core?” Guangyue repeated his earlier question, “If that zombie was really a former dynasty official…”
“These iron corpses were one of the former dynasty’s measures against the Great Jing,” Daoist Mingzhang explained, “This secret realm was known to the former dynasty, likely sealed by them. After six hundred years of weathering, it gradually unsealed, eventually discovered by Jiming Temple.”
“This zombie was probably meant to command these iron corpses, but for some reason, the soldiers weren’t deployed, and he buried himself, turning into a zombie and sleeping for six hundred years,” Daoist Jiuzhen added.
The truth behind it all vanished into history with the zombie’s death.
Yan Hongxia’s divine sense stirred, and the sword light wrapping her sword pellet dissipated, leaving a half-inch silver-white pellet, smooth as jade, spinning in the air before returning to her mouth.
Guangyue tapped his staff, asking, “What do we do with this place now?”
“These iron corpses are too valuable to destroy. I can refine them into spirit soldiers, useful for guarding, patrolling, or even menial tasks,” Daoist Mingzhang said.
Looking at Daoist Jiuzhen and the other three, he asked, “Do you want any?”
Yan Hongxia shook her head repeatedly; sword cultivators had no such methods.
Daoist Jiuzhen and Guangyue also declined, saying they didn’t need them.
Daoist Mingzhang stroked his beard with a smile, “Then I’ll take the advantage.”
Lu Zheng asked Daoist Mingzhang, “Do you still need that Corpse Control Flag?”
Daoist Mingzhang nodded, “It’d be best to have it, saves some effort.”
“I hid the flag underground earlier. I’ll go get it.”
Lu Zheng spoke, then sank into the ground, travelling to… the surface.
Crossing to the modern world, he retrieved the flag, returned, and used the Earth Travel Technique to re-enter the mountain core space.
“Got it back!”
