Chapter 126: Pursuit, Tug-of-War, and Diverting the Disaster

Immediately after Zhao Shanhe burst out, two other cultivators emerged from the valley. However, compared to Zhao, their speed was relatively slower, and one of them was severely wounded, with a massive, gaping hole in his shoulder.

Roar!

Then, following a thunderous bellow, everyone saw a stiff, humanoid creature charge out. Its hands, sharp as daggers, struck at the wounded cultivator.

Puff!

Blood sprayed across the earth as the creature’s "daggers" pierced clean through the man’s head. With a flick of its arm, the creature tossed the body aside, drenched in gore. It did not pause, immediately pursuing the second cultivator, closing the distance in just two or three leaps.

The cultivator roared, frantically activating his magical artifact.

Clang!

The strike landed on the creature, but it had no effect whatsoever. The humanoid creature’s body was as hard as solid rock; ordinary artifacts could barely scratch it.

"A zombie, with crimson fur... This is a second-grade zombie, a Copper-Armored Corpse..."

Shen Xinyue’s eyes widened in disbelief. In the world of immortal cultivation, zombies are unique entities—creatures born from the accumulation of yin energy after death—classified into Iron-Armored, Copper-Armored, Silver-Armored, and Golden-Armored tiers. An Iron-Armored Corpse is comparable to a Qi Condensation stage cultivator, while a Copper-Armored Corpse is equivalent to a Foundation Establishment master. Its strength is far superior to any in the Qi Condensation realm.

Realizing this, even the confident Shen Xinyue paled. She reacted instantly, shouting, "Retreat!"

She looked at Zhao Shanhe, who was still running toward them, and with a cold expression, she threw a spiritual talisman and shrieked, "Get lost!"

Zhao Shanhe knew his approach was a nuisance; someone with a shorter temper would have killed him on the spot. Wisely, he immediately turned and fled in another direction.

Behind Shen Xinyue, many others saw the scene and turned pale, fleeing without the need for a warning. The fastest among them was Zhao Gongpeng, who had been chattering incessantly earlier. He slapped several movement talismans onto his body, using their power to streak ahead, leaving the others in the dust. Following closely were Gong Baixue, Wenren Xiu, and their respective guardians. As late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators, their primary duty was to ensure the safety of the three, so despite being fast enough to outrun them, they stayed parallel to them. Even so, they were significantly faster than the rest.

Behind them were the various cultivators from the Shuiyun Pavilion: Qian Xiaoyue, Lu Wei’er, the servants Xiaonian and Xiaofang, and Liu Ruyu. Xiaonian and Xiaofang were at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, while Liu Ruyu, like Qian Xiaoyue, was a new recruit preparing for the Shuiyun Immortal Sect entrance exam, only at the third layer. Consequently, even with late-stage experts like shopkeeper Li Qianyun, alchemist Zhang Siyu, and herbologist Lu Yun, or even Shen Xinyue—who had just broken through to the ninth layer—they were much slower.

The slowest of all were the two third-layer cultivators, Lu Wei’er and Liu Ruyu. Despite pushing their speed to the limit, their lack of cultivation depth hindered them, and they soon fell to the rear. Seeing this, Shen Xinyue caught up. Without hesitation, she grabbed Liu Ruyu and surged forward. Facing a Copper-Armored Corpse, she knew she was no match; carrying one person was difficult enough, and if she took two, her speed would drop, leading to everyone's doom. Since Liu Ruyu was a disciple she had personally selected for the sect, the choice of who to save was obvious.

Lu Wei’er, trailing behind, panicked, her face deathly pale. "Wait for me..." she cried out. A Copper-Armored Corpse was a terrifying existence equivalent to a Foundation Establishment master; if she were caught, death was certain.

"Sister Wei’er..." Qian Xiaoyue hesitated.

"Are you insane?" Zhou Changwang, who had been sticking close to Qian Xiaoyue, grabbed her arm. Qian Xiaoyue looked at him weakly, realizing this was no time for sentimentality, and gritted her teeth to keep up.

Compared to her, Zhou Changwang was much faster. With his perfected-tier Light Body Technique and the Seven-Star Treading Moon, his speed was on par with the late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators. Even while pulling Qian Xiaoyue, he moved through the mountain forest as if walking on flat ground.

"Xiaoyue, wait for me..." Lu Wei’er screamed.

Behind her, the Copper-Armored Corpse had already reached another cultivator. Its hands, like terrifying blades, shattered the man's spiritual shield with a mere touch. It lunged forward, grabbed him, and bit into his throat. In a blink, the man’s essence and blood were drained, leaving his body shriveled. He was dead.

"Roar!"

The zombie let out a shrill cry. Its momentum seemed to grow. It didn't pause, leaping several yards at a time, quickly catching up to Zhao Shanhe.

"Damn it!" Zhao Shanhe’s expression shifted wildly. Just as the zombie was about to pounce, he threw a black hoof. The moment it hit the zombie, it exploded.

*Sizzle...*

A massive amount of yin energy escaped the zombie, and it shuddered to a halt. Taking advantage of this, Zhao Shanhe turned and sprinted toward Zhou Changwang’s group.

"Help! Help!" he shouted. He knew the specially crafted donkey hoof could only delay the creature for a few seconds. Sure enough, after a few breaths, the zombie roared and resumed its pursuit, quickly closing the distance. Zhao used another hoof to buy time, then surged past Lu Wei’er, leaving her behind.

The panicked Lu Wei’er lost all color, her legs giving way, and she collapsed. "No..." she wailed in despair.

The zombie was upon her in a heartbeat. But just then, a flying sword appeared.

Clang!

It struck the zombie hard. It was Fang Shitong who had intervened. Although the sword, as expected, did nothing to the creature, the blow drew its attention. It ignored Lu Wei’er entirely and charged after the others. Within three leaps, it was behind Zhao Shanhe, with Fang Shitong only a few yards ahead.

Zhao Shanhe, pale-faced, threw another donkey hoof, then caught up to Fang Shitong. Despite both being at the sixth layer, Zhao’s speed was significantly higher. Fang Shitong, realizing the danger, threw a talisman at Zhao, but Zhao was no pushover. He flipped his hand, drew five nail-like artifacts, and threw them.

*Corpse-Suppressing Nails!*

The five nails embedded themselves into the ground around Fang Shitong. As Fang stepped, he felt an invisible aura trap him in place. Though intended for corpses, the nails could briefly suppress a living body. As he lagged, the zombie caught up.

Three yards, two yards, one yard...

It leaped right over him, not bothering to attack, and surged forward. Fang Shitong, who had just been in despair, stared in surprise.

"Hmm?" Zhou Changwang had been monitoring the situation behind them. It was clear: the zombie's target was, and had always been, Zhao Shanhe.

Thinking about it, it made sense. They had invaded its tomb, disturbed its rest, and stolen its treasures. Anyone would be furious. He didn't believe the zombie would stop after killing the grave robbers; once they were dead, the others would undoubtedly be next. He maintained his speed, dragging Qian Xiaoyue along.

Zhao Shanhe, a veteran grave robber, realized this too, his heart filled with bitterness. He had known this was a Foundation Establishment level tomb, but he hadn't expected it to have birthed such a monster so quickly. This was a "Pseudo-Copper Corpse"—an Iron-Armored Corpse on the verge of evolution. It was stronger than a ninth-layer cultivator but far weaker than a true Foundation Establishment master. Still, it was far beyond his ability to handle.

He was running out of donkey hooves. "Daoist Zhou! Daoist Zhou, save me!"

Seeing a familiar face ahead, he shouted, pushing his speed to the limit. He surged past several others. He was indeed fast; few could match him. Zhou Changwang’s face grew cold. "I don't know you that well." He didn't slow down.

Because he was dragging Qian Xiaoyue, Zhou’s speed was slightly slower than Zhao’s, and the gap was closing. Of course, neither could outrun the zombie.

"Daoist Zhou, for the sake of us being neighbors, save me, and I will split the treasure with you!" Zhao shouted, tossing another donkey hoof as the creature closed in.

"Roar!"

The zombie bellowed. The secret treasure of the Grave Robber Sect was highly effective, and even this near-evolved monster was forced to pause.

"Save you? With what? Get lost, or don't blame me for being impolite!" Zhou Changwang’s voice was icy. He felt the cold aura of the approaching zombie and felt a chill himself.

"Daoist Zhou, please let me go," Qian Xiaoyue said suddenly. Zhou glanced at her but didn't let go. He feared that if he did, the zombie might just snatch her up in passing.

"Daoist Zhou, do you know what I found in the tomb? A third-grade spiritual herb, the Earth-Yin Ganoderma! It's a Foundation Establishment treasure! Help me, and it’s half yours!" Zhao whispered, his speed not faltering.

Upon hearing "Foundation Establishment treasure," Qian Xiaoyue’s eyes widened, but she remained terrified of the zombie.

"You overestimate me. I’m powerless. Foundation treasures are good, but if they aren't mine, they aren't worth my life," Zhou replied, unmoved. Risk his life against a Copper-Armored Corpse for a treasure? He wasn't insane.

"I know it's hard, but if you can get the others to help, we might be able to kill this 'Pseudo-Copper Corpse'!"

"Pseudo-Copper Corpse?" Zhou paused.

"It’s still an Iron-Armored Corpse, at the pinnacle of the first grade. It’s equivalent to a tenth or eleventh-layer Qi Condensation cultivator. It’s far from a true Foundation Establishment master. If you can rally the others above the seventh layer, we can kill it!" Zhao explained frantically.

"I see. But Daoist Zhao, do you really think a small fourth-layer cultivator like me can command late-stage experts?" Zhou replied helplessly, while purposely changing direction to shake him off. Yet, Zhao stuck to him like a leech.

"I know you aren't weak! Even the Bug King Xue Tong wasn't your match. I bet your strength is already on par with a late-stage cultivator. Save me, and you can have the whole treasure!" Zhao pleaded, his voice breaking. "Please! I only have two hooves left!"

"I can't save you! Get lost, or else!" Zhou was getting annoyed. His perfected-tier movement techniques kept him fast, but dragging Qian Xiaoyue cost him 30% of his speed, letting Zhao edge him out.

"Daoist Zhou, we're neighbors... how can you just watch me die?"

Zhou responded with a *Gengjin Finger*. It didn't hit Zhao, but landed a foot in front of him—a warning.

Zhao panicked. If he couldn't drag Zhou into this, he was dead. A flash of malice crossed his eyes. "Since you're being heartless, don't blame me."

He flipped his hand and threw five nails. *Corpse-Suppressing Nails!*

The nails landed around Zhou Changwang, forming a small formation. Zhou felt a sudden, heavy pressure, and his speed plummeted. Zhao seized the chance to catch up. "Daoist Zhou, don't blame me." He tossed a jade box at Zhou and fled.

"You're courting death!" Zhou’s eyes turned cold. With a flick of his finger, a streak of golden light—a perfected-tier *Gengjin Finger*—shot out.

*Boom!*

Zhao’s defensive shield shattered instantly, and the remaining force of the golden light punched through his defensive mirror, shredding the flesh on his waist.

"Ah!" Zhao screamed in shock. He had expected Zhou to be strong, but not this strong! He frantically activated a second-grade Earth-Escape Talisman and sank into the ground. A second *Gengjin Finger* struck the spot a moment later, leaving a bottomless hole.

Zhao surfaced ten yards away and fled without looking back.

Zhou Changwang didn't care about Zhao anymore. He looked at the box Zhao had thrown. Inside lay a three-layered, pitch-black, vine-like mushroom.

"The Earth-Yin Ganoderma? A third-grade Foundation Establishment treasure?"

Zhou realized why the zombie was so obsessed with Zhao. It wasn't just the tomb; it was this herb. The zombie was at a bottleneck, and this Ganoderma was the perfect catalyst for its evolution into a true Copper-Armored Corpse. Zhao had stolen its hope for ascension, and the beast would hunt him to the ends of the earth to get it back.