In some ways, Corpse Ghosts are akin to martial cultivators among humans. Even the most common Purple Zombies possess strength and speed that rival a warrior who has trained for over a decade. White Zombies and Hairy Zombies are comparable to martial generals and grandmasters of martial arts.
As for Flying Zombies, they are beings that even the supreme martial experts might struggle to handle.
Unlike ordinary Corpse Ghosts, those who have cultivated into Flying Zombies have regained their consciousness and gained the ability to fly.
Some Flying Zombies have even awakened the powers of ghostly gods.
“However, my luck shouldn’t be that bad. According to Senior Sister Zi Yan, Flying Zombies only appear in the deepest parts of ruins.”
Xu Taiping thought this to himself as he followed the direction indicated by the pendant on his neck, heading towards the forest filled with burial mounds.
After consuming Eight Treasures Powder and Qi Preserving Pills, his vitality had significantly recovered.
“Boom!”
But no sooner had he stepped into the forest than something strange occurred.
It was as if a mechanism had been triggered; the burial mounds cracked open, and hands with rotting flesh and bony fingers stretched out.
“Whoosh!”
Expecting the presence of Corpse Ghosts in the forest, Xu Taiping wasn’t overly alarmed and immediately drew his Spring Tiger saber.
“Bang!” Almost at the same moment he drew his saber, a Corpse Ghost with purple skin and decaying flesh leaped out of a burial mound and aimed a bony fist at Xu Taiping.
“Swish!”
Xu Taiping swiftly stepped forward and cleaved with his saber, decapitating the Corpse Ghost.
To kill a Corpse Ghost, one must behead it—this was something Senior Sister Zi Yan had repeatedly instructed him on the way.
But soon, three more Corpse Ghosts leaped out of the mounds, each rushing towards Xu Taiping with incredible speed.
Although Xu Taiping managed to cut down two, the third lifted a large rock and smashed it heavily onto his back.
“Boom!”
Despite the protection of his True Qi and his sturdy physique, he staggered.
The blow made Xu Taiping acutely aware of the Corpse Ghost’s immense strength and speed.
What was more troublesome was the unending emergence of Corpse Ghosts from the burial mounds.
In just moments, three or four dozen Corpse Ghosts, some wielding rocks, others brandishing sabers and axes, charged at him from all directions.
Without hesitation, he threw out a Golden Bell Talisman.
With a “boom,” a golden light enveloped him, shielding him from the sudden strikes of several Corpse Ghosts.
However, Xu Taiping also noticed that even the high-grade Yellow-tier Golden Bell Talisman in his hand dimmed significantly after a few attacks from the Corpse Ghosts.
Just as he had learned before, within the secret realm of the Immortal Mansion within the Cloud Dream Marsh, the effectiveness of both Talisman Scrolls and Magical Treasures was reduced by more than sixty percent.
“Whoosh!”
Without dwelling on this, Xu Taiping wielded his saber with brute force, slashing through the Corpse Ghosts blocking his path and charging straight towards the center of the burial mound forest.
He couldn’t afford to be surrounded by the tide of zombies. Corpse Ghosts were endless; no matter how powerful your techniques, you would be gradually overwhelmed.
“Clang!”
With a metallic ring, Xu Taiping executed a move from the Seven Kills Saber technique, slicing a group of Corpse Ghosts into pieces of flesh and broken bones.
He then forcefully used the Shadow Wind Step, with a “boom,” shaking off the pursuit of over a hundred Corpse Ghosts and rapidly dashing through the forest.
Although the Shadow Wind Step was greatly restricted by the world’s prohibitions, and the consumption of True Qi was several times higher, in such a critical moment, it was not the time to worry about these things.
“Boom!”
While sprinting, Xu Taiping crushed another Golden Bell Talisman and also consumed a Qi Boosting Pill to replenish his True Qi and a Revival Pill to restore his vitality and strength.
Even for him, the constant swinging of his saber was enormously draining.
“Swish!” After cleaving another Purple Zombie in two, Xu Taiping finally reached the depths of the forest and immediately spotted Lin Buyu lying on an open patch of ground.
“It really is Junior Sister Buyu.”
Filled with surprise and joy, Xu Taiping quickened his pace.
Although there were only a few scattered Corpse Ghosts wandering in this area, they were getting dangerously close to Lin Buyu. He needed to hurry, or she might be in danger.
“Hmm?”
But just then, Xu Taiping suddenly felt an extremely dangerous aura behind him and instinctively formed a circle with his thumb and forefinger, “boom,” summoning a wind wall from the Cang Luan Ring.
“Bang!” Almost the instant he conjured the wind wall from the Cang Luan Ring, a tremendous force hammered into his back, shattering the golden light of the Golden Bell Talisman and striking directly onto the wind wall.
Although the wind wall from the Cang Luan Ring blocked the blow, Xu Taiping still staggered and tumbled to the ground due to the immense force.
“Bang!”
Before Xu Taiping could raise his head, that tremendous force hammered down on him again.
Even though the wind wall was still there, the impact caused his internal energy to churn violently.
However, this time, he finally saw what was attacking him.
It was a Hairy Zombie clad in heavy armor, wielding a large hammer, and emitting a chilling white mist all over its body. What set this Hairy Zombie apart from other Corpse Ghosts was the dense, long hair on its withered head.
“A Hairy Zombie?!”
Xu Taiping was somewhat taken aback.
The most distinctive feature of a Hairy Zombie compared to ordinary Corpse Ghosts was that they had begun to regrow hair, and the longer the hair, the stronger their power.
“Boom!” At that moment, the Hairy Zombie once again lifted its large hammer and smashed it down towards Xu Taiping with great force.
But this time, prepared, Xu Taiping rolled to the side at the moment the hammer fell.
“Bang!”
The hammer hit nothing but air and smashed heavily into the ground, creating a deep crater.
Meanwhile, Xu Taiping, having adjusted his stance, wielded his Spring Tiger saber and struck at the Hairy Zombie with a Steel-Cutting technique.
The Hairy Zombie reacted incredibly quickly.
Before Xu Taiping’s saber could land, the hammer in its hand already met the blow.
With a “bang,” saber and hammer collided, and Xu Taiping felt a numbing sensation in his hands.
However, the Hairy Zombie seemed unaffected and quickly lifted its hammer again, smashing it down towards Xu Taiping.
Facing this blow, Xu Taiping didn’t try to block it head-on but instead channeled his True Qi to execute the Shadow Wind Step, “boom,” dodging the Hairy Zombie’s hammer strike.
At the same time, he untied the iron weights bound to his body and stored them in his gourd.
This Hairy Zombie was stronger than an ordinary grandmaster of martial arts; he had to use all his strength.