Chapter 115: The Intelligent Zombie

The level 8 divine ox was truly formidable. Its impenetrable hide alone cost me a great deal of effort to breach; I finally managed to pierce a slit near its nose using my sword. Channeling my internal energy into the Frost Sword, I struggled for quite some time before I could finally skin the gluttonous divine ox. Knowing this material would eventually prove useful, I tossed it into my spatial ring. Next, I had to find the magic crystal hidden within its body. I had heard that exotic beasts possessed such crystals, but I had no idea where they were located. With no other choice, I sliced away its flesh piece by piece, examining it carefully until I discovered a hard object the size of a quail egg inside the ox's head. It was jet-black, smooth, and incredibly dense. Now that I had the crystal, I was at a loss as to how to absorb the energy within, so I tucked it into my spatial ring as well, along with some of the better cuts of the ox's meat.

It seems the God-Demon Continent has undergone drastic changes since the virus outbreak. Before the shifting of the stars, such creatures had never appeared; at most, we encountered high-level exotic beasts with slightly faster speeds or better defenses. I had never heard of such perverse creatures capable of spitting fire with power comparable to a rocket launcher! It was fortunate that my body could automatically regenerate, or I truly would have become a one-armed hero. Who would have thought that a single gluttonous divine ox could force the Demon Spirit Sect to abandon their stronghold? Even though level 8 creatures are fierce, I had still managed to subdue it, which suggests that dealing with the Demon Spirit Sect might not be as difficult as I had imagined.

With everything prepared, I decided to leave the rest of the ox carcass behind—who knew if the meat was edible or if it carried the virus? I arrived at the entrance of the secret passage. Seeing the stone slab cast aside confirmed my suspicions: the scum from the Demon Spirit Sect had escaped through here. I gripped the edge of the opening and leaped down. As soon as I entered, the stench of blood assaulted my nostrils. At the entrance lay a human corpse wearing black soft armor; there was a fist-sized hole in its chest, through which the internal organs were clearly visible. It looked as if it had been struck by something with immense force. Could the gluttonous divine ox have done this?

I continued forward, only to find human corpses every few meters along the passage, all killed in the same manner. Each had a hole in its chest; some had even been pierced straight through, leaving a fist-sized indentation on the wall. Clearly, this was not the work of the gluttonous divine ox, and it would have been impossible for the beast to enter this narrow tunnel anyway. Could there be other mutated creatures? I quickly drew the Frost Sword and proceeded with caution. I reached the pool of water and skirted around it, managing not to trigger any mechanisms this time. Beyond the pool, the passage continued, stretching into the distance. There were spots of long-congealed blood on the ground, making it clear they had headed that way.

The passage remained a scene of carnage, with mangled corpses appearing at regular intervals. The tunnel eventually curved, and after following it for a hundred meters, I suddenly heard a crunching sound—like bones being crushed. I quickly held my breath, focused my senses, and crept forward with the Frost Sword in hand. There was debris of all sizes on the floor, which I kicked aside one by one. Although my Heaven's Eye allowed me to see through the darkness as if it were day, the tunnel ahead was curved, preventing me from seeing what was making the noise. A few steps further, a glow appeared ahead, revealing a tunnel leading directly to the surface. In the light below, a muscular zombie was gnawing on a corpse, the crunching sound coming from its feast.

The zombie had not noticed me and was still happily devouring the body. It was clutching a human leg, the end of which was stripped to the bone. The blood had not yet congealed, indicating the person had died recently. Judging by the attire, it was a member of the Demon Spirit Sect. I did not know the rank of this zombie and dared not act rashly, but the exit was right there, and I had to eliminate the creature to leave. With no other choice, I decided to risk it. I approached silently, sword in one hand, and swung at the zombie’s neck. Unexpectedly, it moved before my blade could strike, dropping to the ground to dodge. My second strike followed immediately, but the zombie rolled over and raised the human leg it had been eating as a shield. The Frost Sword severed the limb without resistance, and the zombie stood up.

I did not hesitate and launched a fierce assault. Channeling a wisp of internal energy into the Frost Sword, a thin layer of ice formed on the blade. I hacked wildly at the muscular zombie, but every blow felt like striking indestructible steel, sending brilliant sparks flying without causing a single injury.

The zombie curled its lips into a sneer, as if mocking my weakness. This was the first time I had encountered a zombie with such facial expressions. I quickly withdrew and retreated; the creature's defensive capabilities exceeded my expectations. Could it be on the same level as the gluttonous divine ox? A sense of powerlessness washed over me. Two hours had passed, and it was almost noon. Why was revenge so difficult? Why did I keep running into these monstrous things? I stood frozen, and the zombie did not attack either; we remained in a stalemate. I stared into its eyes—they were not the dull gray of a normal zombie, but a pale blue. Its body showed no signs of decay and looked no different from a normal human’s. If not for its astonishing defense and massive frame, it would have been hard to distinguish it from a person in the outside world.

Just as I was contemplating whether to engage in a desperate fight, the zombie moved. It seemed I had no choice. Its massive fist hammered toward my chest, catching me off guard while I was distracted. I had no time to react and instinctively held the Frost Sword vertically against my chest, supporting the tip with my other hand. A dull thud echoed as I was sent sliding backward. I touched my toes to the ground, regained my balance, and flew forward with the wind, my sword tip aiming straight for the zombie’s forehead. The zombie was fast; it reached out its right hand, batted my blade away with its palm, and transformed its palm into a fist, aiming for my face. I tilted my head to dodge, spotted the exit, and leaped toward the surface.

It appeared to be an intelligent zombie, with reflexes and moves nearly identical to a human’s. It was not recorded in the World Alliance’s archives, and I had no idea what level it was. I did not want to tangle with it further. Looking back, I saw the intelligent zombie trying to climb out, mimicking my movements. As its head emerged from the hole, I stomped down with all my might, forcing it back down. Seeing a massive stone slab nearby, I quickly hauled it over to seal the opening. I heard a series of thuds from below, but I figured it wouldn’t be able to get out for a while. I surveyed my surroundings and flew up into a tall tree.