Chapter 139: The Sea of Corpses Tactic

Seeing Qin Tian knocked out of the air by my strike and plummeting straight into the swarm of zombies, I was instantly filled with gut-wrenching regret. Why hadn't I looked more carefully before attacking? But it was too late now; the zombie army had already closed in, and Qin Tian’s figure was lost amidst the sea of corpses. If anything happened to him, I would blame myself for the rest of my life. How had he appeared at such a moment? And how did he even know I was here? There was no time for deeper thought. I quickly rode the wind, flying directly over the spot where Qin Tian had fallen. The zombies were swarming toward him, and if those two-foot-long claws were to strike him, his life would surely be in danger. I dove into the horde, ignoring the risk of being wounded myself—saving him was the priority, especially since he was my dear brother.

No sooner had I landed than several zombies attacked me. My protective barrier rippled; the impact of their claws felt like striking steel, sending sparks flying. Seeing that the zombies couldn't immediately harm me, I was just about to crouch down to search for Qin Tian when a surge of immense, overwhelming energy erupted from within the crowd. It was like a bomb going off—soil and debris flew, mixed with the mangled remains of zombies. I was inevitably blasted backward, scrambling to my feet and wiping blood from the corner of my mouth.

The air was thick with a bloody mist, and a massive crater, likely three meters deep and five meters across, had appeared in the ground where the horde had been. Qin Tian leaped from the pit and landed right in front of me. "Old Li, you made me search high and low for you! Are you dead yet? If not, let's wipe out these bastards together!"

My insides felt excruciatingly painful; I had clearly suffered internal injuries. The move Qin Tian had just used was powerful enough to shatter my protective barrier and injure me. I had always believed that with my 1-star ability, no one except Chu Jun and Li Shiliu could hurt me, especially with my barrier active. Qin Tian had grown so formidable in just two days!

Clutching my chest, I channeled my demonic energy to mend my internal organs and straightened up to look at him. "How did you show up at a time like this? And how was that move of yours so powerful?"

Qin Tian tilted his head, projecting an air of arrogance; clearly, his increase in strength had made him more brazen. "Now is not the time for talk. Let's deal with these zombies first!"

Before we could exchange more words, the zombie army surged toward us again. I quickly pulled an explosive arrow from my quiver, nocked it, and aimed at the front. As I released the string, the arrow shot toward the ground like a bolt of lightning. A deafening explosion followed; while it lacked the terrifying force of Qin Tian’s move, it forced back most of the zombies, and those too close were blown into fragments. Qin Tian gave me a look of surprise before plunging into the fray for close-quarters combat.

Qin Tian cut through the horde like a wolf among sheep. These mutant zombies had no power to resist him. His strikes were swift and ferocious. Though he had no weapon, his bare hands inflicted devastating damage. With a wave of his arms, a zombie head would fly into the air, only to land and be trampled into pulp by the countless others.

Qin Tian seemed to grow more courageous the longer he fought. In barely a minute, the surging army of zombies had been reduced to scattered stragglers. Behind them, an endless sea of corpses still loomed, but they stopped their advance, seemingly intimidated by him. My injuries had been mended by the demonic energy, so I joined the fray.

I drew my Frost Sword and released a chilling mist, covering the blade in a thin layer of ice. Sharp sword qi emanated from the sword, shimmering with a faint white light; as it touched the zombies, it sliced through their bodies with ease. After releasing a few such strikes, the ground was littered with corpses. I held my sword horizontally and turned to Qin Tian. "These zombies seem weak. Should we lure them out of the valley to finish them off?"

I worried that the Wuyou Valley would be fouled by the corpses, which might delay our weapons production. Besides, these mutant zombies carried a virus, and I didn't know if it might spread. It would be disastrous if any of the physically weaker Winged People were infected.

To my surprise, Qin Tian stopped after unleashing two consecutive strikes of "Earth-Shattering Force" and said to me, "Weak? The real heavy hitters haven't even appeared yet!"

At his words, I noticed it too. The zombies in front were moving quite slowly. At first, there had been fast, clawed zombies in the mix, but now those had retreated to the periphery. The center was occupied by weaker specimens, while behind the clawed ones stood many larger zombies. They weren't attacking, just standing in formation, staring at us.

"I suspect these zombies possess intelligence. It's very likely one or more high-level zombies are commanding them," Qin Tian said, casually pushing a common zombie aside. The creature flew ten meters away, hitting the ground with a thud and moving no more.

"You mean they're using a human-wave tactic?" I had indeed encountered an intelligent zombie once before. They were not only clever but also incredibly dangerous in combat. If Qin Tian was right, this was going to be tricky.

Qin Tian scanned the surroundings. "Exactly. They want to use the swarm to drain our stamina. What are those large birds?"

He was looking at the Winged People perched on the mountain peaks. I swung my sword, cutting down five or six zombies, and explained, "Those are Winged People. They don't have much combat capability."

"I have an idea, though I'm not sure if it will work." As Qin Tian dodged an attack, he ripped the head off a zombie. His technique was so brutal that it felt wrong; he hadn't been this vicious before. Yet, in his hands, it was like pulling weeds—one head after another. The blood was still circulating in some of these creatures, spraying everywhere, but Qin Tian remained unmoved, continuing to harvest their fragile lives.

"What's the plan?" I felt that Qin Tian had truly changed; even his tone was different. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong, but in just two days, he seemed like a different person.

"You handle these common zombies. I’ll go to the back of the horde and take out the commander." Qin Tian spoke each word with cold, emotionless precision.

"No, that’s too dangerous. Those in the back are all high-level zombies. It’s not wise for you to go alone!"

"And you think you should go instead? Stop the damn chatter! Do as I say and cover me." With that, he charged into the rear of the horde, using brute force to smash through any zombie in his path. I didn't dare to be careless, so I pulled three explosive arrows from my back and fired them in rapid succession toward his path. The swarm was blasted into a clearing, and Qin Tian successfully reached the rear. Meanwhile, the zombies before me swarmed like a boiling pot, their two-foot-long claws glinting coldly under the sun.