Chapter 140: Instant Kill

It seemed these zombies were indeed being commanded by higher-level undead, aiming to separate us and defeat us one by one. I quickly retreated, conjured a true demon energy orb, and then unleashed the Nether Flame. The fierce blaze spread rapidly, causing a ripple in the air. Since advancing to the third level of Nether Flame, I hadn’t yet tested its full power—now was the perfect moment.

My entire body, hair included, was engulfed in roaring flames. This fire could not harm me. Stepping into the horde, any zombie that came near would be scorched by the fire. Even half a meter away, the flames could ignite their bodies, filling the air with the acrid stench of burning flesh.

At first, I believed the third-level Nether Flame would easily annihilate the horde. But once inside, I realized that while ordinary zombies feared the flames, the mutated ones did not. The Claw Zombies, though briefly set aflame, quickly extinguished the fire. Their claws were even longer than those of the level-six zombies I had fought before, clearly indicating a higher rank—likely level seven or eight. Unfortunately, I hadn’t examined the World Alliance’s handwritten tome closely enough to grasp their exact classification.

It was obvious that the Nether Flame was useless against these elite zombies. I decided to unleash the Thirty Demonic Arts. The fifth level of the Thirty Demonic Arts was faster and more graceful than before; every punch seemed to contain boundless strength. Even the elite zombies that the Nether Flame couldn’t kill were forced to retreat under my assault.

Punch after punch, my speed increased instinctively. My mind struggled to keep pace. In just a short while, I had felled a large portion of the ordinary zombies. The elite Claw Zombies were tougher opponents. Dodging two of their encirclements, I bent down and swept one of them off its feet with a leg sweep before swiftly striking its face with a powerful blow.

After dispatching one elite zombie, I didn’t pause but flipped on the spot, anticipating an attack from behind. Sure enough, I narrowly avoided a swipe from a zombie’s claws. Four or five zombies thrust their claws into the ground simultaneously, making me break out in a cold sweat. If even one of those hits connected, would I still be alive?

Before they could pull out their claws, I quickly condensed a true demon energy orb. Since my enlightenment, the speed at which I gathered this orb had doubled. This energy orb, a fusion of pure and demonic energy, had tremendous explosive power—ideal for crowd control. I wasn’t sure what to call it, so I simply named it the True Demon Energy Orb.

The condensation time dropped from thirty to fifteen seconds. Though brief, within this short span, countless zombies pressed in from behind. The four or five elite zombies in front had withdrawn their claws. Surrounded by elite foes, my hands were immobilized; I could only dodge and seize the moment to kick down two of them.

Turning my gaze to Qin Tian, I saw him far off, swallowed by a dense sea of zombies. His figure was invisible amidst the throng. “Hold on, Qin Tian,” I silently urged. Despite his recent change in temperament, he always put the greater good above himself when it mattered. Friends like him were rare in the twenty-first century; in truth, I had never encountered one before.

The fifteen seconds had passed, and the True Demon Energy Orb had taken shape. I swiftly spun half a circle with my right leg, forcing the zombies behind me to step back. Taking aim at the retreating horde, I unleashed the orb. The explosion roared, blowing several elite zombies to pieces. Blood and bits of flesh splattered across my face, but I didn’t bother wiping it away. The orb’s power had nearly doubled, eradicating at least a hundred zombies. Others caught in the blast were badly wounded but still alive.

Immediately after releasing the orb, I drew my Ice Sword without a second glance and swung it around. A line of zombies was cleaved in half at the waist, including both elites and common undead. The sword’s energy cut through them effortlessly, leaving a clear gap around me. I swiftly summoned the wind beneath me and soared into the sky. Below, the zombies clawed and snarled, but they couldn’t reach me. Then, I spotted Qin Tian.

He stood motionless in the midst of the horde, eyes tightly closed. An invisible energy seemed to swirl around him. The zombies’ claws struck him again and again, yet he remained unscathed.

What on earth was he doing? Just as I prepared to descend and assist, Qin Tian suddenly opened his eyes. A radiant aura burst outward from his body, rapidly expanding like a halo. The dense zombie horde was instantly bisected, cut clean in half.

I was stunned—so much so that I lost control of my posture and fell from the sky, landing amidst the zombies. Although these zombies had lost their lower limbs, they were still alive and fiercely swiping at me with their arms.

My protective shield was still active, so the half-bodied zombies posed no threat. Struggling free from the horde, I flew swiftly to Qin Tian’s side. “Are you alright?”

I helped him up. He looked weak, as if the previous move had drained all his strength. With one arm draped over my shoulder, he gasped for breath but smiled faintly. “I’m not dead yet.”

I surveyed the surroundings. Nearly one hundred thousand zombies had been wiped out by Qin Tian’s single strike. Corpses littered the ground, many piled atop one another, desperately struggling to rise. At that moment, the strategist led the winged warriors down from the mountain peak. I said to him, “Tell them to clear the bodies quickly and take care of him.”

I handed Qin Tian over to the strategist’s care, then noticed a tall zombie rapidly retreating nearby. It moved swiftly and soon vanished from my sight. If I wasn’t mistaken, this fleeing creature was the mastermind controlling the zombie horde. I absolutely couldn’t let it escape.

Leaving Qin Tian in the strategist’s hands, I surged through the wind and chased after the fleeing zombie. I pushed my speed to the limit, the wind roaring past my ears. I caught sight of the creature as it leapt forward, covering several meters in a single bound, moving nearly as fast as I was. At five hundred meters’ distance, I drew my Ice Sword and slashed a blade of sword energy—pale and sharp—toward the escaping zombie.