C21 Zombie(1)

The city resembled an immense web, with each individual struggling to survive within its confines. Assimilated by the grid-like gaps, they found themselves devoid of the courage to rebel.

Today was no ordinary day. Astonishing news was spreading globally: a new species had emerged on Earth, and with their arrival, the Remnant Devil Clan, which had posed a significant threat to ordinary people, had evolved as well.

It was only now that humanity realized the multitude of species capable of evolution. Even the Remnant Devils, once scorned by Evolvers, could transform into formidable beings.

In Hanjing City, a venerable banyan tree, whose girth ten people could not encircle, was withering away. Next to it, a vast chasm more than a hundred meters across had formed, its depths shrouded in darkness. From within, a stream of bizarre creatures emerged.

These beings bore a striking resemblance to humans, standing around two meters tall, with uniformly long, half-gray hair and purple, desiccated skin. Their eyes emitted a greasy green glow.

They were the spitting image of the zombies of legend. Moreover, these zombies possessed astonishing combat abilities. No sooner had they appeared than a peak Injury Level Evolver was slain with a single blow.

The emergence of these creatures plunged Hanjing City into an unprecedented state of terror. This time was different from the first appearance of the Remnant Devils; the fear had now spread to the once untouchable Evolvers.

The central government swiftly issued a statement, informing survivors worldwide of the numerous Heavenly Craters that had appeared, spewing forth an endless tide of unidentified creatures. Henceforth, these beings would be known as 'zombies'.

"Another notice: the spatial barrier in Hanjing City has become highly unstable, signaling that something is on the verge of breaking through."

Yang Huang had made his way to the city center, close to the Heavenly Craters. Observing the announcement at the city hall entrance, he furrowed his brow.

"I've consulted the Eight Trigrams twice recently, yet failed to foresee such a radical shift on Earth. The Eight Trigrams are proving to be quite unreliable." The sudden upheaval had caught Yang Huang off guard, necessitating a revision of his strategies. However, this chaos aligned with his expectations; the more disordered the world became, the more opportunities he would find.

The sudden emergence of zombies dealt a catastrophic blow to the general populace. In response, the government swiftly deployed two battalions to eradicate the undead menace within the city.

In under an hour, the number of zombies fleeing from the Heavenly Craters had exceeded a hundred. These creatures, much like the Remnant Devils, had a penchant for consuming human flesh. Unlike their counterparts, however, zombies attacked indiscriminately, preying on both ordinary citizens and Evolvers alike.

Among these zombies, the most formidable had surpassed the Injury Level, ascending to the Strong Level.

Yang Huang, his face concealed by a mask, had little concern about unleashing his full potential. He sprinted towards a specific direction at breakneck speed. His body, having been reformed by the Innate Qi, benefited from the continuous nourishment of Innate Genuine Qi ever since the formation of the Brain Sea Courtyard. Consequently, his hundred-meter dash could clock in at around four seconds.

His objective was a distant zombie, one that had reached the initial phase of the Strong Level.

Yang Huang was confident in his own strength, which he estimated to be at the middle or even the peak of the Strong Level, making the confrontation with this particular zombie manageable. He had previously discovered that the death of a Remnant Devil could yield a red crystal imbued with Innate Vital Energy, which proved immensely beneficial to him. He was curious to see if zombies harbored a similar substance within.

The lone zombie stood at the edge of the street, its gaze sweeping the area in search of its next meal. Its Strong Level status meant that, for the moment, no Evolver dared to venture too close.

Yang Huang was the first to confront the zombie. Although his speed greatly surpassed that of a regular human, it paled in comparison to the zombie's. Upon spotting its foe, the zombie's figure blurred, leaving behind a lengthy, dark afterimage as it lunged at Yang Huang with ferocity.

Engaging in a prolonged battle was not Yang Huang's intention. His mastery lay in the Dao Talisman, a form of magic that exerted a profound suppressive effect on malevolent entities like zombies. With a flick of his left hand, a piece of pale yellow talisman paper materialized. His right hand's index and middle fingers joined, channeling the Innate Genuine Qi onto the paper as he inscribed it with an intricate array of runes.

The Corpse Suppressing Talisman was swiftly crafted, bearing the powerful inscription, "By the decree of the Great General!" As the zombie closed in, Yang Huang seized the moment to produce another piece of talisman paper. With a deft motion, he flung the Corpse Suppressing Talisman. It soared through the air as if guided by an unseen force, adhering precisely to the zombie's forehead.

A violent burst of orange light flashed around them, and the zombie let out a mournful howl, its hands clutching at its forehead in a desperate attempt to tear off the talisman. As it staggered backward, a foul stench permeated the air.

Meanwhile, Yang Huang's right hand moved swiftly, completing a Thunder Talisman. The faint blue runes on the talisman paper sparkled, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent the Thunder Talisman spinning through the air, emitting a whistling sound as it cut through the wind.

Zombies have always been vulnerable to lightning, a timeless truth. Even a Rank One Void Talisman could inflict catastrophic damage upon them.

As soon as the Thunder Talisman made contact with the zombie's body, it exploded into countless bolts of lightning, charring the creature to a crisp.

Yang Huang then approached the zombie, extending his right index finger. A pale golden thread shot forth, piercing the zombie's heart.

The creature was a mutated form of the undead, so Innate Genuine Qi couldn't destroy its functions or sap its vitality. However, it could reveal the mysteries within its body.

"Hahaha!" Yang Huang's eyes shone with excitement as he laughed, having received the information from the zombie through the Genuine Qi.

"Zombies are undead beings; their bodily functions can't animate them. They need a power source, the core that enables their resurrection after death."

"I never imagined that this core... would be Innate Qi!" Yang Huang was ecstatic. He had found that Innate Qi, so elusive in living humans, could exist within a zombie's body, providing a continuous flow of energy.

Yang Huang retracted the Genuine Qi, and on his left hand, hundreds of golden threads appeared, coiling around his palm. With a forceful pull, he pierced through the zombie's rigid body and extracted a fist-sized, dark red crystal from its heart.

This crystal was identical to the one found in the Remnant Devil's corpse, except it contained a hundredfold more Innate Qi.

"Perhaps the red crystal in the Remnant Devil's body was there because it had been bitten by a zombie. That means the crystal in the Remnant Devil's body was also the zombie's energy source." Yang Huang quickly pieced together the mystery behind the crystal's presence in the Remnant Devil's body.