Chapter 73: Fifth Brother, a Mutated Zombie!

“Ah Qi? Are you… are you alright?” Only after seeing Yue Qi slaughter all the zombies did Yue Yunsheng cautiously turn and walk back to his side.

“I’m fine…” Yue Qi’s expression was grave. He turned the corpses over and over, inspecting them, but couldn’t deduce anything from them.

“What’s wrong?” Yue Yunsheng stepped closer, trying to see what Yue Qi was up to.

“It’s nothing…” Yue Qi thought it over. He wasn’t sure if the zombies’ increased strength was due to the terrain, so it was best not to mention it yet, lest it cause panic among the others.

“By the way, Yunsheng, didn’t you go to gather firewood? How did you end up here? I remember you said you’d seen some firewood on your way over—so why are you suddenly at the Dragon’s Grave Pit?” Yue Qi suddenly asked.

“So this is the Dragon’s Grave Pit!” Yue Yunsheng seemed oblivious to his location. He said, “I don’t even know how I ended up here. I was just walking along the path I took earlier when suddenly three zombies appeared. Worse yet, when I tried to run back and find you, the three zombies didn’t seem intent on killing me; they just drove me here…”

The more Yue Yunsheng spoke, the stranger it sounded. He hadn’t noticed it at first, but thinking back, it was as if the zombies had a purpose.

“This… could that really be the case?” Yue Qi considered it, but didn’t doubt Yunsheng’s words. After all, he’d witnessed these zombies himself, and they weren’t as simple as those they’d encountered before. Still, it didn’t concern Yue Qi too much. These zombies were certainly a threat to ordinary people, but to someone like him, a cultivator, they were nothing more than a matter of a single spell.

Seeing Yue Qi deep in thought, Yunsheng refrained from interrupting. Instead, he gazed at the bleak landscape around them.

The earth around them was a jumbled mix of black and yellow. Here and there, white objects could be seen—clearly the bones of dead animals. The hazy moonlight spilled onto the ground, illuminating those ghastly white bones with a cold, haunting glow.

Yunsheng shivered and quickly looked away, his earlier curiosity about the Dragon’s Grave Pit replaced by a deep sense of dread.

“Yunsheng? What’s wrong?” Yue Qi suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, noticing Yunsheng’s fear.

“It’s nothing, Ah Qi. Let’s go back quickly—otherwise Sister Lian will worry…” Yunsheng was too embarrassed to admit his terror, so he urged Yue Qi to return.

“Alright…” Yue Qi smiled faintly, seeing right through Yunsheng’s thoughts, though he said nothing.

The moon was swallowed by clouds, plunging the surroundings into darkness. Fortunately, Yunsheng had somehow found a torch earlier. Though the flame had long since gone out, Yue Qi picked it up, tapped it lightly with his finger, and the light returned to the world.

“Let’s go…” Yue Qi said softly. But then, a sudden premonition of danger welled up in his heart.

“Watch out!” Yue Qi grabbed Yunsheng and yanked him forcefully to his side. In that instant, a black shadow flashed past where Yunsheng had just stood.

“So fast!” Yue Qi had no time to think. He pulled Yunsheng behind him and hurled the torch toward the black shadow, determined to see what had ambushed them.

A bone-chilling roar shook the air—it was, as expected, a zombie. Yet as the torch flew toward it, the zombie didn’t dodge. Instead, it struck the torch with a punch, sending it tumbling into the dry grass, where a fierce blaze erupted.

To their shock, the zombie didn’t seem afraid of the flames. Rather, it stood amid the fire, like a demon risen from hell, gazing coldly at Yue Qi without making another move.

“That… that’s… Fifth Brother?” The firelight illuminated Yue Qi’s face—and the zombie’s as well. Yue Qi could hardly believe it: this zombie was the very brother he’d been searching for these past months—Yue Wu.

At this moment, Yue Wu had lost all semblance of humanity. His blood-red eyes glowed wickedly, his features obscured by tangled hair, his face smeared with a blackish-red substance that was, no doubt, dried blood. And yet, even so, his once-handsome features could not be completely masked—Yue Qi recognized him at once. This was his brother.

“What? Fifth Brother?” Yue Yunsheng heard Yue Qi and scrambled up to look at the zombie. All he saw was a tangle-haired, blood-soaked creature—how could this be Yue Wu?

“Ah Qi, you must be mistaken?” Yunsheng asked tentatively, but Yue Qi’s expression was no joke.

“There’s no mistake. I could never fail to recognize Fifth Brother. Yunsheng, if I end up fighting him, you must run the other way. Get at least a hundred meters away, do you understand?” Yue Qi said gravely. Yunsheng nodded without protest.

Yue Qi stared at his zombified brother, sorrow in his eyes gradually hardening into resolve. He didn’t know why Fifth Brother was here, nor how he’d become such a powerful zombie. Yet for the sake of survival, he had no choice but to kill him.

It was Yue Wu who finally made the first move. After observing Yue Qi for a while, he seemed to decide that this human posed no real threat and charged at him with terrifying speed.

“So fast!” That was Yue Qi’s first impression. This zombie was far stronger than the three before. Even with the Wind Riding Spell, Yue Qi doubted he could outrun him.

“There’s no escape—I’ll have to fight to the death!” Gritting his teeth, Yue Qi drew his sword in a flash, its cold gleam lunging for Yue Wu’s heart. But what would have been a certain hit for most people was effortlessly dodged by Yue Wu.

Of all martial skills, speed reigns supreme.

Yue Wu was simply too fast. Even with all his spiritual focus, Yue Qi could barely keep up.

“What now?” Yue Qi grew anxious. If even his spiritual senses couldn’t lock onto his opponent, then no matter how much magic he unleashed, he’d be unable to land a blow.

“Could Fifth Brother be the leader of these zombies?” His gaze darted to the three corpses he’d just slain, and suddenly, the notion struck him.

If that was the case, everything made sense—why those three zombies had lured Yunsheng here. They were probably seeking food for their leader.

The more Yue Qi thought, the more plausible it seemed—and the more it frightened him. Zombies were growing stronger—and now they were organized. How long could humanity survive?

These thoughts flashed by in an instant. Having dodged Yue Qi’s sword, Yue Wu suddenly swerved, turning his fist into a claw and slashing at Yue Qi’s chest.

Yue Qi dared not let him get near. He retreated at top speed, sword sweeping defensively before him. His defense was flawless—Yue Wu found no opening.

Abruptly, Yue Wu stopped his attack, realizing his prey was nothing like those he’d hunted before. He began to study Yue Qi at close range once more.

Yue Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief. That last defensive burst had drained him. If this continued and he became exhausted, Yue Wu would surely kill him.

Seeing Yue Wu pause, Yue Qi feared he would attack again. Though his spiritual sense hadn’t locked onto his foe, he crossed his hands as if preparing a second-tier spell.

Sensing this, Yue Wu felt a wave of crisis. Suddenly, he accelerated, streaking toward Yue Qi like a bolt.

Yue Qi was startled, but quickly regained his composure. His casting didn’t cease; freeing one hand, he unleashed a flurry of water orbs to stall Yue Wu.

As expected, not a single Water Manipulation Spell struck Yue Wu, but they did slow him down—dodging, after all, takes time. Before long, he was upon Yue Qi.

But at that moment, Yue Qi finished his spell.

Yue Wu’s claw swiped at him; Yue Qi blocked with his sword and used the force to leap back.

“A perfect chance!” Yue Qi was elated. Yue Wu was now within the range of his Thunder Dance Array. With the speed of magic, no matter how fast Yue Wu could move, escape was impossible.

A sudden darkness engulfed the sky. Thunderclouds gathered overhead, their rumbling accompanied by terrifying bolts of lightning.

Lightning crashed down in torrents.

Yue Qi’s vision blurred—he couldn’t see what was happening, but his spiritual sense told him he was right: Yue Wu had been struck, not just once, but many times.

The thunderclouds faded after their furious onslaught, and the smoke on the ground slowly dissipated. Yue Qi saw it clearly: on that patch of scorched earth, a zombie knelt, its clothes blackened and charred, its dark skin oozing bright red blood.

“Is he… dead?” The man before him was his Fifth Brother. Yue Qi’s heart twisted in pain. Though turned into a zombie, he couldn’t bear to personally end his kin’s life.

But to his shock, the zombie staggered to its feet. Now Yue Qi could see the wounds clearly. Not only was the body battered, but a charred hole had been blasted into its head—struck by lightning, no doubt.

Yue Qi was stunned. Such a powerful spell had only wounded this mutant zombie? If more of these appeared, what would he do?

In that moment of daze, Yue Wu seemed to regain his senses. Yue Qi had forgotten: zombies feel no pain.

Yue Wu lunged at him again, though slower than before—clearly injured—but Yue Qi was caught unprepared, barely twisting aside to dodge the attack. Had Yue Wu attacked again, Yue Qi knew he’d be doomed.

But then, something unexpected happened—Yue Wu fled.

Yes, after feigning another assault, Yue Wu used the ruse to escape.

“He actually… left…” Yue Qi watched the rapidly vanishing silhouette with deep wariness in his gaze.