Old Captain tapped lightly on the table, reflecting on the departure of Ji Shengyu and He Shengliang, who had spent over a year with the Ship Gang without any indication of permanence.
"Now they've suddenly left?" he mused. "And they even took half a crate of wine with them..."
Recalling past conversations, he remembered, "When they first joined the Ship Gang, they mentioned they were looking for their lost memories, hoping to get help from a superhuman with enhanced cognitive abilities. It seems they believe that the so-called immortal in Linjiang Province is their target?"
Old Captain sighed deeply. He had rescued the pair when they were barely alive after an attack by the zombie king. The young boy's awakened talent had greatly enhanced his brain, enabling him to process information at an incredible pace. With most of the Ship Gang being muscular and primarily focused on combat, He Shengliang's intellectual abilities had been a valuable asset.
Initially, Old Captain had set almost no conditions for their stay, merely hoping they would choose to remain. The duo had then agreed to stay for a year as a way to repay his kindness, with the option to leave or stay afterward. He hadn't really expected them to leave.
Shaking his head in resignation, Old Captain knew he couldn't have kept them if they were determined to leave. "Let them go," he resolved.
As for the cultivator appearing in East Lake City, Old Captain pondered, "Should the Ship Gang seek an alliance with him? Or should I just mention it at the Council to ensure they don't provoke this cultivator?"
He sighed lightly, knowing that while the Ship Gang appeared strong, it was actually quite fragmented. His role as leader gave his words weight, but whether they were heeded was another matter.
His thoughts then turned to a more pressing issue—the increasingly terrifying Zombie Empress in the north of Hanhai Province.
"Can't let her continue to produce offspring and expand her reign unchecked."
...
Two years swiftly passed. During this time, Chu Xuan remained seated motionless within the Yin Evil Soul-Snatching Array. The soul of the two-headed python had repeatedly shown hostility towards him, only to be fiercely beaten each time by Huikong.
Chu Xuan had instructed Huikong's soul before entering his meditative state: if the python's soul attempted any attack on him, Chu Xuan would punish Huikong, regardless of whether Huikong saw the attack coming or not.
To avoid punishment, Huikong didn't even allow the two-headed python's soul to come close to Chu Xuan. Any attempts to approach were met with immediate and severe retaliation.
After several beatings, the python's soul became much more subdued, daring only to absorb the surrounding Yin Evil Qi quietly and keep its distance.
At this moment, the energy within Chu Xuan surged stronger than ever, hinting that he was on the verge of breaking through another boundary in his cultivation.
A year ago, under the potent influence of the surging Yin Evil Qi, Chu Xuan had naturally progressed to the third level of Foundation Establishment. Now, he was on the cusp of breaking through to the fourth level. Advancing to this stage would place him among the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
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With his array of skills and secrets, Chu Xuan was confident in facing opponents even at the fifth or sixth levels of Foundation Establishment without fear. If he chose to use the Merit Bell, disregarding the risk of exposing his trump card, he could stand against a seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator with ease.
The Spiritual Qi inside Chu Xuan roared like a wild dragon, repeatedly slamming against the invisible bottleneck. Again and again, he challenged the barrier until, finally, it shattered.
In that instant, it was as if a dragon had soared from the depths, and his vast aura surged outward in all directions. The ghosts and demons spawned within the Yin Evil Soul-Snatching Array were obliterated by his explosive energy. Their remnants returned to the array, serving as nourishment for new spectral entities.
At this moment, Chu Xuan's eyes snapped open, a flash of sharp light flickering within.
The fourth level of the Foundation Establishment!
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
Chu Xuan sat in the array, constantly immersed in a dense concentration of pure Yin Evil Qi. His cultivation progressed as swiftly as if he were consuming elixirs daily.
Chu Xuan made a casual gesture, and Huikong returned to the Evil Soul Chain. He then stepped and exited the range of the array in the blink of an eye. He soared through the sky on his flying sword, seeking a location teeming with zombies to test his newly acquired spells.
Meanwhile, in Two Dragons City.
The woman and the young boy stood on the rooftop of a tall building, gazing at another peculiar building next door, which bizarrely featured veins and arteries like some sort of flesh construct.
Ji Shengyu expressed some emotion, "It took us two full years to get here, encountering numerous unexpected challenges along the way, even being chased by fifth-level zombies and supernatural beings. But at last, we've reached Shuanglong City. Just a bit further, and we'll be in East Lake City, where that cultivator resides. We need to hurry and bring a gift for our meeting with him."
Their journey had been arduous, marked by both danger and the bizarre, but their goal was now within reach. With a sense of urgency and a plan to make a favorable impression, they prepared to navigate the final leg of their quest to meet the mysterious cultivator.
He Shengliang's calm assessment laid out the formidable challenge ahead. "Inside, there's a fourth-level zombie, nine third-level zombies, and a multitude of lower-level zombies. The fourth-level zombie is a descendant of the Zombie Empress from the north of Hanhai Province. Its abilities are quite unique. According to my calculations, you have a 72% probability of killing it, a 25% chance of a draw, and a 3% chance of dying at its hands. Are you sure you want to use it as a gift?"
Ji Shengyu chuckled behind her hand, "Of course, only a fourth-level Psionic crystal is worthy of being presented as a gift. Lower-level crystals won't catch his eye."
He Shengliang nodded, "Then you go ahead. I'll handle the lower-level zombies around here. The reproductive ability of that fourth-level zombie is strong; I estimate it only needs one day to spawn a hundred zombies, including quite a few first-level ones."
Ji Shengyu nodded with a smile and was about to move forward when he suddenly felt something and looked up sharply. Both of them immediately saw a figure flying through the air, seemingly divine! Their expressions changed slightly, and they quickly hid in the shadows of a nearby building.
He Shengliang whispered, "Is that the immortal?"
Ji Shengyu nodded, "What is he doing here?"
At that moment, Chu Xuan hovered in front of a high-rise building. He had intended to continue onward but was stopped by the building's bizarre exterior.
The building was unique, its surface covered in veins and muscle fibers, starkly different from the surrounding skyscrapers. Chu Xuan briefly scanned and detected abundant life within—it was swarming with zombies.
These zombies were peculiar in appearance, smaller than the typical ones Chu Xuan had encountered, the tallest only half a person's height. They were more agile and nimble, with limbs equipped with suction pads allowing them to move quickly across walls and even ceilings.
What surprised Chu Xuan even more was that these zombies lacked mouths; they could not eat. They functioned like industrious ants, transporting various organic materials into the high-rise, then heading out again, tirelessly returning.