Chapter Eighteen: Breakthrough! Foundation Establishment!

Yue Qi lunged forward fiercely. The nearest zombie seemed to sense someone behind it, abandoning its attack on Bai Lian and turning to face Yue Qi instead.

“Die with me!” Yue Qi snarled, his face twisted with rage. He raised his sword overhead and swung it down at the zombie’s head.

A soft sound echoed as the blade sliced into flesh, yet the zombie remained unscathed—at least, its movements were unaffected. Yue Qi’s swing was off; the sword embedded itself into the muscle of the zombie’s left arm, but whether due to exhaustion or lack of strength, he failed to sever the limb.

An ordinary person would have lost the will or ability to fight at this point, but zombies, devoid of sensation, paid no heed to such minor wounds. Ignoring the injury on its shoulder, the zombie charged at Yue Qi, a spray of blood mist bursting from the wound.

Stimulated by the blood, the zombie grew even more savage, letting out a low growl and accelerating its speed. Yue Qi, unable to dodge, could only watch helplessly as tiny droplets of crimson blood entered his mouth and nose.

Suddenly, Yue Qi felt dizzy. His footing faltered, and the sword slipped from his grasp—not falling to the ground, but remaining deeply lodged in the zombie’s left arm.

“Watch out!” Bai Lian’s voice called from nearby. She had felt a surge of hope upon seeing Yue Qi arrive—not knowing if he could save her, but at least he was safe. Yet he was blocked by the very first zombie, seemingly drained from previous exertions.

Yue Qi collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing uncontrollably. The blood that had entered him coursed wildly through his veins, its energy violent and chaotic. His own spiritual power had long since been depleted, leaving him powerless to drive the foreign energy out.

But the zombie would not relinquish its attack. With only a step between them, it lunged at Yue Qi, disregarding the sword stuck in its arm.

“Ah!” A sudden shout came from behind, and a burly figure tackled the zombie away from Yue Qi.

“Qi, run!” It was Yue Er, whom Yue Qi had earlier told to hide. Seeing Yue Qi step forward to help, Yue Er followed suit—and ended up saving his brother’s life.

Yue Qi wanted to run, but his body refused to obey. It felt as if a thousand ants crawled beneath his skin; red veins suddenly filled his eyes, and the veins in his neck and hands bulged as if they might burst.

“The Way is empty, yet its use is never exhausted. So deep, it seems to be the ancestor of all things; so clear, it appears to exist.” Bai Lian recited softly from behind.

“The Way is empty, yet its use is never exhausted…” Yue Qi echoed Bai Lian’s words, and peace gradually settled within him.

“Heaven’s way diminishes the surplus and replenishes the deficit. Man’s way, however, is not so; it diminishes the insufficient to serve the surplus…” Bai Lian continued, fending off two zombies as she spoke. This was a calming technique from the Qinghe Sword Sect, requiring a foundation of spiritual power. Though Yue Qi’s reserves were exhausted, deep in his core a small ember of energy remained. Bai Lian was different; her spiritual power was neither sealed nor depleted, but entirely undetectable within her body. Normally, this would mean damaged meridians, but hers were intact—she simply could not sense her spiritual power.

“Heaven’s way… diminishes the surplus and replenishes the deficit…” Yue Qi murmured, and suddenly a warm, gentle light emanated from his body.

“Qi?!” Yue Er stared in amazement. The glow surrounding Yue Qi was like that of an immortal about to ascend. As soon as this thought arose, the zombie came charging again from behind.

“How damned annoying!” This was not Yue Er’s first encounter with zombies, so he wasn’t frightened. He yanked Yue Qi’s sword from the zombie’s arm and struck at its head.

But Yue Er lacked Yue Qi’s strength, and exhaustion from the journey had taken its toll. The sword only penetrated a few centimeters, and when he tried to pull it out, it wouldn’t budge. Overexerting himself, Yue Er fell backward.

“What’s this…” Bai Lian, not far away, noticed the anomaly in Yue Qi. After fending off the closest zombie, she mused, “Is he about to break through?”

She had already seen that Yue Qi was nearly spent, not only unable to use spells but barely able to walk, like a patient just recovering from illness.

“Protect your heart! Break through to Foundation Establishment!” Bai Lian shouted. Hearing her, Yue Qi’s body shuddered, and the light around him flared even brighter.

“The Way is empty, yet its use is never exhausted… Heaven’s way… diminishes the surplus and replenishes the deficit…” Yue Qi’s face alternated red and white, as if a martial hero possessed by madness, but in the next moment, his body became a vortex, drawing countless streams of spiritual energy from the surroundings.

“Wonderful! He’s succeeded!” Bai Lian waved her sword excitedly. The ambient spiritual energy thickened, and she felt an illusion as if her own lost spiritual power was slowly returning.

Yue Er was not so lucky. His fall had caused his head to strike a rock; now his mind spun, and the zombie had already reached him.

Barely in time, Yue Er realized the danger as the zombie grabbed his left leg and prepared to bite.

“Get lost!” Yue Qi, seated cross-legged nearby, roared. A sphere of lightning formed around him, far larger than what he’d previously summoned. The lightning ball struck the zombie’s mouth, blasting it several meters away. Just as Yue Er prepared to finish it off, Yue Qi urgently called, “Don’t!”

Time seemed to freeze. At the center of the zombie’s head, the lightning orb detonated, and within a two-meter radius, a crater formed. Even Yue Er, standing nearby, felt a powerful gust sting his cheeks.

Yue Qi rose, exhaling a wisp of turbid air. His lips curled into the smile he considered sunny but Bai Lian always found unbearably sly.

“Aren’t you going to help?!” Bai Lian was still handling two zombies with ease, but the mountain trek had drained her stamina.

“Hehe, Lian, you step aside…” Yue Qi grinned and began reciting a spell.

With his newly established Foundation, Yue Qi could instantly cast ordinary first-tier spells, but this one required an incantation—clearly a second-tier spell.

Sure enough, as he finished, the scattered stones on the ground all floated upward, and the sky filled with dust. From afar, the scene would appear obscured.

“Rock Flight Technique!” Yue Qi smiled, and the airborne stones, like soldiers obeying a command, shot toward the two zombies.

Countless thunderous impacts followed. The stones pierced the zombies’ bodies—heads, chests, abdomens, legs, even their most mysterious parts fell victim to the attack.

Meanwhile, Bai Lian was not idle. She rescued a young man still grappling with the last zombie and thrust her sword between its brows.

“Hehe, Lian!” Yue Qi approached Bai Lian, scratching his head bashfully.

“What? Happy about breaking through to Foundation Establishment? Now you’re willing to use second-tier spells?” Bai Lian rolled her eyes, unreserved in her reproach. Though second-tier spells were only one rank above the first, they demanded three to five times more energy. No wonder Bai Lian was displeased.

“Well, I just broke through, wanted to try it out. But honestly, second-tier spells are a lot more explosive than first-tier!” Yue Qi punched the air, exhilarated.

The essential difference between first and second-tier spells was their scope—except for Water Soothing, a healing spell. Spells like Wind Leaf Slash, Fire Dance, Thunder Array Dance, and the Rock Flight Technique Yue Qi just used were all designed for mass attacks.

Bai Lian shook her head in disdain, saying nothing. Yet her gaze lingered on Yue Er; his selfless act to save Yue Qi remained vivid in her mind.

“Oh, right—this is my second brother. I found many survivors in the Yue family village and rescued them all!” Yue Qi grinned, while Yue Er was already dazzled.

He’d expected Yue Qi’s master-uncle to be a man, not a delicate young beauty who seemed even younger than himself. How she became Yue Qi’s master-uncle was a mystery.

“Ah, oh! Good day, Fairy. I am Yue Er, Qi’s second brother. Thank you for taking care of him…” Yue Er, the simplest among them, struggled for words and managed only that.

“Haha, second brother, you—” Yue Qi began, but a familiar voice sounded from behind.

“Qi, please save Yuqi! She’s barely hanging on!” Yue Yunsheng rushed out from behind a rock, holding Bai Lian and lamenting desperately.