Chapter 43: Invincible Against Gods and Demons

The group ahead had already come to a halt, evidently having seen someone coming to their rescue. Bringing up the rear, Yue Yunsheng was filled with regret; he hadn’t expected that a single moment of carelessness on his part would force Yue Er to risk his life to save the others.

“Second Brother, I…” As Yue Qi and Yue Er approached, Yue Yunsheng stepped in front of Yue Er, casting him an apologetic glance.

“Haha, it’s nothing! We’re brothers, after all. I trust if you were in my place, you’d do the same!” Yue Er patted Yue Yunsheng’s shoulder, then led Yue Qi toward where Yue San was waiting.

Their mother had already been laid gently on the ground, flat on her back. Her shoulder was drenched in blackish-red blood, and she had lost consciousness. Great beads of sweat rolled down her tightly furrowed brow.

“Third Brother? What’s happened to Mother?!” Yue Qi asked frantically, helpless before the scene and seeking aid from Yue San, who had been tending to their mother.

Yue San shook his head, his face grave. “The zombies came on us too fast. We were all thrown into chaos, and Mother wandered off—we didn’t know where. By the time we found her, she was already unconscious, and there was a wound like this on her shoulder. I had Sixth Sister check it—if she’s right, Mother’s been bitten by a zombie…”

“Bitten by a zombie…?!” Yue Qi’s heart plummeted. Bitten and untreated—then, surely…

“Don’t worry, Qi. If Yuqi can still be saved, then so can your mother…” Yue Yunsheng laid Yuqi gently on the ground and tried to comfort him.

Yue Qi just shook his head, saying nothing. He knew too well how dire his mother’s situation was. It wasn’t the same as Yang Yuqi’s—Yuqi had only suffered a light bite, and little of the virus had entered her body. But as for his mother, Yue Qi had already probed her with his spiritual power: the virus had invaded her brain. It wouldn’t be long, perhaps not even until she next awoke, before she would turn into a zombie…

“Qi, it’s all my fault! If I’d kept a closer watch on Mother, she wouldn’t have…” Tears welled in Yue Er’s eyes as he choked out the words.

“This isn’t your fault, Second Brother. If I’d returned sooner, things wouldn’t have come to this…” Yue Qi gazed dully at his unconscious mother, weighed down with guilt.

“Don’t blame yourself, Qi! We know how resourceful you are—if anyone can find a way, it’s you. By the way, where’s your martial uncle? If she sees Mother, she might have a solution!” Yue Si stepped forward, trying to comfort him.

“There’s nothing that can be done…” Yue Qi sighed, then briefly recounted his ordeal in Qinghe Town. When everyone learned that the approaching horde of zombies had been lured here by Yue Qi’s old enemies, a collective gasp of horror arose.

“Qi, we’re just glad you’re safe. If anything happens to Mother, her spirit will surely be at peace knowing you survived…” Yue Liu came forward, placing a consoling hand on Yue Qi’s shoulder.

“That’s right, Qi! Any of us could die, but you mustn’t! You’re the strongest among us. If we’re all gone, only you can avenge us!” Yue San added fiercely, glancing at his unconscious mother.

“Yes… vengeance!” Suddenly, a spark of life returned to Yue Qi’s eyes. Wasn’t his purpose in leaving the mountain to save his family? Now, with his eldest sister and fifth brother missing, his father lost, and his mother dying, how could he continue wallowing in despair? How would he face his father’s dying charge?

“Yes! Revenge! I’ll have my revenge!” Yue Qi suddenly straightened, casting a murderous look at the man with the raspy voice who had accompanied him.

“This… this hero, please, let’s talk this through. I swear I’m innocent! You can’t kill me! Please, don’t!” The raspy-voiced man saw Yue Qi’s expression and felt as if he’d plunged into an icy abyss.

Yue Qi ignored his pleas, advancing step by step, sword drawn and leveled straight at the man’s brow.

“Ah! Wait, I—I know Wang Chao’s secret, you’ll need me, you will!” the man cried, eyes shut tight. But just as he braced for death, the fatal blow never came.

He cautiously opened his eyes to find the sword hovering before him. Terrified, he quickly shut them again and shrank back.

“What do you know? Speak! If your information is worthless, I’ll take your pitiful life!” Yue Qi fixed him with a cold stare.

“I know which parts of Qingzhou are weakly defended. I used to be a survivor there. Later, to escape Liu Kui’s harassment, I fled to Qinghe Town with Wang Jian…” the man babbled, not daring to hide a thing.

“Then why did they come to Qinghe Town? Qingzhou has walls over ten meters tall—why bother establishing a new camp?” Yue Qi sheathed his sword, still cold.

The man shook his head, cleared his throat, and continued, “Wang Chao is a true warlord. When the apocalypse came, he immediately gathered a team and drove all the zombies out of Qingzhou City. But despite the strong defenses, there’s no farmland inside the city, and too many zombies outside to clear easily. So they built a new camp in Qinghe Town—one, for growing food; two, for the abundant resources here, especially given the proximity to the Qinghe Sword Sect…”

Yue Qi nodded, falling silent for a long moment. Finally, he looked at the man and said, “I’ll believe you for now. But if you dare deceive me… you’d best watch your head!”

The threat had the intended effect: the man nodded so vigorously it was as if he were pecking grain. Only when Yue Qi’s attention drifted away did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Qi, come here! Mother seems to be waking up…” Yue Si, who had been at their mother’s side, suddenly called out.

“Damn!” A jolt of fear ran through Yue Qi. He saw his mother’s body twitch, her lifeforce ebbing away. Soon, she would become a walking corpse.

“Back away! Everyone, get away from her!” Before the words were out, their mother’s eyes snapped open. Her pupils were blood-red, gleaming with slaughter and gore.

“Ah!” Someone cried out in terror as she jerked in alarm, trying to sit up.

But with one of her legs already lost, she could only struggle helplessly, unable to rise.

“Is that really Mother…?” Yue San stared blankly at the scene, muttering to himself, while Yue Si and Yue Liu clung to each other in tears.

Seeing their mother unable to stand, the others felt a strange, mournful relief. But a deep sense of foreboding crept in—one day, any of them might share this fate.

“Qi… what do we do now?” Yue Er asked, hollow-eyed, torn between wanting to help and the grim certainty that their mother had become a zombie.

“I’m sorry…” Yue Qi knelt before his mother, respectfully bowing three times. Seeing this, his four brothers and sisters also knelt and solemnly knocked their heads to the ground three times.

Yue Qi rose, picked up his sword, gazed at his mother, then set the blade aside and approached her barehanded.

No one could bear to watch what would happen next. Yue Qi stepped in front of his mother. But the zombie that had been their mother no longer recognized him—unable to stand, she could only wave her arms, trying to seize and devour him.

With a soft crunch, Yue Qi covered her head with his hands and, with a swift motion, ended her suffering. His own hands had taken his mother’s life, though she had already become a monster—an agony that cut deeper than any wound.

A wind swept through. The sun had set, leaving only a lingering afterglow to light the land. Some unknown creature let out a sorrowful cry in the woods, and on the hillside, a handful of mourners wept.

“Mother…” Yue Qi cradled his mother’s head, rubbing his cheek against her hair. There was still a trace of warmth, fading steadily into chill.

“Mother! I swear to you, I will avenge you. If gods stand in my way, I’ll slay them; if immortals block me, I’ll cut them down!” The vow was spoken softly in his mother’s ear, but the steely resolve and chill in his tone sent shivers through everyone present.

To lose both parents in just a few days—even in the apocalypse, who could bear such grief? And Yue Qi, since descending the mountain, had not even exchanged a word with his mother, had not shared a single moment of family warmth. Now, they were forever separated.

He dug a simple grave, quickly buried his mother, and managed to find a smooth stone for a tombstone. With his sharp sword, he carved the epitaph himself.

“Mother, rest in peace. I will protect everyone. Unless I die, I will not let any harm befall them…” Yue Qi knelt before the grave, his eyes swollen and red, yet still spoke with a hoarse, unwavering voice.

“Qi, let’s return to the village…” Yue Er patted Yue Qi’s shoulder, then cast a long look at the grave, as if bidding their mother a final farewell.

“Seventh Brother, Seventh Brother! Come quick! My father can’t hold on much longer!” Suddenly, a cry for help rose from the group—it was Yue Liang’s voice, desperate and urgent.