Chapter 81: Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment

Centered around Yue Qi, a sudden and overwhelming sense of pressure arose. His eyes closed gently, as if he had not the slightest concern that the zombies before him might lunge at him.

The zombies themselves clearly sensed this oppressive force, halting abruptly and retreating a few steps. They stared at Yue Qi in confusion, as if fearful he might unleash another spell as powerful as the last.

Of course, Yue Qi had no intention of casting another spell at this moment. If the zombies had attacked him then, he believed he would already have been shredded to pieces. He felt a touch of gratitude that these were mutant zombies; had they been ordinary ones, those witless, savage creatures would surely have rushed him without hesitation.

Indeed, Yue Qi had just broken through, shattering the barrier that had kept him at the early stage of Foundation Establishment and finally advancing to the middle stage. It was not a matter of spiritual power, but temperament. Moments ago, his mind had cleared, and he felt the shackles break. Seizing this opportunity, his spiritual strength recovered dramatically, even surpassing its previous peak.

It was precisely this surge of spiritual power that kept the mutant zombies from charging. Yue Qi exhaled in relief; the advancement was complete. To allow his spiritual power to stabilize, he remained in his trance, but he could sense the situation outside. Should any threat arise, he would awaken instantly to confront it.

But the zombies could not restrain themselves any longer. Though their intelligence had improved, it was only marginal. The blood that Yue Qi had sprayed earlier had stirred their deepest cravings, and after holding back for so long, they reached their limit. All seven zombies rushed toward him in unison.

Yue Qi could not help but smile wryly. His spiritual power had already registered their movements, and he harbored no hope that they would spare him—such as if he sat here for a day, the zombies would flee out of fear of his spell. That was simply not realistic.

He opened his eyes and sprang up. Both his spiritual and mental power had been restored, giving him a measure of confidence—not as hopeless as he had felt at the start.

He immediately cast the Thunder Command, striking at the zombies in the front. Though the situation was perilous, facing seven zombies, Yue Qi was not so foolish as to sit and wait for death.

The leading zombies managed to dodge his thunderballs, but those behind, their vision blocked, were struck. Yet the Thunder Command’s damage was not so severe as to seriously injure these mutant zombies, and after withstanding two spells, all the zombies pressed forward.

Now at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, Yue Qi’s speed had improved noticeably, and this slight increase made him agile among the horde.

The mutant zombies were highly intelligent, knowing that if they could surround the human before them, the battle would soon be won.

But Yue Qi would not let them succeed so easily. The sword in his hand was no ordinary weapon; whenever a zombie tried to approach, he would swiftly slash, sending out a streak of energy. While it might not cause much harm, the mutant zombies were unwilling to take it head-on.

All seven zombies joined the fray, the fight growing increasingly intense. Yue Qi’s movements remained fluid, but his stamina lagged behind that of the zombies. The undead felt no fatigue; if they managed to grab him, they would attack with wild abandon, forcing Yue Qi into moments of desperate defense.

“This won’t work…” He could not lock onto the zombies with his spiritual power, and in such a spacious area, even multiple second-tier spells were useless.

“Wait—yes!” Suddenly delighted, Yue Qi drew from his Mustard Seed Bracelet a rope-like object. Only today, having seen Xin Zi use the Golden Serpent Silk, had he remembered it.

This rope was the Dragon Binding Cord formerly held by Xiao Ke.

Yue Qi had never used it before, but he recalled seeing that man with Xiao Ke bind zombies with it, and they could not break free. Clearly, the cord was exceptionally tough.

He probed the cord with his spiritual power, and immediately the previously dull Dragon Binding Cord burst forth with a bright green light.

“A fine thing!” Yue Qi understood its function at once. He poured all his spiritual power into it, yet the cord showed no sign of reaching its limit.

“Go!” he whispered, and the cord shot toward two zombies. Its length was fixed, but Yue Qi sensed that to extend it further would require substantial spiritual power—something beyond his current capabilities.

Unfamiliar with its use, the cord was quickly knocked to the ground by several zombies. Yet it was clear these “inexperienced” zombies were curious about it; two of them even abandoned their attack and knelt to examine the cord.

“Perfect chance…” Yue Qi rejoiced, directing the cord to bind them. The poor mutant zombies barely had time to react before they were tightly trussed, unable to break free no matter how they struggled.

With two zombies neutralized, Yue Qi felt considerably relieved. Despite their individual strength, the seven zombies coordinated well, exhibiting a basic level of teamwork. In peaceful times, they would have been a new version of the “Seven Heroes of Jiangnan.”

With pressure reduced, Yue Qi moved even faster. The remaining five zombies lunged at him; he waved his sword, forcing two back, while the other three failed even to touch his garments as he dodged skillfully.

“Wait—something’s wrong!” Yue Qi noticed his spiritual power was draining, slowly but steadily, and would soon be depleted.

“Is it because of the Dragon Binding Cord?” He glanced at the cord binding the two zombies; its green light remained, clearly still drawing power.

“This can’t go on; if my spiritual power runs out, I’ll be in greater danger…” Yue Qi realized he had made a foolish move, but to retrieve the cord now would put him at even greater risk.

At that moment, the Wind Command on his legs dissipated; his speed dropped abruptly, allowing two zombies to seize the opportunity—he barely escaped their grasp. Quickly, he cast two more Wind Commands to stabilize himself.

“If only I had a few second-tier scrolls…” Yue Qi sighed. Bai Lian had some, but not many, and he had distributed them freely, now regretting it.

With second-tier scrolls, Yue Qi believed he could kite the zombies to death, or at least scare them off. When he had met Yue Wu, the latter fled alone for fear of Yue Qi’s spells. If his power could instill the same fear in these seven zombies, they would surely retreat as well.

His spiritual power was draining faster and faster; Yue Qi took out a medium-grade spirit stone. Yet his stamina was depleting even more rapidly; despite the boost from spells, he felt exhausted.

Retreating as he fought, he finally retrieved the Dragon Binding Cord. Distance weakened his connection, rendering the cord ineffective.

“Has Ah Qi not arrived yet?” On the hillside, Yue Yunsheng settled Yu Qi and approached Bai Lian, who had been gazing anxiously toward the camp for some time. Everyone could see the worry in her eyes.

“Not yet…” Bai Lian shook her head, her anxiety growing more apparent.

“I’ll go look for him. You take Xin Zi and Yu Qi and move ahead. If I find Ah Qi, I’ll catch up with you…” Yunsheng glanced at Yu Qi, then spoke quietly to Bai Lian.

Bai Lian said nothing, only shook her head. She did not want her husband’s friend to risk his life; if anything happened, even if Yue Qi returned, he would blame her.

She ignored Yunsheng and walked to Xin Zi.

“Do you still have that item from earlier?” Bai Lian asked bluntly.

“Yes!” Xin Zi replied without hesitation. “But it can’t be used unless things are dire, and to protect everyone’s lives, I can’t give it to you to save him…”

Xin Zi was not lying, nor was he being selfish. He knew when and how to act; using a fire pill to save a man who might already be dead was not worth it.

Bai Lian nodded and suddenly produced a scroll from her sleeve. “I’ll trade this for it.”

“A second-tier scroll? No!” Xin Zi didn’t even look—it was the best Bai Lian could offer, he assumed.

But her next words stunned him.

“This is a third-tier scroll!”

Her voice was soft but unwavering. “I want to trade for two of those items. This scroll should be enough.”

Was it enough? Of course! Xin Zi had rarely seen a third-tier scroll; its power far exceeded two fire pills. But scrolls required casting time, making them less convenient than fire pills. It was no wonder Bai Lian wanted to make the exchange.

“Sigh…” Xin Zi sighed, feeling a pang of sadness. He looked deeply at Bai Lian and said, “Fine, I’ll go with you. I don’t need the scroll. But let me be clear—if anything happens to Brother Yue, I won’t use the fire pill for revenge.”

Bai Lian nodded, grateful for his offer. Their acquaintance was brief, but she was deeply thankful for his willingness.

But at that moment, Yue Qi was in grave danger.