This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

The site of the Chu King's tomb in the eastern suburbs.

When Shane arrived, the situation was already out of control.

Hundreds of zombies crawled out of the cracks in the ground and stood densely packed on that wasteland.

Some of them had rotted away to the point of being just skeletons, while others still retained their original appearance at the time of burial, with their burial clothes intact and their faces clearly visible.

They are all facing the same direction.

Urban area.

It looked like they were waiting for some command.

Chen Guodong, with dozens of police officers, stood guard behind the defensive line, his face ashen.

He has already requested support from the People's Armed Police, but it will take at least another half hour for them to arrive.

During that half hour, these zombies could rush into the residential area at any time.

"Master Xia!"

When Chen Guodong saw Xia En, it was like seeing a savior. "You've finally come!"

Xia En didn't say anything, walked to the front of the defensive line, and looked at the zombies.

There were hundreds, more than he had encountered at the cemetery last time.

But they didn't move; they just stood there, as if waiting for something.

Then he saw it.

Deep within the horde of zombies, there was a gigantic figure.

It's even bigger than the last zombie king.

It is at least three meters tall, covered in black scales, and has two curved horns on its head.

Its eyes were blood red, like two lanterns, gleaming in the darkness.

It held a huge bone knife in its hand, the blade of which was engraved with blood-red runes.

"That is..." Fang Zijian's voice trembled.

"The new Zombie King."

Shen Ye's voice was cold. "There's more than one Chu king beneath the Chu king's tomb. This one is much older—at least a thousand years old."

Shane flexed his wrists.

"A thousand years? Older than the last one."

The enormous zombie king looked at Xia En, a hint of mockery flashing in its blood-red eyes.

It spoke, its voice low and hoarse, like an echo coming from the earth.

"Are you the Taoist priest who killed my descendants?"

"Descendants?"

Xia En thought for a moment, "You mean the one wearing the crown last time? Yes, the one I killed."

The zombie king's mouth slowly opened into a wide grin, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Very well. I was just looking for you. You killed my descendants, so I'll kill you. A life for a life."

Xia En smiled.

"What do you have to offer in return? You're just a zombie king, what do you have to offer?"

The Zombie King's eyes changed.

"This humble Taoist is a Celestial Master who cultivates both material and magical methods."

Xia En took a step forward. "Lightning magic, talismans, physical techniques—you're proficient in everything. What makes you think you, a thousand-year-old dried corpse, can fight me?"

The Zombie King let out a low growl and raised the bone knife in his hand.

"With this sword! This sword has killed three thousand people and drunk the blood of three thousand. Your blood will be the three thousand and first."

It suddenly swung its bone knife, and a black blade of energy shot straight towards Xia En's face.

Wherever the blade's energy passed, the ground cracked, the air distorted, and even light was swallowed up.

Xia En did not dodge. He raised his right hand, his five fingers spread.

"Palm Thunder".

"boom--!!!"

A bolt of lightning erupted from his palm, colliding with the black blade energy.

Lightning and blade energy exploded in the air, and shockwaves spread in all directions, shaking the surrounding zombies to their knees.

The ground was blasted into a crater ten meters in diameter, with debris flying everywhere and dust billowing up.

Xia En stood still, motionless.

His right hand was slightly numb, but that was all.

A hint of surprise flashed in the Zombie King's blood-red eyes.

"You...your thunder magic..."

"Is it better than the last one?"

Xia En laughed. "Yes. Because the last one was a zombie king, and you are an even older zombie king. So I have to use a stronger lightning spell."

He raised his hands, his fingers spread wide.

Lightning flashed in his palm, and golden arcs of electricity danced at his fingertips.

"Five thunder rectification."

A muffled clap of thunder suddenly echoed in the sky.

Then, five enormous bolts of lightning struck down from the sky.

Not one after another, but simultaneously, five bolts of lightning. The article, "This Celestial Master Cultivates Both Material and Magical Arts, Why Did You Provoke Him?" is full of classic quotes; come find resonance. Five colors:

Gold, cyan, blue, red, yellow.

They intertwined, forming a massive web of lightning that enveloped the horde of zombies.

The Zombie King looked up at the lightning net, and fear appeared in his blood-red eyes for the first time.

"No--!"

"fall."

Five bolts of lightning struck simultaneously.

Golden lightning struck the Zombie King, while cyan lightning struck the zombies around it.

Blue lightning struck the cracks in the ground, while red lightning struck the distant wasteland.

Yellow lightning crashed across the sky, transforming into countless tiny arcs of electricity that scattered across every corner.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening explosion.

The entire wasteland was illuminated by lightning as if it were daytime.

The zombies were struck by lightning; some turned into black water, some into powder, and some evaporated directly into nothingness.

The Zombie King was struck by golden lightning, its black scales shattered, blood and flesh splattered, and its bones were crushed.

It let out a scream, fell to its knees, and the bone knife slipped from its hand and stuck in the ground.

The lightning dissipated.

On the wasteland, hundreds of zombies had all vanished, leaving only a scorched earth and a series of smoking pits.

The Zombie King knelt in the center of the ruins, his body covered in wounds, black blood gushing from them and flowing all over the ground.

It raised its head and looked at Xia En, its blood-red eyes filled with resentment and anger.

The Zombie King opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But Shane didn't give it a chance.

He raised his right hand and made a fist.

Lightning flashed and golden light flowed across the surface of the fist.

"This punch is called 'Overwhelming Force.' It will send you to meet your descendants."

He threw a punch.

"boom--!!!"

A golden beam of light pierced through the Zombie King's chest, blasting a hole the size of a washbasin from his chest to his back.

The black blood evaporated, the bones were shattered, and the body began to emerge from the hole.

It shattered inch by inch, turning into black powder, which was scattered by the force of the punch.

"No--!!!"

A final scream echoed across the wasteland, then all was silent.

Xia En withdrew his fist and looked down at his hand.

There was a bit of black powder on his fist, which he wiped off with his thumb and put his hand in his pocket.

He turned around and walked back behind the defensive line.

Chen Guodong stood there, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

Fang Zijian held the phone, his hand trembling, but he held it very steadily.

Liu Ruyan covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

Shen Ye held the porcelain jar, his silvery-white eyes filled with shock.

Cuihua floated down from the roof beam.

No, she has no roof beams to float on anymore.

She floated in mid-air, trembling all over, not from fear, but from excitement.

"Done." Xia En dusted himself off. "That's a wrap."

Chen Guodong finally closed his mouth, his voice hoarse.

"You...you just used that...Five Thunder Orthodox Technique..."

"Um."

"What is that?"

"The highest level of thunder magic from the Celestial Master's Mansion."

Xia En pulled a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. "You need to be ordained before you can use it. I didn't know how before, I only learned after ordaining."

Chen Guodong fell silent.

He looked at Xia En and suddenly realized that this person always brought him new surprises every time they met.

Last time it was a single punch that shattered the Zombie King; this time it was the Five Thunderbolts that wiped out hundreds of zombies. What will be next?

To poke a hole in the sky?

"Let's go."

Xia En turned around. "Go back to sleep. I have things to do tomorrow."

Fang Zijian caught up. "What's up tomorrow?"

"Go collect the money tomorrow. Captain Chen, remember to apply for the funds this time."

Seeing this, Chen Guodong helplessly replied, "Okay."