The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

The black-dressed, long-haired corpse also saw the blue fire lotus.

It remained expressionless. Its pale, almost transparent face showed no emotion, like a stagnant pool. Only its pure black eyes shifted slightly, landing on the fire lotus before looking away and returning to Wu You beside it.

Wang Qi, on the other hand, had his brows furrowed.

It's impossible to tell its depth at all.

With his fifth-tier strength, he should have been able to roughly sense the energy level of a sixth-tier opponent.

But this black-dressed corpse stood there like a cold stone, like an empty shell without life. If it weren't for those pure black eyes, he might have thought it was just a statue.

At the same time, a question arose in my mind—why didn't these corpses pull them into the Dark Domain?

The Dark Domain is clearly their home turf. Within it, the Corpse Species' regenerative abilities are greatly enhanced, increasing their combat power by at least 30%. Why would they give up this advantage?

But I don't have time to think about that now.

"Flame Falls from the Sky!"

Wang Qi pressed his hands down sharply.

A massive blue musket descended from the sky, its flames a blinding, almost white blue, trailing a long, fiery tail like a falling star. The musket was over two meters in diameter, and the surrounding space within several meters was distorted by the intense heat, the air emitting a piercing hissing sound.

This strike illuminated the night sky for several kilometers around.

The black-dressed zombie stopped and looked up.

The blue light fell into its pure black eyes, reflecting two tiny points of light. It looked at the musket falling from the sky, its expression unchanged—no fear, no surprise, not even a hint of flinching.

Boom—!

The muskets completely enveloped the black-dressed zombie.

The deafening roar shook the surrounding buildings. The ground cracked open, sending debris flying and dust billowing into the sky. The shockwave, carrying scorching heat, spread outwards, overturning trash cans in the distance and instantly charring the leaves and branches of nearby roadside trees.

At this point, Wu You had reached his limit.

He was kneeling on the ground, his right hand supporting his sword. His mouth and nose were covered in bright red blood, and blood was still seeping from the penetrating wound in his chest. With his left lung pierced, every breath was filled with blood foam. His consciousness was teetering, and everything in his vision was spinning and blurring, as if he were looking through a layer of frosted glass.

But he didn't fall.

He braced himself against the sword, gritting his teeth, to keep from falling.

Seeing the black-dressed zombie hit by the musket, Wang Qi didn't hesitate and flashed to Wu You's side. He placed his hand on Wu You's shoulder, and blue flames surged from his palm—but this time it wasn't high temperature, it was extreme cold.

The temperature of the flames suddenly reversed, turning from scorching hot to icy cold, emitting a chilling aura.

"Your injuries are severe." Wang Qi's voice was urgent yet steady. "Bear with it, I need to freeze you first."

Wu You's consciousness was already blurred. He nodded with difficulty, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but only a mouthful of bloody foam came out of his throat.

Blue ice flames spread across Wu You's body. From his shoulders to his chest, from his chest to his waist and abdomen, and to his limbs—a thin layer of blue ice covered his entire body. The ice layer was not thick, but it was bone-chillingly cold. Wu You could feel his body temperature dropping rapidly, his heartbeat slowing down, and the pain in his wounds fading.

The injury has been contained.

Wang Qi carried Wu You on his back and leaned him against a broken wall in the distance. After confirming that there were no other threats around, he pressed the earpiece.

"A suspected Tier 6 corpse has appeared at D-8-7! It appeared directly in the real world, and there are no dark domain fluctuations on it!" His voice was urgent, and he spoke rapidly. "LH-12 requests backup!"

"receive!!!"

A short reply came through the headset.

The smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

The spot where the musket hit revealed a crater several meters deep. The soil at the bottom of the crater was burned into a glassy crystal, gleaming with a dark red light under the streetlights. Countless cracks appeared on the surrounding ground, spreading outwards like a spider web.

Bottom of the pit.

The black-clad zombie stood there.

Her long black dress was perfectly intact, not even a speck of dust on the hem. Her long hair was still neatly draped over her shoulders, and her skin remained as fair and translucent as ever.

It didn't even move.

Wang Qi's pupils suddenly contracted.

"It's truly Rank 6... and it doesn't seem to be an ordinary corpse species!"

He stared at the figure, his mind racing through the information on high-level corpse species on the investigation platform. Thousand-Faced Corpse Clan, Lustful Corpse Clan, Myriad Beast Corpse Clan, Sinful Dragon Corpse Clan... But no other sixth-tier corpse species could move freely in the real world like this, without any restrictions, and perfectly conceal its energy fluctuations.

unless--

He suddenly remembered a word.

royal family.

At the very top of every zombie race, the most powerful ancestral bloodline. They possess unique innate abilities, are not bound by the rules of the real world, and can move freely in the real world. Their strength far surpasses that of their peers, and their intelligence is no less than that of humans. Each one is a top predator among zombie species.

"Royal family!"

He shouted rapidly into his headset, "A sixth-tier royal corpse has appeared at D-8-7!"

A gasp came from the other end of the headset, followed by a flurry of footsteps.

After a brief silence, another voice, cold yet anxious, came through the earpiece: "Hold Xiaoqi off! I'm coming right away!"

If Wu You were still awake, he would definitely be able to recognize the owner of that voice.

Ye Yi.

Deputy Director of the Lanhe City Anomaly Investigation Bureau.

Wang Qi gritted his teeth: "Yes!"

He stared intently at the figure in the black dress.

The black-dressed zombie moved.

It took a step forward.

It was just a single step, as light as a stroll. But Wang Qi could feel an invisible pressure emanating from that slender body, pressing down like a mountain.

"A Cold Prison Within a Square Inch!"

Wang Qi crossed his hands and flicked his fingers, sending out streaks of blue, cold flames that intertwined and coalesced in the air to form a square cage that enveloped the black-clad corpse.

Each side of the cage was woven from countless fine flame threads, so blue it was almost white, and it exuded a chilling aura.

Then came the chains.

Blue flame chains extended from the inner wall of the cage, coiling around the wrists, ankles, and waist of the black-skirted corpse like living snakes.

The chains tightened, and the cold seeped in, attempting to freeze every inch of energy within that body.

The black-dressed zombie lowered its head and glanced at the chains binding it.

Then a wisp of black mist rose slightly from its body.

The black mist was very faint, almost invisible. But the moment this wisp of black mist touched the chains—

Click. Click. Click.

The chains broke.

The cage shattered.

The restraints woven from fifth-order cold flames shattered like brittle glass, turning into specks of blue sparks that dissipated in the night wind.

From beginning to end, it takes no more than a second.

Wang Qi's pupils trembled violently.

The gap is too big.

He instinctively took a half step back, but immediately regained his balance.

We cannot retreat. If we retreat, Wu You will die, and everyone in this area will die.

The black-clad zombie continued walking towards him.

Wang Qi took a deep breath and raised his hands again.

Can't keep it any longer.

He closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again.

"The two elements will be consumed by fire!"

This is his strongest move, and also the one that consumes the most energy.

By fusing two completely opposite flames, one extremely cold and the other extremely hot, a hybrid state is created that is unprecedented.

His left hand was extremely cold, while his right hand was extremely hot. The two forces converged, collided, tore at each other, and finally—fused together.

A blue flame, a mixture of extreme cold and intense heat, shot out from his palm.

The flames weren't thick, only about the thickness of an arm, but their state was extremely bizarre—the distortions caused by extreme cold and high temperature flickered alternately within the flames, sometimes icy cold and sometimes scorching hot.

Wherever it passed, the air first froze into frost, then instantly vaporized by the high temperature, emitting a piercing cracking sound.

This move exhausted most of his energy.

The black-dressed zombie finally stopped.

It looked at the incoming flame and tilted its head.

Then it raised its hand.

That fair and slender hand gently grasped it.

The intertwined flames exploded in its palm, turning into countless tiny sparks that scattered like fireworks. The firelight reflected in its pure black eyes, flickering like two lifeless stars.

Wang Qi stood there, panting heavily, his heart sinking.

The energy is almost depleted.

He glanced in Wu You's direction; the frozen boy was still leaning against the wall, motionless.

Even the Two Elements Burning technique was useless, so how much longer can I hold out?

One minute? Two minutes?

The black-dressed zombie, still unharmed, lowered her hand and continued walking towards him. Her pace remained unhurried, as if she were taking a stroll.

Just then—

A golden streak of light flew in from afar.

The light was incredibly fast, as fast as lightning, streaking across the night sky and falling straight towards us. Wherever the light passed, even the air was torn apart, leaving a trail that lingered for a long time.

The black-dressed zombie stopped and looked up.

The golden streak of light grew larger and brighter in its vision—

. . . . . .

The New Calendar, The Chronicles of the Sword Ancestor, Chapter Six: The Beginning of Calamity

After entering the public service, the Sword Ancestor began to learn about killing and warfare. His swordsmanship was rudimentary, and his talent was beginning to show. However, he was also starting to become arrogant. Once, he was ordered by the Bureau to go out and exterminate evil spirits. On the way, he encountered a thousand-faced corpses. These corpses were of royal lineage, endowed with qualities different from ordinary corpses. Their cultivation was unfathomable, and their power was overwhelming. They were far superior to the evil spirits he had previously slain.

When Shi Zu had just mastered his swordsmanship, relying on his newfound abilities, he fought with all his might, employing all his skills. However, the power of the Thousand-Faced Corpse of the Royal Clan was overwhelmingly different. Shi Zu tried every possible way to defend himself, but he was clumsy in both advancing and retreating, helpless and without any chance to retaliate. He was trapped in a desperate situation and was in imminent danger.

Just when all hope seemed lost, his colleagues from the same bureau rushed to his aid, fighting valiantly to stop the royal corpse demon and break its killing momentum, thus saving his ancestor from certain death. After this battle, his ancestor deeply reflected on himself and realized the formidable power of the otherworldly corpse demon, the shallowness of his own cultivation, and that his past minor achievements were utterly unreliable.

He then purified his mind and tempered his nature, rid himself of arrogance and impetuosity, abandoned all worldly thoughts, and devoted himself to the way of the sword. He honed his skills day and night, without ceasing in the cold or heat, thoroughly investigated the principles of the sword, and practiced diligently without slacking off. His swordsmanship became more and more profound, and his foundation became increasingly solid.

Then came the great upheaval in Lanhe, with corpses and evil spirits rising everywhere, plunging the world into chaos. Amidst the chaos, Zu encountered the Thousand-Faced Corpse Demon of the former royal family once again. By then, Zu's swordsmanship had been perfected, and his cultivation had surpassed his former weakness. He drew his sword to fight, displaying his divine swordsmanship to the fullest, battling fiercely against the evil spirits, and finally slaying this royal corpse demon, avenging his previous defeat.

The treatise states: Pride is an obstacle to progress on the path, while humility is the foundation for enlightenment. The Sword Ancestor, newly forged, encountered a powerful foe and narrowly escaped death. This was not a humiliation, but rather a divinely bestowed opportunity for refinement. Without that defeat, he would not have had the will to diligently cultivate; without dedicated effort, he would not have possessed the might to slay the corpse at Lanhe. Undeterred by the setback, he remained steadfast and then rose again—this is why he became the supreme Sword Ancestor.