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

Wu You sped forward, arriving at the designated location from the stadium in less than ten minutes.

His black trench coat fluttered in the wind, and when he stopped, there was no dust kicked up, and he made very little noise.

In the square, about a hundred torchbearers dressed in black trench coats had already formed a neat line.

No one spoke, no one whispered, everyone was waiting for him to arrive.

Wu You's gaze swept quickly from the front to the back of the line, taking in every face.

Of the group of people in front of me, 60% were torchbearer candidates without badges on their chests, and 40% were torchbearers with bronze badges and small bronze torches.

He looked away, said nothing, and took out his headset from his trench coat pocket and put it on.

At the same time the mission was issued by the bureau, all combat team members in Operation Zone 4 were pulled into a dedicated wireless communication channel.

Although cell phones have no signal now, the Bureau of Investigation's internal wireless communication is still working.

The channel was quiet at that moment, and everyone was waiting for him to speak.

"I am Wu You." His voice was not loud, but it was clear and steady as it reached everyone's ears through the headset. "I am the leader of the combat team in the fourth combat zone for this mission to exterminate evil."

He paused.

"Next, those who have already arrived at the assembly point should remain silent. Those who have not yet arrived should report their numbers on the radio channel, along with the estimated arrival time."

There was a moment of silence in the headset, then people started talking.

"1! Three minutes!"

"2! Two minutes!"

"3! Five minutes!"

……

"11! Five minutes!"

There are still eleven people who haven't arrived.

We will arrive in one minute at the earliest, and five minutes at the latest.

Wu You nodded slightly, understanding the situation: the members of the fourth combat zone were basically torchbearers who operated in the nearby area, so they were all assigned to this combat zone and arrived relatively quickly.

Five minutes later, everyone had arrived.

The queue in the square was denser than before, with more than a hundred people in black trench coats standing in neat rows. No one was whispering or looking around; all eyes were on Wu You, like more than a hundred unsheathed knives.

Wu You wasted no time and immediately began issuing battle plans.

"Our combat team has two main tasks for this mission to exterminate evil: to eliminate all the zombie species that have appeared in the fourth combat zone and to destroy those black pillars of light."

The instructions on how to destroy the ritual nodes, which were the black beams of light, had already been sent to his phone. He hadn't had time to look at them while he was on his way, but he quickly glanced through them while waiting for the last group to arrive.

The method to destroy the ritual node is simple—just destroy the integrity of the six-pointed star pattern at the bottom of the light pillar. Any method will do; the six-pointed star pattern is very fragile, and even an attack from a first-tier ability user can destroy it.

However, the notice also clearly stated that there would definitely be a high-ranking corpse guarding the vicinity of each ritual node.

Wu You raised his head and glanced at the line.

"Those who have reached the fourth rank, step to the front."

As soon as the words were spoken, nine people stepped out from the group, each with a small bronze torch hanging on their chest. Their steps were steady and their breathing calm.

Nine people stood in a row, no one spoke, they just quietly watched Wu You.

"Okay." Wu You nodded. "You nine will be the captains, forming teams one through nine."

He paused.

"Those whose strength has reached the third rank, take one step forward."

About thirty people stepped forward from the line. Their badges were also bronze.

"Okay, from left to right, form groups of three and stand behind each team leader."

. . .

The ranks moved like flowing water, and before long, the nine combat squads were neatly lined up in the square.

Each team consists of a fourth-level torchbearer as the team leader, three to four third-level team members, and six to seven torchbearer candidates.

Wu You glanced at the map on his phone and quickly went through the regional divisions of the fourth combat zone in his mind.

"Team One is responsible for clearing the corpses in Sector D-1." He looked up, his gaze sweeping over each team. "Teams Two and Three are responsible for Sector D-2, Team Four for Sector D-3..."

He paused for a moment to make sure nothing was missed.

"Mission assigned. Each team, proceed to your assigned area immediately. If any zombies are found, eliminate them immediately!"

Just then, a squad leader raised his hand and said, "Lord You, we've all gone to take charge of the corpse-clearing mission, what about the mission to destroy the ritual nodes?"

Wu You glanced at him, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I will be solely responsible for the sabotage mission."

The entire square fell silent for a moment.

There are three black beams of light, or three nodes, within the entire combat zone four.

If the corpses guarding them are not strong, it would only take Wu You a few sword strikes to destroy these three nodes in a short time.

If even he finds the corpses guarding them troublesome, then anyone else going there would just be throwing their lives away.

However, he still believed in the bureau's arrangements; if a high-level zombie species really appeared, Hu Lie and his team would not ignore it.

However, the notice from the bureau also clearly stated that there would be high-ranking zombies guarding the vicinity of the node. Even if they were not truly high-ranking zombies of the seventh rank or above, they were very likely to be of the fourth rank or above.

Of course, besides not wanting them to go to their deaths, Wu You also had some selfish motives.

Although the Dark Domain Sky Curtain is pressing down on the city and the situation looks terrifying, in reality, there has not yet been a large-scale appearance of corpses in the Lanhe city area.

Therefore, Wu You thought that instead of running around to clear out some scattered low-level corpses, it would be better to go directly to the ritual nodes where higher-level corpses exist, which would be more efficient in gaining experience points.

"Just you alone?" The squad leader's eyes widened. "How can this be—"

Before he could finish speaking, Wu You raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Alright, that's an order." Wu You's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force. "Let's get started."

The squad leader opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just nodded vigorously.

"yes!"

The nine combat squads quickly dispersed, each heading towards their assigned areas.

Wu You turned to look at the nearest black beam of light—in the D-3 area, about two kilometers away.

whoosh-

His figure disappeared from the spot.

-

A moment later, Wu You stood on the roof of a residential building.

The wind blew from all directions, making the hem of his trench coat flutter. He looked up at the towering black pillar of light.

The beam of light was incredibly thick, piercing straight into the sky from the ground, with black mist constantly churning on its surface, as if it were breathing with life.

Then he looked down at the bottom of the beam of light.

It was a complex six-pointed star pattern carved on the ground, with crooked lines, like some kind of ancient talisman. Each point of the six-pointed star was also emitting a faint black light, which was connected to the pillar of light.

Around the six-pointed star, several corpses were circling the pillar of light, moving with twisted steps.

Wu You frowned.

Only a few Tier 1 Thousand-Faced Corpse Species are guarding the node?

Not right.

He stepped forward. The coolness within his body fluctuated slightly—not violently, but clearly. Wu You knew what it was, and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The four-colored crystal longsword was drawn.

A single sword sweeps across.

The grayish-white sword light, like a crescent moon, flew out close to the ground, passing over the twisted figures. Wherever the sword light passed, the corpses' bodies were sliced ​​open like paper and fell to the ground.

But their remains did not disappear; the next moment...

Several streams of black energy suddenly surged out from the remains, moving as fast as arrows released from a bow, and shot towards Wu You from different directions.

The thick, black mist twisted in the air like several venomous snakes opening their mouths.

Sneak attack!

Wu You did not panic.

His sword was faster than the black mist.

A dazzling sword light exploded on the rooftop—red, orange, blue, and green mixed with gray and white, the multicolored sword light intertwined to form an impenetrable net.

The moment those black wisps hit the net, they were instantly severed without making a sound.

At the same time, the few Lustful Corpse Species parasitizing the bodies of the first-tier Thousand-Faced Corpse Species were also exposed by this sword.

Their bodies were also split in two by the dazzling sword light, and they turned into black smoke and disappeared without even struggling.

Experience points +4000!

Four fourth-tier lustful corpses.

A total of four thousand experience points were provided.

Wu You, who hadn't gained any Warmth Experience Points in a long time, was also moved when he saw this number.

He took a deep breath, glanced at the six-pointed star pattern at his feet, raised his sword, and casually swung it.

The sword light landed on the ground, and the complex six-pointed star split in the middle. The towering black pillar of light on it also shook violently for a moment, and then collapsed like shattered glass, turning into countless tiny black fragments that dissipated into the air.

First node, destroy.

Without hesitation, Wu You opened the Sword Manual panel and his gaze fell on the line of Phantom Flowing Cloud Sword Technique.

Phantom Cloud Sword Technique (Mastery) (2810/3000)

It's 190 points away from being perfect.

A thought arose.

Allocable experience points: 4000 → 3810

Phantom Cloud Sword Technique (Mastery) (2810/3000) → Phantom Cloud Sword Technique (Perfect)

Rank: 5 → 6

In that instant, Wu You felt as if he was being lifted up by something.

It's not a physical lift, but a deeper, more fundamental change.

The unique power within his body, as clear as the wind and as light as the clouds, surged, expanded, and sublimated wildly as if it had been ignited.

They surge through the veins, take root in the bones, and grow in every cell.

At the same time, countless insights into swordsmanship flooded his mind. Every move, every variation, and every technique of the Phantom Flowing Cloud Sword Technique became perfect and flawless at this moment.

The nine afterimages of the Nine Shadow Steps are no longer just afterimages; they have a more realistic presence. The transition between reality and illusion in Shadow Slash is no longer flawless, and the switching between the real body and the afterimages is smooth and seamless.

Then, a new feature appeared on the Sword Codex panel.

Phantom Cloud Sword Technique (Perfect) (Flowing Clouds and Shadows)!

The effect of the drifting clouds and shadows is simple: it makes you feel like you're stepping into thin air!

Wu You was stunned.

He tried to circulate the power within his body, and suddenly his feet felt light, and he lifted off the ground.

Instead of leaping off the ground, you step onto unseen steps, climbing up steadily, each step firm as if there were something solid beneath your feet.

He took a few steps, stood a few meters off the ground, and looked down at his feet.

Walking on air.

After Wu You unlocked the Silver Emblem Torchbearer's privileges, he also read some information about high-level powerhouses. Apart from a very few special abilities, ability users could only achieve the ability to stand independently and walk on air after reaching the eighth level. It can be said that walking on air is almost a hallmark of an eighth-level powerhouse.

Wu You's current strength is at most equivalent to a sixth-tier ability user, but he already has the ability to step through the air of an eighth-tier powerhouse!

Wu You slowly landed back on the ground, his feelings complicated. This feature, though simple, was very practical and powerful.

However, he didn't have time to think about it now; there were still two nodes to destroy and more zombie species to clear out.

He glanced at the remaining experience points available for allocation—three thousand eight hundred and ten.

Then his gaze fell on the line of the Seven Luminaries Swords of the Star Pivot.