The Royal Zombie Captured

"Both of you, get ready however you think best. I'll have no problem carrying him," Yang Xuan said confidently. Although the zombie and Yang Xuan had fought to a standstill, Yang Xuan still hadn't used his full strength.

The power of qi and blood.

The power of Hua Jin.

The power of Daoist magic.

All his energy activated at once. Yang Xuan's 174-centimeter frame shot up to 180 centimeters, instantly becoming tall and imposing, with muscles bulging across his body.

As for Four Eyes, no one knew where he had found the ritual flags. They had already been planted among the surrounding trees. They looked disorderly, but actually concealed the momentum of the Heavenly Stems and Northern Dipper.

Yang Xuan's blood qi surged wildly throughout his body. Wielding Black Flame, he struck horizontally and battered vertically. "Damn, why is this zombie so hard? If I don't use the ax blade, I can't hurt it at all. But I can't cut it right now. If I damage it, what's the point of controlling it?"

Yi Xiu was still setting things up, moving somewhat more slowly. Around the ritual flags, he gradually smeared the golden paint he used for reciting Buddhist scriptures day and night onto the tree trunks, writing in Sanskrit.

"Are you two done yet? My hands are numb. This zombie is so hard!" Yang Xuan said through gritted teeth.

Sometimes killing an enemy or injuring one was not difficult. The difficult part was capturing one alive without harming it in the slightest. This was incredibly hard. Yang Xuan now understood that deeply. His hands had gone numb from punching the zombie, and his feet felt sprained from kicking it. In the end, he could only use Black Flame to slam the zombie onto the ground, then pin it down with his entire body. Even so, he could still feel the zombie struggling violently and knew it could throw him off at any moment.

"Martial Uncle, Great Master, if you're not done soon, I won't be able to hold it down!" Yang Xuan said through clenched teeth, the veins on his entire body bulging.

At last, they finished setting everything up. Four Eyes and Yi Xiu exchanged a glance. "A-Xuan, it's ready. Drive the zombie over."

It was finally done. If they had taken any longer, Yang Xuan would have had to keep wrestling with the zombie.

Yang Xuan raised his somewhat painful foot and kicked the zombie hard, trying to send it into the trap. But things did not go as planned. The zombie was even harder to control than he had imagined.

"Martial Uncle, Great Master, move aside a little. I'll throw it over. This thing is as stubborn as a mule."

Yang Xuan slightly drew back his arms, then used the explosive force of Baji Quan to fling the zombie into the trap.

In an instant, the surrounding area blazed with light. The cyan runes of the Northern Dipper Array and the yellow Vajra Demon-Subduing incantations of Buddhism rose into the air together, transforming into the phantom of a great mountain streaked with cyan and yellow. It slowly descended, suppressing the zombie.

"Rumble~~~~"

When the smoke cleared, they found the zombie pinned to the ground, unable to move.

Yang Xuan dispersed the energy empowering him and hurried over to treat Four Eyes and Yi Xiu, who had collapsed on the ground. "Martial Uncle, Great Master, are you all right?"

The two had only suffered minor injuries, but their strength was completely exhausted. "A-Xuan, we're fine. We just need to meditate and circulate our energy for a while. Don't worry about us. Subduing the zombie is the most important thing."

Yang Xuan nodded in agreement. He walked over to the zombie, kicked it hard in the butt, and cursed, "You dared to hit me in the chest just now. You even poked me in the face. Damn it, people say you shouldn't hit someone in the face, but you kept aiming for my face!"

The more Yang Xuan thought about it, the angrier he became. There was nothing he could do—who could blame a zombie for lacking humanity? He lightly bit open his fingertip and, following the upgraded Corpse Control Technique, circulated his energy into it. His blood, which had originally been red, seemed to instantly transform into cyan light as he pressed it against the zombie's forehead.

His magic power slowly seeped into the zombie's body. At the zombie's forehead, his mental power sketched out a control array invisible to the naked eye.

"Do you think A-Xuan can subdue this zombie?" Yi Xiu asked.

"He should have no problem. Mount Mao hasn't had such a talented disciple in a long time. Most importantly, his character is good too," Four Eyes said thoughtfully.

"The process of a disciple becoming a disciple is also the process of the disciple choosing his master. Your senior brother is fortunate to have a disciple like this. Even more remarkable is that he openly taught us National Arts, such an unconventional cultivation system. Truly impressive," Yi Xiu said admiringly.

"Damn it, I'm screwed! System, save me! The energy is fine, but constructing this control array is consuming far too much mental power. I feel like I'm about to be drained dry!" Yang Xuan roared in his mind.

"Host, you can activate the optimization function. After optimization, you will be able to control the zombie perfectly," the system said.

Yang Xuan was speechless. "What's wrong with you? Why didn't you say that earlier? I'm almost dead, and only now you tell me!"

"The system cannot become ill. You didn't ask me either. The system still has many functions that require the host to develop them independently. Some other functions require specific items to be fused before they can be unlocked," the system said blandly.

Yang Xuan had no time to curse the system any further. He silently thought, "Optimize."

Name: Royal Zombie

Realm: Iron Armor Zombie

Traits: Beginner Indestructible Vajra, Beginner Dragon Qi, Beginner Resistance.

"What does this Indestructible Vajra mean? I understand that one. But what are Dragon Qi and Resistance?" Yang Xuan wondered.

"Dragon Qi is a special kind of energy. It is similar to luck, but not entirely the same. You can treat it as a luck value. Beginner Resistance means that the zombie can slightly resist damage from glutinous rice, black dog blood, peachwood swords, and similar items," the system explained.

"I see. Stand up. Turn around. Raise your leg. Hm? Raise your leg!" Yang Xuan ordered as he controlled the zombie.

It seemed he could only control it simply. Moreover, the zombie's body was stiff, so it could not perform many flexible movements. It could only be used as a human shield or for similar purposes. Perhaps things would change after it advanced in the future.

Yang Xuan proudly led the zombie around, feeling somewhat excited. After all, this was his first time controlling a zombie—and it was an exceptional one at that.

"I'll help you and Great Master back. Later, just tell Assistant Minister Wu that the zombie escaped, so the imperial court won't send anyone here," Yang Xuan said to Four Eyes as he waved his hand and stored the zombie in his spatial storage.

"That's the only choice we have. If this zombie were released, it would cause endless trouble," Yi Xiu said.

After the three returned to the room, they told everyone that they had fought the zombie, but it had escaped. Assistant Minister Wu and the Little Prince had witnessed the Royal Zombie's combat strength, so they instinctively believed them.

Because the place was remote, and everyone was either injured or exhausted—even Yang Xuan had suffered severe mental exhaustion—the Little Prince and Assistant Minister Wu temporarily stayed behind to recuperate.

During this period of recuperation, Yang Xuan discovered that the Little Prince had an excellent talent for cultivating National Arts. Moreover, after this incident, the Little Prince had formed the conviction that only by becoming stronger could one avoid being beaten. Fortunately, Assistant Minister Wu had protected him at the cost of his life. Otherwise, the Little Prince would already have been killed by the zombie.

"Master, please have some tea. Your disciple, Yong Yan, kowtows to you," the Little Prince said obediently.

Yang Xuan took a sip of tea. Not bad. This disciple had excellent bones and aptitude, but he did not know what his temperament was like. Although he was a member of the imperial family, he was still young, and his worldview had not yet been established. For such a blank slate, Yang Xuan could properly shape his values.

"Hey, everyone, watch closely too. This is my first time taking a disciple, so watch while I teach him. After all, even if everyone practices the same martial art, each person's understanding is different," Yang Xuan said, turning to the others.

"Enough, we know."

"Sure, sure, Senior Brother."

"Sigh, A-Xuan, you're becoming more and more long-winded."

Yang Xuan was rendered speechless. "These guys..."