The silent forest.
As the Imperial Zombie fell to the ground.
A sharp voice rang out.
"Daoist Priest! I knew you could do it."
Attendant Wu energetically cheered everyone on.
Everyone inside the tent felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from their chests.
They let out a relieved breath.
With the interruption, everyone outside the tent came back to their senses.
Only then did they realize in shock that, within the incomplete array,
the person standing at the front was actually Lin Fan.
"You..."
A Dong stared at Lin Fan in disbelief.
How was that possible?
His master had only casually demonstrated it once.
And he... had learned it?
Otherwise, how could he have repaired the incomplete array?
While A Dong was still stunned,
the Imperial Zombie roared inside the magic array.
Its body rose straight up.
Corpse energy erupted all around it.
"Master, A Nan and the others aren't skilled enough with the array. I'm afraid they won't be able to withstand the Purple Zombie's renewed outbreak!"
As if jolted awake, A Dong spoke urgently.
As soon as his voice fell,
the array was battered by countless streams of green corpse energy.
The Imperial Zombie seemed to have been reborn.
Its claw strikes appeared even more powerful than before.
Every swipe made the array tremble.
The array looked as though it was about to break.
Cracks appeared in all directions.
Suddenly, Lin Fan closed his eyes and sat down cross-legged.
His ritual finger did not fall, and he continued controlling one corner of the array.
"System, upgrade the Nether Sleep Array!"
Lin Fan's mind stirred.
He urgently called out.
[ Ding! The host has consumed 1,000 Skill Points. Nether Sleep Array has risen from Beginner to Minor Accomplishment! ]
[ Ding! The host has consumed 3,000 Skill Points. Nether Sleep Array has risen from Minor Accomplishment to Major Accomplishment! ]
[ Ding! The host has consumed 6,000 Skill Points. Nether Sleep Array has risen from Major Accomplishment to Grand Perfection! ]
A series of voices rang out.
Lin Fan's tightly shut eyes suddenly opened.
As he began reciting the incantation,
several talismans flew out.
They surged toward the top of the Imperial Zombie's head.
Suddenly, golden light exploded outward.
The talismans scattered in perfect formation.
They descended straight down around the Imperial Zombie.
"Nether Sleep Array, suppress!"
Lin Fan shouted sharply.
Several gleaming golden lights appeared.
They formed barriers like walls of bronze and iron.
They slowly rose.
In an instant, they tightly trapped the Imperial Zombie,
which had been about to break through the previous array.
It could no longer move.
Everyone stared with half-open mouths, as if they had seen a ghost.
They looked at the scene before them in disbelief.
Could this still be called human?
One man had used a Nether Sleep Array whose power faintly surpassed his master's.
He had only just learned the Nether Sleep Array.
No, he had only learned it tonight.
No, how had he learned it tonight?
They had originally thought Lin Fan merely had some insight and only knew how to patch the array's gaps.
Who could have expected this man to be so monstrously gifted?
It would not be excessive to call him a monster.
A Dong's mind spun like the sky and earth were turning upside down. He could no longer tell what he was trying to express.
Daoist Priest Qian He's pupils suddenly widened, and his brows twitched slightly.
What was this?!
Learning it after watching me use it once had already been utterly absurd.
Although his senior brother had mentioned that this youth was extraordinarily gifted
and could not be compared with ordinary geniuses,
what was this golden barrier about?
And its thickness, contraction force, and suppressive power—
Could this be the power that only a Nether Sleep Array at Grand Perfection possessed?
Learning it while walking, then comprehending Grand Perfection in the middle of battle?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
Daoist Priest Qian He cast aside all his thoughts.
Suddenly, his mind jolted, as if something had clicked.
Then, the only possibility surfaced.
Could it be that he had achieved enlightenment?
Yes, enlightenment. It had to be!
A sudden, hurried shout brought everyone back to their senses.
"Stop standing around! Attack now!"
Lin Fan shouted.
Daoist Priest Qian He understood.
He raised two fingers like a sword, and his energy began to circulate.
"Five Thunders Spell, annihilate!"
The incantation rang out.
Bolts of lightning violently struck toward the Imperial Zombie.
Then, with energy infused into it, the Peachwood Sword flew out.
It cleaved straight toward the Imperial Zombie.
Wherever the lightning passed, not a blade of grass remained.
Ah!
A scream rang out.
The Imperial Zombie staggered back several steps from the blow.
Amid an explosive sound, the Peachwood Sword, infused with energy,
swept across with the lightning before chopping down.
Lin Fan and A Dong's group did not dare relax.
They held their ritual fingers steady and followed closely behind.
After a moment, the Imperial Zombie seemed as though it was about to be subdued.
Suddenly, waves of gloomy wind swept through the forest.
A dazzling red flower suddenly appeared behind the Imperial Zombie outside the barrier.
It was spreading terrifying evil energy.
Suddenly, strange red evil energy passed through the barrier
and surged toward the Imperial Zombie's mouth and nose.
The Imperial Zombie seemed to be in great pain.
It was forced to absorb the evil energy into its body.
In an instant, it was as though everyone's rhythm had been disrupted.
This world was always full of unexpected events.
The sudden change caught everyone off guard.
Bang, bang, bang!
A heartbeat resounded throughout the entire forest.
"Master, this is... Could there be something wrong with my ears?"
At some point, A Dong's forehead was already drenched in sweat.
The Imperial Zombie completely absorbed the red evil energy.
Suddenly, the pounding heartbeat came to an abrupt stop.
"This is bad! The zombie is going to..."
Daoist Priest Qian He was startled when he saw this, as if he had discovered something.
Before he could finish speaking,
boom!
The array barrier instantly collapsed.
Strange red evil energy erupted from the Imperial Zombie.
The Imperial Zombie roared like a ferocious ghost.
Its cries grew increasingly ferocious, and its eyes were completely bloodshot.
Its eyes were now so red that they faintly appeared black.
Under the moonlight, it looked especially horrifying.
Even the clothes on its body
were completely destroyed by the eruption of evil energy.
The claws at its fingertips also became exceptionally sharp.
In an instant, the evil energy within its entire corpse seemed to have more than doubled.
Its formidable aura shattered the array.
Countless talismans were completely destroyed amid the explosions.
The master and disciples were blasted backward.
"This... what exactly is this?!"
A Nan landed heavily and groaned, staring at the scene before him in shock.
"Ah! It's over, it's over! What happened?!"
Attendant Wu screamed in terror and ran around clutching his head.
Looking at the especially terrifying Imperial Zombie,
everyone inside the tent had already been scared out of their wits.
"There's something strange about this zombie. I can sense another abnormal evil energy inside its body. It may..."
Before Daoist Priest Qian He could finish,
the Imperial Zombie's figure flashed.
As a fierce wind swept through,
the fallen leaves on the ground were flung into the air.
Its figure suddenly appeared before Daoist Priest Qian He.
A powerful pressure bore down on him.
Daoist Priest Qian He froze in astonishment.
What?!
That strange evil energy had actually made this creature so much faster.
Its aura was now more than twice as powerful as before.
Its strength was probably even greater than it had been.
Before Daoist Priest Qian He could think any further.
The Imperial Zombie erupted with a terrifying aura.
It raised both hands high.
Two sharp claws slashed toward his face.
"It's over! At this speed, I won't make it in time."
Daoist Priest Qian He had no time to think. He raised his sword fingers.
A talisman was clutched between them as he tried to cast a spell and block the attack.
Before he could begin the incantation, the sharp claws came crashing down.
Daoist Priest Qian He's sword fingers hesitated slightly, trembling faintly.
It was as if he had already foreseen the future.
The spell on his lips abruptly stopped, as though he had given up resisting.
Before you continue