"Ling Tian, don't even think about escaping. Get over here." Seeing Ling Tian trying to sneak away, Yao Yu turned into a fearsome shrew.
"Uh, all right." Ling Tian reluctantly turned around with a bitter smile, lamenting that he was apparently destined to do all the hard labor on this outing.
This time, though, the others didn't leave Ling Tian to do everything alone. They pitched in, gathering the zombies that had burned down to charcoal into one place. Then Yun Ying, Yao Yu, and the others formed hand seals, and a blazing fire sprang up. In moments, the corpses had turned to ashes, though the air around them grew even more foul.
"Senior Sister Yun Ying, what should we do about the zombies trapped in the mud?" Hua Min'er asked, looking at the ones still struggling in the mire.
"Disperse their consciousness, then burn them," Yun Ying replied.
"How do we disperse it?" Ling Tian asked, unable to help his curiosity.
"Their consciousness has replaced their souls and taken up residence in their brains. Naturally, destroying their brains will kill them," Yao Yu cut in.
"Oh, that sounds simple," Ling Tian blurted out.
"Simple? Sounds like you have a way, Ling Tian. Hehe, then I'll leave these zombies to you. Should be simple enough." Yao Yu couldn't help giving him a mischievous grin.
"Uh!" Ling Tian wished he could slap himself twice.
"Hmm? Got a problem?" Yao Yu's expression changed, her face as cold as ice.
"N-no. I'll go right now." Yao Yu's sudden change of mood gave Ling Tian a headache. He hurriedly agreed and headed toward the zombies.
"Senior Sister Yao Yu, you're always picking on Big Brother Ling Tian." Hua Min'er pouted, defending him, though there was a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"All right, all right. You wanted him to do the dirty work too, didn't you? Stop pretending, hehe." Yao Yu saw right through Hua Min'er's little ruse.
"Hehe, you caught me, Senior Sister." Hua Min'er grinned impishly.
"Hehe..."
Everyone laughed, adding a few sparks of life to the tense atmosphere.
"Ling Tian looks so calm. I wonder what he'll do to disperse the zombies' consciousness. Their bodies are incredibly tough, so destroying their consciousness won't be easy." Yun Ying was the first to stop laughing. She watched Ling Tian stride away with curiosity.
"That kid has all sorts of abilities. It seems like there's nothing he can't do. Senior Lingyun must have taught him a lot." Yao Yu spoke with a hint of envy as she watched Ling Tian, her eyes darting about mischievously.
"Alas, Senior Lingyun probably wouldn't give us nobodies the time of day. You should give up on that little scheme of yours." Yun Ying had known Yao Yu for decades; how could she not understand what was on her mind?
"Alas, true." Yao Yu looked a little dejected, but then a light suddenly went on in her head. She stared at Hua Min'er with delight. "We may not be able to, but someone else can. Hehe."
"Hehe, that's true. Looks like we'll all have Min'er to thank." Yun Ying also looked at Hua Min'er with delight.
"Senior Sisters, what are you talking about? I don't understand." The two of them were looking at Hua Min'er as if she were a treasure, leaving her completely bewildered.
"Junior Sister, here's the thing..." Yao Yu leaned close and whispered in Hua Min'er's ear.
"Ah, this... would that really work? What if Uncle Lingyun finds out and gets angry?" Hua Min'er looked a little worried, but she seemed even more eager to try.
"Come on, don't give me that. You've already called him Uncle. With your relationship with Ling Tian, why would Senior Lingyun blame you? Besides, Senior Lingyun seemed to think highly of you last time at Qingyun Peak. He even had Ling Tian give you so many precious gifts. You two will be one family sooner or later, so what's wrong with him teaching you a few things?" Yao Yu glanced at Hua Min'er's exquisite earrings with boundless envy, then continued to encourage her.
"Mm, you're right. I'll ask Big Brother Ling Tian for advice when I get the chance." At Yao Yu's words about becoming one family, Hua Min'er's face had already turned crimson. She lowered her head and agreed.
"Hehe, that's the spirit. Don't forget to teach us, too." Yao Yu beamed.
"Mm, of course I won't forget you, Senior Sister." Hua Min'er blushed even more.
Leaving aside Yao Yu and the others plotting behind his back, Ling Tian was now dealing with the zombies still struggling in the mud.
Ling Tian walked slowly up to one of them. It was hideously ugly, and when it sensed a living person approaching, it struggled even harder, clawing and snarling as a stench filled the air.
"Alas, I'll send you back to be reborn." Ling Tian knew they were just a bunch of pitiful people.
He took an iron bead from his Storage Ring and hurled it with all his might. The bead shot off as a streak of black light. With a soft thud, it disappeared into the zombie's forehead, leaving a round black hole between its brows. Threads of black blood seeped from the wound, making for a terrifying sight. The zombie twitched a few times, then went still. Its consciousness must have dispersed.
"Wow, I didn't know Ling Tian had a trick like that up his sleeve. If that hit a person, I can't even imagine..." Yao Yu marveled at the power of the iron bead.
"Mm, I never knew Ling Tian had a skill like that. It makes up for his inability to fly. Who knows who'll be unlucky enough to face him at the next competition? He'll surely teach certain people a lesson they won't forget." Yun Ying was already thinking further ahead.
"Hmph. What other abilities is Big Brother Ling Tian hiding? I'll have to ask him next time." Hua Min'er clenched her pearly teeth, looking like a little devil as she plotted how to pry his secrets out of him.
"I didn't expect zombies to have such tough bodies. Even stone would be pierced by one of my iron beads, yet a zombie can keep the bead inside its body. Impressive. Looks like I'm still a little weak." Ling Tian wasn't satisfied with himself. If Yun Ying and the others had heard him, they would have been at a loss for words.
Ling Tian shook his head and continued putting the poor creatures to rest. Before long, all the dozen or so zombies had fallen to his hand. Once they were all dead, he took out his long spear again and prodded one of the corpses with its tip. To his surprise, the spear tip sank in and rang out with a metallic clang, leaving Ling Tian marveling at how their bodies were as hard as iron and stone. With barely a motion, he applied a little force, and the spear tip flashed like a rainbow. The zombie flew out of the mud and landed neatly to one side. He pulled out the rest of the zombies one by one and gathered them together.
"Senior Sister Yun Ying, I'm done. I can't help with what comes next; you'll have to burn them." Ling Tian returned to Yun Ying and the others, pointing toward the zombies.
"Hehe, so there's finally something you can't do. I feel much better now." Yao Yu smiled sweetly as she headed toward the zombies.
Ling Tian was taken aback, but after a moment's thought, he understood why Yao Yu had said that. He said nothing, simply watching her take care of the corpses. A moment later, a column of smoke rose, and Yao Yu returned.
"Senior Sister Yun Ying, what do we do next? The fight was over before we even had to lift a finger." Yao Yu spoke with a teasing look at Ling Tian. He immediately felt a chill run down his back, unsure what to make of it.
"Dig a pit and put the ashes in it. Alas, at least they'll be laid to rest." Yun Ying had a compassionate heart.
"Oh, well, Ling Tian, you..." Yao Yu gave Ling Tian a mischievous grin.
"Uh, I know what to do." Ling Tian cut her off and headed straight off.
Seeing how readily Ling Tian agreed this time, everyone couldn't help laughing. After a while, Yun Ying said, "The zombies probably won't come again tonight. Let's go back and cultivate. We'll see what happens tomorrow."
"Mm, that's all we can do. Anyway, Ling Tian set up an Alert Formation, so if the zombies come back, we'll know right away." Yao Yu smiled as she watched Ling Tian busy at work.
The women headed back, leaving Ling Tian alone to dig a pit and lay the zombies to rest.
"Alas, what a hard life." It was a long while before Ling Tian finished taking care of the aftermath. He stretched his body and couldn't help complaining again.
"But I can't shake the feeling that the low growl was strange. It seemed aimed at something in particular. I can't afford to let my guard down." Ling Tian pondered.
"The zombies probably won't come again today, but I should still repair the damaged formations, just in case." The formations had made short work of so many zombies, but that was because Ling Tian had laid down so many of them. Quite a few had been damaged and needed repairs.
Not long afterward, Ling Tian finished repairing them and set up a few more formations. He looked back at the house-shaped magic treasure, then finally felt at ease and returned to the branch. He took out some spirit fruits and clean water and wolfed them down. He was exhausted, and he'd barely eaten anything all day.
Before you continue