The moment my fist got closer, that stench became even stronger.
It was like dead cats and dogs rotting in a garbage bin during the dog days of summer, so foul it made me unable to open my eyes.
I glanced over and saw that my fist was covered in sticky, multicolored slime.
I threw up on the spot, dropping to my knees and vomiting all over the ground.
As I vomited, I rubbed the back of my fist through the grass to wipe off the filth. Just as I was throwing up and scrubbing my hand, two hands clamped around my neck from behind.
I immediately couldn't breathe. I was panicked, nauseated, and suffocating.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Uncle-Master. He stood there with his arms folded, watching without the slightest intention of helping.
I knew he wanted to see the results of my cultivation during this time, which was why he had no plans to intervene.
What made me even angrier was that he watched with a smile while offering commentary.
"Mm, that punch was good. That move was decent too..." His attitude nearly made my vision go black.
I can't count on Uncle-Master. An idea flashed through my mind, and I threw myself straight backward.
I crushed the corpse beneath my back, then repeatedly drove my elbows backward. Before long, I broke free.
After getting up, I circulated Spiritual Energy into my right leg. That corpse had yet to get back up.
I kicked straight at its head. There was a wet splat...
Like a watermelon being lifted and smashed into the ground, its skull spun through the air and flew away.
Red and white muck smeared across my foot, making me sick all over again.
After dealing with the two of them, I swept my gaze around. Another five or six corpses were staggering toward me, roaring as they pounced.
I was anxious and scared, but why was I also a little excited?
After assessing the situation, I knew fighting them one by one wouldn't work.
Never mind whether I could beat them; even if I did, I would exhaust all my strength.
Taking down those two just now had already worn me out, and there was another reason too: it was disgusting.
One punch sent that multicolored juice splattering everywhere, along with that smell. I truly couldn't bear to think about it.
I made up my mind not to fight them hand-to-hand. I reached into my bag.
I grabbed a talisman and flung it at the corpses without a second thought.
The instant the talisman left my hand, a thought connected me to it. I controlled it as it shot out like a feathered arrow.
When it flew into the horde of corpses, I shouted, "Explode!" Then came a thunderous boom.
In an instant, foul-smelling fluid sprayed everywhere, while severed limbs and broken arms rained across the ground.
Had someone watched the scene from afar, they would have seen me toss out a talisman, which fluttered lightly down toward the ground.
Then the talisman suddenly stopped in midair and trembled once before shooting away with lightning speed.
Then came an explosion, followed by the sight now spread across the ground.
After finishing off those corpses, I lay on the ground, gasping for air.
Uncle-Master walked over, clicking his tongue. "Not bad. You can already make some low-grade offensive talismans."
A little angry, I asked why he hadn't saved me just now.
Uncle-Master said he wanted to see what I was capable of. He just hadn't expected me to create offensive talismans in such a short time.
Then he asked whether I was all right. I said I was.
He said, "If you're fine, why do you look like you swallowed shit?"
I was speechless...
After lying there for a while, I got up and brushed off the dirt that had stuck to me during the fight.
Then I asked, "Uncle-Master, what do we do next?"
Uncle-Master said not to rush and asked whether I had made anything besides Explosion Talismans.
I replied that I also had Fire Talismans. I could probably try making Water Talismans too, but I hadn't had the time.
Uncle-Master rubbed his chin. "Kid, you really are a fine seedling. I'm even considering whether I should take you in as my Final Disciple or something."
Then he answered himself, "Forget it. A guy like you is bound to cause trouble someday. I'm afraid of hassle."
"I..."
Uncle-Master looked around the area and told me to come with him. I asked where we were going.
He said he had just sensed the surroundings and discovered that beneath this graveyard was hollow.
I froze. I grew up here. How could the ground beneath this place possibly be hollow? Then I followed Uncle-Master toward a certain spot.
After walking for several minutes, Uncle-Master stopped and looked ahead. "We're here."
I ran forward and took a look. Beneath my feet was nothing but a patch of grass.
I stared at the bare lawn underfoot and said, "There's nothing here."
Uncle-Master said, "Don't rush. Step back."
Though I didn't understand, I still retreated several steps. Uncle-Master said it wasn't enough and told me to go farther back.
I backed up some more, then looked at Uncle-Master with my eyes, asking whether this was enough. He nodded.
Then he circulated Spiritual Energy and struck the lawn with his palm. A thunderous boom rang out.
Sand, stones, and dirt flew everywhere. I hurriedly covered my head, afraid small rocks would fall and hit me.
Once the commotion subsided, I rushed over and saw a hole.
Inside the hole were stone steps leading downward, layer after layer. Moss had grown over them, and they vanished from sight at a glance.
Uncle-Master frowned. "The root of everything should be down there. Let's go take a look."
I quickly said, "No. This place was just opened up. There might not be any oxygen inside. We should wait a while before going down."
The moment I finished speaking, Uncle-Master looked at me like I was an idiot and asked,
"Did you see the holes on those grave mounds just now?" I said I had. "What about them?"
Uncle-Master pointed at a hole in the ground. "I checked those holes just now and found that some of them connected up from underground. That means there's oxygen below."
I was so embarrassed that I couldn't reply for a moment, then prepared to head into the hole.
When I reached the entrance, I stopped and looked at Uncle-Master. "How about you go first?"
Uncle-Master looked utterly disdainful. "You coward. Your grandfather's lifelong reputation..." He muttered under his breath for quite a while.
I rubbed my nose. I'm not my grandfather. Besides, I'm just a fragile college student.
The fact that I even came here already makes me pretty brave, okay?
After talking for a while, Uncle-Master seemed to run out of words. Then he turned and strode inside.
Before leaving, he gritted his teeth and told me to follow him.
I awkwardly answered, "Okay," then followed Uncle-Master down. The stone stairs were rather long.
The farther down we went, the damper the steps became. Uncle-Master told me to be careful not to slip, and I answered, "Okay."
After walking for a long time, we reached a relatively flat area. I shone my flashlight around.
I discovered that the space was enormous, with small holes dotting the ceiling.
Light streamed down through those holes. It wasn't very bright, but it was enough to make out some of our surroundings.
In one corner stood a rectangular stone table, with several broken clay jars on top.
Ahead and to our right stood a Stone Door. The upper half of one door had already collapsed inward.
A soldier stood on each side of the Stone Door, both hands resting on swords planted in the ground.
Their expressions and poses were strikingly lifelike, and even the armor carved onto them was exquisitely detailed. They looked almost alive.