A Full-Blown Fight

I was stunned and asked, "This is all you have after so many years? It looks like a lot, but it's only been a few decades, and this is it? I drew dozens of them just a few days ago."

After speaking, I took out a small stack of talisman paper from my bag to show him.

Martial Uncle's mouth twitched, and he said sternly, though with a hint of nervousness, "I don't draw talismans every day. Besides, can your talismans compare to mine? Enough talk, you'll know when you try it later."

As soon as he finished speaking, the leading group of corpses was getting closer and closer to us. With the horde behind them constantly pushing forward, the speed of the leading group increased.

Martial Uncle said urgently, "This place is too large; it looks like a Corpse Nest, no doubt. If they all come and surround us, we'll be attacked from all sides, which is even more dangerous. Let's run to that platform above; there's only a narrow path. Using the confined space of the path, even if the horde comes up, their numbers will be limited. We can use the terrain to stall them. If we're truly overwhelmed, we'll retreat. As long as we hold that platform, we can advance or retreat."

I hastily replied with an "Oh" and turned around, climbing back with my hands and feet. In just this short time, some of the corpses were only two or three meters away from me. I scrambled upwards with my hands and feet, while Martial Uncle was much more at ease. With a light tap of his toes, he flew four or five meters.

From a distance, the horde had seemed to be moving slowly, but now, perhaps sensing our presence, they became even more frenzied. They lunged at me with roars, almost grabbing me several times. Martial Uncle would occasionally intervene to block them, and a bamboo pole would sometimes fly past me. A section of the horde behind would fall, and a fine mist of sweat covered my forehead. I kept climbing like this, with Martial Uncle helping to fend them off.

Before long, we reached the platform where we had descended earlier. I ran behind Martial Uncle and lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Martial Uncle stood alone at the entrance of the passage leading down from the platform. As the horde was about to pounce, he raised his hand, and a bamboo pole shot out, piercing through a group of them. The bamboo pole flew out as if stringing candied hawthorns, clearing a path wherever it passed. The path was quickly filled again by the horde, as if they were endless.

Watching this, I felt anxious. Would we be worn down to death like this? I glanced back at the passage behind us and felt a little relieved, thinking that at worst, I could run. Besides, seeing Martial Uncle's calm expression inexplicably gave me some confidence. I watched Martial Uncle engage in his Basic Attacks, and I gradually relaxed.

After a while, I got up and looked down from the platform. On the winding path below, some of the horde were desperately trying to climb up, while others fell off midway. Martial Uncle's decision was correct; on this platform, because the path was narrow, the number of corpses that could ascend at any one time was limited.

I asked loudly, "Martial Uncle, are we just going to fight them here indefinitely?"

Martial Uncle said that this wouldn't work; we would surely be worn down to death. He was thinking of a solution and then told me to try and lure the horde over as much as possible. I asked him how, and he said to make a commotion, the bigger the better. Lure all the horde over, and then he would use a killing move to see if he could deal with them all at once.

I thought for a moment, picked up the Talismans Martial Uncle had given me earlier, and selected some Explosion Talismans. I then threw them into the air and shouted, "Explode!" With a thunderous boom, the entire underground space echoed with a massive reverberation. This power... I was dumbfounded! If my talismans were compared to Martial Uncle's, mine would be like firecrackers, while his would be like grenades. The difference in power was stark.

I suggested using an Explosion Talisman on the horde in front of me, but Martial Uncle said no. I asked why, and he said it would cause the place to collapse. I was startled and didn't say anything further. Perhaps I had become too relaxed, thinking there was no real danger, that I could just run if things got bad. My mindset had stabilized considerably, but things rarely go as planned. Just as I was about to sit down and light a cigarette, and the cigarette was already in my mouth, before I could even reach for my lighter, I felt my body suddenly sink, as if I had instantly fallen.

Realizing what was happening, I saw that the entire passage, including the platform we were standing on, had collapsed.

Perhaps the sheer number of corpses on this path was too great, and the road couldn't bear such a heavy load, causing it to crumble.

I plummeted towards the ground, the wind whistling past my ears as I fell.

I flailed wildly in mid-air, accompanied by screams.

However, it was no use; my body continued to fall.

I'm done for, I thought. Falling from this height, I'll definitely die. I'll be smashed into a pulp, won't I?

Just as I was halfway down, Martial Uncle swooped down and grabbed me by the collar.

We continued to fall, landing smoothly, but Martial Uncle had expended considerable energy.

He was slightly out of breath upon landing. Shortly after we touched down, hordes of corpses from all directions began to surround us.

Martial Uncle blocked them while saying, "We're surrounded, this is troublesome."

I asked, "What do we do?"

Martial Uncle gritted his teeth and said, "I need to use a powerful spell. It will take some time.

Hold them off yourself for a moment, just a moment."

After saying that, he told me to use the talismans in my hand against them. Before I could reply, Martial Uncle let out a roar.

Powerful Spiritual Energy surged out, clearing a space of several meters around the corpse hordes.

Taking advantage of this brief opening, Martial Uncle quickly said to me:

"Use the talismans against them and buy me some time. Be careful yourself too."

I replied, "Okay."

Then, holding talismans in one hand, I threw them into the horde with the other.

I didn't know what kind of talismans they were; I just grabbed them and threw them.

As one talisman left my hand, there was a loud boom. This power... it was immense.

The force of the explosion sent me flying backward, crashing hard onto the ground.

I was dazed and disoriented, my mind a blank, and blood trickled from my mouth.

My chest and abdomen felt as if they had been smashed by a heavy hammer, the pain making it hard to breathe.

I couldn't help but curse myself for being an idiot.

Since coming down here, I hadn't been injured by the corpse hordes, but I had severely injured myself with my own attack.

I shook my head vigorously, feeling my mind clear a little.

As I got up, I placed an Explosion Talisman on the ground and started running backward.

Since the power was so great, I'll just run farther away, I thought. The area cleared by the previous explosion had already been reoccupied by the corpse hordes.

I ran a distance away and shouted, "Explode!" After another loud bang, a clearing appeared on the ground again, and at the same time, dismembered limbs, broken arms, and chunks of earth rained down from the sky.

About two to three hundred meters away, I spotted a large rock and decided to climb onto it.

If I'm on higher ground, the corpse hordes won't be able to climb up for a while, I thought, making up my mind to run towards it.

Along the way, a corpse grabbed my back. I spun around and smashed my fist into its head.

Because I had channeled Spiritual Energy into my fist, the force was tremendous.

White matter splattered all over my face. In this life-or-death situation, I couldn't afford to be disgusted.

I wiped my face roughly and kept running, thinking that survival was the priority, and everything else could wait.

Just as I was delayed by this moment, another corpse that was crawling on the ground grabbed my thigh.

The pain made me sweat, and looking down, I saw it had no lower body, only its upper half crawling on the ground.