Sure enough, just as Li had said, ordinary physical attacks could indeed damage the coffin. They were not blocked by that layer of black protective film. However, the coffin itself was highly resistant to physical attacks. At most, ordinary blows could chip off a few fragments; they could not inflict any real damage.
Meanwhile, after the zombie began approaching the coffin, its physical abilities rapidly increased. The increase had reached the point where even Li found it somewhat difficult to restrain him. With a fierce stomp, the zombie flung Meng Nan away and threw his entire body onto the coffin.
Black light flickered across the coffin before flowing directly into the zombie's body. "I was only seven days away from reaching the realm of the Emperor! Why are you stopping me?!"
"Only seven Monarchs can exist in this world," Layla's voice rang out. "And there are already six."
At Layla's words, everyone attacked at once, trying to force the zombie away from the coffin. Yet under their combined assault, the zombie remained utterly unmoved. Even Li had to retreat when it struck back. The fact that this fellow could gain such an immense boost in strength merely by coming into zero-distance contact with his coffin sent a chill through Li's heart.
"Little skeleton! Do you want to become a Monarch too? Let me tell you, becoming an Emperor isn't so simple! It's not something you can achieve just because your strength is sufficient! This is fate!" the zombie roared. "If your fate isn't enough, you can never become an Emperor! You were born nothing more than a skeleton. No matter how strong you become, you'll still just be a skeleton!"
With that roar, the zombie's attacks forced everyone back. "Hahaha! With strength like yours, you think you can—"
"Hey," Li