Master, I Already Calculated This

Not long after Qianhe and his group set off, the sky suddenly darkened, and a torrential downpour began, accompanied by constant, booming thunder.

Seeing this, the group, who had been in a hurry, had no choice but to stop and set up tents.

"Master, the ink-marked net is getting soaked."

Dong, the eldest disciple of Qianhe and one of the Dongnanxibei, said with an anxious expression.

"No rush, let the rain wash over it."

Qianhe remained calm and composed, showing not a hint of panic.

"Huh?"

The disciples of Dongnanxibei were all baffled; what kind of strategy was this?

Seeing the tents set up and the Little Prince safely inside, Dong urged again:

"Master, the coffin can be brought in now."

"I said no rush."

Qianhe glanced at his disciple with displeasure, but since he couldn't explain it outright, he hinted:

"You'll understand in a moment."

At this point, the rain grew heavier and the thunder continued to roar. A bolt of lightning, drawn by the dense corpse aura emanating from the coffin, struck down violently.

"BOOM!"

The Golden Coffin was blasted into the air, tumbling several times.

"How powerful!"

The Dongnanxibei were all startled, but after a moment's thought, they looked at Qianhe with admiration.

"Master, did you calculate this all along?"

The youngest disciple, Bei, was the most favored by Qianhe and looked at him with absolute awe.

Qianhe had been startled himself, but seeing the worshipful gazes of his four disciples, he couldn't help but straighten his posture and stroke his beard. "Making such a fuss; of course, I calculated it long ago."

Just then, the Golden Coffin began to shake violently.

The ink-marked net had lost most of its effectiveness after being soaked by the rain. It only held for a few moments before a loud "BANG" echoed out, and the zombie burst through the coffin.

As it turned out, gold is an excellent conductor; the lightning strike had failed to kill the Royal Zombie and instead incited its ferocity, driving it to break free.

The zombie's official robes were tattered from the strike, its face was hideous, and it reached out with both hands to claw at the terrified soldiers nearby.

"Vile creature!"

Qianhe shouted from the side, drew a Peach Wood Sword, and leaped forward to strike at the Royal Zombie's throat.

The Royal Zombie possessed sight, unlike ordinary zombies, and with a sweep of its arms, it knocked the Peach Wood Sword aside.

Although Qianhe's strike failed to do damage, it successfully drew the Royal Zombie's aggression. It ignored the soldiers and lunged fiercely toward Qianhe instead.

"Move!"

Lu Yan and the others had arrived some time ago. Seeing this, Simu took the lead, brandishing his Great Dharma Sword as he charged at the Royal Zombie.

"Junior brother, I'm here to help!"

Simu took a running start, raised his Great Dharma Sword high, and brought it down toward the Royal Zombie's head.

"CLANG!"

The Royal Zombie truly had skin of bronze and bones of iron. The strike only forced it back a few steps before it let out a wild roar and lunged back at Simu.

Just in time, Master Yixiu arrived from behind, wielding a large string of prayer beads, and smashed them across the Royal Zombie's face.

The Buddhist power within the beads reacted violently upon contact with the corpse aura, causing a series of crackling explosions on the Royal Zombie's body as Yixiu sent it flying with a single strike.

"Good heavens, I didn't expect Master Yixiu to be so fierce."

Lu Yan, Chen Yulou, and the others followed close behind.

Hua Maguai had delivered items to Simu several times and had seen Yixiu on a few occasions; he truly hadn't expected the kind-faced monk to be so formidable in a fight.

Lu Yan activated his Sharingan to observe the situation from the sidelines, not yet rushing to join the fray.

After the Royal Zombie hit the ground, Simu seized the opportunity, lunged forward, and slapped a Corpse-Suppressing Talisman onto its forehead.

"Got you!"

Seeing the Royal Zombie motionless, Simu smiled triumphantly and stood up.

But just seconds later, the Corpse-Suppressing Talisman, unable to withstand the Royal Zombie's surging aura, burst into flames.

"So fierce!"

"I'll stick another one on!"

Startled, Simu pulled a stack of Corpse-Suppressing Talismans from his robes and plastered them all over the Royal Zombie's forehead.

"Let's see if I can't hack you to death!"

Seizing the moment, Simu grabbed his Dharma sword and thrust it toward the zombie's heart.

"Clang."

The corpse aura surrounding the Royal Zombie was incredibly dense; not only did Simu's strike fail to take effect, but his dharma sword snapped in two.

Seemingly sensing the danger, the corpse aura on the Royal Zombie surged, causing all the Corpse-Suppressing Talismans to ignite. It stood bolt upright and thrust its hands violently toward Simu.

"Watch out!"

Seeing that Daoist Simu had not yet reacted, Lu Yan drew Ivory and fired a rapid succession of shots at the Royal Zombie.

"Bang!"

The Royal Zombie was sent flying by the bullets, followed by a violent explosion.

The bullets Lu Yan had just used were Wind Blast Bullets; enemies struck by them would be suspended in the air by wind force before triggering a powerful blast. It was a type of ammunition Lu Yan used for crowd control, and its power was extraordinary.

Chen Yulou and the others standing with Lu Yan were left dumbfounded. They could still follow the battle between Daoist Simu and Master Yixiu, but they had no idea what to make of the gun Lu Yan had produced.

As the leader of Xieling, Chen Yulou was the largest arms dealer in Western Hunan and had many skilled marksmen under his command, but after seeing the power of Lu Yan's weapon, he felt his own men's guns were nothing more than fire pokers.

Lu Yan paid them no mind. With a quick flick of Ivory into the Kamui Dimension and back, he reloaded with a different type of ammunition. Taking advantage of the Royal Zombie being knocked to the ground, he fired several shots directly into the earth surrounding it.

In an instant, the once-hard ground turned into a swamp. Although the Royal Zombie possessed immense strength, it had no leverage and could only struggle and roar wildly in the mud pit.

"Done."

Lu Yan blew on the muzzle of Ivory, looking relaxed and carefree.

"Brother Lu, impressive!"

Chen Yulou stepped forward, his eyes shining as he looked at Lu Yan; this was what a true expert looked like.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Lu."

Seeing that the battle had ended, Qianhe hurried forward to express his gratitude.

Although the fight had ended quickly, it had been truly perilous. If not for the help of Lu Yan and the others, Qianhe knew he would never have been able to defeat this Royal Zombie, which had already become a Furry Zombie.

"Daoist Qianhe, no need for formalities. I wonder what you intend to do with this zombie?"

Lu Yan waved his hand, signaling that such politeness was unnecessary, and asked Daoist Qianhe.

"This Royal Zombie is impervious to blades and spears. I think it would be best to wait until daytime when the yang energy is sufficient and slowly burn it to death. I refuse to believe its corpse aura is inexhaustible."

Having suffered a setback at the hands of the Royal Zombie, Simu spoke up before Qianhe could answer.

"Amitabha, that method is feasible."

Master Yixiu pressed his palms together, agreeing that Simu's plan was sound.

"Wait! This is our Prince. Who gave you permission to touch him?"

Steward Wu had been terrified just moments ago, but seeing Lu Yan and the others easily handle the zombie, he crawled back out to cause trouble.

"Oh? Should I throw you in there to get better acquainted with him?"

Lu Yan narrowed his eyes and said expressionlessly.

"You—you are bold!"

Steward Wu was startled. Having seen Lu Yan's prowess just now, he was somewhat afraid of him and turned to scold Qianhe instead.

"Qianhe, you were ordered to escort the Prince to the capital, yet you dare to burn the Prince's corpse without authorization!"

"Steward Wu, the Prince's corpse has already become a Furry Zombie. If it is not destroyed, I fear it will lead to a catastrophe."

Qianhe knew that this mission was a failure and that he likely wouldn't be rewarded, so he was prepared to part ways with the remnants of the Qing Dynasty. He replied neither servilely nor overbearingly, showing no fear.

"You—you people!"

Steward Wu fumed, but not daring to lash out, he had no choice but to turn back.