The Ōtsutsuki Clan members were instantly thrown into disarray. Isshiki was somewhat famous within the Ōtsutsuki Clan; even though he had long since disappeared, he was a member of the legendary Ooshiki Squad, Ōshiki Squad, an idol-like figure. But was this zombie before them, with its rotting skin, empty eyes, and no longer flowing blood, truly the once-renowned Ōshiki member Ōtsutsuki Isshiki?
In the chaos, Zombie Isshiki had already charged forward. An Ōtsutsuki Clan instinctively flung out a Truth-Seeking Orb; the black energy sphere, carrying an aura of destruction, slammed into Zombie Isshiki's chest. With a deafening "bang," the Truth -Truth-Seeking Orb exploded, blasting a bowl-sized hole in Isshiki's chest, revealing his blackened internal organs. But without even pausing, a crimson glint flashed in his empty eye sockets, and his claws reached directly for the opponent's head!
"Monster!" The tribesman was terrified and hurriedly dodged to the side, but was grabbed tightly by Isshiki hand. With a crisp "rip," his entire arm, along with his white sleeve, was torn off, and golden blood gushed out like a fountain.
The zombie lowered its Isshiki, greedily sucking the golden blood in the air, making satisfied gurgling sounds in its throat. The Ōtsutsuki Clan whose arm had been torn off hadn't even had time to cast a regeneration spell before being pounced on by the Flying Zombie. The Flying Zombie's sharp nails pierced his chest, and the foul stench of death seeped into his body through the wound. The previously writhing wound instantly stopped healing, and his skin turned bluish-purple at a visible speed.
"Stop them! Don't let these monsters get close!" a squad leader of the Ōtsutsuki roared, conjuring purple lightning in his hand and striking at the Flying Zombie. But the lightning struck the Flying Zombie, only causing a burst of sparks. The Flying Zombie was enraged instead, suddenly raising its head and lunging at him.
In just a few breaths, the Ōtsutsuki Clan's originally tight attack formation was shattered by the three zombies. They had to stop attacking the barrier and turn their attention to these unkillable monsters— Truth-Seeking Orb could shatter the zombies' bodies, but not kill them; lightning and light spears could tear their skin, but the wounds would heal in a twisted way in the blink of an eye. Even more terrifying was that these zombies felt no pain, only focused on biting and attacking at extremely fast speed, as if they wanted to tear all the Ōtsutsuki Clan apart.
Amidst the chaos, the intelligent zombie Orochimaru moved like a ghost along the edge of the battlefield, his vertical pupils gleaming with excitement. He watched the splattered golden blood, swallowing repeatedly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his chin. "Hiss... the blood of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, containing such rich life energy, truly perfect nourishment."
His gaze locked onto an Ōtsutsuki Clan who was dodging an attack from Flying Zombie. The Ōtsutsuki Clan had just been scratched on the calf by Flying Zombie, and golden blood was flowing down the wound, making his movements noticeably slower. Orochimaru's lips curled into a wicked smile, and his body suddenly transformed into countless small snakes, silently burrowing behind the opponent.
"Who?!" The clansman noticed the commotion behind him and turned around abruptly, conjuring a golden blade of light in his hand. But before he could swing it, the small snakes suddenly coalesced into Orochimaru's figure, one hand pressing firmly on his shoulder, the other grabbing his neck and violently snapping his head backward.
"Stop struggling. Your struggle will only make your blood flow faster." Orochimaru's sharp fangs pierced the other's carotid artery, greedily sucking at the wound. Golden blood flowed down his throat into his body, and an indescribable warm current instantly swept through his entire body. His body, which had been stiff due to his zombie transformation, began to heat up slightly, and the black patterns under his skin emitted a faint glow. The corpse energy within his body boiled and compressed wildly, as if trying to break through some kind of shackle.
"Ah... this feeling..." Orochimaru groaned contentedly, his eyes slightly narrowed, his vertical pupils filled with ecstasy. "Purer than the Chakra of the Tailed Beast, more concentrated than the energy of the Immortality Grass... this is true power!"
He could clearly feel the zombie power within his body growing at an astonishing rate, and his previously stagnant realm was showing signs of loosening. This exhilarating feeling of advancement made him completely infatuated with the taste of the Ōtsutsuki Clan's blood. He raised his head and looked at the panicked Ōtsutsuki Clan, his eyes filled with undisguised greed, as if he were looking at fat meat on a chopping board.
"There's more... and many more delicious things waiting for me..." Orochimaru licked the remaining golden blood from his lips, and his body once again transformed into countless small black snakes, charging towards another Ōtsutsuki Clan.
At this moment, Isshiki was engaged in a fierce battle with three Ōtsutsuki Clan. One clan member unleashed a black spear of light, piercing Isshiki's heart; another clan member flung out Truth-Seeking Orb, severing one of his legs; and the third clan member cast Sealing Jutsu, attempting to trap him in place. But Isshiki seemed oblivious, his remaining leg slamming into the ground, his body spinning like a top, his claws slicing across the throat of the clan member who had cast the Sealing Jutsu, golden blood gushing out.
"An unkillable monster!" roared the tribal man wielding the spear, plunging the spear into Isshiki's head once more. Isshiki's head was pierced by the spear, and black brain matter mixed with corpse fluid flowed out. But the next second, his body suddenly collapsed to the ground, turning into a pool of black slime that flowed away into the distance along the sea.
"Finally solved?" The tribesman breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow. But before he could even stand up straight, a black column of water suddenly surged up from the distant sea, and a zombie -Isshiki figure burst out of it. Its head and legs were intact, and its empty eye sockets gleamed with an even more ferocious light as it lunged at him again.
"How could this be?!" The tribesman was terrified and turned to run away.
On the other side, the Flying Zombie was also Teuchi two Ōtsutsuki Clan. However, those fragments landed on the sea surface and were quickly enveloped by black corpse energy, reforming into the shape of Flying Zombie, only now moving even faster than before.
"Damn it! What are these monsters made of?!" an Ōtsutsuki Clan cried out in despair. They had killed the zombie Isshiki and Flying Zombie more than a dozen times in a row, but every time they shattered their bodies, they would reappear intact in no time, as if they could never be killed.
After Orochimaru dealt with the second Ōtsutsuki Clan, the corpse energy within his body had become so dense as to be almost tangible. He hovered in mid-air, surrounded by black mist, the black patterns beneath his skin writhing like living things, and his vertical pupils gleaming with bloodlust. "Not enough... I need more blood..."
His gaze fell upon a squad leader from the Ōtsutsuki who was engaged in combat with Flying Zombie. The squad leader possessed Star Level Second Stage Peak strength, and countless golden needles materialized in his hands, relentlessly piercing the Flying Zombie in an attempt to prevent it from getting closer. Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile, and his hands rapidly Hand Seals: " Ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Countless black venomous snakes flew out from his sleeves, shooting towards the squad leader like arrows. The squad leader hurriedly dodged, but the Flying Zombie seized the opportunity, pouncing on him and piercing his back with its sharp nails.
"Now!" Orochimaru flashed and appeared behind the squad leader, his fangs piercing the Ōtsutsuki Clan's carotid artery once more, instantly paralyzing him. Golden blood flowed into his body, and this time, the corpse energy within him erupted, black mist soaring into the sky and condensing into a giant snake head phantom in mid-air.
"I've advanced... I really advanced! I'm now Flying Zombie!" Orochimaru roared to the sky, his voice filled with wild joy. He could feel that his zombie power had broken through to a new level. His body had become more agile, the power of his zombie aura had increased significantly, and all the white hair on his body had disappeared. He looked like a normal person, but his whole body was radiating black energy.
At this moment, the situation inside the barrier was completely out of control. The Ōtsutsuki Clan members were being chased in all directions by the three zombies, and their attacks on the barrier had long since ceased. They discovered that no matter how powerful the magic they used, they could not completely kill these zombies—if their bodies were broken, they would regenerate; seals were ineffective, and they could break free; and if they were burned with fire, they would be impervious to water and fire.
"Stop fighting! These monsters are unkillable! Run!" One of the Ōtsutsuki Clan finally broke down and turned to run towards the edge of the barrier. Once the first one appeared, a second, a third... More and more Ōtsutsuki Clan began to flee, and the originally tight formation completely collapsed.
Seeing Isshiki, the zombie roared and chased after its fleeing clansmen. The Flying Zombie followed closely behind, moving on all fours with astonishing speed. Orochimaru hovered in mid-air, coldly observing everything, a wicked smile playing on his lips, "Hiss... Run, the faster you run, the more your blood flows..."
He suddenly noticed a golden figure rapidly approaching on the distant sea. It was an Ōtsutsuki Clan, seemingly trying to bypass the zombies and attack the barrier again. Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a cold light, and his body transformed into a black lightning bolt, instantly catching up with the clansman.
"I'll accept your blood." Orochimaru's voice rang in the clansman's ear. Before the man could react, Orochimaru's fangs had already pierced his throat. Golden blood flowed into his body again, and the corpse energy within Orochimaru surged once more, making the illusory snake head even clearer.