At this moment, Ōtsutsuki Retsu, who was engaged in fierce battle with the Immortal Venerable Tenchu, finally noticed the chaos at the edge of the barrier. When he saw Zombie Isshiki and Orochimaru, his pupils shrank, and he roared, "Damn scum! How dare you interrupt my battle!"
He suddenly broke free from the Wood Release's restraints, and a black spatial blade materialized from the wooden sword in his hand, slashing towards Orochimaru. Orochimaru sensed the danger behind him and hurriedly released the corpse of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, his body transforming into a small snake to evade the spatial blade's attack.
"Oh? It's you, Ōtsutsuki Retsu." Orochimaru reformed, looking at Retsu with a mocking smile. "Your blood must taste much better than those lowly minions, right?"
Ōtsutsuki Retsu stared at the golden blood still clinging to Orochimaru's lips, then at his clansmen being chased and fleeing by zombies, and trembled with rage. "What kind of monster are you! I'll kill you!"
He charged towards Orochimaru, Orochimaru in hand. But before he could get close, the voice of the Immortal Venerable Tenchu suddenly rang out. "Your opponent is me!"
A massive wooden fist descended from the sky, slamming into Ōtsutsuki Retsu's back. Forced to turn and defend, Ōtsutsuki Retsu clashed with the fist, producing a deafening roar. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Orochimaru vanished once more from the chaotic battlefield, searching for his next target.
As the Ōtsutsuki Clan's formation collapsed, the previously precarious Space-Time Suppression Barrier finally got a chance to breathe. The holy land disciples who were maintaining the barrier gradually regained their rosy complexions, the blood from their mouths and noses stopped, and the ripples on the barrier's light wall became increasingly calm.
Outside the barrier, Tian Muyan and Uchiha Fugaku stared in shock at the sudden appearance of Orochimaru and the other two zombies.
"That's... Orochimaru? How did he become like this?" Tian Muyan frowned, a beam of light condensing on her silver-white longbow, ready to strike at any moment.
Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly as he carefully observed the situation on the battlefield. "Not only Orochimaru, but also that alien Ōtsutsuki Isshiki... he seems to have turned into a zombie as well, and that Flying Zombie from the Land of the Moon. The zombies' immortality and corpse poison perfectly counter the Ōtsutsuki Clan's regenerative abilities."
"Resistant?" Tian Muyan, somewhat puzzled. "Aren't the Ōtsutsuki Clan's regenerative abilities quite strong? How could they be countered by zombies?"
"Look," Uchiha Fugaku pointed to an Ōtsutsuki Clan who had been scratched by Flying Zombie, "That Ōtsutsuki Clan's wound isn't healing; instead, it's being corroded by corpse energy. These zombies' attacks seem to suppress the Ōtsutsuki Clan's regenerative abilities."
Upon closer inspection, Tian Muyan confirmed that what Uchiha Fugaku had said was true. The clansman's wounds were not only not healing, but were rotting at a visible rate, and the golden blood had turned purplish-black, forcing him to...
"I never expected Orochimaru to have developed such a monster," Tian Muyan remarked. "Although his methods are bizarre, these zombies have undoubtedly been a great help to us."
At this moment, the battle within the barrier had completely turned into a one-sided affair. The Ōtsutsuki Clan members had no will to fight and only wanted to escape these unkillable zombies. The three zombies, like tigers among sheep, relentlessly pursued them, their golden blood staining the sea red and the aura of death permeating the entire barrier.
Orochimaru traversed the battlefield, each strike claiming the life of an Ōtsutsuki Clan and greedily absorbing their blood. The corpse energy within him grew increasingly dense, and his strength steadily increased. He gazed at the terrified Ōtsutsuki Clan, his eyes gleaming with a crazed light. "This is wonderful... this feeling of constantly growing stronger... the Ōtsutsuki Clan of the Shinobi Planet are all my nourishment!"
Zombie Isshiki, relying on his fighting instincts from his previous life, relentlessly hunted down the weaker Ōtsutsuki Clan. His claws could easily tear through their defenses, and even if he was shattered into pieces, he could regenerate quickly, leaving the Ōtsutsuki Clan helpless.
Although Flying Zombie only pounce and bite, they excel in speed, strong defense, and tirelessness. Like a black lightning bolt, they traverse the battlefield, constantly scratching and injuring the Ōtsutsuki Clan, injecting corpse energy into their bodies to suppress their regenerative abilities.
"Stop chasing! Let's retreat!" an Ōtsutsuki Clan roared, rushing towards the barrier's light wall, desperately trying to break through and escape. But before he could get close, a black figure suddenly appeared behind him— Orochimaru.
"Trying to run? Did you ask me?" Orochimaru's claws pierced his chest, tearing out his heart. Golden blood gushed out, and Orochimaru opened his mouth, greedily sucking it in, his face full of ecstasy.
At this moment, Ōtsutsuki Retsu finally broke free from the entanglement of the Immortal Venerable Tenchu. Looking at the carnage on the battlefield, he was so angry that his vision blurred. He knew that the situation was hopeless. If things continued like this, they would not only be unable to break the barrier, but would also be killed by these zombies.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Ōtsutsuki Retsu conjuring a massive spatial blade which he slashed at the three zombies, attempting to buy time for his clansmen to escape.
Orochimaru, Zombie Isshiki, and Flying Zombie simultaneously dodged, their spatial blades slashing across the sea, creating a massive column of water. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the remaining Ōtsutsuki Clan fled towards the edge of the barrier like a tidal wave.
"Trying to leave?" Immortal Venerable Tenchu sneered, Hand Seals. Countless wooden vines sprouted from the earth, attempting to block them. However, the Ōtsutsuki Clan members were already bloodthirsty, willing to burn their lives to forcefully break through the vines' obstruction and escape towards the outside of the barrier.
Orochimaru watched the fleeing Ōtsutsuki Clan, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes. He hadn't had enough; the power within him still craved more blood. "Trying to run? Not so easy!" He flashed forward, chasing after the fleeing Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Zombie Isshiki and Flying Zombie followed closely behind, continuing their pursuit of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Outside the barrier, Tian Muyan and Uchiha Fugaku exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. They hadn't expected that Orochimaru's sudden appearance would completely turn the tide of the battle.
"We must quickly stop these Ōtsutsuki Clan and prevent any of them from escaping," Tian Muyan asked.
Uchiha Fugaku nodded. "Alright. But with Orochimaru around, it won't be easy for them to escape the barrier! Orochimaru's current target is the Ōtsutsuki Clan. Let him go after them; it'll help us weaken the Ōtsutsuki Clan's strength."
Tian Muyan nodded and put away her longbow. Watching the figures receding into the distance within the barrier, she felt secretly relieved. If it weren't for Orochimaru's unexpected appearance, who knows how many more people would have died in this battle! Whether the barrier could even hold up would have been a question.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru was relentlessly pursuing the Ōtsutsuki Clan, roaring with excitement. His eyes were filled with greed as he watched their fleeing figures. For him, this hunt couldn't end so easily. He had already become significantly stronger after absorbing just seven Ōtsutsuki Clan; if he absorbed them all, he might break through to the Flying Zombie Ōtsutsuki Clan and become the strongest Shinobi World.
Seeing the three terrifying zombies pursuing them, the Ōtsutsuki Clan decided to split into more than a dozen small teams to escape. Although Ōtsutsuki Retsu was able to suppress the three zombies, he was entangled by the Tenchu and could not break free.