While Shi Kun and the others were dealing with the vampiric boar bats, Zu An quickly slipped deeper into the passageway, holding Chu Chuyan in his arms.

“I wonder if those bats carry viruses on them,” murmured Zu An worriedly. 

There were many bats flying around earlier, and the air had been choked with their flesh and blood. Bats were known as breeding grounds for germs and viruses in his previous world, and many of the diseases that plagued humanity had originated from them. Even the great Bear Grylls, a man who stood at the top of the food chain, had to cook them for several hours before daring to eat them.

However, Zu An quickly dispelled these thoughts. We’re already on the verge of getting killed! Who cares about viruses or germs?

After running for some time, Zu An noticed that he was finally approaching the end of the passageway, and heaved a sigh of relief.

While the passageway was still fairly safe, there was only one way to go and nowhere to hide. If Shi Kun were to catch up with them in here, they would be doomed.

Of course, whatever place lay at the end of this passageway was likely to be filled with dangers too, not the least of which was the zombie army Zu An had encountered previously. He hoped he could find a good hiding spot and camp there. As long as he didn’t alert the zombie army, he should stand a fair chance of surviving this ordeal.

His plan was simply to lure Shi Kun sufficiently deep into the cavern, where he would be utterly obliterated by the zombie army.

The passageway opened up, and Zu An tentatively stepped into the cavern beyond, only to feel two gusts of wind rushing down from above, exerting a terrifying pressure, both aiming for his head. Fortunately, he was prepared and immediately used Sunflower Phantasm, allowing him to instantly move a meter or so away.

Once he regained his footing, he immediately looked for his assailants. They were two axe-wielding zombie soldiers.

The two zombie soldiers were baffled that their attacks had missed. They had been certain that their strikes were going to land squarely, and they couldn’t fathom just how their target was able to vanish right before their eyes.

However, after a brief moment of astonishment, they instinctively raised their axes and chased after Zu An.

Zu An shook his head. These two zombie soldiers seemed to be at most the second rank, and there was no way they could have taken him in a fight. However, he was reluctant to get into a fight while holding Chu Chuyan, so he chose to flee instead. In any case, he was faster than the two of them, so there was nothing to worry about.

Unexpectedly, however, this chase alarmed some of the other zombie soldiers, causing more and more soldiers to form behind Zu An in a line, as though they were playing a deadly snake game. In moments, there were more than twenty soldiers chasing after him.

Noticing this, Zu An frowned. He was starting to feel a little pressured, and knew that this couldn’t continue on. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long for the zombies to fully encircle them and force them into a corner.

While dodging their attacks with his movement skill, he began scanning the area for places to hide. To his dismay, even though this area was far wider than the passageway, there were no hiding spots to be found. The cavern was practically empty.

“Your movement skill is really incredible,” remarked Chu Chuyan.

She marveled at how Zu An was able to maneuver around the zombies without getting struck at all, reminiscent of a butterfly weaving about in a field of flowers. This was not her first time seeing Zu An’s movement skill, but for some reason, it seemed much more formidable than before.

As a prodigious cultivator herself, she had a natural interest in his movement skill.

He really has done well to conceal his true skill. No wonder Shi Kun and his lackeys had suffered so much at his hands. He really is… a schemer.

“It was imparted to me by my teacher. It’s my trump card to survive dangerous situations.” Zu An was planning to attribute everything that he couldn’t explain to his so-called teacher.

“Your teacher is an incredible person. I can’t figure out the crux of this skill even when watching it up close,” said Chu Chuyan.

She might have lost her cultivation, but her eyes were still working perfectly. She had been paying attention to Zu An’s movement skill all this while, but to her astonishment, she was still unable to make sense of it.

“He’s indeed an incredible man.” Zu An nodded in agreement, thinking of the unfathomably powerful Old Mi.

“What about that skill of yours which… makes others pregnant?” This was the one thing that Chu Chuyan was the most curious about. She had seen with her own eyes just how much suffering it had caused Shi Kun earlier on, and she couldn’t imagine how there could be such a skill in the world. At least Zu An’s ingenious movement skill was still within the boundaries of common sense. This other skill sounded nothing but illogical to her.

Now that she thought about it, it was weird that Snow had failed to assassinate him in the Chu Estate previously. Everyone was baffled to hear that a fifth rank cultivator had failed in her mission due to a sudden stomach ache, but in hindsight, Zu An must have used this skill against her as well.

Snow must have been enraged to have such an embarrassing skill used on her… 

“It’s not real pregnancy; the skill just simulates the feeling of childbirth. However, there’s a hefty price to pay for using it, so there’s a limit to how many times I can use it. Otherwise, I’d have made that bastard faint from the pain!” Zu An suddenly changed his tone at this point and said, “Honey, if you’re interested, there’s actually no need for me to use that skill on you at all. We can do it for real.”

Chu Chuyan was rendered speechless. It was as if he had to tease her every few sentences he uttered. Of course, having known him for quite some time now, she had gotten so used to him running his mouth that it did not faze her as much anymore. “Earlier on, your speed and strength increased significantly after you got injured. Was that a skill you learned from your teacher as well?”

“Yup. The cultivation technique I’m practicing is rather peculiar.” Zu An thought about how Old Mi had been hiding out within the Chu Estate all this while, as though a dangerous power was after him. This made him realize that the skills he was learning could potentially bring danger to all those who knew about it. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell Chu Chuyan about the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, as she could end up roped into this mess as well.

Fortunately, Chu Chuyan didn’t probe any further. An individual’s cultivation techniques and skills were considered a personal secret in this world, since revealing them was the same as revealing their own weaknesses. Her questions earlier were already considered slightly overboard, but she simply couldn’t resist her curiosity, especially since she was already on the verge of death.

She hadn’t expected Zu An to answer her question so honestly. Is he not on guard against me at all?

Zu An looked at Chu Chuyan and fell into deep thought once more. Afraid that she would fall asleep, he racked his brains for a topic to engage her, but warning sirens suddenly blared in his mind, and he instinctively darted aside.

*Pu!*

A sharp spear landed on the spot where he had just been standing.

Zu An noticed nine zombie soldiers standing not too far away, all armed with spears. These zombie spearmen seemed more highly ranked than their axe-wielding counterparts, as they seemed more well-built and were better equipped.

Those zombie spearmen held their shields and spears in front of them as they marched towards Zu An, slowly closing the distance between them step by step. Their orderly footfalls and imposing aura left Zu An feel as if he was facing off against an entire army.

This wasn’t good. The zombie spearmen marched in an orderly formation, which left no room for him to weave around them with his Sunflower Phantasm. With no way around, he had to continuously back away from them.

In moments, the wall of the cavern loomed behind him. He knew that if he backed off any further, it would really be the end of him. So, he waited for an opportunity to dash forward and leaped over their heads. This seemed to be the only way out.

Just as he was vaulting over them, however, three of the zombie spearmen leaped into the air as well and thrust their spears at Zu An from multiple angles.

Zu An unleashed a torrent of curses.

What the hell! How can these zombies move so nimbly?!

The zombie axemen he had faced earlier were all clumsy fools, and had left him with a mistaken impression of the zombie soldiers as a whole. Clearly, he had underestimated what these zombie spearmen were capable of.

Caught in midair, there was no way for him to dodge. However, he wasn’t about to give up just like that. He quickly raised his arm and shot out an arrow from his hidden crossbow. It struck one of the spearmen in the air squarely in the chest.

The impact threw the zombie to the ground, where it twitched for a moment then stopped moving altogether. It looked like the armor-piercing arrow was indeed extremely effective against these zombies.

At the same instant, Zu An drew his Poisonous Prick to deflect one of the spears heading in his direction, pushing it a few centimeters to the side, where another zombie spearman was standing. Making use of this opening, he quickly thrust the Poisonous Prick toward one of the zombie spearmen, drawing a loud screeching sound as the dagger scraped against bone.

Zu An thought that he could end the life of the spearman with that, but unexpectedly, it remained perfectly unharmed. It was then that he realized that these zombies were undead creatures, so the effectiveness of the Poisonous Prick on them was limited. 

To make things worse, the spearman retaliated by thrusting his spear toward Chu Chuyan.

The power behind this incoming spear wouldn’t have posed a threat to Chu Chuyan in the past, but right now, it would be more than enough to shatter her entire body. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes in resignation.

Seeing that Chu Chuyan was going to be struck, Zu An let out a furious howl and twisted his body in midair, using his own back to shield her from the blow.

*Pu!*

Blood spurted from Zu An’s mouth, but he paid no heed to it in the midst of the battle. He made use of the impact of the thrust to bolt out of the encirclement of the spearmen.

Feeling a warm fluid dripping onto her face, Chu Chuyan opened her eyes, only to see a trail of blood seeping from Zu An’s mouth. She was able to piece together what had happened immediately, and her long eyelashes quivered in disbelief.

“Young miss!”

Numerous vines shot across the air to smash the axemen who were about to bring their axes down on Zu An and Chu Chuyan.

Zu An turned around, only to see that Qiao Xueying had appeared in the vicinity. Her hair had morphed into vines once more, and she was currently pummeling a zombie. Meanwhile, Shi Kun and his other two fourth rank lackeys were also busy fighting with a group of zombie soldiers.

Noticing Zu An’s gaze, Qiao Xueying glared at him and let out an angry huff. “What are you looking at? It’s not as if I’m trying to save you!” 

“I know that you’re embarrassed to admit that you care about me. Don’t worry, I understand.”

Chu Chuyan was both amused and appalled.

This fellow sure is narcissistic. Also, is he seducing another woman right in front of me? This feels… weird.

Qiao Xueying noticed Shi Kun shooting a bizarre glance at her upon hearing Zu An’s words, which made her both embarrassed and infuriated. “What nonsense are you spouting? I’ll kill you!”

You have successfully trolled Qiao Xueying for 134 Rage points!

As she said those words, she shot a vine straight toward Zu An, intending to tie him down.

However, Zu An was already prepared. With a chuckle, he dodged the vine easily and escaped. Qiao Xueying tried to pursue him immediately, but a new group of zombie soldiers charged forth to block her path.

Shi Kun, on the other hand, was incredibly displeased to see this. It was one thing for Zu An to be holding onto his dream lover, but to think that he would dare to flirt with his maid too! He glared at the skeleton axemen around him and roared furiously, “How dare you block my path? Go to hell!”

A powerful torrent of wind blades gushed outward, slicing the zombie axemen to pieces. The zombies might be incredibly resilient, but there was no way they could survive such a mauling.

However, Shi Kun’s actions caught the attention of the zombie spearmen. They immediately turned around, pointed their spears toward Shi Kun, and began marching towards him. These spearmen were much more difficult for Shi Kun to deal with; even his powerful wind blades only left small marks on the shields of the spearmen before dissipating.

Watching as the formation of zombie spearmen approached him, Shi Kun’s complexion darkened. He gathered his strength and swept his sword outward, releasing a ten-meter long blade of ki that sliced all of the shields of the zombie spearmen into two.

The zombie spearmen looked at the shattered shields and let out miserable cries.

“Oh no, they are calling their companions!” exclaimed Qiao Xueying.

While Shi Kun’s group was engulfed by the chaos, Zu An decided to head deeper into the cavern. He was thinking of seeking refuge first, waiting for both Shi Kun and the zombie army to wear each other out before slipping past them and escaping the cavern.

Shi Kun immediately noticed Zu An’s escape and tried to give chase. He, too, was unwilling to linger in this cavern any more than necessary. He wanted to quickly secure Chu Chuyan for himself and end Zu An’s life so that he could leave this place. He wasn’t certain if he could remain safe if Zu An were to venture any further in. 

However, with the formation of zombie spearmen blocking his path, he could only roar at Zu An furiously. All of a sudden, though, he noticed that Zu An stopped running. He heard his quarry’s footsteps halt for a brief moment, then he saw him backpedaling. Seeing this, Shi Kun burst into laughter, “Hahaha, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you running anymore?”

Zu An continued gazing into the depths of the cavern as he retreated. With a gulp, he asked, “Brother Shit, how many zombie spearmen are you able to deal with simultaneously?”

Shi Kun froze for a moment, not understanding the question. Then, he heard the sound of orderly matching echoing from the depths of the cavern. Looking more closely, he saw rows of zombie spearmen marching out from a stone door at the other end of the cavern.

Shi Kun recoiled in horror. “Fuck you, Zu An!” he hollered. “Don’t you dare come over here!”