Compared to the Jia Ma Empire, the environment of the Chu Yun Empire was undoubtedly much harsher. Along the way, Xiao Yan had already experienced over a hundred battles—mostly against people who mistook his young appearance as an easy target for robbery and murder. Fortunately, he had taken care of most of them with ease. Only once, when he encountered a Dou Wang, did he choose to flee.
He spent nearly half a year investigating two out of the three marked danger zones. During this time, he faced many life-threatening crises, but managed to overcome them all. This training on the edge of life and death significantly improved his strength.
Just a few days ago, he had broken through again, reaching the rank of Nine Star Da Dou Shi. With some focused cultivation, a breakthrough into the Dou Ling realm was within reach. Unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury to enter seclusion just yet.
The two explored areas hadn't shown any signs of a Heavenly Flame, but he had stumbled upon many rare and unusual medicinal herbs. He also found quite a few corpses of those who had entered in search of treasure but died trying—naturally, he cleaned them out completely. While it wasn't a bad harvest, it was still nothing compared to the value of a Heavenly Flame.
'Only the Heaven Poison Swamp remains...' Xiao Yan looked at the last danger mark on his map and let out a sigh. Based on the information he'd gathered, the Heaven Poison Swamp was the most dangerous of the three areas. Even Dou Wang experts who entered reportedly never returned. That was why he had saved it for last.
But now, it seemed he had no choice but to go.
If the Heaven Poison Swamp also lacked the Nether Poison Flame, then someone might have already taken it—or worse, there might not be a Heavenly Flame in the Chu Yun Empire at all. If that were true, then the past six months here would have been a complete waste of time.
"Don't let me down," Xiao Yan murmured as he put away the map and set off toward the swamp. Though the place was known as a forbidden zone of life, he wasn't afraid. No matter how dangerous it was, it was just poisonous creatures. It wasn't like zombies were going to jump out at him… right?
The Heaven Poison Swamp was different from the other two forbidden zones. While the other areas were completely desolate, the swamp's entrance was near a small village. That village also served as the only access point to the swamp, so the locals likely knew more than outsiders. Xiao Yan decided to visit the village first and gather some intelligence before entering.
Following the route on the map, he traveled for another hour before the village came into view. Yet as he gazed at its outline in the distance, he felt no joy—on the contrary, something about the village felt... off.
"Be careful. There's something strange about the aura inside," Yao Lao's voice rang in his heart. Xiao Yan nodded. Just as he was about to fly into the air using his Purple Cloud Wings to get a better look, he heard a rustling sound coming from a nearby hill.
Turning quickly, he saw a ragged human figure tumble down the slope, landing right in front of him.
Something felt wrong.
With a stomp of his foot, Xiao Yan activated his Burst Step and leapt backward. A second later, the seemingly lifeless figure suddenly sprang up and lunged toward where Xiao Yan had just been. It missed, snapping at the air with bared, rotting teeth.
Xiao Yan immediately drew his Heavy Xuan Ruler and stared at the figure, only to see a horrifying sight hidden beneath the torn clothing.
The creature still looked vaguely human, but it could no longer be called a person. Its skin was ghastly pale, mottled with corpse-like patches. The exposed parts of its body were already rotting and reeked of decay. Most disturbing of all, its face had decayed beyond recognition, and blood seeped from the corners of its eyes, creating a grotesque and chilling expression.
"Holy crap! Is this... a zombie?!" Xiao Yan couldn't help but curse. He instinctively recalled horror movies from Earth before his transmigration—this creature looked exactly like the zombies in those films. But how the hell were there zombies on the Dou Qi Continent?
"It's probably a result of some powerful poison... or maybe a voodoo curse. More like a puppet than a real zombie," Yao Lao said gravely. It seemed this was his first time seeing something like this too.
'Same thing. A virus is still a kind of poison,' Xiao Yan nodded. Having grown up watching zombie flicks, he wasn't about to let this thing get close. Before it could make another move, he summoned the Nine Nether Flame and incinerated the creature until nothing but ashes remained.
No matter what had caused its mutation, so long as not a trace remained, there'd be no threat.
"Kid, couldn't you wait just a little before killing it?!" Yao Lao's voice rose with frustration. He hadn't expected Xiao Yan to act so decisively, wiping out the creature in a single instant.
"What's wrong?"
"You should've caught it alive to study it. We might've been able to formulate an antidote," Yao Lao sighed.
"Forget it. What if I got infected? Not worth it," Xiao Yan shook his head. He remembered those exact situations from movies where the so-called protagonist group captured a zombie for research—only to get everyone infected. He wasn't taking that risk.
"What are you afraid of? That black flame of yours might not be a true Heavenly Flame, but it's close. With it around, even a Calamity Poison Body's venom wouldn't harm you, let alone something like this," Yao Lao said helplessly.
"That makes sense... but if that's the case, why would I need an antidote in the first place?"
"..." Yao Lao was speechless. He couldn't refute that logic. The puppet-like creature looked terrifying, but based on its strength, it was at best on par with an ordinary Dou Zhe. Given Xiao Yan's current power, he could handle hundreds of these things, especially with the Nine Nether Flame's devastating power.
"I'm more worried about that village," Xiao Yan looked toward the settlement near the swamp's entrance. Based on his movie knowledge, zombies usually came from some kind of infection source. With the creature showing up so close to the village, there was a good chance the entire village had already been infected.
Of course, he wasn't concerned about the villagers themselves—this was the Chu Yun Empire, after all. Even if it were the Jia Ma Empire, their deaths wouldn't mean anything to him. What he cared about was the information. If the village had fallen, then he'd lose his best chance to gather intel on the Heaven Poison Swamp.
More importantly, if zombies like that had made it to the outskirts, it meant they might already exist within the swamp itself—or worse, have originated there.
Still... something didn't sit right with him.
'How could a place like the Dou Qi Continent even have zombies in the first place...?'
(End of Chapter)
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