"Here goes nothing," us muttered and the Eye of Despair snapped open above him. A beam of red light shot out from it, targeting the Zombie Lady atop the pir. The light was powerful, and us hoped it would break through the force field.


    BOOM


    The red beam struck the barrier, and the ground trembled violently. The pirs shook, and for a moment, us thought he had seeded. But then, as he feared, the force field held strong, blocking the attack entirely.


    "Fuck," us cursed, feeling his strength drop to dangerously low levels. He had put everything into that attack, but somehow, the force field had repelled it. His Lotus flower was draining thest of his energy reserves, and his fire dragon''s light was dimming.


    "Brat, what are you cursing about? Look around you," the senior''s voice echoed in his mind.


    us, struggling to keep his eyes open, looked up. What he saw stunned him. Over 90% of the Zombies were on the ground, growling, screaming, or writhing in pain. Whatever they were doing, it was clear that they were suffering.


    us''s eyes widened. "What?"


    "Your attack failed to pass through the force field, but it didn''t failpletely," the senior exined. "The force field seems to have repelled the soul attack, but instead of bouncing back harmlessly, it spread out and hit the Zombies. That''s what you''re seeing."


    A smile crept onto us''s face. He hadn''t expected this oue, but it was a wee surprise. Without wasting another second, he hurled the Ice Lotus flower forward, aiming for the center of the mass of Zombies.


    Though the flower contained little to no star qi, it was still stronger regardless. It moved with cold energy and exploded silently, however its icy force froze everything in its path.


    "This is my chance," us thought as he saw hundreds of Zombies immobilized by the explosion. Many were instantly killed by the ice, while others were still hanging on, barely moving.


    "My chance to get the upper hand," he muttered to himself, forcing his body to move. He surged forward, using everyst bit of his strength to finish off as many Zombies as he could.


    The battlefield was in chaos. Some of the Zombiesy dead, while others struggled to stay alive. us gritted his teeth, knowing that if he managed to kill thisst group, he would have reduced their numbers to just 50. The thought of getting the upper hand gave him a burst of adrenaline.


    He nced at his fire dragon, still roaring and fighting against the remaining Zombie Kings. "At least it doesn''t look like it''s dying anytime soon," us muttered. With the dragon holding off some of the threats, us could focus on cleaning up the rest.


    us was doing his best, but he could see the fire dragon starting to fade, its mes flickering weakly. His Star Qi wasn''t regenerating fast enough, and it was draining faster than he could handle. Find your next read at m_v l|e-NovelBin


    "Just a few more kills and I''ll level up," he muttered, shattering and beheading frozen Zombies as they rushed him. Each kill took more out of him, leaving him more exhausted with every swing. But he held on, refusing to copse under the pressure.


    Then, it happened. "Oh no," us muttered, watching as the me dragon disappearedpletely. At the same time, he was done cutting down the remaining frozen Zombies. His primary sources of power—the dragon, the Ice Lotus, and the Bell of Harrows—were gone.


    "I guess it''s down to whether I can fight without depending on Star Qi," he sighed. He could still regenerate Star Qi, but it was so slow, barely enough to keep him going in a prolonged battle like this. His reserves were down to thest 5 percent.


    "Wait, this could work," us thought suddenly as another wave of Zombies approached. There were about 30 of them, but he noticed something—they weren''t as aggressive as before. The dragon''s chaotic mes must have left an impact. It wasn''t much, but it was enough for us to think of a new strategy.


    "Maybe I should try it," us muttered, now fighting without the support of his previous abilities. He moved with pure physical strength, dodging and countering as best he could, relying on instinct rather than Star Qi.


    Bang! Cough!


    A powerful kicknded on his back, sending him flying across the battlefield. The Zombies were closing in, taking advantage of his weakened state. They were ganging up on him, and he could feel himself slipping.


    But us didn''t let them gain the upper hand for long. "Not yet," he muttered, a determined glint in his eyes. Out of nowhere, small red needles appeared in the air around him. He had stopped using his Void Piercing Needle earlier, as the mental fatigue was bing unbearable, but now he summoned the Ten Thousand Soul Needles.


    This technique drained less Star Qi and was far more sustainable. Though weaker, it was just what us needed. He didn''t fully activate the Eye of Malevolence to conserve energy, so the attack power was low. But it was enough for his n.


    "Eat this, suckers," us grinned, sending the soul needles toward ten of the Zombies. They tried to sh at the needles with their weapons, but the attack didn''t aim to harm their bodies. Instead, the needles pierced their souls.


    The Zombies faltered, disoriented, and us smirked. "Die now," he whispered, rushing forward with renewed strength, ready to finish them off while they were weakened.


    us managed to cut down the ten Zombies, but the remaining twenty didn''t give him a moment to breathe. They descended on him like a swarm, their sheer numbers overwhelming him.


    "Five more minutes," us muttered, keeping track of the time before the ritual would bepleted. The pressure was mounting, and his body was already beyond its limits.


    "Just a few more kills for the EXP," he added, swinging his sword with whatever strength he had left. Each sh came with a cost—his muscles screamed, and blood sttered from his mouth as the Zombies pummeled him. He could feel the heavy toll on his body, but he couldn''t afford to stop.


    "I can use it again," us muttered after catching his breath for just a few seconds. He wasn''t using his Star Qi to channel the Moon sh because he needed it for something more strategic—the Ten Thousand Soul Needles.


    Ten more red needles materialized in the air, and he sent them toward ten of the remaining Zombies. The attack worked, giving him a brief opening, but his exhaustion held him back. us managed to kill only three of them before the others surrounded him again.


    "Come on!" us gritted his teeth as he summoned the Void Piercing Needle once more. The needles shot through the remaining Zombies, punching holes in them. He barely managed to kill the ten Zombies, but before he could regain his bnce, one of thest Zombie Kings sent him flying with a brutal strike.


    "Fuck!" us cursed as he crashed into the ground, his body aching and his Star Qi nearly depleted. His vision blurred for a moment, but he forced himself back up. There were still ten more Zombie Kings left, and the clock was ticking. He couldn''t afford to stop now.


    "Three more minutes," us muttered under his breath, narrowing his gaze and tightening his grip on his sword. His body was battered and broken, but his mind was sharp. He focused on defense, waiting for the right moment to strike with the Void Piercing Needles again. Every second was precious.


    "Two minutes," he repeated, gritting his teeth as the Zombie Kings pressed their assault. It wasn''t easy—every attack came dangerously close to finishing him. But suddenly, the Void Piercing Needle shed out, punching holes in five of the Zombie Kings he had baited intoing closer.


    us had deliberately let them get near, using his own body as a shield to draw their attention to the sneak attack.


    He was trading injury for kills, and it worked. The needle pierced through their heads, killing them instantly. But the cost was high. His left arm hung limp, broken. His ribs were shattered, and his body was bruised and bloodied from the brutal strikes he had endured.


    "Die!" us roared, channeling thest bits of his Star Qi into his sword. He swung it with all his remaining strength, slicing through the neck of a Zombie that charged at him from the side.


    Before he could catch his breath, something unexpected happened. "What the fuck?" us gasped, leaping backward just as a dark arrow shot through the air. He wasn''t fast enough—it pierced his left shoulder, the force of the blow sending him flying.


    "An assassin?" us hissed through clenched teeth his gaze cold,


    "The Dark Order"