Uncle Nine: You were supposed to drive corpses, so you summoned the Monkey King!

The divine senses of the heavenly soldiers were withdrawn.

The muscles that had bulged on Lin Chen's body deflated, and the power that filled his body disappeared.

What remains is weakness and exhaustion.

Lin Chen sat on the mud, his legs weak, panting heavily.

I don't have the strength to lift my fingers.

The royal zombie was injured.

His right knee was dislocated, and black blood was flowing from the back of his neck.

It remains fierce.

The zombie glanced at the three people lying on the ground.

He limped toward Lin Chen.

Prepare to tear apart the human who caused it harm.

"You beast! Do you really think there's no one left in Maoshan?!"

Master Simu got up from the ground and took out a black object from his cloth bag.

That was an inkwell net soaked in black dog blood.

"Old monk, connect the net!"

Four Eyes threw one end of the ink net at Master Ikkyu.

Master Ikkyu endured the pain in his chest, caught the net rope, and wrapped it around his wrist twice.

The two of them pulled open the ink line net, one on each side.

They covered the royal zombies.

The zombie ignored the net and crashed into it.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle".

The inkwell touched the zombie's body.

A large plume of white smoke billowed out.

The zombie screamed in agony, its body marked with charred indentations.

It struggled to tear the net apart.

Master Four Eyes and Master One-Hermit grabbed the net ropes, their feet digging furrows in the mud.

"Lin Chen! You're still sitting there waiting for your food! Run!"

Master Simu shouted, his face flushed.

Lin Chen gritted his teeth and used his hands to support himself on the ground to stand up.

He knew that staying here would only be a burden.

"Master, Grandmaster, hold on!"

Lin Chen dragged his feet toward the edge of the woods.

The royal zombie struggled even more fiercely when it saw its prey trying to escape.

"collapse."

The main rope of the ink line net could not withstand the pressure and broke.

The zombie broke free.

Master Four Eyes and Master Ikkyu were thrown to the ground by inertia.

The zombie turned to look at Lin Chen's back.

I was just about to chase after him.

A muffled clap of thunder sounded in the sky.

The royal zombie stopped in its tracks.

It glanced at the sky, then at its injured nape and right leg.

The lightning power absorbed into the body was still surging through the meridians, not yet fully digested.

Plus, these three guys are troublesome.

The zombie's eyes darted around, and it let out a low growl.

It gave up chasing Lin Chen, turned around, and limped into the dense forest.

They disappeared into the bushes.

The woods fell silent again.

Master Simu lay sprawled in the mud, panting heavily.

Master Ikkyu wasn't in much better shape; his bald head was covered in mud and water, and his robe had several large holes in it.

Lin Chen leaned against a tree, looking in the direction the zombies had disappeared, and exhaled.

"They ran away?"

Lin Chen turned to look at Daoist Simu.

Master Simu sat up with a groan, rubbing his injured shoulder.

"If you don't run away, you'll stay and treat us to a meal, right?"

"This beast is very clever; it knows it's injured and hasn't fully digested the power of the lightning."

"If we keep fighting, even if it manages to kill us, it'll be badly injured."

Master Ikkyu picked up the Vajra Pestle that had fallen not far away.

Looking at the two rows of teeth marks left by the zombies, my heart ached.

"Amitabha, this old monk's ancestral Dharma implement is now disfigured."

Master Four Eyes rolled his eyes and picked up his bronze greatsword.

The blade was covered with nicks and slits of all sizes.

"That's nothing! My greatsword still needs to be reforged!"

The two started bickering again, as was their habit.

Lin Chen walked over and helped Master Simu up.

"Master, Grandmaster, this zombie is injured. It shouldn't be able to cause trouble for a while, right?"

Master Simu nodded, but his expression was not good.

"With its right leg fractured and burns from the black dog's blood ink net, it will take at least ten days to half a month to recover."

"However, once it recovers from its injuries and emerges from seclusion, it will completely integrate the power of lightning."

"That was a catastrophe."

The three of them supported each other and limped out of the woods.

They came in full force, but left looking disheveled.

No one spoke much along the way; everyone was focused on recovering their strength. After walking for more than an hour, they saw the walls of the dojo.

The lights were on in the courtyard.

Jiale was carrying a wooden bucket and scattering glutinous rice around the house.

He scattered the seeds while looking around.

When Jiale saw the courtyard gate being pushed open and three clay figures helping each other walk in, he was startled and almost dropped the wooden bucket in his hand.

"A ghost!"

Jiale shouted and drew his peach wood sword, brandishing it.

"You 'ghost' my foot! Look closely, it's your master!"

Master Simu cursed in annoyance.

Jiale ran over and, upon seeing the miserable state of the three people, almost burst into tears.

"Master, junior brother, grandmaster, what happened to you? Were you chased by a dog?"

Master Simu slapped Jiale on the back of the head.

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and boil some water, we want to take a bath!"

"How is Uncle Qianhe?" Lin Chen asked.

"Uncle-Master hasn't woken up yet, but his breathing is steady. Minister Wu and the child are sleeping in the inner room," Jiale replied.

The three washed off the mud and water and changed into clean clothes.

Master Simu applied some medicine to his shoulder, and Master Yixiu went back next door to treat his wound.

Lin Chen returned to his room.

I closed the door and lay down on the hard wooden bed.

My muscles all over my body were aching in waves.

This is a side effect of the invocation of spirits.

Forcing yourself to improve your physical fitness will eventually lead to fatigue. Fortunately, you didn't suffer any external injuries this time.

The clock on the wall ticked away.

The clock struck midnight.

"Clang! Clang!"

The clock struck midnight.

Lin Chen opened his eyes, feeling much better.

After waiting all day, the time for settlement finally arrived.

The system notification sounded in my mind right on time.

[Ding! It's midnight. Begin today's cultivation settlement.]

[Draw 100 talismans today, increasing your talisman-making skills and granting you +1 Spirit.]

[Today's long trek in inclement weather has resulted in a +1 increase in Constitution.]

[Host detected participation in high-intensity combat today; special daily mission settlement in progress...]

[The host performed exceptionally well in the battle, successfully crippling the royal zombie's right leg and breaking through its defenses.]

[Combat participation: Extremely high!]

[Rare critical hit reward triggered!]

Lin Chen held his breath.

I got the Summoning Spell from fighting a mountain demon before, but today I'm fighting a mutated royal zombie.

The reward won't be bad.

[Congratulations, host! You have gained: Strength +1, Agility +1, Constitution +1.]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the cultivation technique: Maoshan Seven Star Steps (Proficient Level).]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a magical artifact material: a piece of 100-year-old lightning-struck wood.]

[Note: Lightning-struck wood is the finest material for crafting ritual implements, possessing the righteous energy of heavenly lightning, specifically designed to subdue evil spirits.]

After receiving a series of rewards, Lin Chen almost burst out laughing.

A warm current appeared out of nowhere and flowed through my body.

The sore muscles relaxed, and the fatigue subsided.

The bones become stronger, and the muscle lines become smoother.

Lin Chen clenched his fist.

Lin Chen could sense that even without using the summoning technique, his power was now half again as great as before.

At the same time, a large number of memories of the Seven Star Step footwork flooded into my mind.

This footwork is truly integrated into muscle memory.

Their movements are more unpredictable, and their speed is faster.

Lin Chen flipped his hand.

A piece of black wood appeared in my palm, its surface bearing charred patterns.

This piece of wood is about the length of a forearm and is quite heavy.

As soon as it was taken out, the room was filled with a burnt aroma.

You can also sense the power of lightning moving across the surface of the wood.

"nice one!"

Lin Chen's eyes lit up.

That wood-chopping axe is now unusable.

I was just worried about not having a suitable weapon.

This piece of lightning-struck wood, which is a hundred years old, is perfect for making my own magic sword.

With this sword, I won't have to fight that royal zombie so frustratingly next time I encounter it.

Lin Chen placed the lightning-struck wood by his bedside.

Close your eyes and begin practicing the Maoshan Breathing Technique.

Training after a major battle often yields twice the results with half the effort.

Lin Chen needs to hurry up and become stronger.

The final battle has only just begun.

That royal zombie that's hiding deep in the mountains to recover from its injuries will come back to settle accounts with them sooner or later.