At the forefront where the numerous Temple members were gathered—upon a raised stone platform—a figure cloaked in pitch-black apparel drifted down. It was a cold, stern man with a hooked nose and narrow eyes that sliced through the crowd like sharp daggers. The previously murmuring square instantly fell into absolute silence.

“All hands, heed my command.” The stern man’s voice scraped like metal, chillingly clear. “Immediately organize into squads according to your respective Peak courtyards and enter the protective mountain array before the main range. Those responsible for each courtyard must lead their subordinates; disorder is strictly forbidden!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

A chorus of crisp responses pierced the clouds.

“Move out!” The stern man abruptly raised his hand and pointed forward.

Across the vast square, countless streaks of inky black light suddenly erupted, thousands of beams soaring into the sky, coalescing into a sweeping curtain of darkness that rushed toward the distant horizon.

Ye Zhu, accompanied by the fair-faced woman at her side, flew swiftly through the air, keeping pace with the members of her courtyard as they bolted toward the outskirts of the mountain range.

Only after the crowd had departed did the stern man move. Like a great roc spreading its wings, his figure carved a rippling wave of light through the void, piercing the emptiness with sharp precision as he pursued the massive army that resembled a black river trailing behind them…

The outskirts of the mountain range.

On the distant horizon, dust billowed, obscuring the sunlight and condensing in the sky into a single, oppressive blanket of black mist, pressing heavily down toward the perimeter of the mountains.

Every major peak surrounding the mountain gate was densely populated with figures, resembling countless tiny black ants scattered across the mountain slopes. Each person wore moon-white robes, their chests embroidered with a golden or silver sun or star. At this moment, everyone stood on tiptoe, straining their vision toward the far horizon. As they watched the low, oppressive aura roll closer, their brows furrowed involuntarily, worry etched onto every face.

Before long, the dense, black cloud mass drew nearer to the mountain periphery. From within this sky-blotting mass, faint, savage roars and shrill cries could be heard, saturated with ferocity, malice, fury, and greed.

Those standing higher, with keener sight, squinted, focusing their gaze. Through the swirling dust, they occasionally discerned enormous black silhouettes rearing up—each one towering hundreds of kilometers high, like mobile foothills, their fine scales glittering with a sharp, icy sheen.

“Are these the monsters frequently reported in the news lately…?”

“They are so powerful, and their aura is so wicked. How could these monsters have lain buried for so long without perishing?”

“No one knows.”

Every eye contracted sharply; undisguised shock contorted their faces.

Just then, a vast rush of wind swept in from behind them, sounding like a dense barrage of arrow fire. Many turned their heads to see the overwhelming surge of reinforcement members sweeping in, their faces breaking into expressions of relief, accompanied by joyful shouts.

Ye Zhu settled lightly onto a mountaintop, her feet finding purchase on mossy stone. She stood leaning into the wind, the gauze-like fabric of her skirt fluttering wildly. She tilted her pure, pale face toward the distance, her delicate black eyebrows knitting together slightly in concern.

Now that these corpse monsters ravage the continent, I wonder where big brother is, if he is helping with the migration of spiritual civilization, she thought silently. With his strength, plus the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark, he should not be in too much danger, right?

Even as she thought this, waves of worry continued to wash over her.

At that moment, the rapidly advancing swarm of monsters in the distance closed in swiftly. Before they fully arrived, countless small demon beasts materialized before the ranks of the dead army. Their skin was split open, revealing bloody, mangled flesh. Viscous, crimson blood coated their entire bodies, fangs jutted out, and their eyes had devolved into blood-drinking scarlet. Foul, pale yellow saliva dripped and flew from between their teeth as they ran.

The blood-red moonlight illuminated these small demon beasts like frost. Anyone could see that these countless creatures were already dead, controlled only by some mysterious contagion.

Seeing this, Ye Zhu was instantly reminded of the doomsday scenarios on Earth—the endless legions of zombies. These small demon beasts before her were frighteningly similar to the infected of that apocalypse.

Could it be the same type of virus? Ye Zhu wondered inwardly.

At this, the small demon beasts, now zombie-like, roared and charged forward like ten thousand charging horses. They stirred up vast clouds of yellow dust across the expansive grassland, which rose into the air, momentarily obscuring the massive corpse army behind them. Delicate blades of green grass were trampled into mud beneath their passing.

“Form ranks!”

A vast, authoritative voice boomed, sounding as if an imposing celestial deity spoke from directly above them. Everyone’s hearts clenched. Recognizing the voice as that of Elder Tang Li, an Honorary Elder of the Temple of Light, they immediately suppressed their distractions and composed themselves, awaiting deployment orders.

“Mo Fen! Move to the Qianlong position!” A sharp command rang out from the front.

“Call Zhu! Move to the Kunxue position.”

“Tang Long! Occupy the Beichuan position.”

The courtyard master barked his orders. Accustomed to his guidance, everyone snapped into the designated positions almost by reflex.

Ye Zhu and Mo Fen, the fair-faced woman beside her, stood in two adjacent spots. The seemingly empty hilltop was overgrown with weeds, but beneath the roots lay dark, narrow trenches, inscribed with an ancient and mysterious formation.

The instant Ye Zhu stepped onto the Kunxue position, she felt a spiraling, suction-like force emanating from the ground, pulling the energy from her body and drawing it down through the soles of her feet. She started in alarm but quickly relaxed, for at that moment, a clear, resonant string note—like a dragon’s roar shattering the sky—erupted from the ground beneath them. Instantly, all the weeds were incinerated, and a formation outlined by blue lines sprang violently from the earth, arching over the heads of the assembled group.

Simultaneously, on the outer ridges of the mountain range, formations of various other colors manifested on the surrounding peaks. Each formation possessed a swirling vortex at its center. Every blue line within the formation connected directly above an individual's head, drawing threads of pure energy upward along the lines, like conduits, converging into the central core of the array.

The golden divine light within this core intensified, autonomously sketching out further golden lines, refining the basic blue array. This made the entire formation’s aura immensely stronger. Where blue and gold light mingled above the array, arcane symbols spun autonomously, creating a display both magnificent and dazzling.

The countless zombie-like small demon beasts charged forward in a roaring tide, a dense, black flood that crashed violently against the mountainsides at the perimeter. Rocks tumbled loose, and fragments of bone, coated in white and stained with blood, were flung high like spray from crashing waves amidst the massive zombie horde, only to fall back into the ranks and be swiftly trampled into pulp.

“Hummm…” The blue-gold formation emitted a low hum. As the zombie horde closed within a kilometer range, the golden lines of the array flared brightly. The magical symbols spun rapidly, unleashing waves of invisible divine power that slammed into the mass of corrupted monsters.

Pfft pfft pfft…

Beams of golden sword light streaked through the ranks of the zombified beasts. Like stepping stones in a surging wave, countless monsters were instantly cleaved in two, tumbling briefly before falling still.

However, the sheer scale of the zombie army was overwhelming. Even as the front ranks fell, the rear continued to surge like an endless ocean, trampling over the bodies of their fallen comrades, roaring as they advanced.

Ye Zhu and the others grew visibly pale, fine beads of sweat dotting their foreheads. Everyone clenched their teeth, pouring their full strength down through the soles of their feet into the mountain array, causing the formation’s light to shine brighter and its destructive power to intensify.

This blue-gold formation could amplify an individual’s divine power to inflict ten, even a hundred times the destructive force. Under the relentless assault, the small hill where they stood saw the zombie horde battering against it like foam against rock, yet the monsters were swiftly dismembered and slain amid the tempest of flying golden blades and swords.

Amidst this grueling resistance, a sharp, powerful roar suddenly echoed from the rear of the zombie army, thick with brutality. Immediately after, a colossal, pitch-black figure burst forth from the dust and gore, charging rapidly toward their mountain section.

Ye Zhu looked up, and her face instantly went ashen. Despair and sorrow flickered in her pupils as she regarded the monstrous behemoth before her, an entity that radiated an aura of death, isolation, and coldness so profound it turned the stomach and begged for nausea.

The creature was covered in fine, dark fur, massive and powerfully built like a gorilla, wielding a night-black mace studded with iron spikes. It trod over countless small demon beasts, reaching the front of the blue-gold formation. Roaring, it raised its spiked iron club and brought it down with crushing force.

“Ding—”

The blue-gold formation shrieked with a painful vibration. Ye Zhu and the others sheltered within felt their bodies jolt; their blood surged backward, and a metallic taste rose in their throats, drawing blood to their lips. Their internal divine power became chaotic under the impact, causing the formation itself to waver precariously.

This colossal monster stood before them like a god of destruction, roaring as it swung its iron club down again and again. Everyone felt their very bones vibrate under an invisible, immense pressure, threatening to tear them apart.

“Puff!” Mo Fen, next to Ye Zhu, spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face was paper-white, and her body went limp, slumping over. The light in her eyes gradually faded, losing focus. The rise and fall of her chest became noticeably shallow, suggesting her breathing was about to cease entirely.

Ye Zhu’s pupils contracted, and she instinctively reached out to grab her companion. However, the black iron mace slammed down once more. Her own body staggered violently; she too coughed up blood, and her consciousness began to blur. The world before her seemed indistinct and fractured, overlapping in multiple layers. Her body swayed lightly in the breeze, tilting slowly backward toward the sky.

A gentle mountain breeze caught the hem of her sheer skirt, making it flutter like a tragic crystal butterfly. The entire clamorous world abruptly fell silent; there was no sound at all, only the lonely, hollow whistle of the wind, carrying a chilling sense of isolation past her ears.

“Big brother…”

She parted her lips, emitting a faint sound, then her awareness slowly descended into darkness, sinking into a black abyss.

Today’s update is only one chapter. I am utterly exhausted, my head is splitting, and this chapter was written through sheer willpower. To be continued…