Six months passed quickly. Liu Lei had thought his path to ascension was near, but Elder Lian believed his cultivation journey should continue. One extension led to another, and before he knew it, Liu Lei had spent five years on the mountain.
During those five years, the once restless vampire found solace in the promising future and the many blessings Elder Lian described. He studied the advanced techniques of the cultivation manual—**Blood Corpse Technique**, one of the four great wonders of the Divine Sect. To become the King of Zombies, the basic techniques were enough, but to ascend to the celestial realm, he had to master the Blood Corpse Technique.
"Ordinary cultivators perish physically upon ascension and only rebuild their bodies in the celestial realm. But a Blood Corpse perfected through this technique can ascend in its original corpse form, far stronger than typical celestial beings. The Blood Corpse can even soar through the Nine Heavens..." At this, Liu Lei spread his wings and began to fly. "Hey, Elder Lian, since I'm already a Zombie King and I can fly now, does that mean I'm a Nine-Heaven Blood Corpse?"
"Of course not!" Elder Lian retorted, summoning a bolt of lightning that instantly turned the proud vampire into a roasted bat.
Over five years, Liu Lei made significant progress in the Blood Corpse Technique, gaining skills in forging weapons and refining pills—true marks of a cultivator. He developed his **Heart Armor**, a protective layer over his vampire heart. Elder Lian also began teaching him combat techniques and mystical arts. The once-frustrated Zombie King had already defeated all third-generation disciples and was now challenging the second generation.
Every time Liu Lei called home, his parents nagged him to get married. Although he found it annoying, the thought of his human family brought tears to his eyes. In these five years, he even met the Divine Sect's leader, **Xuanyuan Xuejian**.
Xuanyuan Xuejian, known as the Supreme Overlord of the Dark Path, was tall and muscular. His mastery of the sect's top divine technique—the **Overlord Way**—made him the sect's strongest. If not burdened by sect affairs and uninterested in facing heavenly tribulations, he would have ascended to the celestial realm long ago.
Despite Liu Lei's lack of vampire pride, he quickly bonded with the bold and rough Xuanyuan. The leader was so pleased that he granted Liu Lei access to the sect's secret "Demon God Cave" to study sacred defensive arts.
Without hesitation, Xuanyuan grabbed Liu Lei by the collar and marched towards the cave, moving even faster than Liu Lei flying. At the cave entrance, Xuanyuan kicked Liu Lei's rear and laughed as he turned away.
Inside, Liu Lei, far from insulted, was thrilled to explore the rare opportunity. Besides the leader and Elder Lian, no one else was allowed in the Demon God Cave, home to the sect's deepest secrets.
There, Liu Lei found two cultivation manuals: the **Blood Refining Great Art**, the sect's foremost protective technique harnessing the power of fresh blood but considered unmastered for nearly a millennium—perfect for a vampire; and the **Great River True Scripture**, a long-lost supreme orthodox technique that, if discovered by righteous sects, would spark fierce rivalry. Curious and sensing no evil aura, Liu Lei began to practice the Great River True Scripture, eventually mastering it.
By the second year, Liu Lei no longer needed to soak in the medicinal pool during the day and spent his time mastering various arts. With new skills, his power soared, and the Divine Sect's headquarters soon became chaotic.
Though unhappy with Elder Lian's decision to keep him there, Liu Lei understood the reason. With his current strength, he couldn't protect himself against stronger foes, so expanding his skills was necessary.
During those five years, the sect was once attacked by righteous cultivators. Ironically, it was all because one third-generation disciple offended a senior's relative. That disciple was followed back, and the enemy sought the sect's mountain gate, unaware it was the Demon Sect's stronghold. The entire sect responded and wiped out the attackers before they reached the gate. The attacker was none other than the fierce elder known as "Mad Demon," who had been dormant for nearly a century.
As a Zombie King, Liu Lei naturally had the ability to control zombies, but in the sect's headquarters, there were few corpses for him to raise. Since becoming a Zombie King, he no longer feared the sun and took daily noon strolls without discomfort. However, he had yet to test his corpse-controlling abilities.
When the unexpected attack came, the fierce elder wielded a massive black sword nearly five meters long, tearing through enemies and obstacles alike. The battlefield was a mess of halved corpses and broken trees. Despite his strength, Liu Lei couldn't raise the severed corpses.
Determined, Liu Lei approached the fierce elder and whispered into his ear. To everyone's surprise, the elder's rage turned into a smile. He gestured for Liu Lei to leave, then roared loudly as the giant sword unleashed a deadly black light that wiped out the invaders.
From then on, Liu Lei and the fierce elder—along with Liu Lei's zombies—became inseparable. The elder often shouted complaints about Liu Lei's zombies being weak, which explained why Liu Lei had to constantly improve their strength.
After scouring the sect's vast archives and exhausting Elder Lian's treasures, Liu Lei finally made the zombies powerful enough. Now, the 27 zombies had battle instincts strong enough to challenge third-generation disciples one-on-one.
Five years flew by for these outsiders and the vampire. Liu Lei expected Elder Lian to keep him at the sect longer, but instead, he was told to leave.
Stunned but understanding, Liu Lei looked at Elder Lian, who smiled and said, "Five years is enough. You've learned all you can here. Staying longer won't help. It's time to return. I know, though you're a vampire, you still cherish your human family. You should go back to see them."
Without another word, Liu Lei knelt and bowed thrice, calling out, "Master!" Elder Lian trembled. Liu Lei continued, "Though you never formally accepted me as your disciple, and I never asked, you are my master—my only master. Master, your disciple is leaving!" After another bow, Liu Lei turned to pack.
That night, lying in bed, Liu Lei reflected on his journey since becoming a vampire. He realized he was no longer the same person. The earlier fanaticism had faded; the emptiness of achieving his dreams left him lazy. Yet, strangely, people seemed to like this new him better—and he was happier.
Before leaving, Liu Lei tossed a stone at Xuanyuan's door with a note: "Bloodhead, your younger brother is leaving. Next time, let's meet wherever we cross paths." Outside the fierce elder's room, the 27 zombies stood in a row, each with a character on their backs forming a cheeky message: "Xiao Liuzi is gone. There's something I've long wanted to say—Da Sha, your name is terrible! Haha!"
At the foot of Mount Dian Cang, Liu Lei looked back once more at the peak he had lived on for five years, now shrouded in a secretive mist. He turned forward toward the city skyline and silently said, "Mom, Dad, I'm back." But was he still the same son who had once gone home?