"Master, what is your current cultivation level?" Zhao Youyue asked curiously.
"Level fourteen," Jiang Chen replied. During his last tribulation, he had advanced to level fourteen, and it hadn't even been a full month yet. However, after absorbing most of Zhao Youyue's blood earlier, he felt his cultivation had increased again, bringing him even closer to a breakthrough.
Zhao Youyue's sexy red lips parted in shock. "Master, you're so amazing."
"It's alright," Jiang Chen said as he found a clean spot and sat down.
"Let's cultivate. Nighttime is the best time for cultivation."
"Mm." Zhao Youyue sat cross-legged beside Jiang Chen, though she didn't dare get too close. She still felt a certain fear toward this master in her heart.
Jiang Chen paid her no further attention. After mentally commanding Little Black Sparrow to keep watch over the surroundings, he began circulating his energy to cultivate.
Zhao Youyue gazed at Jiang Chen's face for a long while before finally closing her eyes and entering meditative cultivation.
It wasn't until dawn, when the sky began to brighten, that the two of them awoke.
Zhao Youyue was pleasantly surprised and quickly said, "Master, the time I spent cultivating was actually much longer than before. In the past, I would feel exhausted after just three or four hours of continuous cultivation, but this time I managed to cultivate the entire night."
She was very excited, her pretty face even flushing slightly.
"This is the ability I bestowed upon you. Cultivating under the moonlight won't make you feel tired," Jiang Chen said.
"Thank you, Master." Zhao Youyue knelt. She had always yearned to become stronger and admired powerful people.
Jiang Chen had given her the chance to grow stronger; how could she not be grateful?
"Get up. We need to get moving. This first place has to be mine." Jiang Chen glanced behind them. Those people should be catching up soon.
"Mm, I'll listen to everything Master says." Zhao Youyue stood up and followed behind Jiang Chen.
The two began traversing mountains and ridges. What astonished Zhao Youyue was Jiang Chen's eerie movement technique; even in these towering mountains and steep ravines, he moved as if walking on flat ground, completely unhindered.
As Jiang Chen displayed more and more strange abilities, Zhao Youyue's awe and fear toward him grew deeper.
"Master, why do you keep changing directions?" After walking for several hours, Zhao Youyue finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked.
"Because there are soul beasts," Jiang Chen answered.
"Soul beasts? But we haven't encountered any," she said, even more puzzled.
Jiang Chen didn't reply to her. This time, after sensing a soul beast, he didn't avoid it. Instead, he deliberately approached closer. Zhao Youyue was so shocked she nearly cried out.
"Master, I sensed a powerful life aura. Is that a soul beast?"
Jiang Chen nodded. "After I bit you and you were infected with my corpse poison, you also gained this ability of mine. Sensing the life auras around you is one of a zombie's abilities. There are others as well; you'll understand them in time."
He patiently explained.
"Thank you, Master." Zhao Youyue was grateful. The surprises Jiang Chen had given her were truly too many.
"Mm, let's go around it and continue forward."
…
This stretch of mountains was endless. It wasn't until noon that the two finally emerged from it.
After traveling at high speed for four or five hours straight, Zhao Youyue was almost unable to walk anymore. Jiang Chen's pace was simply too fast. He could easily cross dangerous terrain, while she had to proceed with utmost caution.
Noticing her exhaustion, Jiang Chen stopped and found a shady spot for them to sit together.
Zhao Youyue's body was practically soaked in sweat. She hurriedly took out her water pouch and gulped it down in large mouthfuls.
After drinking, she realized something was wrong and quickly said in a panic, "Master, I'm sorry. I was so thirsty, I should have let you drink first." She then offered the water pouch to Jiang Chen.
"It's fine. I'm not thirsty," Jiang Chen waved it off.
Zhao Youyue put it away, then took out the dry rations she had prepared. After Jiang Chen shook his head to indicate he didn't want any, she began eating them herself.
"Ugh…"
However, after just a few bites, she retched and vomited them out, her face twisting in discomfort.
"This stuff tastes so bad. Has it gone bad?" She stared at the dry rations in her hand with a troubled expression.
"It's not that the food has gone bad. After becoming a zombie, you can no longer eat normal food," Jiang Chen explained.
Zhao Youyue was stunned. Then, looking pitiful, she said, "Then what should I do? Master, I'm so hungry."
"Come on, I'll take you to find something to eat." Jiang Chen stood up. He had nearly drained Zhao Youyue's blood last night and was still full. Now he needed to help her quickly adapt to her new identity as a zombie.
Zhao Youyue followed him eagerly, wondering what her master would give her to eat. Strangely, she felt a hint of anticipation.
A moment later, under Zhao Youyue's watchful gaze, Jiang Chen returned carrying a small tiger cub and tossed it in front of her.
"Master, I don't know how to roast meat," she said pitifully.
"I'm not asking you to roast it. Just drink its blood directly," Jiang Chen said.
"Ah." Zhao Youyue was dumbfounded. When Jiang Chen said he would find her food, did he mean for her to drink blood?
Recalling the scene of Jiang Chen drinking her blood last night, she finally understood that zombies fed on blood.
Jiang Chen ignored her shock. A dagger appeared in his hand, and with one slash, he cut open the small tiger's throat.
Zhao Youyue stared at the spurting blood and swallowed hard several times. The fresh blood held an intense attraction for her.
In an instant, she involuntarily transformed. On her beautiful face, two sharp white fangs protruded from her lips, suddenly giving her cold features a touch of adorable clumsiness.
"Retract your fangs. Come over and drain it," Jiang Chen commanded.
Though Zhao Youyue's mind still resisted, her body reacted instinctively. She moved forward, pressed her mouth over the spurting wound, and gulped down the blood.
She drank for a full several minutes until the small tiger's blood was completely drained. The cub had shriveled up and was casually discarded by Jiang Chen.
"Burp~~" Zhao Youyue couldn't help letting out a satisfied burp. Her face was splattered with blood, and paired with that burp, she looked somewhat dazed and silly.
"Full now?" Jiang Chen asked.
She nodded.
"If you're full, let's keep moving." Jiang Chen walked ahead quickly. The scouting Little Black Sparrow had returned, and Jiang Chen knew they were close to the end.
"From now on, without my permission, you are not allowed to bite anyone or any soul beast on your own. Understood?" Jiang Chen turned back and ordered.
He could control the zombies he created through his bites, but Zhao Youyue did not. If zombies spread uncontrollably, it would be a massive threat not only to other factions but to Spirit Hall as well.
His plan was simple: if there were to be zombies, they must be created by him and kept firmly under his control.
The two continued onward and finally reached the final trial.
Ahead of them was a massive canyon, with sheer cliffs on both sides rising a full thousand meters high.
Through Little Black Sparrow's vision, Jiang Chen knew that passing through this canyon would lead to the exit.
However, in the middle of the canyon, something strange was happening. A pinkish fog covered an area of several hundred meters.