Chapter 201: The Ambush

The Ambush

Meanwhile, Caelan and the others continued their journey.

They leapt from rooftop to rooftop, their figures occasionally disappearing behind buildings before reappearing farther ahead.

After covering a considerable distance, Caelan glanced toward the others.

The destination was still some distance away. "Right. Why didn’t I think of that earlier?"

He suddenly halted.

His fingers moved across the hilt of his sword, and a stream of pale-blue Qi flowed into its blade.

The sword trembled before rising into the air.

Caelan stepped onto it.

Whoosh!

He shot forward, his blue robes fluttering as he disappeared into the distance.

The others exchanged glances.

Only then did they realize they had been unnecessarily wasting time.

Oren immediately directed his Telekinesis Qi into his sword. The weapon rose beneath his feet, carrying him forward.

Nyren followed, her silver sword light cutting through the air.

Darian activated a small formation beneath his boots, allowing him to glide across the rooftops.

Elder Rowan, however, was already considerably ahead.

As a Peak Core Formation cultivator, his speed far surpassed theirs. His staff remained tucked beneath his arm as he traversed the rooftops with measured, powerful movements.

But the distance still felt frustratingly long.

And then—

"Watch out!"

Nyren’s voice rang out.

Her body twisted sharply while standing on her flying sword.

A streak of black Qi tore through the space where she had been a moment earlier.

She landed on a nearby rooftop, her sword immediately gathering silver frost.

Without hesitation, she swung.

A thick cluster of elongated ice needles erupted from the blade, shooting toward the direction of the attack.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The needles struck an enormous wall of dark Qi.

The resulting impact scattered ice fragments across the rooftop.

Nyren’s eyes narrowed.

Before her stood hundreds of figures.

They occupied the rooftops ahead, the narrow streets below, and even the balconies of nearby buildings.

All wore dark robes and expressionless masks.

Their formation was orderly, with the front ranks standing motionless while the rear ranks continued filling the surrounding rooftops.

A dense, oppressive Qi spread through the area.

Nyren’s expression changed.

"Foundation Establishment..."

She swept her gaze across the crowd.

There were far too many to count at a glance.

And the worst part was that every single one of them possessed the cultivation of Foundation Establishment.

"That’s quite a welcome party," Darian muttered.

Oren’s expression turned serious.

Hundreds of Foundation Establishment zombies.

Even if they could handle dozens individually, fighting hundreds simultaneously was an entirely different matter.

"Don’t let them surround us!" Elder Rowan’s voice suddenly rang out from the distance.

He had already reached the edge of the formation when several zombies appeared before him.

His staff swept sideways.

BOOM!

Three figures were sent flying, crashing through the upper floors of nearby buildings.

However, before he could continue, several more zombies descended from the rooftops.

Their palms carried thick streams of black Qi.

Elder Rowan’s eyes narrowed.

He planted his staff against the rooftop.

A circular wave of cold Qi spread beneath his feet, freezing the tiles.

The moment the incoming attacks approached, he pushed off.

His figure rose into the air as the staff swept through a graceful arc.

A powerful surge of Qi erupted.

The first wave of zombies was thrown backward, but the second wave immediately filled the gap.

"They’re deliberately blocking the route!" Rowan realized.

He could force his way through, but doing so would mean allowing the others to be trapped behind him.

He turned his head.

"Stay together!"

Unfortunately, the zombies had already begun moving.

Several figures leapt toward Nyren.

Her expression remained calm. She held her sword before her, and the silver Qi circulating around her body suddenly intensified.

A chilling pressure descended upon the rooftop.

[Frostbound Sovereign Scripture — First Form: Frostbound Genesis!]

The moment she completed the technique, frost spread beneath her feet.

It crawled across the tiles, climbed the walls, and extended toward the approaching zombies.

The surrounding air became noticeably colder.

Nyren’s sword moved.

A wave of frost surged forward, engulfing the first few zombies.

Their bodies stiffened.

Before they could break free, she raised her sword and brought it down.

"Fall."

The frost exploded.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Several zombies shattered into frozen fragments.

However, the remaining figures continued advancing. Nyren’s sword changed direction.

[Ice Art: Frozen Edge!]

A concentrated layer of silver ice Qi gathered along her blade.

She stepped forward, her sword tracing a clean diagonal line.

A razor-sharp edge of frost shot through the air.

The first zombie raised its arm. The attack cut through it.

The second tried to evade.

The icy edge curved slightly, grazing its shoulder before piercing through its chest.

Nyren followed with another slash.

Her movements were elegant and precise, each strike flowing naturally into the next.

But the zombies kept coming.

"These things don’t seem to care about injuries!" she exclaimed.

"They’re zombies," Caelan replied.

His sword flashed.

Pale-blue Qi gathered around the blade, forming a thin layer of frost.

He thrust forward.

A sharp streak of blue sword light pierced through the head of an approaching zombie.

Before its body could fall, Caelan twisted his wrist and swept horizontally.

The sword light expanded into a chilling arc.

Several approaching zombies were struck across their chests, their bodies sent tumbling from the rooftop.

Yet more figures immediately replaced them.

Caelan’s expression became colder.

He could sense something unusual.

The dark Qi surrounding the zombies wasn’t simply protecting their bodies. It seemed to connect them, allowing the energy of the formation to circulate between their ranks.

"Don’t let them maintain their formation!" he shouted. "Their Qi is connected!"

"Then we’ll break it!"

Oren’s eyes sharpened.

His sword shot forward under the control of his Telekinesis Qi.

At the same time, his spiritual energy surged.

[Astral Will Scripture — Second Form: Thoughts Multiplication!]

Four additional figures emerged beside him.

Five Orens stood across the rooftop. Each possessed a sword. Each moved independently.

Yet their movements were perfectly coordinated.

The five swords shot forward.

One pierced toward the forehead of a zombie.

Another swept through its knees.

A third curved around an incoming palm strike before cutting through the attacker’s throat.

The remaining two swords moved in opposite directions, forcing the zombies to divide their attention.

Oren’s original body remained behind the others, controlling the overall formation through his Telekinesis Qi.

The five swords suddenly converged.

BOOM!

A cluster of zombies was thrown backward.

"Not bad," Darian remarked.

He raised both wrists. The two metallic rings around them began rotating.

A series of tiny formation inscriptions illuminated their surfaces.

"Let’s see how you handle this."

He brought his wrists together.

"Fivefold Binding Array!"

Two rings shot forward.

They spun rapidly before expanding into two interlocking circles of golden inscriptions.

The moment they passed over the rooftop, several formation lines appeared beneath the zombies.

Chains of spiritual light erupted from the ground.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

More than a dozen zombies were bound simultaneously.

Their arms and legs were restrained by the formation, and several were dragged against the rooftop.

Darian’s fingers moved.

The formation tightened.

Crack!

The spiritual chains compressed.

However, the zombies suddenly released a surge of dark Qi.

The formation trembled violently.

One of the rings shook.

Darian’s expression changed. "They’re trying to force their way out!"

"Then don’t let them." A voice came from behind him.

Zhao Meiyun descended from the white cloud. His feet touched the rooftop lightly.

The cloud dispersed into pale mist.

He smiled as he drew his sword. "Since you’ve already prepared the stage, allow me to add a little decoration."

His sword flicked.

Several tiny jade-colored pills shot from his sleeve.

They landed around the restrained zombies.

A moment later—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions erupted.

Flames and thick clouds of green smoke swallowed the bound figures.

The formation chains trembled, but Darian quickly adjusted his hand seals.

The two metallic rings rotated in opposite directions.

"Now!"

Zhao Meiyun stepped forward.

His sword moved in a flowing arc.

Rather than charging directly into the smoke, he pivoted on one foot, his robes sweeping around him.

His blade traced a graceful circle.

A thin stream of sword Qi followed its movement, cutting through the smoke.

Three dark figures emerged.

Zhao Meiyun’s smile widened. "Found you."

His wrist turned. The sword flashed once.

A zombie’s arm was severed.

He followed with a sideways step, allowing another’s claw to pass beside his shoulder.

His blade reversed direction.

Shing!

The second zombie’s head rolled away.

Without pausing, Zhao Meiyun flicked his fingers.

A small crimson pill shot into the mouth of the third zombie.

The figure stiffened. Its body suddenly swelled.

BOOM!

A violent explosion sent it crashing into the surrounding ranks.

The nearby zombies staggered.

Zhao Meiyun used the opening to advance. His swordsmanship was unexpectedly refined. Each step was light, each movement economical.

He never allowed his blade to become trapped against an opponent’s weapon, and whenever a zombie attempted to attack from his blind spot, a hidden pill or concealed needle would interrupt its movement.

He wasn’t merely fighting with a sword.

He was controlling the battlefield.

"You’re quite troublesome," he muttered as another zombie lunged at him.

He tilted his head.

A thin silver needle passed through the zombie’s eye.

The figure collapsed.

"Fortunately, I have plenty of medicine."?