Chapter 204 The Golden sword

The Golden Sword

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The jagged ice pillars tore through the advancing ranks, forcing the zombies to scatter across the frozen rooftops.

Nyren swept her sword downward.

The towering pillars responded instantly. Some tilted, crashing down onto the swarming corpses, while others shattered into thousands of razor-sharp ice fragments. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the lethal hailstorm sweeping across the battlefield.

The zombies raised shields of dark Qi to defend themselves, but the absolute-zero domain slowed their movements. Their Qi circulation turned sluggish, and their counterattacks lost their lethal momentum.

Nyren stepped forward, her blade descending in a massive crescent of frost that sent dozens of zombies flying into the surrounding masonry.

Caelan’s eyes widened slightly at the sheer scale of the technique. "That’s..."

He quickly recovered his composure, raising his sword. "Everyone! Exploit the opening!"

——————————

Oren had been fighting a grueling war of attrition.

His four combat projections moved across the rooftops, their swords striking from five different angles. However, the sheer volume of enemies was beginning to strain his mental capacity. The zombies had deciphered the pattern behind his movements and were actively targeting his projections, forcing him to divert more of his Telekinesis Qi just to keep them stable.

A zombie suddenly materialized behind Oren’s original body.

Oren’s eyes sharpened. His sword flew backward on its own.

Clang!

The strike was deflected, but another zombie immediately followed up with a heavy palm strike.

Oren raised his hand. His sword trembled before shooting forward like a bullet.

BOOM!

The zombie was blasted backward.

Oren exhaled slowly. Maintaining four projections while simultaneously controlling multiple weapons was draining his spiritual sea at an alarming rate. Yet, the horde showed no signs of thinning.

His eyes narrowed. "Fine. Let’s end this."

His four projections halted. Their swords rose simultaneously, humming with a high-pitched resonance.

A powerful wave of spiritual energy surged from their bodies.

[Astral Will Scripture — Third Form: Astral Sword Convergence!]

The four swords began rotating in a complex orbit. One hovered above the rooftops. Another swept beneath the advancing zombies. The remaining three occupied the cardinal points, forming a vast, invisible sword formation.

Oren’s original body raised his hand.

The five swords suddenly converged, merging into a single, blinding point of light.

A brilliant sword formation manifested in the air, expanding rapidly. Then, thousands of sword shadows erupted from its core.

They descended like a meteor shower.

BOOOOM!

The entire rooftop was swallowed by a blinding wave of sword light. The zombies caught within the formation were pierced repeatedly, their bodies shredded and thrown across the surrounding buildings.

Oren lowered his hand, his breathing slightly ragged. The technique had consumed a massive portion of his spiritual energy.

And the battle wasn’t over.

A fresh wave of zombies poured from the streets below, leaping toward the rooftops.

Oren’s gaze turned cold. "Still coming?"

He spread his fingers.

Pure, white Telekinesis Qi surged from his body, rippling outward like a shockwave.

[Telekinesis Art: Heavenly Star Grasp!]

The surrounding debris trembled. Broken swords, loose metal fragments, shattered roof tiles, and even the fallen weapons of the slain zombies began rising into the air.

Oren’s hand slowly closed into a fist.

Everything stopped.

Hundreds of objects hovered above the battlefield like a constellation of lethal stars.

Then, he moved his fingers.

The weapons shot forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

They descended upon the advancing zombies from every conceivable angle. Several figures were instantly impaled. Others had their attacks interrupted as heavy metal fragments smashed into their limbs.

Oren’s Telekinesis Qi spread further, seizing control of the swords surrounding his four combat projections. The weapons moved in perfect unison—some attacking, some defending, and a few remaining suspended above the battlefield, waiting for his next command.

He was no longer just fighting with a sword.

He was controlling the entire battlefield.

——————————

Darian’s situation was equally precarious.

His two metallic rings revolved around his wrists at blinding speeds. Formation inscriptions continuously poured from their surfaces, spreading across the rooftops like golden vines.

"Sevenfold Restriction Array!"

Several golden formation circles manifested beneath the advancing zombies. Chains of spiritual light erupted from the ground.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The zombies were violently restrained. Darian immediately formed a hand seal, tightening the chains and dragging several figures face-first into the tiles.

But the remaining zombies raised their palms. Their dark Qi converged into a single, massive sphere of corrupt energy.

BOOM!

The impact struck Darian’s formation. One of his metallic rings shook violently, a hairline crack appearing on its surface.

Darian’s expression twisted. "Again?"

He gritted his teeth, forcing the ring to continue rotating. He redirected the formation’s energy toward the surrounding buildings, erecting a series of overlapping defensive barriers.

The incoming attacks struck them.

Crack! Crack!

One barrier shattered. Then another.

Darian immediately shifted his hands, altering the formation’s geometry to redirect the force into the ground. The rooftops trembled under the redirected strain.

"These things are becoming increasingly troublesome!"

A zombie suddenly broke through his outer defensive line. Its blackened palm shot toward Darian’s chest.

Darian twisted his body. One metallic ring flew from his wrist, expanding into a circular golden shield just in time to intercept the blow.

BOOM!

The impact sent Darian sliding backward, his boots tearing through the roof tiles. He regained his balance and pulled the ring back to his wrist.

"Not today."

——————————

Zhao Meiyun had also been forced to abandon his casual demeanor.

His sword moved in graceful arcs, intercepting incoming claws while his free hand continuously flicked pills and hidden needles into the fray.

He leapt over an approaching zombie, his blade descending in a clean arc.

Shing!

The creature’s head separated from its shoulders. Before he even landed, he flicked two fingers.

A pair of small jade pills shot toward the surrounding rooftops.

BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions erupted, throwing several zombies backward.

He landed lightly, his bone-white robes fluttering. However, a black figure suddenly burst through the smoke. Its fist drove straight toward his face.

Zhao Meiyun tilted his head. The attack brushed past his cheek.

He rotated his body, using the zombie’s own momentum to spin around its flank. His sword swept across its back, severing its spine. He immediately drove his knee into its waist, and with a flick of his wrist, slipped a small crimson pill into its gaping mouth.

"Have a taste."

BOOM!

The internal explosion sent the zombie crashing into the building behind it.

Zhao Meiyun landed on one foot, looking at the endless tide of enemies. His smile had completely vanished.

"At this rate, I’ll run out of pills before they run out of bodies."

He reached into his sleeve. Several more pills appeared between his fingers.

"Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that."

——————————

The battlefield was descending into absolute chaos.

Nyren’s Eternal Winter Dominion covered several rooftops, slowing the zombies and restricting their movements. Seana’s Crimson Lotus Burial had obliterated dozens of them. Oren’s sword formation had torn through another section of their ranks, and Lothe’s spatial arrays continued to disrupt the dark Qi connecting their formations.

Yet the zombies kept coming.

And their coordination was becoming terrifyingly precise. Some deliberately sacrificed themselves to break through the ice. Others attacked the formation talismans before Lothe could activate them. Several groups even began targeting the same individual simultaneously, forcing the others to abandon their own defenses to intervene.

Lothe’s eyes narrowed.

He had already dismantled three separate formations, but another had appeared. And this one was far more complex.

The dark Qi flowing through the zombies was converging toward a single point deeper within the underground city—the distant blue light.

His gaze sharpened. "There’s something wrong."

Seana landed beside him, her breathing slightly uneven. "What is it?"

"Their attacks are becoming more organized, but they’re also drawing more Qi from somewhere," Lothe said, his eyes locked on the distant azure glow. "Whatever is happening there, it’s connected to these things."

Elder Rowan appeared beside them, his staff stained with dark, necrotic blood.

"We cannot remain here any longer," Rowan said, his voice grave. His gaze swept across the exhausted group. "Everyone is consuming too much Qi. If another wave comes, we might not be able to hold them back."

As though responding to his words, a deep, resonant rumble spread through the underground city.

The surrounding buildings trembled.

Then—

A massive surge of dark Qi erupted from the streets ahead.

The zombies simultaneously raised their heads. Their bodies began glowing with a faint, sickly black radiance.

Darian’s face paled. "Don’t tell me..."

The dark Qi surrounding the zombies suddenly connected. Countless streams of corrupt energy flowed between them, forming a vast, interlocking network that spread across the rooftops like a spider’s web.

Lothe’s expression turned frigid.

"They’ve combined their formations."

The zombies moved.

Hundreds of attacks descended simultaneously.

"Defend!" Elder Rowan shouted.

He slammed his staff into the rooftop. A powerful wave of pale blue Qi erupted, forming a massive crystalline barrier before the group.

BOOOOM!

The first wave struck. The barrier trembled violently.

The second wave followed immediately.

Crack!

A fracture spread across its surface.

Rowan’s expression changed. He pushed more Qi into the barrier, his arms shaking under the strain. But the attacks continued, one after another, an endless barrage of corrupt energy.

The pressure became overwhelming.

Nyren’s frost began breaking apart. Darian’s formations flickered and died. Oren’s sword formation was forced backward. Even Lothe’s spatial arrays trembled under the sheer weight of the combined assault.

"Everyone!" Rowan shouted, his voice straining. "Fall back!"

But there was nowhere to go. The zombies had completely surrounded them.

And the blue light in the distance suddenly intensified.

A brilliant azure radiance spread across the underground city. For a moment, the entire cavern ceiling above the rooftops turned a blinding blue.

Then—

A golden light appeared.

It was faint at first, almost imperceptible against the oppressive dark Qi. But in the next instant, it expanded, tearing through the gloom like a rising sun.

The oppressive energy surrounding the battlefield trembled.

Lothe raised his head. Seana’s eyes widened. Even the advancing zombies momentarily halted, their hollow gazes turning toward the light.

A colossal golden sword materialized high above the underground city.

Its blade stretched across the cavern, radiating an overwhelming, suffocating sword intent that made the very air shudder. The golden light illuminated the rooftops, casting long, stark shadows across the streets.

Then—

It descended.

SHIIIIING!

The sword cleaved through the battlefield.

A terrifying golden sword light swept across the rooftops, tearing apart the dark Qi formations and cutting through the advancing zombies like a scythe through wheat.

BOOOOOOM!

The ground shook violently. Buildings collapsed.

Hundreds of masked figures were instantly vaporized by the golden radiance. The dark Qi connecting their formations was severed in a single, cataclysmic strike.

For a brief moment, the entire battlefield fell into a stunned, deafening silence.

The group stared toward the direction from which the sword had descended.

Beyond the destroyed ranks stood several figures.

At the forefront were two young men. One held a long golden greatsword, his expression calm and composed. The other stood beside him, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield with cold indifference.

Asher and Adrain.

Behind them were several familiar figures.

Justin. Ambiel. Anelle. Arvessa.

And a large number of elite disciples from the Great Sects.

The reinforcements had finally arrived.

Elder Rowan’s tense expression eased slightly. "About time."?