The Demonic Cultivator In Zombie World

The Heavenly Metal Battlefield. Another six months had passed.

Chu Xuan stepped forward with long strides, returning to the great spirit stone mine. He had originally planned to continue his cultivation, but the Heart-Linking Stone in his hand had developed a crack. It was clear that Shang Xingchen had received new intelligence.

Just as Chu Xuan was about to leave the mine, he suddenly paused in his tracks. He seemed to be deep in thought. "Since six months have passed, my Spiritual Qi level should have dropped somewhat."

The spirit stones around him had never been in short supply, so his cultivation hadn't diminished. However, others by now should have experienced at least some decline.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Chu Xuan activated the Returning Void Technique, suppressing his aura to the late Golden Core stage, and then made his way toward the agreed meeting spot.

Outside of Heaven-Three City, Shang Xingchen and Wei Ji waited behind a cluster of rocks. Wei Ji appeared somewhat anxious. Shang Xingchen, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. After a while, Chu Xuan finally appeared within their line of sight.

The three met.

Chu Xuan glanced over and noticed that Wei Ji's strength had dropped further, now at the early Golden Core stage. Shang Xingchen was in slightly better condition, still at the late Golden Core stage. However, it was impossible to tell whether Shang Xingchen was hiding his true strength or if his cultivation had indeed dropped to the late Golden Core stage.

"Has your Spiritual Qi also declined?" Wei Ji sighed lightly. "It's inevitable."

Chu Xuan didn't pay much attention to it and casually asked, "What's the information?"

Shang Xingchen lowered his voice. "Some strange tree roots suddenly appeared in Heaven-Five City, but no one knows where they came from."

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Did you bring them with you?"

Shang Xingchen took out a twisted, gray root from his storage bag. Chu Xuan glanced at it, and his heart jolted. Wasn't this a root of the Taotie Tree?

Could it be that the Taotie Tree had appeared in the Heavenly Metal Battlefield as well?! He had already experienced firsthand how terrifying it could be. If allowed to grow unchecked, it would devour all the vitality in the entire battlefield. All of them, including the cultivators, would be doomed.

Yet Chu Xuan didn't show any hint of alarm on his face. He only displayed a look of confusion. "What is this?"

Shang Xingchen shook his head. "Neither Wei Ji nor I have seen such a tree before, but it gives off an extremely sinister feeling."

Chu Xuan nodded. "Is there any other information?"

Shang Xingchen and Wei Ji exchanged a glance before speaking solemnly. "Three righteous cultivators, each with Nascent Soul early-stage strength, are planning to hold a small gathering to exchange various resources. The time is five days from now, and the location is at a spiritual wood forest about a hundred miles east of Heaven-Five City. This information came from the soul of a righteous cultivator I searched. I also saw in his soul that they had already held one such gathering, and there were no unexpected incidents."

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Wei Ji voiced his concern. "But we're worried that those three righteous cultivators might have set a trap, which is why we came to find you."

Chu Xuan gave a slight nod. Such concerns were entirely reasonable. As time passed, resources within the Heavenly Metal Battlefield would inevitably grow scarcer. Though the three cultivators claimed to be holding a trading gathering, they might actually be waiting for others to fall into their trap. Just because nothing happened at the first trade meeting didn't mean the second would be safe.

However, as long as his strength was sufficient, why would he need to worry about the opponent's schemes? If they hadn't set up anything, that was great—he could acquire the treasures he needed at a bargain. But if they had set a trap, even better—he could just crush through it!

After a moment of thought, Chu Xuan nodded. "I'll go with you."

When participating in such trade meetings, it was always better to go in groups of three or five. Lone wolves were the easiest targets. The more people there were, the more they could intimidate any would-be troublemakers. And, at crucial moments, his teammates could help him escape.

As the saying went, as long as I run faster than my teammates, death won't catch me!

Seeing Chu Xuan agree, Wei Ji immediately felt a weight lifted off his chest. The strength Chu Xuan demonstrated was evident to both him and Shang Xingchen. With Chu Xuan agreeing to join, their safety was assured.

...

Five days later.

Chu Xuan met up with Shang Xingchen and Wei Ji, and together they made their way toward the spiritual wood forest.

Ancient beasts still attacked places where cultivators gathered, but they only ventured out at night, retreating back into underground caves by day.

Now, many Nascent Soul cultivators had already fallen to the Golden Core stage. If they found themselves surrounded by large groups of the Nether Crocodiles, they were as good as dead.

Thus, daylight was a precious time for cultivators. Every day, subtle tremors and changes occurred across the outer battlefield. A hill that stood yesterday might have turned into a plain today. Long-dead cultivators' corpses, ancient demonic beast remains, or even entirely new veins of spirit stones could suddenly surface on the earth. If one happened upon these discoveries by chance, their safety would be ensured.

This was why cultivators had to be active during the day. There were limited resources, and without working tirelessly to acquire more, survival was impossible.

Not long later, a towering cluster of spiritual trees appeared before the trio. They had arrived at the spiritual wood forest.

This place produced two types of spiritual wood: Cold Iron Wood and Yin Wood. Both hundred-year-old and thousand-year-old varieties were present. Normally, these trees would be excellent materials for forging. But now, spiritual wood held little value for most cultivators, only being used to repair wooden puppet beasts.

However, because spiritual wood absorbed Spiritual Qi to grow, it contained a substantial amount of Spiritual Qi within. The forest had also become saturated with Spiritual Qi. Thus, taking control of the spiritual wood forest was a highly desirable option.

When Chu Xuan and his companions arrived, they saw several figures hurrying toward them from the distance. These cultivators didn't use escape techniques. Instead, they walked on foot or relied on puppet beasts and other vehicles. After all, Spiritual Qi was precious—every bit used meant less for cultivation. It was impractical to waste it on traveling.

Wei Ji gazed at the approaching figures, unable to suppress a sigh. "A Nascent Soul cultivator, a figure who would be a sect leader or even a patriarch in any other place... Now, they can't even use escape techniques, walking on foot like common mortals... If other cultivators found out, they'd surely laugh at them."

The three reached the entrance to the forest. There, two Golden Core early-stage puppet guards stood watch. Upon seeing the three approach, the puppet guards extended their spears, blocking the way.

Chu Xuan and Shang Xingchen exchanged a glance, then turned to Wei Ji. It seemed to say, You go ahead. You handle it.

Wei Ji sighed, stepping forward reluctantly. "We come to attend the trading gathering."

After a long pause, a voice suddenly came from the left puppet. "You three don't seem like righteous cultivators."

The voice from the right puppet was even more severe. "Demonic cultivators, entry forbidden."

Shang Xingchen chuckled lightly. "We have enough spirit stones to prove our worth." With that, he took out a storage bag and casually pulled out a large handful of spirit stones. They were all large, transparent spirit stones.

The two puppet guards fell silent for a moment, then suddenly stepped aside, allowing them to pass. "This gathering has nothing to do with righteous or demonic paths. It's just a trade. Fellow Daoists, please enter."