Chapter 142: Wealth Comes from Taking Risks

Zu An looked in the direction of the sound. The depths of the valley, previously shrouded in a hazy gray mist and completely obscured, now revealed faint human figures. As the footsteps grew louder, the figures became clearer.

Rows of zombies emerged uniformly from the mist and stopped several tens of meters away. These zombies were entirely different from the previous ones. They were much cleaner, with no half-rotted flesh hanging from their bodies. Instead of tattered clothes, they wore armor-like uniforms and wielded long spears and sharp swords. The front row even carried shields!

"Holy crap, elite monsters!" Zu An's eyes widened. If the previous zombies felt like refugees, these new ones were warriors—no, "an army" would be a more fitting description.

Zombies have armies? Zu An was stunned; this truly went beyond anything he knew. He had struggled enough with the previous group of "refugee" zombies; facing a regular army now would surely mean instant death.

Just as Zu An was sinking into despair, he noticed something unusual below. The zombies directly beneath him had all picked up their weapons and were staring "warily" at the distant army. By all appearances, the two sides did not seem to be allies.

At that moment, the distant army opened a small gap, and a cavalry unit slowly advanced. Though called cavalry, their mounts were certainly not living horses; they appeared to be zombie horses, wreathed in black mist, each resembling a Nazgûl rider from movies in his previous life.

The knights' armor was far more sophisticated than that of the surrounding infantry. The lead knight's armor, distinct in color and shape from his companions, clearly marked him as a leader. He wore a black cape, his entire body seemingly enveloped in a layer of black mist that obscured his face. Only two glowing blue flames, presumably his eyes, were visible within his helmet.

As he drew the long sword from his waist, the soldiers, as if receiving a signal, all unsheathed their weapons and pointed their spears forward. The knight leader pulled on the reins, causing his "steed" to rear almost vertically. With a downward sweep of his sword, his cavalry unit immediately charged, followed by the infantry battalions, who also advanced, brandishing their weapons.

"What's happening? A zombie war?" Zu An's eyes widened. The world truly held endless wonders. He had expected the zombies on his side to turn and flee, as the two forces were clearly not on the same level in terms of equipment and aura. To his surprise, these creatures showed no fear; instead, they became even more excited, roaring (though no sound was audible, he could sense their open-mouthed snarls) and charging forward with their crude weapons to meet the enemy.

Zu An suddenly had an epiphany. Looking at the scene, it remarkably resembled a battle between peasant rebels and a regular imperial army. Just then, the sky suddenly darkened. Zu An looked up to see a dense cloud of arrows arcing through the air from behind the army, descending like a fierce storm. Compared to the arrows Zu An had faced earlier, these were like a tempest to a drizzle.

The arrow rain whistled down, and instantly a small section of the peasant army collapsed, pinned to the ground and unable to rise again. Zu An carefully observed the arrows, wondering how a single arrow could kill zombies that he himself had struggled to defeat even after prolonged sword strikes. Were the army's archers too powerful, or did the arrows possess some special magic?

In that brief moment, the two zombie armies collided. The cavalry's charge was overwhelmingly powerful; the peasant zombies, armed with crude weapons, were no match and their formation was instantly split in two by the cavalry unit. The infantry, following closely, wielded their weapons, and the zombies on the peasant army's frontline fell in rows almost immediately.

"It's a complete massacre!" Zu An watched, his mouth dry. The very zombies that had trapped him earlier now had no power to resist. Although they showed great courage, desperately attacking the enemy with their numerical advantage—some even trying to bite after losing half their bodies—the difference in individual strength and equipment between the two sides was simply too vast.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but there wasn't a single living (or rather, un-living) zombie left standing on the peasant side. The ground was covered in scattered fragments. The knight leader slowly rode through the battlefield, surveying the scene, and finally stopped beneath the large tree where Zu An was hiding.

Zu An held his breath completely, terrified of making the slightest sound that might reveal his presence. The previous group had nearly killed him; this new one would guarantee his demise. Fortunately, he was high up on the cliff face, and the undead knight did not look upwards. Moreover, the previous group of zombies had devoured many golden-furred monster rats, and the air was thick with the scent of blood and flesh. Otherwise, his distinct scent as a living person would surely have given him away, even hidden above so many zombies.

After surveying the battlefield, the undead knight crushed any zombies still crawling on the ground. Once he confirmed there were no survivors, he waved his hand. A sharp, metallic clanking sound echoed, and all the soldiers re-formed their ranks. They then turned and marched in orderly steps deeper into the valley.

"They even sound a retreat call!" Zu An's eyes nearly popped out. These zombie armies were surprisingly professional.

After the army had gone far, Zu An finally jumped down from the tree. Looking at the scattered limbs and body parts covering the ground, his face twitched involuntarily. He thought to himself that if Ji Xiaoxi were here, she would probably be sick again.

"This trip was a complete loss today." Zu An felt a pang of disappointment. He had nearly died several times but gained nothing. In games, even the weakest monsters dropped at least some gold or basic weapons.

"Wait a minute," he thought. While there was no gold, the recent battle had left plenty of weapons. He hastily began searching the battlefield, automatically ignoring crude weapons like hoes and carrying poles. His principle was that effectiveness didn't matter as much as style; these weapons were simply not elegant enough to match his demeanor. He vaguely remembered that a few of the earlier zombies had carried swords, but after searching for a long time, he was disappointed. Their swords had all broken into several pieces during the recent battle, shattering upon impact with the regular army's weapons. He couldn't find a single intact one.

If only he could find the regular army's weapons. Unfortunately, the regular army had cleaned up the battlefield, taking away their comrades' "corpses," and presumably their weapons as well. By the way, these creatures were already dead, right? How would dying again count? Zu An racked his brain but couldn't figure it out.

Suddenly, his foot snagged on something. He steadied himself and looked down to find a pitch-black arrow shaft. This arrow was completely different from the ones the peasant army had shot at him earlier. "It's from the regular army!" Zu An recalled the scene of the arrow rain. Zombies that he had repeatedly struck with his sword to no effect had been instantly killed by a single one of these arrows. Judging by its appearance, this arrow was clearly no ordinary item.

The regular army had cleaned the battlefield, retrieving most of their arrows, but so many had been fired that a few were bound to have been missed. Zu An searched for a long time and finally found seven arrows. Holding them, an intensely chilling sensation settled in his heart. He was certain it wasn't merely coldness, but something indescribable.

"I wonder how powerful these are against living people," Zu An muttered. He found a quiver and slung the arrows onto his back. Although he didn't know how to shoot a bow, it didn't matter much. His current strength far surpassed that of an ordinary person, making them perfectly suitable for throwing like javelins. Great strength creates miracles!

Seeing that there was nothing else, Zu An hurried back, wondering how Xiaoxi was doing. He made his way back to the large tree where they had parted ways, but found no sign of her. Startled, he quickly checked the tree, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he found no bloodstains or torn pieces of Ji Xiaoxi's clothing. She must have climbed down from the tree and left the valley to find help while he was distracting the zombie horde.

His first instinct was to leave the valley and search for her, but he hesitated. So much time had passed that catching up would likely be difficult. The secret realm was only open for ten days, and he needed to find the Traceless Illusion Lotus. Every moment was precious, so turning back to find Ji Xiaoxi now would be a huge waste of time. In any case, barring unforeseen circumstances, Ji Xiaoxi would return to the valley to find him.

Zu An hesitated for a moment, then continued deeper into the valley. Although he knew it was dangerous, as someone who loved reading novels in his past life, he understood that powerful guardians always protected rare treasures. That mysterious zombie army he had just seen was incredibly strong; could they be guarding something? For the sake of his future happiness, any risk was worth taking! So he gritted his teeth and quickly ran deeper into the valley.

He sprinted onward, ready at any moment to summon the Great Wind to counter any potential danger. Perhaps because the army had just passed through, the entire valley was surprisingly calm. He encountered no fierce beasts or zombies along the way. Although he had temporarily lost sight of the army, Zu An wasn't flustered. He could feel a strong, chilling aura, clearly the lingering presence of the army that had just passed. Following this aura, he would eventually find their destination without having to worry about getting too close and being discovered.

After pursuing for another half an hour, his expression suddenly brightened. He faintly heard the familiar heavy footsteps from ahead. He held his breath, focused, and slowed his pace as he followed. Finally, he caught sight of the warrior group. However, the sight before him made him pause. He watched as the warriors, still in neat formation, slowly vanished into a small mountain.