Chapter 161: Surface Brothers

Chu Chuyan was both angry and anxious. "How can you joke at a time like this?"

As Zu An dodged the spearman's next attack, he said, "I'm already injured, so of course, I need to maximize the benefits. Otherwise, my injuries would be for nothing, wouldn't they?"

Chu Chuyan was speechless. She truly couldn't keep up with his erratic train of thought. Was this what a normal person thought about at a time like this?

Though Zu An spoke lightheartedly, he quickly swallowed a Blood Replenishing Pill. In his current severely injured and vulnerable state, another spear hit would likely be fatal. As the Blood Replenishing Pill took effect, a warm current spread through his entire body. Though not as instantaneous as a miracle cure, he could feel his wounds steadily mending throughout his body, and his spirits lifted considerably.

Zu An couldn't help but feel grateful that he had teamed up with Ji Xiaoxi earlier. If she hadn't given him so many elixirs refined by the divine physician Ji, he would likely be long dead and cold by now.

With his physical strength somewhat restored, Zu An gathered his full concentration, picked up his spear, and resumed his struggle against the zombies. Though zombies fell one by one to his spear, his right arm, which held the weapon, was nearing its limit. He didn't know how much time had passed; his spear had been blunted multiple times, forcing him to snatch new ones from his fallen foes. Finally, the dozens of spearmen surrounding him all collapsed to the ground.

Zu An plunged his spear into the ground, leaning on it to keep from falling. He was panting heavily, his face flushed, and his chest heaving rapidly. The hair at his temples was soaked with sweat, and many fine beads of sweat even dripped like rain onto the beauty in his arms.

Chu Chuyan lay in his arms, carefully observing the man who had desperately protected her. She knew that without the burden of her presence, given the agility and speed he had just demonstrated, escaping safely would not have been an issue for him.

Is this what it feels like to be protected?

She had always been the one protecting the Chu clan and others, yet now she was being protected by a man in this manner. Though his strength was clearly not exceptional, the powerful will and unyielding spirit he displayed stirred something within her that she had never experienced before. The blood and sweat on his body had nearly soaked half of her clothing, and that fierce, resolute masculine aura made her heart pound involuntarily.

Seeing him look down at her, Chu Chuyan quickly and unnaturally averted her gaze.

"Fortunately, these are dealt with. If there were any more, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on," Zu An said. No sooner had the words left his lips than his expression suddenly changed, for he heard another series of orderly footsteps.

He abruptly looked up and saw another squad of zombie warriors emerging from the cave entrance. This time, however, they wielded longswords instead of spears. Feeling that the aura they exuded was more oppressive than the previous spearmen, Shi Kun's face, far off, also changed. "Zu, you're a damn jinx!"

Rage points from Shi Kun +666!

Zu An was speechless for a moment. It seemed he really shouldn't have tempted fate; he was proven wrong so quickly. First axe-wielding warriors, then spearmen, and now longsword-wielders. Are we playing Civilization V?

Damn it!

Zu An cursed under his breath, but slowly rose to his feet. His hand, gripping the spear tightly, trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the muscle fatigue and tremors of overexertion.

"Please put me down quickly," she urged. "There might still be a chance to escape. You've already saved me so many times, and I'm truly grateful from the bottom of my heart. But there's really no need to keep going. Even if I don't die by their hands, I won't live much longer. You really don't need to die with me." As they held each other tightly, Chu Chuyan could clearly feel the slight trembling of his muscles. She knew he was at his limit and would have no chance against this new batch of sword-wielding zombies.

"You don't need to say anything more. You're my wife; how could I abandon you?" Zu An forced a strained smile. "Of course, if you truly want to help me, a kiss might just unleash some hidden potential."

Chu Chuyan was speechless. At a time like this, he's still so brazen!

Zu An was about to say something else, but the zombie swordsmen gave him no chance. They rushed forward, brandishing their longswords, moving at least one-third faster than the previous spearmen. Alarmed, Zu An hastily raised his spear to block.

With a clang, the spear shaft collided with a longsword. Zu An felt a sharp pain in the web of his hand, and the immense impact nearly made him lose his grip. The individual combat power of these swordsmen had probably reached the fourth rank! Normally, in his berserk state, Zu An's strength and speed would have surpassed theirs. But he was severely wounded and had fought for too long, leaving his body utterly exhausted. With his decline and their fresh strength, the spear in his hand was nearly knocked away.

At that moment, several other swordsmen attacked like shadows. Zu An swung his spear, parrying left and right, barely managing to deflect their longsword attacks. But then, one of the swordsmen suddenly kicked him, sending him flying over ten feet away. The immense force to his chest sent Zu An's internal qi into disarray, leaving him gasping for breath. The nearby swordsmen gave him no respite, hacking at him relentlessly.

Just as he saw there was no escape, a green shadow appeared before him, swiftly weaving a large net of vines that shielded him from the blades raining down from all directions. Zu An was stunned, looking at the pretty girl beside him.

Qiao Xueying glared at him. "What are you staring at? I wasn't saving *you*. Though, speaking of it, you now owe me two lives."

Zu An replied with a grin, "My lady, I, this handsome man, have no way to repay your great kindness, so I can only offer myself to you."

Qiao Xueying's face reddened. While fending off the surrounding swordsmen's attacks, she retorted angrily, "I'll tear that filthy mouth of yours apart sooner or later!"

Rage points from Qiao Xueying +233!

Zu An laughed. "You haven't tasted it, so how would you know if it's 'filthy'?"

Qiao Xueying was speechless.

Chu Chuyan was speechless.

Qiao Xueying finally couldn't hold back. "If you've recovered, get up quickly! I can't hold on much longer."

The zombies that had just been attacking her and Shi Kun were no fewer than those Zu An had faced, and perhaps even more. While her wood-element life force offered some restraint against zombies, the necromantic energy in the area also suppressed her strength. After a bitter struggle, she, too, was nearing exhaustion. As longswords rained down from all directions, her vines began to wither.

Just as the vines were on the verge of collapsing, Zu An's spear became a cold blur, thrusting out over a dozen times in an instant, impaling the nearest zombie swordsmen.

Qiao Xueying gasped in surprise. "You... how could you..." The speed and strength he had just displayed seemed not only fully restored but even surpassed his previous peak.

Zu An shrugged. "Nothing I can do. I just leveled up mid-fight."

The reason he was momentarily dazed and unable to retaliate after falling was not only due to his scattered qi but also because he realized he had broken through. The Phoenix Nirvana Sutra allows one's cultivation to advance when taking hits. He had sustained numerous injuries in previous battles, accumulating a significant amount of golden substance within his internal array. The heavy kick he just received finally filled his fourth array completely. While leveling up a minor realm wasn't as exaggerated as a full health and mana restoration in a game, it did somewhat recover his qi, blood, and injuries, which was why he was now full of energy again.

Qiao Xueying was speechless.

Chu Chuyan was speechless.

Shi Kun in the distance was speechless.

They were unaware of the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra's existence. For them, breaking through a minor cultivation level was extraordinarily difficult, so the idea of just "leveling up mid-fight" was incomprehensible. Especially Zu An's perfectly normal tone at that moment, which made him seem utterly insufferable.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying +211!

Rage points from Shi Kun +444!

Zu An thought to himself that his dear wife was indeed the best, showing no jealousy about his strength increasing, unlike those other two, who were just rotten.

"Huh, why didn't I receive rage points from that fourth-rank martial artist?" Zu An curiously glanced toward Shi Kun's side, only to be astonished to find that the fourth-rank martial artist had already been pinned to a wall, his body covered in wounds. He must have been hacked to death in the recent chaotic battle. His eyes were wide open, clearly unwilling to die in peace. "Why him? A mere third-rank cultivator is thriving here, while I, a dignified high-stage fourth-rank, was taken out so quickly?"

Damn it!

Based on the dead man's expression, Zu An had already imagined his final thoughts. It was a pity the situation had been too critical just now; he hadn't had time to check his system's backend to see if the guy had contributed any rage points.

With several whooshes of air, the group of swordsmen once again surrounded them from all directions. Zu An activated Sunflower Phantasm, weaving directly through the zombie horde, his spear striking intermittently. Unfortunately, these swordsmen had better defenses. Every one of his attacks was blocked by another swordsman, often requiring over a dozen thrusts to kill just one.

*Swish, swish...*

Suddenly, several sharp whooshing sounds cut through the air. Zu An's heart tightened as he noticed several arrows flying towards him and Chu Chuyan from different directions. Seven or eight archers had appeared in the distance. He hastily used his spear to deflect the arrows, but Zu An's heart plummeted. His greatest fear had finally materialized.

He had witnessed the archers' prowess back in the valley. Though their numbers were few now, their coordinated attacks with the longsword-wielders at both close and long range had trapped him in a completely defensive position. Everything that followed confirmed his premonition. Several times he was on the verge of killing a swordsman, only to be forced to withdraw his spear and defend against a sudden volley of arrows. When he tried to rush the archers, he was immediately blocked by the dense ranks of swordsmen.

He was forced to rely on Sunflower Phantasm to weave through the swordsmen, using their bodies to dodge arrows fired from cunning angles. With longswords swinging from all directions on top of that, he could only passively dodge, dodge, and dodge again, unable to mount any counterattack. He knew that if he continued to be passively beaten like this, he would eventually be finished. Once his qi was exhausted or he was slightly distracted, he would either be riddled with arrows or hacked to pieces by swords.

"Brother Rib," Zu An called out, "why don't you lend a hand? We're all in the same boat now, so why not put aside our past grudges and help each other?" He cursed inwardly, wondering why these archers were targeting only him and not Shi Kun and the others.

Shi Kun, who had long been observing the situation on Zu An's side, burst into laughter upon hearing him. "Brother Zu's divine power is unparalleled, and his movement technique is exquisite," he sneered. "Dealing with these must be child's play for you. I won't embarrass myself by interfering."