Chapter 106: Chapter 102: Just Slaying a Foundation Establishment, Is It That Difficult?

"Oh, right!" Luo Jinyu exclaimed as if snapping out of a daze. "Contact the Sect! We have to contact the Sect!"

As he spoke, he struggled to his feet and stumbled toward the only Communication Array in the hut.

Du Youqian didn’t stop him, his eyes fixed on the small figure slowly approaching the hut through the swirling sand.

Of course, the image transmitted by the Tier Two Defensive Array was nowhere near as clear as a high-definition security camera.

Much like the graphics in an early computer game, it was full of jagged, blurry edges, showing only a vague, rough outline.

Du Youqian roughly estimated that the creature was a little smaller than a hound.

But he couldn’t make out exactly what kind of creature it was.

It was just that its gait was truly bizarre—the joints in its limbs didn’t seem to bend at all, which was unspeakably strange.

’But since it’s a zombie, that’s not so surprising. That’s how zombies walk, isn’t it?’

In Momenan, the Zombie Dao wasn’t popular. In fact, not a single prominent Sect followed the path of Corpse Refinement.

However, its Inheritance had not been completely lost, merely incomplete, as Du Youqian had read in numerous records.

’Still, one question remains. If this really is just an ordinary Demon Zombie, why is Luo Jinyu so terrified? After all, he’s a Qi Cultivation Middle Stage disciple from one of the First-class Sects, not some clueless Loose Cultivator who’s never seen anything.’

’Even if it’s a Demon Zombie at the Foundation Establishment Realm, it’s just a bit more durable. It has no sentience and can’t use Magic, so how could it possibly penetrate deep into a Tier Two Defensive Array and threaten me?’

’What on earth is he so afraid of?’

"Damn it! The sandstorm is too strong, it’s interfering with the Communication Array! We can’t contact the Sect! Brother Yu, what do we do? What do we do? We have to run! Before it’s too late!" Luo Jinyu was flailing his arms and legs—not out of joy, of course, but sheer panic.

"Calm down!" Du Youqian shouted. "Sit down. Don’t panic. I’m going to ask you some questions, and you’re going to answer them one by one."

Luo Jinyu blinked, his eyes filled with bewilderment and terror, but he obediently did as he was told and sat down in silence.

Du Youqian didn’t question him immediately. Instead, he first took out three Copper Coin Spiritual Artifacts and performed a divination for himself.

To his surprise, though it made sense on reflection, the result was the "Obstruction" hexagram.

Broadly speaking, the Obstruction hexagram signified that he was facing hardship, setbacks, and danger.

It called for forbearance and retreat.

Only by enduring and weathering the disaster could the obstruction give way to fortune.

If that were all there was to it, then no matter what he was facing, Du Youqian knew he shouldn’t take the lead. He should retreat and wait for rescue.

However, the hexagram Du Youqian had divined had two changing lines: the Nine in the Fourth Place and the Top Nine.

Nine in the Fourth Place: "A mandate is given, bringing no blame. Comrades share in the good fortune."

Top Nine: "The obstruction is overturned. First obstruction, then joy."

When there are two changing lines, one should prioritize the text of the uppermost changing line to interpret the entire hexagram.

And according to the text of the Top Nine, this moment was a major turning point in Du Youqian’s destiny.

There were difficulties and dangers ahead, but a turning point would soon come, followed by a streak of good fortune.

After a moment of contemplation, Du Youqian decided he should take the initiative and seize this fateful opportunity.

After all, the Obstruction hexagram is composed of Earth below and Heaven above.

This composition implied initiative and self-strengthening.

’As Heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must the superior man ceaselessly strengthen himself!’

"Junior Luo! Luo Jinyu!" Du Youqian called out sharply.

He even employed a technique from a Secret Technique, his voice striking directly at the other man’s mind.

Luo Jinyu jolted, and the scattered, bewildered look in his eyes sharpened back into focus.

"Brother Yu!"

"Tell me everything you know about this Demon Zombie. Don’t leave a single detail out."

"Yes." As if he had found his pillar of support, Luo Jinyu gradually calmed down and began to speak in a clear, organized manner.

Du Youqian listened in silence, summarizing the information in his head.

’First, this Demon Zombie is incredibly strong, its body tougher than even a Lower Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact. It can’t use Magic, but it can typically use Divine Abilities.’

’Even the weakest Demon Zombie ever encountered required an Inner Disciple at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, aided by an array, just to fight it. The more powerful ones have even required a Core Formation Elder to be dispatched to handle them.’

’They typically appear once every ten or twenty years; there’s never been an appearance after such a short interval.’

’The first appearance was about a thousand years ago. The Sect must have sealed the relevant records, so the information is only passed down by word-of-mouth or discussed among the senior members.’

"Oh, and last year, when that thing appeared," Luo Jinyu added, "I overheard the Foundation Establishment Martial Uncle who came to help us mutter, ’A Demon Zombie? So these things actually exist.’"

Du Youqian asked, "You mean that before last year, that Foundation Establishment Martial Uncle had never seen a Demon Zombie? That he didn’t even believe such a thing existed?"

Luo Jinyu nodded emphatically. "I’m positive. In fact, I asked Brother Zhang about it later, and he said he’d never heard of Demons, much less Demon Zombies. No one in the Sect talks about them, and I’ve never seen them mentioned in any books."

Du Youqian fell into thought again.

’Demons... he had actually seen them mentioned in the records of the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect, but the entries weren’t detailed.’

’And the term used in those records was "Demon Race."’

’Of course, a "Demon" is probably the same thing as the "Demon Race," just a different name.’

’This is strange.’

’Didn’t the records say that the Demon Race in Momenan went extinct long ago?’ 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

’So why does a member of the Demon Race appear here every ten or twenty years?’

’And what’s more, when I accepted the mission this year, the briefing explicitly mentioned the word "Demon."’

’Apparently, the Sect is no longer hiding this information from the disciples.’

’Did something major happen this past year?’

"What happened to the Demon’s corpse afterward?"

Luo Jinyu replied, "The Foundation Establishment Martial Uncle took it with him, of course."

Du Youqian continued to ponder in silence.

’Do all members of the Demon Race normally possess Divine Abilities?’

’And can they still use those same abilities after dying and becoming a zombie?’

’How powerful are these Divine Abilities?’

’I’ve read in the records that Divine Abilities possess immense power, far beyond what mere Magic can achieve.’

’Even though I’m strong, and I’m confident I wouldn’t lose to a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Inner Disciple from a Major Sect, I’m not sure I can stand up to Divine Abilities.’

’But then again, the hexagram showed that the danger would soon pass like a cloud of smoke, and that obstruction would give way to prosperity.’

’Should I take the initiative and confront it?’

Du Youqian wasn’t the type to blindly trust the results of divination.

He put more faith in his own analysis and judgment.

After carefully weighing his options for a moment, he came to a conclusion. ’The risk to me should be minimal.’

’A horse can’t get fat without extra fodder at night, and a man can’t get rich without a windfall. When you have to take a risk, you take it. How many chances like this does a person get in life!’

Although Du Youqian had made his decision, he didn’t mindlessly charge out.

Instead, he continued to observe patiently.

Luo Jinyu asked cautiously from the side, "Brother Yu, are we going to run?"

Du Youqian shook his head and smiled. "Run? Why would we run?"

Luo Jinyu’s face went pale with anxiety. "But Brother Yu, you haven’t even reached Foundation Establishment!"

"I haven’t reached Foundation Establishment, that’s true. So what?"

"But according to the feedback from the Grand Array, this Demon has the combat strength of someone in the Foundation Establishment Early or Middle Stage!"

Du Youqian just smiled. "Slaying something at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Is that supposed to be difficult?"