As Ye Wuji realized the figure rising before him was actually a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his mind was instantly thrown into frenzy.
Should he run? Or should he try to fight?
He had two corpse soldiers, both at the Qi Refining Fourth Stage, while the zombie was clearly stronger—yes—but still just another zombie cultivator. Like the others he'd encountered, it was driven purely by instinct.
No intelligence.
No refined spiritual awareness.
Only crude, use of its body.
It looked… manageable.
In the end, Ye Wuji gritted his teeth.
"Let's try it. I'm not about to leave all those treasures here to rot."
If things turned sour, he could always abandon his corpse soldiers to slow the zombie cultivator down and escape without hesitation. The altar above worked as a seal—so, once he got out, he could simply lock the way behind him.
He gave his commands swiftly.
"You—guard me!" he snapped at the first corpse soldier.
"You—drop the torch, circle around him and try to hit him from behind!"
The second corpse soldier obeyed without a sound, placing the flickering torch on the ground before slipping into the shadows.
Meanwhile, Ye Wuji focused entirely on the zombie cultivator, now fully risen to its feet. Its eyes glowed with a faint red light, and a wave of pressure pulsed from its body like a silent roar of dominance.
It didn't speak.
It didn't hesitate.
It simply charged.
The ground shook under its steps.
"Now!" Ye Wuji shouted.
The front corpse soldier met it head-on—fists against fists—but was instantly overwhelmed. With a brutal swipe, the zombie cultivator knocked it aside, sending its undead body crashing into the stone wall.
But that was enough.
The second corpse soldier leapt from the shadows, slashing at the zombie cultivator's exposed back.
Flesh tore.
Rotten black blood splashed.
The zombie cultivator shrieked—more out of reflex than pain—and turned around with uncanny speed, lashing out. Its strike crushed into the second corpse soldier's chest, shattering bones. But Ye Wuji had already moved.
He rushed forward, Qi racing through his meridians as he activated one of his martial art techniques.
"Heartburst Fist!"
He drove his palm forward, fire condensing at his knuckles, and struck the zombie's chest with precision.
Boom!
The impact landed like a muffled explosion. A shockwave of crimson flame burst through the zombie cultivator's torso, and a sizzling sound echoed through the chamber. The creature staggered back, smoke rising from its cracked, half-burned ribs.
"Still standing…" Ye Wuji muttered, tense. "That didn't finish you?"
He stepped back, panting. The Heartburst Fist had drained a huge chunk of his Qi.
"Shit… I can't waste any more time or energy. Maybe I should run in the end."
Just then, the first corpse soldier—previously flung aside—reappeared. It rushed in from behind, smashing its fists into the zombie's back. The blow made the creature stagger, its spine slightly arching forward.
But the zombie cultivator reacted instantly, slamming an elbow into the corpse soldier's skull. The corpse soldier was flung aside, its head caved in from the force of the blow.
Ye Wuji forced his breath to steady, his eyes locked on the target. He could feel it—this was his chance.
He had to strike now, before the creature turned its full focus back on him if he wanted to have chance in killing it.
His fingers curled, Qi surging around his arm like a storm.
"Bloodflame Claw!"
His fingers ignited in blazing crimson flames, and his Qi flared violently. Pain raced through his meridians as this technique drained his Qi greedily, but he endured it.
With a single step, he closed the distance and slashed.
The claw tore across the zombie's chest.
Flesh melted. Blood sizzled.
The creature staggered, its chest ablaze with a flame that refused to die—it fed on blood essence, devouring it with every beat of the zombie's heart.
Ye Wuji didn't let up.
He slashed again.
And again.
And again.
By the fourth strike, the zombie cultivator finally collapsed, smoke rising from the ruin of its charred body. Its red eyes flickered, but then finally faded into lifeless gray.
It was over.
Ye Wuji dropped to one knee, gasping for air. His Qi pool felt completely drained out, and his fingers trembled, scorched by the burning strain of the Bloodflame Claw.
But then… something surged.
A familiar wave of energy flowed into him from the corpse.
Spirit fragments.
Only this time, there were far more of them than ever before. It was as if something in him leapt forward by an entire realm, closer to some elusive threshold. He could feel it now, he was close to reaching the crude spiritual sense, the signature trait of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
And that wasn't all.
As the energy settled, so did knowledge—memories that weren't his flooded in. Among them was something familiar yet new: a technique. The evolved form of Heartburst Fist—a version for a higher realm.
"Soulburn Fist"
Even the name made his blood stir. But sadly, he couldn't even use it. Not until he stepped into Foundation Establishment Realm himself.
He stared down at the still-smoking corpse, panting.
"If even that didn't kill it… I'd be the one lying dead here," he muttered, sweat dripping from his face.
Slowly, he rose to his feet, gaze still lingering on the charred remains.
"But in the end," he said, a grin forming on his lips, "this gamble paid off."
"The treasure vault is mine. And as a bonus… I've got the corpse of a Foundation Establishment cultivator for a corpse soldier refinement."
"Though the value is less than if I managed to caught him alive."
"After all, Dead corpses lose a higher portion of their strength during their refinement compared to the refinement of the still living ones."
"Still, it's enough." Ye Wuji sighed.
"With this, I should be able to refine a Rank 2 Corpse Soldier," he mused aloud. "And this vault… it's perfect for a base. With the sealing altar above, it might just be the safest place in the entire city and sect's fortress."
He turned and approached one of his corpse soldiers—the one with the crushed skull. Ye Wuji sighed.
The body was mangled beyond repair. Broken bones, a shattered head… completely motionless.
Then he checked on the second one—the one that had attacked only once and from behind. It was still intact, despite taking a heavy hit. A few broken ribs, but otherwise fine.
For a corpse soldier, that kind of damage was almost nothing with enough time to recover.
Ye Wuji looked at the corpse soldier and tilted his head slightly.
"…Maybe I should give you a name," he said aloud. "You actually survived this battle with me. And it will also make it easier to command you in the future."
He thought for a moment.
"Hmm… I've got it. From now on, your name will be… Si Wei."
He slightly altered the control seal within it's with a few quick gestures.
And Si Wei stood up, bowed low before his master, and let out a deep, guttural roar—his approval loud and clear.