Chapter 29: Rapid Recovery, Breakthrough, Early Stage of the Hairy Zombie!

"You bastard!"

Wufeng was exasperated. He immediately produced a sword made of copper coins. The blade was crafted from eight small Five-Emperor coins, strung together with a red cord. He bit his index finger and smeared a drop of blood across the blade.

Instantly, he stepped into a ritual pace, formed a seal with both hands, and began chanting under his breath. In the blink of an eye, the copper coin sword erupted with golden light and lifted from the ground.

"By command!" Wufeng shouted in a low voice.

*Whoosh!*

With a sharp, piercing whistle, the sword struck toward Qin Feng with lightning speed.

This strike was calculated. If Qin Feng did not dodge, he would certainly be gravely wounded. If he did dodge, he would be forced to stop his attack on the fellow Daoist Qingyun. No matter the choice, Wufeng held the absolute advantage.

To try and kill Daoist Qingyun and drain his blood right in front of him? Did the creature think he was a pushover? He had to admit, having held out this long against his full-force assault, Qin Feng’s strength far exceeded that of a late-stage hopping zombie. But it would end here. This next attack would claim its life, scatter its soul, and reduce it to a puddle of rotten sludge!

"Damn it, it's do or die!"

Facing Wufeng’s strike, Qin Feng gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve. He did not dodge or parry. If the man had the ability to kill him with one sword, so be it. But if he failed, once Qin Feng had drained the blood, it would be Wufeng’s turn to die. If he dodged, he would eventually be killed by Wufeng anyway. Since death was inevitable either way, he might as well gamble. Besides, he was already injured; he could recover quickly by draining blood.

The next second—

*Squelch!*

Qin Feng’s sharp, slender nails easily pierced through Qingyun’s back.

"Arghhh!" Qingyun let out a shrill scream.

*Squelch!*

The copper coin sword also drove into Qin Feng’s back, sinking in several centimeters.

*Sizzle!*

The golden light on the blade began to ferociously corrode his flesh. The intense pain twisted Qin Feng’s stiff features.

"How bold! To not even dodge? Since you wish to die, I shall grant your wish!" Wufeng formed a sword-finger with his right hand and thrust it forward.

*Whoosh!*

The copper coin sword seemed to receive a surge of power, delivering a massive, piercing force that punched straight through Qin Feng’s back and burst out from the left side of his chest.

A charred, smoking hole appeared in his torso. The corrosive power spread like a plague from the wound. Qin Feng felt his corpse energy evaporating rapidly, his spirit and essence quickly withering. Without hesitation, he buried his fangs into Qingyun’s neck and took a deep, forceful gulp.

As the blood entered his body, a surge of immense energy rushed through him. It was like a parched rice paddy finally receiving the nourishment of rain. The hole in his chest began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What?!"
"Impossible!"
"This is absolutely impossible!"

Wufeng’s eyes widened in disbelief. In his mind, even after draining Qingyun’s blood, Qin Feng should have been too severely wounded and dying to survive a chest puncture. He should have been able to finish it off with a casual strike. But now—

This zombie’s recovery speed was simply terrifying.

"No, I cannot let it keep feeding!" Wufeng waved both hands, unleashing dozens of yellow paper talismans of all varieties.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

The talismans tore through the air, all striking Qin Feng. But they were completely ineffective, having no impact whatsoever.

"Damn it, even the Five-Thunder Talisman is useless against it? How can such a monster exist!" Wufeng’s face twitched; he could no longer maintain his composure. He leapt forward, hands forming a seal, and slammed a palm strike toward Qin Feng.

But the next second, he broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly retracted his hand. He had noticed many sharp, hair-like needles on Qin Feng’s body. They had pierced through his Daoist robes like silver needles. Had he struck with his palm, he surely would have been impaled and infected with corpse poison. He had encountered "Furry Zombies" before, but never had he seen one with hair as sharp as needles.

Watching Qin Feng’s injuries heal and his strength continue to climb, Wufeng grew truly desperate. He snatched another yellow talisman from his robes, performed a ritual, and chanted. The paper burst into flames, transforming into a fireball.

"By command!" Wufeng barked.

The fireball shot toward Qin Feng. The zombie, distracted by feeding, could not dodge in time and was struck squarely by the flames. Fire instantly engulfed his entire body.

However, a thick, dense mist of corpse energy surged from Qin Feng’s body.

*Sizzle!*

The corpse energy acted like water, dousing the talisman fire instantly.

Seeing that the fireball had failed, Wufeng flicked his right hand. The golden, shimmering copper coin sword banked in the air and flew back.

"Let’s see if you heal faster than I can wound you!" Wufeng pointed at Qin Feng.

*Whoosh!*

The sword whistled through the air, charging at Qin Feng. Sensing the danger, Qin Feng no longer remained passive. While continuing to drain blood, he stepped into his own ritual pace and began to dodge.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

The copper coin sword danced through the air, but every time, it missed Qin Feng by a hair’s breadth.

"Who on earth taught it the ritual pace?" Wufeng’s expression turned grim to the point of blackness. The zombie’s mastery of the footwork was far too skilled.

By now, Qin Feng’s injuries had fully healed. The energy from the blood was now being channeled entirely into increasing his strength. The hair on his body began to grow wildly, shredding his Daoist robes into rags. He looked like a human porcupine. His scarlet, zombified eyes slowly shifted to a ghostly blue. A powerful aura began to radiate from his frame.

"No, it’s breaking through to the Furry Zombie stage!" Wufeng’s heart sank. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and fled.

The copper coin sword could not hit him. The talismans were useless. Setting up a formation would take too much time, and he doubted a talisman array would stop this monster. If he were outside, he could use lightning arts, but here in the cavern, the heavenly thunder could not penetrate the rock. If he didn't run now, he wouldn't be able to run later.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Even as he fled, he didn't forget to hurl a dozen more yellow talismans. They struck the remaining Black Zombies.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The talismans exploded, and the zombies were torn to pieces as if hit by cannon shells. Such was the power of Taoist talismans. It was a pity they were useless against Qin Feng, effectively cutting off one of the Taoist master's arms.

"ROAR!!!"

Just as Wufeng had escaped less than ten meters away, Qin Feng let out an earth-shaking roar toward the heavens. The tough hair all over his body had grown to over ten centimeters long. Suddenly, the hair softened and began to sway in the air without wind, making Qin Feng look like a long-haired demon. A flash of black light flickered in his ghostly blue eyes.

Hearing the piercing screech, Wufeng shuddered, his face turning ghostly white as he increased his speed.

"Hhh-!"

After the roar, Qin Feng exhaled a puff of corpse energy. He examined the changes in his body and offered a wry smile. Was this a Furry Zombie? The hair was simply too long. It covered his face, and the hair on his legs dragged on the ground. He had finally regained a human-like form, only to be turned into a monster again.

"It would be better if the hair were shorter," Qin Feng thought to himself.

At that moment, the hair began to retract on its own.

"Huh?" A look of surprise crossed Qin Feng’s eyes. "I can control it?"

Qin Feng focused his intent. In the next second, the hair retracted further, eventually returning to a normal length.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, the retracted hair grew back instantly, becoming stiff, ten-centimeter-long silver needles.

"Excellent! The hair is indeed under my control, and I can make it stiff or soft. If I fight an enemy and they get too close, I can let the hair grow instantly—wouldn't that impale them on the spot?"

Qin Feng suppressed his excitement and made the hair shrink back to normal.

"If only I could control the nails as well."

No sooner had he sighed than the sharp, long nails retracted into his fingers. It was as if they had been absorbed; when he flexed his fingers, he felt nothing, as if they weren't there at all. Without the obstruction of the nails, his ten fingers felt much more nimble. If nothing else, his speed in forming seals would be at least twice as fast as before.

As he shifted his intent, the nails grew out once more.

"Is this the transformation my body undergoes after breaking through to the Furry Zombie stage? This is too monstrous!"

Qin Feng’s heart raced with exhilaration. He didn't know why this was happening, but as long as it wasn't a bad thing, it was fine by him.

Regaining his focus, Qin Feng looked at the distant, fleeing figure of Wufeng, leapt forward, and gave chase. Wufeng had tried to kill him; now, it was his turn to kill Wufeng.