Chapter 44#

The End-Times Heavenly Master Who Knows Nothing of the World#

Qin Yi and the other drove in the direction Pan Rongxi had indicated, but not the slightest trace of Jiang Sile or Mu Fei could be found. Night was falling, and continuing to search like this was getting them nowhere.

Out of worry for his childhood friend, Qin Yi grew visibly anxious. He clenched his right fist and slammed it hard against the steering wheel. “Dammit!”

“Try using divine sense to search the vicinity,” Lu Heng said.

“Divine sense?” Qin Yi didn’t quite understand.

“What you all call spiritual power.”

“No good — I already tried before we left. They don’t seem to be anywhere nearby.” Qin Yi had searched with his spiritual power before setting out. He figured Jiang Sile had concealed a high-performance vehicle in his storage space, and the two of them had already fled far away.

“Your method of using divine sense is too crude.” Lu Heng rummaged through the small bundle at his waist, pulled out a jade slip, and tossed it to Qin Yi. “Press it against your forehead and probe into it with your spiritual power.”

Qin Yi stopped the car and did as Lu Heng instructed. Within the jade slip was a technique for manipulating divine sense. Although the volume of information was enormous, for a psychic-type evoker like Qin Yi, it wasn’t too difficult to comprehend.

“Evokers have qi within their bodies. Wherever they go, if they don’t deliberately suppress it, traces of their qi will remain behind.” After seeing that Qin Yi had finished absorbing the technique from the jade slip, Lu Heng continued, “Try to sense the traces of qi left behind by Mu Fei.”

Qin Yi closed his eyes and, following the method described in the jade slip, divided his spiritual power into fine threads, weaving them into a vast net that slowly spread outward. The spiritual power, divided into such fine filaments, became far more sensitive to qi — every trace left in the air that hadn’t yet dissipated, the qi of evokers, the demonic energy of zombies, all were visible in exquisite detail.

“Found it.” Among those thousands upon thousands of qi traces, Qin Yi located the pale green thread belonging to Mu Fei, the wood-type evoker. However, the direction this qi indicated didn’t quite match what Pan Rongxi had said.

Qin Yi started the car, turned around, and followed that thread of qi. He hadn’t driven more than a few meters when the car suddenly veered sharply, then screeched to a halt.

“You should track Mu Fei’s qi instead. This manipulation method is too mentally taxing — driving while tracking at the same time, and I’m afraid I’ll drive us into a ditch.” Qin Yi pressed his right foot hard against the brake as he spoke.

“I cultivate the Sword Path. I’m not skilled at manipulating divine sense.” Lu Heng was silent for a moment before finally, somewhat reluctantly, uttering those words that rather blemished a senior brother’s dignity.

The Sword Path was a path of undivided focus. One needed a mind free of distractions to comprehend the highest and purest sword intent. The more concentrated one’s focus, the more powerful the sword intent one could grasp. Thus, those who cultivated the Sword Path generally relied solely on that one sword — they did not practice spells, and their divine sense was entirely wound around their blade.

“Then you drive.” Seeing that Lu Heng looked somewhat awkward, Qin Yi quickly offered the next solution.

Lu Heng was even less pleased. He said nothing, merely staring at Qin Yi.

When Qin Yi met that accusatory gaze, he finally realized — this person in front of him had never even eaten instant noodles, so how could he possibly know how to drive? “I’ll teach you. With your agility, you’ll pick up this automatic transmission car in no time.”

There was no time for Qin Yi to explain what the accelerator and brake were, let alone slowly go over everything. When it came to driving, practical experience was the fastest method.

Qin Yi directly had Lu Heng sit in the driver’s seat, grabbed his wrist, and sent his spiritual power in. Empathy — this was the technique he had just learned from the jade slip. Through spiritual power, one could share a fragment of one’s own memory and sensation with the other party. Qin Yi shared his memories and muscle feel for driving with Lu Heng.

Ten thousand waves surged in his mind. Only those words could describe Lu Heng’s state at that moment. He suddenly grabbed Qin Yi’s hand tightly.

Everyone’s divine sense was different, because divine sense was the outward manifestation of the divine soul. Conversely, so long as it was the same divine soul, then its divine sense would necessarily be identical. Although Lu Heng had previously used his divine sense to guide Qin Yi into the doorway of cultivation, at that time Qin Yi’s qi had only been circulating on its own, without bearing a distinct divine soul imprint.

This time was different. The moment Qin Yi’s divine sense probed in, Lu Heng recognized that familiar divine soul.

“Shi…”

【Warning, warning! OOC threshold warning! Little Lu, calm down — once you’re kicked out, it’ll be hard to meet again!】The little assistant jumped out at the critical moment.

Qin Yi looked over in confusion.

“Shi… Junior Brother, do not carelessly probe your divine sense into other cultivators’ bodies.” Lu Heng released his hand. “It could trigger the other party’s divine sense to counterattack on its own.”

“…So there’ll come a day when someone calls you Junior Brother.” Qin Yi was thoroughly choked up. Whether it had been back at the compound or later when he enlisted, he had always been the one others called “brother.” He never expected there would be a day when someone called him Junior Brother.

Lu Heng quickly mastered the driving techniques, and the two set off once more. But Lu Heng couldn’t quite focus — his gaze kept drifting sideways against his will. Fortunately, to concentrate on tracking the qi traces, Qin Yi had closed his eyes; otherwise, the little assistant would probably have popped out again with another OOC warning.

“I’ve got it!” Qin Yi opened his eyes. “They’re right ahead in Q County.”

Q County was an uncleared small county town, located in a remote area with inconvenient transportation. It happened to sit nestled among surrounding mountains, and whether entering or leaving, the only route was a single narrow mountain road. After the end-times virus broke out, the entire county’s population was essentially locked inside a box with only a crack to the outside. Very few managed to escape, and even those lucky enough to awaken abilities died in the sea of zombies, ultimately becoming part of their ranks.

Evokers who turned into zombies were stronger and evolved faster. Q County’s unique situation made it one of the several notorious danger zones. Rumor had it that at the very top of Q County’s zombie hierarchy was a Level 9 psychic-type zombie.

Psychic-type zombies weren’t fast, weren’t strong, and didn’t have skin so hard that bullets couldn’t pierce it. Yet they were the type of zombie everyone least wanted to encounter. Psychic shock and psychic control made their danger level far surpass that of other same-tier zombies.

Qin Yi understood immediately — Jiang Sile must be after the grain depot in Q County. Q County’s terrain made it easy to defend and hard to attack, and in the strategic design of this region, it was intended as a fortress-like stronghold for wartime defense. Thus, a large grain depot had been built in Q County. Coupled with Q County’s rapid descent into a zombie gathering ground after the apocalypse, this grain depot naturally hadn’t been touched in the slightest.

After explaining all the reasoning to Lu Heng, the two had arrived at the start of the mountain road leading into Q County. And there, on that mountain road, zombies were packed together so densely they were shoulder to shoulder.

Lu Heng braked to an immediate stop. Fortunately, they were still far enough away that they hadn’t attracted those zombies’ attention.

“Breath Concealment Technique.”

Though he wasn’t yet accustomed to thinking in terms of cultivator methods, upon hearing Lu Heng’s words, Qin Yi reacted with remarkable speed and cast the Breath Concealment Technique.

The two got out of the car and found a hidden spot to take cover.

“The situation isn’t right — more than half of Q County’s zombies seem to have gathered here.” Qin Yi probed the area slightly.

“I sense a very powerful aura nearby.” Lu Heng’s instincts sent him a warning.

Although Qin Yi hadn’t detected anything, for some reason he completely trusted Lu Heng’s instincts. Sure enough, after further careful investigation, Qin Yi discovered something amiss.

“That Level 9 zombie seems to be somewhere nearby,” Qin Yi said. “That Level 9 zombie has always stayed holed up in its lair and never went anywhere. How could it suddenly show up outside Q County?”

But before Qin Yi could think further, he felt a disturbance in Mu Fei’s qi. “Not good — Mu Fei and the others are in danger.”

In Qin Yi’s perception, Mu Fei and Jiang Sile were trapped in the grain depot by a massive horde of zombies. Mu Fei had used vines to tightly bind the depot’s main gate. Fortunately, the grain depot’s windows were built very high, so as long as they held the main gate, they could ensure it wouldn’t be breached. The question was how much longer Mu Fei’s ability could hold out.

Qin Yi wanted to rush to their rescue, but the zombies ahead blocked the path. If he cleared all those zombies before entering Q County, Jiang Sile and Mu Fei would likely be cold corpses by then.

“Is there any way to lure that Level 9 zombie out?” Qin Yi believed Lu Heng would have some unexpected method — after all, he had already witnessed the wondrousness of these cultivation arts.

“Compress your divine sense into a single point, then release it in a sudden burst. That demonic human will instinctively resist,” Lu Heng said.

Qin Yi did as he was told. The method proved remarkably effective — Qin Yi immediately locked onto the psychic zombie’s location.

“Let’s go kill that Level 9 zombie.”

Qin Yi’s rescue strategy was simple: lay siege to Wei to rescue Zhao. Kill the Level 9 zombie controlling the horde, and the zombies gathered outside the grain depot would naturally disperse on their own. If Qin Yi had been alone, he certainly would not have attempted something as foolhardy as going up against a Level 9 zombie.

But this time, with Lu Heng at his side — someone whose strength surpassed his own — he naturally wouldn’t let such a golden opportunity pass.

The two followed the Level 9 zombie’s trail and crept over. Perhaps controlling the zombie army was too draining, because the two had already spotted the Level 9 zombie’s figure while it still hadn’t noticed them.

The Level 9 zombie was small and thin, with a disproportionately huge head — it looked somewhat comically absurd. It sat atop a massive boulder, with several dozen high-level zombies encircling it below.

“This zombie has sharp vigilance.” Qin Yi calculated their respective strengths. “My fire-type ability is suited for group attacks — leave all those high-level zombies to me. The Level 9 zombie is yours.”

With its minions gone, this psychic zombie’s strength would be reduced by more than half. Lu Heng was fast with explosive power — dealing with it wouldn’t be difficult.

After a brief huddle, the two sneak ed to an ideal position.

They struck with sudden ferocity.

Qin Yi brought his hands together, and a fireball the size of a basketball appeared between them. He thrust both hands forward, and the fireball flew straight toward the Level 9 zombie. That Level 9 zombie reacted quickly, retreating in an instant. A high-level zombie beside it blocked the fireball with its body. The fireball detonated, and the high-level zombie had half its body blown apart.

The Level 9 zombie flew into a rage. Half of the high-level zombies swarmed forward. After a moment, seeing its zombies being killed off one by one by Qin Yi, it waved its hand, leaving only two zombies by its side. The rest all charged forward in a full-on siege, determined to take out this audacious evoker in the shortest time possible.

The opportunity.

Lu Heng moved with ghost-like speed. With a flicker, he appeared behind a high-level zombie. His blade rose and fell — a rotting head tumbled to the ground. Just as his sword was about to follow through and cleave the next zombie lunging at him, a sharp pain suddenly pierced through his mind.

Lu Heng’s consciousness wavered for an instant, but his body reacted reflexively — he raised his hand, and the wooden sword in his grip blocked the high-level zombie’s slashing claws. Warding off the Level 9 zombie’s ceaseless psychic assault while simultaneously battling the high-level zombie, Lu Heng ultimately relied on his powerful combat instincts to cut that zombie down beneath his sword.

Over on Qin Yi’s side, the towering wall of fire was nearly burned to its end, and some zombies were about to breach the wall to come to the rescue. Without a moment to lose, Lu Heng raised his sword and charged, instantly closing in on the Level 9 zombie. The instant his Dichen sword pierced into the Level 9 zombie’s skull, Lu Heng saw the zombie’s ashen pupils suddenly contract to pinpoints — and then he found his own body was no longer under his control.

A pitch-black hole burst open at the back of the Level 9 zombie’s head. The zombie had actually, at the cost of detonating its own core crystal, instantly maxed out its psychic power and seized control of Lu Heng’s body for a few seconds.

What could a few seconds change?

A rift suddenly appeared in the air. A sharp claw reached through it and plunged straight toward Lu Heng’s motionless heart.

In moments of crisis, humans could always unleash limitless potential. A powerful hand clamped down on that claw — even as the palm was pierced clean through, it didn’t relent in the slightest. Golden-white flames raced up along the claw, and with a savage yank, Qin Yi pulled out a desiccated, charred zombie body.

Q County’s Level 9 zombie hadn’t been one — it had been two. Only this other one was a far more rare space-type zombie, hiding within spatial rifts, which was why it had remained undetected all this time. Even Qin Yi had been fooled by it just now.

The moment Lu Heng broke free from the control, he dispatched the remaining few high-level zombies in quick succession. The surroundings had finally quieted down, at least a little.

Lu Heng grabbed Qin Yi’s hand, looked at the horrifying wound on it, and frowned.

Qin Yi managed a bitter smile. “A wound this deep — even for an evoker, I’ll probably get infected.”

Lu Heng looked up at him. This person, even though he no longer remembered him, always chose to put his own body in front when danger came.

“I probably don’t have many hours left to live. The moment I draw my last breath, remember to cut off my head. I have no desire to become one of those disgusting zombies.” Having lived a life of bullet-storm and rain, Qin Yi faced death with remarkable composure. Moreover, having saved the person in front of him, he felt it was entirely worth it.

Just moments ago, while fighting those high-level zombies, Qin Yi had suddenly felt a sharp pang in his chest. Without pausing to think, his body had instinctively sprinted this way. The moment he arrived, he’d encountered Lu Heng in peril. Qin Yi’s mind went completely blank — by the time he reacted, he had already caught that lethal claw with his hand.

“Though, there’s one thing I didn’t manage to do before dying — that’s a bit of a regret.” Qin Yi sighed.

Seeing him like this, Lu Heng decided to indulge him and asked, “What is it?”

“I’m actually dying in the role of Junior Brother. That’s far too unacceptable.”

“Your strength hasn’t surpassed mine yet. Being the Junior Brother — those are sect rules. They can’t be changed.” Lu Heng said seriously.

“Fine, I know that. Sect rules — I’m the Junior Brother.” Qin Yi shrugged. “But I’m older than you. A dying man’s last wish is to hear you call me Big Brother once. If you’re embarrassed, calling me Brother Qin will do too.”

Lu Heng nodded, hesitated for a few seconds, then spoke: “Brother Qin…”

“…Brother.”

Qin Yi heard the person before him finally call him “Brother,” though it seemed he’d grown shy — he’d stumbled at the end and tacked on an extra “Brother.” Lu Heng’s voice was soft and sweet, and after savoring it briefly, Qin Yi suddenly felt his rough, weathered face catch fire. Something about this wasn’t right!

Lu Heng had, of course, done it on purpose. Watching the blush rise on Qin Yi’s dark, tanned face, he laughed inwardly, though his expression remained perfectly solemn. “We can begin now.”

“Ah?” Qin Yi was still immersed in those three words and hadn’t caught on.

“Circulate your technique and force out the demonic energy.”

“What… what?” For once, Qin Yi wore a thoroughly foolish expression.

“Circulate the cultivation method and use spiritual energy to expel the demonic energy. It’s in the sect heart technique I passed to you.”

There’s actually this kind of operation! Just a moment ago, Qin Yi had thought his noble, fearless stance had been incredibly cool. Now he felt incredibly stupid. Truly.