Chapter 317 - Chapter 317: Chapter 286: The First to Arrive_1 (1/2)

Chapter 317: Chapter 286: The First to Arrive_1

With a map in hand, Xu Mu traveled much faster. Moreover, thanks to the versatility of the Virtualization Skill, he encountered no obstacles and quickly arrived at his destination.

A rugged palace built of stone came into his view. This was the center of the territory, where Prince Jade truly made the zombies!

The local townsmen are merely the first step in the creation of the zombies, further processing is then carried out here.

To avoid detection by the monsters, Xu Mu refrained from using Divine Intent throughout the journey. Upon arriving, he only then dared to restore his actual form, using Divine Intent to carefully scan the surroundings.

With the assistance of his Divine Intent, he discovered multiple traces of Formations and restrictions nearby. Each one was powerful, though many of them had ceased operation.

“Although they have stopped working, there are no signs of destruction. It seems that others haven’t arrived yet!”

With this thought, Xu Mu couldn’t help but feel thrilled.

In places like these, being the first to arrive certainly provided an upper hand. Those arriving second might not even get leftovers.

“Having the God Refining Tripod as a storage tool, the Virtualization Skill really comes in handy!”

Without the Virtualization Skill, he would never have arrived here so effortlessly. Given the formidable strength of other teams—particularly that of the leading Imperial Princes and the Seventh Princess—he might not have surpassed many if he had journeyed through the wilderness the regular way.

Without lingering at the entrance, Xu Mu once again transformed his body into a wisp of cyan smoke, slipped through the gaps between the Formations and restrictions, and arrived at the entrance of the palace.

There, hordes of zombies wandered about emotionless and mechanically attired in all sorts of clothing.

Although these zombies seemed foolishly dull, the aura they emitted was formidable, with many of them at the Golden Core Stage.

“One, two, three…eighty-six! Hiss! There are so many visible ones, there could be even more hidden. This place is terrifying!”

Seeing so many Golden Core zombies, Xu Mu couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat. Even with his abilities, dealing with such a horde would be a daunting task.

The even scarier part is that these zombies self-destruct, which could potentially be lethal if caught off guard.

The only good news was that there were only zombies here, no ghosts.

Although ghosts don’t self-destruct like zombies, they are far more sensitive. Even if Xu Mu were to virtualize himself, he would still likely get detected.

Without the presence of ghosts now, his movements would undoubtedly be much smoother.

“I guess those ghosts must have been taken into the Banner of Ten Thousand Spirits by Prince Jade. Otherwise, there would not be nine Nascent Soul Stage ghosts!”

“But why didn’t he take these zombies as well?”

If he had brought these zombies, he could surely cause considerable chaos in the Heavenly Jail.

Xu Mu was puzzled.

What he didn’t know was that, Prince Jade did not lack the desire but the means to bring along the zombies. Being a bona fide cultivator, he simply didn’t have the capability to control so many zombies. Carrying them along could become a burden, creating early detection of his intentions. His reason for nurturing zombies was not to combat, but to replenish strength for the Seventh Prince.

Once the Seventh Prince’s strength was fully restored, the zombies here became pointless.

Under the supervision of the Da Yuan Dynasty, there was no possible way he could have brought along so many zombies. The original plan was to wait until the Seventh Prince had managed to escape before taking control of them. However, he himself ended up being sacrificed instead, and the Seventh Prince, fearing retaliation from the Imperial family, gave up on this place.