Claws of the Grave

　　I held the Tianpeng Ruler firmly in my hand, my eyes fixed on the now-reanimated zombie.

　　 The zombie seemed to be wary of the Tianpeng Ruler in my hand and didn't dare approach me recklessly.

　　While I was locked in a stalemate with the zombie, I saw Zhang Yunyao standing not far away, watching me with concern.

　　I could tell she was terrified, but she didn't abandon me and run. 

　　However, she wasn't much help here, she was just a liability.

　　"Why don't you leave? Are you waiting here to die?" I yelled at her angrily.

　　Zhang Yunyao still didn't move, she might have been too scared, just staring at me with red eyes.

　　I looked back at the zombie. It let out another muffled roar, spewing a puff of corpse gas. 

　　Then, it leaped towards me again.

　　Just then, I don't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

　　I suddenly saw a dark figure standing in the forest not far behind the zombie.

　　He stood motionless, staring at me.

　　Suddenly, a question popped into my mind. 

　　Was this the person who had controlled Zhang Yunliang's mind?

　　Had he manipulated Zhang Yunliang to make the corpse reanimate?

　　What was his purpose in doing this?

　　Before I could figure out the answers to these questions, the zombie was already charging at me with a wave of foul air.

　　I could only raise the Tianpeng Ruler and fight the zombie head-on.

　　This time, the zombie got close, its arms swinging across. 

　　I bent down, using the Tianpeng Ruler to strike it in the abdomen.

　　The zombie shuddered, taking a few steps back, then charged again.

　　Zombies, as I've heard my master say, never rot or decay. 

　　They're as hard as iron, impervious to swords and spears. 

　　There's no good way to deal with them. You can only use Spirit-seal to subdue them, but they're vicious. 

　　I couldn't get close enough.

　　While the zombie was reeling from the Tianpeng Ruler, I quickly freed my hand and retreated. 

　　As I went, I bit my middle finger, drawing a Spirit-seal in my palm. 

　　I'd use it when I had the chance, directly on the zombie's face.

　　But this tactic wouldn't last long, at most, it would immobilize it for two or three hours.

　　However, that was enough time. 

　　Two or three hours, I had plenty of ways to remove the corpse energy from it.

　　Just as I finished drawing the talisman in my palm, I looked up and was horrified.

　　I thought the zombie would continue to chase me. 

　　Unexpectedly, it changed its target and jumped towards Zhang Yunyao.

　　"Run!" I shouted, my voice choked with fear.

　　Zhang Yunyao finally reacted and ran towards the Zhang family ancestral tomb.

　　In my panic, I grabbed the Tianpeng Ruler again and chased after the zombie.

　　The zombie chased Zhang Yunyao, and I chased the zombie.

　　Before long, Zhang Yunyao reached the Zhang family ancestral tomb.

　　Inside the tomb, there were many coffins. 

　　The Zhang family intended to dig up the remains of their ancestors, give them a proper reburial, and some were newly excavated.

　　Zhang Yunyao was smart.

　　 She knew the zombie was stiff and couldn't move freely. 

　　She ran around the coffins.

　　The zombie jumped after her, but it couldn't catch her.

　　I had to admire Zhang Yunyao's courage. 

　　A normal girl would have screamed and cried at the sight of such a sinister creature, or just stood there in shock.

　　But Zhang Yunyao managed to use the coffins to dodge the zombie's attacks.

　　I had already caught up and was about to strike the zombie with the Tianpeng Ruler when, unexpectedly, the zombie leaped up and landed on top of a coffin.

　　This left Zhang Yunyao completely exposed.

　　The zombie roared angrily and jumped off the coffin, charging at Zhang Yunyao.

　　Seeing this, I couldn't hesitate. 

　　I also jumped onto the coffin and, with a pounce, leaped towards the zombie.

　　The zombie landed, but it missed Zhang Yunyao.

　　 When I jumped down, the Tianpeng Ruler in my hand landed squarely on the zombie's forehead.

　　The hit was brutal, causing the zombie to spit out a mouthful of corpse gas and fall to the ground.

　　I saw my opportunity and rushed to its side. I raised the hand with the Spirit-seal drawn on it, ready to slap it onto the zombie's forehead.

　　But the zombie suddenly sprung to its feet from the ground. 

　　It rammed me, knocking me flying back.

　　Before I could get up, the zombie pounced, pinning me beneath it.

　　The zombie's body was heavy and dead weight. 

　　This sudden pounce felt like it was about to push all my dinner out.

　　But that wasn't the worst part. 

　　The sharp pain in my shoulder was unbearable. 

　　The zombie's long, sharp fingernails had deeply pierced my flesh. 

　　I broke out in a cold sweat.

　　The zombie opened its bloody maw and blew a foul-smelling corpse gas towards my neck. 

　　It was about to bite me.

　　Even though my arms were pierced with pain, my life was at stake.

　　 I struggled to use my hands to block the zombie's jaws, preventing it from biting my neck.

　　But it was too strong, its large maw kept inching closer.

　　I felt like my hands were going to break.

　　In a moment of desperation, I bit my tongue hard. 

　　Blood filled my mouth.

　　Just as the zombie's maw was about to close on me, I spat a mouthful of blood directly onto the zombie's face.

　　The blood landed directly on the zombie's face.

　　The zombie's face instantly steamed up, like it had been splashed with hot water.

　　The pressure lifted instantly.

　　 I freed my hand.

　　I immediately slammed the palm with the Spirit-seal on it onto the zombie's skull.

　　With a flash of golden light, the zombie's body collapsed to the side, motionless.

　　I sat on the ground, gasping for breath. 

　　My shoulder throbbed with pain, blood had soaked through my clothes.

　　" Master Wu!" Zhang Yunyao ran over, her voice choked with tears. " Master Wu, you're hurt..."

　　She tore a few pieces of cloth from her own dress and used them to bandage my shoulder.

　　I gasped and wiped the sweat off my forehead. 

　　I said weakly, "I'm fine..."

　　Then, I struggled to get up, took out a Spirit-seal from my pocket, and stuck it directly on the zombie's forehead. 

　　That should provide another layer of protection.