Volume 1, Chapter 13: This Land Has Never Known a Shortage of Great Souls

One hour later.

The blood rain had just ceased when Chu Ge witnessed countless vortexes appearing in the sky. An endless stream of black specks emerged from them, plummeting toward the earth.

Several of these specks landed not far from where he stood. A crisp cracking sound followed, reminiscent of a breaking eggshell. From within, several white-furred zombies scrambled out, hopping about with mechanical movements. They wore garments that did not originate from Earth. Each one looked grotesque, their bodies covered in rotting flesh and reeking of a foul, pungent odor.

[Zombies are classified into six grades: White Zombie, Black Zombie, Hopping Zombie, Flying Zombie, Kui, and Hou. These are the most common White Zombies, with combat strength inferior to that of a first-tier body-refining cultivator.]

Chu Ge watched as one zombie, its head knocked askew, grabbed its own skull with both hands and twisted it half a circle, snapping it back into place. Its white, vacant eyes stared fixedly at him. This maneuver was, to say the least, impressively bizarre.

Roar!

The few White Zombies lunged toward Chu Ge with an unnatural, stiff gait. Though their movements were mechanical, their speed was far from slow.

Chu Ge narrowed his eyes slightly. He gripped a nearby streetlight pole with his right hand and, with a sudden surge of strength, ripped it straight out of the ground.

"Being ugly isn't a sin, but coming out to terrify people is where you've gone wrong."

"Disgusting creatures don't deserve to live."

With a flick of his will, golden flames engulfed the pole. He swung it fiercely at the oncoming zombies.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The skulls of the White Zombies exploded on impact, spraying nauseating, foul-smelling fluid across the ground. Chu Ge searched through the remains carefully, but found nothing. Beasts possessed demonic cores, and zombies contained a similar substance known as a "zombie pearl." Unfortunately, these low-level White Zombies had yet to condense any. Chu Ge surmised it would take at least two or three days for such pearls to form.

Discarding the pole, Chu Ge headed straight toward the Imperial Hotel. Along the way, he discovered that not all the black specks falling from the sky were zombies; some were low-level beasts that had yet to reach the first tier, all of which he dispatched with ease.

Upon reaching the hotel entrance, he found a large crowd fleeing in panic. Several beasts were rampaging through the throng. A woman ran toward him. She appeared to be around thirty, with fair skin, a beautiful face, and a slender waist. Her figure, accentuated by yoga pants, was incredibly curvaceous. Close behind her followed a massive, blood-stained wolf, two meters in length. It was a scene reminiscent of "Beauty and the Beast." Driven by the instinct for survival, the woman had pushed her potential to the limit, her speed even slightly surpassing that of the wolf. But human stamina was limited, and she would soon be overtaken.

"Help... save me..."

Seeing Chu Ge, the woman clung to him like a drowning person grabbing at a straw, screaming for help. She mustered her remaining strength and sprinted toward him. As the distance closed, a frantic thought surged through her mind: if she could just push this man down, the wolf would stop chasing her. The thought took root and grew instantly. To her, the giant wolf was clearly beyond human control; only by feeding it could she survive.

Seconds later, she reached Chu Ge's side and, without hesitation, pushed against him with all her might. To her shock, Chu Ge remained as immovable as a mountain; her desperate shove failed to budge him in the slightest.

"Cleverness is the bane of the clever."

As this cold voice rang out, the woman felt herself being grabbed and sent flying backward.

*Boom!*

The woman collided with the giant wolf like a basketball. She let out a pained groan and struggled to rise, but the wolf was faster, snapping its blood-stained jaws shut over her head. Blood splattered everywhere. She thrashed for a moment, but soon fell still. One could only wonder if she felt regret in her final moments.

Chu Ge watched coldly as the woman was devoured. Had she not resorted to such underhanded tricks, he would certainly have intervened. It would have been a trivial matter, and he would have lost nothing by doing so. Chu Ge could be cold, but he was never heartless. That was his principle.

What, you say this is a chaotic era? Does living in such times mean one must abandon their bottom line and principles, sacrificing everything for power and profit? How would that differ from a monster? It had nothing to do with the times. No matter how filthy the world or how dark the era, this land had never lacked those with great compassion. In the last century, when the invaders arrived, there were traitors, but there were also countless righteous souls who sacrificed their lives for the greater good.

Of course, Chu Ge was no saint. He didn't necessarily strike back if not provoked, but if someone crossed him, he would retaliate with lethal force. Anything that threatened his interests would be wiped out with thunderous vengeance.

*Roar!*

Having finished the woman, the giant wolf was still hungry and roared, charging at Chu Ge.

"Get lost!"

Chu Ge unleashed a palm strike. Golden flames roared out like a tide, instantly engulfing the wolf. In less than two seconds, the beast was reduced to ash. A small, spectral wolf emerged from the embers—the giant wolf's essence. It bared its teeth and lunged at Chu Ge, but was instantly swallowed by his diary.

As the diary absorbed the essence, a faint, warm current flowed into Chu Ge’s body. Although the energy was meager, he felt his physical strength increase slightly.

"Does killing beasts strengthen the body?"

Chu Ge’s eyes flickered as he looked at the other beasts rampaging nearby.

...

Ten minutes later, the entrance to the hotel was clear of beasts. When he returned to the presidential suite, he found Su Ran standing alone by the window, staring blankly outside. She was still the same Su Ran, yet Chu Ge felt there was something indescribable and profound about her now.

"Su Ran, have you awakened your talent?"

"SSS-rank talent: Immaculate Sword Body." Su Ran turned, slowly extending her palm. Cyan currents spiraled out, condensing into an unsheathed longsword. "I am not yet skilled in using my talent; for now, I can only manifest a Green Lotus Sword."

*A Green Lotus Sword?!*

Chu Ge nodded slightly. In the future, Su Ran would become one of the most formidable powerhouses of the human race, known as the Green Lotus Sword Immortal, slaying countless demons with that very blade. In this life, with his help, her achievements would only be greater.

Su Ran suddenly remembered something. "Chu Ge, Xiao Heizi has mutated too."

"Woof!"

A bark echoed as a dog over a meter tall ran to Chu Ge’s side, circling him incessantly. Chu Ge tapped the dog on the head. He hadn't expected Xiao Heizi to mutate so quickly. The earlier the mutation, the more terrifying the potential. Xiao Heizi’s future growth would surely be extraordinary.

"What level of beast will Xiao Heizi grow into in the future?" Chu Ge asked in his mind.

The diary opened to a new page, and a line of crooked text slowly appeared:

[In the first month of the spiritual energy recovery, the World-Destroying Demon Ape emerged from the pyramid and slaughtered all of Jiangcheng. To protect me, Xiao Heizi was severely wounded, its blood staining the sky. Not long after, it was surrounded and devoured by a pack of beasts.]

Chu Ge: "..."