Outside Qinghe City.

Chu Xuan peeled the skin from He Liang's face, casually tossing the grisly remnant into the rushing river.

"Hastily crafted flesh masks always chafe," he muttered, rubbing his jaw.

He rummaged through He Liang's Storage Bag, nodding in quiet approval.

"Eighty-odd small Spirit Stones, one medium Spirit Stone, three bottles of Rejuvenation Pills, a flask of Spirit Recovery Water, and a large bucket of Demon Beast blood. Add in He Liang's entire reservoir of spiritual power... not bad at all."

"Murder and robbery. Truly the most efficient path to wealth." Chu Xuan smacked his lips in satisfaction.

He had ambushed the man in an abandoned courtyard, subduing him with ruthless efficiency. After extracting everything He Liang knew about the righteous Cultivation sects, Chu Xuan had employed the Spirit Stealing Art to drain the man dry.

Finally, as a matter of practicality, he had flayed He Liang's face to fashion a temporary disguise and made his escape.

"I can run for today, but can I run forever?"

"Every minor breakthrough in my cultivation technique requires vast amounts of living blood."

"The Gu worms I nurture also need to consume large quantities of living flesh to advance. If they go unfed for too long, they'll turn on me."

"Every time I seek out living flesh and blood, it's a risk."

"Maybe I should just become a righteous cultivator."

Chu Xuan smiled wryly.

To survive in this Cultivation world, he would have to switch sides and practice righteous techniques.

But if he practiced righteous techniques, he'd have to start over from scratch.

With his talent, he'd likely die of old age before even reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Only demonic techniques, with their low barriers, fast results, and formidable power, were suitable for someone of his ordinary aptitude.

"Hmm, what's this mirror? Is it He Liang's Magical Artifact?"

Chu Xuan noticed a dusty, blood-colored mirror in the corner of the Storage Bag.

He took it out and infused it with spiritual power, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea.

Normally, a Magical Artifact would activate with just a bit of spiritual power.

This artifact was peculiar.

Could it be of a high grade?

Chu Xuan infused it with spiritual power again.

This time, he poured in half of his total spiritual power.

The Blood Mirror suddenly hummed.

The dust was swept away.

Inside the mirror, a modern apocalyptic scene appeared. Skyscrapers, desolate silence, zombies roaming everywhere.

Chu Xuan was stunned.

Why did this world look so much like the zombie-themed movies and shows he had watched before his transmigration?

He frowned, suddenly sensing an intent within the Blood Mirror.

It seemed that if he willed it, he could travel directly to this apocalyptic planet through the mirror.

Chu Xuan's heart stirred, and he reached out to touch it.

In the blink of an eye, his surroundings spun into chaos.

There were chaotic lights, strange sounds, and distorted images everywhere.

When Chu Xuan's vision cleared again.

He found himself standing on a wide street.

On both sides were rows of shops, and in the distance, towering skyscrapers stood in neat rows. The street was littered with abandoned cars and overgrown weeds.

A scene of utter desolation.

Thud.

Footsteps approached.

A hideous, terrifying figure suddenly staggered out from the shadow of a car.

Its eyes were hollow and bloodthirsty.

Foul-smelling drool dripped from its mouth.

It was a zombie.

"Roar!"

The zombie caught the scent of a living person and immediately lunged at Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan frowned slightly and raised his hand sharply.

A blood line shot from his hand, slicing across the zombie's neck. The zombie's head separated from its body, dying on the spot.

Blood gushed from its body like a fountain.

After all, Chu Xuan was a Qi Condensation cultivator.

Though he couldn't yet soar through the skies or control the heavens, and could only use spiritual power in basic ways, his strength and perception far surpassed that of ordinary mortals.

And the zombie's body was no different from a mortal's.

A single strike to kill it was only natural.

Chu Xuan shook his head and was about to leave.

Then, he felt a stirring from the Gu worm inside him and stopped in his tracks.

He extended his palm, the skin splitting open as a blood-colored worm emerged.

This worm was as thick as a finger and incredibly tough.

It was called the "Blood Steel Wire," a type of Gu worm renowned for its toughness. By practicing the Gu Control Art, feeding it long-term, and building rapport, he could use it in battle.

Qi Condensation cultivators had limited spiritual power, often exhausting it after just one or two spells.

That's why Chu Xuan had chosen the Blood Steel Wire as an additional combat method.

It was also because of his many methods that he could hold his ground among the inner disciples of the Wuji Sect, ranking tenth among them.

At his current low level, Chu Xuan could only nurture one Blood Steel Wire.

When his cultivation advanced, he could nurture more.

By then, he could develop even more combat techniques.

At this moment, the Blood Steel Wire caught the scent of flesh and blood, seeming very hungry as it kept looking in that direction.

Chu Xuan looked at the zombie's corpse and suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"Zombies can move... so they're living beings too?"

"Can I use zombie flesh and blood to cultivate my techniques and feed my Gu worms?"

The more he thought about it, the more intrigued he became.

Cultivation techniques and spells in the world were divided into four grades: Top, High, Medium, and Low.

The technique he practiced was the "Blood Transformation Spirit Stealing Art," one of the High-grade Qi Condensation techniques of the Wuji Sect, and his main cultivation method.

Compared to Top-grade Qi Condensation techniques, it was just a bit slower in cultivation speed.

As long as he advanced the Blood Transformation Spirit Stealing Art, his cultivation level would rise accordingly.

Chu Xuan stepped forward and placed his hand on the zombie's corpse.

The Blood Steel Wire immediately burrowed in.

A chilling chewing sound came from inside the corpse.

Chu Xuan had heard it many times and didn't mind at all.

To him, as long as it was well-fed, the Blood Steel Wire was no different from a tame cat or dog.

Soon, the Blood Steel Wire returned to Chu Xuan's palm. It was fastidious and had already cleaned itself thoroughly.

Chu Xuan nodded slightly.

The Blood Steel Wire wasn't indiscriminate in its diet.

It preferred human flesh and blood most.

Next was Demon Beast flesh and blood.

So it seemed zombies could indeed serve as feed for Gu worms.

In that case, zombie blood should also be usable for cultivating techniques.

He decided to act immediately.

Chu Xuan began searching for zombies.

Before long, he found three innocent passersby—no, passing zombies—nearby.

The Blood Steel Wire obediently bound their limbs.

These three zombies were quite spirited, still roaring even as they were tied up by the Blood Steel Wire. Chu Xuan took a large bucket from his Storage Bag and slit their throats to drain their blood.

Moments later, the bucket was full.

The remaining corpses weren't wasted either; the Blood Steel Wire burrowed in and feasted heartily.

Chu Xuan immediately activated the Blood Transformation Spell.

This spell was learned from the first layer of the Blood Transformation Spirit Stealing Art. It had no offensive power and was purely for refining blood.

At most, it was a Low-grade Qi Condensation spell.

The blood before him was continuously drawn in, impurities and filth removed, gradually transforming into pure energy.

After fully purifying the large bucket of zombie blood, only a few thumb-sized blood-colored beads remained.

These were Blood Beads.

Though they were refined from zombie blood, Chu Xuan didn't mind. Demon Beast blood, Gu worm blood, mortal blood, zombie blood—there was no hierarchy of value among them.

As long as it made him stronger, it was good.

He swallowed the Blood Beads and began refining them.

Soon after, a look of joy appeared on his face.

It really worked!

He could feel his spiritual power growing slightly stronger.

"At this rate, I'll soon master the fifth layer of the Blood Transformation Spirit Stealing Art."

Chu Xuan's expression was filled with excitement.