Rebirth as a Demonic Cultivator: Starting with a Zombie Planet

Chapter 19: Qi Condensation Seventh Layer, High-Grade Spell Netherfire Bomb

Hao Tai Hotel.

Dusk had already settled over the ruined city by the time Chu Xuan returned. He grabbed a cup of instant noodles and two cans of beef, casually prepping his dinner.

Once a cultivator reached the Foundation Establishment stage, they achieved Inedia—subsisting entirely on the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, severing all ties with mortal sustenance. Chu Xuan, however, was not at the Foundation Establishment stage. Besides, he hadn’t tasted the artificial, MSG-laden glory of instant noodles in over twenty years. What was wrong with indulging a little?

Zhao Hong’s stash was a veritable mountain of instant noodles, alongside highly durable rations like chocolate and biscuits. It was enough for Chu Xuan to feast like a king in the apocalypse.

The bathtubs lining the room were quiet now.

Chu Xuan dispatched Xiao Hu and Xiao Bao, ordering them to take the two spirit dogs out for a hunt. He also instructed them to drag back a few lively zombies to serve as flesh vessels for his spirit plants.

He added a strict caveat: they were not to casually prey on living humans. Zombies were the priority. Xiao Hu and Xiao Bao were Yin Corpses bound to his will; if they slaughtered innocent mortals, the resulting karmic debt would fall squarely on his shoulders. He had no intention of watching his newly acquired heavenly merit evaporate over a careless snack.

Xiao Hu and Xiao Bao let out low, guttural roars of acknowledgment.

Beside them, the two spirit dogs, Da Huang and Er Huang, remained deadpan and silent.

Displeased by their lack of enthusiasm, Xiao Hu stepped forward and delivered a brutal kick, sending the dogs flying across the room. The two spirit dogs whimpered, scrambling to their paws and nodding frantically.

Watching his undead strike team depart, Chu Xuan sat cross-legged and focused on the massive Blood Bead.

The fist-sized crimson sphere floated before him. Threads of pure, concentrated blood energy drifted into his nose and mouth, circulating through his meridians under the relentless pull of the Blood Transformation Spirit Stealing Art.

With every major cycle, his spiritual power swelled.

Two days passed in this meditative trance.

Suddenly, Chu Xuan’s aura surged, shattering the Bottleneck with a resounding internal crack. Spiritual energy flooded his senses, as liberating as a fish finally breaching the vast ocean.

He abruptly opened his eyes, flashing with cold satisfaction.

“Qi Condensation seventh layer!”

He had officially stepped into the late stages of Qi Condensation.

“The seventh layer of the Blood Transformation Spirit Stealing Art unlocks a new spell. Let’s test it.”

Until now, his combat-oriented magic had been severely limited. Aside from his Corpse Soldiers and Gu insects, his primary defense was the Spirit Blood Shield—a Middle Grade Qi Condensation spell acquired at the fourth layer.

Now, having mastered the seventh layer of his core art, he finally possessed a lethal High Grade spell.

Chu Xuan stood, channeling his spiritual power.

A sickly, miserable green flame flickered to life in his palm, rapidly condensing and expanding. Once the eerie fire reached its volatile limit, he thrust his hand forward.

Boom!

The hotel wall detonated, a massive crater blown straight through the concrete. Debris rained down in a cloud of dust. Around the jagged edges of the hole, the ghastly green fire clung to the rebar and stone, burning persistently for over ten minutes before finally dying out.

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow. Not bad. It was truly worthy of a High Grade spell. Its destructive power was immense.

This was the Netherfire Bomb.

The Wuji Sect possessed four core Qi Condensation cultivation techniques, which branched into nine different High Grade attack spells. Among them, the Netherfire Bomb was undeniably one of the most devastating.

Naturally, it came with a fatal flaw: the casting time was agonizingly slow, and the spiritual drain was exorbitant.

Even with his expanded reserves, Chu Xuan could cast it a maximum of three times. The long charge left him wide open, and if he missed? He would be drained and forced onto the defensive.

Chu Xuan, however, wasn’t particularly worried about his aim. He had an army of Corpse Soldiers to act as meat shields and restrict an enemy’s movements. Combine that with the Blood Steel Wire’s innate Blood Binding spell, and locking down a target was trivial.

“Excellent. I’ll need to drill this until the casting time is second nature.”

Just as he prepared to conjure another Netherfire Bomb, a wet, sloshing sound echoed from the bathtubs.

Roar!

A freshly refined Yin Corpse hauled itself over the porcelain rim, dripping with dark fluid, and shambled respectfully toward Chu Xuan. Immediately after, the remaining five Yin Corpses awoke, lining up before their master.

He had laced their corpse-refining medicinal liquid with his own blood days ago. While it wasn’t his precious essence blood, it was more than enough to establish absolute ownership. They were hardwired for subservience.

Chu Xuan stored them into the Corpse Nurturing Tower one by one, casting an Appraisal Art on each.

The results were thoroughly underwhelming.

All six Yin Corpses possessed a pathetic Low Grade aptitude, and their innate spells were practically garbage.

Pounce: Lunges forward a short distance.

Leap: Enhanced jumping ability.

Those two were passable. At least they had marginal combat utility. The others were a joke.

Gluttony: Speeds up eating.

Water Absorption: Stores water in its stomach.

Purification: Purifies polluted water.

Chu Xuan stared blankly at the final one. It possessed Self-Destruction. Its sole combat strategy was to sprint at the enemy and detonate.

He immediately issued a hard-coded command forbidding the idiot from ever using its spell. He had poured expensive corpse-refining medicinal liquid and days of effort into nurturing it, only for it to act as a one-time suicide bomber against a random trash mob? Absolutely terrible return on investment.

“And this one is still asleep?”

Chu Xuan strolled over to the primary bathtub. Inside lay the mutating corpse of Zhao Hong.

The medicinal liquid had been drained down to a thin, murky layer. The lesser zombies had finished their refinement long ago, yet Zhao Hong remained dormant.

Chu Xuan wasn’t annoyed; he was thrilled. This was an excellent sign. It meant Zhao Hong’s corpse was greedily devouring every last drop of essence from the liquid, pushing its potential to the absolute limit.

Calculating the absorption rate, Chu Xuan mixed another full bucket of corpse-refining medicinal liquid and dumped it over Zhao Hong’s submerged body.

“At this pace, it’ll need another three to five days.”

Leaving his prize project to marinate, Chu Xuan found an intact room down the hall and resumed his Netherfire Bomb target practice.

***

Meanwhile, across the city. Black Vanguard Security Company.

Compared to the Hao Tai Hotel previously occupied by the Spirit Dog Gang, this compound was a fortress of order and cleanliness.

A heavy iron fence encircled the perimeter, crowned with thick coils of iron caltrops. The spikes were rusted with dried blood and choked with rotting bits of flesh—a grim testament to their effectiveness in repelling the undead hordes.

A man stood before the reinforced gate. “Open up. It’s Wang Yong.”

The heavy metal groaned open, and Wang Yong strode into the compound.

Two gaunt men hurried over, flashing sycophantic grins. “Brother Yong! Did you send those three off?”

Wang Yong wiped a layer of grimy sweat from his forehead. “Yeah, they’re gone. The Linjiang Army is sending a transport to pick them up. Where’s my cousin? I have critical news for him.”

One of the gaunt men pointed toward a three-story building, lowering his voice. “The manager is… handling business in there. You’d better not go up right now, Brother Yong. Don’t ruin his mood.”

Wang Yong’s scowl deepened. “No. This can’t wait.”

He brushed past them, quickening his pace. As he approached the building, the faint, unmistakable sounds of vigorous, suggestive activity drifted from an open window.

A towering, burly guard stood like a brick wall at the entrance. Wang Yong tried to push past him toward the stairs, but a massive arm blocked his path.

“I need to see my cousin!” Wang Yong growled.

The guard’s expression remained deadpan. “The manager gave strict orders. No visitors. That includes you.”

Gritting his teeth, Wang Yong cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed at the top of his lungs. “Brother! It’s Wang Yong! I have an emergency!”

The rhythmic noises upstairs abruptly ceased. A second later, something heavy slammed against a table.

A man with a sharp crew cut shoved his head out the window, his face flushed with rage. “Motherfucker! Can’t you hear I’m busy?!”

He glared down at Wang Yong for a long, tense moment before spitting a curse. “Get your ass up here.”