Inside the mountain cave, Bai Wushang sat cross-legged near the entrance, eyes closed, assuming the "five hearts facing heaven" posture, and began to meditate.

  Meditation was the most conventional cultivation method after becoming a Pet Master. It could be used to restore or increase Soul Power. Once adapted to a certain degree, meditation could even completely replace sleep, achieving better recovery of bodily functions.

  Bai Wushang didn’t dare enter an immersive deep meditation, staying only in a state of shallow meditation. This allowed him to dedicate part of his attention to respond to external situations at any moment.

  Time passed, minute by minute, second by second.

  Suddenly, a loud BANG, like the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground, shattered the silence of the valley.

  Bai Wushang was abruptly jolted awake; the sound was very close.

  Peeking outside through a crack in the rocks, under the faint moonlight, he saw a large, brownish-black wild boar lying on the ground like a pile of mud. Its fat belly twitched continuously, its tusks were broken, and it was spitting large mouthfuls of bloody foam.

  【Name】: Tusked Boar (Wild)【Race】: Monster World · Beast Type · Tusked Boar Clan【Life Level】: Late-Stage Juvenile【Bloodline Quality】: Mortal Bone Grade, 3 Stars【Status】: Near Death【Wisdom】: Low【Trait】: Reckless【Skills】: Boar Rush, Upward Thrust【Gourmet Cells】: 9

  "What happened?" Mu Xiaoxiao was also woken up, leaning over and whispering the question.

  "Probably fell from above, nearly killing itself..." Bai Wushang guessed casually, but his heart was filled with worry.

  This was precisely the time when zombies were most active. For such a large wild boar to fall here, calling it a voluntarily delivered midnight snack wasn't an exaggeration at all.

  Bai Wushang really wanted to complain: Fine, you make a house call, but why did you have to fall to your death right in front of our cave entrance? What if we get discovered because of you? Aren't you just bringing disaster upon us!

  In the darkness, pair after pair of greenish-blue eyes turned, gathering towards this spot like ghostly flames.

  Soon, at least twenty-odd hungry zombies of varying heights gathered around, their suppressed roars rising and falling.

  They crowded together. Every time a gloomy corpse claw reached out, it tore off large chunks of flesh from the Tusked Boar. They then devoured it ravenously like starving ghosts. The scene was extremely gruesome.

  Bai Wushang quickly clamped a hand over Mu Xiaoxiao's mouth, afraid she couldn't handle the scene and would scream, turning them into living targets.

  THUD! THUD! THUD!

  Suddenly, clouds of dust rose in the distance as a burly humanoid shadow sprinted towards them. With each step, the ground shook violently.

  Like a tank, it charged recklessly into the zombie horde. It could grab a hungry zombie with one hand and casually toss it backward like a pebble, sending it flying over ten meters away.

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  Repeating this action, the ordinary zombies surrounding the Tusked Boar were directly cleared out.

  "ROAR!"

  The monster opened its cavernous mouth and let out a skyward roar. The nearby reckless hungry zombies, who still wanted to snatch food, immediately collapsed to the ground like limp shrimps, trembling.

  Under the silvery moonlight, the monster stood slightly over two meters tall, with long, disheveled hair, stark naked. Its entire body, from head to toe, gleamed with a metallic luster.

  If one looked only at its physique, it was a masterpiece of sculpture, every line filled with violent aesthetics.

  But upon seeing its face, one's scalp would surely tingle. All senses screamed that this was an out-and-out killing machine!

  Its humanoid face was covered in scars, as if mangled by sharp weapons. Its intensely emerald-green eyes overflowed with unconcealable brutality and killing intent. Bai Wushang only glanced once before lowering his gaze, afraid of being noticed.

  Bai Wushang silently recalled the attribute panel he just saw:

  【Name】: Iron-Armored Zombie (Wild)【Race】: Underworld · Zombie Type · Corpse Clan【Life Level】: Early-Stage Mature Body【Bloodline Quality】: Mortal Bone Grade, 7 Stars【Status】: Enraged【Wisdom】: Low【Traits】: Dark Adaptation / Infection / Metallic Skin【Skills】: Hardened Corpse Claws, Skull-Crushing Fist, Iron Headbutt, Venomous Fangs【Gourmet Cells】: 35

  "In the end, we still attracted a big one..."

  Bai Wushang pulled Mu Xiaoxiao, hiding motionless in the cave. Unconsciously, a thin layer of cold sweat formed on his back.

  Ordinary zombies had poor perception and feared light and heat, so they either wouldn't discover this cave or wouldn't want to approach even if they did.

  But this evolved Iron-Armored Zombie was different. It was already a mature body. Ordinary fire, light, and heat might have some effect on it, but it would be minimal.

  "Right now, we can only hope it doesn't discover us... Big Brother, can I call you Big Brother? Please finish eating this stupid pig and go home early. Sleeping after a meal aids digestion..."

  The big brother Iron-Armored Zombie, having driven away its underlings snatching the food, saw that no more reckless ones dared to approach. The brutality in its eyes lessened slightly.

  It approached the Tusked Boar's corpse, crouched down, and began to enjoy its meal.

  The sound of splashing blood and the crunch, crunch of bones being chewed made Mu Xiaoxiao's face turn deathly pale.

  Soon, the remaining half of the Tusked Boar was devoured completely by the Iron-Armored Zombie. It straightened up, looking somewhat unsatisfied, as if it hadn't eaten its fill.

  It glanced around, frightening its underlings on the ground so much they wished they could bury themselves in the sand. Suddenly, the Iron-Armored Zombie tilted its head, its emerald eyes staring fixedly at the cave where Bai Wushang was. A ferocious grin spread across its face.

  "Crap!"

  Bai Wushang inwardly cursed. Reacting extremely quickly, he pulled Mu Xiaoxiao and retreated backward.

  BOOM!

  With a loud crash, the Iron-Armored Zombie shattered the large rock blocking the cave entrance with a single punch, thrusting half of its body into the cavern.

  It smelled the scent of human flesh!

  Amidst flying rock debris, Bai Wushang hastily gripped his metal rod and unleashed a flurry of strikes against its head.

  In just two or three seconds, Bai Wushang struck at least ten times, using all his strength with each blow. Yet, only the CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! of metal colliding echoed in the cave. The impact split the skin between Bai Wushang's thumb and forefinger, but there wasn't the slightest sign of injury on the Iron-Armored Zombie's head. Instead, the fierce glint in its eyes intensified, clearly annoyed.

  "Watch out!"

  Sharp corpse claws stabbed towards Bai Wushang's chest at extreme speed. The hair on Bai Wushang's body stood on end, his pupils contracted to pinpoints. He narrowly twisted his body to avoid a vital spot, but his shoulder couldn't escape, getting grazed and leaving five dark claw marks.

  The wound wasn't deep, but as soon as blood seeped out, it turned black. Clearly, the Iron-Armored Zombie's claws carried a potent toxin.

  Fortunately, Bai Wushang wasn't worried about being poisoned. With the most ancient Blood Poison sealed within him, his body possessed extremely strong resistance to lower-level toxins. This was the only benefit he had gained from that 'disaster incident'.

  "What should I do? How can I break out of this desperate situation?"