These unusually tenacious zombies were impervious to ordinary weapons; only a flamethrower could truly kill them.
The three walked slowly into the village. The deeper they went, the more concentrated the Yin Sha became. If it weren't for the fact that all three were cultivators with considerable strength and carried items to ward off evil spirits, they too would have been affected.
Ling Tian, feigning nonchalance, took out a compass from his backpack. The backpack was merely a cover; the compass was stored in a nearby spatial dimension.
At this moment, Ling Tian noticed that Ouyang Feiyang, walking beside him, was holding an electronic device.
The device resembled a tablet computer, but it was covered in antennas.
Ling Tian asked with curiosity, "Brother Ouyang, in places with dense spiritual energy, the magnetic fields often become chaotic, rendering electronic products useless. How does that thing in your hand work?"
"Heh, Ling Tian, those are issues that can be overcome with technology. Take this tablet I'm holding, for example. Besides the detection antennas, all other parts of this device utilize the most advanced electromagnetic shielding technology. Forget this Yin Sha-filled place; even if you stuck several neodymium magnets onto this device, it would still function normally! Moreover, this device itself is designed to detect anomalies in the surrounding magnetic field."
Ling Tian leaned in curiously towards the screen. He saw that the areas they had passed through were automatically marked with their spiritual energy and Yin Sha concentrations. Based on the density of the spiritual energy, a map was automatically generated.
In fact, Ouyang Feiyang was also an interesting individual. His parents had died in a car accident when he was just a few years old, leaving him alone. Like Ling Tian, Ouyang Feiyang had been adopted, also by a Taoist temple. From a young age, Ouyang Feiyang displayed exceptional intelligence and talent. He not only inherited his teacher's knowledge but was also a top student throughout his academic career.
Ouyang Feiyang was deeply interested in Taoist arts. He began to explore the possibility of explaining traditional Taoist techniques using modern scientific technology. He held doctoral degrees in physics, biology, chemistry, and electronic technology. His research over the years had yielded significant results, with some aspects of Taoism being explained through highly scientific methods. This was why the authorities had appointed Ouyang Feiyang to lead this operation.
"Careful!" Zhang Caifeng, who had been vigilantly scanning their surroundings, suddenly warned them.
By the roadside lay a corpse, appearing lifeless. However, as Ling Tian and the others approached within ten meters of this "corpse," it shakily rose to its feet. The corpse moved with extreme stiffness, as if its joints couldn't bend. Naming such a creature a zombie seemed entirely appropriate.
Before Ling Tian or Ouyang Feiyang could speak, Zhang Caifeng had already drawn her Songwen Treasure Sword and charged towards the zombie. The sword swung down from above. The zombie suddenly extended its claws and grabbed at the sword. The zombie's movements were incredibly swift, making it hard to believe such agility could come from a zombie.
*Clang* *Sizzle...* The sword struck the zombie's claws, causing white smoke to billow. The zombie's face contorted into a ferocious expression, and it let out a chilling roar. Simultaneously, the zombie's other claw slammed towards Zhang Caifeng's head. Zhang Caifeng, startled, leaped backward, pulling her Songwen Treasure Sword free. The sharp blade severed a few of the zombie's fingers, but this injury had almost no effect on the creature. Even without its claws, the zombie could inflict injury with its sheer physical strength.
"Caifeng, fall back, let me handle it!" Ouyang Feiyang shouted. Zhang Caifeng instinctively retreated, creating distance between herself and the zombie.
At this moment, Ouyang Feiyang opened his coat. Ling Tian then saw that beneath his trench coat, there were numerous inner pockets filled with all sorts of peculiar items. Ouyang Feiyang took out a device resembling a single-shot grenade launcher. He aimed it at the zombie about ten meters away and pulled the trigger.
*Bang!* A dark object flew towards the zombie and exploded upon impact. Ling Tian then saw that what had been fired was a metallic net. The zombie was quickly ensnared by the net. At this point, the wires connecting the launcher to the net began to discharge electricity profusely. Under the immense current, the zombie writhed and struggled, emitting a scorched odor, with smoke rising from the parts of its body touching the net. However, after a few seconds, all the electricity was depleted. The zombie was still alive, merely struggling against the wire mesh on the ground.
Seeing this, Ouyang Feiyang's expression turned somewhat embarrassed. "Well, I didn't expect this thing to be so resilient! My electric net device could take down an elephant. This zombie's vitality is too tenacious, too monstrous!"
Ling Tian chuckled, "Leave it to me!" With a flicker of thought, a talisman appeared in his hand. Infusing it with his true essence, the talisman shot towards the zombie and stuck directly to its chin!
*Ping!* The entire talisman exploded. The unfortunate zombie's head flew off, its upper body split apart, and it finally collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Ouyang Feiyang's eyes gleamed with excitement, like a child discovering a fascinating toy. "Brother Ling Tian, what kind of talisman is that? Its power is immense! I must say, I've never seen a talisman with such great power."
"It's an Exploding Talisman. This type of talisman is recorded in some Taoist texts, but it has been lost for many years."
"I see. It's a shame such a wonderful item is lost!" Ouyang Feiyang exclaimed in admiration.
"There's nothing that can be done. The cost of making this talisman is extremely high, and the success rate is low. There's also a risk of explosion during the manufacturing process."
"So that's how it is. It seems mass production isn't feasible," Ouyang Feiyang said regretfully.
Soon, they entered the village. Scattered buildings began to appear by the roadside, becoming more densely packed as they ventured further in.