I have an Apocalypse City

Chapter 1574: Chapter 1575: Dharma Protector Vajra Chapter 1574: Chapter 1575: Dharma Protector Vajra Zhang Hong’s treasure map, resembling a painting, stuck to the surface of the giant rock.

Moments later, the entire rock began to tremble violently, causing the ground to shake and the mountains to quiver, a huge fissure opening in the center of the rock, revealing a dark and deep cave entrance.

A clearly defined stone staircase emerged, leading downwards from the entrance straight into the darkness.

Song Jian, looking at the deep cave entrance, couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure it’s a treasure?”

Zhang Hong, feeling the bursts of cold wind blowing from inside the cave, said uncertainly, “It should be, more or less, after all, it’s a legendary quality treasure map…”

The higher the quality of the treasure map, the smaller the chance of encountering traps, but such treasure maps, if they do contain traps, can be far more dangerous than ordinary ones.

“Going in?” asked Song Jian, his Demi-God level allowing him to faintly sense that the cave held not only treasure but also endless danger. Zhang Hong alone might not be able to safely get through.

“Let’s take a look. There might be some unexpected fortune,” Zhang Hong said through gritted teeth.

“Om mani padme hum,” Zhang Hong chanted under his breath, a faint golden light radiating from his body, making him look like a golden Arhat as he stepped toward the opened crevice.

Song Jian smiled slightly and followed suit.

Descending the staircase, the two arrived in a pitch-dark underground cavern where, aided by the faint light emitting from the surrounding minerals, Song Jian observed clear signs of man-made excavation, resembling an underground plaza.

Crack, crack~
Countless white boned skeletons wandered aimlessly around this underground plaza, the surroundings filled with the aura of the Force of Death.

“Could this be an underground tomb?” Song Jian couldn’t help guessing.

“Heh, mere undead. My profession is their nemesis!” A confident smile appeared on Zhang Hong’s face.

As a monk, he possessed many skills for purifying undead creatures, and he even had bonus damage against them. Even though there seemed to be a great number of these monsters with at least level one hundred and ten, Zhang Hong didn’t take them seriously at all.

“Where are my Dharma Protector Vajras?” Zhang Hong bellowed, and suddenly streams of pale golden light surged from his body. The light touched the ground, manifesting into several bald monks with their upper bodies bare, each radiating a terrifying aura.

“Fight, fight, fight!”

“Kill, kill, kill!”

…

There were nine Dharma Protector Vajras in total. Their bodies looked somewhat ethereal, almost translucent. Song Jian narrowed his eyes; these Vajras looked familiar, seeming to resemble those heroic spirits in the Sacred Spirit Temple.

A stern shout rang out as Zhang Hong suddenly removed a string of prayer beads hanging from his neck and brandished them, charging towards the distant undead creatures. Nine Dharma Protector Vajras closely followed behind him, forming a battle array and sticking close behind Zhang Hong.

“Song Jian, leave these Undead Skeletons to me. All you need to do is flank them from aside!” Zhang Hong’s voice came from a distance.

Song Jian smiled slightly, came to a stop, and understood the ulterior motive behind Zhang Hong’s actions. He had no intention of competing with him, so since Zhang Hong did not wish for Song Jian’s interference, it suited Song Jian just fine to stand aside and watch.

Zhang Hong and his Dharma Protector Vajras, like tigers entering a flock of sheep, rampaged through the undead, who, upon seeing them, seemed to perceive their natural predators and scattered in all directions. Only those who could not avoid them would wield their bone blades and chop at them, their actions feeble and lacking in any fighting spirit.

Song Jian noticed that both Zhang Hong and the nine Dharma Protector Vajras had a faint golden aura circling their feet, very similar to Aura Skills, which even extended at least three meters outward. The weak and dispirited Undead Skeletons seemed to be affected only after entering the golden aura.

“Indeed, the monk profession really is quite effective against the undead…” Song Jian observed the battling Zhang Hong and thought to himself.

There were about thirty or so Undead Skeletons in the square, and it took Zhang Hong just a quarter of an hour to exterminate them all. After destroying the skeletons, Zhang Hong sat down cross-legged and began chanting scriptures, as if he were performing rites for the undead spirits.

In a short while, gray shadows started twisting and drifting up from the bones of the Undead Skeletons, slowly fading away in the air.

These were the Soul Bodies of the Undead Skeletons, all of which were exorcized by Zhang Hong, incapable of becoming undead creatures again. However, just when one of the Soul Bodies drifted into the air, it did not fade away but looked around with what seemed like bewilderment.

Zhang Hong, upon seeing this bewildered Soul Body, was overjoyed and reached out to Summon it. The Soul Body involuntarily flew towards Zhang Hong and merged into his body.

“Lucky me, I’ve exorcized another Soul Body. Let’s see what its attributes are and whether it can be cultivated into a Dharma Protector Vajra.” Zhang Hong laughed loudly as he extended his hand, released the recently absorbed Soul Body, and checked its attributes.

A moment later, a smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Hong’s mouth. He nodded and reabsorbed the Soul Body back into his body.

This was the first time Song Jian had seen Zhang Hong perform an exorcism, and he had not expected that exorcising spirits was actually a core skill of the martial monk profession.

Zhang Hong’s skill was somewhat similar to a Summoner’s, except that the chance of encountering a Soul Body that could be cultivated was too slim, and even those that did appear did not always possess the potential for cultivation. Moreover, a Dharma Protector Vajra that had been raised, once damaged in battle, could not be revived, placing various limits on what Zhang Hong considered his core skill and making it not as powerful as one might imagine.

After eliminating all the undead creatures in the cave, Song Jian and Zhang Hong continued onward and swiftly encountered a giant statue over ten meters tall in the depths of the cave.

The statue looked like an enlarged version of an Undead Skeleton, with a crown atop its head and a scepter in hand, emanating a formidable presence.

“Skeleton King Insinar…” As Song Jian’s gaze fell upon the statue, an attribute description naturally appeared before his eyes, which surprised him.

“There it is, the treasure must be below the statue; I’ve received a system prompt!” Zhang Hong said excitedly.

It indeed was a treasure specifically meant for him, guarded by undead creatures that he could counter. Moreover, after killing just over thirty such creatures, he encountered a Soul Body worthy of being cultivated into a Dharma Protector Vajra. Zhang Hong felt that this was his place of fortune, and the buried treasure must certainly be a treasure suitable for him.

…