The ship kept circling in this area. This was definitely the right spot. Yet the sea was eerily calm, with no trace of the so-called island. Our current location was somewhere in the East China Sea, still far from the mainland. The fighting among the group gradually subsided. Fortunately, we had ample food and plenty of blood supplies. Otherwise, without blood to drink, the zombies would have turned on the living. We were now roughly a hundred miles from the Diaoyu Islands, situated along the Pacific Rim island chain, where the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates seemed to converge, creating numerous underwater ridges.
The ship rocked unsteadily as two divers plunged into the water, but they still found nothing unusual. Abe Keiko wore a grave expression. I asked, “Do you actually know where it is? Could we be in the wrong place?”
Abe Keiko replied firmly, “No mistake, this is it. It’s just that the legendary immortal island is nowhere to be seen.”
The seven zombies had finally gathered, only for us to face the prospect of returning empty-handed. Dai Hao was the first to grow restless, followed by the Earth-Nurtured Zombie. Even the Silver-Armored Zombie and the Indestructible Bones began acting strangely. They all growled and thrashed, as if trying to break free from control. Xie Xiaoyu also seemed uneasy, her forehead beaded with sweat. The sea breeze grew fiercer as He Qingling, perched high above, cried out into the wind.
*Meow, meow, meow…*
Suddenly, a violent gale swept in from the distance, waves surging higher as if heralding a tornado. Though it was only ten in the morning, the sky darkened abruptly. None of us had much experience with the sea. If a tornado struck, the ship would inevitably sink, drowning everyone aboard. The zombies, too, would be crushed by the immense pressure of the deep. The howling winds made it impossible to stand on the deck.
The golden compass in my hand spun wildly. I noticed something odd in the northwest—a faint, dark barrier sealing the sea’s surface.
As the tornado approached from the southeast, I shouted, “Charge toward the southeast!” At Abe Keiko’s command, the ship accelerated into the storm. After a strange jolt, light suddenly flooded our vision. I pulled Xie Xiaoyu into the shadows.
There, in the middle of the ocean, lay a small island, concealed by a geomantic array that made it nearly invisible to passing ships. By afternoon, with the sun gone, the ship dropped anchor. After some discussion, we boarded a speedboat and landed on the shore with the seven zombies.
Lord Hua and Guo Jue exclaimed simultaneously, “This is it! This is the place!” The dense forest in the darkness obscured whatever lay within. A few crabs washed ashore by the waves scuttled across the sandy beach.
Abe Keiko confirmed, “This is the place.” With her were six crew members, their composed expressions suggesting they were her most trusted aides.
This island, dormant for centuries in the East China Sea, now revealed itself to me for the first time. If Abe Keiko called it an immortal island, did that mean actual immortals resided here?
Lord Hua and Guo Jue, descendants of the Hua and Guo families, had once ventured into an ancient tomb intending to collect zombies but were severely injured by the undead within. The only thing that escaped was a cat—He Qingling. No one expected the tomb to be hidden in the vast East China Sea. If true, why had their master come here? And what connection did this have with my Ghost Sect?
Upon reaching the shore, we found a stream flowing from the island, its gentle trickle echoing for days. No one knew what monsters lurked within.
Hua Chongyang and Guo Jue each produced half of a parchment—a map of the island. Comparing the pieces, they located a path leading inland. I warned Hua Changsheng, “You’re a monk with a soft heart. If things turn violent, don’t hesitate. Mercy could cost you your life.”
Hua Changsheng nodded, committing my words to memory. I glanced at Hammer Master, noticing the bulge at his waist—clearly armed. My Black Star pistol had been confiscated by the police, leaving me virtually defenseless.
Gu Xiulian pulled me aside. “Master Xiao, among this group, we’re the weakest. Look at them—guns, knives. Right now, everyone’s playing nice, but when the fight starts, we’ll be the first casualties. That Japanese woman, Abe Keiko? I’ve dealt with her before—she’s full of schemes.”
The Guo family was the strongest, bringing three zombies. The Hua family came next, followed by the Abe clan. Dai Hao undoubtedly had heavy weaponry. By that logic, Gu Xiulian and I were indeed the weakest.
But I didn’t agree with him. Gu Xiulian had ulterior motives—aligning with him would be suicidal. Soon after, he went to talk with Dai Zhen instead.
The night sea breeze carried an eerie calm over the island. No one could predict what would happen next.
At dawn, we followed the stream inland with the zombies. Before long, we stumbled upon scattered bones submerged in the water. My stomach churned—I had drunk from that stream last night. The others remained unfazed, as if it were nothing.
The bones, bleached clean by time, showed no signs of decay from the water. Still, they unsettled me. Poking them with a stick, I counted fourteen leg bones—seven white, seven black—indicating seven deaths.
I called out, “Strange. Where are their skulls?” Hua Chongyang and Guo Jue, fixated on the map, paid no attention to the bones or the missing heads.
Dai Hao remarked, “Maybe their heads were cut off. Or carried away by beasts.”
I cursed them silently in my heart.
Beyond the dense forest lay a clearing where seven skulls hung from rubber trees like lanterns.
I scoffed, “Did beasts tie these up too?” Dai Hao smirked. “Even if there are monsters, do you think we’re defenseless?”
The skulls, draped in vines and green leaves, appeared to have hung for years. Beneath the trees stood a stone tablet inscribed: *Here lie the skulls of the Seven Corpses.* The carvings were sharp and deliberate. Someone had once gathered the Seven Corpses here, only to be slaughtered by some monstrous force, their heads displayed as a warning.
Hua Changsheng muttered, “Could there really be a Zombie King here? One that destroyed the zombies brought before us?” His words gave Hua Chongyang pause. He halted Guo Jue. “If someone else brought the Seven Corpses and lost their heads, whatever did this isn’t to be underestimated.”
Dai Hao laughed. “You overthink things. I may not understand your Daoist ways, but I know powerful zombies differ from ordinary ones.” Abe Keiko nodded. “Professor Dai makes a valid point. Master Xiao could handle seven ordinary zombies blindfolded. But if our seven turned against him… could he still manage?”
I shook my head honestly. “One alone would be trouble.” Gu Xiulian boasted, “If my master were here, he’d crush them all.”
Guo Furong sneered. “Really? He couldn’t even defeat my Indestructible Bones.”
Gu Xiulian shot back, “Want to test that here and now?” His zombie, Gu Rechang, bristled with murderous energy, forcing me back. Guo Furong flicked her hair. “You think I fear you? Let’s settle this—I’ll show you what my Indestructible Bones can do.”
I groaned inwardly. Stuck with reckless fools, on an uncharted island, and now they wanted to fight?
Hua Changsheng chanted, “Amitabha. Let’s discuss this rationally. Fighting now only weakens us all. We should press forward.”
Gu Xiulian’s scarred face twisted as he stormed ahead, Gu Rechang hopping comically behind him. After a few steps, I called out, “Hey, you’re going the wrong way!” Gu Xiulian grunted and turned back, his zombie still bouncing awkwardly.
Apart from Gu Rechang, the Indestructible Bones and Sanjin occasionally hopped too. The Earth-Nurtured Zombie moved with more grace, while Xie Xiaoyu walked almost like a human.
The island’s interior was a maze of bizarre rocks and unknown trees. Guo Furong and Guo Jue scattered incense to repel insects and beasts. Under a massive tree, Abe Keiko suggested a rest.
Hua Chongyang and Guo Jue pieced together their map halves, indicating a hidden secret at the island’s heart.
I mused aloud, “If this is an immortal island, then immortals must live worse than us—no flowers, no fruit, just a desolate rock. Who’d believe it?”
Gu Xiulian, a Taoist scholar, countered, “Immortals aren’t bound to famous mountains. Maybe they hide here to avoid seekers. Freedom matters, not scenery. Besides, immortals don’t eat—why would they need fruit?”
Abe Keiko added, “As your Chinese sage said: *A mountain’s fame lies not in height, but in its immortals; water’s power lies not in depth, but in its dragons.* If an immortal resides here, it’s an immortal island.”
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