Chapter 35: Scattered Combat

Empowered by their Mythical Zoan abilities, they quickly dispatched the zombies wandering near their home. However, as neither had yet awakened Haki, they lacked the necessary stamina. Liu Xiyao was the first to lose her human-beast form; panting heavily, she deactivated her Devil Fruit ability and knelt on one knee before Ao Xin.

"Master! Thank you so much. I, Xiyao, shall follow you to the death!"

Soon after, Meng Kui also reverted from his human-beast form and pledged his loyalty to Ao Xin once more: "Boss, I will definitely conquer a vast territory for you!"

They knew that everything they possessed came from Ao Xin. From the initial points, weapons, and food, to the Devil Fruits they now wielded, there could be no one in this world more worthy of their allegiance than him. Although their confidence had surged with their newfound strength, they harbored no disloyalty. Ao Xin could easily craft such combat power in them, and he could just as easily do the same for others. A man such as this was destined to become the hegemon of this apocalypse.

"Very well, rise," Ao Xin said, gesturing for them to stand. "Though you possess Devil Fruit powers, the foundation of your strength remains your own body."

"The first period of Divine Bestowal is the realm of physical tempering. Your physical body is the foundation upon which you stand. The stronger your body, the more powerful your fruit abilities become. In fact, if your body is strong enough, you could stand at the pinnacle even without a Devil Fruit."

"The path of physical cultivation is Haki. You must accelerate your Haki training. Do not neglect any of the three types; as time goes on, the role of Conqueror's Haki will become increasingly significant."

Both Haki and Devil Fruit abilities consume stamina, which is why physical constitution is paramount. Furthermore, as zombies evolve, the concentration of the zombie virus in the air will continue to rise. Without a sufficiently strong constitution, one will inevitably be infected.

"You both possess fruit abilities now, so self-preservation should no longer be a major concern. Spread out and hunt the zombies."

They obeyed Ao Xin’s command without hesitation. Combat was not just for points; it was for cultivation. Ao Xin’s parents, who had also acquired Paramecia-type abilities, seemed to be coordinating quite well. His father had even collected several zombie corpses, claiming he needed to study them. Since their home lacked research equipment, he planned to visit the central hospital, where some instruments might still be functional.

Meanwhile, Ao Xin began hunting Flesh Zombies, breaking their limbs before handing them over to Ao Chen to finish off.

Unfortunately, Ao Chen’s attack power was rather low, and it took her a long time to sever the neck of a single Flesh Zombie.

"This won't do. It’s too much of a waste of time," Ao Xin frowned. While this simple decapitation exercise provided training, it was inefficient. Ao Chen’s stamina was limited, and at this rate, even if she gained some points, her strength would improve far too slowly. In the apocalypse, strength is more important than points! If you have strength, you will never lack points. But if you have points without strength, even if no one steals them from you, you will eventually succumb to the zombie virus and turn. This was the reason why even the major factions of his previous life rarely used this method to grind for points.

On the streets, survivors were using various methods to fight zombies. Even though over twenty days had passed since the apocalypse began, many still had not obtained the methods for Haki cultivation. In comparison, the slaughter carried out by Ao Xin and his group was strikingly conspicuous. Many survivors yearned for a powerful leader to save them from their precarious, day-to-day existence. People began asking for information about Ao Xin’s group in the Divine Bestowal space, hoping to make contact with the "big shots."

"I know them! They live right across from my building!" a young man who had witnessed Meng Kui and Liu Xiyao’s transformation posted in the "Bian City Survivor Exchange Group," sharing his location with the others.

"It’s not just those two new Mythical Zoan users; the Azure Dragon big shot is with them, too!" another person living nearby added. He had once seen Ao Xin transform into an Azure Dragon and later realized that Meng Kui was the strongest survivor in the vicinity, possessing the strength to kill zombies single-handedly. Putting that together with the young man’s video, he concluded they were all part of the same team.

"My god, three Mythical Zoan users? Their luck is insane!"
"A single Mythical Zoan user could sweep through a city. With three, they are invincible in Bian City!"
"Not necessarily. They could sweep a small, wireless city, but Bian City is different. I heard there are already four-star zombies appearing in the capital! I saw a video; that thing’s punch is like a nuclear bomb. No one can stand against it right now!"
"I heard that too. There are ability users in the capital, and even legendary ancient martial artists. They joined forces but couldn't even scratch that four-star zombie, and several of them died!"

Not everyone had the courage to fight zombies in the apocalypse. Many hid in their homes, trembling, their only pastime being to watch videos uploaded by others in the Divine Bestowal space and chat with strangers. Ao Xin, a powerhouse constantly engaged in battle, had no time to concern himself with such news.

"I want to seek refuge with these big shots, but I don't know if they'd take me in," someone finally returned to the topic. Another sighed, "I’m too afraid to even step out of my room. Even if I knew where they lived, I couldn't get there!"

The young man who lived near Ao Xin spoke up: "Don’t be so discouraged. These big shots have almost cleared out the zombies near my place and are now moving toward other areas. Maybe they’ll end up clearing the zombies out of all of Bian City."

"Let’s hope so."

Ao Xin led Ao Chen further afield to hunt. He did not activate his dragon form, relying solely on Haki. A steel whip was all he needed to remain invincible.

"Brother! Kill slower, I can’t keep up!" Ao Chen’s small chest heaved as she struggled. Even with Ao Xin killing all the Flesh Zombies and ninety-nine percent of the other zombies they encountered, she still found the remaining one percent exhausting to deal with. "Waaa, why isn’t my fruit a combat type like Sister Xiyao’s?"

Ao Xin used his superior speed to circle behind a zombie and slashed at its neck, but he could only cut halfway through; he was unable to decapitate it in one strike. He recalled how Meng Kui and the others could instantly kill ordinary zombies after obtaining their fruit abilities.

*Bang!*

Ao Xin shattered a zombie’s skull with his whip. The intense battle made his blood boil. A domineering power flowed through his body, attaching itself to his bones. He could clearly feel his skeleton rapidly strengthening under the influence of this energy. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth—this was Haki fusing with his muscles and bones. Once fully integrated, his skeleton would be as hard as steel. Even if his flesh were to rot and decay, his bones would endure forever! This realm was known as the Iron Bone.