Chapter 668: A City Without High-Level Crystal Cores

Chu Miao and Ye Xuan moved quickly through the ruins.

The underground structure they had detected was located beneath what used to be a large shopping mall in the center of City S.

Most of the building had collapsed during the lightning tribulation, leaving behind a mountain of broken concrete, twisted metal, and shattered glass.

Ye Xuan waved his hand, and the debris blocking their path floated into the air before moving to both sides.

His control over spiritual energy had improved significantly after advancing to the Divine Transformation Realm.

Previously, moving so much rubble at once would have consumed a noticeable amount of his spiritual energy. Now, he accomplished it without much effort.

Chu Miao looked at him and nodded in approval.

"Your control has improved."

Ye Xuan smiled.

"Are you impressed, darling?"

"A little," Chu Miao admitted. "But wait until I advance. You might not have another chance to show off."

"Then I should enjoy these few hours while I can."

Chu Miao gave him an amused glance before turning her attention back to the ruins.

They soon uncovered a wide metal door that had been hidden beneath the collapsed building.

The door did not belong to the original shopping mall.

It was reinforced with several layers of metal, and deep scratches covered its surface. Some of the scratches resembled claw marks, while others appeared to have been made by tools.

"There is no dust around the hinges," Chu Miao observed. "This entrance was used frequently."

Ye Xuan placed his palm against the door and released his divine sense.

"The passage behind it descends for more than twenty meters. There are several chambers below, but parts of the structure collapsed during the tribulation."

"Are there any zombies?"

"None that I can sense."

That answer did not make Chu Miao relax.

Instead, her suspicion deepened.

City S had contained tens of millions of zombies. Many intelligent zombies had been hiding inside buildings, but none of their high-level crystal cores could be found.

Now, they had discovered a concealed underground structure that appeared to have been used regularly.

The intelligent zombies must have gathered there for a reason.

Ye Xuan pulled the metal door open.

The hinges produced a harsh grinding sound that echoed through the passage below.

A foul smell immediately rushed out.

It was a mixture of rotting flesh, stale blood, and concentrated death energy.

Even after experiencing the apocalypse for more than two years, the smell was still unpleasant.

Chu Miao created a thin barrier of spiritual energy around herself to block it.

Ye Xuan followed her example.

The two descended the dark staircase.

There was no electricity, but that did not affect them. With their cultivation, they could see clearly even in complete darkness.

Dark stains covered the walls and floor.

Some were dried blood, while others were traces of rotten flesh left behind by zombies rubbing against the walls as they passed.

The deeper they went, the wider the passage became.

When they reached the bottom, they found several paths leading in different directions.

Chu Miao crouched and examined the floor.

"There were many zombies here."

Ye Xuan looked at the overlapping footprints.

Unlike the streets outside, the underground passage had not been reduced to ruins. The footprints were still clear enough to reveal how frequently it had been used.

"Most moved toward the surface," he said.

"But some went in the opposite direction." Chu Miao pointed toward the passage on their left. "And these footprints are newer."

Ye Xuan followed the direction she indicated.

The footprints leading deeper underground were fewer, but they were more distinct.

Moreover, they were spaced evenly.

The zombies that left them had not been wandering aimlessly. They had moved in an organized group.

Ye Xuan’s expression became serious.

"They evacuated."

"Before your tribulation began," Chu Miao added.

If they had fled after the tribulation clouds formed, the heavenly dao would have marked them like the other zombies.

They would not have escaped no matter how far they ran.

Therefore, the strongest intelligent zombies must have left City S before Ye Xuan released his suppressed cultivation.

"But how did they know?" Ye Xuan asked.

He had not announced his intention to break through.

Even after entering City S, he had immediately headed to the tallest building and started arranging protection arrays.

He had not spoken to anyone or exposed his cultivation deliberately.

Chu Miao stood up.

"They might not have known that you intended to advance."

"Then why evacuate?"

"They may have a rule requiring their strongest members to retreat whenever an unknown powerful human enters their stronghold."

This explanation was possible, but neither of them believed it was the whole truth.

The intelligent zombies Ye Xuan had observed had shown remarkable restraint. They had remained inside the buildings instead of exposing themselves.

Those who survived might have been ordered to leave while the others remained to monitor him.

If so, whoever commanded City S was decisive enough to sacrifice tens of millions of zombies to preserve a few important ones.

Chu Miao released her divine sense and followed the passage.

"It leads outside the city."

"How far?"

"The underground tunnel extends beyond the range of my divine sense."

Ye Xuan examined it with his newly strengthened divine sense.

After a moment, his gaze became colder.

"It connects to the old subway system. There are several branches, and at least one reaches the outskirts of City S."

The high-level zombies could have escaped through those tunnels without Ye Xuan noticing them.

He had been focused on the zombies above ground and preparing for his breakthrough. He had not expected them to use underground escape routes.

"Ah Xuan, let’s inspect the city before following this passage," Chu Miao said. "We need to determine exactly how many high-level zombies are missing."

Ye Xuan nodded. Those were his exact thoughts as well.

They returned to the surface.

With their divine senses covering different sections of the city, they began collecting the remaining crystal cores systematically.