Clayne silently folded the chair he previously placed behind the restroom door as reinforcement. Every movement remained extremely careful while his sharpened senses continuously observed the surroundings for danger. He no longer moved like an ordinary student trapped in a school during the apocalypse. The changes brought by cultivation, combat instincts, and the Silent Sword Sect techniques had already started affecting his entire body.

It was already night outside.

Darkness covered the school heavily now. The hallways no longer carried the faint traces of daylight from earlier. Everything looked cold, abandoned, and terrifyingly quiet.

Yet strangely...

Clayne’s vision no longer struggled within darkness.

His eyes remained unnaturally clear.

Every blood stain across the floor.

Every broken tile.

Every shattered piece of glass.

Every claw mark scratched into the walls.

He could see them all clearly.

The Silent Sword Sect cultivation method quietly circulated within his body while spiritual Qi flowed slowly through his meridians. His breathing gradually became lighter. His heartbeat steadied itself naturally. Even his footsteps unconsciously minimized sound.

Carefully, Clayne unlocked the restroom door before slowly pulling it open.

Creak.

The faint sound echoed lightly through the hallway.

Clayne instantly paused afterward.

His senses expanded immediately.

Listening, observing, and waiting.

But after several moments passed and nothing charged toward him, he silently slipped outside.

The hallway looked horrifying.

Several classroom doors remained half opened while blood stains stretched across the floor endlessly. Broken desks and scattered papers filled portions of the corridor while drag marks painted horrifying lines through dried blood.

The smell alone felt disgusting.

Rot, blood, and decay.

Something wet and rotten lingered throughout the building constantly.

Yet despite the silence...

Clayne could still hear them.

Growls.

Dragging footsteps.

Scratching noises.

The undead still wandered somewhere nearby.

Meanwhile...

Inside the miniature world...

One of the trees near the outskirts of the Silent Sword Sect suddenly began rotting rapidly.

Dark corruption spread throughout the bark while the surrounding spiritual grasses slowly withered. Leaves blackened continuously before falling apart entirely.

Then eventually—

Crack.

The tree split apart.

And from within it...

A red robed demonic cultivator slowly emerged.

His face looked pale while cold sweat covered portions of his forehead. Fear remained deeply hidden inside his eyes, yet beneath that fear existed another emotion.

Determination.

Desperation.

The demonic cultivator slowly observed his surroundings afterward.

Then immediately attempted slipping away silently through the ruined pathways of the Silent Sword Sect.

His movements remained extremely cautious.

Because he understood something terrifying already.

Something monstrous existed here.

Something capable of flattening Core Formation cultivators like insects.

Something beyond his understanding entirely.

And if that terrifying existence discovered he was still alive...

Death would become unavoidable.

So he escaped carefully.

Quietly.

Step by step.

Yet before he could leave far—

A Silent Sword Sect disciple suddenly appeared ahead.

The disciple froze immediately.

"...Who are you?"

The demonic cultivator’s pupils instantly narrowed.

Then without hesitation—

Boom!

Red spiritual Qi erupted violently from his body while his claw instantly reached toward the disciple’s throat.

The disciple reacted immediately afterward.

Clang!

His sword blocked the attack barely in time while sparks exploded outward.

"You demonic dog!"

The disciple immediately retaliated afterward.

Slash!

A sharp sword strike swept horizontally toward the demonic cultivator’s chest.

The demonic cultivator twisted backward instantly before releasing several blood red needles toward the disciple’s face.

The disciple stepped sideways hurriedly while swinging his sword repeatedly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The needles exploded apart one after another.

But immediately afterward—

The demonic cultivator rushed forward aggressively.

His fingers transformed into blood red claws while demonic Qi surged violently around his arms.

Boom!

Another clash erupted instantly.

The disciple blocked again, but the force still pushed him backward several steps.

The difference in combat experience immediately became obvious.

Even injured.

Even terrified.

The demonic cultivator remained extremely dangerous.

His attacks were ruthless.

Fast.

Efficient.

Deadly.

The Silent Sword Sect disciple clenched his teeth tightly before circulating sword Qi throughout his blade.

Then suddenly—

Slash!

A pale blue sword arc erupted sharply toward the demonic cultivator.

The demonic cultivator narrowly dodged before instantly retaliating through vicious close combat strikes.

Palm attacks.

Blood claws.

Exploding demonic Qi.

The battle rapidly intensified.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Spiritual energy exploded repeatedly throughout the ruined sect grounds while cracks spread across nearby stone pathways.

The disciple fought desperately despite gradually being pushed backward.

Meanwhile, the demonic cultivator’s expression became increasingly desperate because he understood something horrifying.

If this battle lasted too long...

That unknown deity might notice him.

And once noticed...

He would absolutely die.

That fear gradually pushed him toward madness.

Then suddenly—

The demonic cultivator released all his blood Qi violently.

Boom!

A bloody spiritual storm exploded outward.

The Silent Sword Sect disciple widened his eyes slightly.

Then—

Slash!

A blood red claw pierced directly through his chest.

The disciple froze completely afterward.

Blood slowly flowed from his lips.

Meanwhile, the demonic cultivator did not hesitate even slightly.

He instantly ripped his hand outward before rushing away desperately. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The disciple slowly collapsed afterward.

Blood spread across the ruined ground beneath him continuously.

Then shortly afterward—

Another Silent Sword Sect disciple arrived nearby.

The moment he saw the corpse—

His face instantly became horrified.

"Senior Brother...?"

...

Meanwhile...

Clayne slowly moved throughout the dark hallway silently.

Eventually—

He found them.

Zombies.

A large group wandered throughout the corridor ahead.

Some dragged broken legs while twitching unnaturally against the walls. Others continuously growled while several still wore blood soaked school uniforms torn apart by bites and claws.

The smell nearly made Clayne frown.

But now...

He remained far calmer than before.

The Silent Sword Sect cultivation method continuously stabilized his breathing and movements naturally. His body unconsciously blended with darkness while his aura remained quiet and restrained.

He did not attack immediately.

Because he already understood something important.

Noise attracted danger.

If one zombie collapsed loudly near him, the others would immediately swarm toward his location.

So instead...

Clayne slowly distanced himself first.

Then carefully prepared several spiritually reinforced tile fragments between his fingers.

His eyes narrowed slightly afterward.

Then—

Snap.

A tile fragment instantly shot forward silently.

Crack!

One zombie’s skull exploded apart instantly.

The corpse collapsed heavily onto the floor.

Immediately afterward, the surrounding zombies reacted violently.

Growls erupted loudly while several undead turned aggressively toward the fallen corpse.

Yet...

No one stood nearby.

They only growled angrily at empty darkness.

Meanwhile, Clayne had already moved elsewhere silently.

Then—

Snap!

Another tile fragment flew instantly.

Crack!

A second zombie’s head shattered violently.

Again—

The surrounding undead became restless.

Several slammed themselves against classroom doors while others growled toward random directions blindly.

Still...

They could not find him.

Clayne moved like a silent hunter throughout darkness now.

Every movement remained controlled.

Every breath remained quiet.

Then—

Snap!

Another zombie collapsed.

Snap!

Another skull exploded apart.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The hallway gradually filled with collapsing undead bodies continuously.

Some zombies rushed toward sounds repeatedly.

Others smashed themselves against walls angrily.

Several growled toward shadows endlessly.

Yet Clayne continuously repositioned throughout darkness silently.

His sharpened senses tracked every movement carefully.

Every throw became increasingly accurate.

More efficient.

More deadly.

Some tile fragments pierced directly through skulls instantly.

Others shattered jaws completely.

One zombie even lost nearly half its head after being struck directly through the temple.

Blood splattered repeatedly across the hallway.

Still...

The undead failed locating him properly.

Because every time he attacked...

He already moved elsewhere.

The Silent Blade Throw technique perfectly matched his enhanced senses and inherited combat instincts.

The more he fought...

The smoother his movements became.

The calmer his mind became.

The deadlier his attacks became.

Eventually—

The number of zombies gradually decreased.

Then decreased further.

Then further still.

Until finally—

The last zombie slowly collapsed after its skull exploded apart from another perfectly thrown tile fragment.

Silence slowly returned afterward.

The hallway became filled with corpse after corpse.

Broken skulls.

Blood stains.

Collapsed undead bodies everywhere.

Meanwhile, Clayne slowly exhaled deeply.

A sigh of relief escaped from his lips afterward.

Finally...

He succeeded.

But then—

His eyes suddenly widened.