The key was that heretical cultivator, who was the junior brother of the second master of the Xuantian Temple.
He did not compete with their old ancestor for the position of temple master, but instead resented this and practiced heretical arts, intending to establish his own sect and wage war against the Xuantian Temple.
Unfortunately, before his heretical cultivation could reach completion, their old ancestor stripped him of his cultivation, reducing him to an ordinary person. Not long after, he died from severe backlash.
After Jian Xi finished explaining, everyone finally understood the whole story.
"But Jian Xi, look at her, ignoring the blood, she doesn't seem like a zombie at all," Huo Chengxi asked in confusion.
Upon hearing this, Hong Ying also looked towards Jian Xi.
"That's because she possesses the Celestial Calamity Fate, and there's a Spiritual Jade containing Spiritual Power within her body. So when the heretical arts were used on her, they were only half as effective, eventually leading to her current state, no different from ordinary people, except that she does not live or die, nor age or wither!"
Ye Ze and Gu Zhiyao exclaimed in surprise simultaneously, "A Spiritual Jade containing Spiritual Power?"
Jian Xi nodded in affirmation, "Yes, that's right, but it's gone now because it absorbed too much power from the heretical arts and shattered. Otherwise, she wouldn't have 'awakened'."
Their master had once said that a thousand years ago, this world possessed Spiritual Power, and cultivating with it could lead to immortality and ascension. However, after wars and excessive exploitation, this world became depleted of Spiritual Power, and now only trace amounts remain in ancient, untouched forests.
Their so-called cultivation was another form of Spiritual Power but lacked the miraculous abilities that true Spiritual Power cultivation possessed.
Everyone understood, and naturally, Hong Ying understood as well. It turned out she was already a dead person!
She felt aggrieved. She hadn't died in battle but was instead killed insidiously. With her fiery temper, how could she accept this? Enraged, her Demonic Aura increased by several levels, directly breaking through Jian Xi's formation.
He Qingchen pulled Jian Xi back several steps.
"Hmph, shameless scoundrel!" Hong Ying fumed.
Jian Xi looked at her, perplexed. She hadn't said anything offensive, so why was Hong Ying scolding her?
Hong Ying sensed her gaze and glared at her, "I'm not scolding you, but that heretical cultivator you mentioned, and by the way, next time, shouldn't you investigate the situation before acting? If my strength wasn't so great, wouldn't you have mistakenly killed an innocent... zombie?"
Halfway through, she remembered that she was no longer human!
Jian Xi guiltily averted her gaze, "We just wanted to restrain you. Who knew zombies could still have humanity? You're the special one, how would you know!"
Hong Ying twitched her lips and snorted, "Making excuses!"
Jian Xi asked Ye Ze, "Second Senior Brother, what should we do now?"
Ye Ze had also never encountered such a situation before and was at a loss for what to do.
In the end, it was Gu Zhiyao who made the decision to have Hong Ying accompany them for the time being. She also cast another divination, and the outcome was still ominous, indicating that this matter was not yet over!
So bringing Hong Ying with them was the safer option. At least if anything happened, they could take action immediately.
Hong Ying was naturally willing to go with them as well. After all, she wasn't foolish and could tell from their conversation that two thousand years must have passed since her era. Not knowing anyone, it was best for her to stick with them for now.
When Jian Xi approached her this time, she didn't call her a shameless scoundrel. Instead, she directly told her, "Later, when we enter the city, I'll need to place some restrictions on you, like a time bomb."
Hong Ying scoffed, "You? You can do that?"
Jian Xi was displeased and became more stern, her eyes dangerous, "You should be able to sense that my cultivation has been damaged. If I were at my peak, in a one-on-one battle with you, you might not necessarily win!"
She hadn't been idle during this period. Even though Xie BiAn had returned the three-tenths of her cultivation that he had sealed, her body was still depleted.
Otherwise, there would have been no need for everyone to lend a hand today!
"So what? Can you instantly regain your peak state?" Hong Ying eyed her askance and retorted.
Jian Xi smirked, and her peach wood sword appeared in thin air as she tilted her head back, "You called me a shameless scoundrel for ganging up on you, didn't you? If you don't listen, I don't mind letting you scold me again."
Hong Ying glanced at the others before rolling her eyes at Jian Xi, "Just hurry up. I still want to experience what this world is like two thousand years later!"
Jian Xi and the others: "..."
Her attitude was truly great! Her acceptance ability was truly strong too!
Just as they were about to board the car, Lin Yichen called out to Hong Ying, "Uh, hey, wait a moment."
Hong Ying turned at the sound, pointing at herself, "Are you calling me?"
Lin Yichen approached with some gauze and handed it to her, "Wrap your injuries with this first, or you'll scare others. When we have time, I'll help you stitch them up."
Suddenly, he thought of a question and turned to ask Jian Xi, "Jian Xi, can a zombie's wounds heal?"
This question clearly touched upon Jian Xi's blind spot. She looked at Ye Ze, passing the question to him.
Ye Ze pondered for a while before answering, "Normally, no, but she's not an ordinary zombie now, and it's debatable whether she even counts as a zombie. So I don't really know how to answer you on this."
He Qingchen opened the car door, letting Jian Xi get in first since she had been standing for a while. Before she entered, he casually glanced at Lin Yichen, "If you want to know, just observe, and you'll find out, won't you?"
Lin Yichen understood the look in He Qingchen's eyes, implying he was being foolish.
They had come in two cars, but with one extra person on the return trip - well, let's consider Hong Ying a person for now, a living dead person?
He Qingchen drove, with Lin Yichen in the passenger seat, while Jian Xi and Hong Ying sat in the back.
In the car, Hong Ying obediently wrapped her injuries with the gauze, then looked around the interior curiously.
The more she looked, the more astonished she became. She wanted to ask questions but didn't know where to start, her face turning red from holding it in.
Inadvertently catching a glimpse of her in the rearview mirror, Lin Yichen studied Hong Ying deeply, now extremely curious about what had led to her current state - no breathing, no blood, yet her face could still redden?
This itched at his curiosity, and he wanted to study her!
Afraid that Hong Ying might burst from holding it in - not from lack of breath, but from sheer bewilderment - Jian Xi gave her a general overview of modern life.
This overview lasted an hour, during which Hong Ying even drank a bottle of water that He Qingchen had passed to her.
But even after so much explanation, Hong Ying still wore a dazed expression, far from having even a partial understanding.
