Chapter 285: Plants vs. Zombies (Conclusion)
Compared to the temporary plant defense line inside the cave-heaven space, only the plant battlefront laid out in the outside world could last for an extended time. Of course, setting up such a battlefront required spirit fields. But in this outer region of the Nine Nether Domain, deathly qi was so dense that even purification formations couldn't clear it away completely.
It still didn't meet the standards of a spirit field, mainly because spiritual energy was lacking. Fortunately, Gu Mo had long foreseen this and already prepared a countermeasure.
If the land had no spiritual energy, then he would simply replenish it, turning barren soil into vibrant ground. This method consumed immensely, but for Gu Mo, it wasn't difficult.
This was because chompers could devour prey, digest them, and convert them into spiritual energy to nourish the soil beneath them. And since the prey here were zombies—and their numbers were endless—there was no worry of running short.
Once the land held spiritual energy, it could be transformed into spirit fields, and afterward, other plants could harness this energy to unleash their proper power.
Time was pressing. Gu Mo began planting chompers around the Nine Nether Domain, encircling it completely. Next, he quickly set up torchwood stumps.
The torchwood stumps weren't planted too densely, used only for sudden bursts. The true core firepower of the plant defense line came from pea shooters—specifically, their evolved forms.
Compared to the primitive pea shooters, these evolutions had at least double the battle strength. For example, the repeater was essentially a pea shooter with doubled fire rate, unleashing the same power at twice the speed—output instantly doubled.
There were also three-peaters, capable of firing three energy peas at once, and even a machine-gun pea shooter, whose rate of fire reached hundreds of shots per second.
Though each pea's individual power wasn't high, when combined with that terrifying firing speed, the overall output was monstrous—perfect for sweeping away hordes of lesser enemies.
And this was only the rate-of-fire evolution line. The pea shooter also had an elemental evolution line, such as the frost pea shooter, which wielded freezing and slowing powers—an excellent weapon against agile foes.
Paired with torchwood, they could unleash dual ice-and-fire attacks, boosting their power by another tier.
Chompers, torchwood, and pea shooters formed the offensive core of the plant battlefront. But offense alone wasn't enough—they also needed defense.
That duty naturally fell to the wall-nuts. And now, Gu Mo employed the evolved tall-nuts.
Compared to the original version, tall-nuts were bigger and sturdier, greatly improving defensive capability. Arranged into a nut wall, they could hold back zombie tides for far longer, buying precious time for chompers and pea shooters to attack.
To ensure everything was foolproof, Gu Mo also buried a large number of potato mines outside the plant defense line. Once the zombie tide pressed in, the mines could wipe out the first wave and ease the pressure.
"Hu~~"
Looking at the long stretch of plant defenses, Gu Mo exhaled deeply. Everything was ready—now it was time to put the battlefront into action.
Originally, his plan was to build the plant line while fending off the zombie tide. But with Yao Shifeng as an insider, everything went smoothly, and Gu Mo had managed to lay the entire battlefront in one go.
As planned with Yao Shifeng, once the defense line was complete, Yao would lure back batches of zombies from outside.
Gu Mo would eliminate each wave in turn, until the entire zombie tide was eradicated.
"They're here."
After a short wait, gray death clouds churned in the distance.
Soon, a black mass of zombies appeared. Since this wave wasn't large, Gu Mo didn't trigger the potato mines, letting the zombies charge directly at the chompers.
Not all of Gu Mo's defenses faced the Nine Nether Domain; some were set toward the rear, specifically to handle the zombies Yao summoned in.
Once these were cleared out, Gu Mo planned to transplant and re-orient the rear defenses.
"Roarrr!"
As the black wave neared, several tall, lean zombies at the Nascent Soul level suddenly shot out, moving dozens of times faster than their fellows.
These were special zombies. Aside from speed-types, there were also defensive types, ranged attackers, even flying ones.
Each one carried special powers, their strength at late or peak Nascent Soul, and they had inflicted devastating losses on cultivators before. But against Gu Mo's plants, they weren't nearly as dangerous.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Before the swift zombie could close in, icy blue peas shot out—it was the frost pea shooters attacking. The icy peas struck, cutting its speed sharply.
As the slowed zombie staggered up to the defense line, a chomper snapped it down in one bite. A special zombie that normally caused endless headaches was effortlessly eliminated.
With the leader dead, the zombie horde surged forward like waves, only to smash against a glowing barrier.
It was the nut wall's light screen. Without breaking through, they couldn't reach the chompers inside. Meanwhile, the chompers could still snatch zombies through the barrier.
As for the pea shooters, their fire was limited for now. Gu Mo was still channeling energy into the soil, and peas required spiritual energy to fire. Until the land's energy was rich enough, they couldn't unleash their full firepower.
But once the chompers devoured this first wave, the land's energy concentration would rise dramatically.
Crunch, crunch!
Chewing sounds echoed as the dark tide melted away. Soon, the first wave was completely consumed. The land's spiritual energy had risen to the fourth tier.
Still not enough. Gu Mo had originally planned to use solar essence to supplement the initial shortage, but clearly, it wasn't needed anymore.
Yao Shifeng had already summoned the second wave. This one carried defensive-type zombies, whose armor was so thick even peak Nascent Soul cultivators struggled to pierce it.
But as long as they were still Nascent Soul level, they were still chomper food.
Wave after wave crashed in, each with its own special zombies. One included flying zombies, which tried to bypass the defenses from the air.
But Gu Mo had set up lines facing multiple directions. When the fliers circled toward the Nine Nether side, they flew right into heavy fire and were shot down.
As the chompers swallowed more and more zombies—especially the special ones—the spiritual energy concentration surged, each elite zombie yielding ten times what common ones did.
The land's aura crept ever closer to tier five—the level at which the plant defense line could unleash its full might.
"What's going on?"
On the frontline, demonic cultivators realized the zombie horde was dwindling at an unnaturally fast rate. They were stunned.
Their advantage over righteous cultivators came from the terrifying strength of special zombies and the sheer numbers of common ones. Without them, they were outmatched.
"The zombies are leaving of their own accord."
Soon, they understood. The horde wasn't being wiped out too fast—it was voluntarily retreating.
"Retreat!"
Though baffled, the demonic cultivators knew that without zombies, they were no match. They immediately pulled back.
"Block them!"
The righteous cultivators, seeing the advantage shift, wouldn't allow escape. They surged forward, cutting off the retreating demons, who quickly collapsed without their zombie shield.
At last, the final wave was devoured. The land's aura fully reached tier five, meaning the plants were at peak strength.
"Quick, quick, quick!"
Demonic cultivators fled in panic toward the Nine Nether Domain, their only hope of safety.
"What is that!"
But then they saw the vast green wall ahead. Startled but pressed by pursuers, they tried to fly over it.
Suddenly, dread struck them, and they reflexively raised defenses.
"Ratatatatata!"
A storm of energy peas roared out—the machine-gun pea shooters had opened fire. In an instant, the barrage shredded a demon's defenses and tore apart his body.
"Run!"
The others nearly collapsed in terror, retreating blindly. But their rear was no safer—righteous cultivators closed in.
Within moments, all were slain, over half by Gu Mo's plants alone.
"What terrifying spirit plants!"
The cultivators stared at the distant defense line, awestruck. Having seen with their own eyes how the plants ripped apart demons, their hearts brimmed with both fear and awe.
But knowing these plants belonged to their side, awe turned to delight. With such allies, zombie tides were no longer a threat.
Inside the Nine Nether Domain—
With Yao Shifeng's help, both the zombie tide and the allied demonic cultivators had been nearly annihilated. Though new zombies still slowly formed in the thick deathly qi, they were no longer a true danger.
"My lord, terrible news!"
Yao Shifeng drew a deep breath, feigning panic, and called to the other consciousness within him.
"What is it?"
Roused from slumber, Remnant Soul was clearly displeased.
"Hm? What happened!"
But before his anger erupted, he sensed emptiness in his awareness. At once, he seized control of Yao Shifeng's body and rushed out of the Nine Nether Domain.
Along the way, where once there had been endless zombie tides, now only scattered newborns remained.
All the hordes he had painstakingly gathered—gone in just one sleep. How could Remnant Soul not be furious?
Here's the full English translation of the passage you shared, polished for accuracy and natural readability while keeping all original details and formatting intact:
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"Master, that plant outside…"
Yao Shifeng spoke up in warning. Hearing this, remnant soul's gaze swept toward the distance and immediately caught sight of the plant battlefront encircling the Nine Nether Domain.
"With just this, you think to stop me? Ridiculous."
remnant soul stared at the endless line of plants, murderous light flashing in his eyes. Without hesitation, he possessed the headless corpse. In the next instant, torrents of profound deathly energy poured out from the body, transforming into hordes of powerful zombies.
"The real battle begins now."
Gu Mo watched the changes in the Nine Nether Domain, took a deep breath, and said. He knew very well—the earlier clash had only been an appetizer. What was coming was the true ordeal.
"Roooar!"
Like a tidal wave, the zombie horde surged out of the Nine Nether Domain, charging straight toward the plant battlefront Gu Mo had arranged.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
But before the zombies could reach the plants, potato mines cleared out one wave, and then dense volleys from the peashooters rained down.
Some unusually strong zombies withstood the attacks and rushed close, but the moment they reached the line, giant chompers devoured them whole.
The zombie tide was overwhelming, yet it simply couldn't break through Gu Mo's defenses. And as time passed, Gu Mo continued reinforcing the battlefront, making it even stronger.
"How… how is this possible!"
This scene, falling into remnant soul's eyes, sent a sharp wave of unease through him. It wasn't just the plants—it was also his own frailty. He had drawn on his true body's strength earlier, which left him even weaker than before.
"No… I must destroy those plants!"
remnant soul knew very clearly: if he gave up now, his entire plan would collapse. If the zombies couldn't get out, they couldn't hunt souls, and he would never recover.
If his soul force couldn't be restored, remnant soul would never return to his true body.
After a long moment of hesitation, remnant soul clenched his teeth, once again merging with the corpse. This time, he went all in—channeling his full strength, controlling the headless corpse to lift a colossal finger and press down toward Gu Mo's battlefront.
"Boom!"
The massive finger, as heavy as a mountain, slammed down. The walnut wall outside the plants instantly shattered. Against a Corpse Immortal's strike, the current plant line had no chance. Only when their level advanced further in the future might they be able to withstand it.
The moment the walnut wall broke, over half of Gu Mo's plant defenses were obliterated, reduced to ashes. Without exaggeration—this one strike had torn through the battlefront completely.
Yet Gu Mo didn't panic at all. So the plants were destroyed? Just replant them. What really interested him was the state of remnant soul himself after that attack.
"Huff… huff…"
In his weakened state, forcing himself to use his body's strength again pushed remnant soul into unprecedented exhaustion. Still, those accursed plants had been destroyed, so the zombies should be able to pour out now. Once they brought back souls, he could recover soon enough.
"The rest is up to you."
remnant soul muttered to Yao Shifeng before slipping into slumber, hoping to conserve what little soul force remained.
"All right, go ahead. Leave the rest to me." Yao Shifeng's voice was calm.
"…Hn?"
Catching the strange tone, remnant soul froze. Then his expression twisted—he instantly understood what Yao Shifeng intended. The man was trying to devour him.
"With just you, and you dare try to devour me?"
Even in extreme weakness, remnant soul sneered. He lunged at Yao Shifeng—after all, no mere junior cultivator could humiliate him at will.
In the blink of an eye, Yao Shifeng and remnant soul were locked in a savage soul struggle. remnant soul's essence was of an extraordinarily high tier, giving Yao Shifeng the sensation of gnawing on solid stone. His teeth shattered one by one, but Yao Shifeng didn't care—he just kept biting, kept tearing madly.
This reckless ferocity even startled remnant soul. At this rate, they would both perish together.
Realizing this, retreat stirred in remnant soul's heart. He had no wish to die with a minor cultivator. But the instant such hesitation arose, the battle was already lost.
Gulp!
When Yao Shifeng swallowed down the last fragment, remnant soul's soul was gone forever, completely absorbed into Yao Shifeng. At that moment, Yao Shifeng faintly sensed he could command the colossal headless corpse.
But he wisely suppressed the thought. Trying now would shatter his soul instantly.
Still, with remnant soul devoured, a bond had formed with the corpse. In the future, once strong enough, Yao Shifeng could make that Corpse Immortal his own avatar—stepping straight into the ranks of peak powerhouses.
For now, Yao Shifeng chose to withdraw. Once the realm gate was repaired, he would leave this small world to seek higher cultivation.
"Gu Mo… in the future, who will be the first to set foot upon the highest peak?" Yao Shifeng whispered, gazing into the distance. Then his figure flickered and vanished.
"It's over!"
Watching Yao Shifeng disappear, Gu Mo knew the crisis of the Corpse Immortal had temporarily ended.
Of course, the headless corpse still remained, and its leaking energy would continue birthing countless zombies. But with the plant battlefront in place, the hordes could never escape.
Chompers would devour zombies, digest them, and release spiritual energy. Torchwood and peashooters would absorb that energy to fire attacks. As long as this cycle held, no matter how many zombies appeared, it wouldn't matter.
The corpse's power would keep spilling outward. Yet without its soul, the Corpse Immortal could never recover. Given enough time, the plants would eventually exhaust it completely.
"In this small world, such a formidable plant master actually exists…"
Outside the battlefront, the otherworldly cultivators looked upon Gu Mo with awe. Without exaggeration, this crisis had been quelled by Gu Mo alone. Otherwise, the entire world—including themselves—would have become prey to zombies.
Buzz~~
Just as they sighed in relief, the sky trembled with spatial power. A phantom gate formed overhead.
"The realm gate has recovered!" someone shouted in delight.
As the gate solidified, figures streamed in—reinforcements from the great sects. Yet upon entering, expecting hellish carnage, they instead found calm. The zombie tide seemed gone.
"Halt!"
Gu Mo blocked one cultivator who tried to enter the Nine Nether Domain. The plant line was not only to contain the zombies but also to bar outsiders from going in.
"And if I insist on entering?"
The man was a self-suppressed Void Refiner, and being obstructed by a mere Nascent Soul like Gu Mo clearly displeased him.
"Elder, elder!"
Before Gu Mo could reply, another disciple rushed forward and whispered rapidly to the Void Refiner. At once, the elder's eyes widened in shock.
After a long silence, the Void Refiner cupped his hands toward Gu Mo and swiftly departed.
Glancing at the departing figure, Gu Mo returned to the plants and produced a lamp-like flower—the Streetlamp Flower.
Name: Streetlamp Flower
Grade: 5th-tier, low-grade
Effect: Insight
Planting Conditions: 5th-tier spiritual field
The plant battlefront was powerful, but cultivators had countless mysterious methods. With the Streetlamp Flower's illumination, all concealments would fail. Planting them among the line meant airtight security.
After reestablishing the defenses, Gu Mo made a final inspection before vanishing.
…
In a remote part of the world—
A white-haired Xuantianhen gazed coldly at a demonic mountain range. Within lived a Nascent Soul–stage demon lord, the very man who had slain his disciple Lin Wu years ago.
When the zombie disaster came, that demon had fled here to hide. Xuantianhen had searched long for his disciple in vain, but instead found the murderer.
Murderous intent flickered in his eyes. With his recent fortuitous encounter, his cultivation had reached late Nascent Soul. If he risked everything, he could perhaps threaten a Soul Formation opponent.
"Mm?"
Just as he wavered on striking, a terrifying sword light fell from the sky, cleaving the entire mountain in two.
Such power—splitting mountains with one sword—made Xuantianhen's heart tremble. But soon, he recognized something familiar about the swordlight.
When he saw the sword formation, his pupils contracted violently.
——————The End——————
PS: The story ends here. It may feel short, but at least it has a beginning and an end.
In truth, this was only one-third of the original plan. Due to poor reception, the later arcs—the Vast World and the Dark World—were cut. As a result, many plants never got their chance to appear. For this, I sincerely apologize—it was my failure to write it well.
I'll take this lesson to heart and strive to do better next time. Until we meet again in the next book!
(End of this chapter)