After some research, Lin Xia roughly figured out her own abilities.
The Nine Styles of Heaven Burying were similar to the God-Slaying Nine Styles possessed by the protagonist Bai Xiaofei, brought by his God-Slaying Bloodline.
Only the Qi used for cultivation differed: one utilized Yin Qi and Burial Qi, while the other relied on Slaughter Qi.
As for her "White Bone Heaven Burying Scripture", it could be compared to the Corpse King Long You's "Heavenly Steel Technique", as both possessed nine levels and led directly to the God Stage.
The function of the White Bone Spiritual Origin was evolution, making it far more efficient than ordinary Corpse Brothers eating to grow stronger.
Looking at her entirely skeletal appearance, Lin Xia decided to hold off on mingling with the protagonist's group until she cultivated to the second revolution.
Unfortunately, Lin Xia did not know that not only would she fail to join the protagonist's group in the future, but she would actually follow Long You and end up as a villain.
However, for now, she could follow closely behind them, picking up scraps to feed on like Little Vajra, and develop her strength first.
"Well, I'll cultivate for a bit first. Once I get the hang of the 'White Bone Heaven Burying Scripture', I'll go find Bai Xiaofei."
Lin Xia would never admit that she was simply afraid it was too dark outside at night, and that some powerful Corpse Brother might tear her skeleton apart.
Lin Xia absorbed the earthly energy, cultivated the spiritual power within it, and refined the Yin Qi and Burial Qi.
Perhaps due to the abundance of skeletal remains left behind in this area, Lin Xia's cultivation speed was very fast, and she had already reached the entry level of the first revolution, attaining the cultivation of the Human Stage Early Stage.
Feeling that she could control her muscle growth and sense the abundant energy within her bones, Lin Xia was very satisfied.
Sensing that the external danger level had decreased significantly, she crawled out from the ground, ready to take down a few Human Stage Early Stage Corpse Brothers to practice her skills.
Three wandering Human Stage Early Stage Corpse Brothers were pierced to death by the bone spikes that Lin Xia controlled with her palms.
She casually refined and absorbed their energy.
Lin Xia felt that after turning into a human form, she could pull off a neat trick—Corpse Bone Pulse? White Bone Spirit!
"I remember Bai Xiaofei lives in a residential building on the sixth floor. The exterior looks glamorous, but the interior is a mess."
"Still, in H City, places like this are a dime a dozen..." But she still had to find him; at least following the protagonist in the early stages gave her a higher survival probability.
Finally, painstaking effort pays off; deep in the night, Lin Xia found the place.
Although during the daytime she had run into a bit of trouble along the way—encountering a large bird Corpse Brother that was at least Human Stage Late Stage—
Thanks to an electric utility pole, Lin Xia used the terrain to her advantage, setting up an ambush with a bone spike formation to take it down.
Yet the rewards were also plentiful: Lin Xia refined the bird Corpse Brother through the White Bone Spiritual Origin, especially its flying bone wings.
Shortly after, she discovered that she could summon the bone wings to fly. Of course, she could not see that some cloud-like patterns had appeared on the bones of her back.
In addition, she also acquired the ability to mimic the aura of Corpse Brothers.
After refining its flesh and blood essence, Lin Xia felt her strength instantly break through to the Human Stage Mid-Stage.
She flew to Bai Xiaofei's window and peered inside quietly.
When Lin Xia saw that Bai Xiaofei was still watching *The Walking Dead*, she was instantly overjoyed, realizing that the plot had just begun.
Then, like a bystander, she poked her head forward and watched with the curiosity of a baby:
"Ah!" A scream came from the next room, startling Bai Xiaofei as he watched *The Walking Dead*, causing his hand to shake and knock over a cup of boiling water.
The cup shattered into pieces, and water spilled all over the floor. Bai Xiaofei was instantly furious. What on earth was screaming in the middle of the night!
This was a rundown apartment building in H City, and Bai Xiaofei rented a small single room.
Next door lived a couple who often made awkward noises, and Bai Xiaofei hadn't once or twice yelled back at them through the wall because of it.
Tonight, after being yelled at, the other party didn't talk back. Just as Bai Xiaofei was finding it strange, he heard the sound of the doorknob turning.
Thinking the couple from next door had come to pick a fight, he got ready to grab a fruit knife and open the door to give them a piece of his mind.
Bai Xiaofei flung the door open, only to see his female neighbor wearing nothing but black lace underwear.
Her hands had turned into sharp claws, her eyes bulged out and were bloodshot, the veins on her face stood out, and a lizard-like long tongue protruded from her mouth.
Terrified, Bai Xiaofei slammed the door shut and pressed his back against it, unable to believe this was real.
Yet the writhing tongue on the floor told him this wasn't a dream.
Suddenly, the wooden door was shattered by a claw of the female Corpse Brother, who thrust it into the room.
Bai Xiaofei was dumbfounded. This completely defied all common sense about zombies!
The female Corpse Brother crawled through the hole in the door from below the waist, almost scaring him out of his wits.
The female Corpse Brother let out a hoarse roar of "Hungry," turned her head a full 180 degrees, and prepared to pounce on Bai Xiaofei.
Bai Xiaofei bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, clamped his legs around the female Corpse Brother's waist, and jammed her lower body in the door opening.
Then, pressing down on her head with his left hand, he slashed frantically at the back of her neck with the fruit knife.
Green liquid gushed out. Feeling the pain, the female Corpse Brother struggled desperately.
The fruit knife got stuck in a bone joint. Gritting his teeth and exerting all his strength, Bai Xiaofei finally heard a soft snap, and the female Corpse Brother stopped moving.
Yet he didn't dare stop, continuing to saw away in an attempt to cut the head off.
Finally, having managed to kill the female Corpse Brother with great difficulty, just as he wanted to take a rest and even had a phone call with Da Bin,
he learned that even Corpse Brothers with their heads cut off might not die.
At this moment, the headless corpse of the female Corpse Brother mutated once more. Its chest turned into a giant mouth,
its ribs transformed into sharp teeth, bone plates sprouted from its back, and a fleshy tentacle and eyeball grew out of its head.
Bai Xiaofei was plunged into a desperate situation. His only weapon, the fruit knife, wasn't within reach; the door was blocked, making escape impossible; and he was afraid of being dashed to death if he jumped out the window.
However, he noticed that the mutated female Corpse Brother seemed to lack consciousness and was in a brain-dead state.
Perhaps he still had a glimmer of survival, so he calmly observed the movements of the eyeball.
While observing the eyeball of the female Corpse Brother, Bai Xiaofei discovered that she was very interested in the hair dryer sitting on the clutter box.
Remembering that the female Corpse Brother loved to be glamorous before her mutation, he guessed this was her last remaining trace of human consciousness.
When he reached out to grab the hair dryer, the female Corpse Brother reacted, so he flatteringly told her he would teach her how to use it.
Then he blew hot air at the female Corpse Brother's eyeball, which she seemed to thoroughly enjoy.
Bai Xiaofei "waited on" the female Corpse Brother for half an hour without figuring out a way to escape.
Because the hair dryer had been used for too long and overheated, Bai Xiaofei was suddenly struck by an idea to electrocute the female Corpse Brother to death.
He threw the smoking hair dryer into the female Corpse Brother's mouth—but the plug came loose, and the female Corpse Brother was completely fine.
In the end, driven by terror and a surge of adrenaline,
Bai Xiaofei plugged it back in with lightning speed, and the female Corpse Brother was finally thoroughly cooked.
Peeking in from outside the window, Lin Xia watched with fascinated interest:
"As expected of the moment netizens talk about endlessly—Bai Xiaofei's closest brush with death."
Now Bai Xiaofei went through another round of phone calls, first calling his girlfriend Xiaowei, and then calling his parents outside H City to report that he was safe.
Observing the changes in Bai Xiaofei's expression, Lin Xia couldn't help but sigh at the joys and sorrows of mortal life amidst such worldly chaos.
Then she looked at the online comments on Bai Xiaofei's computer.
When Corpse Brothers appeared in H City while other places had none or only a few,
netizens in those unaffected regions adopted a detached attitude of indifference.
Chatting and laughing, it simply became dinner table conversation.
Seeing Bai Xiaofei lie down to rest, Lin Xia also prepared to crawl into the ground to cultivate.
She dug a hole using a bone she had picked up, burrowed down, tucked herself in with soil like a blanket, and circulated the "White Bone Heaven Burying Scripture".
And just like that, she fell into a comfortable sleep—ah, no, into meditation.
After cultivating all night, Lin Xia successfully broke through to the Human Stage Mid-Stage.
However, the "White Bone Heaven Burying Scripture" still remained at the first revolution.
She shook off the dirt, got up, and began to stealthily follow behind Bai Xiaofei...