Black Vanguard Security Company.

Outside the three-story headquarters, Wang Yong arrived once again. The same burly guard blocked his path.

Wang Yong cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Boss! I've got massive news! Life or death stuff!"

A string of muffled curses echoed from the upper floor.

"Fuck off, Wang Yong! Don't think I won't skin you just because you're my cousin. That's twice in a row you've interrupted me!"

Wang Gangjian shoved his head out the window, his face flushed with rage. He looked exactly like a man who had just been interrupted right in the middle of a very enthusiastic bedroom session.

"It's about Advanced Zombies!" Wang Yong yelled back.

Wang Gangjian scowled. "Fine. Get your ass up here."

A moment later, Wang Yong was sitting across from his boss.

"Bro, why are you still fighting the Giant King? If you suck this much, just put the controller down. You're wasting time," Wang Yong said, exasperated.

Wang Gangjian snorted. "One more run. I'll kill him this time." He immediately turned back to the screen, diving headfirst back into his masochistic gaming session.

Wang Yong sighed. "Let me beat the boss for you, and you listen to my report. Deal?"

Wang Gangjian sneered. "If you can one-shot him, I'll put the controller down."

Wang Yong grabbed the controller. He expertly maneuvered the character, sprinting straight into the boss arena, dodging past the Giant King's throne, snatching the greatsword leaning against it, and unleashing a flurry of heavy strikes.

A few consecutive hits, and the Giant King staggered. A few more, and the boss dissolved into dust.

Wang Yong tossed the controller onto the table and looked Wang Gangjian dead in the eye. "Can you listen to me now?"

Wang Gangjian stared at the screen, dumbfounded. "How did you do that? Since when is that sword so busted?"

"Are you going to listen to me or not?!" Wang Yong roared.

Wang Gangjian smacked his lips. "Fine. Talk."

Wang Yong recounted everything he had witnessed at the Haotai Hotel, sparing no gruesome detail. As he spoke, the annoyance faded from Wang Gangjian's face, replaced by a grim severity.

"You're certain? Two Advanced Zombies?"

"I'd bet my life on it. Their size, the way they looked at us... ordinary Zombies don't have eyes like that," Wang Yong said, shuddering. Just recalling the creature's gaze made the blood freeze in his veins. If they hadn't kept the minivan idling and ready to floor it, they would have been nothing more than a mid-day snack.

Wang Gangjian leaned back, his expression heavy. "This is critical intel. Mark that entire sector as a red zone. No one goes near it."

"But what if they migrate?" Wang Yong pressed. "We can't just sit here waiting to die."

"We won't. I'll request backup from the Linjiang Army. We need them to dispatch a few Espers."

Wang Yong exhaled a long breath. "Thank god you have a plan. You'll have to make the call, though. You're the veteran; they won't give a shit if we ask."

"I'll handle it," Wang Gangjian nodded. "Don't worry about it."

...

Five days later. Haotai Hotel.

Chu Xuan exhaled a long breath of foul air and ceased his cultivation.

He had nine large Blood Beads left in his inventory. He had devoured the rest. His dantian thrummed, feeling comfortably bloated with spiritual energy, signaling it was time to stop. The dantian, located in the lower abdomen, was the core where a cultivator stored their spiritual power.

*Splash.*

"Hmm? Finally done?"

Hearing the heavy sloshing from the bathroom, Chu Xuan quickly walked over.

A massive Yin Corpse was hauling itself out of the bathtub. Having absorbed two entire tubs worth of Corpse Refining medicinal liquid, its physical structure had mutated drastically.

It stood nearly two and a half meters tall. Its entire body was a knot of hyper-dense muscle and bulging, dark veins. Raw, explosive power radiated from its frame. It looked like a flayed juggernaut.

Dense, white bone armor had erupted from its flesh, plating its chest, back, and major joints.

Even more astonishingly, it held a massive bone shield in its left hand and gripped a jagged bone spear in its right. Both weapons pulsed with a pale, ghastly luminescence.

These were clearly not Mortal Grade items!

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. *A Yin Corpse born with its own Magical Artifacts? Now that's a rare drop.*

"Roar!"

The moment the Yin Corpse stepped fully into the room, it threw its head back and unleashed a deafening bellow, celebrating its own rebirth.

The other Yin Corpses loitering in the suite violently flinched. They immediately dropped to the floor, pressing their faces into the carpet, not daring to meet its gaze. Big Yellow and Second Yellow whimpered, literally pissing themselves in terror. Only Little Tiger and Little Leopard managed to stay on their feet, though they visibly strained against the crushing aura.

Chu Xuan simply stood there, his eyes coldly analyzing the towering monster.

The Yin Corpse slowly lowered its head, its hollow gaze locking onto Chu Xuan.

They stared at each other for a long moment.

Then, the giant Yin Corpse dropped heavily to its knees, bowing its head and emitting a low, subservient rumble. It was paying respects to its master.

Chu Xuan casually waved his hand, summoning the Corpse Nurturing Tower. A beam of black light washed over the behemoth, pulling it inside.

[High Grade Aptitude! Level Seven Corpse Soldier!]

Chu Xuan's eyes lit up.

This Yin Corpse's stats far exceeded his calculations. To be born with High Grade aptitude was one thing, but to immediately hit Level Seven Corpse Soldier? That made it the physical equivalent of a Qi Condensation seventh-layer cultivator right out of the vat.

"Let's see what skills you rolled," Chu Xuan muttered, casting his Appraisal Technique.

[Golden Light Curse, Divine Strength Curse, Corpse Roar Spell.]

His eyebrows shot up.

The Golden Light Curse was a solid defensive buff—Little Tiger had it too. The Divine Strength Curse was a standard physical multiplier.

But the Corpse Roar Spell? That was a jackpot.

It was widely considered one of the absolute best innate skills a Corpse Soldier could awaken. Upon activation, the roar inflicted a heavy mental strike on all surrounding enemies while simultaneously injecting the caster with a massive frenzy buff, skyrocketing its aggression and attack power.

A Yin Corpse with the Corpse Roar Spell wasn't just a bruiser; it was a commander. As long as it remained on the battlefield, the surrounding Yin Corpses would be whipped into an endless, fearless frenzy, fighting until they were hacked to pieces.

"Good. Very good," Chu Xuan murmured, looking at the creature's stats with the proud, clinical satisfaction of a gamer who had just pulled an SSR unit.

"You need a name. What should we call you?"

He tapped his chin. "Your original name was Zhao Hong. 'Zhao' is the first of the Hundred Family Surnames. 'Hong' means vast and grand."

"Taking the profound meaning of both... I'll call you Little Dragon!"

Chu Xuan nodded, deeply satisfied with himself. He prided himself on his unconventional naming sense. Besides, having a Dragon, Tiger, and Leopard squad sounded like a classic triad enforcer lineup. Perfect.

"Roar..."

Little Dragon let out a low, slightly aggrieved rumble, but ultimately accepted the moniker. Not that it had a choice. What was it going to do, file a grievance with HR?

"Little Dragon, Little Tiger, you two are going out to hunt. Little Tiger, show the new guy the ropes. Teach him what he can and can't eat," Chu Xuan ordered.

"Roar. Roar."

The two zombies grunted in acknowledgment before leaping out the shattered window, disappearing into the concrete jungle below.

Chu Xuan then recalled Little Leopard and the remaining six Yin Corpses back into the Corpse Nurturing Tower. The artifact was brimming with dense Yin energy, which acted as a premium supplement for the undead. Yin Corpses couldn't run on flesh and blood alone; they needed a steady diet of Yin energy to thrive.

With his inventory sorted, Chu Xuan sat back down and resumed his cultivation.

He intended to push his realm straight to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation before returning to the Cangxuan World.

With his current army of elite Yin Corpses and his newly double-refined Blood Steel Wire, his combat power would be unmatched by anyone below the Foundation Establishment realm. Ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators wouldn't even be a warm-up.

Once he returned to the Cangxuan World, all he had to do was harvest some Spirit Grass and medicinal herbs, and he could begin his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment!