Facing Lucas, whose strength rivaled that of an elite-tier skeleton, and his forty-six advanced-tier skeleton underlings, the zombies in the Canyon of the Dead seemed pitifully weak.

  In just half an hour,

  Lucas and his skeleton underlings had fought their way from the canyon's entrance to its deepest reaches.

  During this time, they had slain hundreds of zombies, most of which were "Living Corpses," with only a dozen or so being "Walking Corpses" with advanced class templates.

  However, despite dozens of attempts, Lucas still couldn't enslave a single zombie!

  Fortunately, the first function of the [Erosion] talent remained intact. He could still absorb essence from the zombies' bodies to enhance his four core attributes.

  In the process, he also obtained the advanced class template of the zombie race.

  [Template]: Walking Corpse

  [Tier]: Advanced Class Template

  [Bonuses]: Health +500, Strength *5, Agility *1, Constitution *8, Spirit *0.1

  [Skill]: Sharp Claws

  "Sharp Claws: Passive Skill. Prolonged exposure to the aura of death has strengthened these living corpses. Their nails have transformed into sharp claws, aiding them in tearing apart their enemies."

  Like the "Living Corpse," the "Walking Corpse" template still emphasized Constitution.

  Its class advancement was also limited to the zombie race.

  By pushing the front line to the depths of the Canyon of the Dead, Lucas had already wiped out more than half of the zombies in the canyon. At the same time, the structure he had seen at the canyon's entrance now revealed its true form.

  It was an altar.

  The altar stood over ten meters tall, square-shaped, and was constructed entirely of black stone. It occupied nearly half of the canyon's floor!

  Such an altar could indeed be called grand and imposing.

  However, what caught Lucas's attention wasn't the altar itself but the countless zombies standing on its steps!

  The altar had nine tiers of steps.

  From the first tier upward, the level and tier of the zombies increased. The lower tiers were crowded with numerous "Living Corpses." Starting from the sixth tier, "Walking Corpses" began to appear.

  Moreover, the higher the tier, the higher the level of the Walking Corpses.

  Lucas and his skeleton underlings had cleared out most of the Canyon of the Dead, killing hundreds of zombies. Yet, the number of zombies standing on this altar... exceeded five hundred!

  If these zombies were standing on the altar to receive some kind of benefit, that would be one thing.

  But in Lucas's perception, the altar was clearly extracting death energy from these zombies, funneling it upward!

  Every zombie that stepped onto the altar had its death energy—equivalent to its life force—drained. When a zombie's death energy was drained to a certain point, it would fall from the altar.

  Then...

  The zombies wandering around the altar would fight over the vacant spot!

  The spot where death energy was being extracted!

  It was as if... some entity controlled these zombies, forcing them to continue this process according to its will!

  The death energy in the Canyon of the Dead was gentler and purer.

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  Lucas had already confirmed this.

  Staying in this canyon for extended periods would allow both him and his skeleton underlings to evolve at a faster rate.

  The same applied to the zombies in the canyon.

  The death energy in the Canyon of the Dead nurtured these zombies. Once their levels and the death energy within them reached a certain threshold, they would appear around the altar.

  When a zombie fell from the altar, the zombies lurking nearby would fight over the spot, vying for the chance to have their death energy extracted!

  This cycle repeated.

  Like some sinister ritual.

  In this way, all the death energy in the Canyon of the Dead was harvested through this ritual-like behavior, converging onto a single entity!

  Such a scheme...

  Was far beyond the capabilities of skeletons or zombies, beings with almost no consciousness!

  Countless thoughts flashed through Lucas's mind.

  After clearing out the zombies around the altar with his skeleton underlings, Lucas took control of a Skeleton Guard. Using the Skeleton Guard's body and vision, he stepped onto the altar.

  The Skeleton Guard had the strongest defense and could endure the longest in case of danger.

  Until he understood the altar's purpose, Lucas wouldn't risk stepping onto it himself.

  Crack!

  Under Lucas's control, the Skeleton Guard pushed past several zombies and stepped onto the first tier of the altar. Aside from the zombies that were pushed off the altar struggling to return to their spots, the other zombies on the altar showed no reaction.

  It was as if...

  All the zombies had lost their consciousness and sense of self upon stepping onto the altar, falling into a deep slumber.

  Understanding this,

  While controlling the Skeleton Guard to continue climbing the altar, Lucas ordered his other skeleton underlings to ascend the altar as well, systematically hunting down the zombies that had lost even their instinct to resist.

  First tier.

  Second tier.

  Third tier.

  Fifth tier.

  As time passed,

  The zombies on the lower tiers of the altar had all been slain by Lucas's skeleton underlings. The Skeleton Guard under Lucas's direct control was now about to reach the altar's summit!

  Just like before,

  The massive altar didn't extract death energy from the Skeleton Guard.

  One step.

  Two steps.

  Three steps.

  Soon,

  With its final step, the Skeleton Guard reached the top of the altar.

  Through the Skeleton Guard's vision, the scene atop the dark altar was fully revealed to Lucas!

  It was a small plaza.

  The ground, spanning over a hundred square meters, was covered in intricate, eerie symbols. These symbols combined to form a massive array that covered the entire plaza.

  But that wasn't the main point.

  The plaza was divided into four sections.

  At the center of each section, a zombie far more robust than a Walking Corpse was bound. And at the very center of the plaza, a towering zombie exuding an overwhelmingly fearsome aura was being nourished—and birthed—by the seemingly endless flow of death energy!

  sally5217758 for the 5-star review! Today's three chapters have been uploaded. If you enjoy the story, please follow to stay updated on new releases.