C17 Mei Lin and the Guardian Scorpion

Ye Lee pressed on, his footsteps steady in the quiet. Abruptly, the clamor of combat reached his ears.

"This doesn't sound like zombies clashing, but humans?"

A glint of realization sparked in Ye Lee's eyes. It had to be Yun Man's teacher, Mei Lin, and the White Lotus Cult's Guardian Scorpion.

Chen Yun had mentioned that the Guardian Scorpion was a formidable Third Rank Evolved Human. His power was nothing short of fearsome.

Quickening his pace towards the commotion, Ye Lee came upon a scene of chaos: countless zombies were assaulting two individuals.

A man and a woman. The man's frame was slight, his presence exuding a stifling malevolence, a scorpion tattoo marking his face.

Without a doubt, this man was the notorious Guardian Scorpion of the White Lotus Cult.

Beside him stood Yun Man's teacher, Mei Lin, who despite her youthful appearance in her twenties, was already a Third Rank Evolved Human. Her prodigious talent was chilling.

Currently, the Guardian Scorpion and Mei Lin were cutting down the encircling horde of zombies, which numbered in the thousands.

Ye Lee realized he had underestimated Mei Lin's extraordinary abilities.

His gaze locked onto the pair, and he noticed something astonishing—Mei Lin's spiritual energy was purple!

That meant her gene was of Level S!

The hierarchy was clear: Level D genes manifested as green; Level C as blue; Level B as black; Level A as red; and the rarest, Level S, as purple.

The grade of one's gene was evident in the color of the spiritual energy radiating from a martial cultivator.

Turning his attention to the Guardian Scorpion, Ye Lee noted that his gene was of Level A.

A cold smile played on Ye Lee's lips. Despite the daunting gap between his strength and that of the Guardian Scorpion and Mei Lin, he was resolved to take a bold step.

Fortune favors the brave!

He unleashed Ah Da, the Four King Kongs, and both the male and female zombies.

His plan was to divert the zombies besieging the Guardian Scorpion and Miss Mei Lin, and then to merge them.

Once Ye Lee commanded the male and female zombies, they surged forward in a frenzy.

Normal zombies lacked sentience, but they possessed an instinct to follow mightier zombies.

In no time at all, a swarm of over a thousand zombies had been redirected.

This turn of events left both the Guardian Scorpion and Mei Lin utterly dumbfounded.

Ye Lee grinned as he surveyed the horde of zombies before him. He could easily fuse them into a first-rank zombie.

"Now that the zombies have scattered, let's get back to it!" Guardian Scorpion locked eyes with Mei Lin, his sneer cutting through the air.

"Think I'm scared of you?" Mei Lin shot back, her voice dripping with contempt.

Without missing a beat, Guardian Scorpion and Mei Lin resumed their intense battle. Ye Lee watched for a moment, reassured by the sight.

With a sea of zombies converging on him, Ye Lee issued the command to engage. Ah Da, the Four King Kongs, and the rest of the zombies sprang into action.

Meanwhile, Ye Lee's mind was a whirlwind of activity as he began the frenzied process of synthesis. To his surprise, this latest onslaught consisted of more than two thousand zombies.

He successfully created a first-rank male zombie and a first-rank female zombie. The result was nothing short of spectacular.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ye Lee dragged the first-rank male zombie over to Ah Da.

"Confirm synthesis?" the system prompted.

"Confirmed," Ye Lee responded.

"Congratulations, Host. You've synthesized a second-rank male zombie and earned a Super Treasure Chest."

Ye Lee's smile broadened. Ah Da had ascended to a second-rank zombie, and he had scored a Super Treasure Chest to boot. Curious, he decided to see what treasures lay within.

As Ye Lee opened the Super Treasure Chest, the rewards were revealed:

[You've received 50 Genome Points, 50 Strength Points, 50 Speed Points, and 50 Defense Points.]

[You've acquired the exclusive zombie skill: Heaven Collapsing Earth Shattering Fist.]

[You've obtained the zombie-exclusive skills: Wind, Rain, Lightning, and Thunder.]

[Congratulations, Host, on achieving the status of a Fifth Level Awakened.]