Elite Skeleton Swordsman.

  This was the class template Lucas had just obtained, and it was also one of the advancement paths for his current Skeleton Swordsman class at the elite tier.

  However...

  "Elite Skeleton Swordsman" had always been Lucas's nickname for the elite skeleton he had just enslaved. He hadn't expected that the elite skeleton's class template would actually be called "Elite Skeleton Swordsman"...

  From the advanced tier to the elite tier, the Skeleton Swordsman still had several advancement paths.

  For example, the Elite Skeleton Swordsman was an enhanced version of the Skeleton Swordsman. In addition to higher health bonuses and attribute growth, its development direction remained consistent with the Skeleton Swordsman.

  There were also other advancement paths that emphasized speed, damage, or defense.

  Overall,

  The Elite Skeleton Swordsman class was well-balanced.

  It wasn't exceptional, but it wasn't bad either. It was considered the orthodox advancement path for the Skeleton Swordsman class.

  Although he had obtained the class template and his four core attributes already met the requirements for advancement, Lucas wasn't in a hurry to proceed.

  He turned his attention to the altar.

  From beginning to end, the altar had remained eerily silent.

  Whether it was when they stepped onto the altar or during the brief but intense battle that followed, the five towering zombies on the altar showed no reaction, remaining in a deep slumber.

  Only now did Lucas have the time to carefully examine the five zombies on the altar.

  It was clear.

  The four tall zombies at the center of the altar's four sections were elite-tier zombies.

  At this moment,

  Dozens of Walking Corpses still stood on the altar's steps, untouched. The dark altar continued to extract death energy from these Walking Corpses, funneling it into the four elite zombies.

  The influx of death energy didn't make the four elite zombies stronger.

  On the contrary.

  In Lucas's perception, these four elite zombies weren't growing stronger—they were incredibly weak! The death energy they emitted was only slightly stronger than that of the Walking Corpses.

  Far from what elite-tier zombies should possess!

  As for the reason...

  The death energy from hundreds of Living Corpses and Walking Corpses was being extracted by the dark altar and funneled into the four elite zombies. At the same time, the death energy within these four elite zombies was also being extracted by the dark altar!

  It was as if...

  The Living Corpses and Walking Corpses were the providers of death energy, while the four elite zombies were the filters and purifiers! The most refined death energy, after being filtered and purified... flowed into the center of the dark altar!

  Into the body of that terrifying and ferocious towering zombie!

  In essence,

  All the zombies in the Canyon of the Dead were being harvested like crops, with only the ferocious zombie at the center of the dark altar reaping the benefits.

  The ferocious zombie was still at the elite tier.

  But the terrifying aura it emitted far surpassed any elite-tier monster Lucas had ever encountered!

  "Using the death energy and thousands of zombies in the Canyon of the Dead to nurture a single elite zombie..."

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "Is this..."

  "An attempt to break through the elite tier and advance to the warrior tier?"

  Pieces of information flashed through Lucas's mind, and he quickly arrived at an answer.

  He was no match for this zombie.

  Even if the zombie hadn't yet reached the warrior tier, it was likely very close. If this zombie woke up... it could probably kill Lucas in a single strike!

  But he didn't want to retreat just yet.

  Four weakened elite zombies, plus one ferocious zombie on the verge of breaking through to the warrior tier... This was not only a massive amount of experience points but also a significant boost to his attributes!

  Enough to keep him busy for a long time!

  However, the risks were equally obvious.

  From the beginning until now, neither the Elite Skeleton Swordsman nor Lucas had touched the five elite zombies on the altar.

  Even though Lucas's skeleton underlings had slaughtered most of the Living Corpses and Walking Corpses on the altar's steps, dozens of Walking Corpses remained to keep the altar functioning.

  If he disturbed these zombies or disrupted the altar's operation,

  All five elite zombies might wake up at the same time!

  In that case, he would face the most dangerous situation since his rebirth!

  Should he take the risk?

  The soulfire in his eye sockets flickered slightly as Lucas turned his gaze back to the five elite zombies.

  The dark altar was still operating, extracting death energy from the Walking Corpses. With hundreds of other zombies gone, the remaining dozens of Walking Corpses couldn't withstand the altar's relentless extraction and were on the verge of collapse.

  The reduction in death energy also disturbed the five elite zombies.

  Lucas even noticed the ferocious zombie at the center of the altar twitch slightly, as if it might wake up at any moment!

  Time was running out.

  After a brief moment of thought, Lucas ordered his skeleton underlings to split up and surround the four weakened elite zombies. He himself, along with a few Skeleton Warriors, charged toward the ferocious zombie.

  As for the Elite Skeleton Swordsman...

  Having sustained severe injuries, its skeletal body had shattered when Lucas enslaved it. Until it repaired its body or obtained a new one, it was essentially useless.

  True to its status as a being on the verge of breaking through to the warrior tier,

  Just standing in front of the ferocious zombie filled Lucas with an overwhelming sense of danger. The ferocious zombie was like a sleeping beast, ready to awaken at any moment!

  Above the ferocious zombie floated a black crystal orb.

  If the Living Corpses and Walking Corpses were the first layer of filtration for the death energy, and the four weakened elite zombies were the second layer, then this crystal orb was the final layer.

  All the death energy converged into this crystal orb before being funneled into the ferocious zombie's body, nourishing it.

  Clearly, this black crystal orb was the core of the entire altar!

  Not daring to touch the crystal orb,

  After reaching the ferocious zombie's side, Lucas gently extended his fleshless skeletal hand and placed it on the zombie's forehead.

  [Erosion]...

  Activate!!!