"In a one-on-one fight, we definitely have the advantage. The Tai Sui God alone could make it an even match. With other support, even if we couldn’t guarantee turning it into fuel, we could at least injure it severely."

"But we can’t handle their numbers. They have no intention of fighting you one-on-one; they’ll just swarm us. Unless we use the Floating Cannons."

Qi Suian also realized the problem. When an individual’s power wasn’t enough to overcome the gap created by group strength and technology, that individual power became rather useless.

[I am puzzled. Why did you have to test them? Was it the protagonist’s halo dumbing you down?]

The AI companion posed the question, as there was otherwise no way to explain why Qi Suian couldn’t resist the itch to try.

"You know, that’s actually a possibility. If so, what was the protagonist’s halo trying to achieve by doing that?" Qi Suian thought about it. He did indeed have the impulse to try.

However, he normally wouldn’t act so recklessly unless he had absolutely no other choice.

At that point, he wouldn’t even have to make the choice; the protagonist’s halo would force him to be reckless anyway.

[I cannot speculate. The protagonist’s halo is ethereal and unpredictable, and its actions cannot be supported by logic.]

The AI companion had no way of explaining it. Back when Qi Suian had the protagonist’s halo weaken the survivors, it had actually worked.

But as for *how* it was done, the AI had no way of knowing. It only knew that it had acted as a catalyst when Qi Suian killed the Celestial Spirit Venerable.

How could the AI possibly deduce anything from that?

It would have to wait until the Tai Sui God’s evolution count was ridiculously high, and the AI itself had a vast number of auxiliary modules. Only then might it be able to calculate an answer using big data.

[However, one thing is certain: this must involve a great opportunity.]

[Your actions—first severely injuring the Celestial Dragon Venerable, then scaring the Celestial Might Venerable into fleeing for its life...]

[...might have provoked these ten Venerable-level Cold Energy Monsters, prompting them to take certain actions.]

[And these actions will be to your benefit.]

The AI companion made some conjectures based on the currently available information, but it had little hard evidence.

"Do you think it could be that thing from the Dragon Roar Daoist?" Qi Suian suddenly thought of this.

Qi Suian had planned to go get it before, but he was delayed.

’If nothing goes wrong, I might even need them to lead the way for me.’

[It’s possible. It is your only recent objective.]

"Seems like you aren’t too sure either. But it’s fine; we’ll know once we go there."

"But there’s another problem... even if we go over there, it seems we can’t beat them."

Qi Suian had also thought of this. The enemy was numerous and powerful; how could he, all alone, turn them into fuel?

Then, a flash of inspiration struck him.

"What if I create zombies?" Qi Suian thought of the zombies from the Profound World, who were, in theory, his kin.

Zombies are transformed from humans. So was he. That was the proof.

Zombies have the Profound Virus in their bodies, and so does Qi Suian. Therefore, in theory, they were kin. There was no flaw in this logic.

[Of course you can. However, the effectiveness might be reduced.]

[Both the survivors and the Cold Energy Monsters already possess Extraordinary characteristics. Their immune systems are far superior to those of humans from the Profound World.]

[Furthermore, their genetic and cellular structures are different. The humans of the Cold Winter World are different from the humans of the Profound World. Infection by the Profound Virus will not necessarily turn them into zombies.]

[There is a significant chance that other diseases will emerge instead. Moreover, after leaving the Profound World, although the Profound Virus has adapted through your super-adaptability, it may not necessarily be adapted to the external environment.]

[The Profound Virus is adapted to *your* body, not the Cold Winter World.]

[In summary: infection is possible, but there is a low probability of them becoming zombies.]

[Even if the infection is successful and they become zombies, they will likely be rejected or suppressed within the cold energy environment.]

The AI companion ran its data models and came up with some results.

This was normal. After all, from the very beginning, Qi Suian had rarely considered creating a zombie army with the Profound Virus.

His use of the Profound Virus had mostly been as a cornerstone for his own strengthening.

After all, it truly possessed methods of growth like evolution and mutation. Especially since Qi Suian was a human from the Profound World, it was the system best suited for him.

If he were to switch to another Extraordinary system, it wouldn’t just be a matter of being unsuitable or incompatible; it would be simply unusable for him.

"I’ve already considered all that. That’s why it needs modification. And I can’t choose the Cold Energy Monsters."

"Not to mention the original Profound Virus is ineffective against non-human entities. The core inside a Cold Energy Monster alone would be able to counteract it immediately."

"But the survivors are different. Since they haven’t evolved a core yet and only possess lower-level special abilities, they are perfect in terms of both immunity and strength."

"I just need to modify the energy organs they’ve strengthened through the Qi Cultivation Method and use them as a petri dish for the Profound Virus. It’s possible to create zombies that I can command."

Although the current Qi Suian couldn’t compare to his Zombie Dominator self, based on his memories from his past life, his past self had both stats at around ten points. Furthermore, through his SSS-rank talent, Devouring Evolution, he had obtained a vast number of talents.

The quality of these talents may have been uneven, but in large enough numbers, a qualitative change was bound to occur.

Therefore, having ten points in both stats was just the foundation for his Zombie Dominator version. Adding the Source of the Virus and a series of other perfectly compatible items, while he might not have been as powerful as the Blood Moon or the Golden Light Man, he could still rank third across these three worlds.

Take the SSS-rank item, Source of Profound Darkness: Viral Frenzy. In the hands of the Zombie Dominator, it would definitely be a game-changing tool.

Unlike in Qi Suian’s hands, where it had almost no presence and was constantly suppressed within his body as a mere growth aid.

It wasn’t quite a case of casting a pearl into darkness, but it certainly hadn’t shone as brightly as one might have imagined.

The current Qi Suian could actually be considered half a Zombie Dominator. At the very least, controlling zombies and guiding their evolution was no problem for him.

He just couldn’t create intelligent zombies. After all, they would be made from his Profound Virus, meaning every single particle of the virus was essentially him.

Therefore, he could only control the zombies like remote-controlled cars.

Unless Qi Suian was willing to relinquish ownership of the Profound Virus used for external infection—an analogy would be cutting off a piece of his own flesh.

Otherwise, the zombies created by his infection would only be like puppet clones.

However, this involved another serious issue: every time the virus talent was upgraded and the Profound Virus evolved, it was due to Qi Suian’s direct intervention.

As a result, the Profound Virus no longer focused on infectivity at all.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Qi Suian’s energy was limited, so he definitely prioritized evolving the Profound Virus in areas like the Extraordinary, strengthening, and growth. This was the only way for him to become stronger.

If he had only focused on infectivity, wouldn’t he have just become a Summoner?

He wouldn’t have minded, but its universal applicability was too poor. A different world meant a different environment and different people; the Profound Virus wasn’t omnipotent.

Extraordinary systems were rarely universal.

It wasn’t as if one could master the North Nether Divine Skill from *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils* and then seamlessly transition to the Longevity Technique in *Twin of Brothers*.

That could only happen in a shared "wuxia universe" setting.

Unfortunately, Qi Suian wasn’t in such a fortunate situation.

This meant that if Qi Suian wanted to use the people of the Cold Winter World to create zombies, he would have to invest resources to make the Profound Virus evolve again.

Every time he changed worlds, he would have to do this to ensure the Profound Virus’s infectivity remained effective.

"Meaning I’ve already fully utilized this world’s Extraordinary system for my own strengthening; otherwise, the cost would outweigh the gain." As Qi Suian spoke, he had the Tai Sui God find a survivor to use as a culture medium.

Increasing infectivity required an upgrade for each new world.

But improving his own strength, while not universally applicable in all aspects, resulted in stat increases that wouldn’t change. Stats were hard currency everywhere.

"To forge iron, one must first be strong."

"And with the various nations’ research into clones and special abilities, the success rate should be quite high."

"Afterward, these zombies can be recycled into fuel. That way, this opportunity won’t be wasted."

Qi Suian was operating on the principle of recycling waste, so he naturally had no intention of letting the zombies go to waste.

Especially since the energy environment of this planet in the Cold Winter World was much higher than that of his planet in the Profound World.

The zombies created here would be of better quality, and the evolutionary energy recovered from burning them would have a higher average standard.

-----------------

"Still no intelligence on that transgressor?" the Celestial Might Venerable said with a grave expression.

However, the remaining nine Venerable-level Cold Energy Monsters said nothing.

They had learned a great deal through the survivors’ chat channels.

"I suggest we go to the depths of the Ancestral Court and retrieve our clan’s holy relic. Otherwise, which of you can be his match?" said the Celestial Dragon Venerable. "The nuclear weapon was a fake this time, but what about next time?"

"Therefore, we must become stronger as quickly as possible."

After hearing this, a sharp light flashed in the Celestial Might Venerable’s eyes. "I agree. As long as the transgressor is alive, the humans won’t be so easy to deal with either."

"It’s possible, but..." The Celestial Patrol Venerable hesitated. Of course it was willing, as this was about becoming stronger.

However, it feared the consequences if something went wrong with the holy relic. They were consequences they could not bear.

Back then, they had sealed the holy relic precisely because it had undergone certain changes, forcing their hand.

Reactivating it now was truly a last resort.

"I know what you’re worried about, but at this point, do you have any other solution?" the Celestial Might Venerable retorted. "Or can you continue to grow stronger without the holy relic?"

"Of course I can’t advance any further. Fine. Since you all say so, I have no reason to refuse." The Celestial Patrol Venerable did not continue to argue, choosing instead to go with the flow.

"Good! Rest well today. We set out together tomorrow!" the Celestial Dragon Venerable declared immediately.

The reason they weren’t leaving immediately was because the great battle had just ended. Although they had the upper hand, it didn’t mean they had escaped unscathed; they inevitably had injuries.

The Gluttonous Feast of the Avaricious dealt true damage, and with the support of the Taiyin Red Blood Dragon, it was impossible not to be injured.

The injuries weren’t fatal, which was why they only needed a simple rest.