After a moment's thought and considering that there was a creature capable of threatening his life, Bai Zemin decided to play it safe instead of trying to show off before Lilith.
He retreated towards the stairs until he reached the second floor and waited for the zombies there. His back was almost touching one of the walls and the left side of his body was against the corner where the staircase wall and the wall of the lower floor met; this way, he could prevent being attacked from behind, he could avoid receiving attacks with his damaged hand, and at the same time he would be able to react with his right hand immediately in case someone tried to attack him from the only possible angle there was.
The first zombies soon reached the stairs and began to descend. However, as expected, they fell on their faces as they rolled down to where Bai Zemin was waiting for them. Because the zombies could not control their own bodies properly and because they only knew how to advance in a straight line, the steps of the stairs became their doom.
Bai Zemin swung his sword relentlessly up and down again and again. The zombies' heads rolled on the floor constantly and blood had begun to accumulate after the escalating slaughter forming a small red pool under his own feet.
But it wasn't just Bai Zemin who was killing zombies.
Zombies coming from behind were often stomping other zombies to death and many other zombies were falling head over heels, breaking their necks after hitting the floor hard.
Two minutes later, all fifty zombies had been completely obliterated by Bai Zemin. Not a single zombie could even react after falling before their heads rolled on the ground.
"You've gotten a little better with the sword." Lilith smiled slightly as she looked down at his crotch and said in a playful voice, "I wonder if you're also so good with that sword down there."
The corner of Bai Zemin's mouth constricted a couple of times. However, instead of remaining silent as usual, this time he decided to ask a question that had been bothering him for several days now.
"Lilith, since you're a succubus, you've probably slept with many men throughout your life, no?"
"You..." Lilith opened her eyes slightly surprised by the rather daring question. However, she felt no shame and responded in a flat voice: "You humans have an imagination that is too wild."
"What do you mean?" Bai Zemin asked as he climbed the stairs again. He decided to talk with Lilith to calm the nerves he felt and to lure the creature that was hiding.
In fact, Lilith's jokes often relaxed Bai Zemin's heavy mood and she was undoubtedly one of the reasons why he was still able to stay completely sane.
"Even though I'm a succubus, that doesn't mean I have to sleep with a man to gain power." Lilith followed him a few steps behind and rolled her eyes as she slowly said, "Isn't it obvious? Just like you, to evolve further and become more powerful I need to defeat powerful enemies and absorb massive amounts of Soul Power."
"Em?" Bai Zemin couldn't help but look back with slight surprise on his face and asked the stupidest question of his entire life: "But, aren't you a succubus?"
"For the love of the devil! Are you dumb?" Lilith couldn't help but smack him upside the head and say in a serious voice, "While among us succubi there are some who are promiscuous, I'm not like that. Do you think that just because I joke with you I have slept with many men? Hard as it may be to believe, in my entire life I have never allowed a man to even see my naked body, let alone sleep with one!"
Bai Zemin's footsteps stalled and he stared at her with eyes filled with disbelief.
"Virgin?"
"What's wrong with that?" Lilith looked at him with a seductive smile and said in a whisper, "Could it be that you want to take my purity now? Kya~ Little Zemin you are such a bad guy~"
Bai Zemin's breathing became somewhat ragged upon hearing the demon's whisper and he quickly shook his head, regretting asking that.
Lilith also stopped joking knowing that Bai Zemin's life was on the line here and started to explain some things slowly: "What you humans imagine and the stories you create are not exactly correct. For example, we succubi are beautiful by nature, and our sex appeal incredibly high. But that's just it, our charm is higher... Well, although I am probably one of the most beautiful women in existence and even among the Higher Existences I have yet to meet a woman capable of exceeding me. Feel honored, little Zemin."
"Woah... Your humility is truly incredible." Bai Zemin joked as he decapitated a group of three zombies that came out of a room whose door had been kicked down.
"Hey! I'm serious!" Lilith began to act like a little girl who had been bullied. Her innocent act was extremely cute and attractive creating a beautiful contrast to her seductive body.
"Yes, yes." Bai Zemin casually nodded as he continued slaughtering zombies. "Whatever you say, your majesty Beautiful Queen."
"Tsk." Lilith knew that Bai Zemin didn't believe her so she simply clicked her tongue and her eyes glittered with a hint of hesitation. However, in the end, she shook her head softly and decided not to do what she was thinking or things might get out of hand.
On the other hand, Bai Zemin had already finished off over thirteen hundred zombies that were scattered all over the third floor. The female dormitory was huge, as was the male dormitory; after all, the university was extremely large and the number of students simply too many to count.
While it was true that not everyone stayed on campus, at least 40% did. The men's dormitory and the female dormitory were large buildings only four or five stories high but stretching for several yards around.
[You have acquired the Soul Power of Normal Zombie level 5].
[You have leveled up to level 21. You have acquired two status points to distribute freely].
"Phew... Good timing." Bai Zemin was starting to feel a bit exhausted, however, after killing the five hundredth zombie the sweet message telling him that he had leveled up appeared in his retina, relieving that exhaustion immediately.
After about ten minutes, Bai Zemin had finally cleared the way to the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
According to the story told by Ming Shui Shui, Qiao Long had been repulsed by a strange zombie upon reaching the third floor and, so far, almost everything matched as Bai Zemin could not see corpses destroyed by the air cannons of Qiao Long's skill.
But... Where was that zombie then?
Bai Zemin's answer came soon enough, because as soon as he stepped on the top step of the staircase that led to the fourth floor of the building, a horrifying pressure enveloped his body as if it wanted to devour him in one piece.
This pressure was so strong that Bai Zemin had only felt something similar once in his life so far.
The pressure Bai Zemin felt when his feet reached the fourth floor of the building was very great and although he did not know how it felt to have a waterfall of water hitting him from several meters high, he estimated that surely it should feel similar to what he was feeling at that moment.
However, the corner of Bai Zemin's mouth turned up into a small smile instead of twitching.
"I really have become stronger haha!" Bai Zemin laughed out loud and took a step forward as he tightened his grip on the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword.
Right! The current Bai Zemin was no longer the same Bai Zemin of the past!
The current him was no longer the same level 15 Bai Zemin who could only run and plan to barely have a slim chance of victory against the First Order Blazing Beetle! He was currently a powerful level 21 evolver who had absorbed massive amounts of pure Soul Power; including the Soul Power of a First Order monster!
Bai Zemin stopped hesitating when he realized that while he might be unable to win in one-on-one, he wouldn't necessarily lose either!
It would all depend on what kind of skill the evolved zombie possessed.
With a steady gaze, Bai Zemin activated his First Order Blood Manipulation skill and cast it on himself. Of course, his intention was not to hurt himself; his aim was different from all the previous times.
...
What was adrenaline?
Adrenaline was a hormone and could also be considered a substance. The substance possessed the ability to constrict the blood vessels, dilate the airways and increase the heart rate.
But when did this substance show itself?
The body begins to secrete adrenaline when it feels threatened or in danger and this substance travels through the blood as a means to reach every part of the body.
In addition, adrenaline had great benefits, some of them being the improvement of reflexes, increased reaction speed, and many other effects... So, what would happen if Bai Zemin increased his own blood flow and made the adrenaline start traveling at faster speeds?
Would it enhance those characteristics even more?
"You're crazy..." Lilith's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Bai Zemin as if he was an unknown beast.
Honestly, Bai Zemin was not the only existence capable of manipulating blood to some extent. Lilith knew someone who was even more powerful than her who possessed a similar natural skill... However, that other existence had clearly never thought of using such a skill in a self-destructive manner on himself when he was still weak.
The reason? Using one's own skill on one's own body was extremely dangerous unless such a skill was a blessing or benefit of some sort. However, Bai Zemin's Blood Manipulation skill was a skill intended for attack and not to be used on himself.
Even less so when he did not even possess initial mastery over his own skill!
Although it was risky, Bai Zemin's situation was already dangerous to begin with. Besides, in this world, if one did not take risks in the early stages when everything was simpler then one could only expect death in the later stages.
Bai Zemin had understood all this very well and that was precisely why he decided to gamble... And his gamble along with his high magical power proved to be right.
He could feel his heart rate increasing after activating his Blood Manipulation skill and the blood throughout his body began to move twice as fast as normal; Bai Zemin did not dare to force it any further than this.
His pupils dilated, improving his overall vision of his surroundings.
Due to the faster circulation of adrenaline, blood glucose increased and Bai Zemin could feel how his body seemed to have more energy than in the past.
Doing this was extremely dangerous and consumed Mana constantly as Bai Zemin had to keep his Blood Manipulation skill constantly activated. However, at this point, as long as the battle ended as quickly as possible, it was a good thing.
Bai Zemin stomped the ground beneath his feet and shot forward at full speed, flashing between the unfamiliar corridors in search of the strange zombie. Due to his high speed and how small the corridors were in comparison, from a certain point of view it seemed as if he was blinking short distances constantly.
The fourth floor was practically undisturbed unlike the first two floors which were littered with corpses and blood. There was also no sign of zombies or any other strange creature, so Bai Zemin correctly assumed that all the zombies on the fourth floor had probably gone down to the third floor and joined the zombies there, explaining why there were so many of them.
Another strange thing was that no door had been broken down yet and while there were many open, most were firmly closed so the odds were high that there were still people alive inside since if they were zombies they probably would have fought to destroy the door the first day the world changed in search of food.
Bai Zemin took out several bottles of blood from his backpack and due to the adrenaline coursing through his veins he almost didn't feel the pain when he opened the bottles with his still half-broken hand. Then he began to spread blood on the ground.
For every corridor he went through, Bai Zemin spread a two-liter bottle of blood on the ground.
Finally, after more than twenty bottles of blood and leaving himself with only ten in reserve for emergencies and leaving aside the First Order Blazing Beetle blood needed to evolve his Blood Manipulation, Bai Zemin stopped dead in his tracks and waited patiently there.
Although he could not sense where the horrendous pressure was coming from exactly, he could sense that the creature was rapidly approaching him.
Suddenly Bai Zemin felt a gale of wind charging towards him and without hesitation, he jumped to the side while slashing with his sword diagonally.
Clang!
The sound of two clashing metals echoed throughout the corridor, traveling through practically the entire fourth floor as proof of how powerful the clash between the two was.
Feeling the sudden rush of air approaching his back at breakneck speeds, Bai Zemin did not even hesitate for a moment as his body reacted before his brain did.
Doing a 180-degree turn and raising his sword high, Bai Zemin's 85 Strength points completely burst out as he slashed downward ferociously as if he wanted to split his enemy into two pieces.
CLANG!
The sound of metal clashing against metal resounded loudly and Bai Zemin felt his right arm go very slightly numb. However, his Strength stat was not low at this point so he was not forced to retreat.
"You finally came out, you damn zombie!" A smile rose on Bai Zemin's face as he looked at his expected enemy.
Indeed, Ming Shui Shui's description was lacking but accurate.
The beast was undoubtedly a zombie. However, unlike normal zombies or any other zombie Bai Zemin had encountered so far, this zombie had completely deep blue skin. The zombie's eyes were wide open and unlike the rest of the zombies, the greenish glow in its eyes showed that its sight was there, unlike normal zombies that could not see anything... But the most striking thing was that its body seemed to be extremely agile and instead of two arms it had two strange, sharp-looking sword-like blades as limbs.
"Scram!" Bai Zemin shouted as he pressed the full weight of his body forward while applying all his strength on the sword that had collided with one of the zombie's blades.
Surprisingly, the zombie was forced back several steps. This showed that its strength was undoubtedly inferior to Bai Zemin's!
Grrr...
A strange grunt came out of the zombie's mouth and suddenly its body leaned forward, disappearing from the place where it was standing a moment ago.
Fast! This zombie was incredibly fast!
Bai Zemin's pupils dilated even more and while gritting his teeth he immediately slashed towards its right side with all his might.
CLANG!
Bang!
After a powerful metallic clang, the zombie that was fast but obviously did not possess particularly high Strength was sent flying and slammed hard into the opposing wall.
However, Bai Zemin couldn't help but be a little scared.
If it wasn't for his earlier experiment making use of his Blood Manipulation skill to somewhat control and increase the adrenaline outflow, then his normal reflexes would not have been enough for him to be able to react in time to the earlier attack... This meant that he would have been dead by now!
Dead after just one trade!
That's how terrifying the creatures that had officially taken a step on the path of evolution were! Even more so this zombie that only needed one cut to turn Bai Zemin into one of its comrades!
Bai Zemin seized the opportunity when the evolved zombie was sent flying and activated his skill Blood Manipulation. The blood he had spread in this corridor suddenly turned into ten blood chains and under his control they flew towards the evolved zombie.
The evolved zombie's greenish eyes glowed coldly and it jumped up before it began to move in strange patterns. Due to its speed, the creature managed to evade six blood chains, but four of them managed to surround it to the point where no matter where it tried to escape it would be impossible.
However, what happened next was something Bai Zemin did not expect.
Swoosh!
A strange magical energy surged out from the evolved zombie's body and a semi-transparent colored barrier whose shape was similar to that of an egg surrounded the infected's body. The four blood chains slammed against the energy barrier, creating metallic sounds before falling to the ground.
"What?!" Bai Zemin's eyes widened in shock. However, the evolved zombie suddenly disappeared from its position without giving him time to think too much about what had just happened,
"Dammit!" Bai Zemin quickly turned around and raised his sword in a defensive stance to defend against the unexpected attack.
Clang!
This time, because he had been taken by surprise, Bai Zemin was forced back approximately five meters as his feet dragged on the carpet that adorned the floor.
Swoosh!
The evolved zombie advanced and slashed twice using both blade-like arms.
Clang!... Clang!
Bai Zemin was forced into defensive mode as he tried to process what had just happened.
Wasn't the acquired skill of this evolved zombie the two blades on its body? Bai Zemin was dumbfounded and again realized the reason why Lilith had told him before that he had been one of the few beings in the history of the universe capable of successfully defeating and slaying an enemy of a higher Order.
Such creatures were simply too horrifying!
If the evolved creatures of the First Order were already this powerful, then how strong were the ones of the Second Order? Even worse... How strong was Lilith? And all those Sixth Order existences like her?
Only now did Bai Zemin understand the reason why people like Lilith differentiated people like him and her into different categories; Lower Existences and Higher Existences. The difference between the two of them was simply colossal...
Since you have that strange skill, then I will cut off your head with my sword! Bai Zemin gritted his teeth and slashed forward with all his strength.
The evolved zombie was sent flying and rolled across the ground several meters before leaping to its feet. However, before it could even take a step forward and burst out with its ghostly speed, Bai Zemin had already appeared before it and was attacking again, forcing the evolved zombie to raise both of its blade-like arms to parry the blow.
BANG!
Again, the evolved zombie was sent flying and this time its body hit the wall twenty meters away, making a powerful bang and cracking the wall in the process.
Swoosh!
Bai Zemin, who had started dashing immediately after sending the evolved zombie flying, appeared in front of the creature at lightning speed and slashed diagonally again with the intention of cutting off its head.
"I don't believe I can't kill you!" His eyes flashed with infinite coldness as he looked at the beastly eyes of the zombie in front of him.