Chapter 249 : The Calamity Army's Predicament and the Secret Raid Strategy!

Netherblood ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍City.

Core ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Hall.

Xie ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Ming observed the battlefield through the Lord's Vision.

The ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Corpse Lich Territory's main army had already arrived at the battlefield.

There ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍would be no underestimation.

No ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍holding back.

This time, they would confront the human threat with their full strength!

To ensure absolute victory, Xie Ming had secured a massive amount of venture capital from the organization backing him behind the scenes, allowing him to construct the precious Third-Order special undead barracks building—the **Skeleton Giant Altar**.

Who would have thought...

A mere human territory could prove this troublesome!

Although the human Lord had forced him to pay an enormous price...

Destroying the Dead Bones Legion that he had painstakingly built over seven or eight years...

It didn't matter.

Xie Ming believed that as long as he defeated that Lord and obtained the mysterious relic in his possession...

Not only would all of his losses be recovered...

His future potential would rise tremendously.

Xie Ming had no intention of remaining a mere underling within the organization.

He wanted to become a legendary Lord equal to the organization's founder!

Today's situation might appear perilous...

But the road to becoming a legendary Lord was destined to be filled with hardships.

These were nothing more than insignificant trials.

Let this lowly, insignificant human become the first stepping stone on his path!

Xie Ming calmed himself.

He began reviewing his deployment.

At this moment...

The Corpse Fiend generals led by **Ghost Skull** and **Flame Remains** had already brought more than eighty percent of the territory's forces to the Xian Mountain region, where they were confronting the invading human army.

This force consisted of:

300 Acolyte Secret Guards.

1,500 Skeleton Giants.

4,000 Cursed Corpse Arcanists.

2,000 Dire Devouring Armored Corpses.

In terms of sheer numbers...

The force contained fewer than ten thousand troops.

Yet in combat strength...

It was fully capable of crushing the human army.

Every Acolyte Secret Guard had been personally cultivated by Xie Ming as his elite personal guard.

Even the weakest possessed the strength of a Third-Order first-rate elite.

A small portion had even reached the threshold of Commander-class combat power.

Not only were they powerful...

They were also proficient in countless techniques.

They represented the true foundation of the territory.

The Skeleton Giants were Third-Order special troops created specifically for this campaign.

They would become the decisive main force of the war.

Among the two Corpse Fiend armies...

Six hundred Armored Corpses and Cursed Corpses had also reached the Third Order.

As the saying went...

Quality mattered more than quantity.

These more than two thousand Third-Order elites...

Combined with the eight generals led by Ghost Skull and Flame Remains...

Would be more than enough to make the human army suffer.

The Corpse Lich commander Ghost Skull was a powerful Dire Corpse Fiend Sorcerer.

Among all the Hero Units...

His strength ranked second only to the Grand Elder of the Corpse Lich Territory, Gray Decay.

As for Flame Remains...

He was the strongest Corpse Fiend warrior in the Corpse Lich Territory.

Whether in personal strength or Destiny Technique...

He was even slightly stronger than Gray Decay had been.

Xie Ming assigned different missions to his two trusted subordinates.

Ghost Skull led three hundred Acolyte Secret Guards...

Together with the entire Cursed Corpse force...

Jointly summoning a massive **Black Rot Mist**.

This was a unique corruption technique possessed only by the undead race.

It could only be cast within territory under their direct control.

The Black Rot Mist moved extremely slowly...

But wherever it spread...

Both buildings and living creatures would be corroded.

Its effects on undead races or Abyss-corrupted units were minimal.

However...

To ordinary living races...

It was exceptionally deadly.

It could drastically reduce combat power...

Or even claim lives outright.

Ghost Skull's mission was simple.

Cover Tianshan Hamlet with the Black Rot Mist.

Once accomplished...

Not only would the buildings be gradually corroded...

Every human unit inside would also suffer continuous corrosion.

In the end...

They would either abandon the position and attempt a breakout...

Or suffocate to death within the poisonous mist.

Should they choose to break out...

Flame Remains would lead the Skeleton Giants and the Dire Devouring Armored Corpses to intercept and annihilate them.

The corrupted mist not only failed to weaken undead forces...

It actually accelerated their regeneration...

Further enhancing their combat effectiveness.

The 1,500 Skeleton Giants were the key to victory.

These Skeleton Giants were not ordinary vassal units.

They could neither be trained nor leveled up.

Yet they also differed from the conventional troops summoned by most barracks.

After all...

The requirements for summoning Skeleton Giants were extraordinarily demanding.

Not only did one need to construct the immensely valuable and extremely expensive Skeleton Giant Altar...

One also had to sacrifice Dead Bones race units...

Consuming enormous quantities of resources during the process.

But once completed...

They became terrifying weapons of war.

Enough to suppress...

Or even completely neutralize...

The threat posed by the Human Undying Calamity.

Xie Ming had absolute confidence in both his army and his subordinates.

Now that the human army had entered the Corpse Lich Territory...

Its destruction was merely a matter of time.

The only variable...

Was the human Lord behind the scenes.

However...

Although they had never personally crossed swords...

He was merely a human Lord.

No matter how powerful he might be...

How strong could he really become?

Perhaps...

He was even weaker than his own subordinate Jia Xu.

Regardless...

Xie Ming personally remained within the main city to coordinate the overall battle.

Gray Decay guarded Buried Bones City to secure the rear.

Ghost Skull and Flame Remains led the frontline campaign.

There were no flaws in this deployment.

Combined with the overwhelming home-field advantage...

Xie Ming felt absolute victory was already guaranteed.

……

Outside the Tianshan Hamlet encampment.

Black poisonous mist continuously crept in from every direction.

Although its advance was slow...

It was already close.

Within several hours...

It would arrive.

Once the mist completely enveloped the camp...

The human forces stationed there would immediately fall into an extremely dangerous situation.

Eventually...

They would have no choice but to abandon their defensive position and launch an attack.

The situation was far too passive!

The Corpse Lich Territory had undoubtedly prepared an enormous trap...

Waiting only for the human army to jump into it.

Under such circumstances...

The players absolutely refused to let the NPC forces take action first.

After all five legion commanders volunteered...

Although Jia Xu knew the Calamity Army would never successfully break through...

He still approved the request...

Allowing the players to probe the enemy's methods.

Fifteen minutes later...

The Calamity Army marched out of the camp.

Little Bell asked,

“What exactly are these undead plotting?”

Dawn replied,

“No idea.”

“But one thing's certain.”

“There must be an undead army hidden inside those poisonous clouds.”

Midnight Pig Slayer nodded.

“That's right.”

“They're hiding themselves well...”

“But Pig Master can already sense their presence.”

Old Wang the Berserker added,

“There are probably a lot of them.”

“We definitely can't win.”

“All we can do is scout their strength while killing as many as possible.”

Salted Fish Thrust said,

“After dying, everyone revive at Shansang City first and refresh all your buffs.”

“Then regroup at Huangmei Hamlet.”

“When the time comes, we'll coordinate with the forces inside Tianshan Hamlet and attack from both sides.”

“If you're afraid of dying...”

“Then don't become a member of the Calamity Army!”

“Time is precious!”

“Everyone, charge with me!”

“Just rush them!”

“……”

Four thousand players spread out.

Dividing into forty small detachments...

They attempted to enter the poisonous mist from different directions.

This battle wasn't about defeating the enemy.

As long as they completed reconnaissance and uncovered the enemy's situation...

The mission would be considered a success.

Before the Calamity Army could enter the mist...

A dense rain of powerful bone spears shot out.

“Watch out!”

“Dodge!”

“……”

Many weaker players were caught completely off guard.

Their bodies were pierced by bone spears...

Dying on the spot.

Toasting the Moon, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, and the other commanders immediately organized a counterattack.

Some drew their bows and fired into the poisonous mist.

Others hurled large-scale offensive spells.

“Charge!”

Salted Fish Thrust...

Hua Mulan...

And several other Third-Order Calamity Army warriors activated their defensive skills before charging into the mist atop their Black Dragon Spirit Steeds.

Before they could get close...

Gigantic, hideous skeletal humanoid monsters suddenly rushed out from the dense black fog.

“What are those...?”

Each skeletal giant stood twelve to thirteen meters tall.

Even mounted humans appeared like tiny insects before them.

These skeletal monsters were humanoid...

Yet not entirely human.

Twin horns grew from their heads.

They possessed four arms.

Their bones were exceptionally thick and tightly interlocked.

The gaps between the bones resembled louvered armor...

Giving them the appearance of wearing natural exoskeletons.

【Undying Skeleton Giant】, Level 25 Elite Unit...

Description: A rare special undead unit forged by sacrificing Dead Bones race units upon the altar. As long as its Soul Flame remains intact, it can never truly be destroyed.

“Third Order!”

“They're Third-Order troops!”

“I've never seen this unit before!”

“Holy crap!”

“There are so many!”

“This is insane!”

“……”

Every player wore a shocked expression.

To the current players...

Third-Order elites represented extremely high-end combat power.

If there were only dozens...

Or even several hundred...

They might still stand a chance.

But once the number exceeded five hundred...

The Calamity Army alone would struggle immensely.

Once the number exceeded one thousand...

There was absolutely no possibility of victory.

At this moment...

At least a thousand Skeleton Giants had appeared across the battlefield.

The sheer visual impact alone was overwhelming.

Each Skeleton Giant wielded a massive bone hammer in one hand...

And a gigantic bone blade in the other.

Boom!

Bone hammers smashed into the ground one after another.

The Calamity Army hurriedly scattered to evade.

Even so...

Many players were blasted into the air by the resulting shockwaves.

“Die!”

Riding his Black Dragon Spirit Steed...

Toasting the Moon dodged attacks from several giants.

During the maneuver...

He drew the Magic Night Greatbow in his hands...

Unleashing a Five-Arrow Volley.

-143! -164! -153! -146! -123!

All five powerful Mana Arrows struck the target.

The Skeleton Giant's abdominal bones shattered one after another.

It suffered roughly eight hundred points of damage.

Yet...

Its health bar dropped by only about one-tenth.

Toasting the Moon was no ordinary player.

As one of the five legion commanders...

His strength was exceptional.

His Magic Night Greatbow had already been upgraded to Third-Order Blue quality.

Even his full attack combo removed only around ten percent of the giant's health.

That alone demonstrated just how absurdly durable these Skeleton Giants were.

The other Calamity Army players quickly discovered the same problem.

“Damn it!”

“These things are way too tanky!”

“I can't even scratch them!”

Although the Skeleton Giants possessed only two attack methods...

Hammer strikes...

And blade slashes...

Their destructive power was astonishing.

Combined with their overwhelming durability...

They instantly became a nightmare for the Calamity Army.

“These aren't ordinary Level 24 or 25 elite monsters!”

“Even among elite monsters...”

“They're top-tier!”

“Damn it!”

“The Corpse Lich Territory actually has such terrifying super soldiers!”

“Good thing they didn't bring these out at Huangmei Hamlet!”

“Otherwise we'd have been utterly screwed!”

“……”

More than a thousand Skeleton Giants advanced with overwhelming superiority.

The four thousand Calamity Army soldiers were completely incapable of breaking through their line.

Another army emerged from the writhing poisonous mist.

This time...

It was a genuine Corpse Fiend army.

Roughly two thousand Dire Devouring Armored Corpses.

Several Corpse Fiend Hero Units stood at the front.

Leading them...

Was a Corpse Fiend general covered from head to toe in blazing demonic flame patterns.

He was none other than...

The commander of this force.

The greatest Corpse Fiend warrior of Netherblood City—

Flame Remains.

Watching the Calamity Army being chased about helplessly by the Skeleton Giants...

He sneered.

“Hmph.”

“In the end...”

“They're merely weak, insignificant, lowly humans.”

“With such pitiful strength...”

“They actually think they can compete against the high-tier troops personally created by Lord Xie Ming?”

“These humans aren't nearly as troublesome as we imagined.”

That assessment wasn't entirely wrong.

However...

The Calamity Army wasn't completely powerless.

After all...

Among the several dozen Third-Order players...

Every single one possessed strength comparable to first-rate elites.

The very best among them...

Had even reached the threshold of Commander-class combat power.

“Die!”

Mad Cleaver Street infused Blazing Tiger Inferno into his twin blades.

He hacked a Skeleton Giant from head to toe.

More than ten slashes landed in rapid succession.

Every strike exploded.

Every strike landed as a critical hit.

The terrifying burst damage nearly emptied the giant's health bar.

As the giant collapsed...

A wave of blazing energy erupted outward.

Mad Cleaver Street was caught completely off guard...

Suffering tremendous damage.

The several players nearby who had been supporting him...

Were even less fortunate.

They were wiped out instantly.

Green Destiny Technique—

Explosive Flame Aura!

This was Flame Remains' Destiny Technique!

Its effect was simple.

Whenever a friendly unit empowered by the aura was killed...

It unleashed a blast of explosive flames upon all nearby enemies.

The explosion's damage was directly proportional to both the unit's rank...

And the amount of damage it had received shortly before dying.

Skeleton Giants were already absurdly durable.

When combined with Explosive Flame Aura...

Each became a living bomb.

Anyone surrounding them during the kill...

Could easily be taken down together.

“Damn!”

“How are we supposed to fight this?”

“We can't hold them back at all!”

“……”

The Calamity Army steadily retreated before the Skeleton Giants.

Flame Remains...

The other Corpse Fiend Hero Units...

And the remaining Corpse Fiend forces...

Hadn't even entered the battle yet.

Facing only the Skeleton Giants...

The Calamity Army already felt completely overwhelmed.

“Our rhythm's broken.”

“Fall back!”

Seeing the situation deteriorate...

Ye Li Meng immediately issued a retreat order through the public channel.

By the time the Calamity Army withdrew near the camp...

Only around two thousand players remained.

Meanwhile...

The Skeleton Giants had lost merely several dozen units.

Such results weren't entirely unacceptable.

After all...

The Human Undying Calamity could never truly be exterminated.

As long as they inflicted any attrition upon the enemy...

Even minimal losses were worthwhile.

Just then...

Dawn suddenly shouted.

“Wait!”

“That's strange!”

“Why aren't these Skeleton Giants dropping any loot?”

“Huh?”

“You're right!”

“What the heck's going on?”

Black-Eyed Rui Ge's expression changed dramatically.

“This is bad!”

“We probably haven't actually killed them!”

As though confirming Rui Ge's suspicion...

An eerie green glow suddenly appeared across the piles of shattered bones.

The instant green flames reignited within their skulls...

Every scattered bone floated back into the air...

Reassembling into complete Skeleton Giants once again.

Less than two minutes later...

Every defeated Skeleton Giant had fully revived.

The scene stunned the Calamity Army.

For the first time...

They experienced genuine shock...

And fear.

“No way!”

“Don't tell me they're just like us!”

“Are they immortal too?”

“Holy crap!”

“Not only are they immortal...”

“They revive right where they fall!”

“How the hell are we supposed to fight something this broken?”

“……”

The Calamity Army had already lost nearly half its numbers.

The Skeleton Giants they had painstakingly defeated...

Rose one after another.

As of this moment...

Their apparent casualty count remained—

Zero!

It had always been the Calamity Army that exhausted enemies through their own immortality.

Now...

The Skeleton Giants were teaching them that same lesson instead.

Was the Calamity Army's greatest advantage...

Not unique after all?

Did other truly immortal armies also exist within the Abyssal World?

The revelation struck like lightning.

It completely overturned everything they believed.

Even if both sides possessed resurrection...

The Skeleton Giants revived immediately on the battlefield.

And they were vastly stronger than the Calamity Army.

There was no chance of victory!

“Everyone!”

“Don't panic!”

“Don't lose formation!”

Seeing morale collapse...

Ye Li Meng hurriedly shouted.

“Our power of immortality was granted by Lord Hang Yu!”

“I refuse to believe anything else in this world can truly rival it!”

“If these Skeleton Giants were genuinely immortal...”

“Why did the Corpse Lich Territory wait until now to deploy them?”

“The answer is obvious!”

“You could figure it out even thinking with your butt!”

“They aren't truly immortal!”

“We simply haven't discovered the correct mechanism for killing them!”

“And they definitely can't resurrect endlessly!”

“Every revival must require an enormous cost!”

“Otherwise there's no explanation for why the Corpse Lich Territory attacked Woniu Mountain with ordinary Dead Bones troops instead of using these monsters!”

Those words immediately steadied morale.

The players found his reasoning convincing.

“Damn it!”

“The Corpse Lich Territory is tougher than we imagined!”

“But now isn't the time to give up!”

“If we back down now...”

“We'll become the laughingstock of everyone watching!”

“Keep fighting!”

“For the honor of the Calamity Army!”

“We'll find a way to kill them!”

“……”

The terrifying Skeleton Giants continued advancing.

However...

They had already entered the attack range of Tianshan Hamlet.

A torrential barrage of arrows and spells from the Black Tiger Guard...

The Iron Eagle Guard...

And the Arrow Towers...

Rained down upon them.

At the same time—

【You have received the Destiny Technique: Guardian Aura!】

【You have received the Destiny Technique: Adamantine Defensive Line!】

【You have received the Destiny Technique: Loyal Valor Aura!】

【You have received the Destiny Technique: Fortitude Aura!】

The Destiny Techniques of the human generals enveloped the battlefield.

The Calamity Army's attack...

Defense...

And resistances...

Rose dramatically.

Their combat power increased tremendously.

The Calamity Army once again clashed with the Skeleton Giants.

Although casualties had been severe...

The remaining players were all elite experts.

With the buffs from the two human generals...

Combined with long-range support...

They barely managed to halt the Skeleton Giants' advance.

Unfortunately...

No matter what methods the players attempted...

They still could not permanently kill the Skeleton Giants.

One Calamity Army soldier after another fell.

Their situation continued deteriorating.

The players felt incredibly frustrated.

They feared no total annihilation.

But...

To be wiped out like this...

Without achieving anything meaningful...

Was simply too humiliating.

A thunderous roar erupted.

Zhou Cang descended from the sky.

His blazing black-gold great blade cleaved a Skeleton Giant cleanly in half from head to toe.

Ignoring the resulting explosion...

He immediately charged another giant.

A single slash severed it at the waist.

A third.

A fourth.

Nearly every one or two strikes claimed another giant.

Skeleton Giants that required tremendous effort from players to defeat...

Seemed as fragile as toys before Zhou Cang.

“General Zhou has entered the battle!”

“So awesome!”

“That damage is absolutely insane!”

“General Zhou's strength has definitely reached the Overlord class now!”

“……”

As the famous general who had followed Hang Yu from the very beginning...

He naturally received special attention from his Lord.

His **Advanced Commander Template** had already been upgraded into an **Overlord Template** using Aptitude Spirit Pearls.

Combined with the enhancements from his Abyssal Physique...

His current strength was indeed extraordinary.

At the same time...

The ten Black Tiger Captains also entered the battle.

Only then was the Skeleton Giants' advance finally suppressed.

However...

That did not mean the situation had improved.

Whether they were Calamity Army players...

Or NPCs such as Zhou Cang...

Everyone discovered the same problem.

None of them could permanently kill the Skeleton Giants.

After falling...

The Skeleton Giants dropped no loot.

Within minutes...

They simply resurrected on the battlefield.

Even with Zhou Cang personally participating...

The defensive line remained under tremendous pressure.

The Calamity Army continued suffering losses.

One had to remember...

Up until now...

The Corpse Lich Territory's Hero Units...

Along with several thousand remaining troops...

Had not even joined the battle.

If they entered the battlefield as well...

Tianshan Hamlet would face an even harsher trial.

However...

At that very moment...

Flame Remains unexpectedly ordered a retreat.

The Skeleton Giants abandoned the camp despite being only a short distance away...

Retreating together with the rest of the undead forces into the poisonous mist.

“What happened?”

“The undead are retreating?”

“They clearly had the advantage!”

The enemy's sudden withdrawal left the Calamity Army thoroughly puzzled.

Watching the slowly writhing poisonous mist...

Toasting the Moon said,

“I think this attack was merely a probe.”

“The Corpse Lich Territory probably isn't confident enough to swallow us in one bite.”

“Exactly!”

“We've got barriers and city walls!”

“And General Wen Ping specializes in defense!”

“Even if the Corpse Lich Territory came prepared...”

“Breaking through won't be easy.”

“They're simply waiting for a better opportunity.”

“At this rate...”

“The black mist will engulf the territory within one or two hours.”

“When that happens...”

“That'll probably be when they launch their full-scale assault.”

“What?”

“Then what do we do?”

“These enemies are unbelievably troublesome!”

“Our own manpower has been exhausted!”

“This really feels bad!”

“Let's head back!”

“We need to consult the Strategist!”

“……”

Only several hundred Calamity Army players remained.

There weren't enough of them to conduct another probing attack.

This time...

They had encountered terrifying opponents like the Skeleton Giants.

With no player resurrection point nearby...

Their signature wave tactic had completely failed.

This battle was proving harder than any before.

If things continued like this...

Forget conquering the Corpse Lich Territory within seven days.

Even holding onto this single foothold seemed doubtful.

The Calamity Army's leadership grew increasingly anxious.

Under such circumstances...

Meeting the enemy head-on was impossible.

Even victory would cost the territory unbearable casualties.

The players hurried to Jia Xu.

“Strategist!”

“This is terrible!”

“We got absolutely crushed!”

Little Bell reported,

“You must've seen it too.”

“The Skeleton Giants outside simply can't be killed!”

“We killed over a hundred of them...”

“But within minutes they all revived!”

Ye Li Meng asked,

“What exactly is going on?”

“Strategist...”

“Have you discovered anything?”

Jia Xu remained completely calm.

“These Skeleton Giants merely possess unusual Soul Flames.”

“As long as those Soul Flames remain unextinguished...”

“They cannot truly be killed.”

As expected of the Strategist.

He had already seen through everything.

Black-Eyed Rui Ge hurriedly asked,

“How do we destroy the Skeleton Giants' Soul Flames?”

Jia Xu replied,

“In direct combat...”

“Even if I personally fought them...”

“Completely destroying them would not be easy.”

The Calamity Army's hearts immediately sank again.

Jia Xu's abilities were legendary.

If even he found it difficult to eliminate the giants head-on...

Then weren't they truly invincible?

Jia Xu continued,

“However...”

“You needn't worry too much.”

“Summoning these giants requires an enormous price.”

“So does resurrecting them.”

“That is also why the Corpse Lich Territory ceased its attack.”

Toasting the Moon asked,

“If frontal combat won't work...”

“Is there another method?”

Jia Xu looked at him...

Then nodded with satisfaction.

“There is a way?”

“Please enlighten us, Strategist Jia!”

Still speaking in his usual relaxed tone...

Jia Xu answered,

“Actually...”

“From the very moment the Corpse Lich Territory's army appeared here...”

“I believe victory has already come within our reach.”

Everyone looked thoroughly confused.

The frontline situation was hanging by a thread.

Unless Lord Hang Yu personally arrived with the Azure Dragon Guard...

No one could imagine any method of turning things around.

Jia Xu explained,

“The reason these Skeleton Giants are so difficult to kill...”

“The reason they can revive...”

“Is because half of their Soul Flames have been sealed within the altar of Buried Bones City.”

“There is no need to confront them directly.”

“All we need is a small infiltration team.”

“Slip into Buried Bones City.”

“Destroy that altar.”

“The Skeleton Giants will be drastically weakened...”

“And can then be killed with ease.”

As he spoke...

Jia Xu lightly waved his hand.

The Shadow Skeleton Puppet appeared behind him.

Jia Xu continued,

“I've already located Buried Bones City's hidden location.”

“I've also thoroughly investigated its internal defenses.”

“What we require now...”

“Is a squad capable of infiltrating it and carrying out the mission.”

“However...”

“The operation won't be easy.”

“Although Xie Ming isn't personally guarding Buried Bones City...”

“He has stationed his most capable subordinate there.”

“To destroy the altar...”

“We must first overcome him.”

“If the mission cannot be completed within an extremely short time...”

“Then once Xie Ming personally teleports there...”

“The mission will most likely fail.”

A hidden quest!

This was a hidden quest!

Ye Li Meng...

Black-Eyed Rui Ge...

Little Bell...

Toasting the Moon...

Arthur King...

Every one of them became excited.

Jia Xu's Shadow Skeleton...

Inherited every ability possessed by Skeleton Gan Ning.

Its **Shadow March** could secretly carry a small team deep behind enemy lines without anyone noticing.

Since Jia Xu had revealed the plan to the players...

He clearly intended to select members from among them.

This was an incredibly valuable hidden quest.

More importantly...

It was the key to determining the outcome of the entire campaign.

If they could participate...

If they successfully completed it...

Not only would they earn tremendous merit during this war...

They would also gain enormous prestige among the player community.

No one could resist such temptation.

Black-Eyed Rui Ge nevertheless asked,

“Strategist...”

“Since this mission is so important...”

“Wouldn't it be safer for you to personally lead it?”

“I can't.”

Jia Xu calmly replied.

“I have already deployed a formation to delay the poisonous mist's corrosion.”

“But that formation requires me to activate it personally.”

“Furthermore...”

“Only by remaining here personally can I keep Xie Ming's attention focused on me.”

“That is essential for the success of everything that follows.”

Jia Xu could not leave.

Wen Ping certainly could not leave either.

The Shadow Skeleton would unquestionably participate.

Thus...

Jia Xu arranged for Zhou Cang to join the operation.

With two Overlord-class combatants...

The mission possessed more than enough strength.

However...

There were still eight empty seats.

Eight additional people could accompany them.

If strength alone were considered...

The eight original Dragon Guards would naturally be the ideal candidates.

Unfortunately...

They had not accompanied this expedition.

As for comparing ordinary Azure Dragon Guards...

The ten Black Tiger Captains...

And the Calamity Army's legion commanders...

The Calamity Army held no advantage whatsoever.

Yet...

Jia Xu ultimately chose eight Calamity Army players.

Because although the strongest Calamity Army players couldn't compare to the Azure Dragon personal guards or the Black Tiger Captains...

The gap wasn't so overwhelming that they were unusable.

Most importantly...

The Calamity Army could be expended as consumable assets whenever necessary.

They could provide cover for Zhou Cang...

As well as the Shadow Skeleton's retreat.

In addition...

The Calamity Army's loot-generating ability would also prove valuable during this operation...

Allowing the territory to earn even greater rewards.