Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 476 - 346: Mutated Undead, Spider Mount?

To ensure nothing was overlooked, Fang Zhou had Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang check the array’s setup one more time, confirming that every detail was in place. After completing their inspection, the three of them exited the incubation room.

Sitting in the office, Fang Zhou looked at Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang and nonchalantly told them he was preparing to take the grade-skipping examination.

Instantly, Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang were stunned, as if struck by lightning.

It took a while for Bai Xiaochan to react, looking utterly devastated as she wailed, "Fang Zhou, are you going to abandon us? If you skip to the second grade, whose coattails will I ride on?"

Meng Hongzhuang blinked her large eyes, looking pitifully at Fang Zhou. "Fang Zhou, when are you planning to make the jump? Ever since you advanced to upper-rank Apprentice and started leading Senior Brother Lu’s group in sweeping the Shelter Defense Battle simulation battlefield, I haven’t been on a team with you in a long time."

Fang Zhou looked up at Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang, who were nervously waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat and shared the news he had heard from Instructor Lu Hu with his two assistants.

Upon hearing they had two to three months to prepare, Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang let out a slight sigh of relief.

Fang Zhou then offered some comfort. "Don’t worry too much. In another two or three months, I estimate I’ll be able to break through my bottleneck and advance to the Black Iron rank. By then, if you’re still at the middle-level Apprentice rank, your combat prowess will likely not be of much help to me.

"Especially you, Xiaochan. Your Song of Triumph and Lullaby have significantly helped increase my Spiritual Power recovery and soul nourishment speeds. They’ve been a huge help. However, once I reach the lower rank of Black Iron, the apprentice-level Beneficial Skills you can cast will hardly have their intended effect on me."

"But," Fang Zhou said, his tone shifting, "while you may not be able to assist much with combat and cultivation, as my research assistants—oh, not my research drudges—you are truly outstanding. Your performance these past few months has been commendable and diligent. I’ve seen it all. Keep up the good work! I believe you’ll do even better from now on."

After speaking, Fang Zhou’s finger slid gently across his personal terminal, symbolically awarding Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang ten contribution points each as an incentive. He then waved his hand, signaling them to continue their ongoing research.

We’ve pushed Brutal Aura and Resurrection of the Dead to their apprentice-level limit, but Soul Realm, Iron Wall Aura, Domination Skeleton, and Skeleton Blade are still in line waiting for extrapolation and enhancement.

As his assistants, they couldn’t afford to slack off for a moment.

「...」

In the depths of the Corpse Hills, a fog permeated the air like ancient ghosts. The Blood Moon hung in the sky, casting a scarlet glow and draping this desolate land in an eerie shroud.

On this land, saturated with the air of death, a massive skeleton clone, nearly three meters tall, patrolled slowly. Its body was clad in black-red armor bristling with sharp spikes. Days ago, Fang Zhou’s clone had consumed three Blue Energy Crystals, making its form even larger and more sinister, like a demon from the Abyss. As it continued to grow, the oppressive aura of an undead creature emanating from the skeleton clone became more and more distinct.

At this moment, dozens of skeletal servants carried out a dragnet hunt alongside the clone. Their movements were swift and orderly, a sharp contrast to Fang Zhou’s massive and terrifying figure.

The clone was already deep inside the Corpse Hills. The population of undead creatures here was once exceptionally abundant, allowing it to feast to its heart’s content. However, as Fang Zhou and its Skeleton Army hunted relentlessly, the prey in this area had grown scarce. Left with no choice, the clone ordered its Skeleton Army to explore deeper, thus expanding the area of their dragnet hunt.

Just then, a middle-rank Black Iron Zombie entered Fang Zhou’s perception range. This zombie was different from typical undead; its massive size and swift movements clearly marked it as a being of considerable power.

Fang Zhou’s eyes immediately lit up, and a terrifying, ferocious aura flashed from its body. Unlike the common undead creatures that mindlessly fought each other to the death, this skeleton clone, specialized in hunting creatures even larger than itself, was far more savage. This long-term hunting had shrouded the clone in an invisible, ferocious aura.

Although this ferocious aura had no direct effect on the equally fearless undead, it provided an ineffable benefit to his Undead Mage clone, who was engrossed in cultivation far away at the Sea City Military Academy. This ferocious aura seemed to enhance his combat will, making him colder and more ruthless when facing enemies and allowing him to advance further on his path of cultivation.

BANG!

With the explosive sound, the mist swirling around the clone was violently blasted away by the terrifying aura, filling the air with a murderous intent.

Heroic Charge.

Brutal Strike.

Fang Zhou suddenly launched its charge. With a deafening roar, the weapon in its hand traced a sharp black shadow through the air and instantly pierced the head of the clueless zombie dozens of meters away, sending it into an eternal slumber.

After completely devouring the zombie, Fang Zhou looked up at the Blood Moon, somewhat unsatisfied. Here, the sky of the Undead Realm was even darker and deeper. The occasional flicker of aura from beyond the Blood Moon sent a chill even through the clone.

From the looks of it, this is a large canyon. The fog is extremely dense, and it contains about thirty percent more Death Energy than before.

Fang Zhou led its Skeleton Team deeper into the canyon. An hour later, the scenery ahead began to change. A faint purple glow emanated from deep within the dark canyon, resembling a Nether River stretching for several kilometers, flowing toward endless death.

Even Fang Zhou’s clone couldn’t help but feel a chill at such a sight.

The depths of the canyon were covered with purple minerals that emitted a faint light, serving as the sole source of illumination in the darkness. Among these minerals, some strange undead creatures had made their home. These creatures had four pairs of long legs and a pair of massive pincers, their forms a bizarre and terrifying mix between a crab and a spider.

They were numerous, and their bodies were covered in thick carapaces. The smallest were about half a meter in length and width. Larger ones reached about a meter in length, and their four pairs of long legs, when spread, spanned nearly two meters wide. Their gray-black carapaces gleamed with a metallic luster, conveying a sense of weight and durability.