Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone

Chapter 785 - 504: Beastman Calamity, Demon Cave, Sacrificial Teleportation!

This way, the Magic Resistance provided by Tiamat’s Dragon Scales might finally come into play.

"Set out!"

Fang Zhou waved the Soul Shattering Bone Staff, and the mighty Undead Army surged forward like a tide.

As soon as they entered, Fang Zhou felt a distinct change in temperature. It was as if it had suddenly risen by several degrees, and the walls even flickered faintly with firelight. Even without any source of light, everyone could see things clearly within a dozen meters. Anything farther away appeared quite blurry, making this environment extremely disadvantageous for Archer-type units.

Similarly, as a vulnerable spellcaster, Fang Zhou himself was in significant danger. If a few High Tier Demons launched a surprise attack from the shadows, he could easily be overwhelmed.

With this in mind, Fang Zhou first drank a Stamina Potion, then cast Death Protection on himself, followed by the False Life spell to temporarily increase his maximum health. As a Mage, self-preservation was his top priority. He then had Ryze, the Frost Skeleton Mage, cast Ice Armor. Afterward, he summoned a Six-armed Snake Demon Warrior and had it follow closely behind him.

As the team advanced, the path did not widen, but their field of vision gradually expanded. With the Skeleton Bats scouting ahead, Fang Zhou quickly discovered they were in what appeared to be a massive subterranean space, spiraling ever deeper downward. It was impossible to know how much time the Beastmen or Demons had spent excavating such a vast area. But since they went to such lengths, their goal must be something extraordinary!

Fang Zhou grew increasingly vigilant. As the army continued its descent, the surrounding temperature became hotter and hotter. Droplets of moisture began to form on the seemingly pristine Magic Robe of Ryze. He was clearly ill-suited for this combat environment. Although the Ice and Fire Attributes counter each other, much like light and dark, his meager ice magic was no match for the overwhelming flames that permeated this place.

After advancing some more, the distinct smell of volcanic lava wafted up from ahead. Soon, everyone saw a massive, fiery pit below them, filled with roiling, dark-red magma. The entire cavern instantly lit up, becoming almost blindingly bright. The crimson glow dominated their vision, coloring everything in sight. The light also revealed an altar just beyond the fiery pit, surrounded by what looked to be hundreds, if not thousands, of enemies.

Most were monsters towering over two meters tall. Their terrifyingly muscular bodies were covered in red Scale Armor, and each had a single, powerful horn. These were Horned Demons, the Black Iron-tier mainline combat units of the Abyssal Demons. There were also large packs of Dog Demons on all fours, spewing fire and sulfur. Mingled among them were emaciated figures wielding spears as tall as a man; these were Demon Servants. Next were the Slaughter Demons, whose heads and faces were covered in spikes, using their claws and fangs as weapons. There were also Violent Ape Demons, which looked like heavily muscled gorillas, but with boar-like tusks jutting from their mouths. Both were Bronze-tier Demon units.

However, none of them were a real threat. Despite their large numbers, they were too weak to even get close to Fang Zhou’s forces. Even the Bronze-tier Slaughter Demons had almost no Defense Power and would undoubtedly be shot down by the Corpse Shooters before they got halfway.

The real threat came from a few dozen bald, human-sized demons clutching flames in their palms. These were the Bronze-tier Fire-Throwing Demons and Fiery Demons, units capable of using Fireballs for ranged attacks. Their Talent was the manipulation of flame, making them the demonic equivalent of human Archers, with the advantage of not needing any Arrows. Although their attack speed was slow, requiring several dozen seconds between each Fireball, they made up for it with their persistence. Furthermore, because Fireballs were a form of Magic Attack, most Low Tier units had almost no resistance to them. This made them an extremely practical ranged unit for the Demons.

More crucially, when a Fire-Throwing Demon evolved into a Fiery Demon, not only would its Fireball’s power be enhanced, but its attack would also change from single-target to area-of-effect, drastically increasing its overall damage output. This was especially advantageous in a narrow area like this, as Fang Zhou and his troops had nowhere to dodge!

But that wasn’t the most critical issue. The real problem was that Fang Zhou had neither found their leader nor spotted the Beastman Commander that had fled inside earlier. This unknown factor was the most terrifying part.

Signaling for his troops to halt and stay hidden, Fang Zhou looked at Yan Yan. "Are you confident?"

Yan Yan understood his meaning without any need for elaboration and nodded lightly. "It would take a lot of time to run over there, but the direct line-of-sight distance isn’t that far. Plus, we have the high ground. Using arcing shots, I’m about seventy to eighty percent confident. Besides, Lieutenant Fang Zhou, those Corpse Shooters you summoned can also contribute."

"But to be safe, it would be best if you helped as well by casting Beneficial Skills on these Corpse Shooters," Yan Yan added.

Fang Zhou nodded. His most frequently used Beneficial Skills were Brutal Aura and Undead Coronation. However, now that he had Ryze, the Frost Skeleton Mage, there was a better method for dealing with Demons, who generally possessed resistance to the Fire Attribute. So, he had Ryze perform an Ice Enchantment on the Corpse Shooters. After repeating the process several times, every shooter unit had its arrows enchanted, ready to fire multiple Ice Arrows. This would be a significant advantage against the demons below. Most demons were of the Fire Attribute and would take additional damage from the Ice Attribute.

After briefly discussing strategies and tactics to handle a few potential scenarios, Fang Zhou decided it was time to act. According to Lin Qingshan’s observations, the forces below seemed to consist of foolish Low Tier Demons who still hadn’t discovered them. But the Beastman Commander was still missing, which meant there was likely a hidden area nearby. Furthermore, there was always the risk that more Beastmen could appear from behind. If they shouted and gave away their position, the surprise attack would be ruined.

Therefore, Fang Zhou decided to strike first. He refused to believe their leader could remain hidden after he wiped out all these underlings.

But just as they were about to attack, a commotion erupted among the Demons below. Several mysterious, black-robed figures emerged from an unknown location. Accompanying them were a few three-meter-long, grotesque Bronze-tier Tyrant Demons. More importantly, there was also a powerfully built Beastman with purple-black fur and protruding fangs, standing nearly twice the height of a man.

A glint appeared in Fang Zhou’s eyes. This has to be the Beastman Commander that fled here earlier. But its aura is noticeably stronger now.

Yan Yan nodded vigorously at Fang Zhou, clearly confirming he believed it was the same one that had escaped.

Fang Zhou took a deep breath and reconfirmed the battle plan. Without hesitation, he used many of the Magic Scrolls and Magic Potions he had recently acquired, layering himself with numerous buffs.

Just as he was about to give the command, the sound of chanting rose from below. First, a chaotic assortment of Demons began crawling out from the surrounding rock walls. Then, an irregular, flame-wreathed Teleportation Gate opened. More Low Tier Demons swarmed out of it, occasionally mixed with a few grotesque-looking Beastmen. However, these newcomers were clearly taller than any Beastmen Fang Zhou had seen before, even towering over the Bronze-tier Beastman Commanders.