Another World: When a Necromancer Possesses the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls

Twenty skeletal sword guards were scattered around the perimeter, their gray-white bone swords pointing diagonally at the ground. They possessed both defensive and melee combat capabilities, serving as Li Xingyao's second line of defense and the main force against the star beasts after they broke through to ranged attacks.

Thirty ordinary skeleton warriors swarmed around, wielding rusted swords. Because of their relatively large numbers, they were mainly responsible for finishing off wounded star beasts, carrying them, and guarding the area.

Scattered among the skeleton warriors and skeleton swordsmen were forty-one skeleton spearmen, who formed the main force of the first wave of attacks after the discovery of the star beast.

The last ten skeleton hunters followed behind Li Xingyao, gripping bone spears tightly, ready to provide fire support at any time.

A total of 111 undead creatures, their gray-white skeletons stretching endlessly, their ghostly blue soul flames forming starlight in the morning light, exuding a chilling aura that made the surrounding temperature seem to drop several degrees.

Li Xingyao stood in the center of the group, taking a deep breath of the cold morning air. He swept his gaze over this army of death, which he completely controlled, and a sense of confidence and power welled up within him.

"This is... my undead scourge!" he thought to himself.

But a practical problem looms large. The motorcycle's storage basket is already nearly full from yesterday's loot; how will they carry today's spoils?

Li Xingyao's gaze shifted to the sparse trees around them. "Skeleton warriors, go! Cut them down."

Upon receiving the order, several skeleton warriors immediately sprang into action, wielding their weapons to fell several nearby saplings.

Li Xingyao took out a high-strength rope he had prepared in advance from his backpack and directed the other skeleton warriors to quickly build a simple but sturdy flatbed trailer using the saplings they had cut down. The frame was bound with tree trunks, the planks were woven from branches and ropes, and finally, the key parts were reinforced.

Half an hour later, the makeshift trailer was completed. Li Xingyao attached it to the rear tow hook of the motorcycle. "That should do it."

Li Xingyao leaped onto his motorcycle, his gaze sweeping across the ranks of the undead. "Spread out in a fan shape, with me at the center! Crocodile-skinned zombies in front, skeletal sword guards on both flanks, skeleton warriors scattered to clear the battlefield! Ranged units, attack directly upon spotting a target, advance in stages, move out!"

The command is instantly transmitted to every undead unit via the mental link!

Click!

The frozen undead army instantly "came to life"!

Ten crocodile-skinned zombies took the lead, their heavy steps resembling those of ten heavily armed warriors, slowly advancing towards their target area, a flat region with sparse bushes.

Twenty skeletal sword guards stood on either side, their bone swords pointing diagonally, protecting the flanks, their eyes scanning the bushes and mounds of earth where threats might be hidden.

Thirty skeleton warriors spread out like a gray tide, following behind the main force, responsible for clearing the battlefield, collecting loot, and transporting items to trailers.

The ranged undead began their operation. Skeleton hunters, as nimble as monkeys, swiftly scaled nearby high ground, securing advantageous firing positions. Forty-one skeleton javelin throwers advanced in several groups, alternating shifts, always keeping some ready to throw.

Li Xingyao drove his motorcycle at a low speed in the middle of the group, his mental energy focused, receiving subtle feedback from the undead units in all directions, while constantly issuing fine-tuning instructions.

The tide of undead swept across the edge of the plain with overwhelming force!

The battle broke out quickly!

The first thing they encountered was a group of burrowing boars that were feeding. They were as big as calves, with thick skin and flesh, and had a pair of huge, curved tusks in their mouths. They were also very irritable.

Upon noticing the approaching procession of the undead, the lead male boar let out a threatening, low growl and pawed at the front hooves in an attempt to scare away the uninvited guests.

"Long-range concentrated fire! Target: the lead male burrowing boar!" Li Xingyao calmly ordered.

The two spear-throwing squads at the front, a total of eight skeletons, instantly raised their arms! Whoosh! Eight bone spears, accompanied by a piercing shriek, streaked across the sky like precision-guided missiles, fiercely striking the boar!

*Thud thud thud thud!* Thick skin and flesh could not completely withstand the piercing of the bone spear! The boar let out a painful scream, and seven or eight bloody holes instantly appeared on its body, with its eyes and neck receiving special attention. It staggered and fell to the ground, struggling.

The remaining boars, startled, charged at the undead army with their eyes red, heads bowed, and tusks bared!

"Zombies, hold them off! Sword Guards, attack! Spearmen, fire freely and interrupt their charge." Li Xingyao's commands were concise and efficient.

Boom! The crocodile-skinned zombies charged at the pig herd like fearless warriors! A heavy thud resounded! The boars charged with tremendous force, but the zombies were even stronger and heavier! They used their bodies to withstand the impact, while their huge claws slashed down, easily tearing apart the boars' relatively soft bellies!

The skeletal swordsmen nimbly slashed in from the flanks, their bone swords flashing, specifically targeting the boar's weak points such as joints and eyes! Amidst the flashes of gray-white sword light, blood spurted and flew everywhere!

In the distance, the spear throwers were like merciless grim reapers, their bone spears falling precisely, pinning the boars that tried to escape or attack from the side to the ground!

The battle was a one-sided massacre. The pigs' resistance was futile against their overwhelming numbers and coordinated tactics. Within minutes, more than a dozen burrowing boars lay dead in pools of blood.

"Clean up the battlefield! Collect the fangs and the thickest hides from the back!" Li Xingyao ordered.

The skeleton warriors expertly dissected the corpse. Their sharp, rusty swords sliced ​​off the most valuable fangs and the hard hide from the back, tossing them onto the trailer. Li Xingyao then commanded the Myriad Soul Banner to begin devouring souls.

Soul power +8, +10, +7... streams of soul energy were absorbed, and the reserves of the Myriad Soul Banner slowly increased. At the same time, fragmented information about the habits of the fanged boar, nearby water sources, and fear of some kind of "unknown star beast" flooded into his mind.

The team continued its advance, sweeping through everything in its path, leaving no star beast unscathed and engulfed by the sea of ​​the dead.

Just as Li Xingyao was steadily advancing the cleanup, they encountered a group of "Shadow Cats" hidden among the massive pipe wreckage. These star beasts were small, resembling cheetahs, with fur that subtly changed color depending on the environment. They moved with lightning speed, and their claws carried a mild paralyzing toxin.

They attempt to use their speed advantage to ambush, leaping out of the shadows and targeting the relatively cumbersome zombies and scattered skeleton warriors.

However, the sheer number of undead troops, coupled with Li Xingyao's all-around vision, completely overwhelmed them. Every time a Shadow Cat pounced, it was immediately met with a barrage of bone spears from at least three or four directions! No matter how fast they were, they couldn't completely avoid attacks from blind spots.

Occasionally, a shadow cat would manage to get close, its sharp claws leaving shallow marks on the zombie's thick skin. Before it could retreat, it would be surrounded by sword guards who would then tear it apart with a flurry of swords.

Li Xingyao remained silent throughout, calmly observing the battle and occasionally adjusting the focus of his ranged firepower. His soul power slowly increased again, and he learned the location of the Shadow Cats' lair and information about some glowing small ores they had stored.

The trailer gradually filled with more and more spoils: fangs, fur, as well as shadow cat claws and a unique tailbone.

Around noon, Li Xingyao chose a sheltered spot under the ruins of a building to rest briefly. The undead army formed a perimeter around him. He ate some dry rations and water, and checked the motorcycle and trailer. The loot was all in good condition. For some undead that had sustained injuries in the battle, Li Xingyao used the properties of the Death Space to disband and then resummon them, consuming star energy to repair them.

Cleaning continued in the afternoon.

When the team advanced to a lower-lying area covered with slippery moss and shallow puddles, they encountered their most troublesome enemy of the day—a group of "withered vine snakes".

These serpentine star beasts are nearly three meters long and as thick as an adult's arm. Their bodies are a withered yellow, like old tree vines, and they are masters of camouflage. They lie motionless in shallow muddy swamps, waiting for their prey to approach before launching a lightning-fast attack. Their teeth contain neurotoxins that rapidly dissolve muscle tissue, and they are incredibly resilient; even if their heads are severed, they can still spring back to attack.

The first to suffer were a few ordinary skeleton warriors who were leading the way. The withered vines shot out with incredible speed, instantly coiling around the skeletons' leg bones and gnawing viciously with their venomous fangs! Although the undead had no flesh to dissolve, the toxins seemed to have a corrosive and disruptive effect on their bodies and joints, and the bitten skeleton warriors became noticeably sluggish and unsteady.

Several withered vine snakes sprang up from the mud and water, rushing straight at Li Xingyao on the motorcycle!

"Protect me!" With a thought, Li Xingyao immediately sent two crocodile-skinned zombies to his side to block the snake's attack with their bodies! The fangs bit into the thick skin, making a teeth-grinding grinding sound. They couldn't penetrate completely, but the snake's body also wrapped around the zombies' legs.

"Ranged units! Cover the water and suspicious mud! Firepower! Sword Guards, advance and attack! Don't give them a chance to bounce and entangle!" Li Xingyao calmly and quickly gave the order. At the same time, he conjured Death Arrows and fired at the venomous snakes trying to dart out from blind spots.

Puff puff puff! A large number of bone spears fell like raindrops into the puddles and swamps, brutally plowing through every inch of the place where snakes might be hiding! Many withered vine snakes were directly impaled and killed in the mud at the bottom of the water by the bone spears.

The skeletal sword guards strode forward, wielding their bone swords to sever the withered vine snakes that lunged at them or were forced out by their bone spears! But the snake heads would still bounce and try to attack after landing, so the sword guards had to be careful to smash them or knock them away.

The battle became chaotic and protracted, with the withered vine snakes proving far more troublesome than the previous star beasts. For the first time, the undead forces suffered some "casualties"—several skeleton warriors were entangled and attacked by multiple venomous snakes, their bodies severely corroded by the toxins, their skeletons scattered and they collapsed to the ground; a crocodile-skinned zombie with snake corpses hanging from its legs moved extremely slowly.

Li Xingyao frowned slightly, forced to take matters into his own hands. His Death Arrows rained down, precisely annihilating the most threatening snake heads. At the same time, he ordered: "Zombie squads, advance! Crush them with your bodies and weight! Skeleton warriors, retreat! Spear throwers, continue the cover!"

The tactical adjustment took immediate effect. The crocodile-skinned zombie trudged through the puddles and mud, its massive feet crushing the hidden withered vine snakes along with the silt into a pulp! Continuous ranged firepower greatly suppressed the snake swarm's attack.

Half an hour later, the puddle returned to calm, with a large number of broken snake carcasses floating on the surface, and the mud stained an eerie dark red.

Li Xingyao breathed a sigh of relief as he tallied the losses: seven skeleton warriors and one crocodile-skinned zombie that would need time to recover. But the gains were equally enormous! The venom glands of the withered vine snakes were extremely valuable, being a core ingredient for crafting high-grade antidotes and special medicines; the snake gallbladders were also highly nourishing. The soul power gains were substantial, with each withered vine snake providing nearly 15 points of soul power.