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

As dusk fell, Li Xingyao stood before the trailer piled high with spoils, gazing at the battered and bruised undead force. Two days of frenzied hunting had yielded a great harvest for him, but it had also exposed the limitations of the undead force; when facing truly formidable individuals, they lacked powerful offensive methods.

"We need more powerful undead units, and we also need to learn more powerful skills," he muttered to himself, his hand unconsciously touching the two star cores in his pocket.

It was time to return to the outpost to rest. Li Xingyao needed to go back and sell the harvested materials. He also needed to change his mode of transport. The all-terrain motorcycle was good, but Li Xingyao realized he needed a vehicle with greater carrying capacity.

After returning to camp, change your equipment, upgrade some units, and then continue exploring.

There is still much value in this plain that he has not yet discovered.

He ordered the team to assemble and prepare for the return journey. Because there were too many materials, especially those for the Crystal Armor Earth Dragon, Li Xingyao could not travel as lightly as he had on the way there. The setting sun cast long shadows of the undead team across the plains, creating a solemn and magnificent sight.

Li Xingyao sat on the motorcycle, watching the sunset over the plain, as if countless star beasts were waving to him.

This is just the beginning.

The forest's shadows were as thick as ink that couldn't be dissolved, with only scattered patches of light penetrating the layers of the canopy and casting flickering spots of light on the ground.

A silent procession is moving through this dim kingdom, ignoring the rugged terrain and tangled vines, advancing with a steady, even rhythm.

At the center of this group was a boy. He was driving a dark gray all-terrain electric motorcycle, the engine emitting a low, electric hum that sounded particularly clear in the silent forest.

Behind the motorcycle, a makeshift trailer made of tree trunks and ropes was being towed, loaded with the spoils of the trip: fragments of terrain dragon carapace and claws, thick and tough Shadowclaw wolf pelts, withered vine snake venom glands and gallbladders in sealed bags, and other valuable materials stripped from various level-two star beasts.

The weight of the trailer clearly affected the speed, and the wheels made a dull sound as they rolled over the loose humus and exposed tree roots.

This is Li Xingyao's returning entourage.

Those silent humanoid creatures were Li Xingyao's undead army, forming the main body and barrier of the force. At the forefront, scouting and providing early warning, were thirty skeleton warriors, spread out in a fan shape.

He constantly scanned every shadow, every clump of bushes, every branch that might conceal danger. His rusty weapon was gripped tightly in his hand, his frame taut, ready to respond to any unexpected situation.

In the middle section, there are twenty skeleton swordsmen. They follow closely behind the scout skeletons. They are more robust and taller than ordinary skeleton warriors, with a steady gait, like moving bone walls. They are the backbone of the team's melee force, responsible for protecting the core area.

Behind them were forty-one skeleton spearmen, weaving through the gaps in the swordsmen's ranks. They carried bone spears, providing fire support for the group. There were also ten skeleton hunters, whose positions were more flexible, supplementing and enhancing the ranged firepower.

At the very back were ten crocodile-skinned zombies, their heavy footsteps causing the ground to tremble slightly with each step. They formed the team's last line of defense and were also Li Xingyao's personal guards.

Li Xingyao's spirit acted like an invisible thread, connecting this massive undead army. A simple fluctuation of his mind could cause the skeleton warriors who had strayed off course to change their scouting direction, alert the spearmen on the flanks to prepare for attack, and alert the zombies in the rear to be on the defensive.

This effortless command was the result of several days of intense hunting and combat, making him increasingly skilled and adept at controlling his summoned creatures.

After a brief rest and meditation during the journey, Li Xingyao used the soul power stored in the Myriad Soul Banner to repair all the crocodile-skin zombies that had been damaged during the hunt for the terrain dragon.

The forest was fraught with danger. Although they were not far from the camp, Li Xingyao was worried that unknown star beasts might appear at any time, so it was important to maintain the strongest possible defense.

As for the ordinary skeleton warriors lost in the battle, they were of no immediate concern. Li Xingyao directly recovered their soul power, and the current number of low-level undead was sufficient to deal with any small-scale battles that might be encountered on the return journey.

The motorcycle's battery indicator showed about 30% remaining. The heavy load of the trailer significantly increased power consumption and slowed their progress. At this speed, Li Xingyao estimated that they wouldn't reach the relatively safe outer defense zone of the outpost until after nightfall.

Li Xingyao was not in a hurry. The gains he had made this time had exceeded his expectations, and he didn't care much about the time spent on the return trip. He sat calmly on the motorcycle, his gaze behind his goggles serene, his mind mostly absorbed in taking stock of what he had gained and planning for his future cultivation.

The most significant gains were naturally the low-level electric star core and the earth-type star core of the Crystal Armored Earth Dragon. They lay quietly in Li Xingyao's inner pocket, radiating pure energy fluctuations. These two were his most valuable acquisitions, and Li Xingyao did not intend to sell them for the time being. They were resources for his breakthrough to a higher realm, and could not be simply measured in credits.

Aside from the star core, the materials and loot from this hunt are also incredibly valuable, and these materials are mainly divided into several types.

The most valuable items are materials from the Terrain Dragon, including the Crystallized Carapace Hide, a top-quality defensive material, and the Sharp Claws of the Earth Dragon, a high-level weapon forging material. These two items are the most valuable.

Secondly, there are Shadowclaw Wolf materials, several complete pieces of high-quality fur with shadow patterns, and sharp wolf claws.

There's also the material from the withered vine snake, containing abundant highly venomous snake glands, which can be used to make advanced antidotes and neurotoxins. The precious snake gallbladders can be used to make nourishing medicines and health supplements, which are favorites among some middle-aged men.

Finally, there are other Tier 2 Star Beast materials, such as the tusks of the Digging Boar, which can be used to make handicrafts and weapons. The scales of the Ironclad Weasel can be used to make light armor exterior inlays, etc.

Li Xingyao mentally estimated the total value of the materials based on his previous research at the Tianjing City online marketplace and the Blackstone Outpost exchange. His most conservative estimate was around 1.5 million Federal Credits.

Li Xingyao felt a surge of excitement. This was only his harvest from about a week, and he was working alone. This achievement, this efficiency, this profit was comparable to the total monthly income of a team of ten experienced and well-coordinated intermediate professionals.

"One and a half million, that's equivalent to five years' income for a family, more than Li Xingyao's subsidies from 0 to 18 years old."

"Sure enough, I still have to take a risk. If I just make money step by step, I don't know when I'll ever earn this much," Li Xingyao thought to himself. High risk, high reward—this principle was being demonstrated to the fullest extent in the present.

He had previously thought Lin Wei's reward was generous, but now it seemed that as long as one had enough strength, hunting was the shortcut to wealth.

However, it is still important to choose a good location. Choosing a location based on one's own strength is also very important. Although he was very excited, Li Xingyao knew that he was not invincible. If he had encountered a high-level star beast that was good at attacking, he might not have been able to escape unscathed.

He is not invincible yet, so we should still be in awe of him.

However, if he repays the $600,000 federal interest-free loan, he will still have nearly $900,000 credits left. Combined with his previous savings, his available funds will once again approach the million mark! How should he use this huge sum of money?

The initial plan was to return to Blackrock Outpost, sell the loot as soon as possible, exchange it for cash, replenish consumables, and then continue making money.

But now, he changed his mind. With such a substantial haul, he might as well return directly to Tianjing City. It was one of the core cities of China, with more buyers, wider distribution channels, and fiercer competition.

For items like the Terrain Dragon Crystallized Backplate and Claws, which are relatively rare, and materials like complete Shadowclaw Wolf pelts, which are in high demand, prices are likely to be lowered at outposts because the production is more scattered, and there are no large-scale buyers.

However, in Tianjing City, the price is at least 10% higher, or even more. That's a difference of over 150,000! This price difference is almost equivalent to the price of a low-grade star core.

Considering the price difference, Li Xingyao felt that taking the subway back home wasn't such an unbearable hardship.

Then, Li Xingyao's consciousness sank into his body, sensing the star energy within—873 points. He was more than halfway to the early intermediate level, still nearly a thousand points away from becoming an advanced professional. This seemed like a distance of two stages, but it wasn't insurmountable.

The key lies in the star core!

The words "Star Core..." shone brightly in Li Xingyao's mind.

If he doesn't repay his credit loan first, he will have nearly 1.6 million credits. If he uses all of them to buy the most common low-level star cores... the current market price is 200,000 credits for a single low-level star core.

He can buy a maximum of eight. Even at the lowest absorption efficiency (70%) and the lowest star energy contained in each star core (130 points), eight star cores are enough to give him more than 720 points of star energy increase!

He currently has 873 star energy, and 720 of that is star core energy absorbed, so his star energy can reach the mid-to-late stage of 1600!

Moreover, Li Xingyao himself also possesses a low-level star core and a high-level star core.

So, what does this mean?

This means he will break through the 2000-point mark in one fell swoop and firmly step into the ranks of advanced professionals! A 18-year-old A-level talent from a public family who has only been a minor for a little over four months has advanced from a novice Awakener to an advanced professional!

He will have a high qualification rating in the government because he has no family background, and he can choose from many special departments or positions in the future.

Even if Li Xingyao doesn't develop his career within the government, there will be a constant stream of forces and families trying to recruit him. Moreover, he is a necromancer, a profession with high development potential. As long as he can advance, his vulnerable period will be over.