CHAPTER 106 - FIRE STONE CAVE

Han Wu changed his strategy and summoned twenty Skeleton Knights with the 2 Warfront Essence he had just acquired. The Skeleton Knights’ unique ability to raise skeletons from corpses proved invaluable in early invasions when manpower was scarce.

He watched carefully as the skeletons emerged from the dead, recalling the time he had led millions of them to assault the Dark Frogman Demigod.

Now, his exploration pace slowed by 80% as he had to command the growing skeleton army. Yet his forces swelled like a rolling snowball, expanding with every native life form he dispatched.

Before long, Han Wu had amassed an army of 1,000 skeletons. Though individually weak, their sheer numbers and intimidating presence shattered the morale of many native life forms, making them easier to hunt down.

However, as undead, the skeletons incited hostility from every living being. His growing skeleton army quickly drew the attention of nearby tribes, all of whom seemed determined to wipe it out. Within days, many of these tribes formed alliances to confront the rising threat together.

After a gruesome battle, the natives’ allied forces succeeded in destroying Han Wu’s skeleton army, leveraging their familiarity with the terrain to gain a slight advantage. Nevertheless, Han Wu felt no sorrow. The battle had yielded a rich harvest of Warfront Essence, and with it, he could simply summon his skeletons again.

This time, he called forth numerous Skeleton Knights alongside the two strongest skeletons in his disposal, the Skeleton Reanimator and the Osteomancer. Their presence amplified the army’s power to unimaginable heights.

In the second war, the tide turned. With every fallen foe, the skeleton army swelled, while the Skeleton Reanimator swiftly reversed their own casualties. They suffered no permanent losses and soon grew into a terrifying horde. Overwhelmed, the allied natives were defeated and forced to retreat to their lands.

Han Wu rallied his skeleton army and slaughtered everyone in the area to claim the land as his own. But that was only the beginning. A mere patch of jungle wouldn’t satisfy him; he aimed to conquer the entire region and become a Demigod.

As he expanded his skeleton army, Han Wu monitored messages from the locusts he’d dispatched. They had discovered a cave rich with Fire Stone veins, and a thrill of anticipation surged through him. Minerals, gemstones, and ores were essential to the advancement of any race. Divine realms required these resources, and everyone in the Divine Civilization depended on them.

Naturally, Han Wu redirected his army toward the cave his locusts had found.

It took two days to reach the site. Once there, Han Wu flew into the cave to assess the situation personally. Drawing on the knowledge he’d gained in class, he confirmed the cave contained a medium-sized Fire Stone vein worth mining immediately. However, before beginning extraction, he sent 2 Blood Skeletons and all his Cockroaches into the tunnel to scout ahead.

The air inside the tunnel was scorching, and Han Wu was drenched in sweat after just a few steps. Forced to pause, he used a Mystic Art that wrapped him in a shroud of cold air, allowing him to withstand the intense heat.

The Cockroaches and the Blood Skeletons moved unaffected as they lacked heat receptors altogether. As they pushed deeper into the tunnel, Han Wu noticed the Fire Stone veins growing thicker, along with faint signs that someone else had entered before them.

Is someone already here and mining this place? he wondered. It doesn’t matter. I still need to take this place for myself. I came to invade this land, and claiming this mine is part of that.

Han Wu moved cautiously until a distant roar echoed from the tunnel’s depths. He broke into a run and soon reached its end, where the passage unexpectedly opened into a blazing sea of fire.

A hot wind scorched his face as he spotted a massive fire lion charging through the flames. Then he noticed someone pursuing it. Squinting, he was surprised to see his classmate Niu Fang. Her body blazed with fire, two strong horns sprouting from her forehead, and flames billowed from her nostrils. From a distance, she resembled a flaming minotaur.

Niu Fang sensed Han Wu’s presence the moment he noticed her. She shot him a fierce glare and snarled, “This is my spot. Get the fuck out of here!”

Han Wu bristled at her tone. They were all classmates, and he would have shown her respect if she’d spoken civilly. But her harsh, reprimanding voice left no room for courtesy, so he decided to teach her a lesson.

“What if I don’t leave?” he challenged. “I found this place. That makes it mine.”

“Did I stutter? Get out of here or die!” A jet of fire shot from Niu Fang’s nostrils in fury. She abandoned her pursuit of the lion and advanced on Han Wu.

Han Wu didn’t fear her, but fighting in a sea of fire gave Niu Fang the advantage. Her current form was closely attuned to fire, and a battle here would likely end in his defeat.

Instead, he stepped back and taunted, “You damn cow—come out and fight me!”

The insult stung Niu Fang, and anger quickly overpowered her reason. She hated being called a cow and was determined to teach that insolent brat a harsh lesson. She charged at him like a raging bull, bursting through the flames.

Han Wu quickly retreated and sprinted out of the tunnel before she could. Niu Fang emerged from the cave and growled, “Don’t think that you can defeat me just because you lured me out. My body is stronger than that of a Lord life form right now.”

Han Wu felt a flicker of surprise. She was far stronger than he had expected. Still, that didn’t mean he lacked countermeasures. He outclassed a Lord‐level life form and had already defeated many such opponents.

Without a word, he stealthily activated the Plant Fusion Technique. A Death Lily blossomed on his chest, enveloping him in death aura. The Golden Dragon Grass fused with his wings, while two small dragon heads materialized at the sides of his neck. The glimmering heads seemed ready to unleash powerful breath attacks at any moment.

At the same time, a single vine emerged from Han Wu’s waist and wrapped tightly around his legs. Once fused with his legs, it granted him extraordinary speed, strength, and the special skill known as Spectral Dash.

Han Wu felt raw power surge through his body from the fusion of the three plants. He unsheathed his black greatsword and aimed it at Niu Fang before vanishing without a trace.

“Spectral Dash!”

A chilling gust brushed past the top of Niu Fang’s head just as she registered Han Wu’s movement. In the next instant, one of her horns was sliced clean in half, the tip clattering to the ground.

Han Wu’s voice echoed behind her. “Next time, I’ll aim for your neck.”

Niu Fang felt a cold chill wrap around her. This was the first time she had come so close to death.