But this guy, completely devoid of any sense of honor or shame, actually started to run faster, nearly getting ahead of the three for a moment.

If it weren't for Fang Hong's quick reflexes, grabbing this guy's shoulder and yanking him back—

Fang Hong held onto Parker and slowed his pace while looking up, his brow furrowing at the same time.

It seemed that fortune wasn't on their side, as the ancient king lived up to its formidable reputation. Even though it was merely a phantom in this place, it still displayed exceptional wisdom—at least in comparison to ordinary undead.

Instead of allowing its undead minions to surround them directly, it took a step ahead and blocked the path between them and the riverbed. It evidently saw through their intentions. A group of undead warriors, the Shield Axemen, neatly aligned under its command, stood in their way.

There wasn't much they could do now.

Fang Hong thought he had intended to conserve some resources, but clearly, the opponent hadn't given him the chance. He took down the last Fire Giant while dragging Parker over to load the Heavy Crossbow with Explosive Crossbow Bolts, ready to blast a pathway through.

The next moment.

A golden light soared forward, accompanied by the whistling of crossbow bolts. Two flashes of light, one after the other, emerged underground, the fiery wave filling the entire cave in an instant, sweeping everything into disarray.

The cave shook with a low rumble, and sand and rocks cascaded from above.

As soon as the firelight passed, the four of them immediately dashed forward.

The undead, knowing no fear, surged forth again, stepping onto the scorched ground after the blast wave swept through, though they were a bit late. After Xiangzi was the last to rush through the gap, he turned around, raising his Magic Guided Wand and pointed forward. An invisible force field, like a long whip lashing out, knocked down the approaching undead in a sweep.

Thanks to this strike, they managed to run onto the elevated platform of the riverbed and then, gasping for air, leaned against the rock pillars to stop.

Among the four, only Tainaric was unfazed, casually flicking its tail and looking at the others with an expression that showed neither flush of exertion nor skip of heartbeat—of course, it might be hard to tell if a Lizard Person's heart was racing or face was blushing.

Fang Hong felt his heart thumping in his throat. He hadn't been in such a dire state since the battle at the Elf Ruins. Maybe it was as perilous in Dolifen's Phantom Realm, but dreams lacked the constraints of physical stamina.

This was after he had trained in numerous combat skills, and his physical fitness had vastly improved since his time in Tarun. If it had been back during his days with Morning Dawn Star, it might have been Tainaric who had to drag him up the platform.

He looked back and realized they had come a long way. What seemed not too far from a distance was at least five or six hundred meters. Now, the undead army had reached below the riverbed, advancing steadily and unhurriedly.

Although Fang Hong had never dealt with these Winter Solstice Hunters before, the grand battle of years before was well-known within the community, so he was well aware of the Ancient Monarch Hunter's tactics. An old saying circulated in the Lowlands: "Crow's Claw and doom neither sleep nor rest—"

It described the relentless hunting of the ancient hunter and its undead followers, tireless day and night, never losing their target. Hence, they didn't need to rush, for they would always catch their exhausted prey on some moonlit night.

And the scenario was unfolding just like that before them.

But Fang Hong had no intention of fleeing—

The undead slowly approached, but three rock pillars immediately blocked their path. The narrow entrance to the cave could barely allow seven or eight skeleton frames to move side by side. The towering Lizard Person moved forward to block, sealing the other side of the cave entrance tight.

However, Fang Hong couldn't afford to look at Tainaric's side for the moment, as his own side's skeleton frames were also attacking. He quickly crossed his Reinforced Gloves and commanded two Walker III models to block as well.

Among the four, Tainaric was the strongest fighter, capable of standing his ground alone. Even if Fang Hong had two "Sword Bearers," he still needed Parker and Xiangzi to support him from the side, with the solemn teenager mainly assisting his Walker.

As the last line of defense, Parker, the Crossbowman, was responsible for the overall situation.

The battle started off relatively easy—

Because those undead at the front were mostly level twelve Skeleton Shield Axemen, classified among proper warriors. They were fairly manageable for the agility-focused Sword Bearer. One could easily halt their advance, and Fang Hong was capable of dual control.

Since these undead were summoned creatures, they had very low life points, equivalent to cannon fodder. As long as their balance and defense were breached, the Sword Bearer could cut them down one by one.

At the same time, Fang Hong could afford to control the Flexible Construct and calculate the rate of the opponents' losses—excluding the ones previously blasted to death, they had been engaged in battle for about a minute. The Sword Bearer took down about five Shield Axemen, a Spearman, while Tainaric's side had at least double that tally.

Adding Parker and Xiangzi's achievements, it could be said that in a single encounter they had accounted for nearly twenty skeletal figures.

But he noticed a detail, the dispersing fog of undead was regenerating. This wasn't surprising to him as such dominion-class bosses often possessed this ability—like the previous Purple Mushroom Lord could resurrect the Fungus People.

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