The collision between the skeleton long spear and the neck bone erupted in the air with a piercing shriek, and the shockwave rippled outward.
The originally hard neck bone of the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior shattered instantly under the impact of the skeleton long spear, scattering fragments like petals.
The spear tip, like a sword breaking out of its shell, pierced straight through the neck bone, lifting the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior’s entire head.
The body of the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior lost its support the moment the skull flew away, and the massive body crashed to the ground.
Watching the soul fire still flickering in its skull, Fang Zhou attempted to cast the [Skeleton Monarch] skill.
The bones of the skeleton clone sparkled with a ghostly blue phosphorescence, and two cold blue lights blazed fiercely from the originally hollow eye sockets, as if an invisible magic power burst forth.
A violent wave spread from it, rippling outwards like water.
The moment this wave touched the skull of the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior, a glimmer of struggle and confusion emerged from its once chaotic soul fire.
Immediately, a dark beam shot from the bone crown atop the skeleton clone’s head, precisely penetrating the soul fire of the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior.
Its soul fire jumped unwillingly a few times, then quickly calmed down.
Shortly after, an inviting prompt came from the attribute panel.
"Successfully enslaved the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior!"
"Servant +1."
Looking at the skull poised on the spear tip, Fang Zhou was somewhat curious.
He placed the skull of the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior back onto its original body, soon the skull and body began to fuse back together.
Once fully restored, this Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior stiffly turned to face the skeleton clone, the bright soul fire flickering with absolute loyalty to its new master.
The giant axe in its hand emanated a cold gleam under the Blood Moon, seemingly ready to charge and battle for the skeleton clone at any moment.
"Walk forward a few steps?"
Crunch.
Crunch.
As this thought surfaced in Fang Zhou’s mind, the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior stepped forward almost simultaneously.
After completing Fang Zhou’s command, it stopped, awaiting further instructions.
After several consecutive experiments, Fang Zhou understood the extent of his control over this Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior.
When he concentrated, he could completely take over control of the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior, maneuvering its body according to his will.
In this mode, he could even gain the vision of the servant.
After exiting this control mode, he could also control the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior simply by issuing commands.
For instance, having it follow him.
Or letting the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior hunt independently.
Of course, in this mode, Fang Zhou’s commands couldn’t be too complex.
Simply put, the skeleton clone gained a completely controlled underling.
In high spirits, Fang Zhou led the Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior he named "Fu Yi" toward the distance.
Once he spotted a Great Sword Skeleton Warrior, Fang Zhou made a mental command, and "Fu Yi" brandished its giant axe, charging like a flash towards the skeleton.
The giant axe was raised overhead, and with thunderous force it swung down fiercely.
The Great Sword Skeleton Warrior reacted swiftly, evading the axe’s edge with a sidestep, and with a serpent-like motion, thrust its greatsword directly at Fu Yi’s chest.
Next, Fu Yi swept horizontally in a reversal, attempting to force the Great Sword Skeleton Warrior back.
The Great Sword Skeleton Warrior leveraged itself, soaring upwards to dodge the axe’s wind, flipping mid-air, the greatsword tracing an arc from above, aiming for Fu Yi’s skull.
The latter responded swiftly, blocking with the axe handle, the metallic clash deafening, soul fire scattering.
The two exchanged blows continuously, engrossed in fierce battle.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhou stood at a distance, quietly observing this spar between novice combatants.
Over days of hunting, he had preliminarily mastered the various types of weapons used by Skeleton Warriors.
Common ones included giant axes, greatswords, long spears, great shields, bows, and the like, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
For instance, at this moment, Fu Yi was leveraging strength to repeatedly attempt forceful attacks to overpower the Great Sword Skeleton Warrior.
While the Great Sword Skeleton Warrior utilized agile movement technique and precise swordsmanship, continually probing for flaws in Fu Yi’s defense, aiming for a deadly strike.
Soon, the prolonged battle left both sides scarred and weakened.
Fu Yi’s giant axe developed cracks after numerous clashes, and the strength weakened due to continued wielding.
The other skeleton’s greatsword blade showed gaps from several hard impacts, with bones fracturing under the giant axe’s heavy strikes.
Having observed for so long, Fang Zhou confirmed that Fu Yi, once enslaved, executed his orders completely, without any diminishment in combat power or instinct.
Satisfied with the conclusion, he stopped observing.
Taking the opportunity when the Great Sword Skeleton Warrior was defenseless, Fang Zhou delivered a clean and sharp [Brutal Strike], directly severing its skull.
Receiving the skull handed over by Fu Yi, Fang Zhou activated the [Skeleton Monarch] skill again.
Following the same procedure, this Great Sword Skeleton Warrior was successfully enslaved as his second underling.
"Servant +1."
However, this time, Fang Zhou didn’t name this skeleton nor did he place the skull back on its body; instead, he dropped it to the ground and crushed it underfoot!
Checking the skeleton clone, Fang Zhou found he did not suffer any impact from the servant’s death, thus he relaxed.
Since this is the case, these skeleton servants could be used as cannon fodder without reservation.
Afterward, Fang Zhou asked Fu Yi to collect the skeleton’s remains, covering the substantial bone hand over the bones.
[Skeleton Armament] initiated!
A familiar warmth surged into his body, and Fang Zhou squeezed the last bit of value out from his fleetingly short-lived number two servant.
Power +0.2, Soul Power +0.4.
Digesting this wave of Skeleton Essence, Fang Zhou stood up contentedly.
Seeing Fu Yi silently standing guard before him, the soul fire in his eyes flickered slightly, gradually forming a plan in his mind.
According to Fang Zhou’s original idea, upon entering the inner layer of Burial Wilderness, he would first hunt Skeleton Warriors who had just broken through to Black Iron Lower, enhancing his attributes and skill proficiency.
Once these skeletons no longer served him any purpose, he would begin hunting stronger entities, continuing to bolster his strength.
This method of improvement had the greatest advantage of safety, albeit slower.
After all, the Undead Realm is a relentlessly merciless world, with Fang Zhou having just one life.
Overwhelming the weak and dimensionally crushing enemies is the true path!
However, upon mastering the [Skeleton Monarch] skill and obtaining the ability to enslave skeletons, he seemingly could adopt a more rapid method to boost his strength!
Enslave skeletons!
Skeleton Legion!
Sea of Bones Skill!
After all, the most memorable impression of the Skeleton Race, aside from weak individual combat power, is the ubiquitous Sea of Bones Skill, drowning all enemies with an overwhelming quantity!