Chapter 259: Boss Fang from Africa (Bonus for Leader Fengxian 12138)

In truth, Jiang Xiaoyue did not wish to venture into this subterranean passage at all; it was dark, damp, and utterly crawling with zombies. Yet, seeing Fang Qi plunge ahead, she could only stomp her little boots and follow him inside.

Ruan Ning, Xi Yue, and the other two girls exchanged glances. They had been somewhat inclined to believe him initially, but seeing this display, they were already reconsidering their faith...

Yet, whether they believed or not, they had already spent so many Random Teleport Scrolls to get here. Could they truly just turn back now?

Before them lay a subterranean passage constructed of brick and stone, almost entirely choked with zombies. Fang Qi brandished his Zanbato, hacking a path forward.

At this stage, the few Mage girls had only managed to learn two skills: Ring of Repulsion and Fireball. As for Thunderbolt? Apologies, but the skill bookshop did not stock it. They did not even sell Summon Light—a truly pathetic state of affairs!

Fang Qi had gone so far as to scour the bookshops of every major city specifically for them, only to find them completely out of stock everywhere.

Su Yao, the little Taoist, was also without her Soul Fire Fray. She could only follow from behind, restoring health, casting poison, and then moving forward to hack away with her blade.

Meanwhile, some who had not been drawn into yesterday's flames of war, such as Ji Wu and his peers, had already reached nearly level twenty by now.

Ji Wu and his cohorts had led a vast detachment of the Imperial Guard to begin pioneering the Biqi Mine. At this moment, the Great Jin Empire focused primarily on the Zombie Cave, while the Morning Star Sea Realm concentrated on the Skeleton Cave, keeping the peace for the time being.

"Imperial Father..." Princess Ji Yu spoke as she swung her weapon, slaying a zombie that had rushed before her eyes. "In this world, apart from the relatively rapid advancement of one's cultivation, there seems to be no other particular benefit..."

"Only the Basic Swordsmanship offers some enhancement to the foundations of martial arts," the Second Prince remarked. "And it has already been several days."

An Huwei and his men were also playing, and even Song Qingfeng and his circle had already ground their way to level seventeen by this time.

However, grinding at this pace, without the support of gold-farming groups or investing wealth to purchase gold coins from other players to fund their leveling, their speed of advancement would not necessarily surpass that of single-player gamers.

The previous great war had indeed dragged a massive influx of players into the game, but upon discovering that the reality of playing was not quite as idealized as they thought, many began to harbor doubts.

Yet, despite their skepticism, the player-killing encounters that occurred everywhere in this game, alongside the ambushes hidden in the shadows, constantly taught these academy students the ways of wilderness survival. Moreover, while many things were of little use to experts like An Huwei and Ji Wu, they were immensely helpful to players of lower cultivation like Song Qingfeng and Xi Qi. Consequently, those who were playing continued to do so.

As for those who chose not to play, such as Nalan Hongwu and Lan Mo, they continued with Legend of Sword and Fairy or Diablo, or simply watched the television dramas.

...

Within the secret subterranean passage.

The underground was an immense hassle; after all, there was no light source. Fortunately, unlike the original candles, torches could be used here, though the radius of illumination remained severely limited.

This particular stretch proved quite convenient for leveling up. Once their potions were exhausted, Shabak City lay directly above their heads; ascending allowed them to find the apothecary immediately. After a few round trips, the once-dense swarm of monsters was reduced to a mere scattering of survivors.

By this time, several hours had slipped away. Fortunately, two copies of Thunderbolt had dropped, a Skeleton had finally been secured, and Su Yao's Soul Fire Fray had at last been obtained. Thus, Boss Fang led his team downward toward the next tier.

Descending a flight of trapezoidal stairs, they arrived at the Incense Stone Tomb.

Because no one ever frequented this place, it was densely packed with monsters. Yesterday, Fang Qi had brought only Jiang Xiaoyue, and he had not dared to descend, for he remembered that zombie mages lurked below. They could cast the Mage's level 26 skill, Hellfire, which possessed extraordinarily high attack power. If one were surrounded by monsters and struck a few times by a zombie mage, even with Fang Qi's equipment, he could not withstand it for long. Should he die inside and drop his gear, he could abandon all hope of recovering it.

Today, however, Fang Qi brought three Mages and two Taoists, and the Skeleton could help hold the line, allowing them to tentatively attempt clearing the Incense Stone Tomb.

Roughly three days passed. Only after everyone had fully acquired their basic skills—such as Soul Fire Fray, Skeleton Summoning, and Thunderbolt—did Fang Qi's advance finally reach the third tier of the Incense Stone Tomb.

Yet, at this point, let alone a dog-summoning book, they had not seen so much as a single strand of canine fur!

The only saving grace was that a Wall of Fire and an Explosive Flame book had dropped, granting the Mages at least a foundation for area-of-effect damage.

The speed of leveling grew increasingly sluggish, for the required experience points were multiplying geometrically. Fortunately, the advancement of cultivation was tied to killing monsters rather than leveling up; otherwise, the group would surely have broken down completely!

Three days later, the lowest level in the party was twenty-three, while the highest, Fang Qi, had only reached twenty-seven.

Just as they had nearly cleared the creatures of the Incense Stone Tomb, from behind the horde of monsters shrouded in the darkness ahead, the group seemed to catch the sound of iron chains dragging along the ground.

The sound was crisp and clear, cutting through the subterranean clamor of low-growling monsters with stark distinctness!

In the deep darkness of the underground, such a sudden noise made the hairs on the girls' necks stand on end: "What is that?!"

Fang Qi remembered that the Incense Stone Tomb housed a Corpse King. At this level, even if he knew the method to enter the Corpse King Temple, he would not dare to go, so he could only come to the Incense Stone Tomb to test his luck and seek trouble with the Corpse King!

Just as the light of the torches illuminated the path ahead, the group beheld a colossally built monster with grayish-white skin, bound by iron chains!

The glare of the firelight seemed to draw the creature's attention. Turning around, it advanced toward them at a rapid pace!

Those massive, thick arms, that hideous and rotting countenance, and the overwhelming aura radiating from its entire form struck awe and dread into their hearts!

"Xiaoyue! Cast poison! Have the Skeleton hold it back!"

"Thunderbolt! Fire Fray! Lure it over first!"

The Corpse King's speed was visibly much faster than that of the other monsters. Within a few breaths, it had rushed directly before them. The few bags of bones that stepped up to block its path were swatted flying by a single strike of its chain!

"Ah! It's rushing us!" The Mage girls were evidently thrown into a panic. Normally, Thunderbolt and Fire Fray would cause a monster's footsteps to falter or even knock it to the ground, allowing ranged classes time to pull away. Yet this Corpse King took several hits without showing the slightest reaction!

Fang Qi had no choice but to charge forward himself, lifting his blade and gathering his strength!

"Hah—!"

With a shout like muffled thunder, an Slaying Swordsmanship strike carved a dazzling flash of blade-light through the darkness, slicing directly toward the vital point of the Corpse King's neck!

Fang Qi's swordsmanship could not be called weak, yet his heavy Zanbato felt as though it had struck solid iron, penetrating the flesh by a mere fraction of a finger's depth!

Instead, a tremendous ricochet force surged back, leaving Fang Qi's palm numb with the shock!

The Corpse King swung its iron chain back in retaliation. Fang Qi only had time to parry with his blade before being thrown backward through the air!

"Damn it!" Fang Qi grumbled in frustration as he hit the ground, watching his health bar plunge significantly. "If a Corpse King is this formidable, how are we supposed to fight the Zuma Guardian in the future?!"

Fortunately, Fang Qi had successfully diverted the Corpse King's attention. As it charged toward him, he barked, "Unleash your damage, quickly!"

A barrage of Thunderbolts and Fire Frays erupted!

The Corpse King showed signs of abandoning Fang Qi to turn around. Fang Qi scrambled up from the ground and delivered another slash, but at that moment, the Corpse King roared and charged straight for Jiang Xiaoyue!

Swiftly, Xiaoyue was struck by the Corpse King's chain. Though she dodged in time, she still lost a considerable amount of health!

"Xiaoyue, stop attacking!" Fang Qi roared loudly. He could see that this Corpse King was brainless, lacking higher intelligence. Following closely behind with a frenzy of slashes, he finally drew its attention back to himself!

Fortunately, the group had cleared a large open space beforehand, so as the Corpse King pursued them, there was still room to maneuver.

"Scatter, scatter! Whoever the Corpse King targets, stop attacking!" Fang Qi was clearly well-versed in dealing with such mindless creatures. After a grueling bout of kiting tactics, the Corpse King finally let out a wretched howl mid-stride and collapsed to the earth!

By this time, nearly everyone bore wounds. Had they not all been cultivators whose reflexes and eyesight could keep pace, they would likely have suffered casualties already!

It was then that the group witnessed an extraordinary explosion of loot upon the Corpse King's demise! The ground was littered with glittering gold coins and potions!

After clearing away the monsters they had accidentally pulled just moments before, Fang Qi gathered several skill books into his hands: Divine Armor, Mass Healing, and Summon Light.

Boss Fang stood somewhat bewildered in the wind: "..."

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Since it is an extra chapter for a half-alliance leader, let us also add an extra chapter for the student whose tips reached fifty thousand.

Additionally, to explain why this version of the shop does not sell Summon Light: anyone who has played a Mage should know just how terrifying Summon Light is, particularly before it was nerfed.