The rattle of bones, the shriek of Fierce Ants, the frenzied barks of Kobolds. In the small camp, these disparate sounds intertwined into a symphony of battle that made Fang Zhou's blood boil with excitement.

As the Skeleton Army pressed forward, the Fierce Ant colony, which had initially held an absolute advantage, soon suffered heavy casualties. They were gradually compressed into a tight ball, huddling on a small, open patch of flat ground.

Fang Zhou, who was keenly observing the shifting battlefield, naturally wouldn't miss this perfect opportunity. Wielding his Magic Staff, he swiftly summoned a Skeleton Arrow Rain to blanket the area. Countless arrows forged from Undead power rained from the sky like the Death God's scythe, inflicting a devastating blow upon the Fierce Ant colony.

Meanwhile, Fang Zhou cast the powerful Healing Magic, Resurrection of the Dead. It reassembled the scattered bones on the battlefield, repairing some of his more severely damaged Skeletons and ensuring his army's fighting strength did not wane.

In just over ten minutes, Fang Zhou leveraged his profound tactical acumen and exquisite skill with Magic to command the Skeleton Army, systematically devouring the Fierce Ants' forces. Every attack and every defense was maximized under his meticulous orchestration.

Finally, the last elite Fierce Ant was torn apart by a swarm of Skeletons. At the same time, the final elite Kobold, unable to contain its boiling lifeblood, exploded with a loud bang.

With that, the great melee Fang Zhou had single-handedly provoked came to an end. The battlefield was left strewn with mangled corpses, the air thick with the stench of blood.

"Hunting Points +70."

"Soul Power +2."

In this battle, Fang Zhou had played the role of the opportunist, arriving late to reap the rewards. Although hundreds of Fierce Ants and over a hundred Kobolds had been annihilated, the number of Demons that died directly at the hands of him and his Skeleton Army was relatively small. Consequently, not all of the Hunting Points were credited to him.

Even so, Fang Zhou's Hunting Points had already reached 600, several times more than Meng Hongzhuang in second place.

Standing in the center of the ruined camp, Fang Zhou gazed upon the mangled corpses and splattered bloodstains, a complex feeling washing over him.

Demons are just Demons, mindless brutes that only know how to kill each other. The mine is so vast; why can't they coexist peacefully?

Shaking his head, Fang Zhou commanded the Skeleton Army to deliver a final blow to any Demons still clinging to life and to extinguish the sporadic fires still burning in the camp.

After confirming there were no remaining threats, he began to clear the battlefield. Collecting loot was secondary. His primary goal was to search for any other relics of General Ning Feihu.

Dozens of Skeletons roamed the Kobold camp, tirelessly searching for any useful resources. Piles of loot soon amassed before him. After washing off the bloodstains, he began his favorite part: tallying the spoils.

There were about 20 pieces of Gray Inferior Equipment from the elite Kobolds, worth at least 100 contribution points at the military academy. A large pile of mineral crystals, worth at least 50 contribution points. Five or six scattered Refining Stones, worth at least another 50 contribution points. Additionally, there was a large quantity of ironware and ores, worth at least 100 contribution points.

This was just the loot seized from the Kobolds. The materials "generously donated" by the Fierce Ants were still being sorted due to their sheer quantity.

These Fierce Ants living in the mine's anthill were highly mutated and naturally carried many materials the military academy needed. For instance, the mandibles of the Iron Jaws Soldier Ants, the venom glands of the Acidic Poison Soldier Ants, and the head carapace of the giant Fierce Ants were all quite valuable.

Especially the Fierce Ant leader, which was an upper-rank Apprentice. It had been capable of withstanding the relentless bombardment from the Kobold Warlock leader; its individual combat power was among the best in the entire 1st Cave. Its corpse was practically a treasure trove.

Fang Zhou roughly estimated that these hundreds of Fierce Ants could provide him with at least 200 contribution points' worth of Demon materials.

After commanding the Skeleton Army to collect all the materials from the Fierce Ant corpses, he stood gazing at the neatly arranged spoils, a sense of doubt creeping in. Aside from the Heroic Spirit Battle Banner taken from the Kobold Warlock leader, he hadn't found any other items related to General Ning Feihu in the Kobold camp.

Where exactly did that Kobold leader obtain this Battle Banner?

Fang Zhou took out the Heroic Spirit Battle Banner from his pack, lost in thought. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him as he recalled the human Heroic Spirit he had sensed earlier within the Soul Realm.

With a 'nothing to lose' mentality, Fang Zhou activated the Soul Realm skill again, looking at the tattered Heroic Spirit Battle Banner in his hand. As a boundless will to fight surged in his chest, through the lens of the Soul Realm, he once again saw the human Heroic Spirit roaring at the heavens.

The Heroic Spirit was facing the direction of the mine.

A flash of insight struck him, and he turned to look toward the hills where the open-pit mine was located. It seemed the Kobolds had indeed obtained the Heroic Spirit Battle Banner from the open-pit mine.

It was highly likely that was the very place where General Ning Feihu had made his last stand.

Upon this realization, Fang Zhou glanced at the sky. After the bloody battle, dusk had fallen in the Cave, and the light from the Magic Energy Moss grew ever dimmer. Taking advantage of the remaining light, he quickly regrouped the Skeleton Army and hastened toward the open-pit mine behind the camp.

A quarter of an hour later, Fang Zhou stood atop the hill.

Holding the Heroic Spirit Battle Banner, which fluttered in the wind, he activated the Soul Realm skill once again. This time, the perception transmitted from the Battle Banner's Heroic Spirit was even more distinct. Following this ethereal perception, Fang Zhou turned to look at several bottomless pits within the mine, a look of understanding on his face.

The mine's anthill! It seems all the mysteries can be solved inside the nest beside the mine.

Lured out by his previous actions, hundreds of Fierce Ants had poured from this anthill, only to be annihilated along with the Kobold camp at the base of the hill. The 1st Cave was, after all, just a novice cave with a very limited Energy Concentration. It was already remarkable that it could nurture such a massive colony of Fierce Ants. Not to mention, it had housed an upper-rank Apprentice Fierce Ant leader and over twenty middle-rank Apprentice elite Fierce Ants.

Fang Zhou estimated that there were probably not many defensive forces left inside the anthill. He had also received an exemption from elimination from Instructor Lu Hu, allowing him to use the Black Iron-grade Shield Scroll at any time.

This anthill is definitely worth exploring!

As a precaution, Fang Zhou employed his old trick. He scattered some Ant Queen glands and a Sweet Juice Sac at the entrance of the nest, then sounded his tried-and-true Frog Drum.

CROAK.

CROAK.

He listened closely for a moment. He heard skittering sounds from underground, and his Soul Realm also registered a response. It seemed there were still some fish that had slipped through the net inside the anthill.

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