The primary difficulty in completing the defense mission was how to properly deal with the long-range demons, led by their Fiery Demon leader. If they got close to the city walls, they would not only cause massive fires but also create enormous difficulties for the defense.

However, Fang Zhou wasn't worried. He had two trump cards up his sleeve. The first was his army of long-range Elite Skeleton Archers, who were not only numerous but also highly accurate. The second was Lu Yiyi. Although she was only an Upper Apprentice, her archery skills were the team's trump card, with each of her arrows producing unexpected results at critical moments.

Before the battle began, Fang Zhou carefully deployed his Skeleton Army. He set up multiple sniper points on the city walls, ensuring every corner had sufficient fire coverage. After a bloody slaughter, and at the cost of some of his skeleton troops, the Calamity Squad successfully repelled the invading elite Demon Battle Group and protected the Shelter.

When the last wave of attacks ended, the sky returned to tranquility. Fang Zhou and his team had won this relatively easy battle. The system once again gave them a "Perfect" rating, and they had even completed the mission two minutes faster than last time.

After exiting the Simulation Battlefield, Fang Zhou walked out of the Simulation Pod and stretched slightly.

It was already deep into the night. Despite that, many second-year students were gathered here, having watched the live broadcast of the Calamity Squad's attempt at the Shelter Defense Battle on Abyss Difficulty. Upon seeing Fang Zhou and his team appear, the second-year students couldn't help but show a mix of astonishment and envy. They were astonished by Fang Zhou's extraordinary command and the mighty power of his Skeleton Army, and they were envious of Lu Renjia and Lu Yiyi, the lucky pair who could fight alongside him and share this glory.

Seeing Fang Zhou approaching, these second-year students naturally dared not obstruct him and promptly made way for him to leave.

The mage student who had previously wanted Lu Renjia to introduce him to Fang Zhou clenched his Apprentice Magic Staff, trying several times to muster the courage to recommend himself. But thinking of the huge strength gap between himself and Fang Zhou, he couldn't bring himself to display his meager skills before a master.

Finally, as Fang Zhou's figure gradually faded into the distance and disappeared from view, the mage student snapped back to reality. He stomped his foot hard as a wave of regret surged through his heart like a tide. All he had left was his pathetic pride.

Meanwhile, news of Fang Zhou advancing to Upper Apprentice and quickly clearing four stages to seize the top spot on all eight major leaderboards was spreading like wildfire throughout the Sea City Military Academy. Both students and instructors were shocked, and all discussions focused on Fang Zhou.

However, Fang Zhou himself seemed unusually indifferent to all the discussion and praise. He wasn't distracted by the commotion, focusing instead on his own path of cultivation. At this moment, he was heading toward the Skill Training Ground, preparing to continue honing his Soul Vision Skills.

During tonight's Simulation Battlefield, Fang Zhou had come to a deep understanding of this skill's value. The Soul Realm not only provided crucial information at critical moments, helping him gain the upper hand in battle, but it also acted as a pair of discerning eyes, allowing him to remain clear-headed and make accurate judgments in complicated battle situations. Thus, Fang Zhou decided to enhance his mastery of the Soul Realm to an instinctive level as soon as possible.

***

Under the ominous red glow of the Blood Moon, the barren land seemed to be shrouded in a deep red fog, making even the air feel sticky and heavy. Hills formed from piled corpses stood like demons from ancient legends, jaggedly looming over this deathly silent land.

Amid these hills, dozens of Skeleton Servants at the Black Iron Middle Rank were slowly wandering. These Skeleton Warriors moved cautiously, using their keen senses to detect every ripple in the surrounding air, trying to discern potential threats or targets to hunt.

However, even a presence as powerful as the Mutated Beheading Giant Sword Skeleton Tidamia found its perception greatly limited in this world thick with mist and the stench of decay. Everything around it turned blurry and chaotic; even its sharp gaze couldn't penetrate the haze.

After about a dozen Skeleton Teams had swept back and forth across this desolate land for a full half an hour, the prey they encountered were mostly low-level Skeleton Warriors or slow-moving zombies. There wasn't a single powerful mutated undead among them.

"It seems the low-level undead in this area have been mostly hunted down. We need to go further and deeper." The increasingly burly Skeleton Clone waved the Corpse Long Spear in its hand and vanished into the darkness.

For safety, Fang Zhou had spent the past week operating in this region, which was dominated by Black Iron Middle Rank Undead Creatures. With each hunt, the number of undead in the area gradually decreased. Those that had once been suitable prey had now been almost completely devoured, becoming a part of his enhancement.

Thus, this time, Fang Zhou led his loyal subordinates into the unknown depths. They ventured forward under the Blood Moon, and after advancing for about an hour, they finally reached a new territory. However, just as they were about to explore deeper, Fang Zhou suddenly halted.

A hint of confusion and vigilance flickered in his blood-red eyes. At that moment, he keenly sensed that the undead energy in this area was far denser than elsewhere.

"Strange, could there be something special nearby?" Fang Zhou swiveled his massive skull, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.

It was eerily quiet. Not even the shadow of an undead creature was in sight. This unusual silence made the Skeleton Clone become fully alert, ready to face any unknown challenges that might arise.

In that instant, Fang Zhou's gaze suddenly locked onto a spot ahead and to his left. A massive, swiftly moving shadow flashed past, each leap leaving deep impressions in the ground. This sudden burst of power fluctuation captured Fang Zhou's attention.

Interesting!

He furrowed his brow and silently retreated behind a group of his skeleton minions. Then, raising an arm composed of bone and muscle, he silently directed his loyal followers to pursue the mysterious shadow.

Fang Zhou was full of confidence. Empowered by a series of new skills, he could easily handle even mutated undead creatures at the Black Iron Middle Rank. Even more reassuring was the fact that he wasn't alone; he had powerful companions like Olaf and Tidamia by his side, along with dozens of Skeleton Servants sworn to die for him.

Soon, Fang Zhou reached the edge of a low hill. At that moment, a faint light appeared in the distance. He immediately became more cautious, slowing his pace as he slowly approached the source of the light.

As he drew closer, a strange scene appeared before his eyes. It was a small hill that resembled a volcanic crater. Peculiarly, this crater wasn't filled with gushing lava but was instead full of strange, dual-colored red and blue ores. These ores emitted a soft yet mesmerizing bluish-red glow, like stars dotting the night sky, adding a touch of mystery to the dark region.

Around this small hill prowled a pack of more than twenty Zombie Wolves. Their bodies were huge, each one two, three, or even five meters long. They circled slowly, their huge jaws slightly agape as if inhaling and exhaling something.

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