The instructors around Su Xinyan saw what was happening and didn't dare to stay near her, instinctively shrinking back into a corner.

It took a long time for her to calm her mind, which had been thoroughly infuriated by Fang Zhou.

She reached out and poked Fang Zhou's placid face on the livestream screen, unable to stop herself from grinding her teeth.

...

After leaving the seemingly quieter and more peaceful Tomb, Fang Zhou reconfirmed the direction of the Thorn Jungle.

Then, leading his Skeleton Army, he began a rapid march, killing any demons found roaming the wilderness along the way.

Before long, Fang Zhou arrived at a marsh.

As far as the eye could see, there were almost no trees—only a vast, foul-smelling mire.

Moss, duckweed, decaying branches, rotten trunks, and even the corpses of small animals floated on the surface. Fang Zhou couldn't see any established paths at all.

A hazy fog drifted over periodically, making the entire scene feel incredibly eerie.

Fang Zhou couldn't help but frown. This disgusting environment would significantly slow down both him and his Skeleton Army. Not only was the muck difficult to traverse, but the fog also meant they had to be careful not to fall into unseen pits.

He opened the Hunting Recorder and looked at the map again. This "Foul Swamp" was the fastest route to the "Thorn Jungle." Taking a detour would double the journey's length, and he might not reach his destination before the hunt ended.

Fortunately, the Foul Swamp only looked dangerous; it was actually quite shallow. The map also marked a relatively safe path. Although the surface still looked disgusting, covered in sludge and filth, it was solid enough to prevent them from sinking.

Still, the movement speed of Fang Zhou and the Skeleton Army was inevitably reduced.

As he advanced, demons unique to the swamp occasionally attacked. These included Swamp Toxic Mosquitoes, Swamp Flies, sludge monsters that appeared to be made of mud, and slimy, slug-like creatures.

To Fang Zhou, the strength of these Lower-rank Apprentice swamp demons was as worthless as the mud beneath his feet. Moreover, they possessed almost no intelligence, dying the moment they appeared.

However, through these battles, Fang Zhou became increasingly aware of his squad's greatest weakness.

Weapons! Weapons! The Skeleton Army needs weapons!

As they marched, the previously silent thermal imaging radar on his Hunting Recorder suddenly lit up. Fang Zhou had already discovered that the radar function wasn't very reliable, as it failed to detect many demons. No reaction from the radar didn't necessarily mean there were no demons. But when the radar did react, it always signaled a massive impending attack.

Fang Zhou immediately halted and glanced around.

With a tremendous BUZZ, a dense swarm of flying insects—Swamp Toxic Mosquitoes, Swamp Flies, and Swamp Dragonflies—surged toward them. Their numbers were unprecedented. The swarm formed a loose sphere over ten meters in diameter, appearing to contain at least several hundred creatures.

Fang Zhou quickly realized something unusual was happening. Although these insects had attacked before, they had never fought side-by-side like this. In fact, Swamp Dragonflies normally preyed on the other two types of insects. In a situation like this, they were either fleeing a natural predator or being controlled by another demon.

Fang Zhou's brow furrowed. He retreated behind his skeletons and immediately organized the Skeleton Army into a defensive formation, ready to face the enemy.

Luckily, while the insects were numerous, they were much weaker than the Fierce Mosquitoes from the previous night. They were unable to inflict any effective damage on the skeletons' bony bodies.

However, lacking skills for the wide-scale slaughter of such tiny demons, Fang Zhou's killing efficiency was not very high relying solely on Skeleton Arrow Rain and the skeletons' Bone Claws. To conserve Spiritual Power for whatever enemy came next, Fang Zhou stopped casting and simply hid within the heavy protection of the Skeleton Army.

In the swamp, the Skeleton Army was like an immovable reef, standing firm against the tide of insects. Despite being unable to cause any damage, the mindless insects continued to surge forward wave after wave. The cracking of skeletal claws swinging through the air mingled with the buzzing of falling insects.

Soon, the dense swarm began to thin out considerably.

Just then, a chorus of croaking echoed from behind Fang Zhou. He looked toward the sound and saw about thirty humanoid frogs, each about a meter tall, charging toward them.

"Demon Swamp Frogs?"

Fang Zhou's interest was piqued, and he carefully observed this unique swamp-dwelling demon species. Most of these Demon Swamp Frogs had gray skin and wielded Bone Swords and wooden spears. However, mixed in among them were a few with different colored skin—some blue, some purple, and one that was red. Their weapons and equipment were also slightly different and looked more refined, clearly indicating their higher status and strength. The red-skinned one, in particular, was gripping a small Magic Staff that resembled a dead branch.

The swamp, which was somewhat troublesome for Fang Zhou, was like solid ground to them.

Fang Zhou did a quick count: one Middle-rank Apprentice red-skinned shaman, two Middle-rank Apprentice colorful-skinned warriors, and about thirty Lower-rank Apprentice ordinary grey-skins. The strength of this group of Demon Swamp Frogs was comparable to the goblin tribe in the Goblin Cave.

Unfortunately for them, they had chosen the wrong enemy.

Fang Zhou followed a simple principle: shoot the rider before the horse, capture the king to defeat the thieves!

Having confirmed the Demon Swamp Frogs' strength, Fang Zhou no longer concealed himself. Boosted by his Full Level Enhancement Apprentice Set and the newly acquired Flower of Sighs, his casting speed was incredibly smooth as he swiftly brandished his Magic Staff.

Skeleton Shackles!

Skeleton Flying Spear!

With a sharp whistle through the air, Fang Zhou unleashed a Skeleton Double Strike, pinning the red-skinned Demon Swamp Frog shaman to a rotten log before any of the others could react.

The shaman's death triggered an immediate panic among the swarms of insects that had been united in their attack. They abandoned their unified assault on Fang Zhou's group and immediately began fighting amongst themselves.

Dragonflies naturally prey on mosquitoes and flies. Even after mutating and swelling to many times their normal size, this instinct had not changed. The Swamp Dragonflies got busy hunting, while the Swamp Flies and Swamp Toxic Mosquitoes were either fleeing for their lives or trying to fight back. Hardly any chose to continue attacking Fang Zhou and his army.

Those Demon Swamp Frogs also quickly fell into a similar state of confusion.

Fang Zhou hadn't stopped after killing the red-skinned leader. He continued casting, easily picking off the other leading blue- and purple-skinned frogs.

Fang Zhou knew that this was no time to conserve Spiritual Power. As natives of the swamp, these Demon Swamp Frogs might still have some tricks up their sleeves. When fighting them on their home turf, a swift and decisive victory was paramount.

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