Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone

[Soul Struggle] (Black Iron Level, Beginner): An upgradeable Soul Series skill of the Naraku Civilization’s Undead Mages. It consumes all Mana to project the user’s entire Soul Power into an enemy’s Soul World, forming a Soul Struggle Battlefield. Both sides engage in a one-on-one contest of Soul Power until the duration ends or one side dies. This skill is extremely dangerous; please use it with caution.

[Soul Link] (Black Iron Level, Beginner): An upgradeable Soul Series skill of the Naraku Civilization’s Undead Mages. It consumes Mana to establish a close soul link with one of the user’s summoned Undead Creatures. A portion of the damage received by the user is transferred through the soul link to be shouldered by the linked creature. The number of links, damage-sharing ratio, and duration are determined by the Spirit Attribute and Skill Proficiency.

Fang Zhou carefully read the descriptions of these two skills, the smile on his lips growing more pronounced.

Setting aside the tens of thousands of Soul Power points contributed by Vladimir, simply analyzing these two Soul Series skills was already a massive gain for Fang Zhou.

He had just personally experienced the effects of Soul Struggle.

Even his Skeleton Armor, after undergoing Extreme Enhancement, had been unable to withstand Vladimir’s Soul Struggle attack. He had been helplessly dragged into the Soul Struggle Battlefield.

There, he faced the terrifying Undead Calamity conjured by Vladimir. If not for the knowledge of unit counters and strategies he had mastered at Sea City Military Academy, coupled with his own powerful soul essence and the reserve of Soul Power stored in his attribute panel...

Fang Zhou would have long since been devoured by Vladimir, just as he’d predicted, becoming a mere stepping stone for his rebirth.

Despite this, Fang Zhou wasn’t particularly tempted by the power of Soul Struggle.

This skill is just too dangerous.

Take Vladimir, for example. Throughout the ages, he may have used this trump card to defeat countless powerful foes, but he ultimately met his end at Fang Zhou’s hands.

A Soul World. A direct contest of Soul Power.

It sounded simple, but every single inch of it was fraught with peril.

Who knew what kinds of trump cards lay hidden in another person’s Soul World?

Rushing in recklessly was tantamount to gambling with your own life.

Not to mention, Vladimir chose to use Soul Struggle against Fang Zhou because he was already just a remnant soul without a body of his own. All he needed was to use the power of his fragmented soul to invade Fang Zhou’s Soul World and shatter his soul. He could then reincarnate in Fang Zhou’s body without worrying about his own nonexistent external form being destroyed by others.

But Fang Zhou was different. He was an Undead Mage with limitless potential, powerful in both body and soul.

If I recklessly used the Soul Exile skill, my body would be left unprotected in the outside world, turning me into a fish on someone else’s chopping block.

With this in mind, Fang Zhou focused his attention on the Soul Link skill.

Compared to Soul Struggle, this was the skill that truly captivated him.

Its simple yet brutal description undeniably showcased its immense strength.

With his current Skill Proficiency and Spirit Attribute, he could link one of his Undead Summoned Creatures to bear one-third of the damage he received.

This already transcended the scope of ordinary skills, qualifying as a life-saving Divine Skill coveted by all Magic Professionals.

Moreover, as his Professional level, Spirit Attribute, and Skill Proficiency increased, so too would the number of Undead Summoned Creatures he could link for damage distribution.

One day, as long as his Undead Army was not annihilated, he would never fall.

Notifications from the attribute panel were still chiming, though their frequency was gradually decreasing.

If not for the Soul Power collection function, Vladimir’s self-destruction in his Soul World would have caused him lifelong problems. But now, it had merely become another stepping stone on his path to becoming stronger.

It sure is nice to have a cheat. Fang Zhou lamented with a sigh, shaking his head as he turned to exit the Soul World.

***

The first instant he regained consciousness, Fang Zhou clenched the Undead Magic Ball in his hand. His vision was somewhat hazy.

The silent, empty third-level hall of the tomb was a stark contrast to the chaotic Soul Struggle Battlefield he had just experienced.

Shaking his head lightly, Fang Zhou cleared his thoughts and surveyed the battlefield before him.

Before using Soul Struggle on him, Vladimir had consumed all of his Undead Attribute Energy to unleash a potent Soul Storm.

Perhaps amplified by the remnant Alchemy Array in this tomb, or maybe because he had devoured too many disparate souls, the Soul Storm had directly shattered the defenses of every expedition team member except Fang Zhou, leaving them stunned and unable to recover for a long time.

Worse still, several Werewolves and Mud Spring Banshees with particularly weak Soul Power had their wills crushed, their bodies reduced to shriveled husks.

Sighing softly, Fang Zhou silently mourned his temporary teammates for a few seconds, but at the same time, a wave of relief washed over him.

From the fragments of Vladimir’s soul he had digested, he knew their Expedition Team had arrived at the perfect time.

Vladimir, the remnant soul from the Naraku Civilization, had only just been awakened from his slumber by that Zor Elf. After a fierce struggle, Vladimir had used his unpredictable Soul Series skills to devour the souls of all the Chaotic Demons, including the Zor Elf, forming an abnormally bloated and massive Soul Sewing Body.

Given enough time and the aid of the arrangements he had left behind in this Undead Tomb, Vladimir would have had a chance of successfully refining the Soul Power he needed. At that point, by abandoning the cumbersome and impure power of the Soul Sewing Body, Vladimir’s strength would have undergone a qualitative leap.

If you added the corpses of the demons and natives in the Forest of Nature Spatial Fragment to the equation, a being with Vladimir’s abilities could raise a vast Undead Army in minutes.

By then, it wouldn’t be Fang Zhou leading the Natural Expedition Team to conquer him, but Vladimir leading an Undead Army to unrestrainedly hunt all living beings.

Shaking his head, Fang Zhou turned his gaze to his teammates.

The battlefield is a mess. I should wake them up first.

***

Within the tomb hall, Hong Yang furrowed his brows, clutching his head as he sat slumped on the floor.

A distorted face was speaking in front of him. The voice was loud, but he couldn’t make out the words.

"Who are you? What are you saying?"

He felt himself asking the question, but his lips merely quivered, and no sound came out.

"Hong Yang, you’re finally awake! How are you feeling?"

The person continued speaking. Hong Yang could finally hear him clearly. At the same time, the scene before his eyes sharpened, allowing him to recognize the young face.

"Fang Zhou? Is that you?" Hong Yang asked, his voice hoarse.

"Looks like it worked. You’re finally lucid," Fang Zhou said with a sigh of relief, holding a waterskin to Hong Yang’s lips.

Only then did Hong Yang realize how intensely parched he was. He opened his mouth and gulped down the sweet liquid.

This was clearly no ordinary water. A cool stream flowed down into his stomach before igniting a searing heat, injecting new life into his nearly paralyzed body.

"What potion is this?" Feeling some strength return, Hong Yang pushed the waterskin away and asked in a low voice.

Such a simple question brought a peculiar expression to Fang Zhou’s face, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.

"Well... ah, in a sense, you’re not wrong to call it a potion."

"But we usually call it Purified Moonlight Spring Water." A slightly hoarse female voice came from behind Fang Zhou, and Liu Diewu’s head immediately popped into view.