Remnant Soul

"My god, now I understood why all 981 previous village chiefs had died. With losses and gains like this, they were completely out of proportion."

Zhang Yang sighed inwardly, but he did not forget to deactivate Level One Protection. Four minutes had cost four Energy. After deducting the 93 Energy used to recruit soldiers, he had only 39 left.

If another Azure Wolf appeared, he was dead for sure. Ninety-one Spearmen had only managed to kill one at the cost of their lives.

Besides, if that Azure Wolf had not come so close, if it had had enough room to maneuver instead of being pinned down by the Spearmen's flesh and blood, Zhang Yang believed that even 900 Spearmen would not have been its match.

"What kind of world is this?"

Swallowing hard, Zhang Yang forced himself to stay calm. Without Level One Protection, the thick stench of blood and the corpse fragments scattered everywhere were simply horrifying.

It had to be said that a C+ soul was truly powerful. At the very least, it allowed him to retain the ability to think normally.

"The smell of blood here is too strong. It will attract more wild beasts and demons. I have to leave immediately."

"Shouldn't these Spearmen be data NPCs? Why are their corpses so real after they die?"

"This is a Primeval Forest. There must be plenty of beasts and demons inside. I may run into danger at any moment, so I need to recruit soldiers."

All kinds of thoughts surged into his mind at once, leaving him somewhat muddled, but at least they reminded Zhang Yang that he needed to make a decision immediately.

"Recruit nine Sword and Shield Soldiers and nine Longbowmen."

The Primeval Forest was filled with towering ancient trees and dense wild grass. There were no paths at all, and it was difficult to defend against threats from every direction while traveling. Sword and Shield Soldiers were therefore essential.

As for the Longbowmen, they could hide within the Level One Protection barrier and fire outward.

"Activate Level One Vision."

Zhang Yang spent another five Energy to activate another feature of the Fantasy Village Building Order. In an instant, a flash of white light swept past, and a radar-like screen appeared on the Village Building Order, covering an area one kilometer in diameter. Several points of light appeared upon it.

"Five yellow points. No red points. Thank goodness."

Level One Vision was extremely useful. At the very least, Zhang Yang could tell from it that the five yellow points had not begun moving in this direction. However, as the bloody scent spread, that would not remain true for long.

"I want to know what the Azure Wolf Remnant Soul is for."

As Zhang Yang formed the thought, the golden balance appeared before his eyes again. On one side lay the Azure Wolf Remnant Soul, and it was only F-.

On the other side were 50 Energy. So cheap. Wasn't this supposed to be the remnant soul of a demon? Was it because it was incomplete?

As he grumbled inwardly, Zhang Yang lowered his gaze. There was another use listed for the Azure Wolf Remnant Soul.

Use demon remnant souls to cultivate powerful warriors. Currently possesses one Level One Azure Wolf Demon Remnant Soul, which can cultivate one Elite Spearman/Archer/Sword and Shield Soldier.

Note: Soldiers who personally killed the Azure Wolf will gain a 30% increase in cultivation success rate.

Cultivating an elite soldier consumes 10 Energy, 20 units of Azure Wolf Demon blood, and 5 wolf fangs. The success rate is 60%. Every additional 5 Energy raises the success rate by 10%. In addition, there is a 50% chance that the soldier's weapon will be further enhanced during the cultivation process. The higher the demon soul's level, the higher the enhancement chance and quality.

Seeing this, Zhang Yang made his decision. He would cultivate an Elite Spearman. Although that was equivalent to trading 65 Level One Spearmen for one, the battle conditions from before would be difficult to replicate, and luck had played a major role. What if the next demon they encountered was the kind that did not fear fighting groups?

"But I need to leave this place first."

Zhang Yang then left the battlefield of flesh and blood according to the positions of the yellow points shown by Level One Vision. He finally stopped more than three hundred meters away. He could not go any farther. There were no paths in this forest, and even with Level One Vision, there was no telling what they might run into. He had to hurry and cultivate that Elite Spearman.

Cultivating Elite Spearman!

Because the cultivation target killed the Azure Wolf, the cultivation success rate increases by 30%.

Base cultivation success rate: 60%.

An additional 5 Energy has been used, increasing success rate by 10%.

Cultivation success rate: 100%. Time required: five minutes.

Streams of data flashed across Zhang Yang's vision, while a beam of white light from the Fantasy Village Building Order enveloped that Spearman.

It was worth mentioning that the Fantasy Village Building Order seemed to contain another space, so he did not need to worry about the items obtained from killing the Azure Wolf earlier.

Five minutes passed quickly. White light flashed from the Fantasy Village Building Order, and a message appeared before Zhang Yang's eyes.

Your soldier has successfully been cultivated into an Elite Spearman. (View Attributes)

Soldier: Zhao Xiao'er

Unit Type: Elite Spearman

Strength: E+

Agility: E+

Defense: E+

Soul Strength: E-

Basic Spearmanship Proficiency: 245

Skill: Gale Pierce.

--

Zhang Yang had no way to judge how strong this elite soldier was in combat. Looking at Zhao Xiao'er himself, he did not seem to have changed much. He still stood there coldly, holding his spear, every inch an NPC. However, there was better news: the spear in his hand had also been successfully enhanced.

The originally iron spearhead now gleamed with the luster of refined steel. Three raised ridges had appeared on the spearhead, while the formerly wooden shaft had been wrapped in a layer of iron. It looked extremely heavy.

"This should be able to kill that Azure Wolf from before, right?"

Zhang Yang thought uncertainly, but just as he was preparing to leave—

"ROAR!"

A heaven-shaking roar suddenly rang out. Immediately afterward, a Black Giant Bear more than five meters tall charged out of the forest. It was as fast as a locomotive. Before the two Sword and Shield Soldiers responsible for keeping watch could react, they were sent flying dozens of meters away.

"Level One Protection!"

"Whoosh!"

At the instant the Black Giant Bear charged over, Zhang Yang activated the defensive barrier as well. Then, in the next instant, it hummed. The defensive barrier that even the Azure Wolf Demon could not break open shook violently several times, as though it might shatter at any moment.

Zhang Yang was scared stiff. This thing was not playing by the rules at all.

Fortunately, at that very moment, a cold gleam erupted. Zhao Xiao'er, the Elite Spearman, lunged forward with his spear. Taking advantage of the opening created when the giant bear was rebounded by the defensive barrier, he thrust his spear into the giant bear's chest beneath the armpit of its left forelimb.

The Black Giant Bear let out an earth-shattering roar. The bear paw that had been about to strike the defensive barrier swung around and smashed toward Zhao Xiao'er instead. Bang! He was sent flying dozens of meters like a ball, his body twisted out of shape. Blood rained down from the air. He was clearly beyond saving.

"Attack!"

Only then did Zhang Yang snap out of his daze and shout.

The Sword and Shield Soldiers rushed forward and hacked wildly, while the Longbowmen fired in volleys, but it had little effect.

The Black Giant Bear casually swatted a few times, and not a single Sword and Shield Soldier remained alive.

This was fucking terrifying!

Zhang Yang was nearly scared pissless, but he also knew that he could not run at a time like this.

Gritting his teeth, he deactivated Level One Protection, then used all his remaining Energy in one breath to recruit twelve Spearmen. He ordered the Longbowmen to harass it and the Spearmen to advance and attack.

Holding a spear himself, he trembled as he retreated two steps. He did not want to run. He wanted to fight too, but he simply could not move.

However, at this moment, he noticed that the Black Giant Bear's movements had begun to slow. With every pounce and swipe, streams of blood gushed out like fountains, dyeing half its body red.

It was precisely because of this that only half of the twelve Spearmen had died so far.

"So it was seriously injured?"

Zhang Yang instantly felt as if he had been dragged back from drowning. He thought of Zhao Xiao'er's incredibly swift thrust just now. It had pierced through beneath the armpit. It had definitely wounded the creature's heart.

"Kill it! Kill this bastard!"

A voice in Zhang Yang's heart screamed wildly, but on the other side was endless fear. He was terrified, even when facing a dying Black Bear.

At the same time, the Black Giant Bear roared again. One Longbowman had finally shot out one of its eyes. Yet no matter how it roared, it was useless. Its movements became slower and weaker by the second. It was clearly on the verge of death from severe injuries.

In such a state, the three surviving Spearmen could flexibly thrust once and retreat, although the damage they dealt was negligible.

"Wait. Longbowmen, move forward. Aim at its eyes and shoot!"

Zhang Yang finally gave up the thought of personally joining the battle. It was not that he was timid; he had thought of the elite soldier he would cultivate next.

The facts had proven that Elite Spearmen dealt the highest damage. Zhao Xiao'er's Gale Pierce had severely wounded the Black Giant Bear in a single strike, but the price had been his own death.

That kind of situation was too damn awful. Zhang Yang needed an elite soldier with greater utility and a higher survival rate. Otherwise, if this kept happening, how was he supposed to develop and grow?

If he cultivated a Longbowman into an Elite Archer and paired it with Level One Protection, then as long as his luck was not too terrible and he encountered demons like the Azure Wolf, the Elite Archer's value would become apparent.

At this moment, ten Longbowmen stepped forward and unleashed a barrage at the dying Black Bear. In the end, one Longbowman luckily killed it. There was no level-up, because the Fantasy Village Building Order apparently had no experience point system.

In an instant, the Fantasy Village Building Order lit up again. A beam of white light fell upon the Black Bear's corpse and retrieved something from it.

Immediately afterward, several messages appeared before Zhang Yang's eyes.

Successfully strangled a Level Two Bear Demon.

Successfully captured one Bear Demon Remnant Soul. (Can be sold)

Obtained 55 Energy.

Obtained 1,000 units of bear meat. (Edible)

Obtained 28 bear fangs. (Can be used to craft weapons)

Obtained 100 units of Bear Demon blood. (Contains faint Demonic Energy; can be used to make Talismans or inscribe Battle Runes)