Preparation

When Liu Zhi returned from the Underworld, several skeletons followed behind him. These were all newly recruited skeleton soldiers. Two of them had mastered the [Z-Secret Sword] and [Indigo Chasing Wind Swordplay].

He had brought them out specifically to see if Corpse Soul Naga had any room for improvement in swordsmanship.

The rest were ordinary skeleton soldiers, but they had all discarded their weapons. Liu Zhi planned to forge new weapons for them; the era of using others' bones as weapons was over.

Besides re-equipping them, Liu Zhi also brought them out to test how his Mana would be consumed daily.

Compared to Corpse Soul Naga, which consumed at least 5 Mana per day, the consumption for skeleton soldiers was much lower.

Like Corpse Soul Naga, skeleton soldiers cost 1 Mana to enter and exit the Underworld. However, once in the real world, they only needed 1 Mana per day to maintain their existence, without needing to periodically enter the Underworld to replenish their Yin energy or anything similar.

By this calculation, Liu Zhi currently had a total of 66 Mana, which was automatically replenished daily after meditation.

Additionally, he needed to inject 30 Mana into the Underworld every 12 hours, leaving at least 5 Mana in reserve for Corpse Soul Naga.

With another 10 Mana for other contingencies, Liu Zhi could have a skeleton soldier force of up to 21 people simultaneously, provided he didn't plan to send them back to the Underworld.

"If I had suitable weapons, this force would be sufficient. But if I want to strengthen these skeleton soldiers, my Mana is still a bit lacking."

Having made this judgment, Liu Zhi couldn't help but get a headache.

At this moment, he understood that he was only a half-baked necromancer. There were too many things he didn't have time to learn. For instance, he didn't know how to meditate to increase his Mana; his daily efforts at meditation could only replenish his Mana at best.

Furthermore, he hadn't mastered the most basic reinforcement for skeleton soldiers. He didn't know how to make their bones harder.

He also didn't know how to make them more agile. It could be said that the skeleton soldiers under his command were currently comparable in combat power to ordinary people.

It was precisely for this reason that Liu Zhi was reluctant to fully develop these skeleton soldiers, not assigning a [Z-Secret Sword] or [Indigo Chasing Wind Swordplay] to each of them.

Although the experience cost wouldn't be too high, only around 300 points per skeleton soldier, it was still experience. Liu Zhi's experience had been earned through the lives of countless Fishmen, and he didn't want to deplete it all on skeleton soldiers at once.

In the absence of proper reinforcement methods, Liu Zhi began to use his own ways to deal with the skeleton soldiers.

He obtained vines from nearby, dried them, and tore them into strips, wrapping them around the skeleton soldiers' bones.

At the same time, he began to craft various weapons for the skeleton soldiers.

Just as he had thought, skeleton soldiers using spears was a good choice. Additionally, Liu Zhi made flails for them using large stones and vines.

These stone flails, weighing only about ten pounds, could be used for smashing or throwing. For skeleton soldiers who were not easily deterred by spear thrusts or control, these were the best weapons.

Liu Zhi had tested these weapons in the Underworld. Most skeletons would shatter with a single blow, not even lasting for a second hit. Therefore, Liu Zhi believed that even if he encountered real people, he would still have a chance to win with such weapons.

While Liu Zhi was strengthening his troops, Corpse Soul Naga was also patrolling the Golden City.

With the protection of the skeleton soldiers around him, Corpse Soul Naga had more free time. Liu Zhi sent her out to search for enemies potentially hidden near the Golden City.

At the very least, Liu Zhi needed to know where the enemies were coming from and how they were bypassing the Giant Serpent guarding the perimeter.

Corpse Soul Naga was quite capable. Ten days after dealing with the eagle, she finally completed her circuit of the entire Golden City and concluded that the enemies had appeared on the nearby cliffs. However, they wouldn't descend from there because it was quite high, and a single misstep would be fatal. They would likely enter through the underground river, just like Liu Zhi, going against the current.

However, they would need to lure all the Giant Serpent away before seizing the opportunity to send people in.

Liu Zhi was willing to believe Corpse Soul Naga's assessment.

If the enemies were all coming up the river, then the timing of their arrival would be crucial.

They certainly couldn't come after the daily downpours, as that was the Giant Serpent's feeding time.

No matter who appeared in the river, they would only become food for the Giant Serpent.

Therefore, considering the long journey, the only time they could lure the Giant Serpent away would be in the afternoon. They would then advance cautiously, and given their speed, they should arrive at the Golden City around midnight.

Having made the corresponding judgment, Liu Zhi acted swiftly.

He was no longer alone. He directly assigned several skeleton soldiers to guard the riverbank.

He would ignore the Giant Serpent and the like daily. If any humans came upstream, they were to signal and then attack.

To ensure a decisive blow against the enemy, Liu Zhi even assigned the skeleton soldier who could use [Indigo Chasing Wind Swordplay] to this post.

Meanwhile, Liu Zhi's Underworld was also training skeleton soldiers in large numbers.

When battle came, they could be forcibly deployed directly into the enemy's ranks.

However, the Mass Grave did not produce a large number of skeleton soldiers each week, only 5 to 7 at a time. The other skeletons did not meet the standard for skeleton soldiers; some were only upper bodies, crawling on the ground like bone crawlers.

Therefore, Liu Zhi's available skeleton soldiers were not yet at full strength. He actually hoped the enemy would come slower, giving him more time to prepare.

But at this moment, the Snake Raid Tribe had already gathered outside the river channel.

They were a tribe that had fought Giant Serpent since childhood and were very familiar with their habits. Having tracked them all the way, they had already planned how to lure the Giant Serpent away and how to infiltrate the Golden City.

This was the first wave, a reconnaissance and assassination team. The Snake Raid Tribe members were preparing to act on their own without waiting for other tribes to arrive.

These black-skinned natives painted themselves white and stood quietly by the riverbank, waiting. Only when they saw the Giant Serpent being lured away by vibrations on the water's surface did they strap on their weapons and leap into the water, slowly moving upstream against the current.