Before long, following the pitch-black passage, the group encountered a crowd of skeletons. There were eleven in all: five Skeleton Shield-Bearers and six Skeleton Infantry. As soon as they revived, they charged at Zhao Fu's group.
At that moment, the ten Goblin Champions, clad in iron armor and wielding shields two meters high, 1.2 meters wide, and four inches thick—each one practically a door—formed a shield wall. The passage was ten meters wide, and each shield was 1.2 meters across, so ten shields spanned twelve meters. One Goblin Champion had to shift back a little, but together, they completely blocked the charging skeletons.
The Skeleton Shield-Bearers rammed into them, but the Goblin Champions holding the shields stood as firm as mountains.
Zhao Fu was satisfied with the result. He ordered them to open a gap and let a few skeletons through.
Two Goblin Champions followed his command, angling their shields aside. A few of the charging skeletons immediately slipped through, and the Goblin Champions closed the gap again.
The skeletons that made it through now faced ten burly men in iron armor, each wielding a massive iron hammer.
One hammer blow knocked a skeleton flat. After a few more, it crumbled into a heap of bones. Compared with sharp swords and blades, blunt weapons actually dealt more damage to skeletons. Using this method, Zhao Fu's group quickly killed them all.
The skeletons dropped eleven blue weapons and nine Souls of Martial Refinement, including three for Shield Bearers. Zhao Fu immediately used them on the Goblin Champions.
This was the special method Zhao Fu had prepared. First, he had equipped the Goblin Champions with large shields and oversized iron armor, which had taken some time. Now that they had also learned Shield Mastery, their immense strength made them ideal shield bearers.
Everyone present had already used a Soul of Martial Refinement: the Goblin Champions, the Infantry wielding their massive iron hammers, and the Archers.
At first, Zhao Fu hadn't wanted to use the Souls of Martial Refinement. They were unusually valuable here and could almost always grant skills of C- rank or higher. Using them on people with F- or E-rank aptitude and little room to grow seemed like a waste.
But then he reconsidered. This was merely a small price to pay to obtain more Souls of Martial Refinement.
The Goblin Champions had gained the C- rank skill Enhanced Shield-Bearing, the ten Infantry had gained the C-rank skill Enhanced Heavy Strike, and the Archers had gained Stone-Shattering Arrow, the same skill Zhao Fu had.
Li Wen and Liu Mei had also used Souls of Martial Refinement. Li Wen used one meant for Archers, while Liu Mei used one meant for Infantry. They each gained a skill, and their skill proficiency reached at least the proficient level.
Only Old Luo hadn't used a Soul of Martial Refinement, since his age made close combat difficult.
There was no need to elaborate on how powerful the group had become. Killing these skeletons was effortless, and they were more than twice as fast as before. The main reason was that they were specifically equipped to counter skeletons. The Goblin Champions' shields had become an incredibly sturdy iron wall, while the ten Infantry wielding massive iron hammers could inflict several times more damage with one powerful swing than with several sword strikes.
They continued onward!
One after another, blue soul flames sprang to life in the darkness. This time, seventeen skeletons revived: five Skeleton Archers, six Skeleton Shield-Bearers, and six Skeleton Infantry.
Faced with so many skeletons, the group showed no fear and attacked in an orderly fashion. In the first volley, the Archers pierced the heads of three Skeleton Infantry. The Goblin Champions advanced with their shields raised, and using the same method as before, they quickly killed the rest.
There was no need to mention the other loot. They only needed to note that one Soldier Soul had dropped, which came as a pleasant surprise to Zhao Fu. Soldier Souls had an extremely low drop rate, though Skeleton Captains always dropped one.
Just as he finished speaking, a Skeleton Captain charged over with more than ten skeletons. This Skeleton Captain was an archer, and its archery was fierce. Several of Zhao Fu's people nearly got hit.
But Bai Qi and a few others quickly surrounded and killed the Skeleton Captain. As expected, it dropped a Soldier Soul, and the bow in its hands was a silver weapon.
[Cloud-Flow Bow] Grade: Silver, Attributes: Strength +3, Constitution +1, Agility +2. Description: The Cloud-Flow Bow, once a top-grade golden weapon, could not withstand the erosion of time and had become an ordinary silver weapon.
Zhao Fu kept the Cloud-Flow Bow for the time being, since he sometimes used a bow to attack as well. They continued forward, killing several more groups and obtaining three Soldier Souls. They encountered no major surprises. The passage seemed endless, stretching into a deep darkness whose depths they could not see.
"Clip-clop..."
A sound like hooves striking the ground rang out ahead. Zhao Fu thought of what it might be, and the others came to the same conclusion without needing him to say anything.
Sure enough, before long, several Skeleton Cavalry appeared before them. These Skeleton Knights rode Skeleton Horses. Their steeds and armor had been preserved, though they were battered and seemed to be only white quality. The weapons in their hands, however, were mostly blue.
Five Skeleton Cavalry appeared, drew their longswords, and swung them at Zhao Fu's group.
Zhao Fu immediately shouted, "Form shields!"
The Goblin Champions raised their massive shields with both hands, forming an iron wall and bracing for the impact. Zhao Fu also ordered the Archers to attack.
Arrows shot through the air. Most were dodged by the Skeleton Cavalry, and the few that struck them did little damage, merely making the Skeleton Knights falter for a moment. Their speed did not diminish at all, since they were riding Skeleton Horses.
Just as the Skeleton Cavalry were about to reach them, four Fireballs and one Wind Blade shot out and landed in front of them.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
A chain of explosions rang out. With so many spells landing together, the resulting blast was tremendous. The two Skeleton Cavalry at the front were blown off their horses. The three behind and beside them weren't affected as much and continued charging forward with fierce momentum.
But they were helpless against the shield wall formed by the Goblin Champions and couldn't leap over it. The massive shields were already two meters high, and when the Goblin Champions raised them above their heads, they reached 2.3 meters. Ordinary horses couldn't jump that high.
The Skeleton Knights could only drive their Skeleton Horses into the shield wall, trying to break through it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three muffled impacts rang out as the Skeleton Horses slammed into the massive shields. The Goblin Champions gritted their teeth, held their shields high, and firmly withstood the horses' charge.
Zhao Fu first ordered the Archers to shoot the two fallen Skeleton Cavalry, then told the Goblin Champions to open two gaps and let two more Skeleton Cavalry through.
The moment the two Skeleton Cavalry charged in, the ten Infantry split into two groups, raised their iron hammers, and swung with all their might at the Skeleton Horses' legs, smashing them to the ground.
Several men then closed in, raised their massive iron hammers high, and pounded away indiscriminately, killing the two Skeleton Cavalry. The last Skeleton Cavalry was also surrounded and killed.