Chapter 169: The Vanguard Selection Camp

"My Lord, the Sandmen have come."

Deep within the gloomy valley of the Boulder Mountains, a tall skeleton soldier bowed and reported to the Necromancer standing before him.

The Necromancer was shrouded in a faint, ethereal blue glow. Between heaven and earth, an aura of dark energy continuously pulsed through his body, creating an exceptionally eerie sight.

Seeing that the Necromancer did not react, the skeleton soldier raised his voice slightly. The sound emitted from his fleshless jaw resembled a kitchen knife scraping against a whetstone, grating harshly on the ears.

Finally, the Necromancer opened his eyes, gazed at the skeleton soldier, and asked slowly, "How many of them are there? What is their situation?"

"There are over twenty-three hundred Sandmen in total. The situation is looking rather grim; it appears they have received support from some unknown power, and their weapons and equipment are vastly superior to before," the skeleton soldier reported.

"Ah, perhaps they have made contact with that cult after all. It seems I was careless after all," the Necromancer sighed. Then, slowly rising to his feet, he led the skeleton soldier out of the cavern.

Upon stepping outside, an endless sea of skeletons lay before him. Tens of thousands of various skeletons carpeted the entire valley, a truly breathtaking and terrifying spectacle.

Yet, upon closer inspection, truly powerful skeletons among them were virtually nonexistent.

"With a force like this, stopping the Sandmen's advance is simply out of the question." The Necromancer shook his head helplessly as he looked at the numerous but weak horde of skeletons.

After a moment of thought, having made up his mind, he instructed the skeletal general nearby, "Take the main army to the mountain pass and intercept them. I shall follow shortly."

With that, the Necromancer turned and re-entered the cavern.

"Ahead lies the Boulder Mountains. Once we pass through that gorge, we can enter the valley marked on the map. The blockage point of the underground river is somewhere nearby."

Hunsunabu pointed forward with his riding crop and shouted to Sun Licheng. Behind them stretched an endless procession of camel cavalry.

Three days ago, the newly equipped Sandman army finally set out. It was not that they did not want to make further preparations, but rather that their food supplies could no longer hold out.

With over two thousand men and the camels they rode, the consumption of provisions was astronomical. Relying solely on a fragile supply line, it was simply impossible to sustain a prolonged stay deep within the sea of sand.

Surveying the cavalrymen who had barely managed to equip themselves with metal weapons, Sun Licheng nodded and said to Hunsunabu, "Have everyone exercise utmost caution; the enemy is likely just ahead. Also, bring up the Vanguard Camp."

Hunsunabu nodded, immediately turning his camel around and galloping toward the rear. A moment later, a melodious horn blast echoed through the air, and nearly a hundred camels surged out from the ranks.

These camel cavalrymen differed greatly from the ordinary troops. Each of them wore a half-length bronze breastplate, a simple bronze helmet on their heads, and wielded broad bronze sabers in their hands.

This was the vanguard force specially forged by Sun Licheng for the entire army—the Vanguard Camp.

Even with limited manpower and scarce resources, after outfitting everyone with basic metal weapons, Sun Licheng had used the available bronze and worked alongside the artisans to forge this elite corps of camel cavalry.

As the elite of the entire army, the Vanguard Camp consisted of the sturdiest and strongest men among the Sandmen. Led by Hunsunabu's brother, Oksuba, this was Sun Licheng's crucial trump card for defeating the skeletal army.

Oksuba was naturally valorous, though he had long lived in his older brother's shadow. Now, having become the commander of the Vanguard Camp, he could finally hold his head high.

"That kid—I'm going to go remind him to be careful."

Clark chuckled as he watched the Vanguard Camp shouting and charging forward, then spurred his camel to follow them.

"A bunch of battle-crazed lunatics. Telling others to be careful when I reckon his own heart is already on fire."

Sun Licheng shook his head helplessly. He knew that Clark the Minotaur had been cooped up for far too long. Now that they had finally reached their destination, the minotaur was eager to rush ahead and slaughter a few skeletons to vent the pent-up aggression in his chest.

At that moment, a low rumble shook the earth. Everyone's heart skipped a beat. Raising their eyes, they saw a white torrent pouring out from the pass of the Boulder Mountains—the skeletal army had appeared.

If the thousands of Sandman cavalrymen radiated an unstoppable, iron-clad momentum, the ocean of skeletons appearing before them embodied a terrifying presence capable of swallowing everything whole.

"Why are there so many of them?"

Solomon muttered to himself as he rode his camel.

"Hunsunabu, order the Vanguard Camp to fall back immediately! With so many skeletons, that handful of men in the vanguard has no way to break through their formation!"

Sun Licheng shouted to the man beside him. Acknowledging the order, Hunsunabu spurred his camel and gave chase.

A short while later, the Vanguard Camp led by Oksuba and Clark returned. Brave as they were, even they had been shaken by the sea of skeletons at the pass.

The two sides were already old acquaintances. Although many Sandmen had not yet fought the skeletal army, they had learned a certain amount about these monsters from their comrades. Thus, even when faced with such a vast horde of skeleton soldiers, the morale of the troops remained relatively steady.

As stirring music began to swell above the ranks, Sun Licheng started casting his Heroic power upon the soldiers.

Watching bloodlust, stone skin, and fiery shields gradually manifest around them, Solomon's expression changed utterly.

"Sun Licheng is actually a hero? And a goblin hero at that? Could this fellow be the legendary goblin everyone talks about?"

Solomon asked himself inwardly.

Influenced by the Heroic power, the Sandmen clearly felt their physical capabilities dramatically enhanced, as if a vast reservoir of power lay dormant within their bodies, ready to erupt at any moment.

Having finished casting his Heroic power, Sun Licheng nodded in satisfaction as he surveyed the assembled camel cavalry.

He reined in his camel, cantered from left to right along the front of the formation, then turned and rode back from right to left toward the center, shouting loudly, "Brothers! We have endured countless hardships and traveled here for the sake of the entire Sea of Sand. Now, those skeletons stand in our way, attempting to block us from clearing the underground river and saving the Sea of Sand—do you agree to this?"

"No!"

"We will never agree!"

The Sandman cavalrymen roared back.

"There are so many skeletons ahead. Warriors, I ask you, are you afraid?"

Sun Licheng shouted once more.

"Not afraid!"

The emotions of the Sandman cavalrymen burned hotter by the second.

"Now, I shall lead you, under the radiant glory of His Majesty the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy, to annihilate all enemies who dare to stand in our way. For the entire Sea of Sand, for His Majesty the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy, fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

Sun Licheng suddenly drew his saber, raised it high, and bellowed.

"Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

Driven to a frenzy, the Sandman warriors drew their weapons, beating them against their shields or chests, letting out the most fanatical war cries!

In the distance, the skeletal general could not clearly hear what the Sandmen were shouting, but seeing their morale soar to its absolute peak, he frowned—that is, if he still had eyebrows to frown with.

Having been a hero in his past life, he knew all too well how vital a hero was to an army. Despite the Sandman army numbering just over two thousand strong, bolstered by Heroic power, his tens of thousands of skeletons might not be enough to stop them.

"Master, please hurry over! The situation is far too critical now!"

The skeletal general shouted inwardly while fixing his gaze deep within the Boulder Mountains.