Let's go, and you may continue your ambush for the next target.
It's that simple.
Not so simple, Momu retorted, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
It seems you have a target.
Why not take us along for share the spoils? Gray Bear's demeanor soured further, though she might usually dismiss Momu.
Engaging him in conflict now would be unwise.
He was prepared, and time was not on her side.
As she hesitated, a tremendous shadow swept overhead, accompanied by the sound of rapid footsteps approaching from behind.
The black sword, wielding a black sword and shield, led a horde of skeletal soldiers swiftly towards them.
"Grey bear, why do you linger here?" the black sword inquired.
His brow furrowed in confusion upon spotting Grey Bear.
"Master Blacksword, these individuals are blocking our path.
" Demanding a toll for passage, she explained, gesturing towards Momu and his men.
The Black Sword glanced at Momu, who was slowly retreating with a cacophony of rattling bones.
The skeletal soldiers encircled the mountain bandits.
"Nay, that is not the case.
Gray bear, you may pass.
The road belongs to no one.
All may tread upon it," Mom stammered, his legs trembling in fear as he spoke.
Before them loomed a towering undead giant, reaching nearly 3 m in height, accompanied by a skeletal mage brandishing a staff.
In that moment, it was clear that they were far beyond their capacity to confront.
He was unaware of why the grizzly bears referred to the undead as gentlemen.
Yet, he comprehended that his newly reformed companions were no match for these specters.
Moreover, the howling figures soaring through the sky appeared to be of the same undead ilk.
The hollow gaze of the black sword fixated on Momu and the others in the distance, and with an air of detachment, he uttered a single command, "Kill.
" In an instant, the skeletal trolls charged into the throng, their weapons cleaving toward the mountain bandits.
These individuals were merely a disorganized assembly of fleeing briggins, lacking cohesion and thus unable to muster any formidable fighting spirit.
Upon hearing the undead prepared strike, some had already turned to flee.
Those who remained possessed little combat prowess.
Amidst the anguished cries, the skirmish lasted a mere 5 minutes.
"Advance!" the black sword instructed.
understood.
The grizzly nodded, disregarding the fallen corpses as he led his group onward towards their objective.
After another half hour of travel upon their arrival, Fong Ho and the others had already been waiting at the edge of the rocky grove.
Ahead lay a stone path leading up to the mountain side.
The rugged surface was adorned with a chaotic arrangement of humanoid stone pillars, each varied in form, standing 2 m tall, with some isolated while others clustered in small groups.
This scene evoked memories for Fong.
How of the Moai statues he had once seen on television from the enigmatic Easter Island.
Chapter 322.
The Rolling Stones fear.
The stone statues towered approximately 2 m high, characterized by their large heads and stout bodies.
Distinct limbs and body parts were discernible.
Fong How fixated upon these statues, yet discerned no information from them.
Were they not monsters? He had previously encountered stone elements and stone golems, as well as a giant toad masquerading as stone, but had never before encountered such a stout, large-headed stone figure.
Even without the ability to ascertain their attributes at present, Fong Hao was not inclined to consider them mere ordinary stones.
The possibility of a camouflage ability could not be dismissed.
Just as he had been unable to discern the attributes of the stone patterned giant toad while it was cloaked as a stone, only its movement or aggression revealed its true nature.
At that moment, Gray Bear and Black Sword, accompanied by their entourage, hurried over from short distance away.
The state of the undead troops appeared relatively commendable.
The mountain bandits trailing behind gay bear were disheveled, their garments flapping open, weapons dangling loosely, and they puffed heavily, resembling retreating soldiers.
"My lord, we encountered mountain bandits along the way, which delayed us somewhat," Gray Bear explained slightly out of breath.
"Fong Ha," perched upon in Ja's shoulder, nodded slightly.
"You all may rest for a while," he instructed Gray Bear.
"Thank you, my lord.
" Great bear expressed his gratitude, then turned to his subordinates and commanded, "Rest in place.
Remain vigilant.
" Following this, he rejoined the ranks.
Fong Hao then directed his gaze toward Black Sword, softly inquiring, "Black sword, have you ever seen such stone beings?" After surveying the stone statues ahead, Black Sword shook his head, "My lord, I have never encountered similar stone beings.
" It appeared that neither in Jia nor Blacks sword had seen such entities before, leading to the conclusion that they were either not monsters or merely uncommon creatures.
Very well, let us regroup and venture forth shortly, Fongo commanded.
Yes, my lord.
On this expedition, they had brought along 10 skeletal dragons and 67 undead troops, comprising 20 skeletal warriors, 27 skeletal trolls, 10 skeletal archers, and 10 undead mages.
In fact, the 10 skeletal dragons were sufficient to eliminate typical wilderness foes.
Unless, as in the previous concealed cave incident, they needed to delve deeper into the cavern with a skeletal dragon's breath would be ineffective against the adversaries, necessitating the involvement of the remaining troops in battle.
Black Sword commenced directing the undead soldiers, swiftly organizing them into formation.
Gray Bear, without needing a reminder, urged his men to dawn their armor and arrange themselves as orderly as possible.
"Evance," Black Sword commanded, prompting the undead soldiers to begin their forward march.
As they entered the valley, the sound of iron boots striking the hard ground echoed rhythmically.
Upon reaching a distance of 5 m from the stone beings, the entire formation halted, refraining from entering the grove of stone statues.
Did those stone beings just move? And Jia suddenly interjected concurrently.
A commotion arose from the mountain bandits at the rear with some claiming to have seen the stone figures turn their heads.
Following in Jia's direction, Fong Hao gazed and also perceived an anomaly.
The stone beings previously displaying a variety of shapes now appear to be orienting their faces towards him and his entourage as if observing their movements.
It seems that these stone figures harbor some issues.
The skeletal dragons with their deathly breath are positioned 5 m away, a sufficient distance for a lethal attack.
Upon hearing Fong How's command, 10 skeletal dragons arranged themselves in a fan shape facing the stone beings.
Their elongated necks stretched forward, gathering the essence of deathly breath.
With a thunderous roar, 10 pillars of black light surged forth, sweeping towards the densely clustered stone figures.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The foremost stone figure erupted instantly, transforming into a multitude of tiny fragments.
The stone figures behind, while not exploding began to tremble.
The white stone eyeballs rotated up and down, revealing pitch black pupils, and soon after, the bodies of the stone beings began to move.
They curled into tight balls, morphing into gigantic stone orbs that rolled towards the ranks.
Shield formation.
The black sword commanded loudly.
The skeletal warriors raised their beast head heavy shields before them, stacking the shields to form an impenetrable iron wall.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Dozens of stone orbs rolled swiftly down the mountain path, crashing into the sturdy shield formation.
Breaching into the ranks behind, they transformed once more into large-headed stone figures, swinging their stone fist to strike at the undead soldiers.
Greystone Man, level 8.
Greystone Man, level seven.
At this moment, Fongghao also discerned the attributes of these stone beings.
In accordance with their size, they were predominantly at levels of seven and eight.
The limbs of the Greystone men could be wielded as weapons, relentlessly pummeling their surroundings.
In an instant, several archers and mages sustained casualties.
The archers and mages retreated, encircled by the skeletal trolls.
Fonggho issued a loud command.
Upon receiving the order, the skeletal archers and necromancers began to retreat, creating sufficient distance to continue their assault.
Meanwhile, the skeletal trolls, in accordance with Fong Ho's instructions, surrounded a Greystone man in groups of three or four.
Their pickaxes and spike clubs struck the Greystone man, sending sparks flying.
Fong Hao counted roughly.
There were 74 gray stone men while the previously dense stone forest of the mountains base lay eerily empty.