Chapter 38

"Kill!" Without any hesitation, even though the skeletons had limited intelligence, they knew that since Zhou Tian had already set up such an array, it meant he had made up his mind. In that situation, there was no way they could persuade Zhou Tian. Since both sides were bound for a battle, the skeletons naturally didn't bother to waste words with Zhou Tian.

Thus, naturally, when thousands of skeleton warriors rushed out from the bottom of the skeleton cave, they immediately engaged in battle with the half-orc warriors at the cave entrance upon the new skeleton king's order.

Because the strength of the half-orcs and the skeletons was roughly equal at this time, the half-orcs naturally gained an absolute advantage when the two sides clashed.

There were several reasons for this situation. First, Zhou Tian and his group took the initiative, giving them an absolute advantage. Second, Zhou Tian had the Sacrificial Staff, which greatly enhanced their combat power. Additionally, Zhou Tian's resurrection ability allowed his fallen comrades to rejoin the battle, making it impossible for him not to have an advantage.

With all these advantages, even though the skeletons fiercely counterattacked, no matter how hard they tried, they could not break through Zhou Tian's defenses. In this situation, while Zhou Tian and his group were holding off the skeleton attack, the half-orcs outside were continuously annexing the skeleton territory, bringing Zhou Tian closer to victory.

In the end, nothing unexpected happened. First, such unexpected events were rare, and second, the monsters themselves had low intelligence. In this world, strength was everything. If you were strong, you could do whatever you wanted. Conversely, if you were weaker, the monsters would fight to the death but never think of ways to bridge the power gap.

Thus, with Zhou Tian taking the initiative, the situation naturally did not change. After holding off the skeletons for a few hours, Zhou Tian's forces took control of the outer territories of the skeleton clan. Since most of the skeleton clan's territory was outside the cave, the true extent of the skeleton cave was relatively small. When the outer territories were annexed by the half-orcs, the skeleton clan's strength naturally diminished significantly.

Conversely, as the skeleton clan's strength decreased, the half-orcs' strength increased. With this increase and no decrease, the half-orcs, who already had an absolute advantage, naturally had no problem winning.

In the end, as the gap in strength between the two sides widened, the skeletons realized that despite their numerical advantage, they could not defeat Zhou Tian. Though they were unwilling to admit it, they knew that their defeat was only a matter of time.

Undoubtedly, the skeleton clan was unwilling to accept this situation. Even though they knew that surrendering was the best choice, not a single skeleton from top to bottom had any intention of surrendering. Unable to match Zhou Tian's forces, the skeletons gritted their teeth and, instead of breaking through, retreated into the skeleton cave.

Frowning, Zhou Tian had not expected the skeleton clan to react this way. After forcing the skeleton clan into this situation, he had already considered them as fish in a barrel. But now, even with a clear advantage, he did not expect the skeletons to be so ungrateful. Knowing that he would face more trouble, Zhou Tian's mood naturally worsened.

However, regardless of his mood, Zhou Tian had already taken things this far and would not show mercy because of his relationship with the skeleton clan. Thus, when the skeleton clan retreated, Zhou Tian did not hesitate and immediately ordered a pursuit.

"Chase the defeated enemy to the bitter end; do not be like the overlord who spares his enemies for fame." Zhou Tian would not give the skeleton clan any chance to catch their breath. After all, much of his success in this battle was due to the element of surprise. While he could surprise the skeletons this time, there was no guarantee he could do so in the future. Since he had the upper hand, Zhou Tian planned to finish the battle in one go.

When Zhou Tian and his forces pursued, the progress was surprisingly smooth, even surprising Zhou Tian.

The skeletons probably never imagined they would be in such a dire situation. Thus, they had made no preparations for defeat. In this situation, when they were suddenly defeated and pursued by the enemy, how could they possibly cope?

As a result, under Zhou Tian's pursuit, the skeleton clan organized some resistance, but due to the significant power gap, their efforts were ineffective. In less than a day, Zhou Tian had taken control of the first level of the skeleton cave.

The skeleton cave, as the main base of the skeleton clan, had many members but was not very large. Not only did it not occupy a large portion of the skeleton clan's territory, but it also had only two levels. With Zhou Tian taking the first level, the skeleton clan members were forced into their last territory.

Losing almost all their territory, the skeleton clan's strength was severely weakened. Meanwhile, Zhou Tian's forces gained strength by annexing the skeleton clan's territory. In reality, the half-orcs and the skeleton clan were no longer on the same level.

Originally, given the current situation, Zhou Tian should have had no difficulty taking the skeleton clan. However, what should have been a sure thing unexpectedly faced significant challenges.

Just as the half-orcs, despite being weaker, could trap the skeleton clan in the skeleton cave, in the battle for the first level, the skeleton clan, lacking advantages and being weaker, were easily defeated by Zhou Tian.

However, when the skeleton clan retreated to the second level, using the same principle, even with a significant power gap, they stubbornly held back Zhou Tian's half-orc warriors.