Chapter 392: Vigorous Preparation for Battle

Head Creation Spell.

Head Creation Spell.

Head Creation Spell…

Cang Xu entered the ship's hold and remained there for the next two days, never stepping outside as he processed the undead materials in his hands.

Frequent invocations of the Head Creation Spell produced one death head after another in his grasp.

These skulls were all monkey heads, sourced from the battle before. In that engagement, the necromancers had joined forces to wipe out a pack of sharp-clawed water monkeys. Everyone had reaped substantial rewards.

To secure sufficient necromancy materials, Cang Xu had exhausted his entire stock of sailfish skulls.

It was a gamble he had no choice but to take.

The reason was that his gold level sailfish death head was already beyond use, on the verge of destruction.

“Sigh, I lost the gamble...”

Cang Xu's face was pale, his spirit exhausted. Staring at the newly crafted death heads, his heart was filled with bitterness.

He had obtained a total of five silver level water monkey skulls, over thirty iron level ones, and more than sixty bronze level ones.

The death head now produced contained only one silver level water monkey skull, seventeen iron level ones, and fifty six bronze level ones.

While bronze level and iron level were plentiful, silver level was scarce—only one.

Two were barely sufficient, but one was truly too few!

This was the world of the strong.

Bronze level and iron level were expendable; only gold level served as the true pillars.

Unfortunately, Cang Xu no longer possessed any gold level death heads. Only one gold level Ghost Seed Head remained, devoid of any recorded undead spells.

“Sacrificing a gold level skull and an entire sailfish school for this meager return—my combat strength has diminished rather than increased.”

As Cang Xu sighed, he examined the quantities of skulls across tiers and discerned certain patterns.

“The success rate of skull crafting decreases with each level.”

“Bronze level water monkey death head has over 80% success rate. Iron level approaches 50%. By silver level, the success rate dropped to just 20%.”

The success rate of the Head Creation Spell was intrinsically linked to one's alchemy prowess.

Cang Xu suffered from this limitation, squandering vast quantities of undead materials for meager returns.

“Alchemy... alchemy...”

Cang Xu muttered incessantly to himself.

He felt utterly helpless.

His innate talent was lacking, his alchemy skill rudimentary—he was practically a novice.

Fortunately, he wasn't alone; companions stood by his side.

“Xu Jia, you finished too?” Xiao Wang Zi greeted Cang Xu as he stepped onto the deck.

A large group of water monkey skeletons followed Xiao Wang Zi.

Ku Feng practiced elsewhere, relentlessly swinging his blade.

Qing Xin approached and informed Cang Xu he was the last to finish post-battle recuperation.

Among this group, Qing Xin and Cang Xu shared the closest bond.

Cang Xu hadn't spotted Jian Gui, but moments later, his voice echoed: “Since Xu Jia is ready, we shall proceed.”

Though the ghost ship hadn't launched any attacks during this period, Jian Gui had continuously scouted the surroundings, identifying numerous viable targets.

Moments later, the ghost ship dove deep, intruding into the territory of a beast pack and once again facing an assault from a water monkey horde.

Jian Gui's decision to target the water monkeys was a prudent choice.

Such foes were no strangers to the necromancers.

Skeletons clustered around the ship's sides, unleashing continuous volleys upon the water monkeys.

The undead ronin charged from the deck into the depths, single-handedly breaking through the ranks and swiftly slaying numerous sharp-clawed water monkeys.

Over time, he had grown accustomed to the underwater environment, developing considerable proficiency in aquatic combat.

It must be said that undead, needing no air to breathe, faced no significant barriers in developing aquatic combat skills.

Cang Xu commanded the death heads to divide the water monkey horde.

The leader of this group was only silver level. Cang Xu deployed a silver level death head to successfully disrupt the leader's commands, leaving a portion of the water monkeys disoriented and confused.

Iron level and bronze level death heads drifted freely, colliding with or gnawing at the flesh of healthy water monkeys.

During their charge, many water monkeys were already felled by the water monkey skeleton archers.

Ku Feng grew bolder with each clash, charging directly at the water monkey leader. This left the latter overwhelmed and unable to command the horde.

Cang Xu seized the moment, deploying a silver level death head to intimidate the horde, forcibly recruiting a contingent of living water monkeys to his cause.

Finally, Jian Gui intervened once more through the ghost ship, unleashing a gold level spell that instantly killed 70% of the water monkeys.

Shattered by this devastating blow, the horde immediately disintegrated.

The water monkey leader, sensing the enemy's gold level aura, shrieked in terror and fled first.

Ku Feng couldn't pursue it. Though he possessed some naval combat skills, his speed couldn't match that of the water monkey leader desperately fleeing for its life.

“Watch this!” Xiao Wang Zi shouted, snapping off his index finger bone and hurling it forward.

Mid-air, the bone instantly reassembled into a bone spear.

The spear flew with blinding speed, piercing the water monkey leader with deadly precision and ending its life.

The necromancers began clearing the battlefield.

This water monkey pack proved far weaker than any they'd encountered before. Only one silver level leader existed—no gold level.

Victory came easily to the necromancers, though their spoils were significantly reduced.

Jian Gui cast a Soul Summoning Spell, replenishing the ranks of water monkey spirits.

Ku Feng remained unsatisfied.

Xiao Wang Zi reaped the greatest rewards, having slain the water monkey leader, whose head became his spoils.

Of course, Ku Feng also claimed a small portion.

Cang Xu approached Xiao Wang Zi, proposing to purchase the water monkey leader's head.

“Sure,” Xiao Wang Zi countered, “I'm quite interested in your Flying Head Spell.”

Cang Xu shook his head with a bitter smile. "The Flying Head Spell isn't available for trade anytime soon."

Beyond that, however, he possessed little else that might catch Xiao Wang Zi's eye.

Nearly all his wealth lay within his storage pouch, lost along with his body.

His current body was provided free of charge by other necromancers.

Even his basic materials were acquired on credit.

Ship Ghost and others, including Qing Xin, were his creditors.

Nearly everything he'd accumulated along the way had been squandered—a few became death heads, most simply consumed.

Cang Xu had demonstrated some of Flying Head Spell's power, tempting Xiao Wang Zi.

But since Cang Xu refused to trade it, Xiao Wang Zi could only decline.

When Cang Xu attempted negotiation, he met with Xiao Wang Zi's contempt: “You still owe me money. Pay up first, then we'll talk.”

Even among comrades, aid had its limits.

Past support for Cang Xu had been charity; now that he could stand on his own, Xiao Wang Zi and his crew preferred Cang Xu to earn resources and settle his debts first.

After a brief rest and clearing the battlefield, the ghost ship pressed onward.

Soon, they clashed again with a horde of sea beasts.

Over the course of the day, they engaged in no fewer than ten battles, large and small. Though the necromancers suffered losses, their gains were greater, and their combat strength grew significantly.

Sustaining themselves through battle, their fighting prowess increased. The necromancer faction's advantage was now undeniably evident.

The necromancers had yet to discover Qi Ling or even traces of her anywhere. They continued reconnaissance while actively preparing for battle, ready to face any unexpected or dire situation.