Chapter 1099: Chapter 1099

Having learned of the Quicksand Empire’s intentions, Du You had abandoned his previous plan. Initially, Du You had wanted to use strategic depth, luring the enemy in step by step before eliminating them layer by layer.

It was much like peeling an onion, bit by bit, until the enemy ventured deep inland, where they could then be worn down to death.

In this way, his own forces would suffer minimal losses, and it would be the safest and easiest method. Both the cost of the effort and the risk of revealing his strength would be reduced to the bare minimum.

However, it was no longer feasible, as allowing them to enter his own territory would result in heavy losses to his land.

He did not currently have the architecture to restore the natural environment, nor was his territory capable of impacting such a vast area. He certainly couldn’t wait until his own land had turned into a desert before realizing something was wrong.

"So next, what we basically need to do is keep the enemy within the desert. As long as they don’t penetrate deep into our land, there shouldn’t be any problems," Du You determined his strategic direction.

"Indeed, the Divine Flame Empire is thinking the same. It is said that they’ve already sent people to negotiate with the northern races that were attacked. This matter is severe, not just the affair of a single country, everyone has to contribute."

Upon hearing that the Divine Flame Empire was reaching out to the north, Du You felt relieved. "Then I cannot fall behind. I will contact the Krus Empire as well, to have them take precautions early. Whether they know about this issue or not, informing them can never be wrong."

If such a large central empire claimed utter ignorance, Du You would not believe it; regardless, he still had to inform them. After all, they were an empire, and quite a powerful one at that.

Since his own strength was inferior, for the time being he had to bow down, foster relationships, and wait for the day he could stand tall at the empire’s height.

Shaliya nodded slightly, indicating she understood. After discussing for a while, they disconnected their communication.

"Master, what shall we do next?" Lin Yucha asked the same question.

"We’ve reached the edge, we can’t keep retreating. If we face the Sand People’s main army with our full strength, we’ll probably have to reveal much more."

"Let’s set up traps then, they worked well this time," Lin Yushi suggested.

Lin Yucha shook her head, "No, we can’t do it the same way. If it’s the same kind of traps, the people from the Quicksand Empire are bound to notice them. Plus, the next ones coming will surely include Quicksand Priests, and they are Magic-class."

Du You nodded, her point was valid, although traps were the best means to weaken the enemy.

"Still, let’s set traps, but we’ll change our method, covering one large trap with another large trap," Du You explained his idea, and the two of them understood.

Next, Du You began to cast the King of Skeletons spell on the spot, waving his hand, sending a slew of black dots flying out, which landed on the dry corpses. The already dry bodies on the ground became even drier and then started to burn. Soon, black skeletons began to rise from the corpses, which were Demonic Flame Skeletons.

After these skeletons were born, they began collecting the bodies around them, moving the corpses to Du You’s front. Du You activated Dark Spirit Light, restoring energy while summoning, and quickly, numerous skeletons were born.

"The quality of these Sand People Soldiers is really poor," Du You muttered while summoning.

There was no helping it, apart from the elite, other Sand People were merely civilians driven over, in a state of rampant reproduction, these civilians were nothing more than tools to help them capture territory, convenient for subsequent Sandification. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩

Du You had performed Sandification many times, with the Death Scorpion possessing such a capability. Even the Sand People themselves had it, although weaker, as natural regenerative abilities could quickly reverse it.

But this time, the special potions they used along with the rituals made a difference, resulting in large swathes of Sandification. If left unchecked, the Sand People could turn an entire empire into desert for humans to see.

Since the plan was to keep the Sand People within the desert, this place was ideal. Surrounded by yellow sand, most troops simply weren’t suited to this environment. Even living here for an extended period could cause problems.

But Du You’s skeletons were different; these beings were Undead. Saying they were unaffected by desert conditions was an understatement; even if thrown into outer space, they would not face any problems. It’s just that their dark element flames might cause issues in places rich in the Light Element or underwater. Now, in this location, the skeletons could exhibit their normal fighting prowess.

What frustrated Du You was the poor quality of these Sand People and Desert Wolves corpses. Many didn’t even possess a tier, not even reaching the first tier. The skeletons he summoned could only be tierless as well.

These tierless skeletons lacked even dark flames, sporting nothing but a gray-white body. If exposed under the sandy wind for too long, Du You worried the wind and sand might destroy these fragile skeletons.

Similarly, he was frustrated with the third and fourth-tier and above corpses; the summoned skeletons could only reach level 21, and not higher. Owing to their skeletal nature, they might be able to combat Quicksand Soldiers between levels 23 and 24 in close quarters, but they were no match for those of the fourth or even fifth tier, which felt like a waste of corpses.

Du You knew that, after all, he was not an Undead Mage; he had simply modified an Undead Summoning spell.

The real force to hold back the enemy were not these skeletons, but he himself and his soldiers.

"Alright, bury them here, and we will wait for new information," Du You commanded, and the skeletons buried themselves at the mountain pass. Or, it might be more accurate to say they burrowed into the sand below.

When the enemy arrived, having them stand up would be sufficient. Soon, under the concealment of the sandstorm, nothing could be seen on the surface. This time, Du You had created a hundred thousand skeletons, regrettably, most of which were tierless.

Du You didn’t leave either, instead settling down near the mountain range. Meanwhile, some soldiers from the rear also moved up. The elite scouts from the territory had already dashed deep into the desert to inspect the environment.

A few days later, Shaliya informed Du You that the Divine Flame Empire had sent an envoy to ask if he needed assistance.

But after considering, Du You worried that these envoys might discover something during the fight, so he declined. He believed that after this war, in time, he wouldn’t have to worry about the Divine Flame Empire any longer. By then, his power would be sufficient to demand respect from the great empires and deter any thoughts they might have of confronting him.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, several days had passed, and the Quicksand Empire’s army had finally arrived.