Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 273 - 240: Another Devouring Evolution, Explosive Power Surge!

Fang Zhou raised the Corpse Long Spear in his hand and gently prodded the mutated zombie’s chest.

The mutated zombie’s only response was a weak hiss, its voice filled with hatred for the powerful enemy before it.

Since this rare mutated zombie had lost its ability to resist, Fang Zhou decided to attempt a bold move. He activated his [Skeleton Monarch] skill. He wanted to use the monarch’s commanding power over the undead of the Skeleton Series to enslave this extremely rare mutated zombie.

He focused his mind on the mutated zombie, attempting to establish a Soul Chain to control the powerful being.

However, Fang Zhou’s efforts seemed to achieve no effect. No matter how he tried, the Soul Chain was like a line cast into a bottomless abyss, receiving no response. The mutated zombie’s soul remained indestructible, unaffected by Fang Zhou’s will.

After numerous attempts, Fang Zhou still failed to enslave the mutated zombie.

Meanwhile, the mutated zombie began to gradually recover from its injuries. It had some intelligence, but it was clearly not advanced.

Even though it was surrounded, its life and death in Fang Zhou’s hands, the mutated zombie was oblivious to its doom. It still bared its teeth and roared loudly at him.

Hatred flickered in its eyes. The soul fluctuations it transmitted still pulsed with a wild ferocity, showing no sign of submission.

The mutated zombie’s reaction made Fang Zhou realize that even the power of the [Skeleton Monarch] couldn’t conquer such an unruly existence.

He gently shook his skull, the look of helplessness particularly evident on his skeletal face.

His [Skeleton Monarch] skill was a talent skill that had evolved under the blessing of the Undead Blood Moon. This evolution occurred when his skeleton clone’s four-dimensional attributes all reached ten points—the pinnacle for a weak, Apprentice-level undead creature like a skeleton. Afterward, the clone broke through its racial bottleneck and advanced to become a Black Iron-level Skeleton Warrior.

Furthermore, Fang Zhou’s main body had to use and hone the [Summon Skeleton] skill countless times until it finally reached [Instinct]-level proficiency. Only then could he use it to cultivate the clone, which perfected the [Skeleton Monarch] skill’s enslavement effect on skeletons.

Reasoning from this, if Fang Zhou wanted to bestow the skeleton clone with the ability to control zombies, his main body first needed to ascend to the Black Iron level and also raise the proficiency of the higher-tier Undead Mage skill [Summon Zombie] to the same "Instinct" level.

This was undoubtedly a long and arduous path.

Now, facing the intelligent mutated zombie before him, Fang Zhou had a tough choice to make. He had to kill it, turning it into fuel for his own advancement.

Having made his decision, the Soul Fire within Fang Zhou’s skull suddenly blazed more fiercely, his greed and appetite undisguised.

He slowly raised the razor-sharp Corpse Long Spear in his hand, pressing the spear tip tightly against the mutated zombie’s throat and transmitting a final, cold intent through the icy bones.

"Submit, or die."

However, for these low-level undead creatures, the concept of death simply didn’t exist in their consciousness. Even though this mutated zombie had acquired some low-level intelligence, it still retained the terrifying trait of the Zombie Race that disregards the threat of death.

Its eyes showed no fear, only primitive ferocity.

Seeing no sign of submission, Fang Zhou hesitated no longer.

The Corpse Long Spear in his hand pushed forward, steadily and firmly. It pierced through the mutated zombie’s throat, ending the brief yet inevitable confrontation.

CHUNK.

A sound like a knife striking tough leather echoed.

Having lost its limbs, the mutated zombie was completely immobilized and could only struggle feebly. In the end, Fang Zhou pierced its throat and gently ground the Soul Fire hidden in its skull to pieces. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Soul Power +150."

Fang Zhou was somewhat surprised and twitched his brow bones slightly. He hadn’t expected this. Besides its astonishing combat power, the mutated zombie also possessed abundant latent Soul Power, far exceeding that of ordinary lower-level Black Iron zombies.

Perhaps it’s because it possessed some degree of intelligence, Fang Zhou speculated.

The soul structure of undead creatures was vastly different from that of ordinary living beings. Their souls were simpler, lacking the complexity of life. However, the sprout of wisdom required soil. For the undead, this soil was Soul Power.

The reason the mutated zombie could possess some intelligence must be that it had accumulated a large amount of Soul Power, enough to support a complex thought structure. This was the only way to explain why there was such a large influx of Soul Power from killing the mutated zombie.

Upon understanding this, Fang Zhou developed an unprecedented interest in undead creatures with intelligence.

Even if he couldn’t subdue them as loyal servants to fight monsters and level up for him, just fighting them and seizing their Soul Power was a tempting enough prospect.

Fang Zhou looked maliciously at the oblivious Tidamia beside him. If he found this mutated Skeleton Warrior daring to slack off like Bai Xiaochan, he would skin it, break its bones, and devour it.

As if sensing its master’s cold thoughts, a bone-deep chill washed through Tidamia’s soul.

Its hollow eye sockets turned toward Fang Zhou. The Soul Fire within them trembled slightly, making it look rather pitiable.