Seeing the scene before him, Lin Xiao’s heart lurched violently.
Clearly, this was an army, a force composed entirely of skeletons, numbering well over ten thousand.
This skeleton army was probably similar to the three hundred skeleton cavalry he had encountered earlier.
They possessed no vital energy, no imprint of power, yet they could launch attacks and coordinate perfectly.
Most likely, these were abilities retained from the habits of their living days.
Their combat strength, however, was utterly terrifying. Three hundred cavalry alone had been able to unleash power equivalent to eighth or ninth-layer Martial Emperors.
If these ten thousand troops attacked together, just how horrifying would that force be?
Lin Xiao’s expression instantly grew complicated.
His first thought was of their terrifying might.
At the same time, he recalled the method he had used to control the skeleton cavalry.
As long as he controlled the leading skeleton, he could command the entire unit.
If he could control the leader of these ten thousand troops, he would gain control over the whole skeleton army.
If he truly commanded an army of over ten thousand skeletons, how terrifying would his overall battle strength become?
Even Lin Xiao himself could scarcely imagine it.
Yet precisely because this skeleton army was so terrifying, danger now loomed over him. Even though he had stepped into the Martial Emperor realm, facing this army he would probably be annihilated in a single strike.
What should he do?
In that instant, countless thoughts raced through Lin Xiao’s mind.
His first idea was the Undying Skeleton Technique.
When he had used the Undying Skeleton Technique against the skeleton cavalry before, merely emitting evil aura and power had been useless against them.
Only by imprinting his power directly into the skeleton had they immediately frozen.
That was the experience he had gained from imprinting the cavalry leader.
But to use the Undying Skeleton Technique and brand his evil power, he had to make physical contact with the army’s leader.
He no longer even had his Void Heavenly Phoenix Wings. How was he supposed to get close to that skeleton commander?
Never mind how strong the leader itself might be, there were ten thousand troops behind it. If he charged in and the entire army suddenly attacked, would he not die on the spot?
“Those skeleton cavalry only engaged in close combat unless someone attacked first. Might this army give me a chance to approach?”
Lin Xiao wondered.
If they preferred close combat, he would have an opportunity to brand his evil power. But if the branding failed or had no effect, once the army closed in he would find it extremely difficult to escape. Being entangled would only make things worse.
Still, comparatively speaking, letting the army march closer on its own and then rushing into their midst for close-quarters fighting might force them to hold back, which could actually be safer.
A ranged attack from all of them at once would concentrate far too much power.
The biggest question was whether they would fight at close range at all.
What if they suddenly launched a long-distance assault?
After all, the skeleton cavalry had been merely a cavalry unit. Their tactics could not represent an entire army’s tactics, nor could they represent the tactics of every army.
Who knew what tactics this force of ten thousand skeletons preferred?
Lin Xiao was now truly worried. Although they were still some distance away, he dared not move. The moment he did, they would probably attack.
“Right, that skeleton palm was able to suppress the Yin Demon. I wonder if it can control these skeletons as well?”
Another thought struck Lin Xiao.
The Yin Demon had existed for countless years, a terrifying demonic entity, yet even it feared the skeleton palm.
When these skeletons were still alive, had they also feared the owner of that skeleton palm, or at least known its origin and felt dread?
If they had feared it in life, then after death their bones might retain that instinctive fear.
Some things were engraved into one’s very bones.
Just like these skeletons, who could still fight after death, very likely driven by the combat habits they had in life.
Of course, this was only Lin Xiao’s speculation.
But at a moment like this, he had no choice but to try. Apart from waiting for them to draw near, he had no other option.
At that point, Lin Xiao quietly took the skeleton palm out from his storage ring.
He then channelled a faint trace of spiritual power, controlling the skeleton palm and preparing to make it drift slowly forward.
Yet right at that moment, the commander of the ten thousand troops suddenly halted first. Immediately afterwards, every skeleton soldier behind took one more step and stopped in perfect unison.
The entire army came to an instant standstill.
Then, the skeleton commander lowered its skull, dropped to one knee, and knelt in distant reverence towards Lin Xiao.
Following that, all the other skeleton soldiers also dropped to one knee, weapons planted on the ground, kneeling in perfect order.
Lin Xiao was stunned, wild joy instantly flooding his face.
He had only been trying his luck, never expecting it to actually work.
Over ten thousand skeletons, all kneeling to him?
These were mere bones; he could not see their expressions. He did not know whether this was out of fear, submission, or the loyal obedience one showed to a superior.
But from the way they lowered their heads, it looked far more like submission, as though they were surrendering.
Lin Xiao did not overthink the reason. Whatever the cause, they were kneeling to the skeleton palm, and that was enough.
As long as they knelt, he could almost certainly bring them under control.
The moment he imprinted his evil power into the commander’s bones, the entire army would be his.
“They aren’t kneeling because of me, but because of this skeleton palm, right?”
A random worry suddenly popped into Lin Xiao’s head.
Even so, he did not dare retract the skeleton palm. Instead, he slowly flew it forward.
The entire army remained perfectly still. Lin Xiao kept the skeleton palm floating in front of him and cautiously approached, landing before the commander.
He controlled the skeleton palm to hover, then carefully reached out towards the commander’s skull and gently placed his own hand upon it.
Fortunately, the skeleton did not move.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Xiao activated the Undying Skeleton Technique and began the imprinting process.
The moment he started imprinting, the commander shuddered once, then froze completely, motionless.
“It worked?”
Lin Xiao thought to himself.
Last time, imprinting evil power into the cavalry leader had instantly stopped its actions. Was the same thing happening now?
After all, these skeletons all obeyed a single master.
To test this, Lin Xiao tried putting the skeleton palm away.
Sure enough, the skeleton army did not move at all.
He then continued the imprinting. After a while, seeing no skeletons react, Lin Xiao lowered his guard and focused fully on branding the combat skeleton.
The bone quality of this commander was countless times better and far harder to imprint than the cavalry leader’s had been. Even with his increased strength, it remained extremely difficult.
This branding process took Lin Xiao more than half a month before he finally succeeded, turning the skeleton commander into a fully branded combat skeleton.
Regardless of the commander’s own original strength, the power Lin Xiao had imprinted alone was equivalent to a ninth-layer Martial Emperor.
With that, Lin Xiao had completely gained control of the commander, and thus of the entire army.
The combined might of these ten thousand troops would undoubtedly be terrifying.
Naturally, the process of creating a combat skeleton also served as training for the Undying Skeleton Technique, and Lin Xiao’s mastery of the technique advanced further.
