167: Summoning monsters

It was indeed difficult to find him alone, but fortunately, Chen Ming could effortlessly release ten thousand Undead Zombies for a carpet search without any pressure.

Countless Undead lurked in the shadows, completely blending with the environment, spreading out.

Even if you looked closely, you still wouldn't find them.

Leaving the search for the Man to the Undead, Chen Ming himself strolled through this Secret Realm rainforest, constantly vigilant against monsters that might jump out from the nearby grass and ambush him.

As soon as he finished speaking, the danger perception alert followed closely behind.

Chen Ming promptly retracted his foot that hadn't yet landed. He could clearly see a transparent Wind Blade swiftly passing before his eyes.

The scene he saw became slightly distorted for a moment.

Turning his head, his gaze sharp, following the direction from which the Wind Blade had come, Chen Ming saw a giant Mutated Mantis hidden among the large-leafed, unknown plants.

It was significantly taller than Chen Ming and also more robust.

If it didn't attack proactively and chose to remain still, it would be difficult to detect its presence. It perfectly blended with the environment, its entire body emerald green, serving as natural camouflage.

The Mutated Mantis folded its scythe-like arms like a folding knife, then assumed a posture of readiness.

Slightly adjusting its direction, it locked onto Chen Ming. Like a switchblade, the moment its scythe-like arms sprang out, they compressed the air, creating an attack similar to a Wind Blade.

Compared to the sharpness of a Wind Blade that could cut through iron like mud, the air compressed by the Mutated Mantis was more akin to the force of a punch than a blade slash.

If hit, although it wouldn't cause a wound, at least several bones would break. The force would penetrate the flesh, constantly intensifying the pain, instantly incapacitating the target and effectively completing the predation.

The rainforest had a wide variety of animals, so Chen Ming was not surprised to see a Mantis.

He easily used prediction to dodge the Wind Punch.

Bang!

This time, after being dodged by Chen Ming, the Wind Punch hit a relatively short tree two or three meters away.

With a tearing sound, the tree trunk split open, wet sawdust flew everywhere, leaving a terrifying pit.

Seeing the power of that strike, Chen Ming decisively changed his mind. If an ordinary person took that hit head-on, it would be far more than just breaking a few bones.

They would die! They would die one hundred percent!

However, Chen Ming was not an ordinary person.

S-Rank [Mind Control] triggered, like an invisible large hand, completely controlling the Mutated Mantis, lifting it into the air.

The Mutated Mantis roared and struggled desperately, still trying to extend its scythe-like arms.

Chen Ming clenched his five fingers, and its entire body was forcefully twisted and exploded!

Blood mixed with unknown internal organs sprayed onto the surrounding flowers, plants, and tree trunks.

[Successfully killed Mutated Mantis! Congratulations, Host has obtained Silver Treasure Chest +1!]

"Can monsters that drop Silver Treasure Chests appear in an S-Class Secret Realm Dungeon? This span is really large..."

Chen Ming complained while starting to steal skills and extract Undead.

[Stealing in progress...]

[Stealing successful! Congratulations, Host has obtained C-Rank skill Gale Compression, C-Rank skill Charged Slash, and C-Rank skill Pounce!]

[Extracting in progress...]

[Extraction successful! Congratulations, Host has obtained new Undead Servant: Mutated Mantis +1!]

The large span in monster levels did not diminish Chen Ming's vigilance.

This precisely indicated that this Secret Realm Dungeon was vast and contained more monsters than before!

"Looks like I didn't win the lottery this time."

Upon seeing the plump, swollen abdomen at first glance, Chen Ming thought that horsehair worms would burst out of the Mutated Mantis's belly.

Facts proved that it was so swollen simply because it had been eating too well.

"Strange, the Resource Map still can't find that guy's presence. Could it be that he used some kind of invisibility item?"

After Chen Ming re-selected, the monsters lurking in various parts of the forest were displayed densely and without concealment on the map.

Just as he had thought beforehand, there were many! Very many!

There were monsters of various levels, mainly a chaotic mix.

One second he might encounter an E-Rank monster, and the next second, it was very likely an A-Rank!

Thinking of this, there was a completely new explanation for why the Man hadn't appeared on the Resource Map.

That is, after being stripped of his skills, he was brutally killed and completely devoured by monsters shortly after escaping into this forest, leaving not even a speck of bone residue.

"Tsk, what a pity."

While sighing, Chen Ming did not recall the ten thousand Undead Zombies he had released. Until he had carefully confirmed, everything was just speculation, not enough to make him completely give up.

As the saying goes, see the person alive, see the corpse dead.

Even if the Man truly died at the mouth of a monster, he couldn't have left absolutely no trace, right?

Even just a few pieces of clothing or blood, the Undead Zombies wouldn't overlook it.

Let them continue searching; it was a rare opportunity for them to get some activity.

Incidentally, after finding a monster, leave one behind for marking.

It would be more obvious than map coordinates.

Not long after the plan began, about two hundred steps from the teleportation gate, Chen Ming sensed the Undead Zombies hidden in the shadows.

Seeing Chen Ming arrive, the Undead Zombie immediately emerged from the shade of the tree, raised its left hand, and pointed towards the monster.

Chen Ming followed the direction of its finger, pushed aside the grass, and indeed saw a cannibal tribe, a humanoid monster dressed as a priest.

Its upper body was bare, covered in red spots, emaciated, with sagging skin and flesh.

Its lower body, however, was clad in a thick, slightly tattered dark red long skirt.

It was hung with various wooden tags engraved with ancient characters, which would collide with each other and make noise when it moved slightly.

Its entire face was covered by a mask made of tree bark, making its features unclear.

Fortunately, Chen Ming didn't want to see them clearly either.

In its hand, it held a solid wood staff, which was not only wrapped with bandages but also hung with strings of bones from unknown animals. Judging by the yellowing, they were quite old.

Its fingers were long and slender. Chen Ming raised his hand and compared them; they were at least twice as long as his, and their color was a dead white.

'Mage?'

Chen Ming wasn't sure.

He raised his arm, about to replicate the method of killing the Mutated Mantis to send that guy to hell.

Swish!

The monster suddenly turned around without warning, its gaze fixed on Chen Ming.

Chen Ming couldn't see its eyes, but he could see the red light that lit up in its eyes.

He was certain that its fingertips had entered its perception area after he raised his arm.

The monster quickly raised the staff in its hand. In the center of the C-shaped tip of the staff, a ball of green light lit up, illuminating the surroundings.

Rumble!

The ground shook violently, and tree roots grew wildly, intertwining.

Then, they rose from the ground, turning into powerful yet somewhat clumsy Tree Demons controlled by the monster.

They had limbs like humans, and their faces were no different from the thick bark mask worn by the monster. One could vaguely distinguish which holes were eyes and which were mouths, and that was all.

A total of six were summoned.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

They were uprooted, dragging their heavy footsteps, and approaching Chen Ming.

"People... No, I should say... many monsters?"

When it came to that, Chen Ming didn't think he would lose.