Zhou Yan was not using his full strength. To him, a mere Level 60 boss was hardly worth exerting himself.
After the boss died, soldiers would naturally step forward to collect useful items; he didn't need to concern himself with such trivial matters.
"Chan'er, you've done well. Your strength has improved again," Zhou Yan praised.
Diao Chan blushed slightly at the compliment and replied, "Not really, it's just that you weren't using your full strength."
"These poisonous mists are truly troublesome," Diao Chan said, clearly disliking the miasma.
The poisonous fog had not dissipated.
Even though it was created by the Poisonous Armored Toads, there couldn't be only a few of them in this area.
They continued to advance and discovered more monsters, Level 60 Poisonous Armored Toads, but they were of ordinary quality.
"It seems this area does indeed have quite a few monsters."
The Poisonous Armored Toads that appeared were not many, only a few hundred. The soldiers didn't even get one each, and they were quickly killed.
Unfortunately, these ordinary quality Poisonous Armored Toads did not yield any crystal cores.
Some monsters always dropped crystal cores, but for most monsters, only leader-level creatures would yield them.
Crystal cores had many uses, such as for forging artifacts, refining pills, upgrading buildings, and crafting items.
Many things required crystal cores to be powered, making them a form of energy that sold very well in any world.
These Poisonous Armored Toads were like naturally equipped frogs with jet propulsion; wherever they went, the poisonous armor on their backs would spray, and the surrounding fog thickened with the toxic mist expelled by the toads.
They sensed more monsters, and thudding sounds echoed from the ground.
"The numbers are quite significant."
Zhou Yan sensed carefully. The sounds were coming from all directions.
"Form a circular defensive formation."
Zhou Yan commanded.
The soldiers quickly closed ranks, forming a circle around Zhou Yan and Diao Chan.
The outermost layer was a shield wall, followed by spearmen, then swordsmen, and in the innermost circle, the soldiers switched their weapons to bows.
Monsters appeared, and Poisonous Armored Toads surged towards them from all sides, a dense mass, appearing numerous due to the toxic smoke.
"Archers, fire freely," Zhou Yan said.
The archers attacked in all directions, their arrows leaving the bows and felling the surrounding monsters.
These Poisonous Armored Toads also launched their attacks, opening their mouths to spew a wave of poison.
The warriors channeled their internal energy, forming a circular shield wall to block the venom.
Another volley of arrows rained down, causing heavy casualties among the monsters.
However, these Poisonous Armored Toads had strong jumping abilities and were numerous. They charged towards the soldiers.
"Breakthrough formation!"
The soldiers shifted their formation, forming small battle groups of three to five. Like a spear, they erupted with a dazzling radiance, then transformed into an unstoppable beam of light, charging outwards towards the monsters.
"Bang!"
Countless monsters were scattered and decimated by the charge of the battle formations. These monsters couldn't withstand the powerful impact of the soldiers and were killed one after another, leaving behind only a pile of treasure chests.
Zhou Yan and Diao Chan, with a casual sword strike, could obliterate numerous monsters. Their immense power, with their sharp sword energies, eliminated all charging monsters.
Several leader-level monsters appeared. They were larger, but far inferior to the platinum-grade boss.
They didn't last long, being overwhelmed by a battle formation and falling, thus being killed.
The attack formations formed by the soldiers were incredibly potent, easily capable of instantly killing these monsters.
Leader-level bosses did not grant reputation. Only by killing bosses of Bronze quality or higher could reputation rewards be obtained.
The previous platinum-grade boss had contributed 900 reputation points.
The stronger the boss, the more reputation one received upon defeating it.
Twenty minutes later, no monsters remained in the vicinity. The soldiers once again cleaned up the battlefield, collecting treasure chests and materials.
They continued to advance towards the valley, where monsters were not few.
They had killed many monsters along the way, obtaining numerous treasure chests and various monster materials, including three Level 60 Bronze bosses and two Level 60 Silver bosses.
As night approached, they finally left the poisonous mist and entered the central area of the forest.
The intelligent reconnaissance drones were deployed again, beginning to scout the woods.
They began setting up tents and decided to rest there for the night.
This was, of course, contingent on the monsters not attacking them.
Night brought forth many beasts, and the roars of monsters could be heard frequently.
Soon, monsters discovered them and began a stealth attack.
However, they were detected and killed by the soldiers.
But!
In the darkness of the night, pairs of blood-red eyes reappeared. Zhou Yan activated the artificial moon, illuminating the area.
A pack of black panthers emerged, moving like assassins in the night, their speed astonishing.
They were a pack of Level 65 Ghostly Leopards, not very numerous, only a little over a thousand, but their speed was not to be underestimated.
The monsters attacked the soldiers, who once again engaged them.
The number of these monsters was not large. With each soldier facing one or two, the creatures were quickly dispatched.
There were no bosses among them.
After killing these monsters, no other appeared for the time being.
However, the battle here would still attract other monsters.
Zhou Yan had no intention of relocating. Monsters in other areas might not be any fewer than here.
In the darkness, the intelligent reconnaissance drones could only detect vague shadows.
The monsters here were extremely numerous, and they fought and consumed each other.
The intelligent reconnaissance drones had already detected the battles between many monster populations. Their struggle for survival far exceeded human imagination.
They all fought for survival.
Many monsters were drawn towards them by the artificial moon.
The soldiers engaged in another battle, repelling these monsters.
Finally, Zhou Yan retracted the artificial moon and began to rest.
The next day, after breakfast, they continued their advance towards the depths of the valley.
This was already the core area of the monsters, where their levels were high, all above Level 60.
Consequently, the quality of the treasure chests was also very high, with half being Silver quality and the other half Gold quality, along with hundreds of Dark Gold quality treasure chests.
They discovered the brutal battles between monsters from the previous night, with numerous monster corpses and bones littering the ground.
The entire battlefield was stained crimson.
Moving further forward, they encountered even higher-level monsters, reaching Level 70.
He opened the attributes of a monster to examine it.
[Monster: Frenzied Iron War Rhino]
[Quality: Enhanced Elite]
[Race: Magical Beast]
[Level: 70]
[Special: Defense, Strength, Berserk, Charge, Reinforced Horns]
[Description: Its strength doubles when enraged.]
The higher the level, the stronger the monster's power. This type of monster was primarily known for its defense, possessing tough skin and thick flesh.
It could also go berserk, which required a bit of caution, as soldiers might be injured if they couldn't react in time.
These Frenzied Iron War Rhinos were quite formidable, and he even had a small idea.