Prologue - Evil Marsh Poison Dragon

Poison Dragon Marsh—

This land of death, permeated by highly toxic miasma, was crawling with buzzing giant mosquitoes and Mud Pool Mushrooms that constantly exhaled poisonous gas. Mud Marsh Giant Crabs wandered between the pools with claws snapping, searching for prey, while elusive, gargantuan Predatory Worms lurked beneath the surface, ready to drag any creature that drew near into the mire to be devoured.

Not to mention the terrifying Poison Dragon—Mo Lin—legendary to be hiding in the deepest reaches of the swamp.

This place was practically a forbidden zone for humanity; few dared to set foot here.

Yet, at this very moment, a pioneer team of nearly a hundred people was pushing deep into the marsh.

The entire group had fanned out into small squads, forming a massive, arc-shaped search formation.

Zhao Qingyun, the leader of this force, stood at the very center, directing his subordinates.

"Squad One, move a bit to the right. Spread out more and widen the search area."

"Squad Three, you're too far forward."

"Squad Four, deal with that Mud Marsh Giant Crab over there. Don't let it disrupt our formation."

"Everyone, keep your heads in the game! We're here to slay a dragon. Once the battle starts, follow my orders to the letter. Anyone who dares to disobey—hmph—you know the consequences."

Zhao Qingyun scanned the mist-shrouded swamp. Still no sign of the Poison Dragon. He felt a flicker of impatience, but the treacherous terrain kept his senses on high alert.

He had activated his Swift Travel Art, so the muddy ground beneath his feet didn't hinder his speed, but he couldn't help but frown as he watched his subordinates stumbling through the muck.

The swamp terrain significantly reduced a player's movement speed, affecting both positioning and mobility. This hellish terrain was truly ill-suited for a Boss Battle.

But the Vile Swamp Poisonous Dragon was the only evil dragon whose trail the Azure Dragon Society had managed to track. If they wanted to slay a dragon and establish their own nation, this was their only target.

With several guilds in the game currently attempting to establish nations, the Azure Dragon Society couldn't afford to fall behind.

Finally, they reached the center of the marsh.

"Send out the bait," he said to a subordinate nearby.

Several low-level players on horseback were immediately dispatched. They galloped back and forth in front of the main force, kicking up a massive commotion in the mud pools, while the rest of the team braced themselves for combat.

Suddenly, the mud in the distance churned violently. Some massive creature was closing in rapidly beneath the surface.

"It's here!" a scout hunter shouted.

Everyone locked their eyes on the direction of the wake. A low-level player on horseback was quickly overtaken—

BOOM! A Black Flood Dragon, thirty to forty meters in length, erupted from the water, snapping its jaws around the rider and swallowing both man and horse whole.

In a split second, Zhao Qingyun caught the monster's name.

Vile Swamp Poisonous Dragon: Level 68.

Zhao Qingyun's brow furrowed. It wasn't a Poison Dragon, but a Poisonous Dragon? What the hell...

Though they differed by only one character, the gap in power and prestige between a dragon and a flood dragon was worlds apart. A dragon's head was the required item for the nation-building quest; to prove the guild's strength, they had to slay a true evil dragon and claim its head. A poisonous dragon was merely a common boss.

What was the intelligence team doing? How could they mess this up?

Even though the intel was wrong, it was still a boss, and since it was a monster, it wouldn't let them go just because they'd misidentified it.

"Attack!" Zhao Qingyun gritted his teeth.

A dense volley of arrows flew instantly. Considering the difficulty of maneuvering in the swamp, sixty or seventy of the hundred-man team were equipped with bows and crossbows, all loaded with Cold Iron Arrows capable of piercing even the scales of a flood dragon.

The barrage struck the Black Flood Dragon's massive body, instantly bristling with arrows. The beast let out a pained roar and unleashed a Poison Dragon Breath. Green toxic mist spread wantonly across the marsh, poisoning the players caught in its wake.

"Taoists, dispel it, now!" Zhao Qingyun ordered.

"Copy that!" his teammates replied immediately.

Although they had brought nearly a hundred people for this expedition, the only true Core Members of the Azure Dragon Society were the three or four Magic Class players surrounding Zhao Qingyun.

In the game Old Earth, Magic Class professions were incredibly rare. One had to trigger specific Serendipitous Encounters or complete extremely difficult hidden quests to change classes. Ordinary players couldn't access them and were stuck with physical classes like swordsmen, blade-wielders, generals, or martial monks.

As the saying went, anyone with a mana bar was a boss; Magic Class players often possessed powers that ordinary classes simply couldn't match.

Facing the encroaching toxic mist, their strength was immediately apparent.

"Four Symbols Five Elements, Six Harmonies Swift Wind, Wind Master Rain Granny, hear my command! Summoning Gale—obey the decree!" the Taoist chanted.

In an instant, a fierce gale whipped up on the flat ground, causing the toxic mist shrouding the team to dissipate rapidly.

The Poisonous Dragon, possessing its own intelligence, locked onto the casting Taoist. It roared and lunged, its massive frame bringing a terrifying sense of oppression. Players scrambled to get out of its way.

A general tried to block it head-on, but was sent flying like a goat colliding with a truck. He landed in the mud, only to be dragged into the depths of the swamp by a giant worm that suddenly burst from the mire.

Zhao Qingyun remained calm. He had naturally prepared a professional tank for a boss of this caliber.

"Divine General, take the aggro!" Zhao Qingyun commanded.

A general clad in heavy armor stepped in front of the group. Wearing the Golden Mysterious Light Armor and wielding the Crescent Moon Demon Slayer Blade, he was clearly a high-end player.

Dharma Appearance Golden Body!

Tiangang Battle Qi!

Celestial God Possession!

In an instant, three buffs were activated. The general's body erupted with dazzling divine light, surrounded by storm-like currents of air. His size swelled several times over, transforming him into a giant four or five meters tall.

He slammed into the Black Flood Dragon, bringing its charge to a dead halt.

Boom! The Divine General took a few steps back before steadying his stance.

"Haha, die, you bastard!" With a swing of the great blade in his hand, he unleashed a Divine Weapon Binding Qi Slash. The divine power converged into a crescent-shaped wave of energy, shattering the Black Flood Dragon's scales and sending blood splattering everywhere as the beast writhed and retreated.

A trace of smugness flickered at the corner of Zhao Qingyun's mouth, and at that moment, a timely compliment drifted over from the side.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, badass! No wonder Boss Zhao felt we could slay a dragon; you've even trained a Divine General. The dominance is just leaking out!"

Zhao Qingyun didn't need to look to know it was that kid, Liu Qiang. He had never liked this guy sent by the company; even when the words were meant to be praise, they always came out tasting wrong. It was clearly admiration, yet it always sounded so sleazy.

He ignored him, keeping a straight face as he continued to issue commands.

"A Miao, go!"

"Received!" A teammate wearing a Five Colors Feather Coat suddenly let out an eagle's cry. In an instant, feathers and wings sprouted from their body, transforming them into a Golden Winged Great Peng with a wingspan of seven or eight meters.

Demon Art--Golden Peng Transformation!

The Golden Peng soared into the sky, circled once, and dove straight at the Black Flood Dragon. The dragon, preoccupied with fighting the Divine General, was caught off guard as the Peng slammed into its face, pecking out an eye in one strike and instantly blinding half its vision.

The Divine General seized the opportunity to unleash an Ultimate Skill, slamming the Black Flood Dragon down into the mud pit, where it struggled to rise for a long time.

"Kitchen Knife Squad, move out!"

Dozens of swordsmen, rangers, monks, and flying thieves, who had been standing by, abandoned their bows and crossbows and swarmed forward. Each brandishing their weapons, they rushed the Black Flood Dragon, raining down a chaotic flurry of blades, fists, and kicks upon its body.

With its vision impaired and its body already wounded, the Black Flood Dragon could not withstand the onslaught of these fierce melee attackers. It could only thrash its massive body in vain, spewing toxic mist in all directions, only for it to be constantly dispersed by the Taoists.

The battle lasted for five minutes, and after paying the price of a few casualties, the Black Flood Dragon's health was gradually depleted.

Seeing that this Boss Battle was about to conclude successfully, Zhao Qingyun let out a slight sigh of relief. Not bad. Even if we didn't get the dragon head, we still gained something.

BOOM!

A clap of thunder suddenly interrupted Zhao Qingyun's thoughts. He looked up and realized that, at some point, the sky had turned pitch black. Dense, dark clouds covered the heavens, glowing with an eerie green hue, and a suffocating, murderous aura permeated the air.

Zhao Qingyun felt a wave of goosebumps rise on his skin.

Something terrifying was waking up.

The water level in the mud pit beneath his feet was rising rapidly, instantly submerging his knees.

The water swirled, and the next second—

BOOM! A wave of murky water spiraled into the sky. Atop the crest of the wave, a massive black dragon, seventy or eighty meters long, hovered and let out an angry roar. Lightning flickered in the sky behind the dragon, illuminating its jet-black scales until they shimmered, as if the beast had merged with the heavens themselves.

Ink Scales (Evil Marsh Poison Dragon): Level 96!

Damn it! There really is a dragon!

Zhao Qingyun was shocked rather than pleased. He hadn't expected the true dragon's might to be so staggering. The terrifying aura, carrying the power of heaven and earth, made him lose all will to fight from the very opening. And it was actually Level 96.

"Boss, are we still fighting?" the Taoist beside him asked in terror.

"Fight my ass! Get us out of here, fast!"

Before the words had even faded, a rain of poison fell from the sky, covering everything in its path.

This time, even the dispersion spells were useless.

Zhao Qingyun's subordinates were all poisoned; some frantically gulped down antidotes, while others tried to heal themselves while fleeing toward the outer perimeter of the battlefield.

Others, disregarding their own lives, charged toward the black dragon, hoping to make a desperate final stand.

The Taoist hurriedly chanted a spell.

"Six Ding Six Jia, heed my command! Celestial Master Escape Technique, ten thousand miles without a trace. Swift Travel Formation—obey this order immediately!"

A massive white formation appeared beneath their feet, encircling Zhao Qingyun and his core members.

"Everyone retreat! Get into the formation!" Zhao Qingyun shouted. The nearby players rushed into the Swift Travel Formation, terrified of being a second too late.

Liu Qiang was the first to stand by Zhao Qingyun's side. Players continued to retreat into the formation, but the poison dragon soon noticed its existence.

With a dragon's roar, the giant waves beneath its body surged and swept toward the formation like a tsunami.

"Go!"

"But there are still so many people who haven't gotten in!"

Zhao Qingyun let out a cold snort. "They're just cannon fodder. Forget them!"

Whoosh. With a flash of white light, everyone within the formation vanished from the spot, leaving behind only the ordinary members who hadn't reacted in time, struggling and screaming in the toxic rain, slaughtered at will by the poison dragon amidst the crashing waves.