Trap Hunting and Battling the Mudfish Dragon Again

It was alone. Not only that, the entire dragon was stuck between thick tree trunks in a bizarre posture. Its thick, round paws were completely unable to flip itself over, and the massive carapace on its back effectively prevented any further movement. Thus, it could only hope to call for help from its kin by crying out.

But unfortunately, Xingyan had already driven away the other Carapace Dragons, and they didn't dare to approach the Flower Field Marshland Area at this moment.

The current Xingyan was no longer the hatchling with a soft tail that had just emerged from its shell, the little Dragon Slayer. Now, he was incredibly tough... And unlike dragon species like Kulu-Ya-Ku, whose size wouldn't become excessively large even after they matured, Carapace Dragons weren't afraid of Kulu-Ya-Ku. However, they were afraid of truly large monsters.

Even as a juvenile, when this juvenile developed abnormally and possessed a considerable degree of offensive power, the Carapace Dragons dared not ignore Xingyan's roars and threats.

He merely adopted an attacking stance and sliced through a nearby stone. The Carapace Dragons that had been drawn by the sound turned and fled without looking back, their instinct to avoid danger being their top priority.

The Carapace Dragon was injured again.

There was no helping it. Who told these herbivorous dragons they were numerous and lacked combat power? The most crucial point was their high meat yield, making them a top choice on the menu for various large carnivorous dragons.

With Xingyan's short claws, it was indeed a bit difficult to position a struggling Carapace Dragon like this. Most importantly, he couldn't harm it in the process, needing to keep it sufficiently energetic to howl.

Only at times like this did he particularly miss human arms and hands; they were so convenient for such delicate work.

But fortunately, Xingyan eventually succeeded. Although, during the process, the Carapace Dragon's flesh was scraped by his Sword Tail, which he used to assist his short claws, and it was bleeding profusely. However, this blood, dripping bit by bit into the marsh, instead added a few more enticing elements to the trap.

Except for those dragons with particularly unusual physiological structures, dragon senses were generally far superior to humans', with keener olfactory senses, sharper vision, and so on.

And for those dragons that already listed Carapace Dragons on their menu, the blood of the Carapace Dragon continuously dripping into the marsh water was like a distinct invitation, beckoning them from afar along the current.

The Mudfish Dragon had arrived.

Like a shark smelling blood, Xingyan, who was hidden, could clearly see the traces of water plants and flowers being parted in the marsh, as well as the dorsal fin exposed on the surface of the marsh mud.

Xingyan was somewhat disappointed because the Mudfish Dragon didn't seem to suspect that the wailing Carapace Dragon was a trap. This made his meticulous preparations feel somewhat like trying to charm a blind person. He had even tried his best to maintain the entire scene as if the Carapace Dragon had simply gotten stuck in the trees by accident.

The Mudfish Dragon had already submerged itself beneath the marsh mud, and even its dorsal fin was no longer visible. But Xingyan knew it hadn't left; it was a sign of an impending attack.

First, it would dive to the bottom of the marsh and then suddenly surge out from below, ambushing the prey's unsuspecting soft belly. This was basically a complete Mudfish Dragon hunting procedure, and a single trick that worked every time.

BOOM!!

Just like when it had burst through the rock where Xingyan was, the Mudfish Dragon suddenly surged out from the base of those trees, its gaping maw directly clamping down on more than half of the Carapace Dragon's body.

"Waaagh!!!"

The Carapace Dragon's wail immediately grew louder, and at that very instant, Xingyan rose from the mud. When the Mudfish Dragon chose to attack from below, Xingyan knew it was finished.

Hiss--!

As if a giant balloon suddenly started leaking air, accompanied by a loud hissing sound, a thick, pale blue-white mist appeared out of nowhere and enveloped the Mudfish Dragon, originating from the spot where it held the Carapace Dragon in its mouth.

Sleep Gas Frog.

Hunters would later give this creature such a name, and its power was straightforward: when it sensed danger or was attacked, it would violently expel the massive amount of sleep gas stored within its body, creating an opportunity for itself to escape safely.

The sleep effect was extremely potent, even nine-tenths effective. Let alone a small dragon like the Mudfish Dragon; even an Elder Dragon would fall into a deep slumber upon inhaling this gas.

Of course, its effect on Elder Dragons was only in-game. As for the real world... Xingyan could only say it remained to be tested.

The thought was beautiful. What if?

The trap Xingyan set was not complicated; in fact, it could be called rudimentary. Ultimately, the core component was a Sleep Gas Frog.

Perhaps due to the large amount of sleep gas contained within their bodies, these frogs were inherently inactive. Unless necessary, they would quietly remain in a safe place. Only when they were hungry would they use their internal gas to hunt.

He had originally intended to use a Paralysis Gas Frog, but compared to the Sleep Gas Frog, the Paralysis Gas Frog was somewhat more restless.

He directly used his beautiful Sword Tail as a... well, a tray?

In any case, Xingyan carefully scooped up the ground where the Sleep Gas Frog was located, then slowly moved it to the trap, not daring to make any drastic movements or risky actions in the process.

He didn't want to fall asleep unprepared in the wilderness; that would be no different from waiting for death.

Just like the Mudfish Dragon now.

"Roar roar, roar roar roar!" (Haha, hahaha, hahahahaha!)

"Roar roar roar!" (You've finally fallen into my hands!!)

The Mudfish Dragon's sleep was so peaceful that the excited roars of a Dragon Slayer couldn't wake it. Bubbles continued to emerge from its nostrils.

Xingyan circled the sleeping Mudfish Dragon. Only at such close range could one truly compare the size difference between himself and the enemy. Even though the Dragon Slayer had the longest body length among Wyvern-class monsters, this Mudfish Dragon was still more than twice his size.

Not daring to waste any more time, Xingyan only gave the slumbering Mudfish Dragon a cursory glance, trying to find the weakest point on its body.

The effect of the sleep gas was not as elegant as in the game, where it could even calm down an enraged dragon and allow it to find a comfortable position to sleep.

If Xingyan had to say, he felt that the effect of the Sleep Gas Frog in the real world was more like a heavy punch to the dragon, knocking it out on the spot and rendering it unconscious.

Therefore, when the Mudfish Dragon fell, it definitely wouldn't be able to assume the safe and relaxed sleeping posture it usually adopted in its nest. Instead, its belly was completely exposed to the outside.

It was indeed not as hard as the dark black scales on its back, or rather, dragon scales. But this didn't mean the Mudfish Dragon's belly was soft. Row upon row of horizontal patterns formed the Mudfish Dragon's tough abdomen, covered with many small, dense scales. Rather than being hard, it was tenacious.

But compared to the dragon scales on the Mudfish Dragon's back and sides, this area could indeed be considered a weak point.

Xingyan was aiming for the weak spot!

Having chosen a suitable angle to ensure his Tail Bite Great Spin would hit the Mudfish Dragon's abdomen to the greatest extent, Xingyan once again bit down on the tip of his tail.

Charge!

Iai!!

Heaven and Earth Unrivaled Great Spin!!!

When he felt all the strength in his body gather in one point, Xingyan suddenly unleashed the destructive slash he had been charging!

The vivid red Sword Tail, covered in a layer of hard mineral, tore through the air between Xingyan and the Mudfish Dragon, reaching its pale underbelly in the blink of an eye.

Then it missed.

This was something Xingyan realized only after he landed again and turned to inspect the results of his attack.

To put it bluntly, he wasn't a swordsman skilled in swordsmanship. In his previous life, he was better at typing in front of a computer. Therefore, it wasn't hard to accept that his attack, which turned his own body into a blade, had missed its mark.

The angle of his own rotation, the rise and fall of his body during aiming, the swing of his tail as it extended, the looseness of the soil beneath his feet... etc., there were many reasons.

But the final result was that Xingyan's plan to cut a large hole from the Mudfish Dragon's belly near its tail and all the way up had failed.

The slash, which should have been a straight line, had become a diagonal one. While the initial point of impact was still on the Mudfish Dragon's abdomen near its tail, the wound veered upwards as it extended towards its chest, ultimately slicing off a large chunk of flesh and scales on its right chest.

Deep enough to see bone.

The result, so different from when he had killed those Bite Fish with a single slash, made Xingyan realize for the first time that this move had such a flaw.

But training and improvement were things for later. The most important thing now was this behemoth that had awakened due to the pain.

The Mudfish Dragon roared in anger, its pitch-black eyes seeming to turn red from the pain.

Xingyan's slash was deep enough that when the Mudfish Dragon habitually swung its tail in its rage, a large section of its intestines... dragon intestines... was flung out, stained black by the mud.

Meat smell.

The first thing Xingyan smelled wasn't danger, but the aroma of fresh blood and flesh wafting from the wound.

In his eyes, the Mudfish Dragon was like a large, walking energy bar. Xingyan could almost taste the chewy Life Energy.

Almost—he was already simulating chewing air.

Like chewing gum.

"Roar!!!!"

This wasn't Xingyan's roar, but the Mudfish Dragon's. After waking up, the giant monster charged at Xingyan without pause. If this charge hit, it would surely leave Xingyan dazed.

But unfortunately, such a common Iron Mountain Lean couldn't hit Xingyan. He was already familiar with the Mudfish Dragon's usual moves from the countless sounds he had heard, and he was even wary of moves that might appear in the real world but not in games.

Speaking dragon, it meant staying away.

Hundreds of episodes of "Wild Kingdom" had taught Xingyan that injured beasts were the most dangerous. Moreover, as an information-gathering Dragon Slayer, Xingyan fully understood that he was currently in an advantageous position.

Yes, this Mudfish Dragon hadn't been ripped open and killed instantly by his Tail Bite Great Spin, but wounds that caused its intestines to spill out meant it was at least severely injured.

With just a few powerful charges, the Mudfish Dragon would drag its own intestines into a pulp, not to mention the fresh blood gushing from the wound, which was causing its stamina to rapidly drain.

Xingyan leaped agilely. The Mudfish Dragon's speed couldn't match his powerful, muscular legs. Furthermore, although his current form was small, smallness also meant agility and flexibility.

Failed to hit the target, failed to spit out the target...

As if sensing its life was nearing its end, driven by pain, the Mudfish Dragon charged frantically at Xingyan—and it wasn't an illusion. Xingyan clearly saw greed in the Mudfish Dragon's eyes.

That's right, this guy was also craving Xingyan's Life Energy and flesh. If it ate Xingyan, it would gain enough energy to recover from its injuries... regardless of whether it could ultimately succeed, it would at least try to recover.

This was good.

Xingyan felt his blood flowing faster than usual. He was excited; his Dragon Slayer instincts were thrilled by this battle, which also made him calmer and colder.

It was truly good.

You want to eat me, I want to eat you. This was the cruel and straightforward law between dragons.

At least below the Elder Dragons... even Elder Dragons couldn't escape this cycle.

The victor grows stronger, the loser becomes dung. You and I are all links in nature.

He leaped backward again. But this time, Xingyan wasn't just dodging. His Sword Tail, polished to a mirror-like shine, swept across the Mudfish Dragon's right side with a small twist of his body in mid-air.

Crack! Crack!

A series of crisp tearing sounds. The Mudfish Dragon's right dorsal fin and large pectoral fin were cleanly sliced off, unable to offer much resistance.

My blade is not dull either.

"Awooo!!!"

It roared again, but this time, unlike before, its roar carried a hint of undeniable weakness.

Its body staggered. Losing a dorsal fin wasn't much, but having a large chunk of its right pectoral fin sliced off by Xingyan was quite fatal.

The two large pectoral fins, one on the left and one on the right, were essentially the Mudfish Dragon's degenerated forelimbs... or an evolution?

In any case, after losing one pectoral fin, its sense of balance was significantly affected.

Coupled with the continuous loss of blood and the growing weakness, it already wanted to escape.