Earth Dragon

"Rustle..."

A clear, grating friction sound approached slowly from the depths of the cave.

Everyone's heart leaped into their throats in an instant.

As it drew nearer, a nauseating, fishy stench permeated the air, thick enough to make one nearly suffocate.

"Prepare for battle," Lin Ye said in a low voice.

The black shadow grew closer, and under the illumination of the jade talisman, everyone finally saw its true form.

"Is this an Earth Dragon?" Su Muxue gasped, her voice laced with terror.

"Earth Dragon? What is that?"

"A type of subterranean demonic beast," she said, her speech rapid. "An adult Earth Dragon is comparable to the late True Qi Realm. They have thick skin and sturdy flesh, can spray strong acid to corrode everything, and can even devour spiritual energy. Most importantly, they are pack animals."

Pack animals?

Everyone's heart sank.

Lin Ye took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his chest. Demonic beasts above the fifth level of the True Qi Realm, and in a pack at that—given their current state, there was absolutely no chance of winning in a head-on collision.

But this cave had only one passage, and behind them lay a malfunctioning teleportation array; there was nowhere to run.

They could only fight to the death.

"Su Muxue, how long can your jade talisman last?" Lin Ye asked quickly.

"One stick of incense," Su Muxue gritted her teeth.

"That's enough." Lin Ye's gaze swept across the surroundings before landing on the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling. "Chen Feng, you three, go over there and attack the stalactites on the ceiling. Create chaos and stall for time. Su Muxue and I will draw its attention from the front."

"What?" Chen Feng was stunned.

"Go!" Lin Ye did not explain, his tone brooking no argument.

Chen Feng gritted his teeth and, taking two disciples with him, ran toward the side.

Su Muxue frowned as she looked at him. "What are you trying to do?"

"This Earth Dragon has lived underground for years; its vision has degenerated, so it must be extremely sensitive to vibrations and sound," Lin Ye said rapidly. "We must disrupt its focus first, then look for a weakness."

"Are you crazy? In our current state, how could we possibly hurt it?" Su Muxue whispered.

"We won't know unless we try." A cold light flickered in Lin Ye's eyes.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Just then, Chen Feng and the others had already made their move, slamming into the stalactites on the ceiling. Debris flew everywhere, dust filled the air, and the entire cave shook violently.

"Hiss--"

The Earth Dragon was indeed affected; its massive mouthparts snapped open, emitting a hiss. Its enormous body came to a halt, and its head turned slightly, as if sensing the source of the vibrations.

"Now!"

Lin Ye and Su Muxue exchanged a glance and moved simultaneously!

Lin Ye's figure was like lightning, crossing the ten-zhang distance in an instant. His sword energy tore through the air, stabbing straight at the gelatinous skin on the Earth Dragon's head!

Su Muxue circled out from the other side, her longsword condensing cold air into several ice spikes that shot toward the joints of the Earth Dragon's legs!

Both of their attacks arrived almost at the same time.

"Clang!"

The Star-Shattering Sword pierced three inches into the flesh before being firmly wedged by the tough outer skin, unable to penetrate any deeper.

Su Muxue's ice spikes exploded, causing that leg to falter only slightly.

"Such strong defense!" Su Muxue's expression changed.

The Earth Dragon was thoroughly enraged! Its massive mouthparts swung violently toward Lin Ye, and a terrifying suction force erupted from within!

Lin Ye felt his body lighten as he was dragged forcibly toward that gaping maw. His expression changed drastically; he stomped his feet hard against the ground and drove the Star-Shattering Sword into the rock, barely managing to stabilize himself.

"Lin Ye!" Su Muxue cried out, wanting to rush forward to help, but another Earth Dragon crawled over from nearby, blocking her path.

"Don't worry about me! Attack its mouthparts!" Lin Ye roared, gripping the sword hilt with both hands to resist the suction.

Su Muxue did not hesitate; she retreated rapidly, dodging the pounce of the other Earth Dragon, while her longsword flickered, sending several ice-blue sword beams toward the massive mouthparts of the first beast.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The ice-blue sword energy struck the sharp teeth on the edge of the mouthparts, emitting the sound of clashing metal. Most were deflected, and only a few shot deep into the maw, vanishing like stones into the sea without causing the slightest ripple.

"It's useless! Its mouthpart defense is even stronger!" Su Muxue's face turned deathly pale.

Lin Ye's heart sank as well. The Earth Dragon's defense exceeded his estimates; with their current attacks, they couldn't break through. Were they destined to die here?

"Brother Lin, catch!"

Chen Feng's roar came from the side.

Lin Ye glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Chen Feng climbing onto a higher rock. With a forceful throw of his right hand, an object the size of a fist traced an arc through the air toward him.

It was the "Heaven-Shattering Thunder" they had scavenged from the black-clad men of the Blood Fiend Hall back in the Bone-Eroding Forest.

A flash of light sparked in the eyes of Lin Ye. The moment the Heaven-Shattering Thunder flew above his head, he abruptly released the Star-Shattering Sword. Using the suction force from the Earth Dragon's maw, he did not retreat but instead surged forward, charging straight toward the beast's mouth!

His left hand grasped at the void, and a surge of True Qi transformed into a palm, accurately snatching the Heaven-Shattering Thunder and hurling it deep into the abyss of the Earth Dragon's gullet!

"Get in there!"

The Heaven-Shattering Thunder turned into a streak of black light, vanishing deep within the Earth Dragon's maw.

"BOOM!"

The next instant, a muffled, thunderous explosion erupted from within its body.

"HISSS—"

The Earth Dragon let out a shrill, agonizing wail, its massive body twisting frantically, smashing against the cavern walls and sending rocks flying.

Its maw stretched to its limit, spraying out a massive torrent of foul blood mixed with chunks of flesh! A terrifying shockwave erupted from its throat, catching Lin Ye off guard and slamming him against the cave wall.

"Pfft!" Lin Ye spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling as if every bone in his body had been shattered. Yet, he ignored his injuries, staring fixedly at the Earth Dragon.

The Earth Dragon had been severely wounded, but it was not dead.

It was going to fight to the death.

Meanwhile, the other Earth Dragon, along with the owners of those "rustling" sounds from deep within the cave, had now fully revealed themselves.

There were four Earth Dragons in total!

Two of them were slightly smaller, with an aura equivalent to the fourth level of the True Qi Realm.

Lin Ye leaned against the cave wall, struggling to stand.

The Star-Shattering Sword remained embedded in the ground far away.

Less than twenty percent of his True Qi remained.

The others were also at the end of their rope.

What else could he do?

He closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness deep into his sea of knowledge.

There, besides the pale golden text representing his points, a strange, pitch-black aura had emerged.

Devour and plunder... sustain the fight through the fight... survive by any means necessary.

A mad thought rose in his heart.

Imitate the "devouring" of the Earth Dragons?

Imitate the true essence of the forbidden mystery of the Star-Drawing Art?

In his current state, forcibly imitating and attempting that path of devouring and plundering was no different from courting death.

But he had no other choice.

"Come then."

His voice was hoarse, yet carried a chilling sense of calm.

He no longer waited for the four Earth Dragons to close in.

He took the initiative and walked toward the severely wounded Earth Dragon.

With every step he took, the black vortex in his eyes grew deeper.

With every step he took, the dark golden seed of True Qi within his body accelerated its rotation, and the way it spun began to warp, resembling a miniature black hole on the verge of forming.

Watching his back, the others felt a chill rise up their spines.