An Unavoidable Massacre

An Unavoidable Massacre

(This is the second update today. There will be another tonight. I'm climbing the rankings, so please vote and support me! And don't forget to bookmark!)

"Hello." Li Junshan approached with a smile.

"Who are you people? What are you doing in our territory?" A bearded Dwarf watched them warily. Dozens of Dwarves behind him formed a circle, surrounding Li Junshan and the others.

Li Junshan had originally intended to exchange a few polite words, but seeing the hostility on the Dwarves' faces—and several of them looking at Sally with greedy eyes—he immediately felt annoyed.

"We're looking for someone. We got lost in the desert. Do you know where the Geryon Giants live?" Li Junshan asked the bearded Dwarf irritably.

"Hahaha!" The bearded Dwarf threw back his head and laughed loudly, his beard nearly sticking up to the sky.

"Are you after the Black Dragon?" The bearded Dwarf abruptly stopped laughing and said disdainfully, "Humans are always so arrogant and conceited. Forget finding the Black Dragon at our Giant friends' place—you won't even make it out of here."

"Ah!" Li Junshan looked terrified, his body trembling slightly as he stammered, "W-what... what are you going to do?"

"What are we going to do?" A Dwarf warrior chuckled darkly. "You still have some use. Your skulls can be made into cups, and your skins can be made into sacrificial drums to earn the gods' favor. The rest is trash. Other than lowly Goblins, no race cares for human flesh. But this woman... heh heh..."

The Dwarves nearby burst into laughter. A few even reached out to grab Sally.

Li Junshan stopped the enraged Xilu from charging forward and shielded Sally behind him. He sneered. "You will pay for your rudeness."

Just as he was about to summon the Xenomorphs, a piercing cry suddenly rang out between heaven and earth. The Dwarves before him stared fearfully toward the eastern sky. Li Junshan turned and looked up, then froze.

In the eastern sky, three or four hundred meters above the ground, a gigantic black magical beast appeared. It was nearly fifty or sixty meters long, its massive body covered in arrow-like feathers. Its wingspan stretched nearly a hundred meters, and as its wings beat, it let out sharp cries. A man in white could vaguely be seen sitting on its back. His robes whipped wildly in the gale, yet he sat as firmly as a boulder, completely unmoving.

"A level-nine magical beast... a Golden-Eyed Magic Eagle." The bearded Dwarf muttered, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"A level-nine magical beast!" Li Junshan felt like he could barely breathe.

That was a level-nine magical beast. Li Junshan had seen at most level-six magical beasts before. Anyone capable of subduing a level-nine magical beast had to be an expert close to the Saint Realm.

Li Junshan was both astonished and envious of the man riding atop the Golden-Eyed Magic Eagle.

When will I ever get to look that impressive? Li Junshan imagined himself riding on the Golden-Eyed Magic Eagle's back.

The Golden-Eyed Magic Eagle flew over their heads in an instant. As it passed, its wings beat violently, stirring up a furious gale. An irresistible aura of majesty and murderous intent swept over them. Li Junshan, the others, and the Dwarves all felt as if they could not breathe. Fate, whose body was relatively frail, actually fell to the ground.

A few breaths later, the Golden-Eyed Magic Eagle's huge body vanished beyond the mountain range. Everyone present let out a sigh of relief, finally able to breathe normally again.

Li Junshan withdrew his gaze and saw the bearded Dwarf staring at the mountain range where the Golden-Eyed Magic Eagle had disappeared. His expression was especially vivid, seeming both delighted and terrified. Li Junshan's heart stirred, and he asked, "Was that person going after the Black Dragon?"

"Probably." The bearded Dwarf nodded unconsciously, then suddenly came to his senses. He glared at Li Junshan in fury and shouted, "Get rid of them! We'll retreat into the cave first!"

The Dwarf warriors howled and raised their iron hammers as they rushed forward.

"Kill." With a thought from Li Junshan, four Xenomorphs instantly appeared before him. The Dwarves had been charging forward excitedly a moment ago, but now they were like Flame Chickens with their throats seized. They let out strange cries and backed away in terror.

Li Junshan did not summon the Xenomorphs capable of casting magic. These four had fused with Hopping Rabbit and Flame Chicken genes. They had always fought magical beasts, and Li Junshan had never commanded them in battle against humans. Wanting to see their strength, he gave the Xenomorphs the order to attack freely.

Whoosh, whoosh...

The four Xenomorphs were like Gale Wolves charging into a flock of sheep. Their claws, tailbones, jaws, and tongues reaped lives as swiftly as Death's scythe. The Dwarves, whose strength rivaled Intermediate Warriors and even Advanced Warriors, were as helpless as children before the Xenomorphs. Blood splattered everywhere as they became mangled corpses.

"Fight! Fight!" The bearded Dwarf shrieked at the fleeing Dwarf warriors, but he himself ran toward the cave faster than any of them.

But could he outrun a Xenomorph?

The four Xenomorphs left streaks of afterimages as they slaughtered every fleeing Dwarf warrior. At Li Junshan's command, one Xenomorph wrapped its tailbone around the bearded Dwarf and flung him before Li Junshan with a thud.

"Respected Dwarf friend, can you tell me where those ugly big fellows live now?" Li Junshan asked with a smile.

Perhaps the bearded Dwarf had been scared out of his wits. He actually tried to bury his head in the sand, letting out horrifying screams.

It was no wonder he was so terrified. The basin was silent now. Aside from the twenty-odd Dwarf warriors, the other Dwarves had fled back into the caves as soon as they realized something was wrong. Severed limbs and broken corpses littered the ground, a ghastly sight.

Crunch. The Xenomorphs tore into the Dwarf corpses, opening their jaws and chewing slowly.

"Bleurgh..." Sally's face went pale. Unable to endure it any longer, she bent over and vomited.

Li Junshan felt sick as well. He knew how the Xenomorphs killed, but they had fought magical beasts before. The bodies before him now were human-like people, and the thick smell of blood filled his nose. Li Junshan used every ounce of self-control to keep himself from vomiting.

"Ah!" The bearded Dwarf let out a shrill scream. One Xenomorph had pierced his thigh with its tailbone and lifted him into the air.

"My time is limited." Li Junshan glared at him. "Is that mountain range where the Golden-Eyed Magic Eagle disappeared the Giants' territory? Is the Black Dragon there?"

The intense pain brought the nearly hysterical bearded Dwarf back to his senses. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans streamed down his forehead. In his eyes, this teenage boy was like a demon from the Abyss Swamp. Hanging upside down, he hurriedly cried, "That's right! Those ugly Giants and the Black Dragon are in the mountain range to the west."

"Hm?" Li Junshan chuckled. "I heard that Dwarves and Giants were natural friends. How did they suddenly become ugly Giants?"

"You don't know, sir. Those Giants rely on their larger, stronger bodies to bully us Dwarves all the time. They call us friends on the surface, but we're practically their slaves." The bearded Dwarf's body trembled violently. "Did you see that meat? The Giants cannot provide enough food for the Black Dragon, so they force us to hunt for them. We are not their friends at all."

"Is that Black Dragon really seriously injured?" Li Junshan had no interest in listening to his rambling grievances and asked the question he cared about most.

"Yes, honorable Summoner." After racking his brains, the bearded Dwarf finally came up with that title. "The Black Dragon is badly wounded. There is a huge rotten hole in its abdomen. I don't know who injured it, but it reeks horribly and has festered."

"I heard it's about to lay eggs. Is that true?"

"Summoner, your information is very well-informed. That is indeed the case. I heard those ugly Giants say it should happen this month." The bearded Dwarf forced a fawning smile through the pain.

"Oh." Li Junshan considered this, then said, "I am a generous person. I can forgive your earlier rudeness."

"Thank you, Summoner!" The bearded Dwarf was overjoyed. Held in the air like a child by the Xenomorph, he clasped his hands to his chest and gave a gentlemanly bow of thanks.

"Don't celebrate yet." Li Junshan's expression darkened. "Sally is the kindest and purest treasure in my heart. You insulted her, and that is a hundred times more serious than insulting me. What will you use to compensate for that?"

Sally had vomited until she was weak and stood unsteadily to one side. With her strength as an Intermediate Warrior, she should not have been so affected, but she had never seen such a scene before and simply could not bear it. Hearing Li Junshan's words, a blush rose to her pale face, and she secretly spat in embarrassment.

"Armor and weapons! The armor and weapons forged by us Dwarves are famous throughout the Yalan Continent. I can compensate the Summoner with five hundred sets of armor and weapons." To save his life, the bearded Dwarf gritted his teeth and held up five fingers. The moment he finished speaking, he felt that five hundred was too much and was filled with regret and heartache.

"The humiliation you gave me cannot be repaid with merely five hundred sets of armor and weapons." Li Junshan's face darkened. Sensing its master's anger, the Xenomorphs surrounded the Dwarf while chewing bones with loud crunches.

The bearded Dwarf was so frightened that he nearly lost control of himself. Clenching tightly, he hurriedly shouted, "One thousand sets, honorable Summoner! I truly cannot offer more than that. I have plenty of inferior goods, but I'm sure you would not care for them."

"Congratulations." Li Junshan chuckled and had the Xenomorph set the bearded Dwarf down. "Your sincerity has earned my forgiveness."

"This way, please." Limping, the bearded Dwarf led them toward the cave.

So this is what it feels like to be strong. Li Junshan was both delighted and emotional. Without the Xenomorphs backing him up, he had no doubt that a horribly tragic fate would have awaited them.

Most of the Dwarves who had fled back into the cave were the old, weak, women, and children. Seeing their chieftain bring the humans inside, they looked as though they had seen demons and huddled trembling in the corners.

The bearded Dwarf led them into a cave and pressed his hand against the stone wall. A rumble sounded, and another cave entrance immediately appeared in the wall.

Li Junshan was not afraid of a trick. One Xenomorph kept its tailbone raised high behind the bearded Dwarf's head, so he was not worried about the Dwarf harboring any ill intent.

"We're rich!"

Once the stone cave was fully opened, Fate stood dumbfounded. He stared at the glittering piles of armor inside, as well as the neatly sorted weapons beside them that gleamed with cold light. His mouth stretched into an enormous grin.

Li Junshan felt rich too.