Li Jun mustered his courage and rushed out of the circle of golden light. When he was exposed to the power of the Dragon's Fury, boundless fear surged into his heart from all directions. He was almost unable to move and struggled back into the magical circle of the Thunder Soul.
Lei Hun bit his index finger and tapped it on Li Jun's forehead, leaving a bloody mark. Li Jun felt ashamed of his initial cowardice and mustered his courage again to charge towards the red dragon. This time, he felt the pressure of fear lessen somewhat.
Tu Longziyun couldn't get close to the red dragon at all. Before he could even reach the dragon's body, he would be knocked down by the dragon's claws. Although he could protect himself with the Dragon-Subduing Shield, he couldn't inflict any damage on the dragon.
Upon seeing Li Jun's arrival, the red dragon inhaled and spewed out a burst of flames. Li Jun nimbly leaped away, but a second and third burst of flames followed in quick succession. Li Jun used his agile movements to dodge the flames, and although he was also badly burned, he finally managed to get close to the red dragon.
The red dragon was completely unconcerned about Li Jun's approach. Among this group of human trash, only the descendants of the Dragon Slayer Clan posed a threat. It was almost entirely immune to the mages' spells, the archer was a barbarian who was utterly terrified of the king of the sea, the dragon, and the other Yue girl couldn't even step into the mage's magic circle. When Li Jun came beneath it, it stopped using fire and began toying with Li Jun with its other forepaw, as if a cat were playing with a mouse.
Li Jun had no Dragon-Subduing Shield to block the dragon's claws, and he didn't even dare to parry with his short sword. He could only roll around in a sorry state as the dragon's claws pounced. Seeing that he was in danger, Tu Long Zi Yun was unable to get close enough to help him.
All Lei Hun could do was cast a magical defense on Li Jun. Mo Rong couldn't help but catch her small axe and throw it, which struck the red dragon's forepaw. However, the red dragon was unharmed and instead gritted its teeth, revealing a dragon-like "smile".
"Human trash, the blood of the Dragon Slayer Clan is nothing more than this after a thousand years. Now, I've had my fill of playing, and I'm going to end your lives once and for all." The dragon roared, increasing the pressure on Dragon Slayer Ziyun and Li Jun. This put the two in even greater danger.
"Shoot! Shoot!" Mo Rong kicked Jiang Tang, who was sprawled on the ground, her voice almost breaking with tears. But the only thing Jiang Tang could move was his mouth: "No, no, this deal... isn't worth it..."
Anxious and distraught, Lei Hun's cold expression vanished. He could feel his spiritual energy rapidly depleting; if he couldn't defeat the dragon quickly, the consequences would be devastating. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He focused his gaze on Jiang Tang and shouted, "Look at me!" He began chanting incantations.
Mo Rong watched as Jiang Tang's gaze became vacant. A moment later, he stood up as if in a daze, drew his bow, and shot an arrow into the red dragon's eye.
The red dragon hastily retracted its forepaw, deflecting the arrow, which gave Tu Long Ziyun the opportunity to get closer. The red dragon then used its other claw to deflect Tu Long Ziyun, sending him flying back.
But the red dragon immediately realized it was in big trouble. Taking advantage of this moment of respite, Li Jun leaped up and grabbed the dragon's claw, using the force to climb onto its body. The dragon's rage reached its peak—how dare this trashy human climb onto its body! It roared and twisted, its front paws gripping Li Jun.
Li Jun saw the dragon's sharp teeth getting closer and closer; it seemed the red dragon intended to bite him to death. But Li Jun was numb at that moment; he felt no fear and threw his short sword with all his might towards the dragon's eye.
The dragon hadn't expected the human to retaliate. It forced its eyes shut, but still felt a sharp pain in its left eye, unable to open it again for a short time. Its claws tightened, the tips piercing Li Jun's armor. Blood gushed out like a fountain.
Just then, Jiang Tang's second arrow flew towards the dragon. The one-eyed red dragon misjudged the shot, and the arrow pierced its right eye. The intense pain caused it to loosen its grip on the arrow, throwing Li Jun off the ground, its claws instinctively protecting its eyes. Tu Long Ziyun realized his opportunity had arrived. He dared not let this fleeting chance slip by. Man and blade became one, transforming into a white light that shot straight into the dragon's neck. The arc of the blade in the air seemed to cleave time itself. With this strike, the dragon let out a deafening roar. Its forepaws abandoned their protection of its eyes, striking Tu Long Ziyun, who was still in mid-air. But Tu Long Ziyun was prepared. The Dragon-Subduing Shield blocked the fatal blow, though he was still violently knocked away.
The red dragon also fell from the sky, and the violent roar almost shattered everyone's eardrums. Although it couldn't see clearly, it spewed flames with all its might towards the location of everyone by instinct, and the flames were even mixed with its blood!
Lei Hun poured all his power into casting a water curtain to shield the fire, but the flames still managed to penetrate his magical water barrier. He could only try his best to dodge, but he was ultimately a little too slow, and his scholar's robe was catching fire. Mo Rong flew out like a cannonball, knocking down the hypnotized Jiang Tang. When she got up, she saw Lei Hun rolling on the ground, tearing off his scholar's robe. In that instant, Mo Rong didn't know if she was seeing things or if she could see clearly, but the two strange marks on Lei Hun's chest were emitting a faint glow.
The dragon's rage seemed far from over; it struggled to take flight again, but just as it was about to take off, the heavily wounded Li Jun leaped up, grabbed its neck, and used his last weapon: his teeth.
The dragon emitted strange "clucking" sounds, desperately shaking its head to shake off the person hanging on its vital spot. However, Li Jun held on tightly to the blood vessel that Tu Longziyun had slashed, and dragon blood gushed out like a waterfall, much of it even flowing into Li Jun's throat. Li Jun knew this was a life-or-death moment. Since he couldn't escape death himself, he had to do his best to create a chance for his companion to survive—this was a mercenary's moral code.
Li Jun didn't notice that the dragon's movements were becoming increasingly weak, and a pearl-sized object mixed with the dragon's blood entered his body. His only thought was to bite, bite, bite.
As everyone watched this breathtaking scene unfold, the dragon finally collapsed silently, while Li Jun still held onto the dragon's neck tightly, having already passed out.
As the dragon fell, the earth began to tremble slightly. Lei Hun's expression changed again, and he shouted to the crowd, "Hurry!"
Mo Rong ran almost faster than him, and cheered as she found a dark, inconspicuous iron hammer in the pile of treasures. Lei Hun also got the Immortal Staff. Jiang Tang, who had already woken up, was teeth chattering, but this did not affect his shouting, "We're rich! We're rich! What a great deal!" as he stuffed handfuls of jewels on the ground into his arms.
The earth trembled more and more violently, and the rumbling sound of the earth became clear. Tu Longziyun did not search among the piles of treasure; instead, he went to the dragon's corpse and pulled hard on Li Jun, but Li Jun was unresponsive.
"Come here quickly!" Lei Hun shouted, summoning everyone. Stones rained down from the hall, and soon everything would collapse. Tu Long Ziyun had no choice but to use the Dragon Slayer Blade to sever the dragon's neck. Under the Dragon Slayer Blade, even the previously impenetrable dragon skin became easy to cut.
So, Tu Longzi dragged the unconscious Li Jun, who was biting the dragon's neck, and finally made it to Lei Hun's side. Lei Hun raised the Immortal Staff, and he could feel the magical energy surging like ocean waves beneath the warm jade staff, and it did not repel him. So, he gathered the remaining spiritual energy in his body and began to chant a prayer.
A huge rock fell from above, burying everything in the cavern beneath it.
"Where...where am I?"
Li Jun opened his eyes and heard the sound of the sea crashing. He found the sunlight too bright, so he squinted and it took him a while to adjust.
"Dragon! Dragon! Where's the dragon?" He almost jumped up, but a hand held him down. Tu Longziyun, Mo Rong, Lei Hun, and Jiang Tang's faces came into his view. Lei Hun was still as indifferent and expressionless as ever. He snorted when he saw him open his eyes, then turned his head to the side. The other three, however, had joy on their faces.
"Haha, we've won big in our business with Long!" Jiang Tang said with a laugh. "Look, everyone's completely unharmed!"
His words were an exaggeration. Everyone, including those who hadn't even gotten close to the dragon, had been injured to varying degrees. Tu Longziyun laughed heartily, "The dragon, huh? You ate it."
Mo Rong pointed to the dragon head next to her and said, "Look, what did you bring back?"
Li Jun looked at the still ferocious and terrifying dragon head and shook his head wearily.
Lei Hun finally spoke, and this time his voice even carried a hint of gentleness: "Now, once you have recovered from your injuries, I will recommend that you go to see Lu Wudi."
"Lu Wudi..." With his dream in mind, Li Jun fell into a long coma again.
Later he learned that the Red Dragon had died, and Jiaolong Island had begun to sink. After Li Jun used the Five Elements Escape Technique on the Immortal Staff to teleport everyone out of the Dragon Hall, the group quickly built a raft, and they were now on the raft.
For Li Jun, this was the most meaningful adventure of his life. It not only allowed him to meet these extremely useful companions in the future, but also greatly enhanced his ability to survive in the chaotic world. Along with the dragon blood, he swallowed the dragon pearl cultivated by the red dragon. The breathing technique that Lei Hun taught him was a superior method of regulating his breath, allowing him to make the most of the spiritual power contained in the dragon pearl and transform it into his own combat power.
What will the future hold, with Li Jun's name already laid bare and written down by the gods?
Section 2
It was already late.
The moon shines on the earth in place of the sun. A gentle breeze blows, and autumn insects hum their most beautiful songs. Birds returning home at dusk flutter their wings restlessly, uttering soft, cooing sounds.
Li Jun stood atop the barren mountain. Everything was peaceful, yet he could sense danger in the gentle evening breeze. The air was dry and carried the metallic scent of blood. By the moonlight, Li Jun gazed down the mountain.
Everything seemed peaceful. But Li Jun could hear things others couldn't. After the battle of Dragon Island, as time passed, he found his strength, agility, and five senses improving daily. He attributed this to the breathing technique taught to him by Lei Hun. This amazing scholar. Thinking of him, Li Jun also thought of his companions: Tu Long Ziyun, who saved him in his most critical moment; Mo Rong, who transformed the dragon head into a unique helmet and even modified his short sword. Even Jiang Tang, who joined later, felt somewhat uncomfortable if he didn't hear his "business" catchphrase for a day after getting used to it.
He never imagined he could become someone's friend so easily. Li Jun smiled wryly; at this moment, he didn't need to worry about his feelings showing. But he quickly suppressed his smile and lay down on the ground, listening to the sounds coming from the earth.
"They're here!" he thought. He stood up again, nervously gazing eastward.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a black line began to appear on the eastern horizon. Li Jun's eyesight allowed him to see that this rapidly moving black line was a large cavalry force. The earth groaned and trembled under the momentum of the galloping horses. In the moonlight, the scimitars of the Rong men (Note 1) reflected a dazzling chill. Shouts and the neighing of horses chased the tranquility of the plains into the night. In Li Jun's vision, all he saw was a fiery momentum, a fiery army!