Chapter 12: Siege
The biting dark wind howled, as if trying to fling all intruders out of the depths of the Dark Gobi. With every step forward, the wind grew fiercer.
The dark wind scraped against the scale-like crystal armor plates on Su Xiao's front, occasionally even sparking, showing the power of this climate. Without a sufficiently strong physique, anyone who strayed into this place would soon be blown into a skeleton by the dark wind.
The reason Su Xiao led his lord team deep into this area was naturally to reach the Dark Salt Lake at the deepest part of the Dark Gobi. If nothing unexpected happened, the "Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon" was dwelling there.
"Lord, in my experience, during this season, the Abyssal Dragon shouldn't be at the Dark Salt Lake."
Ergin spoke, his tone confident and demeanor calm, as if he truly knew something about the "Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon."
"Indeed, this is the Abyssal Dragon's hunting season."
Viper chimed in to support him.
"Doesn't that mean we'll be returning empty-handed?"
Evil Fang also added his voice.
"This is Lord Bai Ye's order. Regardless, we should go and take a look."
Ergin's words were righteous and stern. Viper beside him seemed to want to speak but hesitated, while Evil Fang quietly sighed.
Seeing this, Su Xiao knew that among these three, Ergin was subtly the leader, Viper was second, and Evil Fang had the least say. This wasn't because Viper and Evil Fang were won over by Ergin's charisma, but because of the beatings he'd given them in private.
Given the situation of the lord team, having Baha and Amu as the second-in-command was definitely not feasible, as they weren't natives of this world and lacked the fame to command respect. Although Ergin had a bad reputation, infamy was still fame.
Thus, the current situation was that Su Xiao was the leader of the lord team, and Ergin was the second-in-command. The problem lay here. If Ergin were a loyal and faithful second-in-command, there would be no issue, but this guy had a rebellious streak. Although his current loyalty had reached 10 points, it would max out at around 50 points.
In this situation, if Viper and Evil Fang were subdued by Ergin, this secretly rebellious fellow might actually develop treacherous intentions.
Fortunately, this scenario wouldn't occur, because among the three major leaders recruited from the dungeon this time, there was actually a commander with strength at the "Chieftain Level." This person was called Silent Beast·Ga·Harvey, a War Bear Clan member with two-quarters bear bloodline, one-quarter beast bloodline, and the final quarter human bloodline. This made Silent Beast·Ga·Harvey's face appear particularly resolute.
Su Xiao favored this person for two reasons. First, as soon as this person joined the lord team, his loyalty was as high as 95 points. This was clearly out of gratitude for Su Xiao helping him escape his predicament, and he was ready to serve faithfully.
Second was Harvey's commanding ability. His "Command Potential" was:
"Command Potential (Passive·S-Rank): Can inherit the aura, war-related abilities, etc., of the commanding unit, applying 95% of these effects to subordinate soldier-type units. This ability remains effective even at extremely long distances from the commanding unit (ability rank ranges from E to S-Rank)."
Apart from these advantages, Harvey's flaws were equally obvious. Leading a legion into bloody battle was no problem, but when it came to schemes and intrigues, Harvey was not outstanding. This was also the main reason he ended up captured and sent to the dungeon.
Setting aside his lack of strategic acumen, Harvey excelled in other areas. This was truly touching—after recruiting so many misfits and oddballs, they finally found a reliable subordinate.
One thing that couldn't be ignored was that Harvey couldn't become the second-in-command of the lord team. This became even more apparent when the various abilities of Ergin, Harvey, Viper, and Evil Fang were quantified.
Ergin: Command (S-Rank), Strategy (S+ Rank), Combat Power (S+ Rank), Expedition (S+++ Rank), Loyalty (E-Rank).
Harvey: Command (S-Rank), Strategy (B-Rank), Combat Power (S+ Rank), Expedition (A-Rank), Loyalty (S-Rank).
Viper: Command (A-Rank), Strategy (S+ Rank), Combat Power (A-Rank), Expedition (B-Rank), Loyalty (B-Rank).
Evil Fang: Command (B-Rank), Strategy (A-Rank), Combat Power (A-Rank), Expedition (C-Rank), Loyalty (B-Rank).
...
If they were always fighting under Su Xiao's direct command, Harvey as the second-in-command would be perfectly fine. But if they had a fief and needed to lead an expedition, Ergin's abilities far surpassed Harvey, Viper, and Evil Fang.
The most ideal situation at present was for Ergin and Harvey to hold opposing views, with Viper acting as a fence-sitter in the middle. This situation was the most stable.
After penetrating dozens of kilometers into the Dark Gobi, the gale blowing from ahead suddenly stopped. It felt like passing through an invisible membrane, and the surroundings instantly became quiet.
Ahead was a pale rocky ground, the rock layers weathered to brittleness. Continuing a few more kilometers, a desperate scene appeared ahead. At the horizon was a full moon exuding a sense of darkness, and beneath the moon lay a calm saltwater lake.
Under the dim moonlight, the lake surface was tranquil. Thick layers of purple-black energy particles had accumulated along the shore, emitting black light particles that were both dark and viscous, making them untouchable.
"Lord, I told you the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon isn't here this season. You didn't believe me."
Viper's face broke into a smile. He had no desire to fight the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon to the death.
"Moo."
Amu gathered a giant ice battle axe and hurled it into the distance. With a booming crash, the ice axe smashed into the distant lake surface like breaking a mirror, shattering the calm surface and revealing the pitch-black water beneath. The seemingly placid lake surface was actually a layer of congealed material.
The black water surged up through the hole, darkening a section of the lake. Ergin, Harvey, and Viper all stared intently at the black water until it completely calmed down, then the three simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief.
Ergin and Harvey exchanged a glance. Perhaps neither dreamed that this would be the one time their inner thoughts were most aligned.
"Mere beast ants dare to disturb my slumber."
A long, ear-shattering voice came from within the Dark Salt Lake. This was clearly the "Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon."
"Withdraw from my slumbering grounds. This place is barren, not worth fighting over."
The vibrating soul-speech subsided. Surprisingly, the "Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon" was quite reasonable, which didn't match the rumors of its brutality, ferocity, and wanton slaughter of living beings.
Had people misunderstood the "Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon"? Not at all. At this moment, the "Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon's" only thought was: it had never offended the Law Destroyers. By the time it was born, the Law Destruction Era had already ended. Yet now, why had a Law Destroyer come knocking, and with a group of underlings?
Although the "Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon" was also a dragon-type creature, any dragon-type creature, upon seeing a blade master, would clench up. As the saying goes, slaying dragons is the romance of blade masters, but for the dragons being slain, there was nothing romantic about it. The dragons' thought was: all you strong guys who use blades, get the hell away from me.
And now, a Blade Grandmaster·Law Destroyer had come knocking. The "Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon" immediately woke from its slumber, sensing this was no simple matter. For once, it restrained its brutality. In the past, it would have burst out of the water, letting enemies writhe and scream under the Abyssal Dragonflame, using their screams as a lullaby to fall back asleep.
"Lord, this Abyssal Dragon's attitude isn't bad. I think the rumors are wrong, so we shouldn't actively provoke..."
Before Viper could finish, Baha flew up and, high in the air, started the fight:
"Hey, you little lizard hiding in the black mud, get out here and greet your daddy!"
As soon as Baha spoke, the air went silent. The "Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon," with its twisted horns, poked its dragon head out of the lake. Its pitch-black vertical pupils stared at Baha, seemingly unable to process what just happened, as no one had ever dared to insult it so brazenly.
Boom!
The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon burst out of the water, shattering the crystalline surface of the lake. It spread its wings, spanning over three hundred meters, hinting at its massive size. Its dragon wings were riddled with holes eroded by Abyssal energy, and its body was covered not in scales but in a layer of oil-like substance.
"Roar!!!"
The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon let out a roar, causing the surrounding dark matter to float up and converge toward it. The scene was spectacular, instantly maxing out the oppressive feeling of challenging a dragon, especially one nearly driven mad by Abyssal erosion.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon charged forward on its hind legs and the claws at the tips of its wings. After closing a kilometer in an instant, it swung its left wing forward, slapping down toward the group of beasts. Ergin and the others, already on guard, scattered and leaped away.
Boom!
The massive dragon wing slammed down, showing signs of turning into a black semi-fluid. Several weaker beasts were crushed on the spot, then absorbed into the black semi-fluid formed by the dragon's wing.
With a whoosh, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon spiraled into the air, then spread its wings and spat out a several-meter-thick purple-black ray from its mouth. With a sizzling sweep, it passed over, accompanied by ear-shattering energy explosions. Another dozen or so beasts died instantly.
Abyssal Dragonflame, black with traces of white, sprayed down. The rocky ground shattered from the impact, and the dragonflame spread like spilled oil, burning continuously for a long time.
This was the terror of the Abyssal Flame Dragon. Once touched, it caused prolonged physical and soul burning.
After this dragon with its hundred-meter wingspan showed its power, not only the other beasts but even the strongest among them, Ergin and Harvey, were stunned. One ran wildly with a war blade, while the other hid in the black lake water with a war hammer.
The other beasts fared even worse, either running wildly while dragging Abyssal Dragonflame, or being half-buried in the mud. Viper's shouts came through—he was currently being squeezed in the dragon's claw, then casually tossed up and blasted with Abyssal Dragonflame.
In the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon's other claw, it held the Dense Tree Clan·Giant Armor. Perhaps due to the dragon's terrifying strength, Giant Armor was being squeezed until green juice spurted from its mouth.
In the distant gale zone, Su Xiao sat inside a crystal barrier, watching the beasts' chaotic battle with the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon. He had come to train the lord team's combat power and naturally wouldn't intervene himself. If he did, forming the lord team would be meaningless.
Time passed minute by minute. On the rocky shore, Harvey, his face covered in blood, raised his long-handled war hammer. Storm and solar energy converged, forming a hundred-meter energy hammer that crashed down, sending the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon tumbling into the salt lake.
Although the beasts were getting beaten badly, they had the "Blazing Sun" ability's empowerment. The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon wasn't having an easy time either, especially since its "Blazing Sun Mark" had stacked to the max.
"Blazing Sun (Passive): Deals 320 to 470 points + 0.2% to 15% of max health as true burning damage to enemies.
Note: The Blazing Sun Mark can stack up to five layers (full stack) and lasts for 60 to 9000 seconds (depending on current layers).
When the enemy is at full 'Blazing Sun Mark' status: All friendly 'melee' elite units attacking this enemy will deal an additional 470 points + 15% of max health as true burning damage, with a knockback effect.
When the enemy is at full 'Blazing Sun Mark' status: All friendly 'ranged' elite units attacking this enemy will deal an additional 320 points + 10% of max health as true burning damage, with a severe healing suppression effect."
...
"Run!"
Harvey slammed down another Blazing Sun heavy hammer, causing the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon to roar as black mud splashed high.
Hearing this, Viper was the first to limp away into the distance, followed closely by Evil Fang. The other beasts also ran toward the gale zone. Ergin alone stayed behind to cover the retreat, blood dripping from his chin as he calmly locked eyes with the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon.
After another round of thunderous sounds, all the beasts had withdrawn from the Dark Salt Lake area, leaving only the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon, black blood flowing from its body, roaring at the sky. This battle had reduced the lord team, which had just reached 430 members, to just over 80.
Over three hours later, Ergin, with a bandage wrapped around his head, was the first to emerge from the gale zone. Strangely, the lord team's member count had risen back to over 400. This was naturally because they had recruited another batch of beasts from the dungeon, using the same method: either leave, or come fight the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon, with 1,000 gold coins each afterward.
"Don't be afraid. We fought this Abyssal Dragon a few hours ago. It's not as strong as you think."
As he spoke, Viper strode forward, and the newly arrived beasts had no choice but to charge together.
With a boom, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon burst out of the water. Enemies meeting again, they started fighting immediately. Both sides were still holding a grudge from the fierce battle hours earlier.
The two sides clashed again, this time even more fiercely than before. The battle lasted over five hours before subsiding. Ergin, Harvey, and the others fled back to the gale zone in disarray. The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon was about to pursue when it vaguely saw, within the gale zone, a pair of eyes glowing with red light. Its wings, poised to spread, hesitated. It turned and dove back into the Dark Salt Lake, sinking into the dark matter below to rapidly recover.
This time, the lord team fared slightly better, with over 100 members successfully escaping into the gale zone.
A few hours later, just as the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon thought those beasts, who had troubled it twice, wouldn't return, Ergin and Harvey, now with even more bandages, emerged, still leading a force of over 400 beasts.
The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon poked its head out of the black water, confused. It tried to recall the beasts it had devoured but couldn't understand why the beasts hated it so much. It had eaten far more tribe members, after all.
"Don't be afraid. We have plenty of experience fighting this Abyssal Dragon. Charge! Kill it!"
Viper shouted, charging forward first again. Strangely, he was always the first to charge, but somehow ended up at the back.
Seeing the horde of beasts charging, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon grew furious. How many years had it been since anyone dared to provoke it like this? No, no creature had ever dared to provoke it like this.
The melee began again, but after a few hours, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon wasn't as angry. It realized these beasts were hitting harder and harder, as if every beast had a solar-based ability. This ability was especially troublesome. Once hit multiple times, its defense against it was reduced to nothing, and each subsequent hit was excruciating, as if solar fire was burning its soul to ashes.
If not for the large amount of dark matter in the Dark Salt Lake below, which allowed the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon to rapidly and massively recover health, and the fact that this Abyssal recovery wasn't suppressed, it would have already been killed by the lord team's high-damage siege.
When this round of melee subsided, only about 140 beasts had charged into the gale zone. The badly wounded Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon plunged into the lake. This time, it didn't even bother with an angry roar, because the injuries were simply too painful.
Another few hours passed. Ergin, Harvey, Viper, and the others emerged from the gale zone once more. The lord team's member count had returned to over 400. Viper, at the front, shouted:
"Come out!"
The lake surface was silent. Harvey, a man of few words, raised his hammer and slammed a solar heavy hammer into the Dark Salt Lake. The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon, hit by the impact, roared and burst out of the water.
This melee was especially intense. When the beasts were beaten back, with about 170 charging into the gale zone, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon spat out a large mouthful of black dragon blood before sinking back into the Dark Salt Lake.
Beneath the lake, in the dark matter, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon, recovering from its injuries, began to recall what it had done to anger the beasts so much that they would send an elite squad, all at "Headman Level," to retaliate regardless of casualties. And perhaps it should restrain itself in the future. These lower races could be quite vicious when angered.
Just as the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon, beaten into self-reflection, heard through the lake water that beast with the thin Viper bloodline shouting something by the shore again.
With a boom, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon burst through the lake surface, roaring in fury as it pounced on Ergin and the others. The melee began again.
This time, the melee didn't end with the beasts fleeing in disarray. Over 200 beasts stood on the rocky shore, staring down the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon from a hundred meters away. Both sides were severely injured, but Ergin and the others didn't really want to flee back to the gale zone. Although returning there meant their "not-so-skilled-in-combat" lord would heal their wounds, the process was so unforgettable that even Ergin shuddered at the thought.
"Retreat."
After Ergin said this, the beasts withdrew toward the gale zone. Seeing this, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon felt a sense of relief. It retreated back into the dark matter beneath the lake.
Time passed quietly. A few hours later, Ergin led over 400 beasts out of the gale zone. Viper cleared his throat and shouted:
"Come out!"
The shout fell, but there was no movement from the Dark Salt Lake. Seeing this, Harvey raised his hammer and slammed down a solar heavy hammer.
Boom!
Water splashed everywhere, but still no movement. Ergin and the others exchanged glances, then Evil Fang leaped into the lake. After a moment, he poked his head out of the black water and said, "The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon isn't here. It seems to have fled."
In reality, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon had moved. This brutal, ferocious high-ranking dragon, after being beaten five times, decided to relocate. It didn't want to spend another second in this cursed place.
"Pursue!"
Ergin grabbed a Blood Wolf Clan member to track the scent. Soon, the beasts followed the trail of the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon, heading north of the Dark Gobi.
Over two hours later, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon, shedding large amounts of dragon blood in flight, crashed into the Dark Salt Lake, sinking into the dark matter to recover. It hadn't wanted to return, but the beasts had been chasing it relentlessly. Among them, the Centaur Clan was especially deadly, firing spiral arrows imbued with the Blazing Sun effect. Although each Centaur could only carry 8 to 10 spiral arrows due to their weight and length, they were still lethal.
As for killing these Centaurs first, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon had tried more than once. Not only were they fast, but they could also fight in melee with spiral heavy lances, and these heavy cavalry were anything but fragile. More importantly, these fully armored Centaurs had a talent: the more of their kind nearby, the stronger the defensive properties provided by their "Heavy Cavalry" ability.
The Centaur Clan was originally an elite clan among the beasts, few in number but strong in combat. The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon had truly never seen so many "Great Headman Level" Centaurs gathered together.
With over 70 "Great Headman Level" Centaurs gathered, the "Heavy Cavalry" ability's stacking defense was already thick enough, not to mention the "All Ability Levels Increased by Lv.18" provided by the Sun Lord, which boosted these Centaurs' Lv.70 "Heavy Cavalry" ability to Lv.88. Finally, the "Max Health Increased by 35%" made their survivability even more formidable.
This was all without sunlight. Otherwise, "Sunlight Nourishment" would provide a 1% max health recovery per second.
Moreover, Bubu Wang's "Swiftness Aura" gave the Centaurs a 20% overall movement speed boost. They were already fast, and they had a talent: as long as they weren't attacked while running, they would get faster and faster, reaching a peak speed of 750% speed bonus. Now, with an extra fifth, it was even more absurd.
These heavy cavalry were as tough as cast metal. When charging, their melee attacks had a knockback effect, and their ranged spiral arrows carried the "Blazing Sun" effect. They were hard to kill, hit hard, and couldn't be outrun. The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon had been chased back by these heavy cavalry. As for flying high, the spiral arrows had a range of tens of thousands of meters, so that wasn't an option.
By the Dark Salt Lake, the seventh siege against the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon began shortly after. Dense Tree Clan·Giant Armor leaped into the lake. Whether it was an illusion or not, Giant Armor seemed to be somewhat affected by the Abyssal energy here, but it was getting tougher. So tough that even when pinned under the dragon's claw and blasted with Abyssal Dragonflame, Giant Armor could still raise its giant stone axe to hit the dragon's head.
By now, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon was sick of this unburnable, unbreakable wooden lump. Every time they fought, it would just toss him into the gale zone.
When the seventh siege ended, Ergin decided not to let the beasts retreat to the gale zone but to camp right on the rocky ground. Seeing this, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon was naturally enraged. It charged out again, killed a dozen beasts, but was beaten until it spat black dragon blood and retreated into the Dark Salt Lake, not emerging again. It tacitly allowed the lord team to camp there.
Soon, a new batch of beasts recruited from the dungeon arrived, including many Centaurs. Seeing the newcomers, Ergin stood up and walked toward the Dark Salt Lake.
Over a dozen hours later, with a muffled boom, the roaring Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon was hammered out of the Dark Salt Lake. Giant Armor, whose branches had all turned black, roared and pounced on the dragon's head, grabbing its upper and lower jaws with both hands to pry them apart. This tree clan simpleton held a grudge. In the previous dozen melees, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon had frequently blasted it with dragonflame.
The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon let out an unwilling roar, then had no strength left. It crashed to the ground, its vertical pupils still unable to understand why these beasts hated it so much, coming back to fight it to the death time and again.
"Pfft, finally won."
Ergin spat out the bitter, salty lake water and sat in the mud by the shore, gasping for breath. Not far away, Harvey, half-buried in the mud, tried to sit up but failed several times.
Just then, Su Xiao emerged from the gale zone. He surveyed the lord team. Now, the weakest beasts in the team were at "Great Headman Level" strength, with plenty of mini-boss levels. Above them, at the Chieftain Level, were Ergin, Harvey, Viper, and Evil Fang. Ergin and Harvey were at the top tier of Chieftain Level, Viper was mid-tier, and Evil Fang was lower-tier.
The lord team had a total of 450 members, including 150 Centaurs. Besides charging to disrupt enemy formations, these Centaurs were also powerful ranged units.
Were powerful ranged damage dealers supposed to be fragile? Try a group of "Heavy Cavalry" powerful ranged damage dealers. If someone tried to close in on them like they would with regular ranged units, they'd be asking for death. Their durability could easily support them shooting enemies at point-blank range.
If these Centaurs turned and ran when facing an enemy charge, it wasn't because they were afraid or afraid of being engaged in melee. They were completely showing off their talent of getting faster the more they ran.
Su Xiao approached the head of the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon. The massive dragon eye stared at him with intense killing intent and hatred. At this moment, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon was certain that this Law Destroyer was the mastermind behind its being besieged for over a dozen rounds.
Su Xiao activated his branding device, imprinting a soul-based summoning mark on the roof of the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon's mouth. The soul's agony immediately restored some of the dragon's strength. It struggled and rolled a few times before losing strength again.
Su Xiao tried to control the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon through the soul mark but failed. He could feel the dragon's consciousness resisting with all its might, preferring death to following Su Xiao's mental commands.
Seeing this, Su Xiao said, "So, you want to die with the dignity of an Abyssal Dragon?"
"That would be best."
The Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon sent a soul-voice. Hearing this, Su Xiao nodded.
"Then choose for yourself: either join us against the Sea Clan, or end up on the dinner table. Two choices."
"Law Destroyer, you're too arrogant. I don't believe you dare to eat me, tainted by the Abyss..."
Before the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon could finish, Su Xiao took out a cookbook, opened it, and threw it in front of the dragon. The dragon used dark energy to form an arm and catch it.
Seeing the cookbook, the Eldest Son of the Abyssal Dragon was initially disdainful. But the more it read, the more the contents seemed real, and its gaze grew increasingly serious. When it flipped to the dragon section of the recipes, it suddenly felt that being put on the dinner table might not be just a threat.