Chapter Sixteen: The Rescue Operation

Poison Dragon Swamp—

This land of death, permeated by toxic miasma, is teeming with buzzing giant mosquitoes and mud-mushrooms that constantly exhale poisonous vapors. Swamp giants crabs, with claws snapping, roam between the pools in search of prey, alongside elusive, gargantuan predatory worms that drag any creature venturing too close into the mud to be devoured.

Not to mention the terrifying Poison Dragon said to lurk in the depths of the swamp—Inkscale.

This place is effectively a forbidden zone for humanity; very few dare to set foot here.

Yet, at this very moment, a pioneer team of nearly a hundred people is advancing toward the heart of the swamp. The entire group has dispersed into small squads, forming a massive, arc-shaped search perimeter. Their leader, Zhao Qingyun, stands in the center, directing his subordinates.

"Squad One, move a bit to the right and spread out to widen the search area."

"Squad Three, you're too far forward."

"Squad Four, deal with that swamp crab over there quickly; don't let it disrupt our formation."

"Stay sharp, everyone. We are here to slay a dragon. Once the battle begins, follow my orders to the letter. Anyone who dares to defy me—heh, you know the consequences."

Zhao Qingyun scanned the mist-shrouded swamp. Still no sign of the Poison Dragon. He felt a flicker of impatience, but the treacherous terrain kept him on high alert. He had activated his "Spirit Travel" technique, so the muddy ground didn't impede his movement, but seeing his subordinates stumbling through the mire made him frown.

Swamp terrain severely penalized player movement speed, hindering positioning and maneuvers. It was a hellish place for a boss fight. However, the Swamp Poison Dragon was the only evil dragon whose trail the Azure Dragon Guild had successfully tracked. To slay a dragon and establish a kingdom, they had no choice but to target it. Several guilds in the game were currently attempting to establish nations, and the Azure Dragon Guild could not afford to fall behind.

Finally, they reached the center of the swamp.

"Send out the bait," he said to a subordinate beside him.

Several low-level players on horseback were immediately sent out. They galloped back and forth in front of the main force, churning up the mud and creating a massive commotion, while the others braced themselves for combat.

Suddenly, the mud in a pool in the distance surged, and some massive creature began approaching rapidly beneath the surface.

"It's coming!" a scout hunter shouted.

Everyone stared fixedly at the direction of the ripples. A mounted low-level player was quickly overtaken—

Boom! A black flood dragon, thirty to forty meters in length, erupted from the water, snapping its jaws around the rider and swallowing both man and horse in one gulp.

In a split second, Zhao Qingyun clearly saw the monster's name.

Swamp Poison Flood Dragon: Level 68.

Zhao Qingyun’s brow furrowed. It wasn't a Poison Dragon, but a Poison Flood Dragon? This was hellish…

Though only one character separated their names, the strength and status of a flood dragon versus a true dragon were worlds apart. A dragon’s head was the required quest item to establish a kingdom; to do so, one had to slay a true evil dragon and present its head as proof of the guild's power. A flood dragon was merely a common boss.

*What is the intelligence team doing? How could they get this wrong?*

Although the intelligence was flawed, it was still a boss, and being a monster, it wouldn't spare them just because of a mistaken identity.

"Attack!" Zhao Qingyun gritted his teeth.

A dense volley of arrows was immediately loosed. Given the difficulty of maneuvering in the swamp, sixty or seventy of the hundred-man team were equipped with bows and crossbows, all armed with cold-iron arrows capable of piercing even a dragon's scales.

The barrage struck the massive black body, instantly bristling with arrows. The creature shrieked in pain and unleashed a breath of poisonous dragon mist. As the green fog spread across the swamp, players caught in the cloud began to succumb to poison.

"Taoists, dispel it!" Zhao Qingyun commanded immediately.

"Received!" came the reply from his side.

Although nearly a hundred people were brought on this expedition, only three or four spellcasters around Zhao Qingyun were true core members of the Azure Dragon Guild. In the game *Old Earth*, spellcasting classes were extremely rare, requiring unique encounters or the completion of arduous hidden quests to unlock. Average players could only access physical classes like swordsmen, blade-wielders, generals, or martial monks.

As the saying goes, anyone with a mana bar is a master; spellcasters often possessed powerful abilities that ordinary classes lacked. Now, facing the encroaching toxic mist, their value was clear.

"Four Symbols and Five Elements, gathering winds from the six directions! Wind Master, Rain Dame, heed my command—summon the gale! Hurry as the law commands!" the Taoist chanted.

In an instant, a violent wind whipped up on the flat ground, scattering the toxic mist that hung over the team.

The flood dragon, however, possessed its own intelligence. It locked eyes with the spellcaster and charged with a roar. Its massive body brought terrifying pressure, forcing players to scramble out of its path. A general attempted to block its charge but was sent flying like a goat hit by a truck, landing in the mud only to be dragged into the depths of the swamp by a giant worm that burst from the mire.

Zhao Qingyun remained calm. He had prepared professional tanks for a boss of this caliber.

"Divine General, take the aggro!" Zhao Qingyun ordered.

A heavily armored warrior stepped in front of the group. Clad in Golden Profound Light Armor and wielding a Crescent Moon Demon-Slaying Blade, he was clearly a top-tier player.

*Dharma Golden Body!*
*Heavenly Star Battle Qi!*
*Divine Possession!*

Triple buffs activated in an instant. The warrior erupted with dazzling divine light, surrounded by storm-like currents, his stature ballooning several times over until he was a four or five-meter-tall giant. He met the black flood dragon's charge head-on.

Boom! The general took a few steps back but held his ground.

"Haha, die, you beast!" With a swing of his great blade, a 'Divine Weapon Qi Bind Slash' condensed divine energy into a crescent-shaped force, shattering the dragon's scales and sending blood spraying as it twisted and retreated.

A faint, smug smile touched Zhao Qingyun’s lips. At that moment, a sycophantic voice drifted over.

"Tsk, tsk, that’s insane! No wonder Boss Zhao thought we could slay a dragon. You’ve even trained up a Divine General; the aura is overwhelming!"

Zhao Qingyun didn't need to look to know it was Liu Qiang. He had never liked this guy sent by the company—even when he offered praise, it sounded off. It was clearly meant to be a compliment, yet it always sounded snide. He ignored him and continued to command with a stern face.

"A-Miao, go!"

"Received!" A teammate wearing five-colored feathered robes suddenly let out an eagle’s cry. In a blink, feathers and wings sprouted across his body, transforming him into a Golden-Winged Peng with a wingspan of seven or eight meters.

*Demon Art—Golden Peng Transformation!*

The Peng soared into the sky, circled once, and dived at the black flood dragon. The creature, distracted by the Divine General, was caught off guard as the Peng slammed into its face, pecking out an eye and losing half its vision in an instant.

The Divine General seized the opportunity to unleash another ultimate, slamming the flood dragon into the mud, where it struggled to rise.

"Melee squad, advance!"

Dozens of swordsmen, rangers, martial monks, and thieves who had been waiting for their moment dropped their bows, surged forward, and swarmed the creature, raining blades, fists, and kicks upon it.

With its vision compromised and its body battered, the flood dragon could not fend off the fierce melee assault. It could only thrash its massive body in vain, exhaling toxic mist that was repeatedly dispelled by the Taoist.

The battle lasted for five minutes. After suffering minimal casualties, the flood dragon’s health was finally exhausted. Seeing the boss fight drawing to a successful close, Zhao Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief. *Not bad. Even though we didn't get the dragon's head, we still came away with something.*

*Boom!*

A crack of thunder suddenly interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and realized the sky had darkened without him noticing. Thick, ominous clouds covered the sky, glowing with an eerie green hue, and the air was filled with a suffocating, murderous intent.

Zhao Qingyun felt goosebumps erupting across his skin. Something truly terrifying was waking up.

The water level in the swamp beneath his feet began to rise rapidly, instantly submerging his knees.

The water swirled, and the next second—

Boom! A turbid wave spiraled into the sky. Atop the crest of the wave, a massive black dragon, seventy or eighty meters long, circled and unleashed a furious roar. Lightning flickered in the sky behind the dragon, illuminating its jet-black scales until they shimmered, as if the dragon were one with the heavens.

*Inkscale (Swamp Poison Dragon): Level 96!*

*Damn it! There really is a dragon!*

Zhao Qingyun was shocked rather than pleased. He hadn't expected the presence of a true dragon to be so overwhelming. The terrifying aura, carrying the weight of heaven and earth, shattered his will to fight with just its entrance. And it was level 96!

"Boss, are we still fighting?" the Taoist asked, terrified.

"Fight my ass! Get us out of here!"

Before the words were out, a torrential rain of poison began to fall. This time, even the dispelling spell couldn't clear it.

Zhao Qingyun’s subordinates were all poisoned; some frantically gulped down antidotes, while others fled toward the edge of the battlefield while chugging health potions. A few, desperate and reckless, charged at the black dragon, hoping for a final stand.

The Taoist hurriedly chanted a spell.

"Six Dings and Six Jias, heed my command! Heavenly Master’s Evasion, ten thousand miles without a trace. Spirit Travel Array—hurry as the law commands!"

A massive white magic circle appeared beneath their feet, encompassing Zhao Qingyun and his core members.

"Everyone retreat, get into the formation!" Zhao Qingyun shouted. Nearby players scrambled into the Spirit Travel array, terrified of being left behind. Liu Qiang was the first to stand by Zhao Qingyun's side. As more players retreated into the circle, the Poison Dragon took notice of the array.

With a dragon’s roar, the giant waves beneath its body surged toward the array like a tsunami.

"Go!"

"But there are still so many people who haven't made it in!"

Zhao Qingyun sneered. "They're just cannon fodder. Forget them!"

*Whoosh.* With a flash of white light, those inside the array vanished instantly, leaving behind only the ordinary members who hadn't reacted in time, struggling and screaming in the poisonous rain, to be slaughtered by the Poison Dragon amid the waves.