Chapter 318: Bitterly Holding On

The mist dragon swam faster and faster in the bowl, eager to break free. The Red General waited patiently. Only when the bowl was nearly overflowing did he tap its rim and point a finger skyward, declaring: "Go!"

The mist dragon, which could no longer restrain itself, soared into the sky, riding on clouds and mist! After leaving the basin, its body grew rapidly, reaching at least fifteen zhang in length once it was airborne. Even more astonishing were the clouds and mist that ascended with it, expanding rapidly. What had been a partly clear sky suddenly became heavily overcast. As the giant dragon thrashed back and forth within the clouds, they pressed lower and lower, growing darker and darker, almost descending to the mountaintops.

The Red General instructed everyone to retreat another ten zhang. Only then did he extend a finger and lightly tap the bowl several times, like a dragonfly skimming the water. Each tap he made caused a peal of thunder to erupt from the clouds, generating a deafening rumble! With a wave of his hand, he summoned clouds and rain; with a flick of his finger, he conjured startling thunder. Lightning illuminated the cloud layer, revealing the silhouette of the giant dragon concealed within. Then came a torrential downpour.

Seeing this, Sand Leopard immediately leaped back several zhang, wary of being drenched by the rain. In fact, everyone was standing outside the rain band. This rain cloud, though formidable in appearance, only rained over the mountaintops, covering a very limited area. Only the Red General stood in the rain; not a single drop touched anyone else.

The raindrops were surprisingly red. The guards looked down to see the white snow on the ground melting instantly, and the lichen and grass roots beneath turning from yellow to gray, rapidly rotting away. At the mine entrance, the two pine trees began shedding their leaves after being doused by the rain, and soon their branches withered. Plants that could withstand extreme cold and scorching heat were easily vanquished by this brief red rain. However, the rain soaked into the earth rapidly, absorbed quickly by the mountain.

The Red General seemed to take a deep breath, looking up at the sky.

***

Inside the mine, the patrol guards had retreated to a dead-end path. This was a deliberate choice by He Lingchuan and Xu Chun, not a forced retreat. At this point, searching for an exit was futile; they wouldn't escape the labyrinth unless the underground palace leader was eliminated. Therefore, the only way to survive was to seize the opportunity and kill the Jindu hatchling! By retreating to the dead end, they only had to face the main enemy force from one direction, allowing them to conserve their strength.

He Lingchuan divided everyone into two groups: an outer group and an inner group. The outer group, comprising Xu Chun and his companion, Menban, and He Lingchuan himself, was tasked with resisting the bone golem army. The path for this group needed to be narrow to contain the pressure. The inner group, consisting of Shouzi, Liutiao, and others, was responsible for ranged attacks and covering the backs of their frontline comrades. For them, the path couldn't be too narrow, to ensure they had enough room to maneuver if the Jindu hatchling suddenly emerged and attacked. This funnel-shaped passage, narrow at the front and wider at the back, was perfect.

There was no point in smashing the bone golems that wildly wielded their weapons and howled; they would quickly reassemble and regenerate. Therefore, the main strategy against them was containment. Xu Chun's slowing spell remained highly effective, but another crucial item was produced by Duan Xinyu. It was a bottle of seeds that resembled coffee beans. Unlike others who might simply throw an item to activate its effect, he instructed everyone to protect him. He then pressed the bottle to his chest, turned eastward, and began reciting a prayer. During this time, he had to keep his eyes closed and remain completely still.

The Jindu hatchling saw this as a good opportunity and attempted to ambush him twice, but each time it was repelled by the combined efforts of the group. Fortunately, it lacked its kin's ability to freely drag people underground, or Duan Xinyu would have been pulled beneath the earth long ago. Moreover, after a prolonged struggle, the group noticed slight signs before these hatchlings emerged from the underground palace: the ground or rock walls would subtly bulge upward with a faint, wave-like tremor for unknown reasons. This further confirmed that the hatchling's ability to move through the underground palace consumed its parent's energy. However, the underground palace was too dark; even with torches, it was easy for shadows to obscure the subtle ground disturbances. Consequently, guarding against the Jindu hatchling's subterranean ambushes was difficult.

This youngest hatchling was incredibly resilient; its thick white bone armor could barely be cleaved by He Lingchuan's precious blade or cracked by Menban's sturdy axe. Other weapons posed almost no threat. What was even more frustrating was that even if injured, it could quickly recover by retreating into the rock wall, only to re-emerge full of vigor, ready to fight for another three hundred rounds. If this continued, the humans would surely be worn down to death. Furthermore, its agility and combat abilities were constantly improving. Evidently, He Lingchuan wasn't the only one benefiting from practical combat; the hatchling's rate of accumulating experience was equally astonishing. Even the bone armor it manifested was continuously improving. In just half an hour, it revised its design twice, narrowing its waistline and reinforcing its sternum, making Menban feel as if his axe was striking a hard-shelled turtle.

Even with everyone protecting him, the Jindu hatchling's bone spear still found an opening and struck Duan Xinyu in the back. Though not deeply impaled, he trembled all over from the pain. Yet, despite this, Duan Xinyu's recitation remained unbroken. He Lingchuan, being close, heard him mention "Empress Mitian" several times, inferring that the spell was connected to the celestial deity protecting Panlong City.

Fortunately, the recitation wasn't lengthy, and Duan Xinyu finally completed it. He then flung the seeds from the bottle forward, scattering them across the bone golems' path. The seeds instantly came to life upon landing, rapidly rooting, sprouting, growing stems, and putting out leaves. The plant growth process accelerated a hundredfold, and in just a dozen breaths, a forest of vines had emerged. He Lingchuan found them familiar, but it was only when sharp thorns began to grow on their vine tips that he had an epiphany: "Aren't these the plants clinging to the outer walls of Panlong City's gates?" He had always thought the wall's greening project looked unsightly, but it seemed his judgment was wrong; it wasn't a wasted effort after all.

Liutiao urgently exclaimed, "Man-eating vines! Where did you get these seeds?" These plants aren't allowed to circulate openly on the market; Panlong City has strict regulations. Duan Xinyu gave a wry smile. "Don't ask," he said, implying it was illegal.

Each man-eating vine had six tendrils, whose fine thorns could both draw blood and probe. Once a living creature approached, the tendrils would coil tightly around it like a constricting python, then inject venom and suck blood with their sharp points. That's why Panlong City planted them on its walls: to deter enemies attempting to scale the gates. Furthermore, these vines are resistant to fire and acid, possessing astonishing vitality. Panlong City had to expend considerable effort annually just to prevent them from growing uncontrollably towards the ground.

The bone golems, of course, had no blood to be sucked, but the man-eating vines' constriction was effective, trapping them in place and preventing any advance. This was precisely the outcome the group desired. Duan Xinyu was also drenched in sweat and exhausted, as if he had been in a fierce battle for half an hour; clearly, this short incantation had almost drained him. Earlier, his squad had been caught off guard by an enemy ambush, leaving him no time to pray and plant the vines.

"The man-eating vines will remain active for half an hour," he gasped, popping a pill into his mouth. "Everyone, hold on tight." These man-eating vines had been artificially stimulated, overdrawing the seeds' inherent vitality and violating natural cycles, so they were not destined to last long. Now, they only needed to focus on fighting the main boss.

Xu Chun glanced at him and suddenly asked, "How did you survive earlier?" With all his teammates dead and only the captain surviving, it wasn't a glorious story to tell. Duan Xinyu pursed his lips. After pinning a bone golem to the wall, he finally spoke: "I smeared myself with blood from the rock wall and climbed to the top of the passage; the bone golems couldn't see me. The Jindu hatchling went after you all then, so I slipped away."

The Jindu hatchling's movements grew increasingly swift. Fortunately, its attacks were scattered, striking here and there, so before it could inflict deep damage, it would be targeted by the group's combined fire. However, it seemed time was on its side. When in danger, it merely retreated into the rock wall, only to reappear fully recovered each time. The humans, however, were growing increasingly exhausted, the prolonged battle leaving everyone breathless and weary.

This time, He Lingchuan still managed to cleave off its shoulder armor with his sharp blade, but Menban's heavy axe only left a mark on its hip bone instead of shattering it. His old strength was spent, and new strength had not yet come; even he was weary. From that moment, the Jindu hatchling's attack rhythm suddenly accelerated. It turned out it hadn't been using its full strength before, merely employing a delaying tactic to deplete their stamina. Even Xu Chun's slowing spell proved to be of little use against it.

Despite He Lingchuan and the others' full resistance, the Jindu hatchling managed to find openings, successively killing one person from his team and another from Xu Chun's. One was disemboweled, and the other's head was bitten off, leaving no chance for rescue. He Lingchuan himself was blind in one eye, his vision narrowed, and his sword swings were no longer as precise as before. As sweat streamed down, his face grew increasingly raw with pain.

The Jindu hatchling's speed was increasing, leaving afterimages in the air. He couldn't understand how it managed this while encased in such thick, heavy armor. He Lingchuan swung his blade again, blocking a claw that was reaching for Liutiao's back. This time, when he entered the dream, he was already somewhat fatigued, not as refreshed and energized as before. He surmised it was likely because the Battle of Hande River had just concluded in reality, leaving his spirit somewhat weakened. It appeared that battles within the dream didn't affect reality, but his real-world condition could be carried into the dream, impacting his performance.

He felt as if he was back on that night fighting in Yanhe Valley, once again trapped in a tide of enemies, isolated and without aid, struggling fiercely without a glimmer of hope. Everyone was gritting their teeth and holding on, no one daring to speak a word of despair or utter the word "death." If these weren't Panlong soldiers, perhaps they would have collapsed long ago. Yet, in this battle, where was the hope for victory? Would there be reinforcements?

The skinny man behind him suddenly gasped, "Hey, help me tell my family I hid my money in..." His left arm was broken, his right leg injured, making it difficult for him to turn around. Just moments ago, a Jindu hatchling's spear had pierced his backside. After bleeding for a long time, he was starting to feel dizzy and lightheaded. It seemed impossible to overcome this obstacle.

Liutiao impatiently cut him off: "If you want to say something, go back and say it yourself!" He Lingchuan glanced at them from the corner of his eye. "Why interrupt him?" he remarked. "Let him speak, then we can go dig it up and split the money. His fortune is thicker than anyone else's." Shouzi mumbled, "I worked so hard to save that!" but he no longer brought up leaving last words.