69novels Page 266
Page 266
If Qinlan were to launch a surprise attack from underground, even the Black Dragon would have a hard time dealing with it. While any true dragon species knows how to dig burrows to build nests, hide treasures, or escape danger, the Iron Dragon is a dragon species that specializes in digging burrows.
Taking the Black Diablos and the Blue Dragon sisters Mona and Moya as examples, when chasing the burrowing Black Diablos, the Blue Dragon, by utilizing its burrowing expertise, can soften the ground around it to a certain extent.
For them, digging tunnels is something they're very good at.
Even if he brings his retinue, a black dragon of this age can at most enslave some kobolds, lizardmen, goblins, or weaker snakemen.
Unless the opponent is wearing full armor or possesses strength at the third or fourth tier, they will basically be eliminated one by one by Zhuang Daihua's enchanted crossbow.
"They're here... Hide well."
Inside the mine, the scorched smell from Iron Dragon's signature electric spark breath and the sweet scent of its hypnotic breath had not yet completely dissipated.
Fortunately, hypnotic breath attacks aren't exclusive to Iron Dragons. Black Dragons are easily immune to the effects of hypnotic and paralyzing breaths, and Iron Dragons are also much rarer than other dragon species—
The black dragon, with its preconceived notions, is likely to mistake the invading enemy in the mine for a brass dragon.
The brass dragon also has two types of breath weapons: fire breath and hypnotic breath. Unless you look closely, the black dragon will not be able to tell what kind of elemental damage the goblin corpse has suffered.
The brass dragon is the weakest of the metal dragons, while the black dragon ranks fourth among the chromatic dragons. A one-on-one battle between the two would be quite exciting.
Convinced that the Black Dragon wouldn't immediately retreat after smelling the hypnotic breath and seeing the charred goblin corpse, Qin Lan prepared to dig a tunnel to ambush it.
Logically speaking, battles on the first floor should not include opponents of rank two or higher. The Labyrinth Master intentionally arranged trials for them.
Qin Lan was, after all, just a young dragon, using hypnotic breath and the scent of minerals to mask the smell of the iron dragon. But no magic could help Zhuang Daihua conceal her tracks.
However, the black dragon is quite sensitive to the smell of humans, and Zhuang Daihua, hiding behind the rock, would probably be discovered immediately.
Therefore, Zhuang Daihua followed Qin He's advice and entered the demiplane ring. She monitored everything outside through the anchor point, ready to engage in battle at any moment.
The anchor point was fixed as a grain of sand, cleverly blending into the interior of the mine. Qin Lan also used her transformation magic to revert to the appearance of a house cat and burrowed into the tunnel.
……
"The Wings of Demonic Corrosion"—this is the name and nickname of the young dragon. He is a somewhat famous black dragon who lives near the swamp.
Although the dragons of this era no longer feed on humanoid creatures, Carlona still obtains magical items and treasures that please the dragons from the elven adventurers.
Although Carona only spent its five-year hatchling period eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping, it began to show the ferocity and brutality inherent in black dragons as soon as it reached adulthood.
They kidnapped a group of goblins to work as miners and stole a decent mine from the snake people. Under the cover of the mud at the bottom of the lake, the young dragon lived a contented life, happily counting his coins.
Those inferior races were born to be exploited and enslaved by the great dragons, regardless of whether they were goblins, kobolds, or snake people.
As long as it can generate wealth for them, Carona will enslave them. The only thing these lowly servants should expect is the protection of the black dragon's magnificent wings.
Any wealth that could please them, whether it be gold coins, jewels, or animal bones, these servants had to offer it up without hesitation.
I'd been to this mine once before; the exposed crystals were of excellent quality. It almost tempted the black dragon to reach out and mine them himself.
But if you have servants, how can you not use them to do things and instead do them yourself? The kobold army is building a new lair under the swamp for the black dragon, and the only labor force that can be idle is the goblins.
Carona then ordered the goblins to mine the veins here as soon as possible.
Armed with pickaxes, these good-for-nothings should have presented their prized crystal ores this afternoon. Azure-hued jasper, sparkling earth crystals, or light crystals…
Perhaps, if we dig this mine tunnel a little deeper, we might even find gold!
But... a sudden commotion startled the black dragon from its rest. It was an explosion coming from the direction of the mine.
Goblins couldn't possibly have caused such a commotion; where would they get gunpowder to mine?
"There is an intruder."
Four large characters appeared in the black dragon's mind, so the construction of the fortress was temporarily put on hold. It wanted to send the kobold tribe down into the mine with it to investigate and eliminate the enemies invading the mine.
Kobolds, creatures with dragon blood, are the best slaves. Equip them with iron spears using the technology of smelting fine iron, and each kobold spearman also has a long, homemade shield for protection.
"Intruder! How dare you trespass into the territory of the black dragon 'Wings of Corruption'? Slaughter my servants? Remember this, Carlona will send you to the Nine Hells!"
Upon smelling the hypnotic breath and seeing the charred corpse, the black dragon prejudicially concluded that the intruder was a reckless brass dragon.
For a dragon of the same age, the brass dragon's fire breath is indeed annoying. But why would a young black dragon be afraid of these chatterboxes? Fight if you can, retreat if you can't win.
Seeing the dragon's claws snatching away the crystal ore, the black dragon's rage burned even brighter. Those were open-pit crystal mines that could potentially contain high-quality crystals!
If it doesn't even see the intruder's face, it might as well be dead!
Hiding in the anchor point of the demiplane ring, Zhuang Daihua was at a loss as she looked at the twenty kobold warriors with spears and shields behind the black dragon.
"Mr. Qin... what should we do? Should I try to strike their legs first to incapacitate them?"
Hraheim has not yet determined the rewards for the previous mission of subjugating the tribes.
Among the most suitable family members for Qin Lan, the dog-headed ones are definitely among the top.
"Sure, it's fine. Don't be scared by these guys; they're just first-tier kobolds, the tallest among the short ones."
In Qin He's eyes, these kobolds were nothing more than ordinary monsters carrying cheap door panels and iron spears bought online for a few dozen yuan.
Sending her analogy to Zhuang Daihua, the young girl finally felt a little relieved. These kobolds were nothing compared to the Black Dragon.
While searching for an opportunity to strike from inside the tunnel, Qin Lan maintained her disguise as a house cat. She was ready to burst out of the tunnel at any moment to suppress the Black Dragon!
"Don't worry, Miss Zhuang. You don't even need to injure their legs. While kobolds will pledge allegiance to any true dragon they encounter, however—"
"A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a good minister chooses a good lord to serve. How bad do you think their lives would be if they followed the Black Dragon?"
Even among all the colored dragons, the Black Dragon is considered the most brutal and ferocious.
Unlike blue dragons, which are willing to do business, live in groups, and even raise their offspring together, black dragons treat their retinues the worst among the chromatic dragons.
Although the black and white dragons of this world do not devour the kobolds and lizardmen who are enslaved, such servants who fail to perform their duties will inevitably be chopped up and fed to wolves or other ferocious beasts.
In contrast, the Iron Dragon is at least a lawful and neutral dragon species. In the current world, metal dragons generally look down on the savage kobolds, while gem dragons reside in the elemental planes and other realms.
Even a young iron dragon like Qin Lan is considered a good master worthy of being followed for a lifetime by the kobolds.
These kobolds, as long as they're not completely brain-dead, will generally follow Iron Dragon.
They're at least a powerful dragon species capable of going toe-to-toe with the red dragon, and they're easier to talk to than the evil dragon. Why not become a glorious member of the Iron Dragon's household rather than be exploited as a slave by the black dragon?
The more Qin He spoke, the more confident Zhuang Daihua became. She figured that once she used her enchanted crossbow, piercing through a few lizardmen's wooden shields would be enough to deter them.
The emaciated black dragon had few ways to defend itself against the piercing enchanted arrows.
"Keep it up, Miss Zhuang. And...it's very beautiful, it suits you perfectly."
Zhuang Daihua glanced at the fire dragon wing bone dagger tied between her legs and the flesh of her legs that were slightly bound by the straps, and immediately blushed as she threw the magic communication terminal into her storage ring.
……
As the black dragon approached the charred goblin corpse, trying to sniff out more details about the intruder, Qin Lan finally found her chance.
Emerging from the pre-dug burrow, the young Iron Dragon, over three meters long and nearly four meters after consuming the magic crystal, hurtled forward like a cannonball!
"What? Iron Dragon!"
Before anyone could react, the ten-meter-long black dragon was knocked back by the tiny figure in front of it. The withered, emaciated body of the black dragon emitted an extremely eerie creaking sound with the loud crash.
From the inherited knowledge, the black dragon gleaned information about the young dragon before it. The strongest sub-iron dragon species, a young iron dragon! And it was almost at adolescence…
If this creature escapes, and Iron Dragon reaches adolescence, she will suddenly possess a ten-meter-long body and strength equivalent to that of a young red dragon.
At that time, she will almost be able to reach the peak of the third tier or even the fourth tier in one leap.
What does it mean to kill a young Iron Dragon? It means that if the Black Dragon isn't killed now, it will never be able to resist the Iron Dragon in front of it again.
With Black Dragon's mindset, even if it costs all the kobold soldiers their lives, he would never allow his Iron Dragon neighbor to leave the mine alive!
Although black dragons have slender bodies, they possess considerable strength. Not to mention, this black dragon is already over ten meters long! Normally, some black dragons don't even reach eighteen meters in length even at three hundred years old.
Aside from the exceptional case of Mo Yu, it is undoubtedly a behemoth among black dragons. After all, possessing a ten-meter-tall body during its youth is something almost unheard of for smaller dragon species like black and white dragons.
After being knocked back by the Iron Dragon, the Black Dragon immediately twisted its long, snake-like neck, attempting to spew acid while creating distance.
At this distance, even if it can't penetrate too many of the young dragon's scales, it can still directly allow the acid breath to corrode the opponent's eyelids.
Just as the black dragon's throat was churning and its sharp teeth were slightly parted in preparation for exhaling, a crossbow bolt suddenly shot from above the mine, striking the black dragon's throat cavity.
If this crossbow bolt were to hit a person's mouth, the injury would be several times more devastating than taking it head-on with their scales. If their breath attack were interrupted, the Iron Dragon could charge forward without any fear!
Like other colored dragons, the young black dragon chose to lie low and waste its natural talent.
As true dragons born from heaven, they are beings blessed by the heavens; they can learn magic simply by living long enough.
If that's the case, why bother learning anything? Just lie down at the bottom of the lake, pickle a big fish, eat your fill, sleep, and then eat again. If there's money to be made, rob it and then kill someone.
This kind of life is the norm for almost every wild, colorful dragon. This means the black dragon had absolutely no defensive magic to catch the crossbow bolt.
With a sharp pain as if an arrow had pierced his throat and lodged there, the black dragon vomited a large amount of unformed breath as the nausea spread through his throat subsided.
The corrosive acid accumulated under the black dragon's claws. At this point, even splashing the acid it spat out onto the iron dragon would be of no use.
Most importantly, get out of the crossbowman's range from the shadows. And adjust your throat, which has been hit by a crossbow bolt, under the Iron Dragon's brute force attack.
The burning enchantment on the crossbow made the arrows extremely hot, igniting the black dragon's throat. Fortunately, the acid contained the flames.
The black dragon was lucky; the crossbow bolt, which pierced through the enchantment, was caught in its bones and didn't fly straight out from the back of its neck.
But it was also very unlucky, because Qin Lan's heavy claws, which swung towards it, were combined with a second crossbow bolt that flew towards it, pushing the black dragon to the brink of destruction!
"There she is! Find that crossbowman, kill her! Seize her crossbow..."
Using his wounded and slurred speech, he pointed out the target to the kobold soldiers. These useless bastards are no good in a dragon-on-dragon battle; let them burn their lives to exhaust the enemy's enchanted crossbow bolts!
The second arrow was not so easy to hit the wary black dragon. The dragon's slender body moved like a ghost, trying to dodge the arrow with minimal movement, just barely missing its mark.
At the same time, this is also the best angle to exert force and collide head-on with the Iron Dragon's claws!
However, this arrow, just before it was about to miss the black dragon's body, had already spread out into many small arrowheads that pierced the dragon's scales—a scattered enchanted arrow.
Startled by the sudden burst of arrows, some of these cunning creatures were blocked by the scales, while many more pierced the gaps between the scales.
Immediately, a barrage of explosion and burning enchantments erupted around the black dragon. Shifting her position, Qin Lan seized the opportunity, gathering her strength to slam her heavy claws down onto the black dragon's withered and ferocious head!
Chapter 349 A Lady from a Prominent Family? A Humanoid Baby Dragon!
The violent impact, accompanied by tinnitus, caused blood to instantly well up in the black dragon's dry eye sockets. Qin Lan's physical strength had already overwhelmed Carona—
The black dragon had essentially taken a heavy blow from a fourth-tier magical beast, and the frenzy within its dragon bloodline was aroused by the injury.
Even in its infancy, this iron dragon cub is already a match for me. If I can't kill it now, I'll never have another chance!
In that time, I will be utterly trampled underfoot by this tigress neighbor. All my wealth will be taken away and seized, leaving no trace of my remains.
Little did Carona know that the iron dragon before her was not a "neighbor" invading her territory, but rather something teleported there from millions of miles away by the Labyrinth Master.
The bones, strained under the weight, cracked again. Although the wound in her throat wasn't fatal, Qin Lan's relentless slaps, tail whips, and wing attacks were coming one after another. If this continued...
The young dragon will think it has victory in its grasp and step into the trap that it has been preparing for a long time!
The black dragon retreated continuously, and bruises from the heavy blows quickly appeared on its withered body. But the acid beneath its feet gradually gathered—
"You little tigress... do you think you, a mere survivor, can defeat me? I'll show you the true power of a chromatic dragon!"
"Corrosion Aura—!"
Carona used a combat technique inherited from the Black Dragon bloodline. The acidic dragon breath it had just spat out after being hit by the arrow, combined with the dragon blood, gradually swirled and rose, forming a halo at its feet.
The black dragon's long, bony tail, radiating an aura of death, lashed out. It clashed head-on with Qin Lan's claws, and after the clash, the iron scales between the young dragon's claws emitted a hissing sound as they corroded.
Watching the white smoke gradually rising from the young dragon's gleaming scales, the black dragon knew... as long as it could pierce through the young dragon's iron scales, it could reverse the situation.
Ultimately, she's just a young iron dragon. How much magic can she awaken?
In a direct confrontation, the young black dragon, who possesses both magic and bloodline combat skills, might not necessarily lose.
Under the protection of the corrosive aura, the Iron Dragon's prized close-range attacks are significantly weakened. Whether attacking or being attacked by the Black Dragon, the young dragon's body will be corroded by the aura.
Under the corrosive aura, the Black Dragon can accelerate the charging speed of its breath attack.
……
“Miss Zhuang, besides what I just mentioned, you can also do this—”
Qin He kept a close eye on the battle, knowing that the black dragon's corrosive aura was not something he could easily confront head-on. If Qin Lan tried to gather her strength and unleash a powerful breath attack, the black dragon would definitely rush forward to bite and stop her.
However, Zhuang Daihua just happens to have the ability to attract the Black Dragon's attention and create opportunities for Qin Lan.
"I understand."
Zhuang Daihua quickly understood Qin He's meaning and cooperated with his plan, saying:
"Kobolds...vassals of the dragon, are you going to brandish your crude iron spears at me?"
Although she does not yet have the ability to cast spells, Zhuang Daihua has an even greater advantage besides her enchanted crossbow.