Chapter 36: Fighting
"The mayor has maps of several kobold lairs nearby," the middle-aged guard said. "But no one's cleared them out in years. Any adventurer willing to risk it either dies or vanishes. The maps might have gaps. As for Caesar — he's likely holed up in the center of the tunnels. Coward that he is, if not for a treasure protecting him, he'd have been chopped down long ago, Dragon Vein Warlock or not."
He talked nonstop as he led Lin Bai toward the town hall. Lin Bai kept silent, letting him ramble.
The town was in bad shape. Cracked walls, sagging roofs, and dirt-covered streets told of a place long abandoned by proper governance. A few townsfolk wandered around, dull-eyed. But when their eyes met Lin Bai's face, a flicker of emotion surfaced — quickly snuffed out when they noticed the middle-aged guard beside him. They ducked their heads and scattered.
Lin Bai sensed something off. He spread his telekinesis, scanning the area within a hundred meters.
Sure enough — the young guard from earlier was nowhere to be found. And somewhere in the center of town, a hidden presence lingered. Faint, but undeniably hostile.
That young guard had been warning him.
And this middle-aged man? He spoke too smoothly. If few adventurers came through these days, how was he so practiced in his pitch?
Lin Bai stopped walking.
"The young man at the gate was trying to tip me off," Lin Bai said quietly. "And your little speech — you've said it too many times for a town with no visitors."
The guard's expression faltered, but he held his ground. "You're overthinking it. I'm telling the truth. Paul's just too cautious. You'll see for yourself once we reach the mayor."
Lin Bai gave a short, cold laugh.
A treasure that could seal a dungeon? No way any group of adventurers could hold out long in a place like this. The real story was obvious now — this wasn't about hunting Caesar. It was a slaughterhouse disguised as a quest.
"I'm not walking into your trap," Lin Bai said flatly. Then without warning, he turned and bolted toward the town's entrance.
"Forget the act! Kill him!" the middle-aged guard shouted, drawing a rusted sword with a twisted grin.
From both sides of the street, armed soldiers poured out of buildings, followed by packs of kobolds armed with knives, forks, and crude spears. Dozens became hundreds in moments. Near the entrance, even more kobolds emerged from behind stone statues, surrounding Lin Bai.
A quick glance told him there were at least three hundred enemies closing in.
This had spiraled fast.
Lin Bai's lips tightened. He realized he'd hesitated too long back there, wasting the upper hand. Now he was boxed in.
"You forced my hand," he muttered.
In the next instant, Lin Bai took to the air. He no longer cared about hiding his abilities. His spiritual pressure burst outward — a dragon's pressure — and kobolds dropped to their knees as though bowing to an unseen emperor.
The human soldiers staggered but didn't fall. The pressure wasn't meant for them.
"Don't break formation! He's got a dragon treasure!" one captain barked. "If we get it for Lord Caesar, he'll reward us!"
Lin Bai shot him a glare, the man flinching a step back.
The captain roared in anger and loosed an arrow. Lin Bai batted it aside with a flicker of telekinesis, then summoned his Ruyi Qiankun Spear. Two soul rings appeared under his feet as the spear shrank to the size of a dagger.
He thrust his hand forward.
Thirteen golden streaks of light shot into the soldiers. Their cheap, brittle armor might as well have been cloth. Wherever the golden light passed, two-finger-wide holes opened in armor and flesh alike, leaving soldiers dropping like sacks of meat, blood flowing like rainwater.
Lin Bai had expected fear to take hold after such carnage. He was wrong.
The sight of blood only seemed to fuel the defenders. The kobolds, who'd collapsed under his earlier pressure, rose again, clutching their weapons. Even the human soldiers, faces twisted with fanaticism, charged.
"You can't kill us all! Lord Caesar will bring us back!" one shouted, flinging a spear.
Others followed, throwing swords, axes, whatever they had. A storm of weapons filled the air. Lin Bai deflected what he could, but his mental energy burned fast. His expression turned grim.
This wasn't sustainable.
Killing them would drain him before he even reached Caesar. He needed another way.
Lin Bai's mind raced, then settled.
Since cultivating the Yin Yang Nine Dragons Art, he'd yet to use the Dragon Subduing Palm seriously in combat. Time to change that.
A deep, bestial roar rumbled from his throat. Platinum dragon scales covered his skin, muscles swelling, and his eyes radiated cold, oppressive power. Kobolds dropped again, their bloodlines instinctively submitting.
Even the human soldiers hesitated — the pressure was crushing now.
The Silkworm Dragon Spirit had no soul rings yet, but its natural might was undeniable. Lin Bai's hands twisted into clawed talons. The wings on his back flickered, but he ignored them for now. No need to waste energy in the air when the ground was the better field.
He dropped down, dragon scales deflecting the clumsy blades. With only a few attackers able to engage at once, he had room to work.
Using Wandering Dragon Steps, Lin Bai moved in tight, unpredictable patterns. Each palm strike landed cleanly, driving soul power through armor and flesh, targeting joints and vitals. He didn't need to kill — just cripple fast.
Spearmen gathered next.
"Spears forward!" the last captain barked.
Dozens of points shot toward Lin Bai's face, neck, and even under his arms. A few aimed lower.
"Idiots," Lin Bai growled.
He hadn't wanted to use it. But if they insisted…
The Silkworm Dragon Spirit's devouring ability activated. A vortex formed above his head, sucking in blood from the battlefield. The crimson liquid hung in the air for a moment before spiraling into the whirling maelstrom.
The blood energy wasn't clean — it disgusted Lin Bai's bloodline instinct — but it would do for a temporary boost.
Platinum scales took on a red sheen. The blood-essence swirl purified as it spun, stripping impurities and condensing raw power.
Then, with a low, thunderous boom, the compressed energy surged through Lin Bai's veins.
His power spiked.
And for the first time since stepping into this cursed town, Lin Bai smiled.
Now… it was his turn.
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