The next day, Xiao Jie gathered the soldiers and briefed them on their new mission.
“Soldiers, these tremors are not ordinary. Nian's abnormal behavior must be linked to them! I want you all to investigate every area around Zhou Village within five kilometers. Leave no stone unturned!”
“Yes, General!” the soldiers responded, dispersing to begin their search.
As they scoured the forest, they discovered an unknown cave and promptly reported it to Xiao Jie.
“Hmm…the dirt around the cave entrance seems to have been disturbed,” Xiao Jie noted, suspecting that whatever had dug this cave might be connected to Nian's abnormal behavior.
“Soldiers, be on high alert. There must be something significant in this underground cave.” With that, Xiao Jie led his men inside.
Rotten crops littered the dark cave, and the tremors grew louder as they ventured deeper. At the end of the cave, they entered a large chamber about ten meters tall, with a river streaming along one side.
“General, i-it’s a dragon!” a soldier shouted in surprise upon spotting the sleeping beast. Its yellow scales were dull, and it lacked wings. Its front limbs and shoulders were muscular and large, and the tip of its tail resembled a giant boulder. Nearby, two smaller Nian corpses lay motionless.
“Silence!” Xiao Jie hissed, stopping his soldiers from making any noise that might wake the dragon.
“Why would there be a dragon here?! It must have encroached on Nian's territory, causing all this chaos. And being this close to the capital, I need to defeat or chase it away before it becomes a problem."
As Xiao Jie pondered his next move, the dragon stirred and woke up.
“First, it was the dogs, and now it’s the humans. Can’t I sleep in peace?” The dragon's voice rumbled as it stood, the ground trembling from the force of its tail slamming down.
“I am the Earth Dragon, Terrathorn. Since you have found me, you will not leave this place alive.”
The dragon woke up as Xiao Jie was contemplating on how to deal with it.
"Spikes? Is it going to use a long-range attack?" Xiao Jie thought, noticing spikes growing on Terrathorn's body.
“Turtle Formation!” Xiao Jie commanded, seeing the danger. The soldiers quickly braced together, raising their shields in a protective formation.
Terrathorn smirked and slammed the ground, casting [Earth Spears] to send spikes shooting up from the ground, piercing the soldiers in the front row.
“Tsk, those spikes on its body were a feint. What dirty trickery!” Xiao Jie realized they were outmatched.
"They can't defend against this dragon's attacks; they will just get killed easily."
“Fall back!” Xiao Jie ordered, understanding the dire situation. The soldiers quickly retreated, regrouping at a safer distance.
As the spike hurled towards Xiao Jie, he reacted swiftly, punching it with a powerful blow that shattered it.
“Fall back! Get out of the cave, I will handle this dragon alone!” Xiao Jie ordered decisively, knowing the soldiers would be at risk if they stayed.
“Y-yes, General!” The soldiers obeyed without hesitation, running out of the cave in an orderly retreat. It wasn’t abandonment; they had unwavering faith in their general's strength and strategy.
Xiao Jie intercepted Terrathorn’s [Tail Strike], aimed at the escaping soldiers, parrying it skillfully with Zhan Lu.
“Such arrogance coming from a tiny species. Do you think you alone can stop me?” Terrathorn mocked, its voice reverberating through the cavern.
“I am the Grand Commandant of Luo Yang, Wang Xiao Jie. I shall defeat you here at all costs!” Xiao Jie proclaimed with unwavering determination.
Both combatants charged at each other, but just before they clashed, Xiao Jie blocked Terrathorn’s body spike with one arm and swiftly slashed with Zhan Lu held in the other.
Terrathorn recoiled in pain, astonished to find Xiao Jie's blade cutting through its tough scales, akin to steel.
“How could this puny human breach my defenses?!” Terrathorn roared in disbelief, leaping back and countering with a powerful [Tail Strike].
Xiao Jie anticipated the attack, leaping agilely to evade the [Tail Strike], then immediately retaliated with swift strikes.
“I will not give you an opening!” Xiao Jie unleashed a flurry of attacks—[Two Fold Slash], [Three Fold Slash]—pressing his advantage relentlessly.
“What an annoying pest!” Terrathorn growled, frustrated by Xiao Jie’s relentless assault. It slammed its massive hand down, aiming to crush him beneath its weight.
Xiao Jie swung Zhan Lu upward with precision, slashing Terrathorn’s attacking arm before swiftly evading to the side.
The cave trembled as Terrathorn’s colossal arm slammed onto the ground. Taking advantage of the moment, it unleashed [Earth Spears], hurling spikes towards Xiao Jie to create distance.
Jumping back, Xiao Jie narrowly avoided most spikes, but one managed to pierce his lower leg as he leapt.
“I must eliminate these humans, or Lord Shinal will have my head…” Terrathorn bellowed, its resolve hardened as it summoned another round of [Earth Spears]. The cave shook violently again, this time sending countless spikes raining down from the ceiling.
Parrying the spikes from above, Xiao Jie braced himself as Terrathorn charged forward, its dragon scales deflecting the falling spikes harmlessly.
“Kah!” Xiao Jie was slammed against the cave wall, ribs cracking from the impact. The excruciating pain threatened to overwhelm him, but he clenched his teeth and countered, landing a fierce punch on Terrathorn’s snout with his injured arm, forcing it to release its grip.
“I commend you, human. Not many can stand against us dragons on equal footing,” Terrathorn spoke, its breath heavy and labored.
“For my kingdom, Luo Yang, I will defeat you!” Xiao Jie retorted, though he too was weary and panting, his body riddled with wounds and bleeding profusely.
“I have to end this quickly before I succumb to my injuries…” Xiao Jie muttered to himself, his determination unwavering despite the pain.
“Terrathorn, I will put my everything into this final strike of mine!”
“Let us end this then!” Terrathorn replied resolutely, its body sprouting new spikes to replace those damaged by Xiao Jie’s onslaught.
Xiao Jie gathered all his remaining strength, channeling it into Zhan Lu, an aura enveloping the blade with an intensity that matched his resolve.
Terrathorn charged, aiming to impale Xiao Jie with its formidable body spikes.
“[Four-fold slash]!” Xiao Jie roared, unleashing a devastating series of strikes that cut through Terrathorn’s defenses and brought the dragon crashing down before it could hit him.
“Lord Shinal…” Terrathorn uttered weakly, then fell silent and motionless.
Seeing his opponent defeated and no longer a threat, Xiao Jie exhaled deeply, relief washing over him amidst the lingering pain.
“What a troublesome opponent…” Xiao Jie murmured, offering a silent prayer for Terrathorn’s spirit.
“I pray for your safe passage to heaven…”
Emerging from the cave, Xiao Jie was greeted with thunderous cheers from his soldiers.
“Hooray! General defeated the dragon! Hooray!” They cheered, their voices echoing through the forest.
“Enough celebration. We still have unfinished business in the capital,” Xiao Jie said, his tone firm and commanding.
“Casualties?” he inquired, his concern evident.
“Twenty-five injured, three dead, General!” came the reply.
“Carry the injured back to base. Today, we rest,” Xiao Jie ordered solemnly.
“Yes, General!” The soldiers responded in unison, respecting their leader’s decision.
Together, Xiao Jie and his soldiers marched back to Zhou Village, knowing they had averted a grave crisis for now, but aware that their duties were far from over.
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