Poison Dragon Swamp— This land of death, filled with intense toxic miasma, was teeming with buzzing mosquitoes and mud springs that continually emitted poisonous gases. Mud Swamp Giant Crabs wandered between ponds, brandishing their claws in search of prey, and the sinister Giant Predatory Worms dragged any creature that came close into the mud to devour. Not to mention the fearsome Poison Dragon—Mo Lin—rumored to be lurking in the depths of the swamp. This place was almost a no-go zone for humans, with very few daring to set foot here. Yet, at this very moment, there was a pioneer team of nearly a hundred people advancing deep into the swamp. The entire team was now dispersed into groups, forming a huge arc-shaped search front. The leader of this team, Zhao Qingyun, stood at the very center, directing his subordinates. “Group one, move a bit to the right, spread out and increase the search area.” “Group three, you’re too far forward.” “Group four, deal with that Mud Swamp Crab quickly, don’t let it disrupt our formation.” “Everyone, stay sharp—we’re here to slay the dragon. Once the battle starts, follow my orders. Anyone who dares to disobey, well—you all know the consequences.” Zhao Qingyun glanced around at the rising miasma in the swamp, still unable to spot the Poison Dragon. He felt somewhat impatient, but the treacherous terrain made him extremely cautious. With Divine Movement Technique activated, the muddy ground didn’t affect his speed, but seeing his subordinates straggling through the mud made him frown. The swamp terrain greatly reduced the players’ movement speed, affecting their positioning and running, making it indeed unsuitable for a boss battle. But the Evil Swamp Poison Dragon was the only Evil Dragon whose whereabouts the Azure Dragon Association currently knew. If they wanted to slay a dragon and establish their own nation, they had to start with it. Several Guilds in the game were trying to establish nations, and the Azure Dragon Association couldn’t fall behind. They finally arrived at a position in the center of the swamp. “Send out the bait,” he directed to a subordinate next to him. A few low-level players mounted on horses were immediately dispatched. They ran back and forth in front of the team, making a huge commotion in the mud, while the rest of the team readied themselves for battle. Suddenly, a large surge of mud and water erupted from a distant mud spring, as some giant creature quickly approached from beneath the water’s surface. “It’s coming!” a vigilant Hunter shouted. Everyone stared intently at the direction of the disturbance. A mounted low-level player was quickly overtaken— Boom! A Black Flood Dragon, thirty to forty meters long, soared into the sky, grabbing the horse and its rider in one bite and swallowing them whole. Within an instant, Zhao Qingyun had made out the creature’s name. Evil Swamp Poison Jiao: Level 68. Zhao Qingyun furrowed his brow. It wasn’t the Poison Dragon, but a Poisonous Flood Dragon? How bizarre… Although it was only one character off, the difference in the presence and power between Jiao and Dragon was like heaven and earth. A dragon head was necessary for the nation-establishing quest—proof of a guild’s power required slaying an Evil Dragon and bringing back its head… whereas a Poisonous Flood Dragon was just an ordinary boss. What was the intelligence team doing, mixing this up? Although the information was incorrect, it was still a boss—and a monster at that. It wouldn’t spare them just because they had made a mistake. “Let’s fight!” Zhao Qingyun gritted his teeth and commanded. A dense barrage of arrows was immediately fired. Considering the difficulty of movement in the swamp, this time, out of nearly a hundred people, sixty or seventy had brought crossbows equipped with Cold Iron Arrows, capable of piercing through the scales of a Jiao Dragon. The dense barrage of arrows struck the massive body of the Black Flood Dragon, instantly filling its body with arrows. The Black Flood Dragon shrieked in pain and unleashed a burst of Poison Dragon Breath. A green mist spread through the swamp, covering the players with poisonous fumes, and numerous players were poisoned. “Taoist, quickly dispel!” Zhao Qingyun immediately commanded. “Received!” a voice responded right next to him. Although nearly a hundred people participated in the pioneering effort, only Zhao Qingyun and three to five members around him, all from magic professions, truly counted as core members of the Azure Dragon Association. In the game “Old Soil,” magic professions were extremely rare. Only through certain adventures or by completing extremely difficult hidden tasks could one switch professions, which ordinary players couldn’t even contact, confined to playing as Swordsmen, Swordmen, Generals, and Martial Monks, all physical professions. As the saying goes, anyone with a blue bar is the boss—magic professions possess powerful abilities that ordinary professions simply do not. Now, facing the assault of the poison mist, their strength was immediately evident. “Four Symbols and Five Elements, Six Harmonies Gales, Wind Master and Rain Witch, heed my command—the Gale summons fast as decree!” chanted the Taoist. In an instant, a fierce gale whipped up from nowhere, quickly dispersing the poison mist enveloping the team. Yet, the Poisonous Flood Dragon was also cunning, immediately locking on to the Taoist who was casting the spell. It roared fiercely and lunged forward, its massive body bringing a terrifying sense of oppression. Wherever it went, players scrambled to get out of the way. A General, thinking to block it for a moment, was directly knocked flying, like a goat in a collision with a truck, helpless against the impact. He fell into the muddy water and was promptly dragged into the depths of the swamp by a giant worm that suddenly emerged nearby. But Zhao Qingyun wasn’t flustered. Dealing with a boss of this level, he had naturally prepared a professional Tank. “Divine General, take on the monster!” Zhao Qingyun ordered again. A heavily armored General immediately stood in front of the crowd, clad in Golden Mysterious Light Armor and wielding the Yanyue Demon-Slaying Saber, clearly a high-end player. Dharma Golden Body! Heavenly Gang Battle Energy! Heavenly God Possession! In an instant, the three buffs activated, and the general’s body burst out with dazzling divine light, surrounded by storm-like air currents, and his stature instantly increased several times, transforming into a giant about four to five meters tall. He forcefully blocked the assault of the Black Flood Dragon. Boom! The general took a few steps back before stabilizing his stance. “Haha, die, bastard!” With a swing of his great sword, he executed the ‘Divine Weapon Binding Energy Slash,’ concentrating divine power into a crescent-shaped blade of energy that shattered the scales of the Black Flood Dragon, spraying blood everywhere as the beast twisted and backed away. A slight smirk appeared on Zhao Qingyun’s lips, complemented by a timely burst of flattery from the side. “Tsk tsk tsk, awesome, no wonder Mr. Zhao thought he could slay dragons, you’ve trained a Divine General, so domineering!” Zhao Qingyun didn’t need to look to know it was surely Liu Qiang, the guy he didn’t quite like from the company. Even compliments turned sour in his mouth; they were clearly meant as praises, yet they always seemed smug. He ignored it and continued giving commands with a stern face. “Miao, go!” “Received!” A teammate dressed in the Five-Colored Feather Robe suddenly let out an eagle’s screech, instantly growing feathers and wings, transforming into a Golden Winged Great Peng with a wingspan of seven to eight meters. Sorcery—Golden Peng Transformation! The Golden Peng soared into the sky, circled, and then dove towards the Black Flood Dragon, which was preoccupied with battling the Divine General and was caught off guard. It pecked out one eye, instantly losing half of its field of vision. The Divine General seized the opportunity to unleash another big move, slashing the Black Flood Dragon down into the mud, where it struggled to get up. “Cai Dao Team, go!” The scores of swordsmen, rangers, martial monks, and flying thieves who had been waiting in formation abandoned their crossbows and rushed forward, each wielding a weapon and directing a barrage of sword slashes, knife stabs, punches, and kicks at the Black Flood Dragon. With its vision impaired and severe injuries, the Black Flood Dragon couldn’t fend off the ferocious melee attacks and could only twist its massive body futilely, spewing poison fog around, which was continuously dispelled by a Taoist. The battle continued for five minutes. After a minor reduction in their numbers, the blood volume of the Black Flood Dragon gradually depleted. Seeing that the boss fight was about to end smoothly, Zhao Qingyun breathed a slight sigh of relief. All right, although they didn’t get the Dragon Head, there was still some gain. Boom! A sudden thunderclap interrupted Zhao Qingyun’s thoughts. When he looked up, he saw that the sky had darkened unknowingly, covered by dense, greenish clouds, emitting an oppressive aura that stifled the air. Zhao Qingyun felt goosebumps all over. Something terrifying was awakening. The water level in the muddy swamp underfoot was rising rapidly, quickly submerging his knees. The water swirled, and the next second— Boom! A muddy wave spiraled into the sky, and atop the wave, a giant Black Dragon, about seventy to eighty meters in length, circled angrily, roaring and flashing with lightning against the cloudy sky, its dark scales shimmering ominously as if merging with the heavens. Mo Lin (the Evil Swamp Poison Dragon): Level 96! Damn! There really is a dragon! Zhao Qingyun was more shocked than pleased, having not anticipated the true dragon’s awe-inspiring might, carrying a terrifying force of nature, one entrance appearance that completely robbed him of his will to fight, and it was as high as level 96. “Boss, do we still fight?” asked the Taoist next to him in a panic. “Fight what, hurry and get us out of here!” Before he had even finished speaking, a poison rain began to fall from the sky, enveloping everything. This time, it couldn’t be dispelled. Zhao Qingyun’s subordinates, one by one, all got poisoned. Some pulled out Detoxification Pills and swallowed them desperately, others kept healing while trying to escape to the outer circle of the battlefield. Some, disregarding their lives, charged towards the Black Dragon, attempting a desperate final strike. Meanwhile, the Taoist quickly recited spells and casted magic. “Six Dings and Six Jias, heed my command, Heavenly Master Escape Technique, vanish without a trace. Divine Formation—quick as the imperial edict!” A huge white array appeared underfoot, enclosing Zhao Qingyun and several core members within. “Everyone, retreat, hurry into the formation!” Zhao Qingyun shouted. Those nearby immediately rushed into the Divine Formation, afraid they might be too late. Liu Qiang was among the first to position himself by Zhao Qingyun’s side, and more and more players retreated into the array. But soon, the Poisonous Flood Dragon took notice of the formation. With a dragon chant, the waves beneath its body surged towards the formation like a tsunami. “Go!” “But there are still many who haven’t made it!” Zhao Qingyun snorted coldly, “Cannon fodder, leave them!” Whoosh! Along with a flash of white light, those within the formation vanished from the spot, leaving behind the ordinary members who hadn’t recovered, struggling and screaming in the poison rain, mercilessly slaughtered by the Poison Dragon amidst the waves.