章 18: Fight to the Death

The Dretch ignored Xu Hongzhuang completely. Its intelligence was nonexistent, driven solely by its primal instincts. Once summoned, it would obey Chen Feng's orders unconditionally.

Xu Hongzhuang was not its target. The Earth Dragon before it was the true enemy—the one it had to kill.

The Dretch's tentacles writhed like iron whips, coiling around the Earth Dragon's neck. In the next instant, it opened its mouth, spewing a vile substance directly onto the dragon's chest.

Roar...

The Earth Dragon, already in a berserk state, had identified the Dretch as an enemy the moment it appeared. Seeing the mud attack, it tried to shake off the filth, but the Dretch's tentacles had already restricted its movements.

Mud Attack!

A thick, black liquid oozed from the Dretch's mouth. The Earth Dragon tried to dodge, but some of the muck landed on its body. The mud seeped into its wounds, and within moments, the infected areas began to rot.

The Dretch's body was highly toxic, its mud teeming with countless bacteria. With just a moment's contact, the flesh on the Earth Dragon's chest started to corrode.

The Earth Dragon's eyes flared a deep red as it roared in defiance. Its bones creaked audibly as it braced its legs against the ground, twisting its massive body. Its tail lashed out, smashing into the Dretch with bone-shattering force.

Bang!

The Dretch's head spun from the impact, and it momentarily lost control of its tentacles, loosening its grip.

A tiger unleashed.

The Earth Dragon let out a hoarse, pained howl, thrashing its head violently. The Dretch was sent flying, pieces of its decayed flesh and bone scattering to the ground.

"It's strong, even showing potential to advance to the Silver level" Chen Feng murmured, surprised that the Earth Dragon could still mount a counterattack after enduring so much. He couldn't imagine facing it head-on—two Dretches might not have been enough to stop it.

But it was clear the Earth Dragon was badly wounded. Its eye was ruined, its wounds festering. It was at the end of its rope, and all Chen Feng needed to do was finish it off.

"Blind its other eye!"

Swoosh!

The Dark Elf moved with a speed that left only an afterimage. In an instant, she drew her bow and released another arrow, aiming for the Earth Dragon's remaining eye.

Pfft!

A stream of blood erupted as the arrow buried itself in the Earth Dragon's right eye.

The Earth Dragon's body began to convulse violently, dirt and debris flying everywhere. Its expression twisted in agony, its voice a guttural rasp. With both eyes destroyed, its world was plunged into darkness.

The Dark Elf exhaled heavily, her fingers trembling. The seemingly effortless shot had required complete unity of body, mind, and spirit. The continuous high-intensity focus had drained much of her strength. She wouldn't be able to shoot another arrow anytime soon.

But that was enough.

The Earth Dragon was now completely blind, leaving it vulnerable to the Dretch's assault.

"Bind its movements, then strangle it!"

Chen Feng's voice was cold, his eyes devoid of any empathy for the suffering creature.

Xu Hongzhuang was still processing everything before her. That hideous, grotesque monster was actually helping her—or rather, it had simply identified the Earth Dragon as its enemy and engaged in combat.

The monstrous fighting style, its staggering vitality—even after being struck by the Earth Dragon's tail, it had managed to get back on its feet without much trouble.

---

"Bind its movements, then strangle it!"

'Was that... a voice?'

Xu Hongzhuang looked up, her gaze locking onto the solitary figure standing above.

Under the dim moonlight, she saw a young man, not much older than herself. But his eyes... what was wrong with his eyes?

Despite her strength, Xu Hongzhuang had felt a pang of fear when she saw the Earth Dragon and the Dretch—such terrifying opponents. Yet the man's expression remained unchanged. His face might deceive, but his eyes couldn't lie. His gaze was cold, like a frigid spring—no fear, no hesitation, no weakness. Only coldness and cruelty.

Beside him was a shadowy figure—a woman with strange, almost alien features. Her sharp ears and ethereal beauty made her seem anything but human. In her hand, she held a longbow.

A longbow?

Xu Hongzhuang's eyes narrowed to slits. She could now confirm that the earlier arrows had come from this figure.

And if she wasn't mistaken, this man was also controlling the terrifying, rotting monster. His decisiveness in battle, the archer at his side, and the monstrous servant that obeyed his every command...

Xu Hongzhuang stared at Chen Feng, her clear eyes filled with curiosity and astonishment. In the past few days, she had encountered other professionals, but none of them were anything like this man.

Facing him, Xu Hongzhuang felt as if she were gazing up at a towering mountain.

Beating a drowning dog.

At Chen Feng's command, the Dretch raised a tentacle, coiling it tightly around the Earth Dragon's legs. Another tentacle wrapped around its neck, pulling it down with all its might.

The Earth Dragon struggled desperately, but the Dretch didn't budge. It clung to the beast, tightening its grip, even as pieces of its decayed body were blown away.

With a heavy thud, the Earth Dragon collapsed.

Suffocation.

The stench quickened the Earth Dragon's suffocation. In less than a minute, its life force was completely extinguished.

The once-majestic Earth Dragon now lay in utter defeat. Two arrows pierced its eye sockets, a festering wound marred its chest, and its body was covered in foul sludge.

Chen Feng exhaled slowly, wiping the sweat from his brow. The dual summoning had taken its toll on him.

A Pyrrhic victory.

Although the Dark Elf and the Dretch weren't seriously injured, the noise from the battle had surely awakened the nearby monsters.

He had some regrets...

This safehouse had lost its value as a refuge.