Chapter 3: Challenging the Bone Dragon

The battle between these two mighty beings began because of the bone dragons, and it ended because of them as well. The main reason was that, upon seeing the two deities fighting above the elven city, the three bone dragons, afraid of being captured, actually tried to escape. This played right into the hands of the two deities. If the bone dragons had remained inside the elven city, the deities would have been powerless against them. The moment they fled the city, they lost the protection of the laws of the land, and two of them were immediately slain by the deities.

The last remaining bone dragon was sealed beneath the elven city, with the Moon Goddess and the God of the Underworld jointly providing divine power to manifest a Goddess of the Underworld Moon to guard over it.

They also left behind a White Tiger Knight, who automatically transformed into a Dread Knight, to serve as the temple’s guardian. It was decreed that anyone who could withstand the guardian’s heavy spear for a certain amount of time would be allowed entry to the underground temple.

As for how the elven city ultimately came to be as it is now, and why it suddenly appeared before Li Bin and his companions, there was no record of this in the murals.

Soon, the teleportation array that had brought Li Bin and Derli here flashed a few more times, delivering Li Bin’s subordinates: Sannei, the Amazon Valkyrie, the two bone dragons, a skeletal marksman, and Jessica.

Upon seeing them, Li Bin quickly recounted what had happened. The group then found the center of the temple, where they discovered a massive bone dragon tightly chained to the ground by countless illusory chains, along with the remains of two other bone dragons.

As Li Bin and the others approached to get a better look, a formless voice echoed above them: “Outsiders, are you the ones who passed through the thousand-year maze walls? Did you make it past Targo’s defense?”

“May I ask, are you the Underworld Moon Goddess who guards this place? We entered by accident and hope you won’t take offense,” Li Bin said cautiously. Having witnessed the power of a deity, he had no desire to clash with one here.

“No need to be so tense,” the ethereal voice replied at once. “I mean no harm. It’s just that, in all these thousands of years, no one has come to see this poor thing, nor brought it anything to eat. I feel quite sorry for it.”

“A poor thing?” Li Bin couldn’t help but mutter to himself as he looked at the enormous bone dragon, over ten meters longer than any of his own subordinates. What about it looked pitiful?

The bone dragon seemed to sense Li Bin’s thoughts. The green flames in its eyes flickered, and it tried to rise. Only then did Li Bin and the others realize that the chains wrapped around the dragon were merely illusions—there was nothing actually binding it.

The bone dragon paced a few steps through the hall of the temple, then fixed its gaze on Li Bin. “Outsider, do you wish to challenge me?”

“I have no such intention,” Li Bin replied, taking a step back. He wasn’t so foolish as to challenge a bone dragon that was, at the very least, level fifteen, when he himself was only level four.

But the bone dragon burst out laughing. “Outsider, it seems you no longer possess the courage of those from thousands of years ago. Back then, they would constantly challenge me.”

Now Li Bin understood why the Moon Goddess had agreed to have the bone dragon sealed beneath her city. It was meant to serve as a sparring partner for the city’s residents to level up.

“Well, have you figured it out? Then make your choice—duel or decisive battle?” the ethereal voice spoke again.

“Duel? Decisive battle?” Li Bin was still a bit confused.

“In a duel, you can challenge once every ten days. Whether you win or lose, you will gain some experience. In a decisive battle, you may only challenge once a year, and only by defeating or holding out against the ‘poor thing’ for a certain length of time can you earn both experience and special rewards.”

“A duel every ten days? I don’t have that much time to linger here. I choose a decisive battle,” Li Bin replied casually after hearing the explanation.

No sooner had he spoken than the massive bone dragon swept its tail at him. Li Bin jumped up, narrowly dodging the attack, and quickly cast several minor curses at the dragon.

The bone dragon, accustomed to such curses, didn’t bother to dodge. It barreled straight toward Li Bin; the curses merely flashed upon its body, having no effect whatsoever.

Not wanting to be defeated so easily, Li Bin hurriedly cast two Death Clouds, hoping to deal with the bone dragon as he had with Targo. But the dragon ignored the clouds completely and charged right up to Li Bin, then sent him flying with a swing of its head.

Landing hard, Li Bin tried to get up for another round, but the system promptly informed him of his defeat.

Fortunately, since Li Bin’s combat level was quite low, the time he managed to withstand was considered decent, earning him enough experience to reach level five and a reward of his choice.

From the bone dragon’s hoard, Li Bin selected a bronze scepter. Decorated with serpentine engravings, it fit the style of a mummy perfectly. Besides serving as a weapon, it could also be used as a command baton in battle, granting Li Bin three points of leadership and two points of attack.

Examining the scepter with interest, Li Bin calmed himself. By then, the others had already taken their turns challenging the bone dragon.

Jessica’s result was similar to Li Bin’s—she was knocked down almost instantly, so she received only some experience and a black eagle shield.

Ried and Sannei performed better, holding out for a while. In addition to experience, they earned valuable items. Ried obtained a book titled “The Sturdy Bone Dragon.” After using it, Ried immediately gained a new stat in battle: all bone dragon units under his command gained one hundred extra health points.

Sannei received a spellbook, which would quickly allow him to reach the level of a novice mage.

The remaining bone dragons, the Valkyrie, and the skeletal marksman all performed admirably. The marksman in particular, whom Li Bin hadn’t expected much from, managed to duel the bone dragon for half a day and severely wounded it.

As a result, this skeletal marksman, named Gru, gained two levels and became a level nine unit. He also claimed from the bone dragon’s collection a white jade composite bow, a quiver of endless arrows, and the chance to become a hero—making him the biggest winner of this battle.

The Valkyrie reached level ten, obtained a bone spear crafted from dragon bone, and also the opportunity to become a hero.

The two bone dragons, being the highest level to start with, received lesser rewards. One chose to become a hero, while the other opted to become a mighty bone dragon mount.