Chapter 23: The Lizardmen Attack!

Without Xiaogu to cook, Wang Xiao had no choice but to take matters into his own hands—after all, no one else knew how. As night fell, everyone chatted for a while before retiring to their rooms to rest.

A lizardman revealed its form, careful not to approach too closely to the massive creature before it. Once the light atop the monstrous beast extinguished, the lizardman slipped away from its post.

Danger was imminent...

One after another, lizardmen clad in leather armor emerged from the mist. Unlike the previous lizardman, these newcomers appeared ferocious and relentless. Fleshy wings sprouted from their backs, ugly appendages fluttering and stirring a cool breeze. Hot breath issued from their grotesque faces. Their eyes, vertical and emotionless, resembled those of a serpent. Muscular tails swayed, scraping the parched earth beneath them.

By midnight, the entire squad had assembled. Five hundred lizardmen stood in formation, each gripping a spear forged from some unknown metal—crude, yet sharp.

The group arranged itself in neat ranks. From the mist, a towering figure began to step forward.

...

The squad moved out, their target: the colossal creature.

Xiaogu suddenly awoke, sensing a presence stronger than itself. Though the owner of this aura tried to conceal it, Xiaogu still detected it.

Wang Xiao and the others were roused as well, partly because of Xiaogu, partly because the Dark Knights began to stir restlessly. It was worth noting that the Dark Knights were tier-two beings, and exceedingly powerful for their rank.

“What’s going on?” Xia Mengsi asked.

“See for yourself,” Wang Xiao replied solemnly.

From their vantage point, they had a clear view. Through the protective barrier, they could see a squad assembled on the ground below. The lizardmen stared ahead, unfazed by having been discovered.

At the front of the formation stood a being reminiscent of a dragonkin. Its towering form and exaggerated musculature testified to immense strength. The wings on its back differed from those of the other lizardmen, closely resembling a dragon’s. Its bare torso was covered in scales, and a single horn protruded from its head.

This mighty dragonkin launched the first attack.

With a mighty push from its feet, it shot forward like a rocket! Its torso leaned back slightly, left fist coiled with power, striking the shield with a thunderous punch!

But instead of the expected massive boom, a crack appeared at the point of impact.

The dragonkin retracted its fist, its wings gently flapping as it hovered in midair.

Seeing that Xiaogu’s shield had not shattered, Ji Weijie let out a long breath. He had been utterly intimidated by the dragonkin’s presence.

“Prepare for battle!” Wang Xiao called out.

No sooner had Wang Xiao spoken than the crack began to spread. In Ji Weijie’s astonished gaze, the entire shield shattered.

Capture the leader first!

He hurled his mighty hammer at the dragonkin, the sound of its flight breaking the quiet of the night.

The dragonkin flapped its wings, dodged Wang Xiao’s attack, then retreated to the rear of the lizardmen formation, seemingly intent not to intervene further.

“So they look down on us, huh,” Wang Xiao muttered wryly. “In that case, let’s deal with your underlings first!”

As Wang Xiao and his companions descended to the ground, Xiaogu launched its own assault. A bone spike shot toward the lizardmen, but they proved agile, deftly evading the attack.

The Dark Knights also charged, mounted on black steeds, galloping into the fray! The sound of hooves echoed through the night, tearing a gap in the lizardmen ranks, though causing little actual harm.

[Name: Lizardman
Race: Beastfolk
Rank: Tier Two
Abilities: Unknown
Assessment: Raiders from the mist, but highly disciplined!]

These were just some of the lizardmen’s stats. Wang Xiao observed that within the squad, there were tier-three lizardmen as well. The two guards beside the dragonkin, conservatively, were tier-four. As for the dragonkin itself, it was likely a tier-five monster.

That it could break Xiaogu’s shield proved its rank.

Wang Xiao himself was tier-four; Xia Mengsi and the other two were tier-three.

The Dark Knights could only disrupt the lizardmen’s formation, unable to inflict real damage.

Wang Xiao noticed another detail: tier-three lizardmen could fly!

There were roughly fifty flying lizardmen.

“Baldy! You three take care of the airborne lizardmen—let the Dark Knights and Xiaogu handle those on the ground!”

“Got it!” Ji Weijie replied, armor enveloping him as he began to target the lizardmen in the sky.

Yang Ming soared into the air, his spear flickering, forming a curtain of light as he struck.

Xia Mengsi used her clone ability, relying on her skills to ambush the lizardmen repeatedly.

One by one, the flying lizardmen were knocked from the sky, tumbling to the earth below.

The Dark Knights and Xiaogu worked together to firmly suppress the hundreds of lizardmen on the ground.

Wang Xiao smashed aside a lizardman blocking his path, charging toward the dragonkin.

The dragonkin realized it was time to act, gave instructions to the two lizardmen at its side, and then rushed at Wang Xiao.

Wang Xiao noticed one of the two lizardmen flying toward Yang Ming, while the other turned to confront the Dark Knights.

It knew attacking Xiaogu was pointless—perhaps even unable to breach its defenses. If it could eliminate the Dark Knights, the rest would be easy.

Wang Xiao shouted to Yang Ming, “Watch out!”

Yang Ming was busy fending off five opponents, unable to respond to the sudden threat.

As expected, the tier-four lizardman’s spear pierced Yang Ming’s abdomen.

Summoning his strength, Yang Ming knocked the surrounding lizardmen away. The tier-four lizardman grinned, pulling out the spear.

Blood gushed forth, turning his silver-white armor crimson.

Xia Mengsi and Ji Weijie moved to support Yang Ming, hoping to ease his burden, but Yang Ming stopped them.

“Don’t come over! Have you forgotten my talent?”

Indeed, Yang Ming’s talent as a gamer allowed him to ignore pain—so long as he lived, he could remain at peak performance.

If Xia Mengsi or Ji Weijie suffered the same wound, they would likely lose the ability to fight entirely.

Just as Wang Xiao relaxed slightly, the tier-five dragonkin appeared behind him.

A heavy elbow struck Wang Xiao’s temple!

Bang!

Wang Xiao was sent flying, spinning several times in midair.

Xiaogu watched in alarm.

Before Wang Xiao could land, the dragonkin positioned itself beneath him.

With tremendous force, it stomped the ground, creating a crater, and its barbed knee collided intimately with Wang Xiao’s soft abdomen.