Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 292 - 287: Sly and Crafty Old Fox

Chapter 292: Chapter 287: Sly and Crafty Old Fox

Just as Leon detected a slight disturbance, the vines and roots summoned by Slankus lashed toward him instantly.

Leon was no longer the man he once was. His combat experience was now exceptionally rich, and with a flick of thought, he controlled his two Red Dragon avatars to stride toward Slankus’s Druid henchmen. With six arms wielding swords, he effortlessly slashed the vines and roots into pieces.

Seeing this, Slankus stopped summoning towering vines and roots, switching instead to summoning ground-covering vines and roots—these vines adorned with vibrant flowers were clearly toxic—entangling Leon’s and his Red Dragon avatars’ legs.

This time, Leon didn’t bother to swing his sword. He didn’t need to. He simply let the vines and roots wrap around his calves, then lifted his foot with force and tore them apart.

It had to be said that his physique was akin to that of a mature Red Dragon, and thanks to the Heavenly Immortal Pill, his strength rivaled that of an elder Red Dragon. What kind of vines and roots could possibly trap an elder Red Dragon? Perhaps only those summoned by the Gods.

The vines and roots couldn’t restrain Leon, and magical mist reappeared.

Leon wasn’t about to let Slankus continue attacking unopposed. However, he hesitated momentarily on whom to strike first—Slankus, Hinton, that fallen Elf Druid who was an irritating caster, or perhaps the half-green dragon guards...

At this moment, Slankus offered Leon an answer. With a twist akin to a cat’s, Slankus shifted from facing Leon head-on to facing him sideways, then vanished into the lush forest with a light touch of his toes, leaving no trace behind.

Green Dragons have the ability to pass through their lairs and surrounding areas without leaving any physical trace, at their will. Plants would automatically move aside as the Green Dragon passed.

Slankus didn’t roar and charge forward at Leon. Even more surprising, he didn’t use his Breath Weapon. He was utterly un-dragon-like, coming across as a cunning schemer. This raised Leon’s vigilance.

Hinton, too, attempted to flee, but the more he wanted to escape, the less Leon allowed it.

Due to his Three Heads and Six Arms, walking wasn’t his strong suit. Opting instead to throw or fling six swords, Leon precisely struck the mature Green Dragon, then leapt on him, pinning him down.

Sensing danger, Hinton unleashed all his strength, writhing desperately to shake off Leon’s grip. He clawed wildly in the air and flapped his wings chaotically in search of a chance to counterattack.

Alas, his size and strength were no match for Leon. He wouldn’t invoke sentiments like family, love, or friendship, nor would he ignite some hidden potential—it was all futile.

With six arms, Leon restrained Hinton’s wings and neck, preventing him from flapping or twisting to interfere with Leon’s attack. Then, he directed his left head to lunge forward, sinking sharp teeth into Hinton’s scaled neck. Moments later, his right head joined the bite, while his central head decisively spewed out Samadhi True Fire.

A howl of agony erupted.

Fueled by adrenaline and surging with potential, Hinton managed to break free of Leon’s suppression for merely ten seconds, as the disparity between them was simply too vast.

Most of the fallen Druids were being chased around by Leon’s Red Dragon avatars, yet a few found openings to invoke Moonlight, summoning a pale glowing beam from the heavens that struck Leon’s back.

Meanwhile, fallen Treants inched closer to Leon, swinging their hardwood arms to bash his back.

The half-green dragon guards varied in weaponry—spears, heavy hammers, and sword-shield combos—inflicting damages from punctures, slashes, and blunt strikes alike.

But with his Vajra Body activated, Leon ignored all attacks, until the Green Dragon he had pinned whimpered, gradually ceasing resistance...

No.

It was Fake Death Technique.

To use Fake Death Technique without direct contact—Slankus indeed had some tricks up his sleeve.

Through the Heavenly Eye Technique, Leon saw the magical power emanating from Hinton.

Fake Death Technique renders targets as deceased under all inspections and spells that assess their vitality, while granting resistance against all damage except mental harm. Any infections or poison they’ve contracted remain inert until the spell ends.

Resistance is just resistance, not immunity. Leon paid it no mind, and with six arms cooperating alongside three heads, he promptly ripped the Green Dragon’s head off, tossing it aside. He believed even Slankus, as Tiamat’s Priest, wouldn’t be able to resurrect Hinton.

Hinton was beyond salvation. A mature Green Dragon without other means stood no chance against Leon in his current state. Once caught, death was inevitable.

Leon slaughtered Hinton, gazing at the gushing Dragon Blood and feeling a sting of regret concerning the alchemy materials he badly needed, though this was no time to ponder such matters.

Twisting his body, flapping his wings, and flicking his tail, Leon’s three heads each bit onto one of the nearest half-green dragon guards. With slight force, only half of their torsos remained. Raising his six arms to recall the swords he had just thrown, Leon swept horizontally and executed a horizontal slash, leaving no one standing within twenty meters.

Originally, Leon’s strength was merely on par with a mature Red Dragon, unable to fully utilize the ultra-high attack speed granted by his Three Heads and Six Arms. Now, with his youth stage combined with the strength boost from the Heavenly Immortal Pill, he could finally wield them effectively. Once he upgraded his six swords from refined gold weapons to ones of even better quality, his output would climb another level.

"Stop hiding and casting spells. Fear Technique, Confusion Skill, Sleep Spell, Charm Monster... Control Magic won’t work on me," Leon’s three heads scanned the surroundings. "If you don’t show yourself, I’ll slaughter all your minions."

"A bunch of minions? If they die, I’ll just recruit or make more. That’s trivial," Slankus’s voice echoed from an unknown location. "I don’t expect them to kill you; merely draining and disrupting you suffices. I don’t believe your ’invincible’ spell can last indefinitely."

Leon licked the blood on his lips and said, "Your son has been killed by me. Don’t you feel any anger?"

"I’ve lived over five hundred years. Guess how many sons and daughters I’ve had?" Slankus chuckled, "I’ve merely lost one, that’s all."

Leon had the Heavenly Eye Technique and True Sight, but lacking X-ray vision, he couldn’t locate Slankus, who hid stealthily behind trees. The latter’s concealment techniques far surpassed Hinton’s—possibly it had been intentional for Hinton to approach him, allowing Leon to discover him, forcing him to rely on sound to throw his flying swords.

As expected, Leon’s flying swords missed.

Slankus’s figure appeared behind Leon, inhaling deeply, his chest swelling, before exhaling a stream of emerald-green toxic mist that spread rapidly, as if a living entity, into the surroundings.

Upon touching the ground, the toxic gas immediately corroded rock and soil.

Plants exposed to the fumes withered quickly; leaves curled, shifting from bright green to dark black.

This poison gas differentiated neither friend nor foe. The goblins unlucky enough to inhale it suffered intense anguish—eyes and respiratory passages burned fiercely, accompanied by harsh coughing and tearing. Blood streamed from their eyes and nostrils as they clutched their throats, collapsing to their knees.

The toxic gas lingered in the air, enveloping the battlefield in a suffocating, poisonous mist.

The toxic mist not only obscured vision but continued to inflict damage on all life within its range.

No diamond should be poisoned, and neither should Leon. Unfazed by the toxic fumes, he resolutely used Gathering Form and Scattering Energy to propel himself toward Slankus. Yet the elder Green Dragon rose to his feet, flapped his wings, and conjured a fierce wind that scattered Leon, now an airborne mass of energy, preventing him from closing in. Then, Slankus summoned thorny brambles intertwined into a wall.

Once the wind dissipated and Leon reached Slankus’s former position, the elder Green Dragon had already vanished.

"Come on, catch me!"

"Hahahaha!"

Slankus’s laughter echoed from all directions, impossible to pinpoint.

Leon crushed three attacking wyverns with his three heads, tossing them to the ground, stomping down regardless of their survival. Unbelievably, he had found himself facing guerrilla warfare. Suddenly, he flapped his wings to rise into the air, but as soon as he ascended, vines and roots sprouted from the earth, ensnaring his legs and pulling him back to the ground.

Leon inhaled deeply, unleashing a wave of Samadhi True Fire, scorching the ground clean. He flapped his wings again and took off.

He wasn’t fleeing. He intended to infiltrate the lair and destroy the towering tree where Slankus resided.

This tactic is called attacking the guaranteed rescue point.

However, upon reaching the towering tree, Slankus still didn’t emerge—utterly absurd.

Leon had to devise a new plan.