Chapter Twenty-Five: Victory

Blazing flames turned the surrounding air scorching hot.

The Dragonkin repeatedly slammed his head against Wang Xiao, driving his heavy elbows into Wang Xiao’s abdomen. The burning of his soul had completely stripped the Dragonkin of reason.

It was bad enough that he burned himself, but must he burn me too?

A wild, guttural roar burst from the Dragonkin.

Unable to break free from Wang Xiao’s crushing embrace, the Dragonkin went mad. Reaching up, he tore off one of his own horns. A bluish-green fluid oozed from the wound, spreading from his head and gradually enveloping his entire body. Some of the fluid splattered onto Wang Xiao’s exoskeleton, instantly corroding and melting the affected area.

The liquid was highly corrosive!

Smoke rose from the Dragonkin’s body as his scales began to slough off, exposing raw flesh and muscle beneath.

Wang Xiao was shocked. “Damn! Isn’t this just flaying yourself alive?”

The Dragonkin began to swell, quickly growing too large for Wang Xiao to keep hold of. A dazzling blue-green light flared, painfully bright.

With a thunderous bellow, a colossal lizard with fleshy wings appeared before Wang Xiao, opening its maw to unleash a torrent of dragon’s breath—really a flood of glowing, greenish liquid, reeking of rot.

“Are you just retaliating now?” Wang Xiao leapt back, narrowly avoiding the attack. The liquid struck the ground, and within seconds, a massive pit was carved out.

“Time to slay another dragon?” Wang Xiao’s eyes narrowed. This new form far surpassed the previous one—its immense strength could easily send him flying.

Wang Xiao’s exoskeleton was completely shattered, leaving his true body exposed. He searched for an opening, but the dragon-transformed Dragonkin pressed the assault relentlessly, offering no chance to counterattack.

After being knocked into the air, Wang Xiao saw the Dragonkin lunging to bite him. He braced his arms and twisted aside, just dodging the deadly jaws.

But as soon as he escaped, regret struck him. If he let himself get swallowed and performed a little “body art” from inside, wouldn’t that solve everything?

With a grimace of pain—this time not feigned—Wang Xiao pretended to be seriously wounded. The Dragonkin, seeing an opportunity, widened its jaws eagerly.

“Yes, yes, that’s it! Come eat me!” Excitement surged in Wang Xiao’s heart.

But instead of swallowing him, the Dragonkin unleashed another torrent of dragon’s breath. Wang Xiao dove left, but the toxic spray grazed him.

Before his eyes, his right leg began to dissolve at a visible rate, black venom spreading rapidly through his body.

“Damn it! Not following the script, are you?”

Wang Xiao’s expression twisted in genuine pain this time.

“Fine, I’ll walk right into the tiger’s jaws, then.” He angled himself, beat his wings hard, and forced his way into the Dragonkin’s belly.

The Dragonkin froze, utterly baffled—he hadn’t expected his foe to be so direct. Wasn’t this a bit too sudden? He hadn’t even been ready, and already the enemy had forced his way in?

The Dragonkin reflexively swallowed him down.

Inside, Wang Xiao felt his bones squeezed and twisted from all sides.

The lizardfolk on the battlefield were dumbfounded. In the midst of combat, their adversary had just… fed himself to the enemy?

Yang Ming stopped fighting, stunned. So this was why Wang Xiao refused help? Just to offer himself up?

Well done!

Little Bone stood frozen in disbelief—after all that effort, was it all for nothing? Wasn’t he fighting for Wang Xiao? Even if Wang Xiao wanted to die, he could at least have let Little Bone finish him off. After all, better a familiar than a stranger.

A moment later, the lizardfolk erupted in cheers, their despair giving way to newfound hope. Victory seemed within reach!

Xia Mengsi felt her strength drain away—how could they possibly win now? The advantage they’d struggled to build had vanished in an instant.

Little Bone began to retreat. Surviving was more important—there’d be other opportunities. Still, he felt compelled to save his master’s teammates. If Wang Xiao somehow survived, he’d probably come for revenge.

No—definitely would.

Despite their renewed vigor, the lizardfolk still struggled against their formidable adversaries, especially the fourth-rank lizardman, who faced both Ji Weijie and Yang Ming alone. The pressure was immense, outstripping even his remarkable regenerative abilities. Blood flowed ceaselessly from his wounds.

He cast a desperate glance at his leader, hoping for miraculous intervention. But his leader just stood there, unmoving.

He couldn’t hold out much longer!

Seizing a brief opening, the fourth-rank lizardman shouted to the Dragonkin leader, but received no response. Rage and resentment burned in his heart—one day, when he became stronger, he vowed to teach this leader a lesson!

Another wound opened—a fresh injury among many.

“Heh heh, you bastard! Time for you to learn what real artistry is!” Inside, Wang Xiao unleashed his signature “body art,” channeling a full-force, sixth-rank attack. Outside, it might not have been enough to kill, but from within—well, he’d just rip his way out.

A muffled boom echoed from the Dragonkin’s belly, like a particularly loud fart.

Ji Weijie heard it and thought, These monsters really are something else. Barely swallowed, and already… Wait, what am I thinking? I’ll be dead soon if I’m not careful.

Little Bone had a sudden, silly thought—could his master be turning into fertilizer inside?

The Dragonkin collapsed, its massive body raising clouds of dust. It convulsed on the ground, then opened its bloody maw. A torrent of blood gushed forth, intermingled with a battered figure—Wang Xiao.

Wang Xiao looked down at himself, covered in gore, and grimaced with disgust.

But he was deeply satisfied—everyone had stopped fighting, their gazes fixed on him, this blood-soaked revenant.

You all thought I was buried underground—but really, I was biding my time, ready to burst forth. Surprised?

Little Bone’s soul-flame danced wildly in his eye sockets. Damn, he really did come back to life! Good thing I didn’t run—Little Bone, you are the best.

“What are you all standing around for? Kill them!” Wang Xiao shouted, charging forward, his mighty hammer felling lizardfolk left and right—each blow sent bodies flying, terrifying to behold.

As he plunged into the heart of the enemy, the surviving lizardfolk finally snapped out of their daze. They dropped their weapons and fled in panic, desperate to escape.

With a roar, Wang Xiao hurled his hammer at a lizardman on the verge of escaping.

What did they think this place was? Come and go as they pleased? Not without leaving something behind—not before facing his hammer.

With Wang Xiao back in the fight, the lizardfolk were like fish on a chopping block—easily slaughtered to the last.