A pair of membranous wings were folded on its back, the wing bones thick and sturdy; the membrane was a dark purple, covered in crack-like patterns.

Beneath it, a pile of energy crystals—gray, white, green, and even a few blue ones—were heaped into a small mountain. A rough ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) estimate suggested at least over ten thousand Gray Crystals.

Under the dark green fluorescent glow from the Corrupt Dragon Beast's belly, the crystals refracted a kaleidoscopic brilliance.

Lin Feng's eyes lit up.

He was just worrying about a shortage of energy crystals; building the Great Wall required a massive amount of energy crystals, as did training the Great Qin Elite Soldiers.

He hadn't expected this dragon to have the habit of collecting treasure, using energy crystals as a mattress.

He grumbled inwardly: You're a Corrupt Dragon, why hoard so many crystals? Waiting to die so you can give Adventurers some benefits? Well, thanks; if I'd known all dragons had this problem, I should have come sooner.

He reined in his thoughts and, with a slight mental nudge, scanned with the Eye of Probability.

【Nightmare Corrupt Dragon Beast】

Level: Lv30

Type: Nightmare Creature

Possible Drops: Dragon Scale (1%), Intermediate Class Change Book: Dragonblood Warrior (1%), dragon heart (1%), advanced dragon heart (0.1%)...

Lin Feng silently added all 100 probability points to the advanced dragon heart.

【advanced dragon heart, probability increased to 100%.】

"Ye Lan." Lin Feng lowered his voice.

"You lack experience, so I'll leave this dragon to you. It's a natural flier and its strength exceeds sixty, so be careful.

It also has a skill called 'Corrupting Breath.' Anyone hit by it will drop five levels instantly. Don't let that stuff touch you."

Jiang Yelan nodded, and her shadow moon blade left its sheath.

The moment she took her first step, the Corrupt Dragon Beast's nostrils flared open.

Its turbid eyeballs snapped open; the pupils were dark green and vertical, like a snake's—cold and cruel.

It let out a low roar that echoed through the cave, making the stalactites tremble and rattle.

Huge fleshy wings unfurled, with a wingspan exceeding fifteen meters, creating a gust of air that sent the Gray Crystals on the ore pile rolling everywhere.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast flapped its wings violently, its massive body lifting off the ground and charging straight for the cave's ceiling.

It hovered fifty meters high, looking down at the two humans on the ground as a dark red light began to glow deep in its throat—the precursor to Corrupting Breath.

Jiang Yelan pushed off the ground, her body soaring upward—Flight!

She instantly rose to the same height as the Corrupt Dragon Beast, holding her shadow moon blade in a reverse grip as shadow energy flickered on the tip of the blade.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast struck first; its throat bulged, and a turbid pillar of black light erupted, striking directly at Jiang Yelan.

Jiang Yelan dodged to the side. The breath brushed past her and hit the rock wall behind, instantly corroding a three-meter-deep pit that hissed and emitted white smoke.

Unharmed, she lunged forward rapidly, her shadow moon blade stabbing straight for the Corrupt Dragon Beast's left eye.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast tilted its head to dodge, and the blade tip grazed its eyelid, drawing a string of blood beads, -210.

Scales shattered, and dark red blood seeped from the wound.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast roared in pain and fury.

Instead of retreating, it lunged forward, its left front claw carrying a foul wind as it swiped down at Jiang Yelan in mid-air.

The claw was as large as a millstone, its five talons spread wide like poisoned scimitars, with blackened blood crusting under the nails.

Jiang Yelan's pupils constricted, and she forced her body to shift half a foot horizontally.

The claw grazed her right shoulder, its tips scraping against her pauldron, but the strike missed.

Failing with the first claw, the Corrupt Dragon Beast followed up with a horizontal sweep of the second claw, aiming for her waist and abdomen.

This strike was faster and more vicious, carrying the momentum to cut her in half.

Jiang Yelan leaned back, and the claw swept three inches above her face, the foul wind pressing her short hair tight against her scalp.

Using the momentum of her lean, she flipped half a turn and kicked off the air; instead of retreating, she advanced, her shadow moon blade slashing horizontally at the Corrupt Dragon Beast's neck.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast suddenly raised its right front claw, blocking its throat.

"Clang—!"

The blade struck the scales on the back of the claw, sending sparks flying.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast jerked its right claw outward and immediately followed with a strike from its left claw.

The claws alternated in a continuous offensive, each strike creating a sharp whistling sound in the air.

The millstone-sized claw shadows shrouded Jiang Yelan like a violent storm, the cold glint of the talons weaving a web of death in the air.

Jiang Yelan's figure spun rapidly, her shadow moon blade turning into arcs of purple light to meet the overwhelming claw shadows.

"Clang clang clang clang clang—!"

The dense sound of metal clashing rang out in a single string, as if a dozen hammers were striking an anvil simultaneously; the crisp metallic collisions bounced around the cave, causing debris to fall from the stone walls.

Blade and talon collided, sparks erupting.

A flash of purple light parried the left claw, and another horizontal purple slash blocked the sweep of the right claw.

Jiang Yelan's arms parried and slashed so quickly that only afterimages were visible; the shadow moon blade built an impenetrable curtain of steel in front of her.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast roared and jerked its claw outward, knocking Jiang Yelan back, blade and all.

Jiang Yelan flipped twice in the air to bleed off the force and regained her balance.

She looked up at the Corrupt Dragon Beast, giving it no chance to breathe.

【Shadow Step】 activated!

The next second, she appeared behind the Corrupt Dragon Beast, the shadow moon blade accurately piercing the base of its right wing—initial damage +30% bonus,

-340!

Poison Blade Tempering check failed!

The Corrupt Dragon Beast let out a shrill roar, its right wing drooping limply. Its Flight balance was instantly lost, and its body tilted to one side.

It whipped its head around, its bloody maw snapping at Jiang Yelan.

Rows of massive teeth intersected, with rotten meat and black blood hanging between them.

As Jiang Yelan dodged to the side, 【Phantom Flying Blade】 left her hand.

A curved arc of shadow energy hit the side of the Corrupt Dragon Beast's neck, -400!

Poison Blade Tempering check failed again.

Scales exploded, and black blood gushed out.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast shook its head frantically as Jiang Yelan flipped backward, putting a dozen meters of distance between them.

Her breathing was a bit ragged, but her eyes remained calm.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast tucked its injured right wing and barely maintained its height with its left, a dark red light glowing in its throat again.

This time it wasn't a breath, but 【Corrupting Roar】—a visible wave of sound erupted from its mouth, enveloping the entire ceiling area.

Jiang Yelan was hit by the soundwave; her figure wavered in the air and her ears rang, but she stabilized herself, her gaze locked onto the Corrupt Dragon Beast's throat.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast didn't wait for her to recover; it opened its mouth wide and spat a fist-sized dark purple orb of corrosion from between its teeth, flying like an arrow straight for Jiang Yelan's chest.

Jiang Yelan dodged to the side, but the corrosion orb exploded as it neared her shoulder. Fine droplets of corrosive liquid splashed onto her left arm and pauldron, -450!

Several charred holes were burned into her leather armor, and a searing pain radiated from the wounds.

Jiang Yelan gritted her teeth and didn't look down.

【Shadow Flash】 activated!

Jiang Yelan's figure vanished, bursting through the smoke of the corrosion orb to appear instantly behind the Corrupt Dragon Beast.

She was at the junction of the left wing and the spine—the spot where scales were thinnest and defense was lowest.

The shadow moon blade pierced in without hesitation, the tip sinking half a foot deep, -340!

This time, the Poison Blade Tempering check succeeded! 50 HP loss per second, lasting for 6 seconds.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast let out a miserable roar and jerked its massive body, throwing Jiang Yelan and her blade away.

She flipped several times in the air and landed on one knee, using the shadow moon blade planted in the ground to steady herself.

A trace of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, and the burn on her left shoulder was still smoking, but her gaze was as sharp as ever.

With both wings ruined, the Corrupt Dragon Beast's massive body fell from the air, crashing into the ore pile and kicking up a cloud of Gray Crystals and dust.

It struggled to get up, but the wound on its neck was bleeding profusely, its left wing was broken, its right wing was completely useless, and after two attempts to push up with its limbs, it slid back to the ground.

The Corrupt Dragon Beast's scales began to blacken from the edges, the black patterns spreading across its body like a spiderweb as its flesh was eaten away inch by inch by the toxin.

Jiang Yelan stood her ground, watching it die bit by bit.

Its breathing grew more hurried, its struggles weaker, and the light in its eyes faded little by little.

Finally, it let out a short, nearly inaudible whimper; its body went completely limp and stopped moving.

【Killed Lv30 Rare Boss · Nightmare Corrupt Dragon Beast】

【Level Up: 30 → 31】

【Obtained Free Attribute Point: 1】

Three blue crystals dropped on the ground, along with a heart emitting a faint golden glow. It was the size of a fist, its surface covered in fine golden patterns as if it had been plated in gold.

【advanced dragon heart (Gold)】

Lin Feng bent over to pick up the advanced dragon heart and weighed it in his hand.

It felt warm, like holding a living heart; he could feel some kind of energy pulsing inside.

"Finally got it."

Lin Feng whispered, carefully tucking the dragon heart into his robe.

He turned to look at Jiang Yelan and found her leaning against the rock wall with her shadow moon blade across her knees. Her face was paler than usual, but her eyes were startlingly bright.

Lin Feng pulled a bottle of healing potion from his pack and handed it to her.

She took it, unscrewed the cap, and took a large gulp before tossing the empty bottle aside.

Lin Feng turned around, looking at the pile of energy crystals, his lips curling up again.