When Miracle City advanced to the Second Tier, Thunder City reacted immediately.
After all, this Dark Species territory had been waiting for this moment for many days.
The Dark Lord, Thunderfang, once again mocked the Human Lord's shortsightedness.
Although the Human Lord had risen quickly and clearly possessed some ability, he should never have captured Green Swamp City and taken control of the entire Greenwater Marsh. In Thunderfang's eyes, that was an unbelievably foolish decision.
For the sake of short-term gains, he had placed himself in mortal danger.
When two territories of the same tier border each other, their regions merge into one larger battlefield.
At that point, the Thunder Lord would no longer face any territorial restrictions. With his Third-Tier strength, he was confident he could sweep through everything in one decisive campaign.
This battle was extremely important.
As long as he conquered this Human territory and expanded his domain, he could quickly advance to become a Third-Tier Dungeon Lord. Then he would finally have the opportunity to meet the Eternal Night Dragon King and become a significant figure within the vast Eternal Night Great Forest instead of an insignificant nobody.
"Report to the Lord! Thunder City's army is ready!"
The Chaos Tide had only just receded.
Two thousand fully armed Thunder Lizardman elites had already assembled.
Although Thunder City possessed more than eight thousand Thunder Lizardman warriors, the vast majority were low-level soldiers below the mid-stage of the First Tier. Only about one-third were considered true elites.
Among these two thousand Thunder Lizardmen, the weakest were at least mid-stage First Tier.
In other words, even the weakest among them possessed at least First-Tier Three-Star combat strength.
There were also many First-Tier Four-Star and First-Tier Five-Star warriors.
In weaker regions, a First-Tier Five-Star fighter would already qualify to occupy a First-Tier Dungeon and become a Lord. Even Gloom City in the former Gloomy Valley had fewer than ten fighters at that level.
Yet Thunder City had dispatched nearly two hundred of them.
Although the Thunder Lord had only mobilized a quarter of his forces, this army still represented at least half of Thunder City's total combat strength. Combined with the Thunder Lord personally leading the attack, this could absolutely be considered an all-out invasion.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Slaughter all humans!"
The Dark Thunder Lizardmen's morale soared.
Every one of them revealed greedy and savage expressions.
Whenever the Dark Species successfully destroyed a Human Dungeon, the Supreme Chaos Will would grant blessings to the victorious territory, strengthening them and increasing their lifespan.
Because of this, the Dark Species never showed mercy toward humans.
Mounted on a giant horned lizard, Thunderfang officially led the army forward. They crossed Thunder Marsh, entered Greenwater Marsh, and after four to five hours of travel, finally arrived outside Green Swamp City.
Green Swamp City had already completed its walls and basic infrastructure.
However, the city still looked crude overall, lacking advanced facilities and seemingly incapable of withstanding a major battle.
Bihua, Three Bamboo, White Crane Hermit, and the other Adventurers stood atop the walls.
They currently maintained their human forms, but all of them had already "charged" inside the Soldier's House beforehand, allowing them to transform into their highest-level forms at any time without additional cost.
Bihua sneered.
"Heh. Just as expected. These green lizards really came."
Feng Zhongmian replied, "I didn't expect so many of them."
Blackstone Hammer King grinned.
"This Thunder Lord is really impatient. Good. Saves us the trouble of hunting him down ourselves. Let's settle everything once and for all today."
As the Adventurers spoke among themselves, a scar-faced Lizardman carrying twin blades stepped forward.
"This pathetic city cannot stop the mighty forces of Thunder City. I advise you to stop resisting and surrender immediately."
"What is this idiot talking about?"
"He actually dares bark in front of us?"
"If you want to fight, then fight. Stop wasting time!"
Seeing that intimidation was useless, the Thunder Lord personally stepped forward.
"This foolish Lord certainly has loyal Adventurers," he said coldly. "I am Thunderfang, Lord of Thunder City. Today, I personally issue a challenge. Human Lord, stop hiding behind your walls. Do you dare come out and duel me one-on-one?"
The Adventurers immediately burst into ridicule.
Mao Mengmeng laughed.
"You want to challenge the Lord of Miracle City? Keep dreaming."
White Crane Hermit snorted.
"If you want to challenge Miracle City, get through us first."
"Allow this old man to test your strength!"
A figure leaped down from the wall.
It was Three Bamboo, one of Miracle City's two current Third-Tier Adventurers.
A sword appeared in his hand.
The blade looked ancient and worn, covered in countless nicks, yet it radiated eerie purple resentment.
This was the Headless Spirit's Resentful Soul Odachi.
The Thunder Lord could not determine Three Bamboo's exact strength.
However, judging from his age and composure, he was clearly an experienced veteran Adventurer.
The fact that a newly established Human territory possessed such an Adventurer already proved that this Dungeon's foundation was far from ordinary.
The Thunder Lizard race was naturally cruel and warlike.
Thunderfang possessed Third-Tier combat power and absolute confidence in himself. He had no desire to waste time here. His goal was to crush Green Swamp City as quickly as possible.
Still, before launching the siege, if he could defeat the enemy's strongest fighter, he could shatter the morale of the Adventurers.
After all, Adventurers were notoriously unreliable.
When a Human territory held the advantage, they relied on their immortality to revive repeatedly and exhaust enemies through attrition.
But when a Dungeon truly faced destruction, Adventurers often fled faster than anyone else.
Thus, Thunderfang believed that crushing their strongest warrior would severely weaken their will to resist.
"Good. Since you seek death, this Lord shall grant it."
The other Adventurers immediately reacted.
"This idiot actually accepted the duel?"
"He wants to break our morale."
"What a joke. We'll live and die with Miracle City!"
"Go, Old Chairman!"
"Kill that lizard!"
Lightning burst from the Thunder Lord's scales.
Thousands of electric currents converged into a massive purple-and-blue lightning spear, which he immediately hurled toward Three Bamboo.
Third-Tier Combat Skill — Thunder Lizard Spear!
This was a signature combat technique of Thunder Lizard warriors, developed from their natural lightning affinity. It was fast, accurate, and devastatingly powerful.
Purple and blue lightning exploded everywhere the spear passed.
The sheer pressure alone was terrifying.
"Take it back!"
Three Bamboo didn't dodge.
Instead, he leaped forward and struck the lightning spear with his blade, directly reflecting the attack back at its owner.
The entire battlefield froze.
Even the Thunder Lord himself had never expected such a thing.
He instantly leaped off his mount, narrowly avoiding disaster.
The unfortunate giant lizard beneath him was pierced by the lightning spear and exploded into charred fragments.
"Beautiful!"
"Old Chairman is incredible!"
"That Lightning Reversal technique was flawless!"
"Even if I practiced it myself, I could never reflect a Third-Tier attack. The timing is way too difficult!"
The Adventurers erupted into cheers.
The Thunder Lord had intended to crush their morale.
Instead, his very first move ended in humiliation.
The strength this Adventurer displayed was clearly below Third Tier, yet he had still reflected a Third-Tier attack.
"What kind of technique is that?"
Three Bamboo calmly answered:
"A sword art from Miracle City. Miracle City's foundation runs deeper than you can imagine. Your lightning just happens to be the perfect target for it."
A strange sword technique capable of countering lightning attacks?
The Thunder Lord was shocked, but he refused to believe it changed anything.
"Only a Second-Tier cultivator dares act so arrogantly?"
Lightning exploded around him once more.
A spear formed in each hand as his body became engulfed in electric arcs like a lightning demon god.
Why did Thunderfang believe Three Bamboo was only Second Tier?
Technically, he wasn't entirely wrong.
Although Three Bamboo was a Third-Tier Adventurer, his Third-Tier Spirit had not yet reached full cultivation.
Normally, unless a spirit reaches one hundred percent completion, its full power cannot be used without the blessing of territorial energy.
This was the greatest limitation of the Adventurer system.
However, before departing, Three Bamboo had already received a Third-Tier enhancement from Miracle City's Soldier's House.
That blessing temporarily allowed him to unleash the Headless Spirit's full strength.
The reason he hadn't transformed yet was simple:
He was hiding his true power.
At the moment, he had only released a small portion of the Headless Spirit's energy to create the Resentful Soul Odachi.
His displayed strength hovered between early and mid Second Tier.
His First-Tier Life Spirit was a Five-Star Witch Zombie, which granted powerful speed enhancements.
His Second-Tier Spirit was the named swordsman Sasé Jin'suke, a master of Ashina sword arts.
Because of this combination, Three Bamboo possessed access to nearly every Ashina sword technique.
Even without transforming, he could execute them freely.
The Thunder Lord launched another attack.
Three Bamboo once again reflected the lightning spear.
This time, Thunderfang exploded forward at terrifying speed, drawing his saber and slashing with overwhelming force.
If lightning failed, brute strength would crush the opponent instead.
Clang!
The Resentful Soul Odachi collided with the lightning-covered saber.
Instead of overwhelming his opponent, the Thunder Lord felt a massive rebound force.
Caught completely off guard, he nearly lost his grip on his weapon and staggered backward.
Shinobi Wolf Style — Counter Blade Technique.
A perfect parry.
Using minimal force to redirect overwhelming power.
"Good chance!"
Thunderfang had underestimated him.
Three Bamboo instantly unleashed a storm of Ashina sword techniques.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Though the Thunder Lord blocked every strike, he could no longer maintain dominance.
White Crane Hermit sighed from the wall.
"If the Wolf himself were here, with his Shinobi Execution techniques and weakness perception, he might already have found the killing blow."
Bihua nodded.
"We've learned many Ashina sword arts, but we still haven't mastered their true essence."
The Thunder Lord finally lost patience.
"Enough!"
Lightning erupted violently from his body.
Using a Berserk Secret Technique, he boosted his speed and strength by at least fifty percent.
"Die!"
His attack became nearly invisible.
Three Bamboo could no longer react in time.
At last, he stopped hiding his true strength.
Purple miasma exploded from his body as he vanished.
Boom!
The saber strike missed, carving a massive scar into the earth.
Three Bamboo reappeared behind the Thunder Lord in full Headless form.
His sword, now wrapped in terrifying purple mist, struck with several times more power than before.
Clang!
The Thunder Lord blocked the attack—
—but immediately felt a horrifying chill invade his mind.
A terrifying urge to flee overwhelmed him.
A mental attack!
"Old Chairman, finish him!"
"Kill him!"
Three Bamboo lowered into an Iaido stance.
Even in Headless form, he could still use Ashina Iaido techniques.
At this moment, the Thunder Lord finally realized the truth.
This Adventurer was Third Tier.
A newly established Human territory actually possessed Third-Tier combat power.
Had he known that earlier, he never would have launched such a reckless invasion.
But now it was already too late.
Three Bamboo had hidden his strength this entire time precisely to create this opportunity.
The Thunder Lord's momentum had weakened.
The mental attacks disrupted his concentration.
And his underestimation of Miracle City left him completely unprepared.
Three Bamboo struck.
The first Iaido slash was blocked.
The second came even faster.
A severed arm flew through the air.
The Thunder Lord retreated in panic, clutching the stump of his right arm.
"So close!"
The Adventurers sighed in regret.
At the critical moment, the Thunder Lord had sacrificed his arm to save his life.
But after losing it, his combat strength dropped dramatically.
At last, he truly understood how terrifying Miracle City was.
Strange sword arts.
Powerful Spirits.
Third-Tier combatants.
This Dungeon's foundation was far beyond his imagination.
"Retreat!"
Thunderfang decisively abandoned the siege.
The other Thunder Lizardmen were equally terrified.
Their Lord had been crippled.
There was no point continuing the battle.
But just as the Lizardmen prepared to flee—
something even more terrifying happened.
"Trying to escape?"
Bihua's majestic voice echoed across the battlefield.
"How could it possibly be that easy?"
A gigantic pure-white Divine Dragon rose above Green Swamp City.
At the same moment, clouds and mist spread across the battlefield.
The Thunder Lord and his soldiers quickly discovered they could no longer escape.
They had become trapped inside an illusion.
This was the terrifying ability of Bihua's rare Third-Tier Spirit:
The Sakura Dragon.
Unlike ordinary creatures, the Sakura Dragon was a spiritual existence that manifested through the "Sakura Dragon Illusion."
Once activated, the illusion became a perfect prison.
Unless one could defeat the Sakura Dragon itself—or possessed power at least two tiers above it—escape was impossible.
In other words, the moment Thunderfang entered Green Swamp City's range, his fate had already been sealed.
Three Bamboo's role was simply to weaken him first.
Only then did Bihua activate the illusion and trap every enemy on the battlefield.
"Game over."
Bihua remained at the center of Green Swamp City in her Sakura Dragon form.
Though immobile while transformed, she was fully protected by the city walls and countless Adventurers.
The Lizardmen had no hope of reaching her.
"Everyone," she declared calmly, "stop wasting time. Finish them quickly so we can report back to the Lord."
As she spoke, a Seven-Branched Sword emerged from the clouds within her dragon claws.
"Exactly what I was thinking!"
"Hahaha! Open your eyes wide, you filthy lizards!"
"This—"
"—is Miracle City!"
One after another, the Adventurers transformed.
Tyrants.
Nemeses.
G-Creatures.
Red Oni.
Ashina Generals.
Ashina Seven Spears.
Blacklight Hunters.
Super Soldiers.
Even the mercenaries accompanying them wielded firearms, grenade launchers, and heavy weapons.
At this moment, the foundation Miracle City had accumulated over countless days was fully revealed.
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