"Mantis! The south gate is just ahead! We... forget it, let's just climb over."
Li Fan, who had slightly bent his knees and was ready to jump, immediately stopped in his tracks.
*Screech! Boom...*
The Giant Ruin City stopped its charge, sliding a long distance before coming to a halt.
On the south gate wall, facing the slowly approaching giant, all combat personnel showed fear.
However, in accordance with the current directive to fully support the mountain stronghold, the participating personnel did not choose to engage but continued to the front lines with heightened vigilance.
"The south gate is about as high as the Giant Ruin City's chest. Which leg should I lead with... No, when I used to climb over courtyard walls, I always supported myself with my hands first."
After recalling the physical movements of climbing over a courtyard wall, Li Fan began to demonstrate by disassembling the action.
*Boom! Crash!*
The Giant Ruin City placed its hands on the top of the city wall, supporting its body as it moved up, then placed its right leg over the wall.
*Clang! Sizzle!*
Several disc-shaped ballista bases and cannons were swept off the wall.
Li Fan felt a pang of heartache, but there was nothing he could do.
After all, he hadn't tested whether he could jump over the city wall. If he fell hard, either the city gate would collapse or the Giant Ruin City would fall apart.
Clumsily climbing over the wall, an open jungle area appeared before him.
The mountain stronghold was in the distant mountain range, and its location could be clearly identified by sight.
The Giant Ruin City slightly changed its orientation and began to run again.
*Clang! Bang!*
In the passage between the two mountain ranges, the Dragon Person Guild Master, dragging a giant black sword, charged forward and struck the dark red shell of the Elder Dragon's head with a sword.
A string of sparks flew, and a small amount of rock-like keratin was scraped off the surface.
The dragon's head, with a knife-like horn on its nose, retreated a short distance, swung its head slightly left and right, and then moved forward again with its limbs.
The Guild Master glanced at the indentation left by the strike and charged forward again, dragging the sword.
*Clang! Bang! Sizzle~*
This time, the giant black sword embedded itself into the indentation. The Guild Master did not retreat from the recoil, planting his feet firmly to wrestle with it.
The Elder Dragon's advance slowed, and the Guild Master was continuously pushed back as he resisted.
At this moment, a large number of bomb barrels rolled down from the tops of the two mountain ranges. The artillery trains on the mountain tracks locked their firing angles and activated their attacks.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! ...*
Dense explosions erupted on the Elder Dragon's back.
However, its massive body, which could not be obscured by the thick smoke, still stubbornly pushed forward.
*Crash!*
With the Guild Master's persistence, the giant black sword, embedded in the dragon's head, crushed the thick shell, and dark red blood spurted out.
The Guild Master continued to press down but found that the giant black sword was stuck.
The giant black sword would self-repair and grow, especially when it came into contact with dragon flesh and blood.
The Guild Master knew that this was not a problem with the weapon, but that he, on the verge of exhaustion, no longer had the strength to infuse it.
*Bang! Bang! Bang! ...*
The Elder Dragon's pace gradually quickened.
Unable to stop it, the Guild Master could only let it push him back.
In the mountain summit area, a stronghold guard team member reported anxiously, "Captain! The Elder Dragon is about to leave the third concentrated fire zone!"
Deployment and transfer were important parts of combat.
The stronghold guard team would participate in the entire operation, but there were only six concentrated fire zones.
Whenever the Elder Dragon passed through a zone, the stronghold guard team would not blindly pursue.
Instead, they would transfer through the mountain passes and prepare for deployment in the next concentrated fire zone.
The captain of the stronghold guard team had been watching the progress and knew that the transfer was imminent.
But if they left now, the Guild Master would have no one to support him.
"How many hunters have arrived?"
The captain of the stronghold guard team asked.
"About seventy were counted just now, and more are arriving."
"Initiate a back-hanging operation immediately! This way, at least we can attract the Elder Dragon's attention while the stronghold guard team transfers."
The captain of the stronghold guard team gave the order.
Soon, a large number of hunters rushed to the suspension bridge connecting the two mountains and descended onto the Elder Dragon's back as it passed.
Many, after landing and steadying themselves on the shell, did not immediately draw their hunting weapons to attack. Instead, they picked up the mining picks they carried and swung them down.
The dark red shell on its back had slightly softened after continuous explosions.
After digging two holes with force, they quickly inserted their feet into them. Once they confirmed they wouldn't be easily shaken off, they picked up their mining picks and struck at a single point.
Based on past experience, at least one-third of the dark red shell had to be chiseled through before subsequent weapon attacks could possibly penetrate the Elder Dragon's shell.
Although the combat participants seemed relatively safe, if they were accidentally shaken off.
Any scrape from any part of the Elder Dragon's body would result in a terrifying heavy blow.
If they were trampled by its limbs or hit by its tail, the chances of survival would be close to zero.
However, at present, apart from large-scale fortress defenses, the back-hanging operation was the most effective means of attack.
"Jump!"
*Bang!*
"Slide tackle!"
*Boom! Crash, crash...*
"Roll... let's skip this one. There are no urban ruins around. If I move too violently and cause it to fall apart and be damaged, there won't be any parts to rebuild."
Li Fan finished speaking and continued to command the Mantis to charge towards the mountain stronghold.
As the terrain opened up, the Giant Ruin City attempted more maneuvers.
Unfortunately, Li Fan didn't know its strength limit, so he decided to control it cautiously.
Otherwise, it would be troublesome to be missing limbs when facing the Elder Dragon.
In the dim mountain pass, the dust-covered captain of the stronghold guard team deployed, "Upon reaching the fourth concentrated fire zone, send some people to the suspension bridge first to receive the hunters participating in the back-hanging operation. Although the newly developed Wirebugs can greatly reduce the difficulty of escape, these hunters are too young. In any case, ensure their safety."
"Understood, Captain."
The stronghold guard team member finished speaking and quickly ran to the front of the formation to relay the deployment.
As the captain of the stronghold guard team intended to proceed with the team, he suddenly noticed that the frequency of the ground tremors had changed again.
This time, it wasn't that the frequency had sped up or slowed down, but an additional series of tremors had appeared.
Finding a nearby exit leading outside and confirming that the new tremors were approaching, he quickly ascended to the mountain summit.
Seeing the source of the tremors rushing towards him, the captain of the stronghold guard team was stunned.
"Jump over!"
A shout echoed from the control room.
The Giant Ruin City ran a few steps along the mountain slope, took a large stride forward, and leaped into the air.
Looking up at the Giant Ruin City flying overhead, the captain of the stronghold guard team quickly covered his forehead and gasped, "This isn't real. There are relevant documents in the Guild that prove that when a person is under too much mental stress, they experience hallucinations."
However, the strong wind and grit that followed quickly shattered the captain's theory.
*Bang!*
The Giant Ruin City landed between the mountain ranges.
Seeing the direction of the giant footprints, Li Fan realized that the Elder Dragon had left this area and quickly moved forward in pursuit.
After turning two corners, he discovered the Elder Dragon advancing in the mountains.
However, many hunters were currently withdrawing from its back, and there were many stronghold guards on the suspension bridge receiving them. It was clearly not suitable for combat.
Li Fan then instructed to proceed slowly.
The current situation was beyond his understanding, and the other party's reaction was quite strong.
"A neck-bending giant has intruded!"
After the first person shouted this warning, the scene fell silent for a few seconds.
Then...
"A neck-bending giant has intruded!"
"A neck-bending giant has intruded!!"
....
On the suspension bridge, countless shouts erupted.
Li Fan touched the Wirebug silk on his neck and sighed, "Never mind, there's no time to correct it."
Amidst the shouts, the combat personnel on the suspension bridge quickly retreated.
The Giant Ruin City bent down and passed under the suspension bridge, then continued to run wildly.
"Standard Wirebug attack motion... No, this Wirebug is only shaped externally. It doesn't have a similar internal structure, and it's stuck to my palm."
Li Fan had intended to launch an attack with standard Wirebug motions, but since the weapon's structure was not standard, the standard motions were meaningless.
"Then a leaping thrust... like this!"
Li Fan immediately demonstrated.
A moment later, a slight tremor was transmitted through the Wirebug silk wrapped around Li Fan's right wrist, which was information from the Mantis's vibrating silk.
It roughly meant, "I have understood."
"Continue to approach... a little closer... leaping thrust!"
*Whoosh~*
The Giant Ruin City leaped, and the weapon resembling a Wirebug, stuck to its palm, thrust down forcefully.
*Screech! Clang!*
The Wyvernbone Lance head shattered the rock-like shell and pierced the Elder Dragon's tail, while the Wirebug also shattered into three sections.
Sensing the intense pain in its tail, the Elder Dragon stopped, raised its head, and let out a roar.
A black-patterned sonic wave spread out, causing the rock walls of the mountain ranges on both sides to tremble.
Dilu leaped onto Li Fan's shoulder, wanting to cover his ears, but was directly blown away by the approaching circular sonic wave.
Li Fan slightly bent his knees, threw out two Wirebugs to anchor himself, and assumed a defensive stance.
He wasn't blown away by the sonic wave, but his ears were filled with a buzzing sound.
The edges of everything he saw in his slightly bulging eyes were extending with countless black spikes.
Li Fan shook his head violently to stay conscious.
The buzzing sound lessened, and the black spikes quickly withered. Only when he heard his own breathing again did he confirm that he was truly fine.
"Dilu! Are you..."
Li Fan turned his head anxiously and was surprised to find that Dilu, who had been blown away, was riding on the Mantis's head, leaning against a mass of sticky Wirebug silk with a strong cushioning effect.
"Thank you, Mantis, meow."
Dilu said gratefully.
"It's good that you're alright... With this size and shell strength, it's no wonder the Guild never planned to hunt it."
The Giant Ruin City began to pursue again, but when it reached its tail, it felt helpless.
*Clang!* At this moment, a metallic hum came from the front.
Li Fan then noticed that the Guild Master was confronting the Elder Dragon ahead.
However, due to the overwhelming disparity in strength, he was constantly being pushed back by the Elder Dragon's head.
The Giant Ruin City lunged forward and crawled onto the Elder Dragon's back.
However, the added weight of the Ruin City did not cause any trouble for the Elder Dragon's movement.
"As expected..."
The Guild Master saw the colorful golden light flashing in the control room of his chest and let out a sigh.
"Guild Master! I'll hold it off for you."
Li Fan shouted.
Given the Guild Master's Dragon Person physique, even retreating would be very risky.
"Leave it to you!"
The Guild Master suddenly released his hands from the giant black sword and instead grabbed the dragon's head.
*Screech!* As his arched claws dug into the ground, the Elder Dragon's advance suddenly halted.
The Giant Ruin City got up, leaped from its back, turned its body, and forcefully rammed its shoulder into the dragon's head.
*Boom!* With the combined effort of the Guild Master, the Elder Dragon was finally shaken. Its pillar-like forelegs moved back half a step.
The Guild Master released his hands, which had been cut by the edge of the shell, and immediately sat down on the ground. However, he quickly took out the Dragon-Slayer Blade from his back and used its scabbard to prop himself up.
"There's an indentation in the mountain wall ahead, where I can hide. Leave this to it."
The Guild Master said, handing over the Dragon-Slayer Blade. This trust truly surprised Li Fan.
After the Mantis had just attacked Dong Duoluma, the Guild Master trusted it so much?
No, could it be that when the legendary hunter brought the Mantis, the Guild Master was aware of it...
Li Fan vaguely thought of a possibility, but there was no time to delve into it at the moment.
The giant palm reached down and stuck to the scabbard of the Dragon-Slayer Blade with Wirebug silk.
This giant katana was tailor-made for the Guild Master in terms of size. It looked a bit small in the Giant Ruin City's palm.
However, the giant black sword was still embedded in the Elder Dragon's head, so this was the only weapon the Giant Ruin City could use.
*Bang! Bang! ...*
The Elder Dragon resumed its advance. Seeing the Guild Master retreating while leaning against the rock wall, its speed was not very fast. Li Fan decided to provide some cover.
So, using a similar posture to the Guild Master, he stepped forward and grabbed the dragon's head.
*Screech, creak! Bang! Bang!*
After the Wirebug silk on both arm joints snapped, they managed to barely stop the Elder Dragon.
*Clang! Clang! ...*
A metallic grinding sound came from behind. Li Fan turned to observe and found that the Mantis's two scythe-like limbs were slightly retreating while trembling.
All the Wirebug silk on them was thinning under tension, showing signs of embedding into the scythes.
Clearly, even the Mantis had its limits in terms of strength.
Li Fan was about to tell the Mantis to retreat when, unexpectedly, the Elder Dragon that had been confronting it actually retreated. However, this was not because it was repelled.
As it retreated, the Elder Dragon raised its head, its two forelegs lifted off the ground, and its back slowly opened.
While advancing on the mountain summit, the captain of the stronghold guard team observed the Guild Master handing the Dragon-Slayer Blade to the Giant Ruin City.
Convinced that the other party was not an enemy, his mood had just calmed down.
He was about to proceed to the fourth concentrated fire zone as planned to direct and deploy the operation.
However, before he could get close, a giant dragon head with knife-like horns suddenly emerged from between the two mountain ranges.
"The Elder Dragon... is standing up!"
Looking at the giant yellow vertical pupils, the captain of the stronghold guard team was incredulous.
"This flesh on its abdomen seems easier to break through than its back shell... Mantis, shall we try attacking its center?"
Li Fan was quite surprised by the Elder Dragon standing up.
However, in his impression, the standing posture was usually only used against city walls.
The giant sword's active points, the giant sword's active points, the general public's seeing, seeing, hitting, reaching, expanding, expanding, expanding, multi