[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-267":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269913,4431,"Chapter 267","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-267",267,"\u003Cp>Li En had never encountered an opponent like this before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely by existing, it had utterly transformed the surrounding environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even before any direct confrontation, merely its derivatives had imposed heavy pressure on the temporary team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Infinite numbers of “Oorda Ox Demons” appeared before the squad, their numbers exploding every instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could our earlier tactical decision have been wrong? Did those slave-market trash anger the Oorda Ox Demon, triggering this flood of monsters?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Li En shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tactical decision was correct; that thing was merely a monster with a touch of divinity, not a true god. Its power was inherently limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was far removed from nature; no matter how powerful the phenomena, they drained its very essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, making more noise was actually a good sign—it meant it could no longer contain its reckless expenditure of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lajiwén really died too extravagantly, haha. Such a grand spectacle to bury him—what a waste!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claire, with her vast experience, also smiled at the scene before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lajiwén was the current head of the slave market, the leader Li En had briefly met before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among scattered mercenaries, his skill level was decent—Fifth-Rank Warrior was enough to travel the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with their strength, they were clearly unfit for this battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were probably already dead; we might have to collect their corpses soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Either the Oorda Ox Demon’s intelligence is as low as expected, launching full force immediately, or Lajiwén’s side had a powerful agent from some church or organization. Either way, it’s good for us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claire’s gaze toward Li En held a new measure of respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warriors are always worthy of respect, and Li En had shown far more than mere “cleverness”—he was even more deserving of respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warriors who had truly experienced combat came to respect “the wise” even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From my perspective, if the overseer of this Heroine competition were weak or foolish, the whole contest would become a farce. Then, it’s my turn to perform.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Claire laughed happily; the lion pelt on her body emitted a faint red glow, as if coming alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s joyfully begin our slaughter. Little oxen, can you truly dance with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Red-Haired Demon” entered her state and swung a massive, serrated door-sized sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she swung it through the air, solidified fire elements flooded into the blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dragon Strike. First Explosion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a “fire dragon” descended from the sky, exploding into a crater over three meters wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the crater, as if struck by a missile, the red-haired woman laughed joyfully and charged toward her next target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wielded the greatsword like a spear, utterly ignoring the chaos around her as she reveled in the spray of blood and flesh—then gagged violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flesh of “semi-Hellish beings” was far from “delicious”; the stench of sulfur and rot was overwhelming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, the meat’s rotten—whatever, at least it’s satisfying to chop!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mighty Dragon Strike. Second Impact!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red-haired lizardman surged forward again, her body swollen to twice its size—a small giant over three meters tall—charging with full force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sharpest part remained the serrations—Li En realized Claire was a true self-taught fighter, fighting like a beast, tearing and biting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That bizarre, monstrous greatsword was less a blade and more a “claw” and “fang” tailored to her needs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Follow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As someone surged forward, Li En stepped right behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claire had already demonstrated perfectly—there was no need to hesitate on the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calculations were done before combat; since we’re all warriors, once on the field, we fight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every collision turned an Ox Demon into shredded meat; every swing of her blade was coated in blood, flesh, and bark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thrilling! Again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mad red-haired demon had fully lost control, charging straight into the enemy ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrior turned demon slaughtered the monsters, who fought only on instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as her flesh was torn open, even as she was wounded, she never dodged or retreated—she tore her opponents apart without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her frenzy, she even hurled her greatsword, then ripped open an Ox Demon with her bare arms, letting the rotting blood and gore drench her body—then laughed even more wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But visibly, her wounds healed only when she killed an enemy—not automatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Her sword… is it draining blood? A blood-drinking dragon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hard to say—who here seemed more evil, more monstrous? The crimson serrated greatsword, reaping lives, was the very source of Claire’s madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moo—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another long, resonant bull bellow echoed, accompanied by an earthquake; the monsters ahead suddenly turned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This bellow sounded calmer—had the battle up front ended?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like the cannon fodder are all used up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ox Demons, now lacking fighting spirit, became far easier to handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Claire charging full force at the front, the temporary hunting squad advanced steadily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now everyone had entered the “domain” of the Oorda Ox Demon—the target was not far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the thorns beneath their feet grew increasingly troublesome; the Paladins began casting holy light, sensing the Hellish power seeping into them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Paladins’ holy energy naturally resisted this insidious corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>",845,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","54edda8990983a1d8ae79d55e4f76518ba6eac03db8fcc8ab87d647a482ebb75","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-268","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-266",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]