[{"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-268":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},2269914,4431,"Chapter 268: The Stubborn Bull Demon","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-268",268,"\u003Cp>When he swung this sword, Li En himself didn’t expect that his strongest strike required no actual blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Skerva (Sword of Severance)!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword model symbolizing severance, infused with massive magical energy, solidified into a field-like blade resembling a force shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Li En’s second time using this Dragon Tongue incantation; his best expectation was to use the massive sword shape to repel the beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thick scales, bark-like hide, and hellfire-composed skin, along with the metallic clangs when he’d clashed with Hela and Claire, had already told Li En how incredibly hard this flesh infused with a trace of divinity could be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is this possible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when the transparent force blade descended, every witness froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spectators outside even stood up one by one, staring in stunned silence as the giant sword fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Li En himself was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is this possible? How could it cut through so easily?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive blade descended, and the beast’s arm, once as hard as hellfire steel, met it—and split clean in two like paper sliced by a kitchen knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the massive wrist and half the arm crashed to the ground did green-flamed blood gush forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moo!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant beast bellowed in agonized pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its demonic crimson eyes filled with confusion—it had sensed no threat, no killing intent, yet one of its hands had been effortlessly severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t over. Without its arm to block, the ethereal blade continued downward, tearing open the flesh of its chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive wound was carved out, spewing green flame-blood like a volcanic eruption, even forming a pool of hellfire across the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enraged beast wildly swung its remaining arm—it clearly wasn’t without pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En’s sudden, unexpected strike caused the frenzied Urda Bull Demon to scream in agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Li En remember his “Demolisher”—he had once again underestimated the power of the spirit soul Sul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its only, unadorned trait: in its peak, it could wound true gods, let alone this twisted creation with only a trace of divinity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Demolisher,” already elevated by Li En to Diamond rank, fused onto the force blade imbued with the concept of “severance,” became an unstoppable Sword of Damocles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This “justified ambush” delivered to the Urda Bull Demon a farewell gift it would never forget.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, Li En was effortlessly blasted backward, slamming hard into the wall and cratering it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li En!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one expected that Li En’s first strike had drawn all the hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unlike Hela and Claire, who were above Grand Warrior rank, could Li En, merely third-rank, truly withstand such a blow?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tastes good.” He spat a mouthful of blood, shook his head, and seemed perfectly fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the smoke cleared, Li En stood up directly—no fractures at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black armor glowed faintly with dark radiance; against an attack of this level, it hadn’t even cracked—clearly no ordinary gear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the armor had softened in time to absorb the impact, sparing Li En from blunt trauma. He shook off the ash clinging to his body and rejoined the front line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside other matters, combat had proven: his armor and his body had decent defense indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps, he truly could stand at the very front of this war, becoming the main force against divine monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Li En was slammed directly into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no help for it—he’d drawn hatred too solidly, and the frontline shield-bearers simply couldn’t hold back this beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the result of losing control of aggro and getting too close—the frenzied Bull Demon chased Li En and beat him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the beast suddenly raised its head and roared, the world twisted again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vines and grass exploded wildly, growing taller than a person, sprouting claws and teeth, tearing at every living thing nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Urda Bull Demon was not born a warrior—it was a corrupted seed of the World Tree, originally a pure “natural creation.” Now, relying solely on its bloodline’s battle instinct, its extreme physical hardness made it far beyond what this squad could easily contain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another wave of corrupted creatures activated, dealt with and resisted by second-line warriors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t scatter, hold formation! Those below Grand Warrior, stay clear of it! Mages, prepare fire spells…” A Huiguang Guard was still organizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed neither his captain Claire nor Li En had paid him any mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, after the initial chaos, the planned tactic was finally executed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Top-tier warriors restrained the monster’s attacks, while the primary damage dealers—sorcerers and mages—launched volley after volley of fire arrows and fireballs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though hellish creatures generally had high fire resistance, Urda Bull Demon’s body was half-wooden, born of the World Tree—surely it wouldn’t resist fire well? The World Tree was famously vulnerable to fire; every named tree in history had been burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Detected high fire resistance. Activate backup plan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reality always proved too stubborn to handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire arrows and fireballs barely even scuffed the surface—this “tree” truly could resist fire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t due to faulty intelligence; Urda Bull Demon was far too rare. Finding even basic data was luck, and every specimen differed wildly—now they’d have to test and adapt as they fought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep going. Mages, don’t stop casting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, sorcerers and mages unleashed a barrage of magic missiles, arcane shocks, and missile storms—relying on the reliable damage of force magic for steady output.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The magical light exploded, forcing the beast to recoil instinctively—but everyone could see: such minor wounds had negligible effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Resistance to force damage?! Not high magic resistance—this is a divine being!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bad intelligence was quickly confirmed by reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ice, lightning, acid—all tested, all ineffective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the faintest trace of divine heritage granted terrifying universal resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, the squad’s frontline fighters “discovered” with dismay: even swordsmen and warriors had little effect.\u003C\u002Fp>",970,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7106c7106f75a7e67f2829bf233bf252f44c662c5b5ec1cb2396f59c2cea610f","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-269","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-267",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]