Chapter 117 – Confrontation

Chapter 117 – Confrontation

“Commander Yuan, we meet again,” Cheng Yang greeted with a smile, ignoring the deep shock on Yuan Jianze’s face.

Yuan Jianze’s expression shifted from disbelief to sudden realization, then darkened. He finally managed to say, “It’s you?”

Cheng Yang replied, “Commander Yuan, you must have a lot on your mind. It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already forgotten me.”

Yuan Jianze paused before saying, “I should have guessed you weren’t an ordinary person. But I didn’t expect you to be even more mysterious than I imagined. Can you tell me now, are you really from this world?”

Cheng Yang smiled, “Of course, I’m a native of Earth. That’s the truth.”

Yuan Jianze frowned, “Then there’s something I don’t understand. Can you enlighten me?”

“Please, go ahead,” Cheng Yang said.

“What’s your relationship with the owner of the alchemy room? Why was he so deferential to you?” Yuan Jianze asked. If not for this, he wouldn’t have suspected Cheng Yang wasn’t from this world.

Cheng Yang shrugged, “It’s simple—mutual benefit. He gains from me, so he treats me with respect. Now that I’ve answered your question, shall we deal with the matter at hand?”

Yuan Jianze glanced at the fallen Xiangcheng City combatants and the five unfortunate souls who had perished. He reassessed Cheng Yang’s strength and said after a moment’s thought, “May I know your name?”

“Cheng Yang. You can call me Xiao Cheng, or just Cheng Yang,” Cheng Yang replied.

Yuan Jianze nodded, “Cheng Yang, I assume you’re here for this light barrier as well?”

Cheng Yang chuckled, “Why beat around the bush, Commander Yuan? Just call it what it is—a dungeon portal. We’re all clear-headed here. No need for pretense.”

Yuan Jianze sighed, realizing there was no room for deception. “Since you know, let’s be frank. My people discovered this dungeon portal first. We left some to guard it while others returned to inform us. You took advantage of this gap to ambush our men. Don’t you think an explanation is in order?”

Cheng Yang smirked, knowing the old fox wouldn’t admit defeat easily. “Commander Yuan, are you saying whoever finds it first owns it?”

Yuan Jianze hesitated, sensing a trap. “As a government force, all unclaimed territories belong to the state. But given the current circumstances, the rule of first-come, first-served applies.”

Cheng Yang laughed inwardly, “Then let’s discuss this. You claim your people found it first. Do you know the dungeon’s name? The types of monsters inside? Their numbers?”

Yuan Jianze’s expression faltered. He stared at Cheng Yang, trying to gauge his sincerity. “No one has entered the dungeon yet. How could anyone know these details? Unless… you do?”

Cheng Yang smiled, “Unfortunately for you, I do. I’ve been inside and know everything about it. So, Commander Yuan, do you still think you found it first?”

Yuan Jianze’s face darkened. “Words are cheap. How can you prove it?”

“If you don’t believe me, send a few people in. After they enter, I’ll share what I know. When they return, we’ll compare notes. How about that?” Cheng Yang suggested.

Yuan Jianze hesitated, noting Cheng Yang’s calm demeanor. He suspected Cheng Yang might indeed have entered the dungeon. Given Cheng Yang’s strength, likely a high-level mage apprentice, he could have cleared a normal-difficulty dungeon.

After a moment, Yuan Jianze sneered, “You think I’ll fall for that? Everyone knows the monsters inside are deadly. No one comes out alive. You want us to send our men as guinea pigs? Not a chance.”

Cheng Yang cursed inwardly. The old man was determined to play dirty. He had hoped to resolve this without violence, but if Yuan Jianze insisted on being unreasonable, he wouldn’t hesitate to teach him a lesson—might makes right.

“Since you feel that way, Commander Yuan, it seems we’re at an impasse. What do you propose?” Cheng Yang asked bluntly.

Yuan Jianze was taken aback by Cheng Yang’s directness. “Do you think I need to propose anything? Or do you think the two of you can take on my two thousand men?”

Cheng Yang sneered, “Two thousand men? I’ve never heard of two thousand eggs breaking a stone. If you want to test our strength, we’re happy to oblige. Just don’t cry when your men start falling.”

Yuan Jianze laughed, “You really think the two of you can challenge two thousand?”

Cheng Yang shrugged, “We won’t know until we try.”

Yuan Jianze’s face turned cold. “Capture them!”

At his command, hundreds of combatants surged forward. Though only three hundred advanced, their momentum rivaled a thousand demonic beasts.

“Lord…” Liu Xiyue whispered nervously behind Cheng Yang.

Cheng Yang smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry. They’re no threat to me.”

To Yuan Jianze, Liu Xiyue’s concern seemed like a lack of confidence, reinforcing his determination to subdue Cheng Yang. In his eyes, Cheng Yang was a thorn in Xiangcheng City’s side, and he needed to either eliminate or control him to secure his dominance.

“Attack!” The three hundred combatants charged. Shield-bearing warriors formed the front line, while archers and mages prepared their attacks from behind.

A barrage of arrows and magic missiles flew toward Cheng Yang, accompanied by dozens of shadow wolves lunging at him.

Cheng Yang’s expression turned cold. This wasn’t an attempt to capture him—it was a lethal assault.

Since they had chosen violence, he would respond in kind.

“Ice Spike!” Cheng Yang ignored the incoming projectiles and the charging wolves, unleashing a wide-area ice spell.

The warriors’ shields became useless as icy spikes rained down, instantly killing at least seven or eight men.

“Liu Xiyue, get out of here! Don’t let them surround you!” Cheng Yang shouted, firing an ice orb that sent a stunned warrior flying.

Liu Xiyue knew she was outmatched in this chaos. Her offensive power was formidable, but her defenses were weak. A few focused attacks could end her.

Without hesitation, she turned and fled south.

Though she left decisively, her heart was heavy. Abandoning her comrade in battle was a bitter pill to swallow. She vowed to train harder and never be a burden again.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yang endured two waves of attacks. The enemies’ strikes, barely reaching five points of damage, couldn’t even scratch him. After nearly a hundred hits, his health remained untouched.

The shadow wolves fared even worse. As they closed in, Cheng Yang unleashed another Ice Spike, wiping them out in one go.

Without their wolves, the summoners were rendered useless. Though they could summon more in a minute, the battle wouldn’t last that long.

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