Rain's desperate cry caused the Tentacle Duke to halt his movements abruptly. He turned his head toward the dimly lit corner where Rain wept bitterly, a sinister chuckle escaping his lips. "Little girl, what's the matter? Missing your dear lover already? Ha! Don't worry. Soon, I'll send you down to join him. The two of you can keep each other company on the road to heaven. Ha ha…"
Xiao Feng cast a disdainful sneer at the Tentacle Duke. "You bastard. If you dare lay a finger on her, I swear I'll carve your flesh off piece by piece with a knife. Then…"
Before Xiao Feng could finish, another tentacle suddenly slithered in with a sharp hiss, piercing his body once again. Luckily, it missed his heart. The Tentacle Duke glared venomously at him. "So, you hate me that much, huh? Fine. Since you want me to die a miserable death, I won't let you die peacefully either. I'll pierce your body with a hundred—no, a thousand holes. I'll drain every drop of blood from your veins and watch you bleed out… Ha ha…"
Xiao Feng spat a mouthful of blood onto the face of the Evil Dragon Duke. "You're just like the Black Dragon—cowards, trash, and worthless scum…" His insults poured forth relentlessly, but they barely grazed the Tentacle Duke's hardened shell; at most, they stoked his fury.
"Fine… I'll show you who the real loser is," the Tentacle Duke snarled, driving his tentacle into Xiao Feng once more. This strike pierced straight through a lung lobe, forcing Xiao Feng into a violent fit of coughing.
Rain, unable to bear it any longer, grasped her automatic rifle with trembling hands, tears streaming down her face as she aimed at the Tentacle Duke's head. "You bastard! Let Xiao Feng go… Ah!" With a fierce cry, she pulled the trigger.
Two other soldiers immediately joined in, firing without hesitation. Three glowing streaks of bullets hurtled toward the Tentacle Duke's skull.
But against these beastly dukes, capable of transforming into monstrous forms, the bullets were pitifully ineffective.
The Tentacle Duke's head flickered with sparks as bullets pinged and scraped off. He turned and snarled at the other dukes, "Quiet those three idiots. Don't disturb my fun torturing Xiao Feng."
The other dukes charged the three mercenaries. Without any supernatural abilities, these soldiers were helpless, swiftly subdued.
It wasn't just them—Baibai's limbs were tightly entwined by several tentacles, while the twin dukes' monstrous claws pinned him firmly to the ground.
Baibai struggled and whimpered, but it was all in vain.
At this moment, no one in the cavern could save Xiao Feng.
Pierced by two tentacles and pinned against the wall, Xiao Feng was barely clinging to life. Without the removal of the tentacles, his regenerative powers were useless.
"How's it feel now, Xiao Feng? Realize the might of our Evil Dragon Sect? You, a mere little psychic, dared to come to our headquarters? Ha! Truly ignorant of your place…" The Tentacle Duke sneered, driving yet another tentacle into Xiao Feng's abdomen.
Xiao Feng, seemingly accustomed to the pain, groaned lowly and cursed under his breath, "Bastard, you'll die a miserable death… I'll personally drag you to hell…"
"Ha! I hate brats like you. What power do you have to send me to hell? If I wanted to, I could do it with just a flick of my tentacle…" The Tentacle Duke raised a tentacle, aiming for Xiao Feng's heart, then thrust it in in an instant.
Xiao Feng's body shuddered violently, his eyes burning fiercely on the tentacle lodged in his chest.
But the Tentacle Duke laughed heartily. "Don't be afraid. I'm not cruel enough to kill you so quickly. Just wanted to scare you a bit…" He withdrew the tentacle, which had only pierced the chest muscle, not even breaching the ribs.
Rain watched the fading light in Xiao Feng's eyes, tears streaming unchecked. "Please… let Xiao Feng go… I'll agree to any condition…"
With great effort, Xiao Feng turned his head toward Rain and managed a faint smile. "Rain, don't cry. Don't… don't beg these bastards… No…" Suddenly, he paused, then smiled knowingly.
For as he turned, he saw many figures rushing swiftly into the cavern entrance.
The Tentacle Duke, noticing Xiao Feng's eerie smile, cursed, "You're laughing at death's door…"
Suddenly, a muffled boom echoed—a small missile streaked in, trailing flames, heading straight for the Tentacle Duke.
The Duke turned toward the cavern entrance, brow furrowing deeply. The missile closed in fast.
He hurriedly shielded his face with his remaining tentacles, but the missile exploded on his side with a thunderous blast. His tentacles absorbed the shrapnel, sparing Xiao Feng from harm.
The scorching fragments sliced through several of the Duke's tentacles and slammed him hard into Xiao Feng, who was barely alive, delivering a crushing blow.
The missile had been launched by Tugu.
And since Tugu had arrived, he was not alone.
Rush leapt from the corpses of the many magical beasts littering the ground, landing before Xiao Feng and the Tentacle Duke. Grabbing the dazed Duke, he spat, "Damn you, die already…" Then, with a powerful throw, he hurled the battered Tentacle Duke aside. The Duke crashed to the ground in agony.
The other dukes roared furiously at the sight of Rush and Tugu's arrival and charged forward without hesitation. Behind them, countless magical beasts surged forward as well.
At the mouth of the Evil Dragon Sect's cavern headquarters, the climax of battle was about to erupt once more.