Chapter 17

Xu Dong stood in a place very close to the lake, his shoe soles almost touching the water. He glanced coldly at the monster splashing in the lake, knowing it wouldn't be able to climb out for a while, at least giving him five minutes—this situation was like jumping into the water without warming up, causing cramps in the limbs. For this strange dog, the lake water was almost as bad as sulfuric acid!

Logically, if this strange dog knew that the mucus on its body would cause severe pain when washed away by water (imagine a patient with large areas of skin burned and then touching water), no matter how good a swimmer it was, it wouldn't risk entering the water. To be honest, Xu Dong was also taking a gamble!

However, there were two reasons supporting his decision to take this gamble—

First, Fadao was also a mountain guard dog that had taken a divine power fruit, and it was highly likely that they had taken the same fruit on the same day. As for Huaihe's words, they were probably just a bluff to weaken Xu Dong's confidence and deliberately create fear.

Second, Fadao might have been discovered after taking the divine power fruit, which is why it fled immediately and soon encountered Xu Dong. Of course, this process was not pleasant for it, and Xu Dong was in Huaiyun Mountain, where it hadn't rained for three days, and even the morning mist was scarce!

Considering these two reasons, Xu Dong was at least 60% confident that the strange dog was completely unaware of this weakness. Of course, if the dog didn't jump into the water at the critical moment, Xu Dong wasn't afraid; if you don't jump, I will.

Climbing up the wooden house, the intense pain from the fracture in Xu Dong's arm made him break out in a cold sweat, his face already pale and bloodless. However, the at least five minutes he had bought were as precious as his life, so he couldn't afford to waste a second. Xu Dong didn't bandage his arm; he pressed his lips and pulled out a crucial item from his backpack—flint!

Although it was already autumn, the grass and trees were still green, indicating ample moisture. On the other hand, the area where the forest rangers lived was well-maintained, and the original residents must have been afraid of accidentally starting a fire that could ignite the wooden houses and cause a forest fire, so there was a wide isolation zone between the vegetation and the houses.

The fluffy material in the nursery was highly flammable, and Xu Dong quickly set fire to the first wooden house. Moreover, the wooden house itself was made of wood, and this mountain pine was indeed an excellent building material resistant to moisture, rot, and insects, but it was also very easy to ignite!

After setting fire to one wooden house, Xu Dong glanced at the strange dog slowly swimming towards the shore. The direction it was heading was the eighth wooden house in a clockwise direction from his current position, the closest to the shore; otherwise, it would have to swim to the other side.

Seeing this, Xu Dong hurriedly increased his speed, continuously setting fire to the houses.

The strange dog finally managed to climb ashore, but before it could catch its breath, a burning piece of wood suddenly flew towards it, trailing a fiery tail! Animals are naturally afraid of fire, and this strange dog, lacking even skin, was even more terrified by the heat, suffering even more severe injuries.

It instinctively dodged, then darted into a wooden house with the weakest fire, only the front part burning, preparing to break through the door.

At that moment, a thin but sturdy figure blocked its path. The front part of the wooden house was already engulfed in flames, the fire tongues raging, almost licking Xu Dong's body, but he stood like an old pine in the flame wind, a rock in the sea of fire, giving an impression of unyielding strength as he blocked the mountain guard dog!

The saying "enemies meeting each other turn red with rage" aptly described this scene.

The blood vessels in the strange dog's large, copper-like eyes burst visibly, the whites of its eyes turning red as if stained with blood, imagining the hatred it must have felt towards Xu Dong!

The strange dog, like any dog, was most powerful with its teeth! The distance between them was only a couple of meters, and suddenly the dog lunged forward, stretching its neck, and opened its massive mouth to bite.

The stench of its breath made Xu Dong want to vomit, and the sharp, pale fangs brought him intense fear!

Setting up such a trap in a crisis, Xu Dong had indeed performed exceptionally. In this narrow space, he first restricted the dog's charge, like ancient cavalry being held back by infantry, unable to form a charging formation, and thus only able to use a fraction of their strength, leading to inevitable casualties. Second, the terrain was particularly restrictive for the dog, making it difficult to turn, while Xu Dong's movements were unaffected, allowing him to fully leverage his advantages.

Most crucially, the dog had already been injured by the lake water, and now surrounded by fire, it was at least 50% weaker both mentally and physically compared to when it first appeared.

He had meticulously planned this trap and simulated the battle and countermeasures in his mind. When he saw the dog charge, he was startled but confidently retreated three steps, directly entering the burning fire.

The raging flames licked his clothes and hair, and the smell of burning began to fill the air.

The dog, missing its target, instinctively took two steps forward.

Unexpectedly, a flame suddenly shot out from the side of a burning wooden board, burning the dog's cheek. The blood-red muscle instantly oozed blood and mucus, and the surface quickly turned white like stir-fried meat. In pain, the dog had to retreat.

Xu Dong had anticipated this reaction and calmly used an Insight skill, gaining 20 points in skill proficiency. With a cold laugh, he suddenly counterattacked, holding a burning wooden stick as thick as his arm, leaping into the air and smashing it down.

A massive claw flashed, and five sharp claws sliced the wooden stick into six pieces with a crisp sound. However, the front part of the stick, already carbonized by the fire, exploded into countless sparks and ashes, like a thousand stars falling from the night sky, blocking its view.

Seizing this advantage, Xu Dong's eyes flashed with fierce determination, "The opportunity has come!"

As he landed, he twisted his waist and gathered all his strength in his legs. Suddenly, a loud crack echoed as the wooden floor couldn't withstand the force from Xu Dong's feet and split. He shot forward like a cannonball, heading straight for the dog. Just as they were about to collide, he slipped, fell backward, and slid under the dog's belly.

The entire process was lightning-fast, and Xu Dong's actions were seamless, giving the impression of speed, precision, and overwhelming force.

The dog, realizing the enemy was under its belly, felt a sudden, intense fear, like a sharp dagger pressed against its throat or a gun pointed at its temple, a truly sharp and terrifying sensation!

Despite its quick reaction, it instinctively tried to crush Xu Dong with its weight.

But before it could, Xu Dong had already drawn his iron knife and stabbed it with all his might, activating a powerful skill. The knife pierced through the tough muscle, burying itself up to the hilt. Xu Dong, not greedy for more, rolled away, and the sharp knife tore a long, terrifying wound as it was pulled out.

Blood and mucus gushed from the dog's wound!

In pain, the dog let out a terrifying roar and swiped with its left front paw.

At the critical moment, Xu Dong used all his strength to jump up, narrowly avoiding the sharp claws, but his arm was still hit by the dog's leg, the already cracked bone breaking with a crisp sound, the fracture twisted and deformed.

The pain was so intense that even the tough Xu Dong screamed in agony, his vision blurring, almost fainting.

Under the dog's powerful force, Xu Dong crashed through the wooden floor and flew into the fire!

After a series of rolls, the scorching flames singed his eyebrows and eyelashes. He endured the pain, stood up, and jumped into the lake!

When Xu Dong resurfaced, the house where they had fought suddenly collapsed, the fragile wooden pillars finally carbonized and unable to support the weight. Amidst the flying sparks, the dog's terrified barks echoed, even reaching Xu Dong ten meters away.

However, the dog's belly had been deeply cut, and Xu Dong could feel the clear sensation of slicing through its intestines. Now, with the house collapsing and burning debris falling on it, the dog suffered unimaginable damage and was truly unable to escape.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the dog's area exploded like a bomb, the dog, covered in burns, instinctively ran out of the fire, but its intestines, dragged out by the debris, extended for a couple of meters as it ran.

It ultimately didn't escape, falling halfway and quickly being consumed by the raging flames.

Only then did Xu Dong finally breathe a sigh of relief, his face showing a mix of fear and relief, "I never expected this dog to be so fierce, it was just a close call..."

Just as Xu Dong climbed ashore, a strange feeling washed over him, like a believer seeing the divine presence of their god, an irresistible urge to kneel.

Xu Dong even noticed that all the nearby trees, leaves, and branches were involuntarily moving in one direction, as if a typhoon was blowing from the opposite direction.

"Such a strange phenomenon! Could it be... the divine power fruit has fully matured?!"

This thought suddenly crossed his mind.