To lure it away, it had to be taken sufficiently far away. If they were to approach the golden apple tree now, they would be killed by the dragon when it rushed back. This plan was clearly useless.
"What do you think?" An Sheng asked Zhou Wen.
Zhou Wen thought for a moment and said, "We definitely can’t fight it head-on. The chances of death are too high. We must think of other solutions."
After a pause, Zhou Wen continued, "I do have an idea. If I can hold back the black dragon for a few seconds, do you have the confidence to pluck the golden apple?"
"How long can you last?" An Sheng asked after some thought.
"At most ten seconds and at least five seconds. However, before that, I need to use a Companion Beast to confirm it again before I can determine the exact amount of time," Zhou Wen said after serious consideration.
"If you can hold it back for six seconds, I can pluck the golden apple and return," An Sheng said after careful observation.
"Then let’s give it a try." Zhou Wen planned on first figuring out the black dragon’s powers.
"I still have quite a number of Companion Beasts on me. Let’s give it a few more tries and get a good understanding of the black dragon’s abilities before attacking it," An Sheng said.
"Can I do something?" Zhang Yuzhi asked.
"Please cheer us on over here," An Sheng said to her.
"Alright, I’ll cheer you on." Zhang Yuzhi didn’t plan on really being a dragon-slaying heroine. Furthermore, she was only at the Legendary stage, inferior to Zhou Wen and An Sheng. She had only been joking.
Zhou Wen and An Sheng left the cave once again and found a hidden spot to summon their Companion Beasts. They left them in different locations. After making arrangements, the Companion Beasts attacked the black dragon from different locations.
An Sheng had countless Companion Beasts, and Zhou Wen had quite a number as well. However, their Companion Beasts were basically useless. None of them survived.
Zhou Wen used the Blood Threadworms to secretly drill into the black dragon’s body, but the moment the Blood Threadworms entered its skin, they automatically died.
There was also the Epic Poison Bat. After flying over, it was swallowed by the black dragon.
The two of them sacrificed at least thirty Companion Beasts. None of them could last five seconds in front of the black dragon, making them fully realize the horror of the black dragon.
Of course, this was also because the two of them weren’t willing to use their beloved Companion Beasts. They only released cannon fodder Companion Beasts.
However, the different kinds of attacks the Companion Beasts delivered made the black dragon use some of its abilities, allowing Zhou Wen and An Sheng to gain a better understanding of the black dragon.
"Its Speed is far faster than ours and it has more Strength. My Strength-type Epic Companion Beast was easily suppressed by it. Furthermore, it isn’t afraid of wind, fire, or lightning and has high resistance. It doesn’t spit fire, but it spits poison..." An Sheng listed down the outcome of his observations before looking at Zhou Wen and asked, "What’s your take? How long can you last? It’s better to underestimate than overestimate."
"Seven seconds." Zhou Wen carefully did the calculations mentally. He included all his various abilities and finally gave such a conservative number.
"Enough. Let’s draw up our plan first. I’ll hide near the apple tree. My limit should be within 500 meters. Then, you can use your Companion Beast to lure it away and think of a way to hold it back for seven seconds. Leave the rest to me," An Sheng explained, as he drew a picture on the ground to show the entire plan clearly.
"Remember, we only have one chance. If we fail, we will die," An Sheng said to Zhou Wen when he was prepared to leave the cave.
"Got it." Zhou Wen nodded solemnly.
The two of them left the cave. Following the plan, An Sheng stealthily approached the apple tree. His ability to converge his aura and his concealment were amazing. Zhou Wen watched as An Sheng proceeded and couldn’t distinguish the difference between him and the grass.
The closer An Sheng came to the black dragon, the slower he became. He was almost acting in slow motion.
A few hours later, An Sheng was almost 400 meters away from the apple tree when the black dragon’s ears suddenly twitched.
Zhou Wen and An Sheng’s hearts were in their throats as An Sheng lay there motionless. Zhou Wen’s heart pounded as he forgot to even breathe.
After quite some time, the black dragon’s ears drooped again. Only then did Zhou Wen feel a little better.
However, An Sheng was extremely bold. He continued moving forward another twenty to thirty meters, making Zhou Wen’s heart skip a beat.
Zhou Wen knew the danger that An Sheng faced grew with every centimeter he approached the black dragon. He had originally planned on stopping 500 meters from the apple tree, but now, he was already within 400 meters. This was An Sheng taking on risk to lower the danger Zhou Wen would face.
The closer he was to the apple tree, the faster he could reach the golden apple, making the black dragon turn around to chase after him. This would reduce Zhou Wen’s risk.
Finally, An Sheng made the designated gesture. Zhou Wen heaved a sigh of relief and knew that it was time for him to appear.
After he retreated to the edge of the island, Zhou Wen summoned his Companion Beast and prepared himself. Finally, he roared, "Big Lizard, I’m here. Come over and eat me."
The black dragon, who had been resting under the golden apple tree, immediately pricked up its ears when it heard Zhou Wen’s shout. It stood up and, after confirming his location, it flapped its wings and instantly tore through the sky, rushing towards Zhou Wen.
Black lightning streaked across the sky, instantly occupying Zhou Wen’s vision.
Zhou Wen summoned a row of Golden Warriors to form a blockade in front of the black dragon. These were originally food meant for Tyrant Behemoth, but with Tyrant Behemoth directly eating the Essence Crystals, they were useless now.
The black figure charged over like a bolt of lightning as the Golden Warriors were sent flying everywhere. Zhou Wen held Bamboo Blade and Overlord Sword in each hand as he slashed out with both saber and sword. The Demonic Astral Wheel and Fangwheel Sword Flash crisscrossed and slashed at the black dragon’s head.
A black beam shot out of the black dragon’s eyes, blasting apart the Demonic Astral Wheel and Fangwheel Sword Flash. However, it didn’t stop charging at Zhou Wen.
Zhou Wen activated Ghost Steps and instantly moved more than ten meters away. At the same time, he counted inwardly. One second...
On the other side, An Sheng had already charged at the golden apple tree like a ghost. His speed was equally terrifying.
The black dragon was much faster than Zhou Wen’s Ghost Steps. It extended its wings and its huge body nimbly drew an L-shaped mark in the air before catching up to him. It spat out a large amount of black poison smoke that swept towards Zhou Wen like a flood.