Surprised Hunter and Veteran Female Fire Dragon!

Scholars also believe that this Dragon Slayer might be capable of communication, not only because it hadn't attacked the Hunters pushing carts on several occasions, but also because it had used its own shell to fashion a rudimentary set of equipment for its Kulu-Ya-Ku companion.

It could serve as identification and offer the Kulu-Ya-Ku a degree of protection—but more significant was the act of tool creation itself.

This was a difference in consciousness, distinct from other dragons.

These scholars had studied many types of dragons on the Old World in the past, but when living in the wild, those dragons relied primarily on their own bodies, teeth, claws, or special energies.

No monster had ever consciously created tools to protect itself.

But this Dragon Slayer did.

News like this, if it were to reach the Old World, would likely elicit astonishment and curiosity from many scholars.

Yes, the Dragon Slayer was indeed the most intelligent of the Ape Dragon Species, but this particular Dragon Slayer exhibited a wisdom that transcended its kind, so how could it not amaze these scholars?

Therefore, since this special Dragon Slayer did not display the extreme aggression of its brethren, and even ignored the Hunters' activities in the Great Sand Sea, they would observe it for now. A final decision would have to wait until the Leader returned.

As an elite core of the First Expeditionary Force, to fulfill the mission given at departure—to unravel the secrets of Elder's Crossing—the Leader had decided, upon landing, to leave some people to establish a base while he took some elites to track the Lava Dragon.

And he hadn't returned since.

However, Xingyan couldn't feel the Hunters' concern for their Leader; he unconditionally believed that the Gold Rathian subspecies and others would safely survive for over forty years.

He was busy.

Busy eating, busy accumulating energy to evolve.

Honestly, Xingyan was increasingly feeling like some kind of Deviljho, busy from morning till night finding nutritious things to eat—the only difference being that he didn't shove any meat he found into his mouth like a Deviljho.

Even so, Xingyan was placing a heavy burden on the ecosystem of his living area, a fact he himself could perceive.

The most obvious evidence was that Xingyan's hunting grounds were constantly expanding. Unlike ordinary Dragon Slayers, the driving force behind his hunting and eating wasn't combat desire or satiety, but Life Energy.

Yes, Carapace Dragons were indeed numerous, and eating only Carapace Dragons was enough to fill Xingyan's stomach, but the Life Energy contained within Carapace Dragons was meager!

Simply filling his stomach wasn't Xingyan's goal; he needed more nutritious food with more accumulated Life Energy—in short, those large dragons higher up the food chain.

These large dragons lived long lives, constantly preying on the lower levels of the ecosystem while alive, accumulating Life Energy within their bodies.

Even without the evolutionary information displayed by these large dragons, simply accumulating Life Energy was excellent.

Xingyan's evolution required vast amounts of Life Energy. As long as he wished to continue progressing, it meant he would inevitably become an ecological killer like the Deviljho—or rather, a high-level dragon killer.

Hmm, thinking about it that way, he was a bit more like a Nergigante.

However, Xingyan didn't want to become a public enemy of the ecosystem like the Deviljho, whom even passing herbivores would nip at when they saw its cubs. Therefore, his hunting process was somewhat planned.

He began venturing into the desert areas.

The terrain of the Great Sand Sea could generally be divided into four types. The first type consisted of towering stone pillars or cliffs that seemed to be forcefully pushed out of the earth's veins like skyscrapers; many flying dragons and birds chose to make their homes there.

The second type was the desert, occupying at least two-thirds of the area. Horned Dragons were the overlords here, along with various other dragons large and small.

The third type was the Gobi wasteland, not yet fully desert, with flatlands and canyons, and some drought-resistant plants growing. Xingyan's nest was located here.

As for the fourth type, it was the areas bordering the sea and the lower parts of the Ancient Forest, such as the Flower Field Marshland Area, where life was more diverse.

Otherwise, why would they say flying dragons were noble? Some of them could even fly over those steep cliffs, hunting in the resource-rich Ancient Forest during the day and returning to the Great Sand Sea to rest at night.

This was a direct jab at you! The Fire Dragon family!

Other miscellaneous flying dragons, like the Seregios or Zinogre, were even less of a concern; these guys went wherever they pleased, ate, and left.

The cliffs that could trap non-flying dragons like Hunters and Xingyan were not obstacles for them at all.

"Despicable! Disgusting! If you have the guts, go hunt in the Ancient Forest and don't come back!"

—The above statement came from a certain dragon filled with envy and hatred.

While grumbling and snorting like this, Xingyan cautiously searched for his prey in the desert. This vast desert was not only inhabited by Horned Dragons, which, despite being herbivores, possessed exceptionally volatile temperaments.

If one wasn't careful, what might suddenly emerge from the sand to ram your backside could be not only the large horn of a Horned Dragon but also the gaping maw of a Royal Ludroth.

That guy was a carnivore.

His luck wasn't great today; Xingyan wandered for most of the day without finding a suitable prey. He did see a Brute Dragon from afar, inexplicably smashing its head against a giant anthill, but he had no intention of hunting it.

It was impossible; fighting that thing was too much of a loss.

Strong combat power, aggressive desire, and an intense killing intent. What if he got killed?

Even if he wasn't killed, what if he was severely injured after the fight and got picked off by some other dragon?

It was possible that the Life Energy lost after a desperate battle might not be compensated by what he ate. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Xingyan wisely chose to retreat to the Gobi wasteland.

With the arrival of the rainy season, the danger level of the Great Sand Sea had clearly increased. Even monsters like the Brute Dragon had appeared, likely chasing some prey all the way here.

The Brute Dragon's combat desire was far more intense than that of a Dragon Slayer. A single large prey could sustain a Brute Dragon for days without eating, but these creatures would continue their pursuit until they had killed all the prey they could catch, even after they were full—they killed for the sake of killing.

Because of this, Brute Dragons needed to migrate frequently to find new hunting grounds... This bloodlust was something even Dragon Slayers couldn't match; at least, Dragon Slayers wouldn't attack everything in their territory.

Well, not even special breeds like Xingyan, with his intense eating desire, would do such a thing.

"The dragons living in the Great Sand Sea are in for a treat."

The arrival of a Brute Dragon was like a catfish entering a fishpond, Xingyan couldn't help but sigh.

He decided not to go to the desert area for the time being. He wouldn't engage in a losing business. He would wait until the Brute Dragon and the established overlord of the desert area, the Horned Dragon, had settled their differences before going.

As always, the Great Sand Sea is fraught with danger.

"Roar?" (Huh?)

Xingyan, who had just passed through the canyon, suddenly stopped. He widened his eyes and stared at the figure running outside the canyon—yellow scales, bright head feathers, and most importantly, the simple, dark red vest it wore. Who else could it be but his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother?

And behind the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother, or rather, in the sky, a Female Fire Dragon was furiously spitting out a giant fireball.

BOOM!!!

The exploding fireball brought scorching heat, shattering the stones behind the running Kulu-Ya-Ku brother.

"Chirp!!"

Clearly startled, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother looked incredibly flustered, hopping left and right to dodge the Female Fire Dragon's breath and the claws it swung during its continuous dives.

"Rooar rooar rooar!! (This way! You idiot!)"

Xingyan became a little anxious. He ran towards the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother while roaring.

"Chirp chirp! Chirp chir chir chir chir!!!"

Hearing the familiar voice, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's bird tears almost streamed out. It instantly changed direction and began to charge towards Xingyan, still chirping loudly.

There was no need to ask why the Female Fire Dragon suddenly targeted the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother. Xingyan immediately saw the large egg the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother was holding protectively to its chest.

Uh, Carapace Dragon eggs and Female Fire Dragon eggs are the most commonly stolen eggs by Kulu-Ya-Ku, often appearing on their menu.

But generally, these activities are only carried out when the Fire Dragon couple is away from the nest. If caught by the Fire Dragon couple on the spot, the Kulu-Ya-Ku would abandon the egg and flee for its life—therefore, it's extremely rare for a Kulu-Ya-Ku brother like this to hold onto an egg and flee without giving it up.

Who gave it the courage, Liang Jingru?

A slight thought, and Xingyan came up with the answer to this question.

It was him.

It was the Dragon Slayer.

Then it's fine.

Xingyan's body moved with incredible lightness. In just a few seconds, he reached the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother.

With a bird-step slide, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother slid past Xingyan's leg to the rear. This was a combination move they had performed countless times with thrilling excitement. After confirming with his peripheral vision that the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother was out of range of his Sword Tail, Xingyan twisted his hips and swung the now incredibly heavy Sword Tail—towards the Female Fire Dragon!!

SLASH!!!

Engulfed in the rage of having its egg stolen, the Female Fire Dragon did not expect a Dragon Slayer to suddenly appear from such a place. Its body was still in a forward gliding and pursuing posture.

Seeing that the Female Fire Dragon was about to charge directly into his Sword Tail, Xingyan's breathing became rougher with excitement.

BOOM!!

A sudden fireball explosion. In that critical moment, the Female Fire Dragon unexpectedly spat a fireball towards the rocky wall of the canyon to its right!

Using the wind and thrust generated by the explosion, the Female Fire Dragon actually propelled itself into the air, dodging Xingyan's powerful slash.

This instantaneous decision-making and execution ability had become part of its instinct. This Female Fire Dragon was no ordinary creature.

"Eeek!!!"

Blocked and narrowly escaping death from the sudden attack, the Female Fire Dragon landed on a nearby cliff face. It roared in anger, allowing Xingyan to get a clearer look at its appearance.

Indeed, it was unusual.

Because the scales on the edges of this Female Fire Dragon's wings and at the position of its forelimbs were faintly emitting a golden glow under the sunlight—this was actually a Female Fire Dragon in the process of transforming into a Gold Fire Dragon.

There weren't many signs, but the indications were there.

Only one in hundreds of Female Fire Dragons would be a rare golden individual. This was due to absorbing a large amount of metallic elements from its diet, forming alloy scales. While possessing a beautiful appearance, its combat power was also exceptionally strong.

Not only was its intelligence higher than ordinary Female Fire Dragons, but its attack frequency was also faster, with improvements to both its flames and venom.

Interesting.

Xingyan stared excitedly at the Female Fire Dragon. He had completely forgotten how he had just complained about the Brute Dragon. Now, he was even more eager than a Brute Dragon—he wanted to hunt this Female Fire Dragon!

A Female Fire Dragon that had shown signs of further evolutionary potential meant that it contained richer Life Energy within its body, and it would provide Xingyan with more evolutionary information.

That is, wing information!!

Fire Dragon family wings!!!

Your wings are quite nice, let me use them!

My Kulu-Ya-Ku brother is truly my lucky star, bringing me such a precious prey.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, the coldness of a Dragon Slayer enveloped Xingyan's consciousness. He was ready to hunt.

This was indeed an unparalleled feast, but unparalleled also meant difficult hunting.

As an information-gathering Dragon Slayer, the moment Xingyan recognized the Female Fire Dragon, he had been constantly observing its appearance, summarizing information that could be used in the upcoming battle.

A Female Fire Dragon showing signs of evolving into a Gold Fire Dragon meant that it had lived long enough—this wasn't a trivial statement. Surviving long enough in the harsh natural world and having the opportunity for upward evolution meant that this Female Fire Dragon had experienced countless brutal battles.

No wonder it could instinctively react correctly when suddenly attacked just now. This is simply a veteran Female Fire Dragon!!

I just don't know what star level it is.

The so-called veteran referred to monsters strengthened through numerous battles, elite monsters that had survived the harsh long-term survival competition of nature. Whether it was the thickness and defense of their scales, their attack power, or their special abilities, they were all far more powerful than the ordinary monsters they originated from.

It was like the difference between ordinary monsters and elite monsters in a typical game. Even though the external models were the same, the stats were higher, and they were harder to defeat.