The Rainy Season Arrives and the Calamity Steel Dragon

There was nothing new in the Great Sand Sea, just sleeping and eating every day.

The confusion he felt after seeing the Great Leader and Yano that day was completely forgotten after he woke up, as those were things that would happen a long time in the future and weren't worth worrying about now.

Xingyan just wanted to continue hunting those creatures rich in Life Energy, accumulating enough Life Energy to evolve a pair of wings first, completely shedding the limitations of being a ground-bound dragon.

Xingyan had come to understand that all his problems stemmed from his lack of strength. If he were as powerful as the Black Dragon, becoming one of the Forbidden Species, would he still be troubled by these things?

So, eating more meat was the priority.

The hunters were also gradually settling into the Great Sand Sea. Xingyan could see that their lives weren't easy; the hunters of the First Expedition were severely lacking in various supplies.

Furthermore, with only two accompanying technicians in the First Expedition, they were truly struggling with how to ensure various living necessities during the initial stage of establishing their base.

Water supply equipment, base construction, equipment forging and maintenance... all of it depended on those two people from the technical team, who were almost driven mad by it.

But being driven mad was useless, because if something wasn't there, it just wasn't there. Twisting their heads off wouldn't help.

During a Hunt, Xingyan also saw the ship the hunters were building from afar. But honestly, that small ship could only accommodate about a dozen people at most, and it seemed unlikely they could cross the sea back to the Old World... It could only be said that once the ship was finished, it would be more convenient for the hunters to explore the nearby Ancient Forest region.

Compared to the desolate Great Sand Sea, the Ancient Forest region indeed had richer varieties of collectible resources. At the very least, there would be no shortage of wood, which could somewhat alleviate the hunters' urgent needs.

During this time, the hunters and Xingyan maintained a state of peaceful coexistence. The hunters were busy making their research base more complete, and Xingyan was busy accumulating strength for himself.

He had already found the Female Fire Dragon whose tail he had severed. It was in a small forest in the northwestern part of the Great Sand Sea. Because the water flowing from the Ancient Forest region passed through here before heading to the Flower Field Marshland Area, this area was considered a rare place with clear waters and beautiful scenery within the entire Great Sand Sea, supporting abundant trees and flowers.

Female Fire Dragons that were eliminated in the competition within the Ancient Forest's seed-breeding rooms would nest here, lay eggs, and incubate them. They would also prey on Carapace Dragons in the Flower Field Marshland Area and its vicinity.

The whereabouts of that Female Fire Dragon were even brought to Xingyan by the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers. While stealing eggs, they happened to discover a disabled Female Fire Dragon—of course, they couldn't forget the one that had knocked their offspring out for so long. Thus, they didn't even bother to hold onto the eggs and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers raced back to report to Xingyan.

But unfortunately, by the time Xingyan rushed over, the Female Fire Dragon had already finished its meal. Upon noticing Xingyan's approach, it immediately flapped its wings and took flight, showing no intention of fighting Xingyan again.

It had none of the pride of the "Queen of the Land." It flew away without even looking back, enraging Xingyan, who cursed it as a spineless dragon—useless. The veteran Female Fire Dragon had indeed heard Xingyan's roar, but it showed no intention of returning.

It wasn't surprising, after all, if this Female Fire Dragon truly possessed such an unyielding fighting spirit, it wouldn't have ended up in the Great Sand Sea... It would either have found a mate and nested in the canopy of the Ancient Forest, or died under the claws of other Female Fire Dragons.

Not intending to challenge a group of exiled Female Fire Dragons all at once, Xingyan could only dejectedly note the direction the Female Fire Dragon had fled. After simply eating a Carapace Dragon, he returned to his nest with the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers and the stolen egg.

The rainy season in the Great Sand Sea had arrived once more.

Unlike the adjacent Ancient Forest region, the Ley Line Energy beneath the Great Sand Sea was blocked and circulated poorly—it was precisely because of this that these two coastal and adjacent regions exhibited such drastically different geographical features.

The Ancient Forest region was lush with vegetation and abundant moisture, while the Great Sand Sea was arid and desolate, with deserts occupying the majority.

Because of this, the rainy season each year was exceptionally precious for the life residing in the Great Sand Sea. Even the usually withered, barren rocky ground would be dotted with patches of green during this period.

The plants living here would seize this time to absorb as much water as possible to meet their life needs for the entire coming year. They would also take advantage of this window to flower and bear fruit at the fastest pace, then scatter their seeds.

It wasn't just plants; the rainy season was also the breeding period for animals, not only dragons but also ordinary creatures like Spirit Deer and Wandering Rabbits... In short, it was a vibrant scene, with everyone working hard.

The rainy season was a festival for the entire Great Sand Sea, but this time, even though Xingyan had already experienced one rainy season since arriving in this world, he felt that this year's gift was perhaps a bit too... heavy.

Torrential rain.

Overwhelming, torrential rain.

The continuously falling raindrops were like an impenetrable veil, shrouding everything outside the cave in a blurry white mist. But it wasn't mist; it was a thick layer of rainwater—for a moment, Xingyan even felt as if the sea had flooded the land, filling the air with water.

But the air was still present; it was all just an illusion born from his daze.

The rain was incredibly heavy and had been falling continuously for three to four days. Just by getting up and looking outside, one could see that a small river had already formed at the entrance of the cave, and it was rapidly developing into a larger river.

The rainwater accumulating on the ground, carrying the sand and soil of the wasteland, directly formed a yellow river on the surface and in the cracks of the rocks—it was even getting closer to the cave entrance.

Xingyan was somewhat worried, because if this rain continued, this yellow river would eventually flow into the cave and flood his home into a large puddle.

Most importantly, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers had been hungry for a full three to four days. If Xingyan hadn't stopped them, they probably would have ventured out to forage in the torrential rain long ago.

Xingyan was also very hungry, but after starting to digest the Life Energy accumulated within him, he could actually endure for a while longer.

However, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers didn't have Xingyan's ability. To be precise, ordinary dragons below the Elder Dragon level generally couldn't effectively utilize the Life Energy within their bodies; they could only passively accept its influence.

This meant that starving could lead to death.

A normal Kulu-Ya-Ku needed to eat three to four eggs every day. The fact that the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers could endure for this long was by consuming their stored body fat.

"Roar, roooar!" (How about this, you stay here nicely, and I'll go get some eggs for you.)

After much thought, Xingyan still wasn't at ease letting the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers go out—this rainy season was clearly unusual, and perhaps some Elder Dragon was behind it. What if the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers were washed away by the water or killed by other hungry monsters if they went out alone?

"Gwa!!"(Not afraid!)

Having spent so much time with the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, Xingyan could now somewhat understand what his bird-headed brother was saying.

"Roar!"(Not afraid of anything! Listen to me!)

He roared impatiently, and Xingyan raised a claw, pressing the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers to the ground. With such little strength, why were they acting so tough?

"Roar roar, roooar."(Stay home nicely, don't run around, I'll go get you food.)

After repeatedly admonishing the restless Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, Xingyan didn't wait for the sky to clear after the rain but stepped directly into the storm.

The large, dense raindrops, carried by the strong winds, fell onto Xingyan's carapace, and if one listened closely, they could hear a crackling sound.

The path they usually walked had now completely turned into a river. With Xingyan's weight, he didn't have to worry about being blown away, but this kind of torrential rain that completely obscured vision and muffled hearing made it difficult for him to feel comfortable.

Honestly, last year during the rainy season, Xingyan had been quite happy and enjoyed standing in the rain, listening to the sound of raindrops falling on his carapace.

When things are abnormal, there must be an Elder Dragon causing trouble—this was basically one of the fundamental laws of this world.

Okay, the second basic law is that the first Elder Dragon that appears is usually not the one causing real trouble; it's truly unfair for it to be chased and attacked by hunters.

[Gale], [Torrential Rain]—to be honest, the moment these two keywords appeared, Xingyan immediately thought of the guy who might have caused this year's flood season disaster.

Steel Dragon.

If you add in the restrictions of [Night], [Ancient Forest], [Five Purples], [One Cat], and [Two People, 20 Minutes], it becomes even more perfect—just thinking about it is a pleasure.

Xingyan first went to the familiar Flower Field Marshland Area. The Earth Sand Dragons that had occupied it were long gone, their shadows vanished. He figured they were probably hiding from the rain in some relatively dry cave.

After all, the Flower Field Marshland Area no longer resembled a marshland at all. Instead, it had become a vast lake. The pale purple flowers were already submerged, and only the dense spray kicked up by the torrential rain hitting the lake's surface could be seen.

Without rushing to the high ground near the Flower Field Marshland Area to find the Carapace Dragons, Xingyan headed towards the coast instead. He had already sensed something was wrong. In the distance, in the sky, the clouds were swirling.

The dark clouds that should have covered the entire sky were being torn apart at that moment as if by a pair of invisible giant hands. They cascaded down from the sky's cover like a waterfall, straight down, like a wall.

Then they swirled and collided with each other.

Yes, there were even two such giant hands, making the sky in that direction seem to merge with the ground. Azure lightning flashed intermittently within them. When thunder rumbled and the lightning illuminated the scene, a colossal figure could vaguely be seen flashing by.

The closer he got to the beach, the more he could feel the oppressive weight, as if the sky had been flipped upside down. It wasn't just a literal pressure; it was also the pressure brought by an Elder Dragon.

Standing on the rocks near the coast, Xingyan could clearly sense the Elder Dragon's aura hidden within the sea breeze and the rain falling from above.

It was different from the pressure he felt from the residue spewed by the Lava Dragon in the past. It was a completely different kind of pressure, yet undeniably from a creature on the same level.

Xingyan saw it.

Two Steel Dragons were battling in the sky above the sea.

One of them was more agile and nimble, with silvery-gray scales that seemed as deep as steel under the lightning's glow. The other was a mottled brown all over, its scales not reflecting light but rather seeming to absorb it, appearing dim.

Xingyan couldn't see more. The two Steel Dragons were fighting fiercely. The winds they controlled were wildly tearing at everything in the sky, engulfing them together within the dark clouds. Only when one occasionally gained the upper hand would they break free, allowing Xingyan to catch glimpses of them.

Case closed.

The culprits behind this year's flood season were Steel Dragons, and not just one, but two.

Undoubtedly members of the Elder Dragon species. Even though Steel Dragons were considered on the lower end among Elder Dragons, they were still not something ordinary dragons could contend with.

As their name suggests, Steel Dragons are covered head to toe in a metallic shell. Dragons whose diets include ores often possess similar traits, much like how Xingyan had a greatsword forged from ore.

But unlike Xingyan, the Steel Dragon had a pure metal exoskeleton. This metallic shell was its bones, its flesh, and its scales—a structure of layered metal.

As an information-gathering Dragon Slayer, Xingyan easily identified the condition of the mottled brown Steel Dragon. Without a doubt, it was a Steel Dragon undergoing a molt.

When a Steel Dragon's outer skin is exposed to wind, sun, and moisture for extended periods, or when its size increases with age, its original skin rusts and oxidizes like real metal objects. Therefore, it needs to molt.

But that's where things get strange. According to Xingyan's memory, a molting Steel Dragon would be called a Rusty Steel Dragon. Due to the immense pain of molting, such Steel Dragons exhibit far greater ferocity and aggression than usual, and their movements become more agile and active due to the pain.

Simply put, they're thrashing around in pain.

However, the Rusty Steel Dragon in the sky at this moment was not like that. Compared to its silvery-gray kin, it should have been the one that was more active and lively due to the pain of molting. But in reality, this Rusty Steel Dragon was at a disadvantage most of the time, being beaten down by the other Steel Dragon.

A strange occurrence.

What did it mean? Could the other Steel Dragon be some kind of Veteran Steel Dragon, or even a Veteran King Steel Dragon?

It didn't seem like it... After all, the silvery-gray Steel Dragon was slightly smaller than this Rusty Steel Dragon.