Severe Injuries and an Arrival

As the roar rang out, Dragon Owl's gaze turned stern. It knew the real battle had begun.

From high above, countless enormous Rot-Tooth Beasts filled the area. The towering trees around them had been snapped in half, and pits strewn with flesh and blood scarred the ground, bearing witness to the battle's brutality.

As the high-pitched roar rang out, the Rot-Tooth Beasts' eyes turned bloodred, like pairs of enormous red lanterns. A resolute aura emanated from their bodies; at that moment, they seemed like a host of death-sworn warriors.

The clamor that had filled the area fell silent. In this place, which should have been alive with roars, there wasn't a sound to be heard.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!" Heavy footsteps rang out, and the ground trembled beneath them.

Looking in the direction of the sound, a group of more than a hundred giant Rot-Tooth Beasts emerged from behind. Every one of them was more powerful than the fifty or so Domain Lord-level beasts from before.

They gathered around the Rot-Tooth Beast Leader. Aside from their footsteps, not a sound came from them. Their eyes were all fixed on the Rot-Tooth Beast King as they waited for its command.

The Rot-Tooth Beast Leader did not disappoint them. First, it sent a pressure-filled gaze toward the Black Armor Leopards, then straightened its body.

Without making a sound, the Rot-Tooth Beasts seemed to have become one. As excellent predators, they naturally wouldn't give Dragon Owl time to catch its breath.

At the very front of the battlefield, the blood-red-eyed Rot-Tooth Beasts formed one circle of encirclement after another in an orderly fashion.

At the innermost ring, Rot-Tooth Beasts transformed into streaks of light and shot toward Dragon Owl. As they neared it, they suddenly exploded, sending waves of blood and energy surging at it.

They were launching suicide attacks. These attacks couldn't really hurt Dragon Owl, but their lingering force still pinned it firmly in place.

Explosions rang out one after another. As they grew more and more frequent, Dragon Owl began to struggle.

After all, even the weakest impacts could cause serious trouble when piled on top of one another.

At some point, the explosions abruptly stopped. Where Dragon Owl had stood, there was now a crater three kilometers wide, its depth impossible to tell.

The scales on Dragon Owl's body had lost some of their luster, and its wounds still hadn't healed. It was an unbelievable sight. This meant it had no energy to spare for healing itself.

The result of the battle came at the cost of more than two thousand Rot-Tooth Beasts. Like flowers that bloomed for just a moment, they had blossomed and withered in the blink of an eye.

But their sacrifice had not been in vain. The attack being prepared by more than a hundred Domain Lord-level Rot-Tooth Beasts was almost ready.

The Domain Lord-level Rot-Tooth Beasts, which had originally been tens of thousands of miles away, had now reached Dragon Owl. They circled in the air, channeling energy along a mysterious trajectory and gathering it onto the Rot-Tooth Beast Leader. Together, they had formed a silver-white energy moon blade more than a thousand meters wide.

The immense power radiating from it pressed the surrounding ground down by several feet.

But the Rot-Tooth Beasts that had been buying time were nearly spent, and it seemed this attack wouldn't be ready in time. Dragon Owl was about to break free.

"Roar!" Just then, four thunderous beast roars rang out. They came from the Black Armor Leopards, who had been watching from the sidelines.

At this crucial moment, they finally bared their fangs. The four Black Armor Leopards sprang forward together, all landing on Dragon Owl at once.

Their gaping jaws clamped down hard on Dragon Owl's powerful legs. Seeing that it couldn't dodge in time, Dragon Owl could only activate its Law of Gold, covering the scales on its legs in a golden glow.

But that wasn't enough to stop the Black Armor Leopards' attack. With a "Pfft!" their fangs sank into Dragon Owl's flesh.

Although this wasn't enough to threaten Dragon Owl's life, it undoubtedly slowed it down even further.

At last, an attack powerful enough to seriously wound it reached Dragon Owl.

Looking at the silver moon blade, beautiful in its own way, Dragon Owl's pupils contracted. It sensed a fierce threat coming from it.

Dragon Owl desperately drew on its strength to defend against the sudden attack.

"Boom!" A tremendous collision rang out, sending Dragon Owl flying more than a thousand miles. The silver moon blade sliced through its scales, carving a huge wound into its body. A gash ran from its head to its thigh, as if it were about to split it in two.

A great deal of blood splashed across the ground. Dragon Owl crashed heavily to the earth, kicking up clouds of dust.

The four Black Armor Leopards had retreated well before the silver moon blade arrived, but its shockwave still injured them badly.

The faintly visible wounds on their bodies made that clear. Yet they didn't stop for a moment. Like four speeding arrows, they shot toward Dragon Owl, intent on kicking it while it was down.

Just then, a figure appeared out of thin air. With his back to Dragon Owl, he brushed a finger across his World Ring and pulled out a white spear.

He flicked the spear, and four enormous spear auras streaked through the air, knocking back the approaching Black Armor Leopards. It was Huang Wuye.

"You were so engrossed in watching that you forgot to stop them? I can't let you have your way! I'll take over from here. After all, you're my targets!"

Huang Wuye had murmured those words because he'd been thoroughly enjoying the battle. He greatly admired Dragon Owl. When he saw that things were going badly, he used Instant Roar to teleport over and save Dragon Owl from danger.

The Black Armor Leopards were knocked back beside the Rot-Tooth Beast ranks. As they glared at the suddenly appeared little bug and roared, preparing to charge forward, a strange floral fragrance wafted over, drawing all their attention.

The ground bulged slightly. A flower bud suddenly appeared on the once-barren earth.

The flower's fragrance must have been coming from it.

Huang Wuye had naturally noticed the strange fragrance, too. A golden figure appeared in front of him. It was Dasheng.

"Boss, this flower is a remarkable plant from Giant Wood Planet. It bears a fruit called the Life Fruit.

"The Life Fruit can promote the evolution of living beings and increase their intelligence. It seems this is what sparked the battle."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Huang Wuye nodded. That made sense. The three sides must have learned about this, which was why they had fought.

While Huang Wuye and Dasheng were talking, the flower bud slowly opened, revealing a strange fruit within.

With the flower bud's appearance, the situation on the field quietly shifted. The Rot-Tooth Beasts and Black Armor Leopards now seemed to be facing off against each other.

Huang Wuye suspected that if he and Dragon Owl hadn't been there, the two sides might have fought first.

Huang Wuye didn't rush into battle. He wanted to see what the Life Fruit looked like.

And so, the entire scene fell into an eerie calm. But this was only the last moment of peace before the storm.