Make a Move! Make a Move!

In the very center of the valley stood a massive ancient tree.

That tree towered over all the surrounding vegetation, its canopy spreading like a giant parasol, its trunk so thick it would take five or six men to encircle it.

The bark was a deep azure, covered in the fissures of time.

Within the canopy, a faint azure light pulsed—the result of wood-attribute energy, concentrated to the extreme, circulating through the tree's body.

Beneath the ancient tree lay a relatively open clearing.

On this clearing were several distinct depressions.

These were the marks left behind by large spirit beasts resting.

The grass around the indentations was crushed and flattened, some of it withered away to reveal the soil beneath.

Qing Mufeng carefully counted the depressions.

Three.

Just as his grandfather and father had judged, at least three Wind Wood Dragons were active in this valley.

He whispered what he saw to Liu Yunlan beside him, and the old woman's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing it.

"Three," Liu Yunlan murmured. "If they appear at the same time, we'll have trouble."

Qing Mufeng continued his observation.

Beyond those three depressions, he discovered other traces in the valley.

Claw marks on the tree trunks, scrapes from scales on the ground, and scattered bone fragments.

These were all evidence of the Wind Wood Dragons' activities.

The most intense scent in the air emanated from that ancient tree.

It was several times stronger than at the valley entrance, carrying a fragrance similar to sandalwood mixed with the pungent musk of a beast.

This was a territorial marker.

The Wind Wood Dragons used their scent to mark their domain, warning other spirit beasts to stay away.

"There are definitely Wind Wood Dragons here."

Qing Mufeng withdrew his gaze and whispered to his grandfather, "At least three. I can't tell their age, but the scent is very strong; they should all be at the ten-thousand-year level."

Qing Zhengyue nodded, his gaze fixed on the ancient tree deep in the valley.

"Then we wait," the old man said. "We'll wait for the rabbit to emerge from its burrow."

Time ticked away, second by second.

The five of them lurked in the woods at the valley entrance, motionless as five boulders.

Qing Mufeng lay behind a rock, his Azure Dragon Pupil kept active, watching for any movement deep in the valley.

The golden light within his pupils flickered slightly; his breathing was shallow, almost silent.

He knew that hunting required patience.

A true hunter is not the strongest, but the one who can wait the longest.

As night approached, the Wind Wood Dragons finally appeared.

Above the valley, the last rays of the setting sun were fading, the sky shifting from orange-red to a deep, dark purple.

The azure mist in the valley grew thicker than it had been during the day, shrouding the entire basin like a thin veil.

Qing Mufeng's Azure Dragon Pupil remained active, the golden light in his eyes particularly striking in the twilight.

He had been lying behind that rock for an entire afternoon, his body unmoving, only his eyes tracking every subtle change in the valley.

Finally, at the moment dusk descended, a heavy thudding of footsteps echoed from deep within the valley.

The sound was steady and unhurried, each step carrying an innate sense of composure and arrogance.

It was the gait of a creature standing at the top of the food chain.

Qing Mufeng's eyes widened slightly.

From the shadows behind the ancient tree deep in the valley, a colossal beast slowly emerged.

Its frame was a full three times larger than the 5,900-year-old Wind Wood Dragon they had hunted previously.

It was over twelve meters long, nearly three meters tall at the shoulder, with four legs as thick as stone pillars and claws like curved blades; every step it took left deep gouges in the earth.

Its entire body was covered in deep azure scales, the edges shimmering with a dark golden luster—the mark of accumulated age.

Only Wind Wood Dragons over ten thousand years old possessed such dark golden scales.

Its neck was thick and long, its head broader than the previous one, and the two short nubs on its forehead had grown into half-foot-long dragon horns, the tips glinting with a cold, azure light.

Spines ran from the back of its neck down to the tip of its tail, each one as long as an adult's arm and as sharp as a needle.

Golden slit pupils ignited in the twilight like two eerie lanterns, scanning the valley.

That gaze was enough to make one's blood run cold.

Qing Mufeng took a deep breath, suppressing the palpitations in his heart.

Thirty thousand years.

It was definitely just over thirty thousand years.

He slowly turned his head to look at his grandfather on his left.

Qing Zhengyue was also observing the Wind Wood Dragon. The old man's gaze was sharp as a blade, his lips moving slightly as he silently mouthed a few words.

Qing Mufeng clearly read the lip shape.

That's the one.

Qing Zhengyue slowly raised his right hand and made a series of gestures.

These were the tactical signals agreed upon within the Qing Clan.

This afternoon, the five of them had spent a full hour discussing and rehearsing this tactic; every person's position and every moment of coordination had been deduced repeatedly.

Qing Hongyuan nodded, gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Liu Yunlan took three small porcelain bottles from her cloth bag and placed them in front of her in order, the stoppers already removed and ready for use.

Shen Wanqing closed her eyes, the phantom of her Jade Orchid martial soul appearing above her head. Four soul rings rotated slowly, ready to release her support soul skills at any moment.

Qing Mufeng took a deep breath, and the soul power within his body began to circulate at high speed.

Azure Dragon Armor!

Cyan light surged from within his body, condensing into that translucent armor upon his skin.

A wooden-textured breastplate, limbs covered in snake scales, shoulder guards shaped like snake heads, and a semi-covered helmet.

The armor shimmered with a faint cyan glow in the twilight.

Azure Dragon Pupil!

His pupils transformed into golden slits, and everything in his field of vision became incredibly clear.

Every muscle, every meridian, and every breath of the Wind Wood Dragon was under his keen observation.

Three soul rings—one yellow and two purple—rose from beneath his feet, slowly rotating around his body.

Third Divine Ability: Azure Dragon Wind Control!

His body became light, the power of the wind buoying him up. His feet left the ground, and he rose silently into the high air.

His mission was high-altitude suppression.

Using the dragon might of the Azure Dragon, he would suppress this thirty-thousand-year-old Wind Wood Dragon, ensuring it had no chance to fly away.

"Move!"

Qing Zhengyue's voice exploded in the twilight.

Five figures moved simultaneously.

Qing Hongyuan charged out from the left, his four soul rings—two yellow and two purple—lighting up.

He unleashed his fourth soul skill, Azure Snake Strangling. A thick, cyan snake shadow flew out from him, opening its blood-red maw and lunging straight for the Wind Wood Dragon's neck.

This was his strongest control soul skill.

Once the snake shadow bit its target, it would release a massive amount of wood-attribute soul power in a short time, coiling, tightening, and strangling to render the target immobile.

Shen Wanqing charged out from the right, her four soul rings lighting up as three emerald-green orchid phantoms bloomed above her head.

Three beams of light shot out simultaneously.

One landed on Qing Hongyuan, one on Qing Zhengyue, and one on Qing Mufeng high in the air.

Jade Blessing—Attack power increased, defense increased, soul power recovery speed increased.

Jade Protection—Formed a pale green light shield on his teammates, capable of blocking one fatal attack.

Jade Rejuvenation—Continuously healed the teammates' injuries.

Three support soul skills, released all at once.