Rock Crystal Dragon

Early morning.

Lu Ran went downstairs, intending to take a stroll around Sea God Island, only to run into Yan Shaozhe and the other two.

Seeing him approach, Yan Shaozhe smiled and said, "We can set off now."

Then let us depart.

The four of them set out, heading toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

Along the way, Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er kept bickering, unable to see eye to eye, though they always stopped short of crossing the line. After all, they had to ensure Lu Ran wouldn't misunderstand; if he thought Shrek Academy was deeply divided and plagued by internal strife, it would be a disaster. The Elder Hall would tear them both to shreds.

Mu En also knew the two had a sense of propriety, which was why he let them handle it as they saw fit.

To Lu Ran, they just looked like two people bickering, which actually seemed quite harmonious.

The Star Dou Great Forest was fraught with danger.

But with two Super Douluo accompanying him, Lu Ran had nothing to worry about. The journey was smooth and unobstructed; Yan Shaozhe even deliberately slowed their pace, considering Lu Ran might not be accustomed to the travel.

This was Lu Ran's first time looking down at the Star Dou Great Forest. The entire sea of trees surged like deep green waves, and beneath the boundless vegetation, the roars and howls of soul beasts erupted from time to time, startling flocks of birds into the sky.

The magnificent sight left him deeply shaken.

Yan Shaozhe explained, "Although the Star Dou Great Forest has a rich variety of soul beasts, those with potential are rare, and suitable earth-attribute soul beasts are even scarcer. However, the academy has detailed records on many of them. In the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest where we are headed, there is an earth-attribute soul beast with powerful innate talent called the Rock Crystal Dragon."

"Rock... Crystal Dragon?"

"Yes, the Rock Crystal Dragon. This type of soul beast has an extremely long lifespan and loves to consume minerals to supplement and strengthen its body. Legend has it that it possesses a trace of the Earth Dragon King's bloodline power, and its talent far exceeds that of other soul beasts of the same rank."

Lu Ran nodded, saying "Oh" in his heart.

As everyone knows, legends are always true. If the legend says it has it, then it really has it. No mistake there.

The Star Dou Great Forest was incredibly vast, covering an area nearly one-third the size of the Star Luo Empire. In any case, the group was in no hurry; they treated the slow pace as sightseeing.

They didn't arrive until the next day.

The mixed zone was extremely dangerous. What looked like ordinary fallen leaves could pierce you the moment you stepped on them, and toxic reptiles could be hiding in the moss. Yan Shaozhe didn't dare let Lu Ran walk on the ground; he was carried the whole way by Xian Lin'er using a flying Soul Tool.

It was a novel experience.

As a Super Douluo, finding a soul beast was naturally easy. After searching for only two hours, Yan Shaozhe triumphantly pointed toward a steep cliff:

"Over there."

While moving, a roar suddenly rang in Lu Ran's ears.

As they drew closer, they discovered a massive cavern in the steep cliff, dark and deep, with no end in sight. On the open ground in front of the cavern, Two soul beasts were fighting—

A deep brown rhinoceros covered in thick armor with a split horn, and... a sub-dragon soul beast. It was in a form between a young dragon and a giant lizard, smaller in size, its amber-like scales radiating a gemstone texture. Blood dripped from its hind legs along its scales; it was clearly injured.

Xian Lin'er explained, "That sub-dragon soul beast is a two-hundred-year-old Rock Crystal Dragon with powerful talent. The Split-Horn Earth Rhino is five hundred years old and also a quite formidable soul beast. It is fierce and incredibly powerful, with strength far exceeding other soul beasts of the same age; otherwise, it couldn't survive in the mixed zone."

As she spoke, The Split-Horn Earth Rhino let out a dull roar. A brownish-yellow phantom lit up on its giant horn, and it stomped the ground fiercely, kicking up gravel and dust as it charged toward the Rock Crystal Dragon. The earth seemed to tremble.

It was shockingly fast.

But the Rock Crystal Dragon reacted even faster, dodging by using the craggy rocks near the cavern. However, the impact of the Split-Horn Earth Rhino was simply too strong. The shockwave grazed its right foreleg, The amber scales shattered and fell, losing their gemstone luster upon hitting the ground, and even the scales on its body dimmed slightly.

So, this was the effect of a soul skill.

Seeing that the first strike missed, the Split-Horn Earth Rhino immediately turned back, its massive hooves gouging deep pits into the ground. The Rock Crystal Dragon, having nowhere to hide, was slammed hard in the chest. It flew out over ten meters like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground.

Only then did Lu Ran notice that the Split-Horn Earth Rhino wasn't unscathed; there was a clear wound on its flank. It turned out the Rock Crystal Dragon wasn't being completely crushed.

The Rock Crystal Dragon struggled to stand up. It had been forced to the edge of the cavern, with a bottomless cliff behind it. The echoes of falling rocks lingered, clearly indicating a massive drop.

It stared fiercely at the Split-Horn Earth Rhino, blood dripping from its mouth, and retreated step by step to the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, several thick stone pillars extended from the cliff wall.

After slowly maneuvering downward, it quickly disappeared into the cliff face.

The Split-Horn Earth Rhino watched the Rock Crystal Dragon vanish, impatiently pawing at the ground and making a dull, drum-like sound. Its massive body trembled, and heavy breaths sprayed from its nostrils, but it dared not approach. Its heavy body made it clumsy; the cliff was extremely dangerous for it. One wrong step meant death.

After pacing back and forth impatiently, It moved forward slowly, its eyes full of vigilance. After testing the edge of the cliff and peering over, it let out an angry howl that echoed through the bottomless cavern.

Filled with unwillingness, it turned and left, its nostrils flaring with heavy breaths.

Just as Lu Ran was about to turn and ask a question, The Rock Crystal Dragon suddenly jumped out from below the cliff and sprinted with all its might.

The Split-Horn Earth Rhino sensed movement behind it and spun around abruptly. Its giant horn lit up with a phantom once more, attempting to launch a fatal blow.

But the Rock Crystal Dragon had been prepared. Its speed suddenly increased, and yellow light erupted from its claws and teeth. It feigned a jumping pounce to trick the Split-Horn Earth Rhino into raising its horn for defense, then lowered its posture and charged like a yellow bolt of lightning, biting down hard on the rhino's injured flank.

The Split-Horn Earth Rhino was in unbearable pain. It tried to counterattack, but the ground beneath its feet suddenly shook. Several rock spikes burst from the soil, throwing it off balance. The Rock Crystal Dragon seized the opportunity to exert force, tearing off a large chunk of armor.

The Split-Horn Earth Rhino was completely enraged. It roared and slammed into the Rock Crystal Dragon, sending it flying over ten meters. It crashed heavily into a pile of stones, scales shattering and its aura fading significantly. The gemstone luster in its scales vanished completely, leaving only blood-stained amber and the rocks beneath it soaked in blood.

The Split-Horn Earth Rhino charged in a fury; it wanted to crush the Rock Crystal Dragon and tear it to shreds!

Yet its body was already at the end of its tether; blood flowed incessantly from the wound on its abdomen. After sprinting only a few steps, its speed slowed, and its massive frame crashed to the ground. No matter how it gasped or struggled, it could not rise, and a large pool of blood seeped out from beneath it.

A moment later, everything returned to silence.

The Rock Crystal Dragon lay amidst the stone piles, drawing its final breaths. Suddenly, several figures appeared within its field of vision, walking toward it from the shadows. Unable to stand, it could only emit a hiss that had grown weak to the point of vanishing.

"Do you want to stand up?"

The youth spoke.

It hissed in response.

"Do you want to stand up?"

The youth asked again.

"Are you willing to die just like this?"

It struggled in fury—how could it be willing! If it hadn't been ambushed, how could it have been injured?

It did not want to die; it wanted revenge!

This was its territory! It was the king! The king of the Cavern!

The Rock Crystal Dragon's glowing yellow pupils stared fixedly at Lu Ran. With an angry roar, it used every ounce of strength to tremble and rise; it had to survive, it had to eliminate all the humans before it!

With a thud, it collapsed completely, having no strength left.

Before losing consciousness, the Rock Crystal Dragon saw the youth's hand reach toward its forehead, feeling incomparably warm and radiating light.