Luo Yun and Ya Ji did not rush straight up the Ancient Tree to search for a nesting site. Instead, they rested on its outskirts first to recover their strength.
Perhaps because fire dragons often appeared near the Ancient Tree, many of the local creatures expertly hid in the bushes as soon as they noticed the shadows overhead.
Small carnivorous dragons such as Jagras quietly lurked in the forest shadows, waiting to pick at the leftovers once the fire dragons had finished feeding. Hate Birds circled overhead, searching for the meal soon to come.
Over the years, Luo Yun's ability to sense Earth Vein Energy had grown stronger and stronger. The moment he landed, he was surrounded by the dense Life Energy in the air. If the timing had not been wrong, he truly would have wanted to test how efficiently he could actively absorb Earth Vein Energy in such an environment.
Through years of observing Ya Ji, he had also discovered that she could not actively absorb Earth Vein Energy. She absorbed it passively and unconsciously.
The New World itself was the ideal place for Elder Dragons to undergo the Ancient Dragon Crossing. After Elder Dragons died of old age, the immense Life Energy within their bodies was absorbed by the earth veins and then distributed throughout the New World.
As the years accumulated, the New World's Earth Vein Energy had become exceptionally dense. After living in such an environment for a long time, the monsters of the New World were generally somewhat stronger than those of the Old World.
Remaining in an environment influenced by Earth Vein Energy for long periods, they were unconsciously infused with it. Their constitutions were strengthened, and those with exceptional talent could even undergo changes. The denser the Earth Vein Energy, the faster and more profound those changes became.
Ya Ji belonged to the exceptionally gifted sort, while Luo Yun was a cheat-like player who could actively absorb Earth Vein Energy. Even so, his absorption efficiency was actually about the same as Ya Ji's.
For a long time, Luo Yun had thought Ya Ji was the one with the cheat. Her passive strengthening through Earth Vein Energy could actually match his active absorption. If his attempts to teach her active absorption had not failed, Ya Ji's growth rate would likely have been even faster.
As Luo Yun and Ya Ji drank water, a Kulu-Ya-Ku strolled out from nearby with an egg in its arms. The instant its gaze landed on Ya Ji, it let out a squawk and began flailing in fright. It did not even care when the egg in its hands shattered. Turning around, it fled while crying out in terror.
That egg isn't yours! I never stole your eggs!!
Listening to its cries, Luo Yun imagined those words.
Well, perhaps that was not what the Kulu-Ya-Ku meant. Still, judging by how it panicked at the sight of a Female Fire Dragon, it had probably tried stealing Female Fire Dragon eggs more than once and had been taught a lesson just as many times. That was likely why it reacted so strongly.
Ya Ji tilted her head in confusion at the Kulu-Ya-Ku that had vanished in an instant. Seeing Luo Yun deep in thought, she came over and licked his neck, then looked toward the Ancient Tree soaring into the clouds, her eyes filled with fighting spirit.
Unlike the Old World, Male Fire Dragons made up far less of the fire dragon population in the New World than Female Fire Dragons. Therefore, the Male Fire Dragons of the New World were no longer monogamous, but kept harems instead.
However, among all a Male Fire Dragon's mates, only the strongest primary mate could settle in the Ancient Forest with him. The other "concubines" could only leave for the Great Antlion Desert after mating, where they would live alone and raise their young alone.
Thus, the fire dragons dwelling on the Ancient Tree were either couples or dragons that had not yet reached mating age.
Therefore, if Luo Yun had not existed, or if Luo Yun had not been strong enough, Ya Ji would not have come to the Ancient Tree at this age. Instead, she would have waited until she was old enough, then come from the Great Antlion Desert like the other Female Fire Dragons living there, choose a Male Fire Dragon she fancied, defeat her competitors, and stay.
After resting, the two dragons exchanged a glance, then let out high cries and shot into the sky like arrows released from a bow, circling the Ancient Tree.
They were both choosing a place to build their nest and announcing their arrival to the fire dragons living on the Ancient Tree.
As though they had received their "challenge letter," quite a few Male Fire Dragons left their nests and beat their wings. Their cold vertical pupils reflected the figures of the two dragons.
There was a strict hierarchy among fire dragons. The Male Fire Dragons closer to the top of the Ancient Tree were stronger, and naturally, their mates were not weak either.
Luo Yun did not stubbornly fly straight upward. The Ancient Tree was enormous; even circling it once took quite some time.
With those Male Fire Dragons voluntarily leaving their nests and taking to the air, Luo Yun could better select opponents worth challenging or a suitable height for their nest.
Before long, his sharp gaze locked onto a Male Fire Dragon with dark red scales. It was slightly larger than an ordinary Male Fire Dragon and looked remarkably robust. Its position was around the upper-middle region of the Ancient Tree's upper levels.
After calling to Ya Ji, Luo Yun immediately accelerated toward it, hovering not far from the Male Fire Dragon and letting out an angry roar.
Luo Yun took the lead in provoking it, issuing a challenge. This fight would end only when one side was driven away or killed.
Faced with Luo Yun's provocation, the Male Fire Dragon's gaze grew colder and its rage rose higher. It had not expected this newly arrived juvenile fire dragon to dare choose it as an opponent.
It suddenly opened its great maw full of sharp teeth and lunged directly at Luo Yun, relying on its size advantage.
At the same time, a green Female Fire Dragon also flew out. Clearly, she was the Male Fire Dragon's mate. She charged at Luo Yun, but Ya Ji forcefully intercepted her midway.
Ya Ji crashed into her like a meteor. The two Female Fire Dragons clawed and bit each other as they fell onto the Ancient Tree, snapping branch after branch beneath them.
Compared with Male Fire Dragons, Female Fire Dragons possessed greater combat power on land. The moment she landed, Ya Ji adjusted her posture and launched directly into a Dragon Charge.
The Female Fire Dragon was still somewhat surprised. Although Ya Ji's ambush had given her the initiative, she had failed to gain the upper hand during their aerial biting clash despite her size advantage.
Seeing Ya Ji charge at her, the Female Fire Dragon showed no fear at all.
"My body is so much bigger than yours, yet you dare charge at me first?"
Feeling humiliated, the Female Fire Dragon decisively launched a countercharge!
Then...
The Female Fire Dragon collided with Ya Ji!
The Female Fire Dragon went flying!
In that savage collision, the scales where the Female Fire Dragon and Ya Ji had struck each other burst apart. Blood streamed out, and many of their spikes snapped, but the result was that the Female Fire Dragon was weaker in raw strength and was sent flying.
Still, the impact had caused only superficial injuries.
While still in the air, the Female Fire Dragon adjusted her body by beating her wings. Her eyes bloodshot, she pounced straight at Ya Ji.
From then on, fangs, claws, biting, venom, and scarlet blood became the main rhythm of their battle.
The battle between Female Fire Dragons was nothing like that of the Wyvern Species. Instead, it carried the brutal violence of the Bird Wyvern Species.
Every collision, every bite, every rake of their claws tore away strips of flesh.
Scalding blood sprayed through the air. Every clash between the giant beasts produced a dull boom, while the surrounding branches were accidentally snapped apart in the fight.
The explosive fireballs they spat from their mouths devastated the surrounding area with nothing more than the aftershock of their detonations.
Their tails, equipped with developed venom glands, were like heavy hammers. They could pierce tough dragon scales and strike the internal organs beneath.
Among fights between fire dragons, battles between Female Fire Dragons were the bloodiest—and also had the highest death rate!
Before you continue