The Curtain Falls

Luo Yun felt terrifyingly strong.

His blood circulated at an ever-increasing pace, his heart pounded rapidly, and the surging power hidden within his body made his nerves incredibly excited.

Flames blazed brighter on his wings, tail, and the ridges of his head.

He was like a circling satellite, spinning around the Male Fire Dragon with his rapidly increasing speed. The moment the dragon showed an opening, it would face a fatal blow.

Cute Star Flying Crash (Male Fire Dragon Version).JPG

During this prolonged standoff, at a certain moment, the Male Fire Dragon was once again affected by the flames on its cheeks. The prolonged, close-range scorching had even dried out its protective membrane, forcing it to close its eyes once more.

This brief instant was precisely captured by Luo Yun's Mind's Eye.

The flames on his body converged, and his entire body transformed into an orange-red fireball. Streaking across the sky in an arc, he charged directly towards the Male Fire Dragon's flank with an unstoppable momentum, like a meteor from outer space.

Sensing danger, the Male Fire Dragon hastily opened its eyes and adjusted its body, flapping its wings to create as much distance as possible.

However, under the influence of inertia, Luo Yun's speed had reached the peak of his current capabilities. Even though the Male Fire Dragon reacted, it couldn't completely dodge the attack.

The fiery meteor, trailing flames, tore through the sky and exploded on the Male Fire Dragon's flank.

The explosion echoed through the canopy of the Ancient Tree, startling countless birds into scattering in a dense flock.

A mushroom cloud bloomed in the sky.

At the base of the thick smoke, the massive Male Fire Dragon fell uncontrollably. Its right wing was clearly bent, and half of its body, blackened, plunged directly onto the Ancient Tree, snapping thick branches one after another before finally crashing onto a platform.

Blood splattered from its darkened scales, staining the ground. The entire dragon struggled on the ground, unable to get up.

The Male Fire Dragon was severely injured. Even a few Rathians could have taken its life at this opportunity.

In the sky, Luo Yun's figure slowly emerged from the smoke, trailing wisps of blackness.

Luo Yun's eyes were bloodshot from the intense exertion. He hovered in the air, wings spread, with wisps of flame escaping from the gaps between his scales, only to be absorbed by other gaps.

His crimson scales reflected a silvery sheen. In comparison, his seemingly smaller, juvenile body was like a true king of the sky, looking down from his throne upon a rebellious subject being punished.

Scales cracked from the backlash of the collision, dripping blood. Far from showing any weakness, his aura grew even stronger.

Under Luo Yun's cold gaze, the Male Fire Dragon, struck down onto the Ancient Tree, finally ceased struggling. It curled up and whined.

It had lost completely!

What awaited it next was either expulsion from the nest or submission.

Whenever Luo Yun and it scouted the same hunting grounds, it had to yield when they met, and only after Luo Yun finished hunting could it proceed.

Of course, things weren't entirely without hope.

He had lost the battle against Luo Yun, but his mate and Ya Ji's fight was not yet decided. If they won, then their families would have equal standing.

Even if Luo Yun fancied their nest, they wouldn't have to give it up; Luo Yun could build his nest on the same level.

Unfortunately, ideals are often grand, but reality is harsh.

When a blood-soaked Ya Ji flew into the sky to join Luo Yun, and the Female Fire Dragon that had faced her could only drag its injured body to the Male Fire Dragon's side to lick its wounds, the battle finally concluded.

The Fire Dragon couple had been utterly defeated.

If Luo Yun and his group fancied their nest, they would have to lead their young to find a new nesting spot on the Ancient Tree, or even leave the Ancient Tree altogether, despite their severe injuries.

Everything that followed depended on Luo Yun's choice.

Compared to Luo Yun, Ya Ji looked quite battered, as pure physical combat inevitably led to scratches.

However, in Luo Yun's eyes, Ya Ji's mental state was excellent. The entire dragon was even quite exhilarated, the frenzied battle intent in her eyes not having subsided.

It seemed she had thoroughly enjoyed the fight, unleashing her primal wildness. But then again, even though Ya Ji was strong, her opponent was no pushover, being the 'queen' who had fought her way through many Female Fire Dragons to remain in the Ancient Tree.

With the battle decided, the other Fire Dragons that had been watching returned to their nests. The sky around the Ancient Tree grew quiet once more.

Luo Yun, with Ya Ji, flew to the canopy of the Ancient Tree to inspect his spoils.

The Fire Dragon couple's location was a large platform, with intertwined branches above, and sunlight, broken into pieces, falling onto the platform.

There was no water reservoir built on the platform, suggesting they shared a communal pool with other Fire Dragon families.

Inside the nest, several young Fire Dragons stared warily at the two 'uninvited guests' with wide eyes. A slightly larger Male Fire Dragon, nearly four meters in size, shielded these younglings and roared at Luo Yun, spreading its wings.

Luo Yun completely ignored the younglings. After a brief survey, he looked at Ya Ji, who also seemed uninterested, and understood that, like him, she wasn't impressed with the place.

He called out to Ya Ji, then led the way out of the cave and began circling the Ancient Tree.

The Fire Dragon couple hobbled back to the nest entrance. Seeing Luo Yun and Ya Ji emerge, they breathed a sigh of relief and, dragging their injured bodies, returned to the nest to recuperate.

With the abundant life energy of the Ancient Tree and the Fire Dragons' own strong recovery abilities, injuries of this magnitude would heal in two to three days.

Coupled with the stored carcasses of Herbivore Dragons within the nest, the Fire Dragon couple had no worries about survival.

Luo Yun and Ya Ji spent some time before finally finding a suitable spot for nesting on this level of the Ancient Tree.

Several thick branches and two layers of sturdy vines formed a small platform, with the top also formed by branches extending from the Ancient Tree.

The entire platform had only two entrances. One connected to the outer canopy of the Ancient Tree, with a large slope next to it leading to another Fire Dragon couple's nest. Next to their nest was a small dam built from mud and branches, filled with water.

The other entrance was within the canopy, where hanging vines created an opening that led directly to the base of the Ancient Tree.

However, upon Luo Yun's observation, the opening was very smooth, devoid of leaves and vines, as if some creature frequently passed through it.

But Luo Yun didn't think much of it. The opening was small, and even a Kulu-Ya-Ku of that size couldn't squeeze through, so he paid it no mind.

After selecting the nesting site, Luo Yun and Ya Ji, having just experienced a great battle, nestled together, closed their eyes, and gradually drifted into slumber.

As for building the nest, they would deal with that after their strength recovered.