Ruffian and Samurai

Once again, while I was in the process of actively absorbing Earth Vein Energy, I was awakened by a faint, almost imperceptible noise. Luo Yun got up in annoyance, leaving a deep gash in the vines beneath his feet.

Anyone could tell Luo Yun was in a foul mood at the moment.

Ever since the Ancient Forest had fallen into chaos, he had sensed the Earth Veins becoming disordered every time he absorbed their energy. Furthermore, waves of noise were mixed in, causing his absorption efficiency to be intermittent.

It felt like finally finding a quiet spot to meditate, only to have construction start nearby just as you were relaxing and felt you could finally fall asleep. The machine's noise, bang after bang, would repeatedly toss you between sleep and wakefulness.

Then, when you finally couldn't take it anymore and woke up, the noise would completely disappear.

Once or twice, Luo Yun felt he could tolerate it. However, this situation had been going on for several days, and it was only his strong self-control that kept him from losing his temper everywhere.

Look at Ya Ji, she was in the same situation. Her temper had become exceptionally volatile two days ago, and she had to go out every day to find some lone Jinouga, spray them with flames, or hit them with a Dragon Charge to vent her frustration before returning.

After all these days, the chaos in the Ancient Forest had not only not stopped but had become even more exaggerated.

With the migration of various creatures from the depths of the Ancient Forest, not only was meat becoming scarce, but even various vegetarian options were experiencing supply shortages.

If this continued, the ecosystem here would likely collapse before the chaos could be quelled.

When the Jinouga herds first arrived, they used their formidable strength and the advantage of moving in groups to drive away a large portion of the Great Jagras at the bottom of the Ancient Forest. With their strong territorial instincts, they then set their sights on the middle and upper layers of the Ancient Forest.

The battles between the Fire Dragons and the Jinouga were no longer confined to the major hunting grounds; both sides began to fight fiercely, using the middle layers of the Ancient Forest as their battlefield.

The Jinouga relied on their lightning attribute and extremely tough carapaces, giving them an absolute advantage in the lower layers. However, once they reached the upper layers of the Ancient Forest, the narrow passages and platforms greatly compressed their evasion space.

The Male Fire Dragon, using its flight advantage, constantly weaved and moved through the canopy of the Ancient Forest's upper layers to launch attacks. The Jinouga, in turn, were reduced to passively taking hits.

Thus, the Fire Dragons did not go to the lower levels, and the Jinouga did not come to the upper levels, resulting in a stalemate between the two sides.

Luo Yun and Ya Ji had also participated in a few of these battles. The fights involving the veteran Male and Female Fire Dragon couple and the Azure Dragons living in the middle and upper layers made Luo Yun's eyes light up.

The Azure Dragon's aerial maneuverability was even greater than that of ordinary Fire Dragons, and even those veteran Male Fire Dragons. Moreover, they almost never landed during battles, using their agility to launch attacks with their flame breath and the poison from their claws.

It could be said that the Azure Dragon had completely abandoned the Male Fire Dragon's straightforward, one-hit-kill brute force approach, appearing very patient and resolving opponents with minimal cost.

As for those veteran Male Fire Dragons, their combat power was also incredibly exaggerated. They managed to grab a 19-meter-tall Jinouga, completely ignoring its desperate struggles, fly it high into the sky, and then drop it to its death. This was purely a difference in strength.

However, those veteran Female Fire Dragons were somewhat disappointing in Luo Yun's opinion. Besides having better stamina, stronger poison, and slightly higher flame temperatures, they had no other notable points.

With this comparison, Ya Ji's ability to gain a strength advantage even when fighting opponents of a much larger size made Luo Yun wonder if his Mighty Strength trait had somehow transferred to her.

Despite her 16-meter size not being remarkable among the many giant beasts, and even being on the smaller side, in several battles, there was no opponent who could overpower her in terms of brute strength.

Her powerful combat ability, well-proportioned physique, and dazzling appearance even attracted some ill-intentioned Male Fire Dragons.

Those Male Fire Dragons directly faced the brutal combined assault of Luo Yun and Ya Ji. Only after one of them, foolishly, was burned to a crisp by Luo Yun did the other Male Fire Dragons give up their intentions.

Being able to burn a Male Fire Dragon, which had extremely high flame resistance, to a crisp made Luo Yun an absolute anomaly among Male Fire Dragons.

Weak monster tribes might expel anomalies, but powerful tribes would instead revere them.

Moreover, the Fire Dragons living in the Ancient Forest could not strictly be considered a tribe; they were simply neighbors of the same species.

Under these circumstances, Luo Yun and Ya Ji were categorized as people not to be provoked.

In a hunting ground at the furthest reach of the Ancient Forest's radiation, a massive Great Jagras walked with heavy steps to the stream and drank greedily.

Looking at this familiar hunting ground, after five years, it had finally returned!

However, its luck seemed to be poor. In such a large hunting ground, it hadn't seen a single Herbivore Dragon. It wondered if they had just been hunted by Fire Dragons.

"Awooo!!"

A loud howl echoed from afar. The Great Jagras looked up vigilantly and saw a Jinouga, crackling with sparks and lightning, charging towards it.

The Great Jagras's eyes widened, the heat-dissipating membranes on its back instantly spread, and sparks flew from the corners of its mouth.

Closer, closer!

The Jinouga was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, it arrived in front of the Great Jagras, raising its right claw high. The claw was wrapped in dazzling electric light and was brought down towards the Great Jagras's head.

Based on its combat experience with other Great Jagras during this period, these brainless thugs would usually choose to charge head-on and clash.

Therefore, the Jinouga was already prepared to dodge after landing the hit.

Then, something unexpected happened!

This Great Jagras actually sidestepped and took a step back.

Yes, you read that right, this brainless brute actually retreated!

The Jinouga's claw missed. Before it could react, the Great Jagras turned and whipped its tail. Accompanied by a heavy tail lash, the sharp spikes that had appeared on its tail tore through the Jinouga's cheek, staggering it.

This wasn't the end. Before it could regain its balance, the Great Jagras's back kick followed. The force was not great, just enough to knock it down.

Its brain was still buzzing when a blast of scorching flame suddenly erupted on its chest. The powerful impact and high temperature caused intense pain throughout its body.

However, the fully activated electric organs and the power from the Thunderbugs wrapped around its body allowed it to quickly regain its senses.

Ignoring the pain, it quickly retreated to create distance, its bloodthirsty gaze fixed on the Great Jagras that was not pursuing.

With a roar, the yellow charging carapace released electricity, stimulating the numerous Super Thunderbugs in the hairs on its back to generate power. It absorbed the electricity from the Thunderbugs to enter a supercharged state. Its charging shells on its back fully opened and emitted blue light. The Thunderbugs, fully discharging electricity, circled around it, making the entire dragon appear as if it were entwined with lightning.

In this state, the Jinouga was at its peak. Most of the electricity on its body was insulated by its well-insulated cyan scales. A small portion of the electricity stimulated its muscles, greatly increasing its strength and making its reflexes more sensitive. Each attack would carry extremely powerful lightning.

After completing its amplification, the Jinouga did not actively attack but, like a seasoned warrior, began to look for openings in the Great Jagras, waiting for it to initiate an attack before launching a fatal counterattack.

The air around the Great Jagras's heat-dissipating membranes distorted slightly, indicating that its body temperature had reached its peak. Under normal circumstances, a Great Jagras in this state should have entered a state of extreme rage, like a berserker abandoning reason for continuous attacks and immense killing power.

However, this Great Jagras was remarkably calm. Its gaze, cold and piercing, was fixed on the Jinouga, showing not the slightest inclination to charge forward.

"Why isn't it attacking yet?"

"Why isn't it attacking yet?"

The Great Jagras felt the same. It had never encountered a Jinouga in its life. Jinouga, being a pack creature, generally didn't migrate randomly. Their packs lived deep within the Ancient Forest, near the great canyon, while Great Jagras resided closer to the Ancient Forest. With the forest being so vast, it was normal not to have met before.

Gradually, the Jinouga lost its patience.

This was primarily because a previous misstep had allowed the Great Jagras to land a small combo. The resulting injuries made it impossible to maintain its supercharged state for much longer. Therefore, upon realizing the Great Jagras had no intention of attacking first, it could only reluctantly initiate the assault.

Thunder and lightning descended from the sky with a long roar. The Jinouga, with its Thunderbug companions flying beside it, guided the electricity from its body to strike.

As expected, the Great Jagras, having never seen such an attack, was caught off guard and directly hit. Its body tingled with electric currents, feeling numb.

The Jinouga, having landed a hit, wouldn't let the opportunity slip away and charged forward.

Seeing this, the Great Jagras didn't flinch either. It endured the discomfort and charged forward as well.

As the two drew near, the Great Jagras lowered its flame-wreathed maw, scraping the ground with its jaw, which was covered in hard keratin and sharp teeth, while maintaining its speed for a Dragon Charge.

This was the Great Jagras's ultimate move in its extreme rage.

Fierce Jaw Rush!!

If it were to land this hit directly, even the Jinouga would have its bones broken and be put at a disadvantage.

Having fought many Great Jagras during this period, the Jinouga also understood the lethality of this attack. Many of its kin had fallen this way.

Therefore, the moment it recognized the Great Jagras's attack pattern, the Jinouga leaped directly, using its powerful jumping ability to bound onto the Great Jagras's dorsal thermoregulatory membrane.

There, it was the Great Jagras's absolute weak point!

But something unexpected happened. The Fierce Jaw Rush, which should have been unstoppable, abruptly halted. The Great Jagras's eyes displayed an abnormal, mocking glint.

A mouthful of scorching flame was then spewed from the Great Jagras's mouth.

The Jinouga, airborne, had nowhere to escape and was directly hit. Its Thunderbugs on its back died in the intense heat, and the remaining ones fled.

Without the Thunderbugs to store electricity, the Jinouga instantly reverted from its supercharged state and crashed heavily to the ground, falling into a semi-conscious state, unable to get up.

Launch Dash Flame Bite!!

This was the ultimate finishing move of this unique Great Jagras!

The Jinouga's last image was frozen on a massive maw filled with flames. After a moment of searing pain, this adult Jinouga met its end in regret.

After dealing with the Jinouga, the Great Jagras unceremoniously disemboweled it and began to eat heartily.

The Great Jagras hadn't expected such a great gift to appear so conveniently. It had planned to go elsewhere hungry to look for herbivores, but this Jinouga, having no idea of its impending doom, had rushed out to deliver a warm meal.

Relying on the combat skills honed through five years of torment, it had easily defeated the Jinouga with just two simple tricks.

Thinking of this, the Great Jagras recalled that disgusting Male Fire Dragon. If it were that one, these little tricks would be useless; it wouldn't fall for them.

Unlike this foolish Jinouga, which hadn't even bothered to probe, it had attacked with such crude tactics from the start. Its death was deserved.

As the Great Jagras fed, the residual Thunderbugs, now without their host, somehow flew onto the Great Jagras's back and burrowed into its mane. They relied on the static electricity generated by the friction of the mane during movement to replenish their own electrical currents.

At the same time, the leaked current from the Thunderbugs silently entered the Great Jagras's body, eventually flowing with its blood to the inflammary sac.

From this moment on, the Great Jagras's inflammary sac began to undergo an unknown mutation. These conflicting energies were smoothed out by the life energy unconsciously absorbed by the Great Jagras, and the inflammary sac slowly began to differentiate in another direction.

The Ancient Forest. Luo Yun was unaware that a mature dragon had returned to the vicinity. He felt a sense of unease, as if something dangerous was slowly approaching the Ancient Forest.

However, it was his turn to hunt today, so after greeting Ya Ji, he flew out of the nest.

The Detters had already scouted the migration route of a herd of herbivores. Luo Yun didn't need to waste effort searching everywhere; he just needed to fly in that direction.

Soon, Luo Yun located a herd of herbivores enjoying the grass. Circling in the air and using the white clouds to conceal his body, Luo Yun selected his target and swooped down directly.

Almost in sync with Luo Yun, from another direction of the herbivore herd, a monstrous bird, a full 14 meters long, with a large, powerful beak and a pair of triangular, horn-like keratin growths on its head. Its body was not covered in feathers but in hard, black-purple scales.

It had white mane on its neck, a wing claw, and four wing bones. Its tail structure was similar to that of a Fire Dragon. It flapped its wings, letting out a sharp, clear roar, and flew low and fast.

The direction it was flying was the same as Luo Yun's chosen prey.

Because Luo Yun was diving from high altitude and it was flying at low altitude, it did not notice Luo Yun in the sky.

Luo Yun, however, noticed this uninvited guest.

A Black Wolf Bird! A Bird Wyvern species with a ferocity akin to a vicious wolf. Because its moves and skeletal structure closely resembled those of a Female Fire Dragon, it was mockingly called the ferocious behemoth born from a Female Fire Dragon's infidelity in his past life!

But! Here's the problem!

Why was a Black Wolf Bird appearing here?

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