A moving ball of high-temperature fire had suddenly appeared within the thick fog. It could actually burn away the Poison Mist, leaving Chameleos deeply puzzled. Its pair of huge, intelligent eyes—comparable to those of a Poisonous Bird and capable of seeing all around it—were filled with curiosity as it could not resist moving closer to see what it was.
As Chameleos approached, Luo Yun could not only sense its presence through Mind's Eye; it also occasionally flickered through his vision like a glitching slideshow, revealing its true form.
Chameleos's perfect invisibility required three conditions.
The first was its skin's mimicry ability. Chameleos did not truly turn transparent when it became invisible. Rather, like a chameleon, its skin could receive information from its surroundings at any time and imitate them.
The second was the refraction of light. Chameleos controlled the fog it released to alter the angles at which light refracted, creating an effect similar to a mirage.
The third was the toxins within the fog. These toxins could enter an enemy's body through breathing and skin contact. The victim's senses would be greatly affected without them realizing it, and they could even experience hallucinations.
Ya Ji had failed to notice anything wrong immediately because the Poison Mist had affected her senses, causing her to miss the best opportunity to escape.
If even one of these three conditions was not met, Chameleos's invisibility would no longer be perfect.
By chance, Luo Yun's Body of Flames kept the Poison Mist out, exposing a flaw in Chameleos's invisibility before him and allowing him to observe its presence. The enhancement brought by Mind's Eye had contributed greatly as well.
Ya Ji did not understand why Luo Yun was staring in that direction with such vigilance. There was nothing there in her field of vision!
However, years of living together made her absolutely trust Luo Yun's judgment. Even though she still could not muster much strength, she assumed a guarded stance as well.
Luo Yun was considering what he should do next.
Although large creatures like Luo Yun and Ya Ji were not part of Chameleos's diet, Chameleos was not a particularly bloodthirsty or murderous Elder Dragon. And aside from its Poison Mist, its combat power ranked among the lowest of the Elder Dragons.
But it was still an Elder Dragon!
Its hide, scales, bone density, and vitality still surpassed those of most monsters in the world.
And even if Luo Yun wanted to fight, he could not go all out right now. He could only adopt a threatening posture and warily watch Chameleos approach.
From Chameleos's perspective, once it got closer, it discovered that the ball of fire contained a Male Fire Dragon, with a powerfully built Female Fire Dragon beside him.
This left Chameleos somewhat confused. Why were there actually Rathalos lingering in its Poison Mist instead of fleeing immediately?
Especially when Luo Yun and Ya Ji were assuming such guarded yet intimidating stances, it stirred a trace of anger in Chameleos, which had already been made uncomfortable by the recent abnormalities in Earth Vein Energy and the constant noise.
Even if it had not fully matured, it was not something creatures like Rathalos could provoke!
That was right. In the eyes of Chameleos, which had become irritable and less rational after being tormented by Safi'jiiva's noise, Luo Yun and Ya Ji's defensive stance had somehow become a provocation!
Even patient people had tempers!
Even the ordinarily easygoing Chameleos would take the initiative after being provoked.
Thus, a mass of dark purple venom suddenly sprayed out from the dense fog.
Luo Yun instinctively intended to take flight and avoid the Poison Mist, but then he remembered Ya Ji behind him. Gritting his teeth, he decided to withstand it with his Body of Flames.
The flames enveloping his body could use their high temperature to lessen the venom's toxicity. He should be able to endure this attack.
Probably.
Luo Yun was not certain, but that was what he intended to do.
But in the very next instant, a wing covered in captivating patterns appeared before him and forcibly blocked the venom.
Ya Ji let out a pained wail. Her wing hung limply, and her body trembled in waves from the pain.
Chameleos's venom contained neurotoxins. These toxins did not merely dull the senses; they could also stimulate the nerves and intensify pain.
The moment he saw Ya Ji's suffering, Luo Yun's eyes turned red.
His dragon blood boiled, his muscles tensed, and as rage surged within him, the energy in his body rapidly gathered.
He no longer cared whether the creature before him was an Elder Dragon. Scorching flames accumulated in his throat, his fire gland was squeezed desperately, and the intense heat even made his neck glow red from the outside.
"Roar!"
A fan-shaped blast of fire erupted from Luo Yun's mouth. Streaked with purplish-red flames, it cleared the Poison Mist from its path as a heat wave rushed forward.
The temperature, far beyond that of ordinary flames, surprised Chameleos. The burning sensation on its scales made it release a quiet cry of pain. Although the actual damage was not severe, it had genuinely injured it.
For the first time since its birth, the injured Chameleos stiffly moved away at once. While evading the flames, it returned to the fog, then sprayed out another cloud of Poison Mist to fill the area cleared by the fire.
But immediately afterward, three fireballs flew straight toward Chameleos. One even struck successfully, and the resulting explosion sent it tumbling over.
He can see me?
A flicker of doubt arose in Chameleos's mind.
Chameleos was highly intelligent. The instant it understood that its invisibility had been seen through, its low-key, easygoing instinct immediately overwhelmed its irritable emotions.
After giving Luo Yun a deep look, it flapped its wings and left without looking back.
It was not that it could not defeat Luo Yun, nor was it afraid of him.
Accustomed to avoiding battle and living quietly, it rarely clashed with large monsters. Unless it was pushed to a certain point or its territory was invaded, Chameleos generally preferred to avoid combat and would almost never fight other creatures to the death.
This was also one reason why the human Writers' Team had recorded Chameleos as a low-danger Elder Dragon.
That was the kind of Elder Dragon it was, and also the Elder Dragon humans underestimated the most.
Once Chameleos retreated, Luo Yun could no longer sense its presence through Mind's Eye, and his anger gradually faded somewhat.
He did not lower his guard. He continued burning his flames with all his might, remaining beside Ya Ji, who was lying on the ground in pain, and using them to drive away the Poison Mist for her.
However, the heat produced by the flames made Ya Ji extremely uncomfortable. The toxins had stimulated her nerves and amplified her sense of pain, greatly weakening a Rathalos's heat resistance.
What Ya Ji felt at that moment was somewhat like dipping a hand in chili water until it burned, then accidentally touching warm water afterward.
Though it was only warm water, it felt like scalding water.
Luo Yun could understand Ya Ji's feelings, but when life was at stake, he could only make her endure it for now.
Fortunately, as Chameleos left, the thick fog dispersed as well. Before long, the area returned to how it had been at the beginning.
Only Ya Ji, collapsed on the ground, and the Herbivore Dragon corpses in the distance still told the story of what this area had gone through.
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