The Mist Dragon Appears Again

"I heard, I heard, what's up?"

Carlos put away the notebook in his hand and looked at Nori with some fatigue.

"A ship! A ship is coming!" Nori exclaimed, dancing with excitement.

"A ship? Where?"

Carlos's eyes widened as he asked in disbelief.

Pulled by Nori, the two arrived at the shore. Sure enough, a dragon-bone ship flying the Hunter's Guild flag was slowly sailing towards them on the horizon.

"This is it! They're finally here!"

Carlos could no longer contain his excitement, his joy evident on his face.

Inside the Ancient Tree's Fire Dragon nest, Luo Yun was listening to Detter's report.

With the Mist Dragon repelled and not reappearing until today, some of the creatures that had migrated from the lower levels of the Ancient Tree had returned.

It was worth noting that the Jinouga pack, for reasons unknown, had a fragmented return this time, with most of its members bearing injuries.

The wounds suggested they had been ambushed by a Nargacuga.

A portion of the Great Jagras had also returned. Although they fought individually as usual, a massive anomaly had appeared among the Great Jagras returning to the Ancient Tree area this time. It had single-handedly and brutally killed many Jinouga who tried to encroach on its territory, claiming a considerable area for itself.

The carnivorous dragons had not returned to the Ancient Tree area but had migrated downstream to the river below the Ancient Tree.

Detter's intelligence came from other tribes that also inhabited the Ancient Forest, so some details were not precise. However, for Luo Yun, this information was not very important. What he wanted to know most was whether there were any abnormal phenomena near the Ancient Tree.

Although most of the Fire Dragons in the Ancient Tree believed that the Mist Dragon, having been repelled last time, had realized the danger here and returned to its original territory.

However, Luo Yun knew that this Mist Dragon had definitely not left. It was still coveting the Ancient Tree with malicious intent, but for the time being, it had no way to stably drive away the Fire Dragon tribe, which was why it hadn't shown itself.

As for why Luo Yun was so sure of the Mist Dragon's presence, it was entirely due to the abnormal fluctuations he had detected in the Ancient Tree's ground node energy while actively absorbing Earth Vein Energy during this period.

Under normal circumstances, Earth Vein Energy, undisturbed, remained in a relatively stable state, with virtually no fluctuations over a long period.

But even after the Safi'jiiva had fallen into slumber again, the Earth Vein Energy beneath the Ancient Tree remained very active. This situation was particularly evident during the two days when the Fire Dragons joined forces to repel the Mist Dragon.

Luo Yun speculated that the Mist Dragon was actively mobilizing Life Energy to recover from its injuries.

The Mist Dragon was highly intelligent. The reason it was repelled last time was not only due to Luo Yun's pre-emptive plan but also because it was caught off guard. The Mist Dragon had been careless.

At that time, it hadn't considered that any creature other than an Ancient Dragon would dare to stop its migration. Therefore, when Luo Yun found it in the mist, it was still in a leisurely state.

The next time would be different. When it reappeared, it would definitely be more cautious and wouldn't allow Luo Yun to find its location so easily.

Ya Ji, who had returned after marking her territory, saw Luo Yun looking unhappy as soon as she entered. Although she didn't fully understand his mood, she still chose to comfort him in her own way.

Just like when Luo Yun was young, Ya Ji came to his side, spread her wings with charming patterns, covered Luo Yun's body, and gently rubbed his cheek with her head, comforting him like a big sister and easing his anxiety.

Under Ya Ji's inclusive comfort, Luo Yun's emotions gradually calmed down.

He would face challenges as they came.

Given the Mist Dragon's characteristics, it would definitely be more troublesome the next time it appeared. Since he couldn't think of a good solution, he could only adapt when the time came.

At worst, he could abandon the Ancient Tree and migrate elsewhere.

It wasn't as if he would die if he left the Ancient Tree; it would just slow down his growth!

Monsters had very long lifespans, but the vast majority of monsters couldn't live to the end of their lifespans, always dying in various conflicts.

With this thought in mind, Luo Yun's life finally returned to its former state. After giving up, the entire dragon felt refreshed!

After Luo Yun's confirmation, the anomaly among the Great Jagras was indeed the 'old friend' that had mutated towards a Thunder Jaw Dragon.

As the saying goes, old friends meeting again often leads to intense rivalry!

After confirming that they had both settled in the Ancient Tree area, their five-year-long conflict resumed.

However, the Ancient Forest was too complex. Luo Yun couldn't utilize his aerial advantage in the lower levels of the Ancient Tree, and the other creature often deliberately moved to narrow spaces during their fights. This made Luo Yun feel constrained, and he was even at a disadvantage at times.

Until one time, when Ya Ji accompanied Luo Yun on a joint hunt and they encountered this creature. After a "righteous" group beatdown, it managed to escape. From then on, before every fight with Luo Yun, it would spread its highly sensitive nostrils, confirm Ya Ji's absence, and only then would it attack Luo Yun.

After all, its goal was to defeat Luo Yun, not to be defeated by him.

The days passed one by one, and the ecosystem in the Ancient Tree area was recovering steadily and smoothly.

This sign of stability made Luo Yun doubt if he was being overly worried. Perhaps the Mist Dragon had indeed returned to its original territory, and the active Earth Vein Energy was merely a lingering effect of the Safi'jiiva.

However, it was on this day that Luo Yun confirmed he hadn't been overthinking, and that this Mist Dragon was actually this insane.

On this day, the edge of the Ancient Tree area was once again engulfed in mist. This time, the dense fog was no longer pure white. The distinctly green poisonous gas mixed within the mist clearly indicated that the entity releasing the toxic fog had begun an indiscriminate massacre!

This time, the toxic fog gave the creatures caught in it no time to react. The toxicity was extremely potent; even large monsters couldn't withstand it for long, and many didn't even get a chance to escape. Small creatures, on the other hand, died upon contact. Only plants were unaffected.

The toxic fog appeared as suddenly as ever. Within half an hour of its appearance, it had directly slaughtered all living creatures within the fog. This efficient method of killing didn't even cause a significant disturbance.

By the time the monsters living in the Ancient Tree reacted, the toxic fog was already very close to the Ancient Tree.

This exaggerated killing efficiency instilled fear even in the Great Jagras, a brute, which decisively abandoned its territory and left. For a time, the Ancient Tree, which had been recovering its ecosystem, once again experienced ecological collapse, and even more thoroughly.