The Reason for Jinouga's Division

Since discovering that particular Jinouga had left the Ancient Tree region that day, the number of Jinouga within the Ancient Tree region had significantly decreased. They could no longer completely control the vast territory they previously occupied.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, monsters that had been squeezed out of their living spaces flooded into the Ancient Tree region. Due to the sheer difference in numbers, even though the Jinouga still maintained group activities, they were repeatedly defeated and rapidly shrinking their territory.

Every day, various large carnivorous dragons died. The ecological balance of the Ancient Tree region, which was on the verge of collapse due to the Mist Dragon, was rapidly recovering amidst the intense competition among these large carnivorous dragons.

The mass death of carnivorous dragons provided ample food for smaller carnivorous or omnivorous creatures, eliminating their need to hunt the few remaining small environmental creatures.

The decrease in the number of carnivorous dragons gave many Herbivore Dragons in hunting grounds enough space and time to breed. In this relatively safe environment, the population of Herbivore Dragons was growing at an extremely rapid pace.

The increase in the number of Herbivore Dragons naturally led to an expansion of their habitat. Un-digested fruit pits and seeds were dropped elsewhere through the Herbivore Dragons' droppings. In nutrient-rich and temperature-suitable environments, the seeds quickly germinated, took root on the land, and filled the gaps in the forest.

This current environment truly satisfied Luo Yun.

The middle and lower layers of the Ancient Tree were engaged in fierce battles, but all parties tacitly avoided disturbing the upper layer.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that there was nothing in the upper layer of the Ancient Tree, making it suitable only for flying creatures.

As time passed and more and more original inhabitants of the Ancient Tree returned, the dwindling Jinouga packs found themselves in increasingly difficult situations.

However, it was precisely during this time of crisis that Luo Yun finally saw the Jinouga leader, who had not appeared until now.

Upon their first meeting, the Jinouga leader was hunting in a nearby hunting ground. Its size was not much larger than an ordinary Jinouga. The only difference was that the lightning it generated carried faint golden light.

There were traces of cracks on its armor and scales everywhere. The pair of wolf-ear-like horns on its head were much larger than those of an ordinary Jinouga. However, upon closer inspection, those horns were not very sharp, and the overall impression was one of decay.

Judging solely by its appearance, this was undoubtedly a battle-hardened warrior. The cracked scales and armor were marks of its glory.

But Luo Yun understood that the Jinouga's body was in a very dangerous state at the moment.

This was not how a leader of a Jinouga pack should look.

Cracked scales could be shed and replaced, and damaged armor could be worn down and regrown. Allowing its appearance to be in such a state could only be due to two reasons.

The first was a severe lack of nutrition. Due to food scarcity, its body needed to conserve enough energy to prioritize its combat capabilities. Therefore, it would only replace its scales when they were damaged to a certain extent, affecting its defensive capabilities.

This was most evident in the Female Fire Dragons raising their young alone in the Great Antlion Desert. These mothers would typically only replace their scales after their Hatchling Dragons could survive independently or when they needed to venture into the Ancient Forest to find their Male Fire Dragons.

The second reason was that due to prolonged combat, excessive injuries had caused its stored energy and expenditure to become unbalanced. Its energy reserves were no longer sufficient, and it could only seek a chance for recovery through external means.

It was clear that the Jinouga leader was currently in this situation.

The Jinouga pack had not split up. Instead, they had allowed a younger Jinouga, possessing the potential to become the King of the Jinouga, to lead a portion of the ordinary Jinouga and the hatchlings back to their original territory as seeds for the pack.

This was also why that Jinouga had prevented other Jinouga from clashing with Luo Yun and Ya Ji at the time, because they were not confident in their ability to keep Luo Yun and Ya Ji there.

There was no such thing as "we don't know each other until we fight" between monsters; they held grudges.

The two Herbivore Dragon carcasses that had been significantly gnawed upon had thoroughly angered Luo Yun and Ya Ji. What if they specifically targeted the hatchlings during the migration of the Jinouga group with young?

Therefore, that Jinouga chose to yield and voluntarily leave that hunting ground.

After arranging for some Jinouga to leave, the Jinouga leader itself stayed in the Ancient Tree region with the remaining Jinouga, intending to make a gamble using the Life Energy from the Earth Vein nodes here.

If it won the gamble, its injuries would heal, and its strength would be further improved.

If it lost, not only would it die, but the Jinouga, having lost their leader, would become a scattered mess.

In terms of ecological niche, a lone Jinouga was similar to a Great Jagras. Without a leader, the Jinouga pack would be torn apart by the enraged inhabitants of the Ancient Tree region. Those who survived would either find a way to return to their territory in the Great Canyon, or they would tuck their tails between their legs, adapt to the survival methods of the Ancient Tree region, and become a part of its Ecological Chain.

The days passed one by one, and Luo Yun's daily life began to become simple and unadorned.

In the Ancient Tree region, with a significantly reduced number of carnivorous dragons, food was so abundant that it was more than enough.

Every day, he would either leisurely patrol the skies above his territory or lie down to absorb Earth Vein Energy.

In this environment bathed in rich Life Energy, Luo Yun's growth rate was progressing at an astonishing pace. His scales, like Ya Ji's, were deep crimson, flashing with specks of silver in the Sunlight, and the proportion of silver was increasing.

In addition to these daily routines, Luo Yun had also attempted to ambush the veteran Great Jagras with Ya Ji.

However, the Great Jagras's sense of smell was too keen. Whenever it detected Ya Ji's scent, it would decisively flee, regardless of Ya Ji's location.

With its nearly 20-meter-long massive body, combined with the complex terrain of the lower levels of the Ancient Tree region, several ambushes ended in failure when it was determined to escape.

The closest they came to success was when it managed to escape by jumping into an underground river.

This thing was truly difficult to kill!

If Ya Ji were not present, it would have been willing to fight Luo Yun to the death on the ground. However, with Luo Yun's current capabilities, he was not yet able to kill it head-on in the narrow spaces of the lower levels, where its flight capabilities were severely restricted. This had led to a stalemate.

However, Luo Yun believed that with his growth rate, even if this Great Jagras evolved into a Thunder Jaw Dragon, he would still be confident in being able to kill it head-on in the future.

Moreover, as Luo Yun grew, he had a feeling that this Great Jagras would be a catalyst for his transformation, but he couldn't quite understand what this catalyst was, nor why it had to be this Great Jagras.