In the crimson valley dozens of li away.
On the cliff, Yu Tianming's injuries had long since healed completely under the healing of Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul.
The two sat beside each other, less than a foot apart.
Out of danger, Ye Lingling recalled being held in Yu Tianming's arms earlier, and her pretty face flushed slightly.
Yu Tianming looked at the beauty beside him and could smell the delicate fragrance in her hair.
For a moment,
the atmosphere grew rather intimate.
"Ahem, Lingling..." Yu Tianming had just spoken when a shadow suddenly enveloped them both.
Yu Tianming reacted extremely quickly, instantly releasing his Valstrax Martial Soul and scooping Ye Lingling up around the waist amid startled cries.
A streak of crimson light shot skyward, and the two barely evaded the snapping jaws of a gaping, bloody maw.
The cliff where they had been standing shattered with a crash. Amid the flying rubble, an enormous creature revealed itself.
It was a Tyrant Dragon more than ten meters long. Its pitch-black scales gleamed with a metallic sheen in the sunlight, and wherever its thick tail swept, rock shattered.
Most terrifying of all was its enormous mouth, filled with sharp teeth and giving off a foul, bloody stench.
"A Tyrant Dragon! At least twenty thousand years of cultivation!"
Yu Tianming's pupils contracted slightly. His lance wings traced an arc through the air, putting distance between them and the gigantic Tyrant Dragon.
"Roar!!"
The Tyrant Dragon raised its head and let out a deafening roar. Its hind-leg muscles tensed, and it actually leaped up, lunging straight at the two in midair.
Its short forelimbs flailed in the air, its sharp claws flashing with a cold gleam.
"Hold tight!" Yu Tianming shouted in a low voice. All six lance wings fired at once, carrying Ye Lingling through a rapid change of direction in midair.
The Tyrant Dragon's sharp teeth skimmed past Ye Lingling's fluttering hair, frightening her face pale.
Its jumping power is incredible...
Yu Tianming was inwardly alarmed.
Every leap this Tyrant Dragon made reached a hundred meters high, and it was extremely fast. Had the Valstrax Martial Soul not been exceptionally adept at flight, it probably would have caught them just now.
The Tyrant Dragon immediately gathered strength again upon landing, its thick hind legs stamping two deep pits into the ground.
Just as it was about to leap again, Yu Tianming acted without hesitation, directly controlling his Valstrax Martial Soul to fly higher.
"Roar!!"
Seeing this, the Tyrant Dragon roared repeatedly.
Holding Ye Lingling, Yu Tianming kept climbing until he was certain the Tyrant Dragon could not reach them. Only then did he slow slightly.
High above, biting cold winds howled past, blowing aside the loose strands of hair over Ye Lingling's forehead.
"Are you all right?"
Yu Tianming looked down at the girl in his arms, concern in his voice.
Ye Lingling shook her head gently, her face still somewhat pale. "I'm fine... I just didn't expect this Tyrant Dragon to ambush us so suddenly."
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around Yu Tianming's clothes. Clearly, she had not yet fully recovered from the scare.
Yu Tianming looked down.
The Tyrant Dragon had not given up. It was pacing irritably through the valley, trees snapping wherever its thick tail swept.
"A twenty-thousand-year Tyrant Dragon... It shouldn't be in this area."
Yu Tianming frowned in thought.
This was near the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest's mixed zone, while a Tyrant Dragon with twenty thousand years of cultivation would normally be active deeper within the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ye Lingling followed his gaze, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise:
"Tianming, look over there!"
In the rock face behind the Tyrant Dragon, a deep, dark cave was faintly visible, with several enormous eggshells scattered at its entrance.
"So that's it."
Understanding dawned on Yu Tianming. "We wandered into this Tyrant Dragon's nesting territory. It's protecting its offspring."
Just then.
The Tyrant Dragon abruptly raised its head, its blood-red eyes locking firmly onto the two in the air.
It suddenly opened its enormous mouth, and a mass of dark-red energy gathered in its throat.
"Watch out! Dragon Breath!"
Yu Tianming's expression changed. The Dragon Energy Jewel inside him worked at full power, Dragon Energy erupting as he carried Ye Lingling in a swift dodge to the side.
A searing pillar of fire gushed from the Tyrant Dragon's mouth, grazing their afterimages.
Even though they avoided a direct hit, the intense heat still scorched them.
It can even attack at range...
Yu Tianming narrowed his eyes. Ordinary Tyrant Dragons possessed, at most, formidable physical strength. This one was clearly a mutant, making it even more dangerous.
Ye Lingling forcibly suppressed her panic, and the Nine Heart Begonia bloomed in her hands.
"Tianming, what should we do?"
"Leave here first."
Yu Tianming said decisively, "There's no need to get tangled up with it. We can wait for Grandpa to come."
He changed direction, his lance wings spewing dazzling crimson light as they carried the two toward the distant dense forest.
The Tyrant Dragon's furious roars came from behind them, but the thick canopy soon concealed their figures, and it did not pursue them.
They landed deep in the forest.
Yu Tianming cautiously surveyed their surroundings. Only after confirming that they were safe for the moment did he release her from his arms.
"Thank you for saving me again."
Ye Lingling spoke softly, her cheeks slightly flushed as she straightened her somewhat disheveled dress.
Yu Tianming shook his head. "I didn't think things through. I shouldn't have let my guard down in unfamiliar surroundings."
He looked toward the Tyrant Dragon, a thoughtful look flashing through his eyes. "Still... this Tyrant Dragon would be a pretty good choice."
"You want its Soul Ring?"
"Yes! A twenty-thousand-year Tyrant Dragon would be just right for my Soul Ring."
Yu Tianming's eyes brightened. "Tyrant Dragons already possess formidable strength, and this one's a mutant. It's quite good in every respect."
Suddenly,
a rumble of thunder came from the horizon.
The two looked up and saw a streak of blue-violet lightning tear across the sky, arriving in an instant.
"Grandpa!"
Yu Tianming called out in delighted surprise.
The lightning dispersed, revealing Yu Yuanzhen's imposing figure.
His robes were somewhat damaged, but his presence remained powerful. Clearly, his battle with the Titan Giant Ape had not affected him much.
"Tianming, Lingling, are you two all right?"
Yu Yuanzhen's gaze swept over them. After confirming that they were safe and sound, his expression eased slightly.
"We're fine, Grandpa."
Yu Tianming stepped forward, excitement shining in his eyes. "We just encountered a twenty-thousand-year mutant Tyrant Dragon. It..."
Yu Yuanzhen raised an eyebrow. "A Tyrant Dragon? In this mixed zone?"
"Yes. It's guarding a nest, and it should be a mutant. It can even unleash Dragon Breath," Yu Tianming explained quickly. "Grandpa, its Soul Ring suits me very well."
Yu Yuanzhen pondered briefly, then nodded. "A twenty-thousand-year Tyrant Dragon is indeed a good choice. Lead the way."
The three soon returned to the crimson valley.
The Tyrant Dragon was still prowling near its nest. Sensing someone approaching, it immediately let out a warning roar.
"Roar-!"
When it saw that the newcomers included the human youth it had been unable to do anything about earlier, as well as an old man whose presence was unfathomable, a trace of wariness flashed through its beastly eyes.
"That's the one."
Yu Tianming pointed at the Tyrant Dragon.
Yu Yuanzhen's gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto his target. Without even releasing his Martial Soul, he merely took a step forward.
Boom!
Terrifying pressure swept outward, and the air throughout the valley seemed to freeze.
The Tyrant Dragon's enormous body abruptly stiffened, as though pinned beneath an invisible mountain. Its limbs trembled violently, yet it could not move an inch.