Translator:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Terras Forest was silent in the snowy night, most of the wild beasts hiding in their respective dens, away from the bone-chilling wind. Other than the sounds of trees rustling in the cold wind, there were only the occasional strange sounds from unknown creatures.
Some time later, Yang Ling, who had cleared his mind, suddenly heard a faint roar. He caught the minute, metallic stench of blood in the cold air.
Unsure of the situation, Yang Ling opened his eyes and rushed toward the direction of the blood, guarded by a team of Horned Bee Beasts. At a full sprint, he disappeared deep into the forest in the blink of an eye.
The icy wind howled through branches piled with falling snow. A streak of light appeared on the horizon. The night had not yet faded, but the sun was about to rise. It was the darkest time before dawn, when all living creatures slept. Yang Ling could not think of a single Magical Beast that would be hunting at that time.
Having trained for several hours, he felt bursting with energy, his body filled with explosive strength. All he had to do was lightly tap a branch with his toes to leap to a tree over ten steps away. He was fast, leaving behind no tracks in the snow.
Ever since he’d received the blessings from the God of War, obtained the Illusory Mirage Twin World ability and had his mental energy greatly boosted, he could feel his Tree Eyes ability reaching a new level.
He could clearly sense movement around him even with his eyes closed. Every tree, every blade of grass was releasing ripples of a familiar energy. That feeling was as if a son that had traveled overseas had just returned to his homeland, or a fish had finally returned to the sea it had grown up in.
Every living creature in this world had its own life and soul!
In the past, when he was playing soccer with his friends and sprinting across the field, he did not know that the grass under his feet had life. In the past, every time he dated the girls in his class, he did not know that the old tree behind his back had its own soul. But since cultivating his Wizard Techniques and obtaining the Tree Eyes ability, he knew that the living things in this world were far more miraculous than he had ever imagined.
Touch the origin of energy in this world, control the soul of every living creature!
Yang Ling was full of anticipation for the future when he recalled the inscriptions on the stele. As his Wizard Power and mental energy got stronger, and he gained access to higher-level Wizard Techniques, he believed that he would one day advance to the level of Heaven Wizard, Divine Wizard, Soul Wizard or perhaps even the Soul Deity.
At full speed, Yang Ling soon silently arrived at the scene. He hid behind a large tree. Even though he had prepared himself, he could not help but shudder when he saw the agitated battle before him.
In a narrow canyon that was deep beyond comprehension, an ink-green flying Magical beast was deep in battle with a bunch of rhinoceros-like creatures. The ground was already drenched with blood.
The flying Magical Beast had powerful legs, and with every strike of its sharp claws, it left deep holes in the giant rocks around it. Its body was covered in a tight arrangement of scales, and its wings spanned nearly ten meters.
Furthermore, it was very fast, sometimes taking to the skies to avoid the attacks of the rhinoceros monsters. It would sometimes dive down, tearing the head of a rhinoceros monster into two. Sometimes, it even released a ball of putrid acid, corroding the hide of the rhinoceros monsters to inflict painful wounds.
Twin-legged Flying Dragon? Yang Ling soon understood where this flying Magical Beast came from through the Unicorn’s memories.
Just like the Unicorn, the Twin-legged Flying Dragon was a level eight high-level Magical Beast. It had incredible speed and terrifying close combat abilities. Coupled with its thick, acidic poison, its battle capabilities were powerful.
Could this be the territory of the Twin-legged Flying Dragon?
Twin-headed Flying Dragons were rare high-level Magical Beasts that lived in groups. No living creature would dare get close to the area where they lived. When encountering a group of Flying Dragons, even sage level fighters would have to retreat with caution, much less Sword Saints or Magical Tutors.
Yang Ling looked around, considering the Unicorn’s memories. The vast forest terrain around him provided only rocks and rough trees; it completely lacked the deep, shady landscape favored by the Twin-Legged Flying Dragons. There was no source of water either, and Yang Ling knew they preferred sticking close to lakes or swamps. This could not be their resting grounds.
The Twin-headed Flying Dragons was a powerful attacker, but the rhinoceros-like creatures were not low-level Magical Beasts either.
According to the memories of the Unicorn, they were level six Barbaric Bulls. They had thick hides and loved to roll around in mud and rub their hides against tree trunks. The mixture of mud and tree sap on their bodies hardened and served as armor, which made it hard for even daggers or swords to pierce through, much less the jagged rocks.
Other than the alarming defense, Barbaric Bulls also had immense strength, their curved horn on their heads sharp and forceful. It could even force the Twin-legged Flying Dragon back if they charged toward it at full force. Just like that, they were managing to hold their own against the Twin-legged Flying Dragon using their number advantage alone.
Hunting, or…?
Looking at the Twin-legged Flying Dragon and Barbaric Bulls, Yang Ling shook his head in confusion. The prey that was normally active at dawn was at its minimum. No matter how dumb they were, the Twin-legged Flying Dragon and the Barbaric Bulls would not choose to hunt at this time. If that was the case, how did they encounter each other, and why would they attack each other with such ferocity?
The Barbaric Bulls suffered heavy casualties from the Twin-legged Flying Dragon, but the Twin-legged Flying Dragon was not doing too well either. There had to be a special reason that this confrontation was happening. Barbaric Bulls would never provoke a Twin-legged Flying Dragon in the air; nor would the Twin-legged Flying Dragon be so stupid to see a hundred Barbaric Bulls as its enemy.
Yang Ling watched the situation play out from some distance, staying vigilant about his surroundings. Suddenly he noticed a strange, small tree growing at the edge of a cliff.
It had lush leaves even in winter but was otherwise unassuming. It looked like an ordinary shrub at that distance. There was a fist-sized fruit growing from the top of the tree, its color speckled red over bright green. It emanated a faint ring of red light, and a light, heady fragrance.
Oh, it’s getting redder?
Upon closer investigation, Yang Ling realized that the red glow released by the tree was brightening before his eyes. If it was like a firefly at the start, it now looked like a lit-up match, getting brighter as time went by, as if it was a charged up light bulb.
At the same time, the fragrance in the air became even thicker. Even though he was far away, Yang Ling could still feel a jolt of energy when he caught a whiff of the fragrance, as if he had just taken a mouthful of the Water from the Spring of Life.
Roar…
Lifting its head to look at the light on the horizon, a bulldozer-sized Barbaric Bull that looked like the leader of the group roared, opening its mouth as it charged toward the red fruit growing by the cliff. It seemed as if it wanted to swallow the red fruit whole, branch and all.
The leader of the Barbaric Bulls thundered straight toward the red fruit, but the Twin-legged Flying Dragon did not retreat either. After letting out a sharp cry, it dived downward, straight toward the weak head of the Barbaric Bull…
Oh, so that’s what’s going on!
Looking at the leader of the Barbaric Bulls charge forward with abandon, and the Twin-legged Flying Dragon that charged after it, then looking at the fruit that continued to redden, Yang Ling finally understood.
Even though he did not know what uses the red fruit had, it was obvious that it was a rare treasure of Mother Nature. Otherwise, the Barbaric Bulls and the Twin-legged Flying Dragon would not be fighting with their lives, not giving up on the fruit despite their casualties!
Yang Ling decided that it would be a waste if he were to miss out on this treasure!
Yang Ling quickly summoned his Magical Beast army, instructing them to take formation. The Twin-legged Flying Dragon was powerful, but its abilities were only about equal to the Unicorn. It would not be able to do too much damage no matter how hard it tried. As for the hundred-odd Barbaric Bulls, Yang Ling believed that they would not be a match for his Magical Beast army if he planned the battle well.
After completing the necessary preparations, he took out his sharp Blood Elf Dagger, then sat and prepared to meditate. He had to have that strange red fruit, but it was not the time to strike. The most opportune moment would be when both the Twin-legged Flying Dragon and Barbaric Bulls were heavily injured, or the instant when the red fruit turned ripe!
Looking at the fruit turn increasingly redder, as the sky continued to brighten, even the Twin-legged Flying Dragon that had the upper hand for the moment got anxious. That stress was echoed in the Barbaric Bulls. After the sun rose, there would be more Magical Beasts in the forest. If it was unable to push back the Barbaric Bulls, there might be more troublesome beasts contesting it later!
The Twin-legged Flying Dragon was getting increasingly anxious, while the leader of the Barbaric Bulls could not wait any longer. It ordered the group of Barbaric Bulls to charge, covering it as it hurried to the cliff’s edge. Unfortunately, every time it was about to consume the red fruit, it had no choice but to retreat from the attacks of the Twin-legged Flying Dragon. Their heads were the only weakness the Barbaric Beasts had. If they were going to be crushed by the claws of the Flying Dragon, then consuming the red fruit would be meaningless.
The opponents repeated this action several times, the Barbaric Bulls crowding in toward the fruit, and the Twin-Legged Flying Dragon chasing them off. At the same time, no matter how powerful its attacks were, the Flying Dragon was unable to completely defeat the Barbaric Bulls and their thick hides. It could consume the fruit that was not quite ripe and leave quickly, but it was unwilling to waste all of its efforts unless it was absolutely necessary.
Roar…
After some time in heated battle, just as the sun was about to rise, the fruit had turned completely red and released a thick wave of fragrance. The leader of the Barbaric Bulls could hold it in no longer. It instructed a few of the Barbaric Bulls to distract the Flying Dragon, then let out a roar as it hurried toward the red fruit, not caring what might happen.
At the critical moment, seeing the worsening situation, the Twin-legged Flying Dragon charged the lead bull, opening its mouth to spit poison, its sharp claws swinging toward the Bulls. It paid no attention to the other Barbaric Bull that stood tall, piercing its sharp horn toward its abdomen.
Great, injure each other! Yang Ling thought, pleased.
Seeing that the red fruit had fully matured, seeing the Twin-legged Flying Dragon and the leader of the Barbaric Bulls that were about to be heavily injured, Yang Ling smiled. He took a deep breath, then vanished into thin air, teleporting using his Earth Evasion Technique straight toward the red fruit that seemed to have received the blessings of Mother Nature.
