Chapter 286: The Gigantic Dragon Person.
The Black-Clothed Dragon Person strolled upon the volcano, striding past the graveyard of Strike Dragon Guns and channels carved by scars.
Gradually, the Volcano shed the hues of Tempered Black Dragons, transforming into ghastly white monoliths that appeared as if they’d crumble at the slightest touch.
Even if there were ten righteous ones, He would not destroy that city.
If there was but one righteous person, he could aid them to escape this place.
But…
Jié Jié couldn’t help himself and lowered his flight altitude, even though it also slowed down his speed.
Although the Earth is round, getting closer to the inner circle doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll reach your destination faster.
He truly still wished to see a streak of green emerge from the molten ground.
In reality, he thought the armored dragon he had encountered earlier was more miraculous than emerald grass.
One cannot deny the present while heading towards death, for all life marches toward its end. Time treats everyone equally, regardless of how much has been used.
Before the final battle, the people of Dongduoluma evacuated towards Poké Village, but could they survive with their civilization intact?
The annihilation brought by the Tempered Black Dragon wasn’t limited to volcanoes and lava fields; it was the shifting of the Earth’s crust itself, making mountains no longer seem like mountains and seas no longer seem like seas. The planet’s blood surged across the surface in rivers.
In the direction approaching the snow mountain, even a slight decrease in scorching heat would be welcome.
Flying through this world of destruction, the monotonous scenery seemed to erode Jie Jie’s vitality, pulling him further into this desolate realm.
Not wanting to be absorbed into this world, he could only pass the time on his journey with endless random thoughts.
Jie Jie ascended then descended again, discovering a rare burst of vibrant color.
However, it didn’t signify life but instead marked the demise of Dragon Crystals, signaling that even Ancient Dragons met their end under the blood-red skies.
Aside from the colors of Dragon Crystals, occasionally he could spot some ruins abandoned by humanity.
As he moved further away from the world’s core, Jié Jié became increasingly careless, until during a boring dive towards the ground, he spotted an unexpected brown hue.
Shriveled leaves, thin branches resembling wilting twigs, yet they lived, bearing dried seed pods—a testament to resilience.
Jié Jié looked curiously at this twig, now unwilling to fly low, fearing his wind pressure might snap such fragile life.
It hadn’t distanced itself from magma and lava but instead rooted itself amidst volcanic debris.
Faraway skies swirled with countless black plumes, likely smoke clouds expelled from nearby volcanoes. He once fantasized about finding signs of human habitation among these volcanic clouds, but investigations left him disappointed.
The toxins within those dark clouds weren’t something human bodies could endure.
Yet, as the horizon drew closer, what entered Jié Jié’s line of sight wasn’t another volcano but clusters of man-made structures.
They surrounded the volcanoes instead.
Built from broken ruins, no matter how ruined they were, he saw disordered rubble being painstakingly arranged into order.
Productivity declined with the world’s destruction, and technological capabilities were lost with the fall of cities. But humanity continued to strive toward civilization.
A Fire Dragon soared into the clouds while Flying Pterosaurs dipped lower to observe.
These villages nestled beneath dormant volcanoes, perfectly positioned between them.
Perhaps they couldn’t find unscathed patches of earth anymore, but they could still locate healed scars to establish roots.
Such wounds wouldn’t bleed, indicating that this land still possessed some self-healing ability.
Civilization persisted; remnants of cold from ancient snow mountains remained, balancing against the residual heat of the Tempered Black Dragon.
Volcanic ash and stones crushed into powder mixed with water drawn from wells, forming mud nurturing seeds sprouting from the soil. People bore scars just like this unfortunate land.
A gaze from the ground locked onto the airborne Flying Pterosaur. Following that gaze, Jié Jié noticed an exceptionally conspicuous elderly Dragon Person.
Why so noticeable? His size far exceeded that of a regular old Dragon Person.
An ordinary elder Dragon Person only reached his knee, whereas humans barely came up to his ankle.
Despite his towering height, apart from his prominent forehead, he perfectly fit the shrunken physique of an aged Dragon Person. It was hard to imagine how colossal he must have been in his youth.
Giant Dragon People, a branch of the Dragon People Tribe, distinguished themselves solely by their immense size.
The only elderly Giant Dragon Person Jié Jié remembered was the Great Elder who presided over the Great Elder Hall in Dongduoluma.
No massive blades meant for cutting old dragons were found on the battlefield, nor did memory fragments reveal him there.
From an age perspective, perhaps the elderly Dragon Person was frail and should have retreated.
But as a martial ruler with experience hunting Old Mountain Dragons, retreating alongside others would have been shameful for the Great Elder.
The Great Elder before him had shaved off his long eyebrows and beard. His once-smooth skin, cracked and sun-darkened under high temperatures, exuded both vigor and weariness.
Seated at the village entrance without armor, merely wrapped in cloth, he resembled any farmer, gazing skyward at the Flying Pterosaur while contemplating stones.
Lifting his arm, his sharp gaze locked onto Jié Jié like a beam, ready to launch the stone at any moment.
Unlike the chaotic calculations of monster Breath Weapons, this was seasoned expertise honed through years of practice.
He considered himself prey, rare prey in this shattered world.
Jié Jié pondered whether he should communicate with the Great Elder and how best to do so, believing the elder could resolve some of his doubts.
Should he delve into dreams or be straightforward?
“Whoosh.”
During his musings, the stone already hurtled toward him at breakneck speed.
With a gust of wind, the stone veered off course, and Jié Jié circled in the air, flying aside to lure the elder elsewhere.
“You rest easy, leave it to me.”
A hunter walked out from the village carrying a large beetle, bare-chested, his body gleaming with sweat. Raising his head, his sharp senses locked onto the Winged Dragon.
Drawing an arrow, he pulled back a short bow—not proper hunting equipment—and aimed to bring down the airborne creature.
Seeing the thick meat on the Winged Dragon’s chest and thighs for the first time, the hunter’s mouth watered.
Still, every arrow missed, as if the wind conspired against him, protecting the Winged Dragon.
Despite being attacked, the Winged Dragon remained unperturbed, continuing to hover.
Two broad fingers pressed down on the hunter’s shoulder as the Giant Dragon Person rose from his seat, glaring fiercely at the airborne Flying Pterosaur.
“It’s the wind pressure.”
Chapter 287…
