Chapter 267

Chapter 267: The Fleet Retreats.

Jie Jie had initially transformed into a Míng Dēng Lóng and hovered in the sky for a while.

But upon realizing that the hunters could only repair the scales of the Spirit Mountain Dragon and clear sand off its body, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

He still had to create opportunities himself.

If the Spirit Mountain Dragon ran at the sight of the Míng Dēng Lóng, he would first weaken it in another form, seeing if the Restraining Crossbow and Strike Dragon Gun could restrain the Spirit Mountain Dragon.

He began clawing at the wounds he created while in Míng Dēng Lóng form, expanding them.

“Hmm?”

A cannonball hit his wing, shattering the fragile white thorns.

“Wow!”

The gunner cheered, believing he had caused effective damage, as damaging the wings of a flying monster was quite an achievement!

But in the next second, he saw the spikes on the unknown Ancient Dragon’s wings regenerate, longer and thicker.

“How is this possible?”

The hunters who witnessed this were all shocked.

Even nails take ten days to a month to regrow! What kind of speed is this?!

An arrow emitting a strong smell shot from the Fēng Shān Márón, accurately hitting the connection between the monster’s tail and wing. This position, based on observations of the monster’s structure, was one the monster couldn’t easily touch itself.

This was the arrow using a dye ball.

The dye ball was a tool used during the preparatory phase with monsters, capable of attaching a strong scent to help hunters identify and track the monster.

It was originally prepared for an unknown super-large Ancient Dragon, useful for later tracking and observation. Even though it was used on the current unknown Ancient Dragon, it wasn’t a waste.

Jie Jie also noticed the strong smell he was now emitting. After some guesswork, he understood what had happened, but there was no way to remove it on-site, so he could only pay attention afterward.

The hunters’ bombardment with crossbows and cannons was expected, but most of the firepower was still concentrated on the Spirit Mountain Dragon, which was fine.

Until the Chief Hunter ran up to him, raising his swordaxe in stance.

Unfamiliar.

Jie Jie slapped with a claw, thinking he’d send the hunter flying, but didn’t expect the hunter to slide step and shoulder charge against his axe, narrowly avoiding the claw.

“Bang!”

The swordaxe swung from the side, breaking several spines on the arm but failing to cut through the resilient scales.

“How can you use your swordaxe like a greatsword?”

Seeing the hunter dart to his blind spot below, Jie Jie dragged his claw back.

Even with timely dodging, the hunter was still grazed across half his body, staggering as he climbed back up, seeing the unknown monster swing another claw.

The heavy swordaxe was raised like a shield, blocking the attack as the hunter slid to adjust his position but was inevitably thrown back.

The hunter staggered, grabbing onto a protrusion on the Spirit Mountain Dragon’s back to avoid falling directly to the ground.

Despite the strong defense of the Peak Mountain Dragon set, he still felt wetness on his chest.

Looking down slightly, he saw his chest armor torn apart, blood flowing uncontrollably from the wound, taking his stamina with it.

No time for surprise, he gulped down a recovery potion, swinging his arm back to return to the Spirit Mountain Dragon’s back.

After seeing the Chief Hunter get repelled, the hunters on the sand ships intensified their attacks on the unknown Ancient Dragon, transferring their assault to the Spirit Mountain Dragon once the Chief approached again.

From both sides of the sand ships, restraining bolts were fired under orders to create opportunities for the Chief.

Like the dye bolts, experienced crossbowmen aimed for the seemingly weaker wings, but one missed due to the Spirit Mountain Dragon’s movements.

Another bolt was fired, and by then, Jie Jie was being pulled by the sand ships, trying to keep him restrained and even drag him off the Spirit Mountain Dragon.

The fortress guards had already transferred from the Fēng Shān Márón, ready to distract the falling unknown Ancient Dragon, buying time for the other sand ships.

But the monster on the Spirit Mountain Dragon’s back wasn’t dragged off by the hunters’ ships; instead, the ships were losing stability due to its pulling in its wings!

No worries, the Chief Hunter had returned to the unknown Ancient Dragon’s front. The monster was wrestling with the sand ships, needing just a break.

The hunter swung his swordaxe left and right, aiming to insert the energy-filled blade into the monster’s mouth, causing it to explode and burn.

“You want to drive me away?”

Facing the imminent explosion near his face, Jie Jie flapped his wings, tipping two sand ships over, then swiftly swiped a claw toward the hunter before him.

Thinking about it, he hadn’t dismantled the restraining bolts on the Spirit Mountain Dragon or the ships, but if this was seen as competing for prey and eliminating threats, the hunters’ actions made sense.

Still, reason must prevail!

The hunter had no choice but to change tactics mid-battle, interrupting the stored bottle explosion. The resulting impact collided with the monster’s incoming claw, sending himself flying.

“Crack!”

The hunter stumbled back, falling to the ground. His swordaxe had severely deformed, the blade shattered, forcing it back into axe form.

Seeing the Chief getting repelled twice without lasting long, the hunters on the sand ships paused their movements, preparing for the monster’s counterattack.

But the unknown Ancient Dragon ignored them and the recuperating Chief, continuing to attack the Spirit Mountain Dragon.

One stab and flick with a claw sent a piece of shell flying.

“Damn, he has no way to deal with it. Switch to observation, delay material collection.”

The bearded commander was fuming.

With the unknown Ancient Dragon sitting atop the Spirit Mountain Dragon, how could hunters have the courage to board and fight?

People won’t act without profit. Hunters dare to fight the Spirit Mountain Dragon because of the rich rewards and familiarity with its various counterattacks, keeping casualties low.

Hunting expeditions and defending villages are different scenarios; the fortress guards can’t sacrifice themselves recklessly.

Most hunters would have been killed instantly in one strike from the unknown Ancient Dragon.

Everyone saw clearly; those participating in the Harvest Festival weren’t rookies.

“I think we can just watch and collect materials.”

The adjutant pointed behind, where the rear fleet was picking up materials dropped by the unknown monster’s destruction.

And the Spirit Mountain Dragon began to riot under the unknown Ancient Dragon’s attacks. The fleet needed to increase distance.

“Let the Chief retreat. Most ships pull back. The Fēng Shān Márón maintains pursuit. Let’s see what happens next.”

The Harvest Festival could end here, but it wasn’t complete.

Noticing the hunter fleet’s retreat, Jie Jie was surprised. Viewing the hunters as another monster, he started doubting whether he had been too forceful, driving them away.

He could harm the Spirit Mountain Dragon’s flesh, but he couldn’t stop it from running away.

Chapter 268