Chapter 184: Tug-of-War.
No person or monster came to wake Jié Jié; in the end, it was the Fire Dragon that nudged him awake. The sky remained dim.
To cope with various dangers, monsters always slept lightly, while Jié Jié would sleep longer even when not in Spiny Dragon form.
Being able to sleep longer was the greatest wish for a new world and a new life!
He pressed down the rising Fire Dragon with his wings, signaling them to keep sleeping, then naturally collapsed back down, falling asleep without a care for appearances.
The Fire Dragons stared at each other, Wooden Ladle and Basin stood before drifting off again, leaving Porcelain Bowl to look around aimlessly.
Upon realizing there was no immediate threat nearby, it too fell asleep.
Under the usual sun and amidst the somewhat noisy play of the Fire Dragons, Jié Jié finally woke up. After stretching his wings, he flew into the sky and determined their next direction through play, heading towards the Ancient Tree.
As an ambitious Fire Dragon, the place Iron Pot would most likely go is near the Ancient Tree where competition pressure is great.
The presence of gathered Fire Dragons who hadn’t yet fought was strong, and the usually lively Ancient Tree became unusually quiet.
Monsters all left the skies, hiding in narrow corners unfavorable to Flying Dragons.
It felt eerily silent.
While circling the Ancient Tree, the sharp gaze of the Fire Dragon swept over, observing the activities of the current monsters.
Young Black Wolf Birds hid among the trees observing the Fire Dragons, while Flying Thunder Dragons quietly left their open nests to ambush.
The family of Fire Dragons perched on the tree canopy seemed to know about the tragedies of their predecessors and did not come to assert dominance.
There were subtle glances, but the surrounding monsters were familiar tribes.
After two days of activity around the Ancient Tree, finally, a Fire Dragon rose from the forest beneath the tree roots and flew towards them.
No words were needed; the recently healed wounds on its wings and its unsteady flight spoke volumes. Flight ability has always been the pride of Fire Dragons.
Perhaps it had seen them in the sky long ago but only dared to emerge after regaining its ability to fly.
Iron Pot hung his head, clearly hurt by the sight of his fellow Fire Dragons flying smoothly.
“Roar～”
Lifting its wings towards them, it appeared nervous, or perhaps wary due to the intense competitive environment.
Compared to the impression in its mind, the Fire Dragon before it was much larger. Its challenge was dissolved by the wind pressure generated from the wings as it approached.
After stabilizing itself from the uncontrollable swirling air currents, it realized that following this airflow made flying easier and more convenient.
Looking at the agile flight postures of its siblings in the air, it gained some understanding.
Jié Jié circled around Iron Pot, scanning the many scars on the body of this most combative child.
Under the familiar gaze, Iron Pot gradually relaxed, raising its head proudly to display these medals.
The wind brushed past its head, it was Jié Jié gliding past it sideways, his wingtip accurately brushing just above its head, making it bewilderedly shrink back.
At such close proximity, it couldn’t feel any disruptive airflow.
It was like a giant walking past without footsteps, ghost-like.
The flapping of its wings gradually slowed as it realized Jié Jié’s airflow had been supporting it all along.
Just like when they were little, and he carried them during flights.
“Roar!”
Jié Jié roared as he spun his body in front of the group of Fire Dragons.
The wind pressure generated by waving his wings spread again, forming an airflow that facilitated the Fire Dragons behind him.
The direction of this airflow was away from the Ancient Tree.
Could the highest nest of the Ancient Tree be more tempting than an invitation from father?
Speaking of father and mother roles,
Fire Dragons actually find it hard to determine exactly what role Jié Jié plays within the family.
Generally, newborn monsters first recognize their mother guarding the nest, then understand the concept of father through the interactions between male and female Fire Dragons.
Initially, even when a female Fire Dragon transforms into a male, its recognition in their eyes remains as mother.
Until gaining more experience during growth and entering sexual maturity, Jié Jié’s role becomes somewhat blurred.
So, is he mother or father?
Iron Pot chased ahead, judging by color and smell, it must be father.
There are many doubts about father, because in its struggles with other monsters for territory, it found that no monster could transform into another.
Confusion fosters wisdom, and the four Fire Dragons, having seen much since childhood, possess higher intelligence and emotional responsiveness.
Without any lingering attachment, they left all the Fire Dragons behind, fully approaching the Ancient Tree visible from the horizon.
They headed east but didn’t cross the Grand Canyon, instead flying along it towards the Giant Ant Hill Wasteland, circling around the southern half of the Coral Land Plateau.
The ascending air currents of the Grand Canyon were comfortable, gathering many Fragrant Winged Dragons and Flying Pterosaurs.
Besides Winged Dragons, there were also some elderly Wind Drift Dragons here causing trouble. A single fireball could send them plummeting into the Grand Canyon.
These Wind Drift Dragons willingly offered themselves, providing combat experience for the Fire Dragons.
The cold air currents with dancing icicles weren’t concentrated enough. The elderly Wind Drift Dragons, though more ferocious, were also more powerless, one by one falling into the air, prematurely heading towards the Valley of Miasma, known as the Dragon Graveyard.
“Roar roar roar!”
Some roars echoed from the canyon below, those were Grim Claw Dragons climbing upwards from the Valley of Miasma.
Flathead Monkey confidently and gracefully pounced towards the falling Wind Drift Dragon, holding it in its mouth while clawing onto the rock wall, carefully searching for a rock cave to eat in.
Iron Pot chasing the falling Wind Drift Dragon downwards clearly wanted to argue with the Grim Claw Dragon, spitting a fireball towards the rock wall.
Using the dying Wind Drift Dragon in its mouth to block the fireball, the Grim Claw Dragon struck the rock wall with its tail, forcefully jumping towards the nearest rock layer.
It tucked its body into the crack in the rock layer, using the corpse of the Wind Drift Dragon to block the entrance.
“Roar!”
The Male Fire Dragon let out an excited roar, directly pouncing on the Wind Drift Dragon corpse on the rock wall. Grabbing it with its claws, it started a tug-of-war with the Grim Claw Dragon hidden in the rock crevice.
From the gap where the Wind Drift Dragon was pulled out, it could be seen that the Grim Claw Dragon tightly bit onto the neck of the Wind Drift Dragon, all four pairs of claws fully spread, firmly gripping the rock wall.
“Hmmrrr～”
“Roar!!!”
A threatening sound came from the throat of the Grim Claw Dragon, but Iron Pot responded with an excited roar.
In this tug-of-war, the claws of the Grim Claw Dragon bent into unimaginable angles, and Iron Pot’s wings hit the rock wall.
And the Wind Drift Dragon corpse in the middle, serving as the rope, emitted the sound of flesh being torn apart.
Chapter 185
