Chapter 14: Frustration
The massive Ancient Tree loomed ever closer. As more details came into view, Jiē Jié could only marvel at nature’s divine craftsmanship.
Looking down, the floating roots of the Giant Tree intertwined with undulating mountain ridges, soil covering those ancient roots, allowing emerald green to spread across them.
Numerous trees entangled with the giant tree’s roots, their crisscrossing forms supporting surrounding hills, forming spacious tree hollows beneath for Large Monsters to traverse.
Upon closer inspection, even the Ancient Tree itself seemed to be a product of many trees intertwining and growing together.
The only regret was that compared to the divine trees of mythology, the Ancient Tree’s crown wasn’t neat or beautiful, but it was this very imperfection that gave it its natural charm.
How could trees in nature grow round and straight? Beautifully shaped trees are mostly man-made.
Jiē Jié began spiraling upwards around the Ancient Tree in flight, but even after flying for quite some time, he had barely completed one circle.
And after this single loop, the majesty of the Ancient Tree left him at a loss for words.
Perhaps due to the accumulation of dirt between the fingers of large monsters over time, or the stacking of abandoned nests, the branches extending from the Ancient Tree’s trunk always had platforms suitable for habitation. Some platforms even led to gaps formed by the interweaving of trees, leading deep into the Ancient Tree.
These platforms were nests for flying monsters.
There were many nests, but most seemed unoccupied. Jiē Jié chose one and landed quietly on it, admiring the scenery of the Ancient Tree Forest.
This tranquility didn’t last long as dragon roars from afar grew increasingly closer.
It was a provocation.
Jiē Jié looked in the direction of the roar and saw a rather large Male Fire Dragon flying towards him.
This Male Fire Dragon had dark red armor and was covered in scars, with terrifying claw marks on its wings that spanned the entire wing membrane.
So this was the lord of this area, seemingly even an experienced veteran?
Jiē Jié thought blankly as the Male Fire Dragon opened its mouth, spewing out a massive fireball, clearly intending to flatten both Jiē Jié and the nest.
The Black Wolf Bird leapt into the air just in time, the fireball exploding on the nest below him. The heat rose with the wind, baking his abdomen.
This visitor meant no good. A burst of scorching energy filled his mouth from the Flame Bag, and with a flick of his tongue, a fiery ball shot towards the Male Fire Dragon.
The Male Fire Dragon flapped its wings to ascend, easily dodging it, then charged towards Jiē Jié while roaring, initiating a dogfight.
As kings of the sky, Fire Dragons have only lost aerial combat to Electric Dragons and Thousand Blade Dragons.
Having already realized his shortcomings during a previous dogfight with another Black Wolf Bird, Jiē Jié had no intention of engaging in another one with it.
He merely gathered fireballs, planning to unleash one when it got close.
The explosion of the fireball pushed them apart, but before Jiē Jié could retreat, he saw the Male Fire Dragon spinning its body through the flames and charging at him again.
Its chest slammed directly into Jiē Jié, pushing him into the tree trunk.
“Bang!”
The hard carapace of the Black Wolf Bird resisted slashes and stabs but not blunt impacts. He felt like all his bones were about to fall apart.
“Roar!”
The Male Fire Dragon didn’t stop its attack because of Jiē Jié’s pain; instead, it bit toward Jiē Jié’s wings, tearing and pressing him down, clearly aiming to strip away his mobility first — a seasoned veteran of aerial combat.
“You motherfu—”
A torn scream escaped from between Jiē Jié’s beak as he retaliated.
The Black Wolf Bird launched a swift peck at the Fire Dragon’s neck, striking three times, causing chunks of flesh and shell to fly off the Fire Dragon’s neck. Only then did the Male Fire Dragon react, attempting to bite Jiē Jié’s neck.
Despite the pain in his wing bones and the sight of the Blood-filled Mouth approaching, Jiē Jié pecked the Fire Dragon right on its forehead.
The Male Fire Dragon’s head recoiled in pain, and Jiē Jié swung his wings, trying to flip over and wall-slam the opponent. However, the Fire Dragon’s wings were far larger than the Black Wolf Bird’s, creating a much stronger force.
Though unsuccessful, Jiē Jié managed to break free from the disadvantageous position, grabbing the Male Fire Dragon and falling downward.
Fire Dragons have the habit of dropping prey from the sky during battles, and this experienced Male Fire Dragon decisively shook off the Black Wolf Bird with a flick of its claws, even exerting extra force to increase Jiē Jié’s descent speed.
One of Jiē Jié’s wings had been rendered useless from the earlier biting, losing the ability to soothe his beloved little wife. He could only watch as the ground drew nearer, but he wasn’t without results.
The body of the Black Wolf Bird fell into the forest, transforming instantly into a tiny Hairy Spider as leaves fluttered down, landing safely.
The Hairy Spider, with two broken legs, immediately inflated and transformed back into the Black Wolf Bird, using its robust physique to withstand the descending fireball from above.
“Roar! (Black Wolf Bird curse)”
Jiē Jié roared, the searing pain throughout his body fueling his anger, yet under the anger, he remained unusually calm.
Flying monsters from outside like himself wouldn’t be few, and this Male Fire Dragon, as the brilliant ruler of the Ancient Tree, must have faced countless challenges. It still stood here undefeated, proving its undeniable strength.
“Roar!”
The Male Fire Dragon responded with a roar, its gaze fixed on Jiē Jié, ready to drive him further away.
“Hum.”
Irate white vapor spewed from the dual holes atop the Black Wolf Bird’s beak as Jiē Jié silently turned and entered the unfamiliar forest.
He would return, and his immediate goal for strengthening himself would be set on this Male Fire Dragon.
The roots of the Ancient Tree emitted a faint water vapor. Jiē Jié took a deep breath, hoping to suppress the burning pain throughout his body and the frustration in his heart, but to little effect.
He simply dragged his wings toward the direction of the denser water vapor, arriving at a fairly large lake where a thick root of the Ancient Tree pierced through the waters.
It was quiet here. Looking toward the source of the lake, there lay a Flooded Forest unseen in the game.
Walking along the lakeside, the claw marks on the ground and the sticky residue on the stone walls indicated that this territory also had an owner, but Jiē Jié wasn’t afraid.
Although the Black Wolf Bird might lack aerial combat prowess, it held dominance over Fire Dragons on land.
He lowered his head, opening his beak and inserting it into the muddy ground by the lake, using his tongue to expel sand and mud through the gaps in his beak, leaving behind fish and crabs crawling inside his mouth.
Once swallowed, they wouldn’t crawl anymore.
After shoveling a few more mouthfuls of sand to fill his belly, Jiē Jié waded into the lake, burying himself in the mud to relieve the burning pain throughout his body.
When the pain subsided somewhat, he splashed to the middle of the lake onto a tree root, shaking off droplets. While resting, he waited for the region’s ruler to come looking for him.
Forced to retreat twice in such a short day…he needed to vent.
Jiē Jié opened his eyes, exhaling a hot breath, with the Flame Bag continuously stirring hot waves in his throat.
When the pain became too intense, he moved to the lower part of the tree root, dipping his head to take a sip of the cool lake water.
