Chapter 113: Poison Demon Bird and Golden Lion, Territory Dispute.
The Spiny Dragon plummeted heavily from the air, scattering the remains of the Fire Dragon’s skeleton that lay broken on the ground with a gust of wind pressure.
Signs of human activity were evident on the Fire Dragon’s carcass, along with footprints embedded in the soil.
They had been here, and they had taken some materials.
However, after collecting their loot, the footprints didn’t lead back the way they came. Instead, they stretched toward the Ancient Tree.
The Spiny Dragon flapped its wings, soaring through the forest until it finally found the hunters observing the Poison Demon Bird.
It seemed they had just discovered this strange creature, cautiously inching closer for observation.
But the Poison Demon Bird was an alert monster, possessing exceptional senses. As the Team Leader approached, the likelihood of being detected skyrocketed rapidly.
They hid in the lush underbrush nearby, but the rustling sounds made as their bodies brushed against the foliage alerted the Poison Demon Bird. It raised its head warily, locking eyes with the Team Leader through the bushes.
With its elongated tongue, the Poison Demon Bird plucked a cluster of Flying Gravel Fruits, munching on them while inching closer to the bush.
This new and mysterious human species clearly intrigued the Poison Demon Bird, sparking the curiosity of the Avial classification.
Seeing this unknown Flying Dragon approach, the Team Leader realized instantly that his cover was blown. He stared through the thicket at the Poison Demon Bird and began retreating slowly.
The “rustling” sound grew louder as his body rubbed against the shrubbery.
As the Team Leader retreated, the Poison Demon Bird advanced with larger strides, extending its tongue—still coated with bits of Flying Gravel Fruit—and prodded cautiously toward him.
Blond Man watched in disgust as the long tongue, dripping with nasty food remnants and saliva, neared him. His face twisted into an expression of revulsion.
Unexpectedly, either the Poison Demon Bird understood his sudden change in expression or got startled by it, halting its steps momentarily before its tongue shot out abruptly, aiming straight for the hunter.
A few droplets of saliva splattered harmlessly aside as the Team Leader swiftly dodged, revealing his imposing physique which looked battle-ready.
“Roar!”
The Poison Demon Bird flicked its tongue around, opening its mouth wide to emit a roar not particularly loud.
It was about to begin! The famous territory dispute! The Poison Demon Bird launched a territorial challenge against the Golden Lion!
Jié Jié lifted his head sharply from his feathers, staring intently at the scene.
Surprisingly, the hunter did not suppress the Poison Demon Bird like he had done with the Great Thief Dragon. Instead, he opted for a conservative strategy, choosing to dodge.
He was studying the Poison Demon Bird.
Upon reflection, the Poison Demon Bird first appeared in the New Continent, meaning it lacked any recorded sightings on the Original Continent, much like the Thief Dragon family.
Compared to the Thief Dragons, whose numbers were significant and features easily identifiable, the Poison Demon Bird held far more intriguing mysteries.
Without the characteristic beak of an Avial, the Team Leader guessed it would be classified as a Flying Dragon. Otherwise, with its mere ten-meter stature, he might have assumed it belonged to the Avial category.
This unknown creature needed to be observed alive to gather more information, ideally from hiding in the shadows.
The Team Leader only dodged, refraining from counterattacking, signaling Shān Máo not to intervene.
Since covert observation wasn’t possible, then observing during combat would suffice.
Its primary method of attack was its tongue, capable of spitting poison.
Once the food residue was cleared, the pink tongue appeared somewhat adorable, though he still didn’t want it licking him.
The Team Leader slid gracefully, avoiding the poison ejected from the tongue and maneuvered behind the Poison Demon Bird via its wings.
Its wings were green, supported by four thin bones, clearly unsuited for extended flight.
The Poison Demon Bird’s slender tail thrashed wildly behind it, but it was firmly grabbed by the man resembling a Golden Lion, who examined it closely.
The tail was tube-like, adorned with vibrant ring patterns, highly elastic, and ended in a small hollow hammer.
“Erer!”
Realizing its tail had been seized, the Poison Demon Bird let out a shriek. The Team Leader noticed the tail swelling rapidly from the base.
A large amount of purple gas erupted from the hollow end, quickly spreading and staining the area.
It was poisonous.
But not very potent, merely causing him to cough twice without feeling weakened.
Holding onto the wriggling poison tail, the Team Leader gripped the tip tightly, pinching it like holding a balloon to prevent it from deflating.
Unable to release the gas, the Poison Demon Bird’s tail expanded to its maximum capacity before stopping.
“Hey, my turn now!”
Despite saying so, the Team Leader’s actions lacked aggression. He simply turned his back, hoisting the tail over his shoulder as if carrying a sack.
Exerting strength with one arm, he took a step forward.
The still enormous Poison Demon Bird was dragged onto the ground by its tail, flapping its wings furiously in resistance.
Using just one arm, the beast struggled futilely. When both hands gripped together, the heavy body of the Poison Demon Bird carved curved grooves into the earth as it was dragged.
As the muscles in the Team Leader’s arms bulged, the Poison Demon Bird was swung forcefully away.
“Not too heavy, definitely lighter than the Red Armored Beast.”
He had once, with a victorious grin and no traps available, carried a struggling Red Armored Beast back to camp to complete his task.
“Gwa!!”
Whoa!
Jié Jié, perched on a tree branch, widened his eyes in astonishment, squawking loudly.
Grabbing the Poison Demon Bird’s tail, hoisting it over his shoulder, and flinging it away—how was that any different from a Golden Lion?!
Thrown off, the Poison Demon Bird seemed utterly terrified. The harrowing experience of being dragged helplessly across the ground left deep psychological scars. Parts of its skin turned gray with fear, releasing stored purple gas like smoke bombs, enveloping itself in a cloud.
The Poison Demon Bird fled hastily.
“Phew, finally gone.”
The blond man smiled triumphantly, accepting an antidote from his companion and swallowing it in one gulp.
Then, he sprinted in the direction the Poison Demon Bird had fled.
This time, he’d hide properly and ensure not to be discovered again!
