Chapter 134: The Torment of Miasma.
Skipping the trash talk, Jié Jié unleashed a trio of Dragon Charges without restraint, plowing Hōng Lóng into the ground.
Even so, Hōng Lóng still had enough strength to struggle and managed to stand up using the momentum from being knocked over for the last time.
But what awaited him next was Jié Jié’s belated greeting.
Purple mist swirling fireballs were continuously spewed from the mouth of the Spiny Dragon, exploding on Hōng Lóng’s body, making it tremble. The remaining intense poison continued to erode its body.
Despite repeated setbacks, the absolute powerhouse before him, which had suddenly turned from prey to adversary, took bold steps and charged towards Jié Jié.
Seeing Hōng Lóng charge with a Dragon Charge, the humanoid face of the Spiny Dragon grinned. With blood surging through its veins, after a brief pause, its stamina and explosive power were somewhat restored.
In other words, it could charge again!
This time is different! Let’s go head-to-head with Hōng Lóng once more!
Though they were both of the Flying Dragon kind, neither chose to elegantly dogfight in the high altitudes but instead opted for the most primitive and brutal method of colliding on the ground.
The wide square head met the sharp horned head.
With a tremendous roar, the longer-necked Hōng Lóng’s head was knocked askew, and its cheek was struck, leaving a mark that pierced through to create a wound.
But it was just a scratch; where on Hōng Lóng’s body weren’t there worse wounds than on its face?
Compared to the straightforward Dragon Charge of the Spiny Dragon, Hōng Lóng’s Dragon Charge was more flexible. After being knocked off course, it switched to a side angle, attempting to crush Jié Jié’s body.
Even though the impact force caused its skin to be sliced open by the Spiny Dragon’s spines, and the wing membrane of its foreclaws was torn apart by the spikes on Jié Jié’s wingtips,
Neither dragon fell after the first collision but grazed each other’s bodies, causing them to pass by each other. At the same moment, they both turned around and charged at each other again.
Hōng Lóng’s drift and turn speed was faster than the Spiny Dragon’s, retaining its previous momentum and even causing Jié Jié to stumble.
“Grunt~”
Hōng Lóng, having been injured by the spikes again, panted as it retreated, trying to see clearly what it was fighting against.
A male Fire Dragon transformed from anger?
Seeing Hōng Lóng retreat slightly and then charge again, Jié Jié used the stumble to his advantage, turning and swinging his spiky tail hammer.
The tail hammer powerfully smashed onto Hōng Lóng’s head, directly ruining its jump momentum and causing it to fall to the ground.
Without allowing it to rise again, Jié Jié flapped his wings and jumped, stomping heavily on Hōng Lóng’s head.
One stomp, two stomps.
Hōng Lóng’s head was even stomped into its flesh and sinews, bleeding profusely from the eyelids, quickly entering a state of near death.
But the Spiny Dragon’s trampling wasn’t over yet. The master of the Tree Sea danced on the body of the absolute powerhouse, leaping up at the last moment.
A purple sun rose from the abyss, falling upon Hōng Lóng. The already shaking skeleton of the Snake King Dragon trembled even more under the continuous trampling.
The flames that exploded destroyed the flesh and sinews that formed the path, and Hōng Lóng’s corpse slid down through the gaps in the skeleton.
Having expended too much energy from the leap and subsequent breath weapon, Jié Jié plummeted, only to pull himself back up from the abyss just in time to see Hōng Lóng falling downward.
Perhaps due to the oxygen content in the Valley of Miasma being lower than on the surface, after such an exhausting battle, Jié Jié simply relaxed and plummeted rapidly alongside Hōng Lóng’s corpse.
The Spiny Dragon closed its eyes as it fell, controlling the wind pressure with its mind, pulling down the curtain of the Dragon Roll during the descent.
The landing was hard, but thankfully manageable.
After all, Hōng Lóng’s corpse couldn’t get any harder now, lying limp and broken on the ground.
“It seems one shouldn’t fight too intensely in the Valley of Miasma…”
Jié Jié was still panting, the intimidating red glow on his shell having faded.
Defeating the bacteria and diseases in the miasma doesn’t mean completely eliminating its negative effects. What’s truly terrifying is the constant microscopic damage these microorganisms cause to your body until you’re injured once and fall seriously ill.
Aside from the persistent damage from bacteria and microorganisms, the oxygen content in the miasma environment seemed lower than on the surface, which isn’t friendly for large monsters that consume a lot of energy during movement.
And this deep environment was particularly taxing for the Spiny Dragon.
This place seemed to only suit old dragons nearing death…
Or life that grew up in the Valley of Miasma.
The Spiny Dragon’s body contracted, its shell becoming full of wrinkles, eventually forming blocks of red, grotesque muscle.
Jié Jié took a deep breath.
Indeed, in the Grim Claw Dragon state, things were much better. The hardened muscles throughout his body didn’t require as much oxygen.
It’s just this nearsighted vision… It’s tough to handle. This is probably the main reason for the Flathead Monkey’s condition.
Abandoning the poor vision, he relied on his sense of smell to find Hōng Lóng’s corpse and began feeding.
He could still see clearly when he got close, so he didn’t have to worry about accidentally eating nearby meat that had been pickled who knows how long ago.
As materials were reabsorbed, the ferocious cracks on the Hōng Lóng Totem gradually closed.
When the Dragon Gem was swallowed, the cracks on the Hōng Lóng Totem disappeared entirely, signifying the rebirth of the barbarian.
Shedding the terrible vision, the returned powerhouse deeply inhaled—
Uncomfortable, not at all comfortable.
For Hōng Lóng, enduring the harsh environment of the Valley of Miasma purely through physical strength and specialized lungs was uncomfortable no matter what.
To feel more comfortable, one would have to sacrifice clear vision, and to become stronger, one would have to pay a price. It’s like the opposite of heavy crossbows and super critical hits.
Are there any other options?
Since he was going to fight the Corpse Suit Dragon, even if it was an Ancient Dragon’s Shame, it was still an Ancient Dragon, at least he needed to prepare adequately against the miasma before heading out.
Jié Jié first transformed into a Fire Dragon. Fire Dragons can endure the thin oxygen at high altitudes, not much of an issue, but their tolerance to miasma isn’t very high.
Being in the upper part of the Valley of Miasma with the Spiny Dragon was fine, but when reaching the lower levels, some discomfort arose.
Then, he chose to transform into a Slaying Dragon.
The Slaying Dragon deeply inhaled. Alright, the strong Beasts Dragons need even more oxygen support during activities, forcing them to absorb excessive resistance. He also wanted to reference the Sulfur Slaying Dragon sub-species.
However, the birth of a sub-species adapted to the current environment isn’t something that happens overnight; it requires a long time to adapt and integrate.
Since the Sulfur Slaying Dragon couldn’t serve as a reference, he decided to become one. Hōng Lóng could endure it, though the Dragon Charge might be fast, it still can’t match the speed of flying.
Both the Sulfur Slaying Dragon and the Corpse Suit Dragon need to be found, and in the complex terrain of the Valley of Miasma, it wasn’t very convenient.
He carefully examined every single Totem on the walls of the Dream Space, pausing slightly on the silver mulberry.
