Chapter 211: The Little Sui Long.
As he flapped his wings higher and higher after leaving the underground world, the restless little Sui Long stopped struggling and went limp. It’s probably not dead, thought Jié Jié. Without descending to check its condition, Jié Jié had already transformed into a Male Fire Dragon upon exiting the subterranean realm to avoid frightening the other fire dragons away. After wandering around the general area of the fire dragons’ activity for a while, they gathered around him.
He dropped the motionless little Sui Long on the ground, and the fire dragons, mistaking it for food, approached eagerly but were pushed away by Jié Jié’s wings. He sniffed the little dragon closely himself, confirming that it was merely unconscious from fright.
The differences between the young Sui Long and an adult were quite significant; its shell wasn’t fully formed yet, scales still clearly visible with plenty of scars too.
After showing the lifeless Sui Long around to the fire dragons, Jié Jié slightly distanced himself, using his wing to knock Iron Pot back, signaling that this wasn’t food.
Flapping his wings, he ascended skyward, ensuring the fire dragons didn’t touch or harm the little Sui Long before going off to find some food. But looking around in the air, there wasn’t a single Acid Winged Dragon in sight—usually abundant creatures now all lay dead on the ground below, frozen to death.
If not for Flame King Dragon’s Super Nova, the place might have been completely covered in frost. This calamity had turned into a barrier protecting the Dragon Crystal Land.
Still, he needed to drive Ice Curse Dragon back to the ice plains before the disaster dissipated; she couldn’t stay in the New Continent.
But if he stayed away too long, it would be hard to ensure the fire dragons wouldn’t nibble on the Sui Long. They needed to get used to each other first. Then he could search for the Ice Curse Dragon.
With the mountains as barriers, she shouldn’t rush towards the Coral Land Plateau right away… hopefully.
Jié Jié prayed briefly, picking up some Acid Winged Dragon corpses to bring back, also sharing them with the fire dragons. Even though they might’ve eaten already, fairness kept their emotions stable, making clear the small Sui Long wasn’t food.
Each fire dragon got one Acid Winged Dragon; the last one was placed in front of the little Sui Long. Jié Jié nudged the Sui Long again. A Sui Long this size could already fight against a Rushing Dragon. Throwing it onto a mountain littered with Acid Winged Dragon corpses might be better than letting it follow its mother undergoing trial at the brink.
At his prodding, the little Sui Long shakily climbed up, startled by the group of fire dragons watching it, raising its forelimbs to defend itself.
Adorable.
Jié Jié changed into Flame King Dragon in its line of sight. The nearby fire dragons, initially startled, soon regrouped around him, sniffing his new form. The little Sui Long was equally shocked, flipping backward, its slime mold exploding, taking it a while to crawl up and attempt escape.
Just then, Jié Jié pushed an Acid Winged Dragon corpse toward it with his claw. The little Sui Long leaped back, eyes fixed on the Acid Winged Dragon. Only after Jié Jié withdrew his claw did it dare pounce and tear into it.
Jié Jié looked at the fire dragons, reassured by their varied expressions—some trying to understand, others already comprehending that this little thing wasn’t food.
Watching the little Sui Long struggle to eat, Jié Jié wondered if it only ever got leftovers from its mother.
It struggled to eat, remembering the slime mold on its body, licking its fist to activate the mold, pressing it onto the Acid Winged Dragon and stepping back slightly.
The explosion startled the fire dragons again, causing the little Sui Long to leap protectively onto the exploded Acid Winged Dragon, guarding its meal.
After eating, the little Sui Long returned to a standoff with them.
Iron Pot flew off and came back with another Acid Winged Dragon, tossing it to the little Sui Long. It seemed to prefer watching the Sui Long eat rather than confront it, influencing the younger ones to mimic its behavior. However, Wooden Ladle and Basin couldn’t resist devouring the Acid Winged Dragons they brought back.
Jié Jié nodded approvingly, extending his claw toward the little Sui Long. Protective of its food, its body trembled slightly, but it chose to safeguard the food over itself, allowing Jié Jié to gently stroke it.
Despite the rough exterior, the Flame King Dragon’s claws had thick pads underneath.
After observing it eat for a while longer, Jié Jié created a deep cave inaccessible to large monsters with fine dust explosions, storing some food inside.
Waving his claw at the little Sui Long, it refused to come near, so Porcelain Bowl nudged it forward with its claw instead. Carrying the little Sui Long back into the cave, it instinctively hid deep within.
Satisfied, Flame King Dragon Jié Jié scanned the skies for the Ice Curse Dragon, with the fire dragons following under Iron Pot’s lead. Staying close to him was safer; he could drag her away and let them retreat if they encountered her. If they ran into her alone, it would be dangerous.
The underground had become a molten world. Jié Jié guessed the frightened Ice Curse Dragon would likely favor mountainous regions like Steel Dragon.
Searching the skies all day revealed no trace of Ice Curse Dragon, but they did find a Burst Hammer Dragon and several Explosive Gas Frogs, which they shared with the fire dragons.
The enhancement from the Burst Hammer Dragon’s Red Jade brought no noticeable effect. Jié Jié guessed the strength part was overshadowed by Terror Tyrant’s Scale Annihilation, and the explosive aspect by Burst Scale Dragon’s Heavenly Scale.
Perhaps the defensive effect from the memory of the Burst Hammer Dragon’s Guardian remained, but it was hard to test.
The taste of the Explosive Gas Frogs was excellent.
At night, they found a river in the mountains to drink from after their meal. As they approached, steam visibly rose from the water.
Familiar scents made Jié Jié raise his head, spotting a majestic Flame King Dragon atop the mountain path, vigilantly watching them.
Unlike Jié Jié, who had suppressed his flame emissions, this young Flame King Dragon burned freely, radiating confidence.
Though Jié Jié appeared plain due to suppressing his constant flames, his larger size, more beautiful mane, and crown horns spoke volumes about his power.
Even without flamboyant displays, his presence commanded respect.
Chapter 212
