Chapter 75: The Odd-Faced Tribe and the Flying Dragon Step Dance.
The Fire Dragon skimmed above the river’s surface, taking a deep breath before letting out a sharp call toward the position where the Water Dragon had submerged.
The water’s surface was torn apart by shockwaves, sinking violently as the sound pierced through the water, shattering its tranquil peace.
Ripples surged, and the slippery Fish-Dragon species leapt out of the water, wildly spraying jets of water into the sky.
As expected, creatures with poor eyesight are weak against sonic booms.
“Hoo!”
Between howling winds, the chaotic water arrows were easily evaded. A heavy tail strike slammed directly onto the Water Dragon’s head.
The rounded spikes on either side of the tail shattered the Water Dragon’s crown-like protrusions on its face, causing its body to flip and sink back underwater.
A faintly purple toxic water spread across the surface.
The Female Fire Dragon’s Dragon Gem allowed Jié Jié, in his Male Fire Dragon form, to not only have toxins concentrated on his claws but also on his spines and tail.
“RoarEr!!!”
After another piercing roar, Jié Jié flapped towards the shore, skimming across the water.
“BANG!”
The Water Dragon leaped from beneath the water, biting onto his claw but could only leave white scratches on the leg armor, slightly pulling Jié Jié down from the air.
With both claws, he clawed at the Water Dragon, leaving wounds inside and out, even piercing through its mouth like fishing it out of the water.
The Water Dragon wriggled its body, the amplitude of its thrashing increasing, causing the Male Fire Dragon to sway left and right in the air.
No fisherman would willingly give up a hooked fish!
Jié Jié, transformed into an airborne fishing enthusiast, held fast to his prey, adjusting his balance according to the Water Dragon’s movements.
The sight of a Male Fire Dragon dangling a Water Dragon from one claw became the most dazzling scene on the river.
Even the Odd-Faced Tribe, who had appeared unnoticed, stopped their assault on the young dragons and gathered by the riverside to watch the battle between the Sky King and the Water King.
They hollered and danced wildly, only to be knocked back into the water by charging young dragons.
Of course, Jié Jié paid no heed to the situation on the shore, gradually gaining control as he pulled the Water Dragon closer to the bank, much like reeling in a fish while fishing.
Unfortunately, just as he flapped his wings a few times towards that direction, the Water Dragon twisted him back, causing his claws to ache slightly due to the centrifugal force.
Being a Large Monster, the Water Dragon was difficult to wear down through endurance alone, but alas, Jié Jié’s claws were laced with poison.
There was no bait on the hook—just poison.
Toxin production continued, steadily flowing from his claws into the Water Dragon’s body.
The broken scales on the Water Dragon’s face were visibly turning purple, and since its mouth was being held open by Jié Jié, the poison couldn’t drain out, instead spreading further into its body.
Its struggling strength rapidly diminished, and even the bite holding onto Jié Jié’s foot loosened, trying to slide off but still caught by the claw like a fishhook.
The Male Fire Dragon flew towards the shore, beginning the process of reeling in his catch.
Jié Jié finally noticed the situation on land, spotting those small humanoid beings adorned with colorful masks.
The Odd-Faced Tribe, a branch of the Beastmen race, barely taller than children, yet able to entangle with calf-sized Fire Dragons.
Some of the Odd-Faced Tribe were battling young dragons, while others watched his situation on the shore, occasionally shaking their complex metal ornaments and making strange noises.
Several silver flashes came flying, directly piercing into the Water Dragon’s body.
The Water Dragon convulsed, losing all strength to struggle.
It was paralyzing throwing knives!
He threw the Water Dragon onto the shore, pinning it down, then cautiously observed these Odd-Faced Tribe members.
“Roar?”
Some were still fighting with the young dragons, some danced in place, and others yelled and charged towards him.
Each Odd-Faced Tribe member seemed to have different tasks, behaving as if they weren’t part of the same group.
“BANG!”
A crude stone weapon struck Jié Jié’s foot, surprisingly delivering a strong impact.
“Piu～”
A streak of silver shot towards him, embedding itself in his chest but failing to penetrate his skin.
Jié Jié lightly slapped his foot, attempting to grab an Odd-Faced Tribe member for study, but missed, revealing only a hole after moving away.
They instantly burrowed underground and escaped.
“Roar!”
Jié Jié flapped his wings, creating a fierce windstorm. The intense wind pressure forced nearby Odd-Faced Tribe members back and even knocked down those battling the young dragons.
“Grunt!”
He called the young dragons to his side, quietly observing the Odd-Faced Tribe.
In Jié Jié’s view, they were incredibly small, barely reaching the ankles of a Male Fire Dragon.
So tiny as to be almost unnoticeable, looking down made him feel a sense of arrogance.
Just like how most people wouldn’t care whether ants on the ground possess wisdom.
Eat one?
Danger flashed in the Male Fire Dragon’s gaze. Sensing the impending doom, the Odd-Faced Tribe began retreating, hands on the ground ready to flee.
Intelligent lifeforms, nah, too bothersome.
He glanced at the young dragons; the stone weapons of the Odd-Faced Tribe couldn’t pierce their shells.
Let’s call it playtime.
“Roar ya ya wa wa um!”
“Boom Boom Boom!”
Some of the Odd-Faced Tribe continued dancing, bounding up to Jié Jié to perform their dance.
“Roar?”
Jié Jié tore off a scale with attached meat from the Water Dragon and threw it to them.
“Ya ya ya wa ah!”
The Odd-Faced Tribe picked up the scale, larger than themselves, raising it high. Even those initially hostile joined in the dance.
Suddenly, they became talented dancers, if such wild jumping could be considered skilled.
Jié Jié tried flapping his wings, imitating their large steps and swaying.
If knowledgeable hunters saw this, they’d surely pull out their return gems, wouldn’t they?
“Wa ya hu hu hu wa!”
The Odd-Faced Tribe’s dance formation broke apart, surrounding Jié Jié in a circle.
“Is our relationship becoming friendly now?”
Jié Jié maintained his current posture, gradually becoming familiar with the movements.
It was similar to the Step Dance performed by Thorned Tea Dragons atop ancient towers before unleashing their Ultimate Breath Attack.
Cool!
The Step Dance engaged his entire muscular system, accumulating heat converted by the Flame Bag, releasing a powerful fireball into the sky.
Jié Jié smacked his lips, noticing the fireballs were indeed larger and more potent than usual.
The main reason was that this dance consumed immense stamina in Flying Dragon physiology, producing vast amounts of heat which the Flame Bag converted.
Using it in battle… He wasn’t a Thorned Tea Dragon with an immovable heart, the preparation time was too long and easy to interrupt. Moreover, this technique was almost exclusively usable on land, perfect for finishing grounded monsters.
“Wow wow wow wow ah!”
Their excited cries drew his attention. Seeing the exploding fireball in the sky, their dances grew fiercer.
Circling around Jié Jié, they appeared overly excited, seemingly worshiping him.
Interesting.
He turned and stepped over the Odd-Faced Tribe’s circle, tearing off a chunk of meat from the Water Dragon and placing it before them.
“Wa hu hu hu!”
Several Odd-Faced Tribe members stepped out of the dance circle, circling around the meat.
During the dance, a mask-topped Totem was presented to Jié Jié, the giver chattering something before running back to join the dance.
“Is this for me?”
Using his claw, he hooked the mask from the Totem.
Honestly, it was kind of ugly, but in a cute way.
Jié Jié decided to keep it, though for now, he’d just hang onto it.
He turned and joined the young dragons in feeding.
This was Water Dragon meat, after all, and deserved to be savored properly.
