Chapter 11: Long Yi Dao

The Ser Desert remained as hot and scorching as ever, as if locked forever in summer.

The earth was dry, dust hung thick in the air, and the bright, poisonous sunlight poured down from above, illuminating Garos in his current form.

Compared to a year ago.

Garos had grown by less than half a meter in length—not much—and now measured roughly six point six meters.

But his body’s mass had clearly increased; his limbs were thick and powerful, his back and chest solid and robust, even his neck appearing thick and rigid.

The entire dragon was immensely strong; even through his scales, one could feel the dense, hardened muscles beneath, forged like molten steel and iron.

Among dragon species with powerful physiques like red dragons and Jin Long.

Few young dragons matched Garos’s strength.

Now, Garos’s physique and posture were practically the “Tyson” among dragons of his age.

And it wasn’t just that.

The greatest change was in Garos’s pair of Long Yi.

First, the wingspan had reached a full fifteen meters—more than twice his body length—and the wing membranes were now covered in dense, layered scales that, at first glance, resembled feathers, perfectly guiding airflow as he cut through the sky, turning resistance into propulsion.

The membrane connecting his wings to his torso, once the most painful part during wingbeats, had thickened threefold.

Its folds stacked like hammered, hundred-fold forged steel.

Along the wing edges, a metallic, razor-sharp substance had grown, capable of slicing through air effortlessly and severing living flesh without effort, turning the entire wing into a massive guillotine, radiating a dangerous, sharp edge.

Over the past year,

Strength training was secondary; Garos had trained these wings day and night, every spare moment spent refining them—and his effort had paid off.

After his recent evolution,

Garos could now soar through the skies using only his wings, and his aerial speed far surpassed that of other dragons at his level.

His life rank had not changed; it remained at Level 7.

But Garos felt he could now take on two of his former selves.

“I need to test the results of this evolution.”

“You’re it, Xiong Qun.”

Through the clouds, Garos looked down and spotted the colossal giant bear resting among the hills—eight meters tall, its body covered in stiff, steel-like bristles of brownish-yellow fur, resembling an enlarged, enhanced version of a regular brown bear.

The Xiong Qun before Garos was Level 8—and not comparable to the Level 8 petrified lizard he’d faced before.

Xiong Qun was one of the stronger monsters, with a chance to reach legendary status.

Not only did it possess a powerful body, but it also wielded many earth-based pseudo-magical abilities.

Though inferior to dragons, it could easily crush most monsters of its own level.

Among the fir trees of the hills below,

the Xiong Qun was rubbing its back against a century-old iron fir, shedding bark like a downpour.

This time, his goal was to test his strength—not to hunt.

Garos did not choose to ambush; instead, he unleashed his Long Wei, announcing his arrival to the Xiong Qun.

He flapped his wings once, mixing air currents with his dragon aura, creating nearly visible ripples that swept over the Xiong Qun.

The bear, moments ago contentedly scratching its back, froze instantly; its fur bristled like a cat stepped on its tail, and it looked up toward the sky.

In its vision, a black dot was rapidly expanding—a diving giant.

Scales, horns, claws, tail, wings—it was a dragon! But by size, it was not yet a full giant, merely a young dragon.

The Xiong Qun, highly intelligent, felt no fear at the sight of a young dragon; instead, it rose on its hind legs and roared defiantly at Garos.

The earth before it suddenly rose, coalescing into blocks of rock.

It lifted its paw and stomped—five or six massive rocks erupted skyward, hurtling toward Garos.

Facing the first rock, Garos did not dodge or evade—he lowered his head and charged.

CRACK!

The rock shattered like tofu under the impact of Garos’s dragon horn; the flying shards scraped against his scales, leaving only faint dust marks.

The remaining four rocks—

Though he could have smashed them outright, Garos chose not to charge recklessly again.

He flared his massive, powerful wings, stirring violent winds; his entire body danced through the air, slipping cleanly between the gaps of the rocks, agile as a dragon in flight.

Strength, speed, defense—Garos refused to have weaknesses, striving to develop all aspects equally.

Having overcome the Xiong Qun’s first assault, Garos drew near the upper, densely wooded slopes, while the Xiong Qun remained below.

He folded his wings and dove down the slope, slicing through the canopy.

Oak branches scraped against his scales with a screeching sound; where the razor-edged wing margins swept, rows of ancient trees snapped clean at the base like stalks of wheat.

The Xiong Qun roared and slammed its paws into the ground—ten earth spikes erupted upward.

But the young dragon suddenly tucked his wings and curled his body, swinging his tail, thick with broken branches and leaves, to smash the spikes midair; shattered rock fragments embedded themselves into tree trunks like bullets.

The Xiong Qun plunged both paws into the earth and heaved up a three-meter-thick slab of rock, hurling it again at Garos.

Garos did not retreat—he advanced, slicing his wing edges into the slab’s fissures and flaring his wings violently, sending the entire rock slab soaring a hundred meters into the air.

Sunlight pierced through the suspended boulder, casting dappled shadows; the young dragon seized the moment, striking from the boundary of light and dark, closing the distance in an instant, extending his claws to tear through fur and flesh, sinking deep into the bear’s shoulders, then flipping midair and hurling the nearly twenty-ton beast away like a sack of rags.

The rolling bear broke seven oaks before finally stopping.

ROAR!

It bellowed, snatching up a broken tree trunk and hurling it skyward.

Earth-colored magical energy wrapped the trunk, and as it neared Garos, it exploded into a storm of sharp spikes—shrieking through the air toward him.

Garos’s dragon face remained calm; his massive wings snapped open and swept, scattering the wooden spikes across the sky.

A few struck him, but none could pierce his hardened scales.

Only vulnerable spots like his eyes required caution.

“My turn!”

The Xiong Qun had used many pseudo-magical abilities in quick succession and now panted heavily; the young dragon’s stamina showed no sign of decline as he accelerated, flapping closer.

Heavy Rock Armor!

Facing the approaching dragon, the Xiong Qun stomped its feet and roared upward; the earth around it suddenly came alive, surging like water, rushing up its legs and instantly coating its body in layers of hardened granite-textured armor.

Simultaneously, his right Long Yi extended flat, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek as it slashed toward the Xiong Qun.

The Xiong Qun raised its thickest armored arm and slammed it down at the dragon’s wing.

CLANG—SHHHH!

First came the metallic clash, sparks flying bright; then came the sound of a blade severing flesh.

The Xiong Qun howled in agony; its armored arm was instantly shredded by the dragon’s wing, the tough hide and muscle beneath torn open, bones severed.

As Garos and the Xiong Qun passed each other, half the bear’s arm, dripping blood, flew into the air.

(End of Chapter)