Chapter 67: The Dragon War: Mastering Power Through Wisdom (Request Subscription!)

The night was utterly torn apart by two dragons.

Facing Galos’s overwhelming assault, the Cliff Serpent Dragon did not meet it head-on; instead, it leapt into the air, then snapped its body like a green lightning bolt, twisting and turning repeatedly, its slender form tracing a complex zigzag path.

But.

In speed and agility, it still could not match Galos.

Galos’s body was sturdy and thick, appearing somewhat heavy at first glance, seemingly less agile than the serpent-like form of the Cliff Serpent Dragon, yet his turns were astonishingly nimble—his massive wings flared, whipping up howling gales and dense sparks, completing nearly ninety-degree turns in an instant.

The two dragons twisted and darted through the night sky.

The Cliff Serpent Dragon soared diagonally upward, while Galos pursued relentlessly from behind, the distance between them closing rapidly.

Seeing Galos’s crimson-scaled form drawing ever closer, the Cliff Serpent Dragon let out a hiss—angry now, unable to shake him off, enraged by his relentless pursuit.

But instinct and intuition told it: Galos was dangerous now.

If it could not slow his speed, one hit from him might instantly cripple it.

Serpent dragons did not fear death, but unless pushed to the final moment or consumed by Jizhi hatred, they never resorted to the death curse—a tactic that forced even mighty foes to pay with their lives.

Hssss!

High-temperature vapor rising from beneath the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s scales turned green, becoming toxic mist; then, the mist spewed from its scale gaps coalesced into fine threads, weaving behind its twisting body into a vast, deadly net.

Galos’s pursuit path was Cengceng sealed by the toxic threads.

He shook his body, shedding the red-hot, friction-scorched scales from his skin, then exhaled a torrent of flame.

The flame breath was powerful, but its range was limited; yet when it collided with the shed scales, it triggered a thunderous explosion.

Molten droplets of toxic thread rained down onto the dense forest below.

The crowns of century-old trees hissed as if doused with strong acid, resin and venom reacting to produce thick black-green smoke.

Simultaneously, flames surged outward, tearing a massive gap in the toxic net.

Galos retracted his wings.

He spun his body, precisely threading through the gap, then spread his wings again and charged back at the Cliff Serpent Dragon—though the net’s obstruction had slowed him, his assault now lagged slightly.

The Cliff Serpent Dragon seized the chance and twisted toward him.

Galos raised his right wing high, like a massive guillotine, slashing at the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s body.

Having felt the power of Galos’s wing before, this time the Cliff Serpent Dragon did not block it; instead, its long body arched backward, evading the right wing.

It was about to counterattack.

Galos suddenly spun his body, raising his left wing high—the wing ring at its tip glowed, igniting a furious blaze that tore through the air with a piercing shriek, slashing toward the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s head.

This wing spin was too fast, too sudden.

The Cliff Serpent Dragon’s pupils contracted; it hissed and jerked its head back as quickly as possible.

Riiiip!

The wing blade grazed the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s neck, slicing shallowly through its fine throat scales.

Almost.

If he had severed its head outright, ending the battle instantly, he wouldn’t have been coated in so much venomous blood—but alas, this serpent dragon’s reflexes were still swift; as a dragon, it was incomparable to other beasts of its rank.

Venomous blood gushed from the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s neck, splattering onto Galos’s left wing.

Intense pain surged instantly—but compared to the first time, it was slightly more bearable.

Galos’s prior practice of using the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s venom to harden his own resistance had indeed granted him a slight increase in tolerance.

Galos’s gaze was icy; his body spun continuously, his twin wings like two massive, terrifying blades, whipping up a storm of cutting winds that swept and ravaged toward the Cliff Serpent Dragon.

His greatest weapon was none other than these wings, forged through countless trials.

Facing Galos’s ferocious assault, the Cliff Serpent Dragon could not counter at all.

It concentrated all its focus merely to dodge and weave through Galos’s attacks—and even then, it could not avoid them all.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Fierce wing slashes repeatedly scraped across the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s body, occasionally accompanied by claw strikes and tail whips; with metallic clangs, they tore through its scales and flesh, leaving a dense pattern of bloody gashes.

Its body suffered wound after wound.

Yet the Cliff Serpent Dragon did not flee in fear—it continued to weave and dodge Galos, as if it had lost its reason.

In truth, dragonkind possessed exceptional combat instincts, and this Cliff Serpent Dragon was a seasoned veteran, skilled in leveraging its strengths—cunning and treacherous, unlike the inexperienced hatchling Copper Dragon of old.

In direct combat, it was far inferior to Galos.

Its advantage lay in its venomous blood and the toxic mist it emitted from its steaming wounds.

As the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s wounds multiplied, Galos became increasingly coated in venomous blood, while green toxic mist continuously billowed from the serpent dragon’s body, inevitably engulfing Galos at close range and eroding him relentlessly.

This mist differed from direct venomous blood.

It appeared weak, deceptive—but it accumulated gradually, then erupted like a mountain flood once a threshold was reached.

By the time the target realized the danger, it was already too late; the poison would obliterate resistance like dry grass before a wildfire, stripping away combat capability.

Once, the Cliff Serpent Dragon had used this poison to kill a stronger beast.

Now.

It would feign weakness, making the crimson dragon believe it could kill it first, all while secretly accumulating poison for a sudden, devastating burst. A cruel smile curled on the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s lips—it had already planned how, once Galos succumbed to poisoning, it would slowly tear open his scales, listening to his screams as it devoured his flesh strand by strand.

Riiiip!

Galos’s claws scraped across the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s belly, leaving several bloody trails.

The Cliff Serpent Dragon bled profusely; venomous blood that did not directly touch Galos evaporated into toxic mist swirling around it, its scaled muscles tensed, ready to continue dodging, accumulating poison, and striking back.

Yet.

What the Cliff Serpent Dragon did not expect:

Galos, who had appeared to hold overwhelming advantage, suddenly spread his wings, soared upward, and withdrew—no longer pursuing.

Higher in the sky, Galos gazed calmly, watching the Cliff Serpent Dragon in silence.

He did not let battle fury cloud his mind, nor did he recklessly press the fight; though confident he could kill the Cliff Serpent Dragon quickly, the risk was too great—he would absorb too much poison, winning at a terrible cost.

Compared to that:

Galos wanted to eliminate this serpent dragon with minimal cost.

Thus, when he seemed to hold clear advantage, he chose to disengage—not like most young dragons, who fought like beasts, blinded by bloodlust, forgetting they were intelligent beings.

In this battle of strategy and grit:

Galos employed a tactic of wielding strength through wisdom, retreating to advance.

To wield strength through wisdom—this was something only elder dragons could achieve.

“Are you afraid of me? Afraid of death?!”

The Cliff Serpent Dragon roared, its battered body charging back at Galos—but Galos calmly flapped his wings, continuing to widen the distance, refusing to close in again.

The Cliff Serpent Dragon was badly wounded; its sluggish speed could not keep up with Galos.

It taunted again and again.

Yet it could never provoke Galos’s rage.

Having long struggled against his own negative desires and emotions, Galos had forged a resilient, steady will—taunts had no effect on him; he was not swayed by his opponent’s provocation.

At this moment:

The Cliff Serpent Dragon assumed Galos was trying to flee; realizing it could not catch him, it turned angrily back toward the Crescent Valley, intending—as it had before—to vent its fury on the wolf people.

Yet.

Unlike last time:

Galos did not leave.

(End of Chapter)