Chapter 89: Evolution! The Comet Wing! (Requesting Monthly Votes)

The sun rose and the moon set; six years passed silently.

The rainy season in the Ser wasteland had ended, and its usual heat returned—the sunlight poured like molten gold over the wasteland.

But even the most intense sunlight

could not pierce the countless steams swirling like mist and vapor over the Steam Rift.

This was a forbidden zone most creatures avoided.

Zzzt!

A Stormwind Goliath Eagle streaked across the sky, swift as lightning.

Its wingspan spanned ten meters, its feathers pressed tightly against its body to minimize air resistance, and swirling wind elemental energy surrounded it—its speed was extraordinary, leaving a trail like a blue lightning bolt as it cut through the air.

The Stormwind Goliath Eagle flew over the Steam Rift.

It noticed the hissing steam vents below; having already hunted and eaten, it was full and suddenly felt playful.

The goliath flapped its wings and dove toward the Steam Rift.

It darted wildly through the air, its blue feathers slicing through the thick fog, leaving behind clear trails of vacuum.

Sometimes it plunged vertically, then sharply pulled up just before touching the boiling rift, leaving the surrounding steam swirling behind it.

Other times it banked sharply, slipping between two opposing steam columns, the scalding mist condensing into spiral clouds behind it.

The Stormwind Goliath Eagle, exhilarated, began challenging the most dangerous part of the Steam Rift.

There, over a hundred randomly erupting high-pressure steam columns rose—no agile swiftlet would dare enter.

It folded its wings into a streamlined shape, wind elements forming sharp shockwaves at the feather tips, like scissors slicing cloth—showing off, it precisely threaded every lethal gap in the steam maze, brushing past erupting columns.

Seconds later.

As the goliath completed its final barrel roll, preparing to surge toward the clouds,

a terrifying presence suddenly surged up from the rift’s depths.

The goliath’s feathers instantly stood on end.

One moment it was savoring the thrill of speed, the next, its heart was clenched by an invisible hand.

A predator beyond comprehension had awakened.

The Steam Rift below began to boil—not slowly bubbling, but as if stirred by a beast’s breath—all steam columns twisted and exploded simultaneously, forming a chaotic sea of mist.

BOOM—!!!

The steam cloud was violently torn open as a crimson figure shot skyward at an almost absurd speed.

The Stormwind Goliath Eagle didn’t even see what it was—only caught a blur of afterimages, and a trailing streak behind it, like a comet’s tail.

The goliath instinctively flared its wings and fled at full speed.

It unleashed its ultimate technique—Hurricane Ascent.

This was its prideful escape maneuver.

When ascending vertically, wind elements spiraled around it, drastically boosting speed—it had once used this to escape an adult dragon’s claws.

But this time, it heard a piercing shriek behind it.

Shhh—!

The crimson figure, moving faster than it had anticipated, appeared directly above it—flying backward.

For the first time, the goliath saw the predator’s full form.

A dragon! This was a dragon!

Its body was covered in layered black scales that hissed like countless blades unsheathing as it cut through the air; its wings were enormous and extravagant—not the traditional membrane wings.

Over its wing membranes lay crimson scales, but their distribution was uneven.

At the wing root, wingtips, and along the leading edge, six silver crystalline bones protruded, radiating outward, each spewing dense, dark-red streams that resembled both flame and steam, trailing behind it in long, flickering trails.

Like the destroying tail of a comet tearing through the heavens.

It deliberately slowed, letting the flame trails on its wings fade, flying parallel to the goliath.

This gesture terrified the goliath more than direct attack—its pursuer seemed to be savoring the hunt.

The Stormwind Goliath Eagle let out a piercing cry.

It frantically unleashed its magical energy, wrapping it around its wings, overloading its speed and twisting through the air, trying to shake off the giant dragon.

The dragon did not immediately chase—it waited a moment, then lazily flapped its wings.

BOOM!

Dark-red flame trails surged behind its wings.

Its speed exploded instantly, chasing the goliath from behind; its black scales, rubbing against the air, glowed nearly red-hot, like a crimson meteor streaking across the sky.

The goliath felt danger rising from behind.

But its speed had reached its limit—it could not go faster.

As the dragon’s shadow flashed past, the goliath’s vision spun wildly—its head had already separated from its body.

The dragon gripped the goliath’s carcass in one claw, folded its wings, and landed on the ground; steam still rose from between its scales, the residual heat from its supersonic flight, its wings like unsheathed legendary weapons.

This dragon was Luo Si, having ended his Long Mian.

“The flame trail resembles a comet slicing through the sky.”

“I’ll name it Tian Hui Zhi Yi.”

Luo Si shook his new dragon wings and nodded in satisfaction.

In his past life, he had played a game called Monster Hunter; now, thinking back, many dragon traits from that game offered useful inspiration—his naming of Bao Lin and his design for the dragon wings had drawn from it.

“The only flaw is the excessive energy cost.”

“I use magical energy as fuel; each burst of speed drains heavily.”

“In the future, as a Martial Dragon, I’ll combine magical energy with life energy to form Dragon Qi—stronger, denser, better able to sustain the drain.”

Luo Si thought to himself.

Long Mian and evolution had left Luo Si ravenously hungry—he devoured the freshly hunted Stormwind Goliath Eagle at once, then finally had time to examine his changes.

First,

his life rank had jumped directly from Level 7 to Level 9.

This was a rank only a juvenile Jin Long could possess—and Luo Si was fourteen, still two years away from juvenile status.

In size,

his total body length reached twelve meters—equivalent to a juvenile dragon’s size. But size was secondary; Luo Si was stronger than a Red Dragon, his muscles beneath the scales massive and powerful—if another twelve-meter juvenile dragon stood beside him, it would look like a stick.

When fully extended, his wings spanned twenty-six meters—more than double his body length.

Luo Si’s appearance had also changed slightly.

The new silver crystalline bones and exhaust structures on his wings need no further description.

His facial spines had grown denser and more numerous; his mouth now bore the vicious fangs of a Red Dragon; the keratin around his jaws had hardened like steel; the base of his horns was encased in shovel-shaped metallic bone, curving backward in jagged ridges like a crown.

The traits of Iron Dragon and Red Dragon remained clearly visible on him.

Along his spine, beyond Bao Lin, dense spines had grown, extending all the way to the tip of his tail.

His tail had grown thicker and longer, its scales tightly packed yet slightly raised, revealing razor-sharp edges that, when lashed against an enemy, would inflict dense, slashing wounds like slow dismemberment.

Beyond these external changes,

Luo Si had awakened two spell-like abilities.

Flame Claws—derived from Red Dragon bloodline.

Hardened Body—derived from Iron Dragon bloodline.

For both Iron Dragon and Red Dragon, these were spell-like abilities normally awakened only in juveniles.

Both dragon types excelled in close combat; the two spell-like abilities Luo Si awakened from his bloodline still enhanced his melee prowess.

But for ranged combat,

as a superior hybrid, Luo Si possessed three dragon breaths and could use Bao Lin for bombardment.

For now, it was sufficient.

Moreover, all dragons are innate sorcerers; as they age, they inevitably awaken more spell-like abilities. Juvenile abilities are merely the beginning—and Luo Si was not even a juvenile yet.

As for magic based on knowledge rather than bloodline,

dragons typically began studying it only after reaching adulthood, when their growth slowed—before then, their innate spell-like abilities and constantly growing bodies were far more effective than magic.

Luo Si flicked his tail.

Beneath his scales, a faint electric sensation rippled through the muscles—but it was weak, indistinct.

“This part didn’t evolve successfully.”

“This evolution focused primarily on my wings.”

Luo Si felt the faint electric tingle within and thought to himself.

The hunger had not faded.

He was still ravenous; he did not continue examining himself, but flared his wings and took to the air to hunt. After a full day of hunting and multiple meals, his hunger gradually subsided.

It was now night.

Two moons hung high in the night sky, casting clear light.

“The Needleleaf Valley, the New Moon Valley, and the Wailing Cliffs—what changes have occurred there in these six years?”

“I should return and check.”

Luo Si devoured his final prey—a creature as large as an elephant—then ceased hunting, spread his wings, and flew first toward the Needleleaf Valley.

(End of Chapter)