Chapter 320

And as Gervas and the others ventured deeper into the Black Pine Forest.

At the foot of a low hill in the heart of the Black Pine Forest, a deep earth cave suddenly stirred.

Instantly, two golden eyes flared to life in the pitch-black darkness, like two lanterns in the gloom.

Soon, as the eyes drew closer to the cave's mouth, the next instant saw a massive head emerge into the sunlight.

It was the Iron-Scaled Mother Lizard, which had roamed and made its home in the Black Pine Forest for over half a year.

If Gervas were standing here, he would be stunned to find that the Iron-Scaled Mother Lizard had grown a full circle larger since then.

And the aura she now radiated was unmistakably Fourth Tier.

This was because, after consuming a large quantity of demonic creatures, she had somehow achieved advancement.

Originally, she could have returned to the Death Mountains.

After all, the mountains held far more prey.

But she could not bear to abandon her lost offspring, hoping one day to find them.

As for how likely that was, she clearly did not care to ponder it.

And with her long-term settlement, the wild beasts and demonic beasts in this region of the Black Pine Forest had all vanished.

Yet today, movement at the forest's edge had alerted her.

Because the birds startled into the sky indicated the intruders were either very large in size or numerous.

After observing for a moment and confirming the intruders were still advancing into her territory, she shifted her thick limbs and emerged from the burrow.

Only now did her full form become visible—a terrifying beast thirteen meters long and three meters tall.

Her body was covered in thick, fiery red scales like iron plates; her tail was powerful and rigid, resembling a thick steel whip.

Yet to avoid alarming them, she deliberately lifted her body and slowed her pace.

Thus, despite her massive size, her movement produced none of the thunderous rumbling she normally made.

This was her greatest improvement since ascending to the Fourth Tier.

Soon, her enormous form slipped into the dense undergrowth, and the vivid red hue vanished.

"My lord, wasn't this where we took the two little ones back then?"

As they pressed deeper, Gervas and his party reached the giant rock where it had all happened.

Back then, the Iron-Scaled Mother Lizard had been attacked by a demonic wolf here, and after the two battled away, Gervas and the others seized their chance.

"That's right, right here. Come to think of it, I feel a bit nostalgic—and I admire our guts back then, daring to target the cub of a Third Tier demonic beast!" Gervas mused, truly terrified of poverty then, only thinking of grabbing benefits, never considering the risk—if the mother lizard caught them, they'd be reduced to dust, not even a shred left.

Lei Meng and Mi Gen strongly agreed with him.

But just then, Zhuī Yuè suddenly halted.

"What's wrong, Zhuī Yuè?"

The moment Gervas asked, his expression turned grim.

Because Zhuī Yuè had issued a warning.

Mi Gen and Lei Meng, seeing this, naturally understood.

"My lord, is it here?" Mi Gen swallowed hard.

Even though they held her cubs, who knew if that would work for certain.

After all, many animals no longer recognize their young after being separated for long.

"Almost certainly!"

Demonic beasts guard territory fiercely; so with this Iron-Scaled Mother Lizard here, no second demonic beast could possibly dwell nearby.

Roar! Roar!

At that moment, the two young lizards, sensing danger, began to growl uneasily.

Clearly, their perception was far weaker than Zhuī Yuè's—they only noticed the threat much later.

And this meant the mother lizard was drawing closer.

"My lord, be careful. Normally, Iron-Scaled Fire Lizards are huge; if one approaches, we'd sense something."

"But even now, we haven't felt a single tremor in the ground!" Lei Meng listened carefully, yet heard nothing.

This made him extremely tense.

Seeing this, Gervas chose to act first, stepping onto the giant rock ahead.

"Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard, I know you're nearby. We're not here to harm you—we only wish to speak with you!"

"My lord!" Mi Gen and Lei Meng both winced in concern.

But Gervas signaled them to stay calm.

He waited quietly for a moment, yet found no response.

This made Gervas frown.

What he didn't know was that, thirty meters away, hidden in the bushes, a massive golden eye watched him.

And that eye held equal confusion.

Seeing no movement, Gervas finally decided to change tactics.

"Lei Meng, Mi Gen, bring the young lizards up onto the rock pile, then retreat thirty meters yourselves!"

"Also, if the mother lizard doesn't recognize the cubs, immediately call them away!"

"My lord, what about you?"

"I have Zhuī Yuè—don't worry!" Gervas dismissed it casually; the risk remained, but unless he said this, his subordinates wouldn't trust his plan. "Enough. Begin!"

Mi Gen and Zhuī Yuè had no choice but to soothe the young lizards, then guided the two little ones up the three-meter-high rock pile.

Meanwhile, the two of them slowly retreated backward.

When the two cubs appeared atop the rock pile,

the Iron-Scaled Mother Lizard's pupils contracted instantly.

Rustle! Rustle!

At that very moment, Gervas and the others heard distant movement.

The noise grew louder, drawing steadily toward the rock pile.

Moments later, Gervas spotted a flash of crimson darting through the Black Pine Forest.

"Roar!"

The Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard was now less than fifteen meters away.

At this distance, she was only one body-length from him.

If she launched an attack, a single lunge would suffice.

"Fourth Tier? She evolved?!" Gervas felt his blood run cold.

A Third Tier Iron-Scaled Lizard was already treated as a Fourth Tier demonic beast—it was a walking tank.

Now that she'd reached Fourth Tier, she could be treated as a Fifth Tier…

So her power had surged by more than seven or eight times.

"Good heavens, how did the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard grow so long?"

"Worse! She's evolved—she's become a Fourth Tier Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard!"

"Fourth Tier? What do we do? Is my lord in grave danger?"

Lei Meng and Mi Gen, watching the mother lizard's new form from afar, were utterly stunned.

"Mi Gen, if things go wrong, you and I will hold her off with the two young fire lizards—give my lord time to escape!"

As Mi Gen and Lei Meng prepared to support their lord, Gervas forced himself to remain calm.

The Iron-Scaled Mother Lizard did not attack outright—her gaze locked onto him and the two cubs.

Her nostrils flared continuously, as if scenting something.

Gervas knew this was a good sign.

"Iron-Scaled Mother Lizard, I mean no harm—I've brought your two children to you!"

Gervas first spoke loudly in the human tongue.

Then, softly, in beast tongue: "You can smell it now—they're your lost cubs! I've brought them to you."

Since all three Iron-Scaled Fire Lizards were lowing, his words wouldn't be overheard by Mi Gen and Lei Meng.

Of course, Gervas didn't need to hide this from Mi Gen and Lei Meng—they were his most loyal subordinates.

But mimicking beast roars was embarrassing, so he kept it secret.

The Iron-Scaled Mother Lizard shuddered—whether from shock that Gervas could speak beast tongue, or from his confirmation that the two cubs were hers, she did not say.