In a pile of well-hidden bushes somewhere, a few heads slowly popped out. As they watched the skinny teenager leaving with the huge snake underneath his feet, they heaved a long sigh of relief.
He’s gone! That frightening fellow was finally gone! In no time, however, the relief in their eyes was replaced by hatred and fury.
“That damned brat! How dare he steal our prey? When have we ever been taken advantage of this badly during our days of rampaging in the Imperial City? Damn it!”
“I swear in the Dragon God’s name that I won’t be known as Carcasnordslavkimablo anymore if I don’t get my revenge for this!”
Upon hearing her companions’ indignant curses, the blond girl let out a cold snort and said, “Revenge? That guy is unfathomably strong. Even if the six of us lay in ambush and launch a sneak attack, we won’t be a match for him for sure. Yet you’re thinking of seeking revenge?”
“This...”
“Are we supposed to let it go just like that, then?”
“There’s nothing I can say if I had been robbed by Sachhen, Adil, Mond Aston, or the others, but what does that little brat even count as?”
“Exactly! Who does he think he is? How dare he rob us? I simply can’t take this lying down!”
“A disgrace! This is a terrible disgrace!”
The blond girl shook her head lightly as she said, “He’s unfathomably strong. It’s too hard for us to get revenge.”
“What should we do, then?”
“Do we let it go just like that?”
“Let it go? How can I let it go just like that after he robbed the prey of I, Alice?” The blond girl sneered. “There are many different ways of taking revenge. Risking your life is but the most foolish one of them all.”
“Have you thought of something, Alice?”
The others’ eyes lit up. “I knew you’re the smartest!”
“We aren’t the only ones here at the Lost Continent. Many others can kill him.”
“You mean...”
“...We’ll get someone else to do the dirty work for us!”
...
With Meng Lei on its back, the Uni-Horned Rose Python traveled across mountains and hills all the way until they reached their first stop—a large mountain.
“Sir, my first friend Jimmy Frost lives right on that volcano.”
“A volcano?”
Meng Lei turned and looked over. The lower half of the mountain was filled with lush vegetation and looked no different from other mountains, while the upper half was bare and pitch-black without even a single blade of grass—it was a volcano, alright.
“Let’s go! We’ll head up!”
Meng Lei could already sense the aura of a Saint Domain Magical Beast.
“Yes, sir!”
The Uni-Horned Rose Python didn’t dare to be remiss. It soared into the sky and flew toward the mountain summit. As an elementary-level Saint Domain Magical Beast, it had already become capable of flight, though not at a very fast speed.
In no time, it had flown all the way to the summit. The strong smell of sulfur rushed toward them at once. Smoke billowed at the mouth of the volcano, which spanned about six square kilometers, and lava bubbled as it gave off astonishingly high heat.
“Go. Get it out here,” Meng Lei ordered as he patted the python underneath his feet.
“Sir, this...”
The Uni-Horned Rose Python hesitated as a hint of fear and alarm flashed across its eyes.
“Isn’t it your friend?” Meng Lei’s brows furrowed slightly as he asked, “What’s there to fear when visiting an old friend?”
“But sir...”
“Do you believe me when I say that I’ll throw you into the lava lake for a hot bath if you spew any more superfluous rubbish?”
Meng Lei glared at it, somewhat impatient.
“Yes, sir!”
The Uni-Horned Rose Python trembled, and then it quickly went over obediently. It was a wood-elemental Magical Beast, so it feared fire the most. If Meng Lei threw it into the bubbling lava lake for a bath, what would be cleaned off definitely wouldn’t be dirt, but its skin instead...
“Hiss, hiss!”
“Jimmy Frost, your old friend is here to visit you!”
The Uni-Horned Rose Python let out a loud shout. A vigorous wave of energy burst forth from it and pressed down into the bubbling lava lake.
“Hmm?”
A low roar rang out.
The very next second, lava churned, and waves surged as a large head emerged from the lava lake.
The head was ferocious and terrifying to behold. It was covered in fiery red scales, had a sharp, spiral horn on it, while its eyes were bigger than even watermelons.
“A Fire Dragon?”
Meng Lei’s eyes widened!
That head that had popped out of the lake bore a great resemblance to a Fire Dragon. Was that fellow a pure-blooded Fire Dragon?
However, as the behemoth emerged further and further from the lava lake, its massive body was also slowly revealed.
A long, muscular body, fiery red tough scales, a body like a giant crocodile’s, and... Four tiny little legs!
Meng Lei couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. So it wasn’t a Fire Dragon! If it had really been a Fire Dragon, then it wouldn’t be wise for him to hunt it down anymore.
One could do anything they wanted in the Dragon God Empire except for one thing—slaughtering dragons was the only thing absolutely forbidden!
One must pay a price if they wanted to be a brave dragon slayer!
“Is that a Drake, Ol’ President?”
“It’s just a Lava Dragondile.” Ol’ Amos scoffed. “It surprisingly has a bit of Fire Dragon blood in it, though. It’s just a shame that it’s too diluted, so it doesn’t count as a Drake.”
“Good to hear that.”
A smile appeared on Meng Lei’s lips right away.
Colossal Dragons were highly protective of their own and brooked no bullying or humiliation of their offspring from others. They were also very prideful and rejected creatures whose bloodlines were thin and diluted.
Evidently, Ol’ Amos rejected that Lava Dragondile very much. Of all things, it simply had to resemble a Fire Dragon. Who else was he going to reject, if not it?
“Clara, you piece of trash! How dare you intrude on my territory!”
Jimmy Frost’s—the Lava Dragondile’s—gaze swept coldly toward the Uni-Horned Rose Python, its eyes full of disdain and dissatisfaction.
“Jimmy Frost, my old friend!”
Although the Uni-Horned Rose Python was inwardly on tenterhooks, it managed to sound awfully friendly as it said, “I had some free time today, so I came over to visit you along the way.”
“Friend? When you’re such a good-for-nothing?”
The Lava Dragondile burst into raucous laughter as if it had just heard the funniest joke in the world. Its voice was like rolling thunder, the reverberations from it causing rocks to fall and roll off the mountain and lava to churn.
When it was more or less done laughing, the smile finally disappeared from the Lava Dragondile’s visage, and it bared its fangs as it scoffed. “But if you offer up that life force-filled vitality core of yours, I can consider acknowledging you as a friend.”
“Jimmy Frost!”
After being repeatedly humiliated by the Lava Dragondile, the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s embarrassment couldn’t help but turn into anger. “Our territories are linked to each other’s, and we’re considered neighbors. Are you really going to be that unceremonious with me?”
“Hahaha! Who do you think you are?” The Lava Dragondile sneered. “If it weren’t because you lucked out and was fortunate enough to be favored by the Tree of Life, do you think you could become a Saint Domain? In my eyes, you’ll always be nothing more than just a tiny little sixth-grade python!”
“Jimmy Frost!”
The Uni-Horned Rose Python was hopping mad, yet there was nothing it could do about the Lava Dragondile. What it had said was the truth for starters, and secondly, it wasn’t as if it could beat it in a fight.
It couldn’t beat the Lava Dragondile at all!
“How arrogant of you, my friend.”
Meng Lei stepped forward at this point and gazed coldly at the Lava Dragondile.
“Who are you?” asked the Lava Dragondile as it looked down on Meng Lei.
“I’m the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s friend!” Meng Lei said dispassionately, “When you look down on my friend like that, you’re also looking down on me at the same time. If you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation today, I’m going to get mad!”
“Get mad? Feh!” The Lava Dragondile burst into uproarious laughter as it scoffed. “Who do you think you are? How dare you hoot that much in front of me? Believe it or not, I can swallow you in one gulp!”
“My friend, I treated you with only kind words and blindly gave way to you the whole time, yet you’re being so overbearing and acting in such a villainous manner. Left with no other alternative, I can only get mad now!”
Meng Lei snorted coldly and shouted, “Ten Thousand Swords Return Home!”
Buzz, buzz!
Dazzling golden light abruptly burst forth from all around Meng Lei. At his call, all the Metal Elements within a few kilometers converged to form swords that circled around him.
“That’s...”
The Lava Dragondile was straight up blinded by the golden light all around it and ended up reacting half a beat too slow.
“Ha!”
Meng Lei’s voice was cold and aloof as he declared, “You damned villain! Today, I shall play the part of the main character in a novel and take out a demon like you! And get rid of evil for the people!”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Densely packed golden swords turned to point toward the Lava Dragondile. Then, all of them pierced through the air and shot toward it.
Their sheer numbers practically covered the sky and the earth. Their momentum was so strong that even great heroes wouldn’t be any match for them.
“Aaahhhh!”
Amid peculiar-sounding splurts, shrill cries rose and fell in succession.
Whoosh!
The glint of the swords faded, and the golden light vanished.
The Uni-Horned Rose Python hurriedly looked over, upon which a shiver then went through its whole body, and a bone-chilling iciness welled up in its heart. Was that really the Lava Dragondile?
That was clearly just a goddamn pile of minced meat! Even if it had been kicked into an unrecognizable state, surely it wouldn’t have ended up in this sorry state?
“Ding! 1 Lava Dragondile killed. 11.5 billion gold coins gained!”