69novels Chapter 860 Misty Forest
Chapter 860 Misty Forest
Two dragon shadows pierced through the clouds, the air currents they created drawing two clear trajectories in the sky. The crimson dragon's wings flapped steadily and powerfully, and she could clearly feel the weight coming from its claws—Long Tian's aura, though not dissipated, was much weaker than before. Golden blood from its shoulder slid down the gaps in its scales, dripping onto the clouds and instantly merging into a small wisp of golden mist.
"Brother, hang in there, we'll be safe soon." Long Jiao's voice trembled slightly, reaching Long Tian's ears through the unique resonance of the dragon race. She flew extremely fast, her crimson figure weaving through the clouds, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily, afraid that the human pursuers would follow her scent.
Long Tian's golden vertical pupils were half-closed, a sharp pain shooting through his shoulder. Each breath aggravated the wound, causing him to groan involuntarily. But he persevered, spreading his divine sense to cover an area of dozens of miles around. "Fly southeast. There's an ancient forest there, its spiritual energy chaotic, capable of concealing our presence."
Long Jiao immediately changed direction, flapped her wings, and sped off towards the southeast.
After a brief silence, someone in the human camp below finally came to their senses. The leading general, clutching his arm burned by the dragon's breath, stared in the direction the dragon had disappeared, his face ashen: "Pass on my order! Immediately gather all archers and spiritual cultivators, prepare the fastest flying beasts, and give chase! We cannot let those two wicked dragons escape!"
"General, those are dragons..." the adjutant beside him said in a trembling voice, "They are too fast, and their combat power just now... I'm afraid we can't catch up with them, and we will suffer losses instead."
"Bullshit!" The general slapped him hard across the face. "So what if they're dragons? They've injured so many of our brothers, and they think they can get away unscathed? If we don't capture them today, what will become of the human race's reputation?!" He pointed to the golden bloodstains dripping from the dragon in the distance, his eyes fierce. "Follow the scent of dragon blood, they can't get far!"
The sound of horns soon echoed through the valley, shrill and urgent. Squads of human warriors riding raptors took to the air, while the spiritual cultivators unleashed their magical artifacts, clearing a path ahead of the procession as they pursued the direction in which the Azure and Crimson Dragons had departed.
High in the sky, Long Jiao could already see the ancient forest shrouded in mist in the distance. The spiritual energy above the forest surged, displaying a dazzling array of colors, indeed an excellent place to conceal one's tracks. But just then, she suddenly turned her head, her crimson pupils contracting sharply—from the clouds behind her, she could faintly hear the cries of raptors and the sharp sound of magical artifacts cutting through the air.
"Brother, they've caught up!"
Long Tian suddenly opened his eyes, his divine sense instantly locking onto the pursuing group behind him. There were over a hundred of them, and the leading spiritual cultivators were surrounded by spiritual energy, clearly not easy opponents. He gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and clenched his massive dragon claw in front of him, rapidly condensing a ball of azure light, surging with violent energy.
"You lead me into the ancient forest first, I'll cover the rear."
"No! Your injury..." Long Jiao said anxiously.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Long Tian's voice carried an undeniable authority. "If we drag this out any longer, we'll all be bogged down!"
Long Jiao's eyes welled up with tears. She stopped arguing, accelerated the flapping of her wings, and swooped down towards the ancient forest. Just as she was about to plunge into the mist, Long Tian suddenly broke free from her grasp. His massive body spun in the air, hurling the condensed cyan light sphere at the pursuers.
The ball of light exploded in mid-air, transforming into countless sharp wind blades that swept down like a torrential rain. The leading raptors, unable to dodge in time, were instantly sliced to pieces by the wind blades, and the warriors riding them plummeted to the ground with screams. The spiritual cultivators hastily conjured shields, but were also shaken by the wind blades, causing their blood and qi to surge, and their pursuit momentum immediately stalled.
"Go!" Long Tian shouted again, his voice already tinged with weakness.
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Long Jiao accelerated sharply, pulling Long Tian headlong into the misty ancient forest. The dense fog instantly swallowed their figures, and the chaotic spiritual energy, like an invisible net, completely concealed the dragon's aura.
The pursuing human warriors reached the edge of the ancient forest, staring at the churning mist and hearing the faint roars of monstrous beasts emanating from within. They exchanged bewildered glances. The general reined in his raptor, gazing into the depths of the mist, his expression shifting. Finally, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Retreat! This place is too dangerous; going in is suicide!"
Deep within the mist, the Azure and Crimson Dragons landed on the trunk of a massive ancient tree. Long Jiao, having transformed back into human form, quickly helped Long Tian, who had also transformed into human form and was pale-faced, and pulled out medicine from her bosom: "Brother, quickly apply the medicine!"
Long Tian leaned against the tree trunk, panting as he nodded. Watching the pursuers gradually disappear into the distance outside the ancient forest, a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "We'll settle this score with them sooner or later."
Long Jiao's knuckles were white from the excessive force, her clenched fists pressed tightly against her sides, the aching from the earlier battle with the demonic beast still lingering in her bones, each movement causing a dull ache in her muscles. She nodded heavily against the wind blowing from the depths of the ancient forest, strands of hair on her forehead whipped up by the cold wind, clinging messily to her sweat-dampened brow, the sticky texture making her look even more disheveled. The ancient trees around her had intertwined gnarled branches, their thick trunks weaving a dense, impenetrable net overhead. The wind howled through the dense foliage, like countless invisible throats groaning, adding a touch of desolation and eeriness to the still-undecided struggle.
She turned her head to look at Long Tian beside her. The wound on her ribs, torn open by the claws of the demonic beast, was still throbbing with pain. Her robes, stained with blood, were already stuck to her skin. But the pain was nothing compared to the intense doubt surging in her heart: "Brother, why do you think Long Shishen helped us? Before, at the altar, he was fighting us to a standstill. His sword light almost grazed my nose. But then he suddenly changed direction and attacked, repelling the group of demonic beasts that were attacking us... He's really unfathomable, like the mist in the ancient forest. You can't guess what's going on."
Long Tianzheng raised his hand to press his forearm, burned by the dragon's breath. Red, swollen skin was visible beneath the charred fabric, and the slightest touch made him wince in pain. Hearing this, he slowly shook his head, his brows furrowing deeply. "I can't figure it out either. Perhaps… perhaps it's because we both belong to the dragon race. After all, the bond of blood cannot be broken. Seeing us surrounded and in danger by demonic beasts, they couldn't just stand by and do nothing." His words were somewhat vague, his tone carrying a hesitation that even he himself didn't believe—Long Shishen's cold golden eyes, and the ruthless ferocity when wielding his sword, didn't seem like someone bound by the concept of "bloodline."
Long Jiao gave a soft "hmm," tacitly acknowledging the statement, but the doubt in her eyes, like a pebble thrown into a lake, rippled outwards and never dissipated. She gazed in the direction where Long Shishen had disappeared into the distance. That dark figure stood tall and straight like a solitary peak, leaving without even a glance back, carrying an aloofness that kept strangers at bay, as if her helping hand had been merely a casual act.