The forest rustled as the fleeing cultivator disappeared deeper between the trees.
For a moment—
The lizard did not move.
His golden eyes followed the direction of the man's escape, the pupils glowing faintly in the dim forest light.
He simply watched.
The lightning slowly faded from his tail as his mind weighed the possibilities.
*If I let him go…*
The cultivator might escape.
He might return later.
And if he returned—
He would likely bring others.
More cultivators.
More prey.
More evolution points.
From that perspective…
Letting him live could be beneficial.
But another thought followed immediately.
*They might not return while I'm still here.*
The fox was still in the valley.
Still working to erase the Golden Core imprint.
Sooner or later, they would leave this place.
If the cultivator returned later and found nothing—
Then the opportunity would simply be wasted.
The storm dragon's claws slowly pressed into the soil beneath him.
*Waste.*
That single word settled the decision.
Without another moment of hesitation—
The lizard moved.
Wind gathered violently beneath his limbs.
**BOOM**
The ground cracked where he launched.
His body shot forward through the forest like a lightning bolt, tearing between the trees at terrifying speed.
Branches snapped and shattered as he passed.
Leaves spiraled wildly in his wake.
Far ahead, the fleeing cultivator was already deep within the forest, using his movement technique desperately, his lungs burning as fear forced him onward.
His thoughts raced wildly.
*That monster—*
*What kind of spirit beast was that?!*
*The elder died instantly—*
Suddenly—
The wind behind him exploded.
His eyes widened in terror.
He barely had time to turn his head.
A massive white shape tore through the forest behind him.
Golden eyes burned like twin suns in the darkness.
The cultivator's heart nearly stopped.
*He caught up already?!*
Panic surged through him as he forced even more spiritual energy into his legs, pushing his movement technique beyond its limit.
His body blurred between the trees as he fled deeper into the forest.
But it was too late.
The lizard had already closed the distance.
Lightning crackled violently along the dragon's jaws as his maw slowly opened.
The forest flashed blue.
And the predator lunged.
The fleeing cultivator felt the air behind him **explode**.
A crushing wave of wind pressure slammed into his back like a solid wall.
His heart nearly stopped.
*Already?!*
He poured even more spiritual energy into his legs, forcing his movement technique further.
His feet barely touched the ground now as he dashed between the trees.
But the sound behind him—
**CRACK—BOOM**
Lightning tearing through the air.
Closer.
Much closer.
He risked a glance over his shoulder.
And immediately regretted it.
The storm dragon was right behind him.
Massive wings partially spread, wind spiraling violently around his body as he flew low through the forest, tearing past trees like a living thunderbolt.
His golden eyes burned with pure predatory focus, locked entirely onto the fleeing cultivator.
The man's mind screamed in panic.
*I can't outrun it!*
Desperation surged through him.
He abruptly spun around mid-step and slammed a talisman against the ground.
"Stone Wall Formation!"
Spiritual energy erupted violently from the talisman.
**BOOM!**
Three massive stone walls burst from the earth between him and the charging dragon, rising like a fortress in the forest.
The cultivator didn't even wait to see if it worked.
He immediately turned to run again—
But the storm dragon didn't slow down.
Lightning gathered violently along his horns and claws.
With a deafening roar—
He **smashed straight through the first wall**.
Stone exploded outward like shrapnel.
The second wall shattered under the full force of his body, chunks of rock scattering across the forest floor.
The cultivator heard the destruction behind him.
His face went pale.
*Impossible—*
Before the third wall could even finish forming—
A shadow flashed above him.
The lizard had taken to the air.
The cultivator barely looked up in time to see the massive jaws descending toward him.
Golden eyes.
Crackling lightning.
Death falling from the sky.
"NO—!"
His scream was cut short.
**CRUNCH**
The lizard's jaws snapped shut around his upper body.
Lightning surged violently as the impact slammed both of them into the ground.
The forest shook from the force of the collision.
For a moment—
Everything went still again.
Then the lizard slowly lifted his head.
The cultivator's body hung limp between his teeth.
Lifeless.
Lightning slowly faded from the dragon's scales.
His golden eyes scanned the quiet forest once more.
No other presences.
No witnesses.
Only the distant sound of wind drifting through the trees.
The forest gradually fell silent again after the brief but violent chase.
Wind moved softly through the branches as the storm dragon stood over the lifeless cultivator held in his jaws.
His golden eyes glowed faintly.
For a moment, he simply listened.
No footsteps.
No movement.
No other cultivators rushing toward the disturbance.
Only the distant calls of birds and the rustling of leaves.
Satisfied, the lizard adjusted his grip on the corpse and turned back the way he had come.
Wind gathered lightly beneath his limbs.
With a powerful leap, he moved through the forest again, weaving between the trees with practiced ease.
It did not take long.
Soon, the small rocky clearing appeared again through the branches.
The two earlier corpses still lay where they had fallen.
One was slumped against a rock, his chest charred black from the lightning strike.
The other lay sprawled near the glowing spirit herb he had tried to harvest.
The storm dragon landed quietly in the center of the clearing.
The body in his jaws dropped heavily onto the ground beside the others.
Three corpses now.
The lizard stared at them for a moment.
His stomach twisted slightly.
*Hungry.*
Without hesitation, he lowered his head and began to feed.
Bone cracked beneath his powerful jaws.
Fresh blood soaked into the earth as he tore into the first body, devouring flesh and muscle with steady, efficient bites.
Cultivator bodies carried dense spiritual energy—far richer than most beasts he had consumed before.
Energy flowed through him with every mouthful.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The clearing filled with the gruesome sounds of tearing flesh and breaking bone.
Eventually only scattered remains were left.
The storm dragon swallowed the last fragment of a spiritual core and lifted his head slightly, blood staining the edges of his maw.
Inside his mind—
The system spoke.
**[14640 Evolution Points Gained.]**
The lizard's golden eyes flickered faintly as the energy settled throughout his body.
He slowly licked the blood from his maw once.
Then his gaze shifted toward the spirit herb still glowing faintly between the stones.
And beyond that—
Back toward the distant valley where the fox was still working to erase the Golden Core imprint.