Xie Sen was terrified of soft-bodied creatures, especially the giant python not far away, whose diameter exceeded one meter and whose length was estimated to be over ten meters, making it extremely intimidating.
He instinctively held his breath.
"Chirp!" Tuan Tuan, perched on his shoulder, reacted completely differently. Its round eyes suddenly flashed with an extremely bright light, and it chirped excitedly, flapping its wings as it charged towards the giant python.
Xie Sen quickly called out, "Tuan Tuan, come back!"
Tuan Tuan hesitated, stopping in mid-air, turning halfway around to look at Xie Sen. It raised its right wing, pointing at the giant python, and said in a light tone, "Chirp chirp chirp!"
Xie Sen had seen it react like this many times before, but before, it had only pointed at things like melon rinds!
He looked at Tuan Tuan with disbelief. It was too audacious! Its entire body was only the size of a palm, yet it wanted to eat a giant python?
"Too dangerous," he shook his head disapprovingly.
The giant python continued its movement towards the foot of the mountain, its body crushing low-lying vegetation along its path, its tail thrashing wildly, easily snapping thinner trees in half. It moved like a whirlwind through the landscape.
Fortunately, the foot of the mountain was circular, and the python was moving to Xie Sen's left. The lowest point in that direction was about seven or eight meters away from Xie Sen's location, so even if the python reached the foot of the mountain, it wouldn't notice them immediately.
Xie Sen whispered, "Shall we leave first?"
Maine nodded, putting her arm around him and leading him to the right along the mountainside. After a few steps, Xie Sen realized Tuan Tuan hadn't followed. He glanced back and saw Tuan Tuan still staring at the python, looking on with longing.
Xie Sen called softly, "Tuan Tuan, hurry up!" Tuan
Tuan gave the python a reluctant look before landing on Xie Sen's shoulder.
Xie Sen and Main walked for a while, reaching the other side of the rocky mountain. After confirming that the giant python wouldn't see them, Xie Sen tapped Tuan Tuan's head and whispered, "That's a contracted beast, you can't eat it! Besides, you're still a fledgling, its skin looks very tough, you can't eat it anyway." "
Chirp~" Tuan Tuan looked disappointed.
Maine said, "Something's wrong with the python. It's huge, but usually docile. It seemed very agitated just now."
Shesen touched his burning right shoulder. "It must be affected by energy." He stopped and looked at the rocky mountain wall. "We've walked quite a distance around the foot of the mountain, but the energy's location hasn't changed." Maine immediately
understood. "In the center of the mountain?"
Shesen nodded. "That's the only explanation. The foot of the mountain is circular. We've walked along the edge, and only the position relative to the midpoint has remained constant. We just don't know if it's inside the mountain or underground." Maine said
, "According to what you said before, the energy wouldn't be on the surface; it could only be carried inward by a creature. So, wherever it is, there must be an entrance."
Shesen nodded. "Let's walk around the mountain and see if there's any opening
." The two continued walking, and after a while, they had walked halfway around the foot of the mountain, reaching a position opposite to the initial foot. Along the way, they looked around, focusing on the mountain wall, but they didn't see any entrance.
At this point, their location was connected to another mountain, a very high mountain covered with many tall trees and dense vegetation.
"If we walk around this rocky mountain and still don't find an entrance, we'll have to start from the mountain next to it," Xie Sen pondered, looking down at the ground. "Perhaps there's a connecting path underground."
Maine replied, "Hmm, it's still early today. If we don't find anything before we go back tonight, we'll have someone come and open the mountain tomorrow."
As they were talking, Tuan Tuan suddenly let out an excited chirp: "Chirp!"
Xie Sen looked up and saw the giant python not far ahead. He couldn't help but sigh; they had actually run into it face to face! Judging from the direction the python was moving, it was clear that they and the python had drawn a complete circle at the foot of the mountain.
Maine suddenly stopped, pulled Xie Sen back a few steps, then stepped forward to block Xie Sen's path, took out a dagger from her backpack, and warily watched the python.
This was a mountainous area; if the python attacked them, they wouldn't be able to escape, so it was better to fight back.
The python sensed their presence, its movements suddenly stopped, its head snapped back, and its gaze fell on Maine.
The next moment, it twisted its body and approached Maine.
"Chirp!" Seeing the giant python approach, Tuantuan happily flew to its back and pecked at it.
"Chirp~" The python's hide was as hard as iron. When it pecked, the force of the impact hurt the bird's beak, and it cried out in pain. Its round head instantly rose, its right wing covering its beak, and it tried to grab the python with its claws.
The python seemed oblivious to the pain, its forward movement continuing without pause, quickly approaching Maine and stopping two meters away.
As it drew closer, the oppressive feeling from its size intensified.
Maine gripped the dagger in his hand, not daring to make a move. Contracted beasts generally don't attack humans unless provoked, but if a human makes a move, they will definitely retaliate without hesitation. Tuantuan
angrily flapped its wings and landed directly on the python's head, stomping its claws and chirping, "Chirp chirp chirp!"
"Hiss~~~" The python shook its head, as if in response.
Tuan Tuan tilted its head, barking back and forth with the python. Suddenly, a deafening roar came from underground, a deep, oppressive sound that made it hard to breathe, and the ground shook. Maine
hugged Xie Sen, covering his ears, his eyes warily fixed on the ground.
The giant python's head snapped higher, then tumbled to the right, swimming rapidly towards the mountain. Its body was over ten meters long, and its tail swept across Maine and Xie Sen as it turned.
Maine, still holding Xie Sen, retreated, barely escaping the light graze of the tail tip; neither was injured.
The python's rapid movement abruptly stopped. It turned its head, retreated slightly, and its tail swiftly swept across their calves again before deftly wrapping around Xie Sen's ankle.
Maine's face turned cold, and he swiftly slashed at its tail with his dagger. Xie Sen hurriedly said, "Don't do it!" Maine stopped, staring at his feet. Xie Sen said, "It's not using any force; it feels benevolent."
The giant python turned its head, its head quickly leaping to a meter away from them, its height exactly the same as Xie Sen's. "Hiss~~~"
Goosebumps suddenly rose all over Xie Sen's body. Although he knew it meant no harm, he still couldn't help but feel afraid.
"Chirp!" Tuan Tuan grabbed Xie Sen's sleeve with its claws and tugged towards the giant python, its wings pointing at it.
Xie Sen asked, "Are you telling us to go with it?"
Tuan Tuan nodded its little head.
Xie Sen looked at Maine: "It's affected by energy; perhaps it knows where the energy is. I want to follow it."
Maine said, "Let's go together."
The giant python rubbed against Maine's ankle before letting go, leading the way, occasionally glancing back to make sure Xie Sen was following.
After climbing to a point five meters above the ground, it turned left, circled halfway up the mountain, and stopped beside a tree so large it would take two people to encircle it. It coiled itself up, taking up less space.
Xie Sen stared in astonishment at the cave entrance hidden behind the tree.
The giant python let out a soft cry and darted into the cave.
Maine took out the lighting equipment and, with Xie Sen in tow, followed it inside. Inside was a wide passageway, like a modern culvert, the entire underground network branching out in many directions.
The deeper they went, the brighter the light became. Various fluorescent ores were piled up in the corners, and the walls were also inlaid with many, shimmering and beautiful. After walking for about half an hour, when the peony on Xie Sen's shoulder was almost burning hot, the giant python stopped.
Ahead was a huge circular area, very tall and vast, glittering with golden light, piled high with golden ores, almost dazzling to the eye.
And atop the ores lay a gigantic black dragon, its body nearly 1.5 meters in diameter, its entire body covered in golden scales, reflecting the light from the surrounding golden ores.
Xie Sen was stunned; he almost thought he was seeing things.
"A flying dragon beast," Maine said, his voice filled with undisguised astonishment.
The black dragon blinked its enormous eyes, opened its mouth, and let out a roar. A voice filled with curiosity and surprise echoed in Xie Sen's mind: "Human?"
"Right here!" Adan's excited voice also rang in Xie Sen's mind.
Xie Sen looked at the golden ore under the black dragon's right forepaw, gently stroking his burning right shoulder. He could feel it; the earth energy was within that extremely bright ore.
He soothed the agitated Adan: "Yes, I can feel it."
He looked at the black dragon and asked, "Can you understand me?"
The black dragon flicked its tail, scattering ore everywhere: "So what if I can understand? You can't understand me."
Xie Sen breathed a sigh of relief; as long as they could communicate, that was good: "I can."
"Huh?" The black dragon raised its huge head, looking at him in surprise: "You're strange. Why can you understand me?"
Xie Sen pointed to the golden ore under its claws: "There's my energy inside. You're holding it, so we can communicate."
The black dragon's claws dug the ore further in: "I'm not going to give you the shiny stuff."
Xie Sen looked at the golden surroundings and the black dragon's protective posture, and suddenly remembered a rumor: dragons like shiny things. It seems the rumor is true.
Seeing him looking around, Maine explained, "These are all gold crystal mines."
Xie Sen was taken aback: "The gold crystal mine that Huo Feng Company wants to purchase?"
Maine nodded: "The missing ore might be here."
The black dragon suddenly let out a huge roar, exactly the same as the one Xie Sen had heard at the foot of the mountain, but this time it was closer and the impact was stronger: "These are all my treasures, you can't take them!"
Maine quickly covered Xie Sen's ears and hugged him tightly. Xie Sen grabbed Maine's arm and looked up at him worriedly: "How are you?" Maine shook his head,
and Xie Sen felt relieved. He looked at the black dragon: "You and the giant python are here, we can't take them. You're too close to the energy, it will affect you. How are you feeling now?"
The black dragon laid its head flat on the ore: "I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you. I just lost control of my emotions. I've been very unstable lately, and looking at these glittering things calms me down, so I can't give them to you."
Xie Sen couldn't help but think, the flying rhinoceros beast controls its emotions by being splashed with water, but the flying dragon beast controls them by looking at shiny things. Is this based on a preference?
"I don't want these ores, I just need to retrieve the energy. Energy is intangible; even if I retrieve it, the ores will still be here," Xie Sen said, adding, "The longer you stay near the energy, the stronger the effect will be. After that, you won't be able to control yourself even if you see something shiny."
The black dragon knew he was right. It could feel its mental state deteriorating as it spent more time near the energy. It blinked its large eyes: "You're not lying to me? Even if you retrieve the energy, these things won't disappear?"
"No," Xie Sen affirmed.
The black dragon hesitated, then raised its head, its tone fierce: "If you're lying to me, I'll kill you all."
Xie Sen sighed; this black dragon even knew how to threaten: "I won't lie to you."
The black dragon lowered its head, pushed the golden ore out with its claws, and rubbed its chin against it for a while: "Come here."
Xie Sen smiled at Maine: "Don't worry, I'll go retrieve the energy."
Maine said: "I'll go with you." He followed closely behind Xie Sen, ensuring he could intervene promptly in case of any unexpected situation.
Xie Sen approached, the black dragon's head almost touching his. He saw himself reflected in its eyes, like a mirror.
He reached out and placed his hand on the gold ore. The black dragon tilted its head, its whiskers brushing against his arm, and exclaimed in surprise, "Ew, so comfortable! You feel even better than looking at glittering gold."
Xie Sen didn't reply. The instant he touched the gold ore, a surge of energy rushed up his arm and into his shoulder. The energy was so strong that he couldn't speak for a moment.
Soon, Adan shouted energetically, "Asen, you're awesome! Earth energy recovery successful!"
Xie Sen breathed a sigh of relief and was about to withdraw his hand when the black dragon rubbed its head against his arm, its whiskers wrapping around his wrist: "You're so amazing. I want to be close to you; it feels so good."
Xie Sen reached out and touched its chin: "That's because I have a natural aura on me. Look, the ore is still there."
The black dragon rubbed its chin against his hand, its eyes slightly narrowed in comfort: "Mmm."
"Bang!" The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground suddenly came from behind the black dragon.
Xie Sen took a step to the side, turned his head to look, and was startled. A dinosaur?
Opposite to where they had come from, there was another wide passage. A creature over three meters long, with a small head, a long tail, and a robust build, resembling a dinosaur, had somehow entered from there. It was tilting its body, tossing pieces of gold ore off its back.
That's where the sound came from.
The black dragon's voice was full of joy as it turned its head: "Ah Jia, you're awesome! So much glitter!"
After the ore was tossed off, Xie Sen realized that its body was covered in golden scales; it wasn't a dinosaur.
Maine explained, "It's a giant armored beast, very good at digging underground."
Digging? Xie Sen immediately thought of pangolins. He looked at the giant armored beast; wasn't this just an enlarged version of a giant armored beast?
The giant armored beast cried out and turned to leave through the passage. The black dragon added, "Ah Jia, you don't need to look for any more glitter."
The giant armored beast turned back, lay down beside the black dragon, and looked at Xie Sen and Maine curiously.
The black dragon continued to nuzzle Xie Sen's hand. Xie Sen asked, "Can your mental state recover slowly by looking at these ores?"
The black dragon replied, "No, I can only barely control it. I can't have emotional fluctuations, and I can't fight either. Lately, it's been A-Mang who's been fighting. Humph, those beasts all want to steal the shiny ores."
As it spoke, it wrapped its whiskers around Xie Sen's wrist. "Being with you might be helpful. Our ancestors said that after a Beast Lord forms a bond with us, they develop a synergy that can soothe our minds. It's strange, I don't sense your Beast Lord aura."
"I'm not a Wyvern Beast Lord," Xie Sen thought of Long Teng and asked, "Do you want to form a bond? I know a Wyvern Beast Lord."
"Too weak, I don't want to," the black dragon scoffed.
Xie Sen said, "He's very strong. Why don't you give him a chance to try? It would also be good for your mental state."
The black dragon pondered for a moment: "I can try, but I don't want to leave here. All my shiny things are here." It formed a circle, trying its best to keep the ore within its designated area.
Xie Sen felt a headache coming on. This dragon was so fixated on these shiny things; would it refuse to leave even after the contract was formed?
He thought for a moment and said, "How about we take the brightest one so you can see it all the time? Anyway, you can't see most of them."
"How can I see it all the time?"
Xie Sen looked at its horns, and suddenly the image of the forehead ornaments worn by beauties in ancient dramas flashed through his mind. A brilliant idea struck him: "I'll string a shiny ore onto a rope and hang it a little above your nose. If you want to see it, you can just look down and see it anytime, without always having to hold it with your claws."
The black dragon's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"Hmm, I'll make one for you to try first. If it works, would you be willing to leave?" Xie Sen asked.
The black dragon tilted its head and looked around: "If I can see something sparkling all the time, I'm willing to leave. It would be even better if I could take some with me."
Xie Sen was relieved to hear this. He examined the size of the dragon's forehead, found a suitable piece of ore, and handed it to Maine: "Could you smooth out the surrounding area?"
Maine nodded, took the ore, and quickly smoothed out the protruding stone spikes before returning it to Xie Sen.
Xie Sen held the ore in his hand, placed his palm flat, summoned rice, exchanged it for the sharpest grain of rice, and ordered: "Attack the center, pierce through the center."
The next moment, the husks of the rice grains silently fell off the ears of rice, revealing the glistening white grains. Then, grain after grain of rice quickly flew towards the center of the ore, and in the blink of an eye, they emerged from the other side of the ore.
Because each grain of rice was so sharp, it became very fine, so the hole pierced by each grain was particularly small. Fortunately, there were many grains of rice. When the diameter of the hole was about one centimeter, Xie Sen ordered it to stop.
He exchanged a meter of watermelon vine, strung the ore along it, and then tied both ends to the black dragon's horns, letting the ore fall slightly above the dragon's nose. It didn't even need to look down; it could see the ore with its eyes.
The black dragon's fierce appearance was completely destroyed by the ore, making it look somewhat comical.
The black dragon was completely unaware, letting out a light cry of delight, exclaiming, "Wow, amazing! How come I never thought of that before!"
It pushed the golden ore that had previously served as a carrier of earth energy: "I want this one; this one is brighter."
Xie Sen repeated the process, drilling a hole in the golden ore, then removing the ore hanging on the black dragon's horns and replacing it with the golden ore.
The black dragon was even happier, its tail swaying joyfully from side to side. It tilted its head and said, "To thank you, I'll give you a cave full of treasures! Follow me." The
black dragon flew in mid-air, leading the way. Xie Sen pulled Maine along, and the giant python and the giant armored beast followed behind them. Tuan Tuan was still unwilling to give up and stepped on the giant python's forehead. The giant python did not feel any pain and good-naturedly let it step on it.
Not long after, the black dragon turned its head and darted in front of Xie Sen: "My mind starts to fluctuate as soon as I move, even looking at the ore doesn't help," it descended from mid-air, "You sit on my back, I'll feel more comfortable next to you, and... you're too slow!"
Xie Sen suddenly felt rejected, and he shook the hand he was holding with Maine: "Can we sit together?"
"Sure."
Xie Sen and Maine sat on the dragon's back together, Maine holding him tightly from behind. Xie Sen looked at the smooth dragon's back and touched the scales: "Don't go too fast, I'll slip off!"
The black dragon said, "No," but the scales beside Xie Sen suddenly curled up, and the black dragon said, "Hold on tight."
Xie Sen grabbed the curled scales, a little worried: "Won't they come off?"
The black dragon's reply was a soft hum, and Xie Sen knew he was being rejected again.
After sitting on the black dragon, the speed of movement became extremely fast. It skillfully flew back and forth in the network of underground passages. Xie Sen glanced back; the giant python and the giant armored beast were close behind, not being left behind.
He had indeed been a hindrance.
About twenty minutes later, the black dragon stopped in another large underground space, which was similar to where it had been before, filled with gold crystal ore, but in smaller quantities.
"This used to be my territory. Last time I went out to play, I accidentally saw this ore," it shook its head, the ore on its forehead swaying. "Once I grabbed it, I didn't want to put it down. Moving it would cause my mind to fluctuate, so I just stayed there." "
After that, my temper became very bad. Only looking at something shiny could calm me down. So A-Jia found a lot of shiny ore and put it next to me. Many wild beasts were attracted by the shiny ore and tried to fight over it, but A-Mang dealt with them all."
Xie Sen suddenly realized why the gold crystal ore had suddenly decreased. Sokto had made a big scapegoat for the black dragon and its companions.
He relayed the black dragon's words to Maine, chuckling as he looked at the ore: "Do you think we should make him take the blame?"
Sokto, whom they were talking about, was also thinking about them at that moment. After half a month of military investigation, Sokto was cleared of suspicion and officially released this morning.
Although the decrease in gold ore coincided with the timing of his appointment, hiding so much ore was no easy task. Such a large operation would inevitably leave clues, and investigations showed that Sokto could not do it.
As soon as Sokto was released, he received a call from Soria. Soria had been contacting him frequently these past few days, and this time, the call finally connected. Before he could even speak, she burst into tears: "You must avenge Rilo!"
Soria recounted Rilo's story in a voice filled with hatred: "I've been keeping an eye on Maine's movements. Yesterday, he went to A-Mining Star with the people from the Radiant Company. He might have gone there for you. You must strike first, don't let him come back alive!"
Sokto was shocked: "He's so bold?"
Soria screamed: "I told you, he's a demon! He killed Rilo, and now he wants to kill you! He's taking revenge!"
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Sokto's eyes: "Don't worry, I won't let him come back alive. Even if he's an S-rank Beast Lord, it's useless. He hasn't formed a bond yet; he's no match for me."
He hung up the call, left the room, and asked his subordinates about the movements of the new Radiant group. Hearing that Maine and Shesen had gone into the mountains, a smile appeared on his lips—a golden opportunity indeed.
"I need to get the aircraft going. I want to go to the mountains to clear my head and get rid of this bad luck."
Huo Feng took Xue Yue to the mountains closest to the safe zone. Xue Yue became excited as soon as they entered the mountains, nuzzling against Huo Feng before lying down with its back to him. Huo Feng rubbed its neck and sat on its back.
Once settled, Xue Yue took off running in one direction. Huo Feng asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"
"A powerful energy is attracting me."
It was incredibly fast, running along the foot of the mountain like a white phantom. Huo Feng looked around and suddenly realized something. He opened his bracelet and checked the map, quickly discovering that Xue Yue was heading towards Xie Sen and the others' destination.
As they got closer, an aircraft flew overhead. Huo Feng looked up and frowned. This wasn't the aircraft that was supposed to pick up Xie Sen and the others.
Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed, shaking the ground. Xue Yue paused briefly, then continued running.
Not long after, it suddenly stopped: "Disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Huo Feng asked in surprise, "How could it suddenly disappear?"
Xue Yue flicked her tail: "It must have been Asen who took it back. Sigh, I was thinking of staying a while longer, maybe I would become smarter. Anyway, now that we've formed a bond, we don't have to worry about mental issues."
Huo Feng was even more puzzled: "Smarter?"
Xue Yue recounted the matter of the red energy: "Luckily, Asen helped us, otherwise we would all be mentally confused, and might even have ended up killing each other."
Huo Feng said, "I see," he opened his bracelet to contact Xie Sen, but found that neither he nor Maine had a signal. He rubbed Xue Yue's neck, "Go take a walk around. Since he just recovered the energy, he must be nearby."
The people on the Sokto aircraft also heard the dragon's roar, and the pilot's hands began to tremble: "Colonel, there are wild beasts in the mountains, it's too dangerous, and it's not easy to land here."
Sokto looked out the window: "It's better if there are wild beasts, hopefully we can swallow them whole," he pondered for a moment, "We won't land, even if we go down we might not find them. We'll fly slowly nearby and keep watch. If they want to go out, there will definitely be aircraft coming to pick them up."
"Colonel is brilliant!" his trusted subordinates who came with him immediately praised.
The aircraft flew slowly nearby. Sokto and his confidants kept a close watch on the ground. Suddenly, movement appeared in their field of vision. One of the confidants said, "Colonel, there's someone."
Sokto took out his binoculars. "It's not Maine, it's Hofeng. What's he doing here?"
"Good heavens!" Sokto was staring at Hofeng in deep thought when the pilot suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Sokto turned his head at the sound and saw a huge black dragon fly into the air from below. In the blink of an eye, it flew to the side of the aircraft's window, curiously peered inside, and then nimbly flew away.
"Oh, oh, oh, there's someone in there!" the black dragon exclaimed excitedly. "Hahaha, it feels so good to fly! I was getting so bored in the cave!" "
Colonel..." one of the confidants swallowed nervously. "Is that a flying dragon beast?"
Another confidant also swallowed nervously. "It looks like there are two people on its back."
The pilot stammered, "The one in the back looks like Maine."