Chapter Ninety-Six: The Ninth-Rank Overlord

A week had passed since Lando and Leia set out. By then, the two had already ventured deep into the Crystal Grove Forest. Compared with the outer regions, the trees here were far taller and denser, so thick with growth that it was often impossible to tell whether it was day or night.

Yet the forest was by no means pitch-black, for clusters of crystals shone with lights of every color, making its depths even more breathtakingly beautiful.

The reason Lando and Leia had lingered here was simple: the map Lando had obtained showed that deep within the forest there were large numbers of seventh- and eighth-tier crystal creatures, and even traces of ninth-tier ones.

For the native peoples of this world, though they also hunted crystal creatures as enemies, they generally kept their distance from high-tier specimens. If a hunt failed, a high-tier crystal creature, given its intelligence, might very well retaliate against the hunter’s tribe. Moreover, large tribes usually possessed their own cultivation methods, so they had little need to risk hunting such formidable prey.

But for the descending arcanists, these high-tier crystal creatures were priceless treasures—rare resources that vanished one by one with every kill. The day when the companion crystals of the descending arcanists generally rose in tier would be the day disaster truly came for the world’s high-tier crystal creatures. As those beings were steadily hunted down, the crystal creatures’ uprisings would follow in turn. This was one of the most important factors in the catastrophe of the descendants.

At the Fire Leopard Tribe, Lando had also obtained many cultivation methods of this world. Most of the ordinary ones, which condensed crystal energy, were largely the same, but there was one called Dark Smoke that he found rather interesting, discovered in the residence of the tribe chief.

It was a special fire-attribute variant energy that not only deepened the nature of flame, but also endowed it with the elusive quality of smoke, making it extremely powerful. The Fire Leopard warrior commander Lloyd, who had come to intercept him, cultivated this method; though only at the eighth tier, he possessed ninth-tier combat strength.

As for the difficulty of cultivation, this special fire-element companion crystal demanded more than several times the effort of an ordinary fire-element companion crystal, and should only be chosen with great caution by those of extraordinary talent.

“Senior Lando, how much longer are we going to stay here? I’m so bored!~” Leia complained.

“...”

When they had first entered the forest, the girl had still been captivated by the scenery, saying things like, “It’s so beautiful here, can we play here a few more days?” and “Wow! I really want to live here forever!” And now she was already bored?

Hmph! Women: your name is fickleness!

After these days of gain, Leia’s companion crystal had reached the seventh tier, while Lando had advanced a small step beyond the sixth.

According to the Fire Leopard Tribe’s intelligence, traces of a ninth-tier Crystal Winged Sky Dragon had been found here, yet after several days of wandering they had not encountered it. They had, however, hunted many seventh- and eighth-tier crystal creatures, so it was indeed time to leave.

“All right, then we’ll continue east. There’s a super-sized tribe there called Azure Wing, and the resources over there are even richer. We should be able to meet quite a few descending arcanists as well, and ask them for information. Let’s go.”

As he spoke, Lando took Leia’s hand. Her face flushed red at once, and she instinctively tried to pull back. Lando looked at her in confusion. “What is it?”

“It’s... nothing.”

Lando naturally understood that the senior girl was probably embarrassed, but he only pretended not to know.

The two figures flickered onward, leaping repeatedly through the forest. Though there were now two of them, and the complex terrain meant each spatial shift covered only a short distance, it was still far faster than traveling on foot.

Ignoring the low-tier crystal creatures along the way, they crossed the forest in only a little over half a day. The trees around them had clearly begun to thin out.

Then—

A sharp cry suddenly reached Lando’s ears, carrying an immense pressure. One hearing it could tell at once that no ordinary creature could have made such a sound.

Lando’s eyes moved. “Let’s take a look.”

With that, he headed toward the source of the sound.

Once they were close enough, Lando stopped shifting and spread the mist of his mental world, advancing cautiously toward the battlefield.

When he drew near, he saw a five-person squad besieging a gigantic crystal creature resembling a pterosaur. Lando guessed this must be the Crystal Winged Sky Dragon he had been searching for all along.

This Crystal Winged Sky Dragon deserved its reputation as a ninth-tier overlord. Enormous in size, with a wingspan of at least fifteen meters, its body shone a blue-gray brilliance beneath the sun. It moved with astonishing speed, like the wind itself.

The five-person squad was clearly composed of descending arcanists. Besides the four who wielded the basic four elements, there was another who used a form of green energy, somewhat like wood, yet carrying an overwhelming vitality. Whenever any of the five was injured, he would cast out a wash of green light, and the wounded person’s injuries would heal swiftly.

The five all had seventh-tier companion crystals. In addition to them, two ferocious beasts were also attacking the Crystal Winged Sky Dragon: one a mottled tiger, the other a hawk, both surprisingly eighth-tier crystal creatures.

At this moment, the Crystal Winged Sky Dragon was clearly at a disadvantage and in dire peril. Given its speed, it should never have been driven to this point, but the five clearly possessed some unusual means that prevented it from flying away. It could only circle within a fixed range, unable to bring its natural advantage into play.

Lando thought for a moment, then dispelled the mist of his mental world and revealed himself openly at a distance, without approaching.

Their sudden appearance immediately drew the attention of the five-person squad, but seeing that the two of them had no intention of coming closer, they turned their main focus back to the Crystal Winged Sky Dragon. After all, they had spent a great deal of effort hunting this ninth-tier overlord, and it would be far too costly to lose all that work now.

After observing for a while, Lando noticed that the five did not actually intend to kill the Crystal Winged Sky Dragon. Several times, they could clearly have struck vital points and killed it, or at least rendered it unable to fight, yet each time they deliberately avoided doing so. Thinking of the two crystal creatures attacking alongside them, Lando guessed that perhaps one among the five possessed a talent or method for subduing beasts, and wanted to capture this ninth-tier overlord.

That made Lando a little envious. A cool, battle-capable pet? He wanted one too!

As the wounds on the Crystal Winged Sky Dragon multiplied and smiles began to appear on the five faces, convinced that victory was already theirs—

“Kyiii!~”

A piercing cry, sharp enough to cleave metal and stone, rang out from the distance. At first the sound was still far away, with only a tiny black dot faintly visible in the sky. But by the time the cry ended, a vast shadow was already clearly discernible.

It was another... Crystal Winged Sky Dragon.