Chapter 28: Evolution

The Classification of Dragons

All dragons can be divided into two major systems. The first system includes the Red Dragon, Blue Dragon, Azure Dragon, Green Dragon, and Golden Dragon. These five types were conceived and nurtured from the cells in the blood of the current Dragon God, Pilote. Initially, there were only two of each kind, and they reproduced over generations. At that time, all these dragons could become Sacred Dragons, while ordinary dragons were transformed from Pilote's scales, resulting in at least 20 surviving dragons each time. While the earliest dragons were born through cellular reproduction, later generations became oviparous creatures.

The Black Dragon is the life-bound dragon of the previous Dragon God, with a long-standing history and continued existence in the world.

Red dragons are aligned with the fire element, blue dragons with water, azure dragons with wind, green dragons with ice, and the golden dragon, the life-bound dragon of the current Dragon God, primarily embodies the earth element but also shows significant strength in other areas. Black dragons are associated with the dark attribute.

Shan Hai Jing: Tales of the Strange

To everyone's amazement, the entrance behind them had vanished without a trace. The massive rock appeared smooth, as if no opening had ever existed.

Suddenly, the surrounding magical energy began to stir. In their alarm, everyone turned to the center of the cave, where the blue dragon suddenly shook its wings, which had been folded at its sides. It had awakened. With two swift beats of its wings, the blue magical coating at the tips was revealed. At that moment, they realized its wings were not pure blue but rather closer to azure.

A mighty breath echoed through the cave like distant thunder, causing the cavern to tremble with each resonating breath. Fragments of rock continually fell from the surrounding walls.

Like four meteors streaking across the night sky, the dragon, Yin Feng, opened its four eyes simultaneously.

"Despicable and vile human mongrels, which one of you dares to disturb my slumber?" Despite the distance of over 100 meters, every adventurer could feel the immense anger radiating from Yin Feng, filling the entire cave with an aura of slaughter.

"How can you speak?" Da Qing Shan exclaimed in astonishment.

"Wretches," Yin Feng's sharp ears caught the muttered words, "Do you think only those damned Sacred Dragons can use human language? Come, let me see what kind of person has breached the five barriers to reach me. It's been ages since I've had a chance to stretch my muscles with you human insects."

A blazing dragon flame erupted from Yin Feng's mouth, instantly turning a massive, magical stone pillar red-hot. The mountain-like pile of raw gold ore in front of it melted into liquid gold in that instant.

The first adventurer to regain composure was Drew, whose berserker blood gradually revealed its unique aura of death. He felt ashamed of his earlier cowardice in wanting to flee. Raising his four-meter-long berserker axe high, Drew spurred his earth dragon mount directly towards Yin Feng.

The earth dragon had barely taken a few steps before it abruptly halted, the sudden inertia nearly throwing Drew off its back. The earth dragon cowered, fear evident in its eyes.

"Damn coward!" Furious, Drew freed a hand to punch the earth dragon's head, causing it to tremble even more.

The silver battle axe sliced through the air in a small arc, cutting through the earth dragon's tail. Blood sprayed forth immediately. Roaring in pain, the earth dragon lowered its massive head and charged towards Yin Feng.

The other adventurers quickly regrouped, forming a battle formation. Warriors surrounded the mages and priests to protect them. Though many legs still trembled, it didn't hinder the group's combat effectiveness. "Come back, Drew, let's go together," Ah Feng called out, but to no avail.

The adventurers advanced towards Yin Feng with the standard enemy encounter formation.

"Ha! You damned little wretches," Yin Feng seemed in no rush.

Closer, closer, Drew was only 50 meters away from Yin Feng. Yin Feng's blue-green head opened its massive mouth, and a fierce wind howled from within.

The violent gale slashed like knives, tearing at Drew's clothing. In a few moments, the few pieces of armor on the berserker were ripped away by the wind.

Evidently, the earth dragon, despite the excruciating pain, couldn't withstand the mighty dragon's breath. Initially, it charged forward with its head down, but after only a few steps, it was knocked down by the howling wind. One of Drew's legs was trapped under the earth dragon's massive body.

Clearly, Yin Feng was pleased with this outcome and ceased its breath.

With the wind dying down, the adventurers' combat team quickened their pace to reach Drew's side. As Ah Feng and Da Qing Shan tried to lift the earth dragon, they discovered it was already dead from fright, with a foul-smelling yellow bile oozing from its mouth. Compared to a giant dragon, the earth dragon was inherently suppressed.

Drew was pulled out by the adventurers.

Now only 40 meters from Yin Feng, at this close range, the dragon's majestic presence was truly apparent. It stood 15 meters high and 40 meters long, roughly double the size of an average dragon. Its four pupils radiated intense anger. Its blue-gray body was covered in scales, each the size of a palm, with scars scattered across its body—presumably remnants of past battles. It's unclear what kind of warriors could leave such deep marks on it, but the ultimate victor was always Yin Feng. In over a thousand years, no one had ever returned alive from battling Yin Feng, not even dragon knights with their own dragons.

Yin Feng extended its long dragon claw, accepting the snow wolf's brain from a skeleton kneeling on the ground, swallowing it in one gulp.

"Heh, a little snack before the human feast. Damned little worms, let's have some fun."

Without any incantation, the air in front of Yin Feng suddenly trembled, and four yellow wind phantoms appeared. Almost simultaneously, the four wind phantoms vanished into the air without a trace.

"Watch out, the dragons are invisible!" Nuo shouted while chanting a spell: "Oh, spirits of light, bless your warriors." Golden magic descended from the sky, bathing each adventurer. Suddenly, four yellow dragons appeared in their low flight, arrowing towards them.

"Oh, spirits of the sword, transform your essence into blades of attack," Qian Li Xue began her assault, her white long sword transforming into countless sword shadows striking the low-flying dragon. The wind dragon, hit first, was immediately attacked by the sword shadows, crashing into the ground.

Silver sword energy emanated from Ah Feng's long sword, directly targeting the two front wind dragons. The wind dragon struck by Qian Li Xue couldn't dodge and was hit in the head by the sword energy, quickly reverting to its original wind form. Another wind dragon let out a painful cry, its movements slowing.

The magic archer simultaneously released three enchanted arrows, each streaking through the air with yellow flames. Earth-elemental magic arrows are the best against wind dragons, and indeed, one wind dragon was struck in the neck and body, its yellow form hardening before collapsing like a pile of dirt, then disappearing.

Nearly naked, Drew wielded his four-meter-long axe, charging like a madman. Silver lightning slashed through the air, severing a foot from a massive wind dragon, which promptly vanished.

The last wind dragon was jointly cut down by several swordsmen.

In the first round, the adventurers emerged victorious.

"Interesting," Yin Feng remarked, squinting as if discovering a treasure.

"Be careful, it has two heads, so it can cast spells simultaneously, and very quickly," Ah Feng, once a first-level mage, quickly identified Yin Feng's power.

"Ice Storm," to prevent Yin Feng from launching another attack, Amy summoned an ice spell 30 meters away from it.

Snowflakes descended from the cave ceiling, forming larger snow and ice shards as they fell, hurtling towards Yin Feng like a mountain.

This low-level magic posed no threat to the giant dragon, which ignored it and began preparing its next large-scale spell, though high-level ice spirit magic did manage to penetrate Yin Feng's defenses, slicing across its body with a screeching noise, and red blood seeped from the wounds on its body.

Perhaps it had been too long since anyone had left a mark on Yin Feng. Its white eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and it let out a painful howl, echoing throughout the cavern, causing the ceiling to rain down rocks of various sizes.

In its agony, Yin Feng abandoned the magic it had been preparing. Magical spirits surged like a tide, and a blue hexagonal magic circle appeared before everyone. A black magic dragon rose from the ground, followed by a second.

The dark dragon, Lan Da, known as the ultimate weapon of battlefield destruction, was capable of summoning two dragons simultaneously. While everyone was still staring in shock at the two Lan Da dragons rising, black magical flames erupted.

Lan Da's attack only targeted those with whom it had established a direct attack relationship. Earlier, only Amy had directly engaged with Yin Feng, so black flames spewed from Amy, staining her white clothes red with blood. With a scream, she fell heavily to the ground, unconscious.

"Amy!" Da Qing Shan cried out, rushing over.

"Oh, merciful goddess Dayniya, let your loving moonlight shine upon your followers," Nuo chanted softly, as snow-white moonlight descended from the sky, enveloping Amy. Her wounds began to heal rapidly, and she let out a faint groan of pain.

"My blood, my spirit, I call upon your presence in my name, sacrificing my life for your mighty attack," Ah Feng solemnly raised his great sword, a sacred voice resounding. "Wah—" A mouthful of fresh blood spewed out, turning the silver sword blood red.

"Brother Feng, don't!" Qian Li Xue shouted, trying to stop Ah Feng, but

The blood-red sword trembled as eight blue sword energies shot out, followed by two crimson sword energies. The blue energies scattered upon hitting Yin Feng's defensive shield, while the red energies pierced through, creating two one-foot-long gashes on Yin Feng's left wing, from which blood gushed out.

"My blood, my spirit, I call upon your presence in my name, sacrificing my life for your mighty attack," Qian Li Xue also raised her great sword, a solemn voice resonating. "Wah—" A mouthful of blood spewed forth, turning her silver sword blood red.

Four blue sword energies and one red energy simultaneously struck Yin Feng, leaving another wound on its body.

"Lowly humans, die!" A massive wall of fire rose from the ground, flames roaring towards the adventurers. Simultaneously, yellow wind dragons reappeared, clawing through the air, while several high-level wind spirits were also summoned.

At nearly the same moment, every adventurer faced a combined magic and physical assault. The last two swordsmen fell, while Ah Feng, after knocking down a wind spirit, was struck by a wind dragon's massive tail, sending him crashing into the sea of flames.

"Brother Feng!" Qian Li Xue tried to break free from the wind spirit before her, and after a feigned strike, she dove to catch Ah Feng, both crashing into the wall of fire. As she attempted to rise from the flames, the wind spirit drove the fire wall, engulfing them like a mountain.

"Brother Feng!" Qian Li Xue threw Ah Feng with all her might, her blood sword releasing several beams of sword light, striking the wind spirit. "Boom!" The wind spirit was knocked down, and Qian Li Xue leapt onto it, clutching it tightly as they rolled through the flames.

"Oh, merciful goddess Dayniya, let your loving moonlight shine upon your followers," Nuo attempted a large-scale healing spell, but five black-red nuclear fusion grenades appeared before him, exploding in succession, reducing Nuo and the nearby mage knights to ashes.

Old Lock and Drew simultaneously hurled their axes at Yin Feng. Drew's axe was deflected by a blue glow from Yin Feng, while Old Lock's axe, emitting a red light, pierced through the blue physical shield, leaving a deeper scar under Yin Feng's blue head.

Yin Feng let out a pained howl, releasing a red dragon breath, instantly engulfing Drew in flames.

Old Lock reached out for his massive axe, which flared with red light and rebounded from Yin Feng's feet, returning to his hand.

Da Qing Shan moved Amy to a corner, covering her with a steel shield, then engaged in combat with an advancing wind spirit.

A blue magic circle appeared again, and another gigantic Lan Da rose from the ground. Three bursts of magical flame shot from Old Lock and Da Qing Shan, sending them crashing to the ground. Old Lock's head hit his axe hard, knocking him unconscious.

The battle seemed to be ending, with no adventurers left standing.

Undoubtedly, Yin Feng had once again demonstrated its unparalleled power.

"Pfft—" Blood gushed from Da Qing Shan's mouth as he crawled towards Amy. "Amy, I never thought our first outing would end like this. I truly hoped we could continue as brothers." Amy awoke from his faint, red liquid filling his eyes, painting the world red. "Have we lost?" He tried to pick up the ice blade beside him, but

"Lowly humans, die." Yin Feng's voice echoed through the cave, as the last few spirits approached, wielding gleaming ice blades.

Da Qing Shan strained to hold Amy's hand. "Green, my dear partner, farewell."