Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence

Chapter 108: Chapter 105: Mire Crocodile Dragon

The Storm Griffin Group flew eastward, their massive wings carving through the sky and leaving fourteen distinct contrails in their wake.

Over an hour later, a damp and slightly cloying scent began to fill the air.

The distant sky looked as if it were shrouded in a thin, gray-green veil—the signature miasma of the Jade Swamp.

Like unsheathed blades, the fourteen Storm Griffins plunged diagonally into the gray-green haze.

The deeper they flew, the thicker the miasma became, and visibility dropped accordingly.

Sunlight struggled to pierce the miasma, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across the swamp’s surface, adding an eerie quality to the already mysterious region.

The intelligence report only mentioned that the ruins of the Giant Dragon Temple were in the southwestern part of the Jade Swamp, with no specific coordinates provided.

He rubbed the head of Moonlight, who was nestled in his arms, hoping it might offer some guidance. But Moonlight was sleeping soundly with its eyes closed. ’It probably hasn’t sensed anything.’

With no other choice, Raylo could only resort to the most primitive method: a grid search.

The Storm Griffins spread out, maintaining a distance that allowed for mutual support. They circled slowly tens of meters above the ground, their sharp eyes scrutinizing every body of water and patch of jungle below.

The swamp was teeming with various Flying Magical Beasts. Some were carrion vultures in small flocks of three to five, exuding a nauseating stench; others were swarms of colorful yet highly venomous mosquitoes.

However, under the pressure radiating from the powerful Storm Griffin Group led by Baofeng, these Magical Beasts—mostly just Tier One or Tier Two—would scatter in a panic the moment they sensed their presence, not daring to show the slightest hint of aggression.

Raylo scanned the swamp below, hoping to find some kind of clue.

Suddenly.

”HISSS!”

A sharp, piercing hiss suddenly erupted from their front left, shattering the swamp’s silence.

Raylo’s eyes narrowed as he looked toward the sound.

He saw seven or eight dark green shadows shoot out like lightning from a dense mangrove forest, lunging straight for a Storm Griffin on the group’s left flank.

”It’s Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpents! Tier Three Magical Beasts!”

Ed cried out in alarm. He had encountered these troublesome swamp creatures before on the Jade Swamp defense line.

Back then, a Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpent controlled by the Demon Serpent’s Fangs had used its aerial advantage to spray deadly venom downward. Several Knights hadn’t been able to dodge in time and were killed on the spot.

”Be careful of the venom from these serpents, it’s extremely lethal,” Ed shouted as a warning.

These Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpents were nearly six meters long, their bodies as thick as buckets and covered in fine, dark green scales that gleamed with an ominous sheen in the dim light.

On their underbellies were several pairs of short, powerful, fleshy fins that allowed them to fly and glide on air currents at a considerable speed.

Their most lethal features were their ferocious, triangular heads and the forked, scarlet tongues that constantly flickered from their mouths, as if brewing a deadly venom.

”Hold formation! Prepare for battle!”

Raylo remained calm. Although they had stumbled into the territory of the Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpents, the combat strength of the Storm Griffin Group was more than enough to handle the situation.

Baofeng let out an furious cry and was the first to charge forward.

The other Storm Griffins quickly adjusted their positions and followed Baofeng to attack.

In an instant, another three or four Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpents shot out from the dense forest from different directions and joined the fray, bringing their total to eleven.

As the overlords of this area, they clearly considered this airspace their forbidden territory and showed no mercy to intruders.

The battle erupted in an instant.

The Storm Griffins demonstrated their formidable aerial combat skills. They used their altitude advantage to continuously dive and circle, their sharp talons tearing through the air with a piercing whistle.

The Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpents, however, were exceptionally agile. They twisted their long bodies in mid-air to evade the Griffins’ attacks, all while looking for opportunities to spit streams of dark green venom.

The venom shot toward the Storm Griffins like arrows. Any contact would rapidly corrode feathers and flesh.

Even so, the Griffins had to dodge the deadly venom with extreme care, which hampered their movements for a time.

”Ed, protect yourself!”

Raylo warned in a low voice, simultaneously commanding Baofeng to execute a sharp barrel roll to dodge an oncoming stream of venom.

The venom landed on the swamp water below with a SIZZLE, releasing a plume of yellowish-green smoke, a testament to its extreme toxicity.

As a Tier Four Storm Griffin King, Baofeng’s power far surpassed that of its peers.

With a blur of motion, it shot to the side of a Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpent, its massive Iron Claws swiping down with enough force to tear through anything!

”RIP!”

The Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpent couldn’t dodge in time. Its tough Scale Armor was torn open as easily as paper under Baofeng’s sharp claws. A huge chunk of flesh was ripped away, and dark green blood gushed out.

The Feathered Serpent let out a bloodcurdling shriek and plummeted toward the swamp below.

Having landed a successful blow, Baofeng didn’t pause. With a powerful flap of its wings, it stirred up a gale and lunged toward another Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpent that was trying to ambush one of its companions.

This time, it opened its Refined Steel-like Iron Beak and precisely bit down on the Feathered Serpent’s neck, then gave a violent shake!

”SNAP!”

A cringe-inducing crack of bone echoed as a massive, bloody hole was torn in the Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpent’s neck. Its enormous body went limp and fell.

Baofeng’s ferocity greatly boosted the Griffins’ morale.

They all followed its example, using their advantages in speed and power to engage the Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpents in a life-or-death struggle.

For a moment, the air was a chaotic mix of screeches and hisses. Feathers and scales flew, while foul-smelling venom and crimson blood rained down together.

The Storm Griffin Ed was riding was also caught in a pincer attack by two Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpents.

Although he couldn’t directly participate in the aerial battle, the Long Spear in his hands was not just for show.

Seizing an opportunity, just as his Griffin mount dodged a spray of venom, he activated his Fighting Spirit ability ”Giant’s Grip” and thrust his Long Spear forward. The tip, imbued with his fully channeled Fighting Spirit and the one ton of force from Giant’s Grip, viciously pierced the base of a Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpent’s fleshy fin.

”HISSS!”

The immense force nearly ran it clean through. The Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpent cried out in pain and fell from the sky.

Ed’s Storm Griffin took the opportunity to break free and join its comrades in encircling the remaining enemies.

The battle lasted for about fifteen minutes.

After Baofeng killed two in quick succession and the other Griffins had each wounded or killed their opponents, the remaining Highly Poisonous Feathered Serpents finally felt a sense of fear.

They gave up the fight. Letting out a series of frustrated hisses, they turned and dove into the dense forest and swamp below, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The Storm Griffins were victorious, but not unscathed.

Three or four of the Griffins had their wings grazed by venom. Though not fatal, the injuries affected their ability to fly.

Two others had been struck by the Feathered Serpents’ tails during the fight and suffered minor injuries, with one of them bleeding from the corner of its beak.

Raylo surveyed their surroundings. Seeing that the Feathered Serpents had retreated, he breathed a small sigh of relief.

He spotted a solitary hill not far away, rising from the dark green swamp like a giant earthen mound. Its top was relatively flat, seeming to be a good spot for a temporary rest.

”Baofeng, take them to that hill to rest for a moment and treat their wounds,” Raylo ordered.

Baofeng let out a low cry in response to its master’s command and led the way toward the hill.

The other Storm Griffins closed ranks and followed behind it.

The hill wasn’t very high, only about a hundred meters. At its summit was a hundred-meter-wide mud pit, bordered by a patch of dense shrubs and scattered rocks.

Perhaps because of the higher elevation, the miasma here was thinner than it was below.

The Storm Griffins circled and began to land.

One of the more heavily injured Storm Griffins, its wing wounded, was impatient. It adjusted its posture and was the first to descend toward a large, brown ’rock’ beside the mud pit that looked solid and dry, planning to rest there.

Just as the Storm Griffin’s claws were about to touch the ’rock’...

The unexpected happened!