Pillar of Yita

But the Elf Girl merely sheathed her spear and walked in another direction. Before leaving, she looked back at him and said, ”Be careful, Ade.”

Fang Hong always felt that Atira’s gaze was very familiar, reminding him of his days on Earth, his aunt and uncle, and that annoying cousin.

All was silent again around them, with only the sound of insects remaining.

Waves rose on the water surface, surging forward, and Fang Hong hastily grasped a nearby root to steady himself. A black shadow skimmed overhead, blowing the trees of the Redwood Forest askew.

The Dragon circled above, and Fang Hong knew it was confirming its target. He was certain it was himself, and subconsciously covered the back of his hand.

Not far off on the water’s surface, several clusters of glowing crystals hung beneath a cage-like mangrove root, illuminating the surroundings.

At first glance, it seemed like the floating crystals commonly seen in the world of Eteliria—Guy, but in reality, it was the first fin spine and light-emitting flap of a swamp giant angler, a rare creature in the lower swamps.

Rank twenty-two, highly skilled in mimicry, with no weaknesses except for slow movement. As long as one approaches within five to seven meters, death was almost certain, but luckily Fang Hong recognized the creature.

He cautiously made his way around it.

Even at the outer edges of the Traveler’s Swamp, danger was ever-present.

He didn’t know when the Dragon would return, but it was sure to come back. From the moment Wu Di suggested splitting up, Fang Hong knew the outcome— for others, it was destined to be an adventure filled with close calls but no dangers.

But for him—

It was a struggle between life and death, or even a certain death.

He cautiously proceeded deeper into the Mangrove Forest, hoping to find a glimmer of hope within the dense trees. The Dragon appearing in this area must be a leader, but its rank couldn’t be too high.

After all, it was merely a part of the Giant Dragon, perhaps even just the strength of a fractured horn.

While Fang Hong was lost in his thoughts, a line of text suddenly faintly appeared on the system window in front of his eyes:

”ID—064212215H requests to become your contact.”

Fang Hong was slightly stunned.

He hurriedly looked down, and sure enough, there was a verification message: ”I know who you are, Ade—”

Looking further, it was signed Wu Di. Fang Hong nearly stumbled into the water, only then realizing just how reliable the old saying was — the biting dog doesn’t bark.

No wonder he had been looked at that way before.

While he was feeling at a loss, suddenly, a gunshot came from far behind him, right from the direction Wu Di and the others had left. Fang Hong turned around, suddenly realizing what the other party was doing—they were luring the Dragon away.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t help but find it a bit ironic.

No use.

Wu Di withdrew his smoking handgun, also surprised. Despite shooting the Dragon’s right wing and sparking a long stream of sparks, the creature hadn’t even glanced at him and had flown straight off to the north.

That was exactly the direction Fang Hong had left—

Fang Hong also saw the Dragon whose massive body and distinct golden-red pupils in the night sky were hard to miss. After a flamboyant twirl above the Redwood Forest, it dove in his direction.

In that moment, Fang Hong only felt the Mark on the back of his hand grow blisteringly hot, but he couldn’t care less and turned to run.

The Giant Dragon spread its wings above the Redwood Forest, drawing a straight line, leaving two trails of Golden Flames in its wake as sparks filled the sky, which immediately set the treetops on fire.

The entire swamp lit up as if set aflame.

Another long howl resounded.

It seemed even the water surface was boiling, trembling incessantly.

Miss Tata’s Fairy Doll, perched on Fang Hong’s shoulder, tightly clutched his collar with her tiny hands. As Fang Hong ran, her silver hair brushed against his face. It was then that Miss Tata suddenly said, ”Be careful!”

Fang Hong had also noticed the fleeting magic reaction above through her Perception — why were there other people in the forest? Hardly had this thought crossed his mind when a figure leaped down from the branches right onto him.

Fang Hong only felt a pair of strong hands grasp his throat, one hand press his head, and he was violently pushed underwater. Mud-flavored water poured in from all directions, and before he could react, he choked on a mouthful of water.

Was someone trying to kill him?

His entire body tensed, desperately struggling to raise his head. At that moment, the Dragon swooped down from the sky, activating the Crown Mark on Fang Hong’s hand, which burst forth a bright Flash, forming a massive hemispherical Shield. Not only did the Dragon collide head-on with the Shield, but the Force Field also pushed away the person restraining him.

Fang Hong surprisingly looked at his hand and then back, finally seeing the assailant’s face.

It was an assassin wearing a mask, also donning a strange hat with a hood, pushed away by the Force Field and heavily slamming into a tree.

Meanwhile, the Dragon wasn’t unharmed either, still shaking its huge head. Falling a few dozen meters through the air and hitting a wall couldn’t feel good, one could imagine.

Fang Hong looked at the Crown Mark on his hand as it faded again, but at least he now understood that it and these two figures weren’t together. So, he took another glance at the large and small figures, covered the Mark with his hand, and ran off in another direction.