Beneath the veil of night, a ten-meter-long Golden True Dragon flapped its wings, soaring swiftly through the sky.
Its wingspan, over twenty meters, eclipsed the moonlight, casting a vast shadow on the sea below that seemed to blot out the sun.
Occasionally, sea creatures brushed by the shadow of the dragon's wings would lift their heads, gazing into the night sky.
Upon spotting the dazzling figure of the Golden True Dragon, they would immediately dive back into the water. Even the simplest of sea creatures knew to avoid dragons, as if a fear of dragons was an instinct carved into their very blood, unless there was a significant gap in strength that allowed them to overcome this fear and stir restlessly.
After flying at high altitudes for a while, Saga felt the vast expanse between the ocean and the sky, and his heart couldn't help but swell with grandeur.
He folded his wings, plummeting like a meteor toward the sea.
Just before hitting the water, his golden wings snapped open with a powerful beat.
Boom!
The sea's surface caved under the pressure of the wind, bursting into countless sparkling droplets.
Saga skimmed the surface, speeding low over the water like a streak of golden light.
The powerful wind pressure parted the water just two or three meters below him, which then slowly closed back up, creating a long trail of white foam in his wake, with water droplets scattering like spray.
Saga was thoroughly enjoying his flight, and with his spine as an axis, he suddenly spun his body around.
His wings dipped into the sea, lifting countless moonlit droplets.
At the center of Saga's body, it was as if a horizontal water tornado was racing across the sea, making quite the commotion.
Moments later, Saga plunged into the ocean with a splash, then burst forth, bringing up towering waves.
The energetic Golden Dragon frolicked like this for over half an hour before soaring back into the sky, heading towards Thorn Isle with focused determination.
Compared to when he first left Thorn Isle, Saga, now in his Young Dragon stage, flew even faster.
Moon Bay was over three thousand kilometers from Thorn Isle, and at Saga's current speed, it would take him less than ten hours to reach his destination at full sprint.
After another half hour of racing under the star-studded night sky,
Saga, flying at a kilometer high, suddenly focused his gaze and came to an abrupt halt.
Whoosh!
A sharp, several-meter-long high-pressure water spear grazed past Saga's faceplate and shot into the heavens, disappearing into the night.
"There's always some fool who overestimates their capabilities and seeks their own death."
Saga wasn't the least bit surprised.
Every time he traveled, his not-so-gargantuan size would deceive and attract attacks from audacious sea creatures. Although most feared dragons, there were plenty confident in their own strength and believed they had encountered a weaker dragon, daring to attack, and they often ended up as Saga's in-flight meals.
Looking down, he surveyed the ocean.
A strange wolf, about four meters long, hairless with skin smooth and crystalline, its body a translucent azure blending with the sea, appeared in Saga's view.
The Sea Fury Wolf, a sixth-tier water magic lifeform.
After its stealth attack missed, the Sea Fury Wolf locked eyes with the True Dragon above, then melted into the ocean like water, sinking into the depths and vanishing from the surface.
"Hit and run?"
Saga chuckled disdainfully.
He folded his wings and dove headfirst.
Thud!
The dragon plunged into the sea, stirring up massive waves, his golden scales disappearing beneath the surface.
Immediately, it was as if a mighty sea creature was battling below, the surrounding waters boiling, with columns of water shooting skyward and whirlpools swirling.
Within minutes,
The sea surface exploded violently.
The Sea Fury Wolf, panicked, paddled frantically, running across the water.
After several hundred meters, the golden figure was faintly visible in the water left behind by the Sea Fury Wolf, and in the next instant, burst forth from the sea.
Boom!
Saga lifted the Sea Fury Wolf with his head, his sharp, rugged dragon horns tearing through its belly, spilling cold blue blood.
He raised his dragon claw, pulling down the howling Sea Fury Wolf.
With a snap, Saga twisted the creature's neck and then began to snack on it.
"Hmm, this flesh feels like jelly? And it's cool and sweet."
The Sea Fury Wolf wasn't a large lifeform, and Saga devoured it in just a few bites. He licked his lips, feeling unsatisfied.
Meanwhile, a slender sea serpent happened to pass by, craning its neck curiously at Saga.
"What are you looking at?"
Saga extended his dragon claw.
The sea serpent, hundreds of meters away, was suddenly enveloped by an invisible force and, despite its frantic struggle, was swiftly pulled into Saga's grasp.
Crunching away, Saga ate the slightly toxic sea serpent, the toxin's tingling sensation in his mouth making him feel as if he were eating spicy strips.
After hunting and feeding in the sea for a while, Saga resumed his journey.
Without further incident, several hours later, as the night faded and a hazy mist shrouded the sunlit sea, Saga arrived near Thorn Isle.
From about ten miles away, he saw the familiar, still island in his view, and his spirits lifted, hastening his flight.
"Your Highness has returned!"
Whoosh!
The figure of the Golden Young Dragon streaked across the sky, tearing through the mist and entering Thorn Isle's airspace.
In the coastal region, he first saw a ruin with broken spires and walls, the same Undead Ruins where Saga had once collected taxes.
The undead within had vanished, leaving only the decrepit ruins.
"The undead creatures are gone; must've been cleared by the Red Dragoness," Saga guessed.
And indeed, it was so.
With the departure of the Death Knight who could control the undead, the other less intelligent undead creatures, driven by their hatred for the living, left the ruins. Some even foolishly ventured into the range of Yakan Volcano, provoking the hostility of the Red Dragoness's minions and were wiped out by a clan.
"Ah, it's Lord Saga! You're back, and you've grown even more majestic and powerful. It's been so long, come down and play!"
As Saga flew over a deep forest, several excited calls reached his ears.
Looking down through the mist, near the Succubus' lair, a few charming little succubi were enthusiastically inviting Saga.
He grinned at the little succubi.
Saga slowed down, then continued towards Yakan Volcano.
A minute or two later, a familiar tiger's roar echoed.
Looking down, Saga saw a majestic black tiger standing on a boulder beside a winding stream, roaring to the sky.
However, upon noticing Saga in the air, the tiger's roar abruptly ceased, and it stood frozen in the wind.
"Hey, you're quite bold, roaring in my presence."
The Golden Young Dragon sneered and swooped down, not hesitating to give the tiger a thrashing.
Along the way, he also sent several wolves flying with a flick of his tail.
Watching the fierce beasts lie on their backs, whimpering in submission without truly intending to kill, Saga left contentedly, his time of dominance seemingly returned. When he used to live on Thorn Isle, a bad mood would lead him to take it out on the local beasts, even ants crossing his path would be picked up and punished, and any obstructing stones would be kicked to pieces.
Moments later,
As Saga approached Yakan Volcano, flying over the area where the Nig pigs were bred, he glanced down at the forest below.
There, with skin as white as snow and a slender waist, the half-human, half-serpent Iyeona looked up at him with a face full of joy.
Managing the pasture, she held a fiery red whip, looking both gentle and valiant.
"Lord Saga!"
Iyeona called out.
Saga folded his wings and descended, landing in front of Iyeona.
"Iyeona, did you miss me?"
As he spoke, Saga's tail, familiar with the gesture, coiled around the serpent woman's waist and pulled her to his side.
"Your Highness, you've grown even more agile and strong. Your scales are as dreamily beautiful as ever. I've missed you day and night," she said, her hand caressing Saga's radiant golden scales, her beautiful face pressing against them.
"Heh, as long as you like it," Saga replied, his tail mischievously sliding up her back, gently touching her smooth skin, while his claw rested on her tail, feeling its cool, slippery texture.
The pair, who had been close for a long time, struggled to contain themselves after being apart for so long.
Feeling restless, the Golden Dragon embraced the serpent woman in his arms.
Saga's current size was not huge among dragons, but compared to Iyeona, he was a colossus. In the embrace of the Golden Dragon, the serpent woman seemed especially petite and delicate, as if she could be crushed or torn apart by accident.
At the same time,
Iyeona's gaze became hazy.
As her humanoid form was mismatched with Saga, she began to change shape, becoming a twenty-five-meter-long purple python in his arms, then tightly coiling around the Golden True Dragon, their scales rubbing closely together.
"Lord Saga,"
The python-form Iyeona flicked her tongue, gently licking Saga's scales.
As a descendant of the Red Dragon, Saga had intense desires, and the flames in his heart peaked at this moment.
However, just as Saga was about to act on his impulses,
A voice, both mocking and magnetic, echoed in his mind.
"Little Saga, is flirting with your lover the first thing you do upon arriving at Thorn Isle, instead of seeing me?"
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas