Mr. Dragon Knight, the dragon girls are chasing you!

Looking at her awkward expression, Luo Ye suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable warmth in his heart.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Eluvia's petite dragon body suddenly stiffened slightly, the scales on the tips of her ears turned a faint crimson, and her whole body exuded an unnatural stiffness.

"……snort."

After a long while, she finally let out a haughty hum from her nose, turned her head away awkwardly, refusing to respond, but not denying her gratitude.

The tree hollow was quiet for a moment.

"His Majesty."

"Um?"

"Were you...crying just now?"

The moment those words were spoken, the silence inside the tree hollow was shattered.

"Nonsense!!!"

A furious roar of a dragon exploded in the tree hollow, accompanied by the crisp sound of someone being whipped by the dragon's tail.

The night passed peacefully, and the next evening arrived in the blink of an eye.

As the sun sets, twilight bathes the ancient forest, and the sky is ablaze with crimson hues as the light in the woods gradually dims.

Luo Ye came alone to the shallow beach by the stream from yesterday, squatted down by the clear water, and carefully washed the Shadow Leopard fur he had harvested yesterday.

The fur of the Shadow Panther is fine, dense, and extremely resilient, and it also has a slight shadow resistance. With a little polishing and tanning, it becomes a top-grade material for armor and bags.

The babbling brook gently washed away the blood and impurities from the fur, and the cool water flowed over my fingertips, soothing the daytime heat.

Just as he was concentrating on processing the fur, a slight tremor suddenly came from the ground beneath his feet.

The initial vibrations were extremely slight, like someone gently drumming deep in a distant forest, almost imperceptible, and almost completely masked by the sound of the stream.

But in just a few breaths, the faint tremors suddenly intensified, becoming clearer, more frequent, and more intense!

Rumbling--

A muffled rumble of earthquake roared from the depths of the dense forest, advancing layer by layer with immense force, like ten thousand horses galloping or a thousand troops passing through, carrying an overwhelming and powerful momentum as it madly approached this valley!

[Warning: A king-level magical beast aura has been detected. Scanning in progress...]

[Scan results: Deep within the Demon Abyss of the Mountains, a Lord-level magical beast is suspected to exist. Its aura frequency is rapidly expanding; its level range is currently undetermined, but it is estimated to be at least LV50.]

[Warning: The aura of a King-level magical beast has triggered a chain reaction—the magical beasts throughout the dense forest have sensed the Lord's oppressive presence and are experiencing a collective stress response. A large-scale beast tide is expected, radiating outwards from the mountains.]

[Recommendation: Immediately evacuate the current area and seek higher ground or natural barriers for safety.]

Luo Ye's expression changed drastically. He instantly relaxed, stood up decisively, touched the ground with his toes, and lightly leaped down, landing steadily on the canopy of the tall ancient tree beside him.

He bent down to hold onto the tree trunk, gazing into the depths of the dense forest, his expression instantly becoming completely solemn.

In the heart of a distant, dense forest, billowing dust rose into the sky, obscuring the twilight.

Countless, densely packed magical beasts of all kinds surged and fled towards the valley where he was, like an out-of-control tide!

Forest wolves, iron-spine boars, swift-wind weasels, rock lizards, and countless other strange-looking, diverse, and low-level magical beasts he had never seen before, densely covered the forest floor, running, leaping, and fleeing in panic.

These magical beasts, who usually fought and preyed on each other, completely abandoned their fighting and killing, discarded all racial conflicts, and were left only with extreme panic and desperate escape.

Their scarlet eyes held no predatory glint, only pure, overwhelming terror. They ran frantically, desperate to escape the terrifying presence behind them.

They are fleeing for their lives.

Behind them, a terrifying aura was slowly approaching.

"It's a massive monster horde!"

A dark shadow streaked through the air at lightning speed. Eluvia quickly flew out of the tree hole and hovered steadily on Luo Ye's shoulder. Her golden vertical pupils were filled with solemnity and vigilance, and her voice was low and serious.

"It was the dragon's primal aura that I forcibly unleashed yesterday. The commotion was too great, completely revealing our presence. It was sensed by a top-tier being deep within this ancient mountain range. It's driving these low-level magical beasts, forcing them to flee in our direction. Its purpose is..."

Her voice trailed off.

"—Forcing this king to show himself."

Luo Ye gripped the finely crafted ironwood spear in his hand, the spear shaft taut, his aura chilling.

His sharp gaze swept across the endless, surging tide of beasts below, quickly surveying the terrain in all directions. His brain raced, frantically calculating escape routes and breakout angles.

Luo Ye gripped the spear tightly, his gaze sweeping over the ever-approaching tide of beasts as he quickly calculated his escape route.

But all around were densely packed, layer upon layer of fleeing monsters, blocking all paths, one after another, endlessly, leaving no safe way out and no room for maneuver or evasion.

"Your Majesty," Luo Ye's voice was unusually calm, showing no sign of panic even in the face of dire straits.

"The beast tide is too large, covering the entire area. If we fight it head-on, the two of us are not strong enough, and we will eventually die from exhaustion, and the whole group will perish."

Eluvia was silent for a brief moment, then a faint, dark dragon flame suddenly rose from her petite dragon body, and a resolute glint flashed in her eyes.

"Luo Ye".

"Um?"

"No matter what happens next, don't panic, trust me."

Before Luo Ye could even ask a question, he saw the little black dragon on his shoulder suddenly spread its wings wide, and the dark shadow elements around its body gathered and surged wildly!

Her body no longer swelled slightly, but completely broke free from the shackles of the dragon race's origin, unlocking her true form!

Size of a crow, size of a falcon, size of a wolfhound, size of a horse!

Within seconds, her body rapidly expanded and stretched, eventually settling into the imposing size of a fully grown warhorse!

Layers of jet-black dragon scales spread out, gleaming with a deep, cold metallic luster. The long, lithe dragon body has smooth, sharp lines, and its wings are broad and outstretched, exuding an awe-inspiring power.

Although it is still vastly different from her towering, sky-covering dragon form at her peak, this is the limit she can forcibly unlock and maintain in her current severely injured and weakened state.

The release of her physical form brought an immense burden to her origins. Her breathing became rapid and heavy, her chest heaved violently, and the dragon flames around her flickered. Clearly, this extreme outburst had placed a tremendous strain on her battered body.

Yet she remained steadily suspended in mid-air, her body upright and sharp, firmly blocking Luo Ye's path.

She slowly turned her head, her gilded vertical pupils burning with a dazzling golden light in the deep twilight, her gaze firm and powerful.

"Come on up!"

Luo Ye was stunned.

"What are you standing there for! The beast tide is about to crush us!" Eluvia's voice was urgent, yet still forceful. "I can't hold out much longer in my current state. There's no time to waste! Get up here now!"

Luo Ye snapped back to his senses instantly, without the slightest hesitation. He lightly touched the treetop with his feet, his body gracefully soaring into the air, and steadily flipped over to straddle the broad and sturdy dragon's back.

The dragon's back was wider and more stable than he had imagined, with strong bones and cool, smooth scales. Even though it was only in its unsealed, semi-finished form, it was enough for him to ride steadily and use it for leverage.

He subconsciously leaned down and gently grasped the base of the dragon horns on both sides of her neck with both hands, using them as a stable support for riding.

The moment he grasped it—

A strange sensation traveled through his palms and spread throughout his body.

It was some kind of invisible, mysterious connection, as if an unseen bond had suddenly appeared between his body and Eluvia's body.

He could clearly feel every tension and relaxation of her muscles, predict every movement she was about to make, and even sense her fatigue and pain at that moment.

Riding mode is now active.

The skill "Dragon Riding" is now active.

Significantly improves riding stability, coordination, and handling.

[Current Mount: Eluvia - Wings of Eternal Night (Black Dragon King)]

[Dragon Soul Resonance Passive Trigger: While mounted, the sensory synchronization rate between the host and the contracted party increases by 35%]