Xia'er circled in the air, her icy dragon eyes fixed unwaveringly on the three ferocious serpent heads raised from the shallows below.
The three monstrous heads were a dull gray, their serpentine eyes cold and brimming with murderous desire, as if they wanted to drag Xia'er down and hunt her.
"Despicable ambushers!"
Rage surged in Xia'er's heart. Green Dragons and Black Dragons were also masters of ambush, often lying in wait for prey in swamps and forests.
But to be the target of an ambush herself was utterly infuriating!
They truly didn't know their place, daring to ambush a noble Green Dragon?
However, by now, Xia'er had a pretty clear idea of who the original overlord of this island was.
This Hydra obviously considered this fertile bay its exclusive territory. To occupy this island long-term, she must eliminate this Hydra, otherwise, endless trouble would follow.
She could not retreat!
Xia'er made her decision instantly.
This island was the foundation of her future foothold, and this hidden, resource-rich bay was the most crucial part of it.
If she couldn't even drive off or kill a single Hydra, how could she establish herself here?
"Roar!"
The thickest, most robust head in the center of the Hydra let out a hoarse roar, a foul, fishy wind gusting forth.
The heads on the left and right followed immediately, spewing out two streams of dark green venom even thicker than before, like a crossfire net sealing off Xia'er's space to dodge!
"Hmph!"
Xia'er snorted coldly, her dragon wings beating powerfully. She didn't choose to clash head-on or gain altitude. Instead, utilizing the Green Dragon's innate agility and the dexterity honed from years of fishing in the Sea of Frost, she dove down almost skimming the trails of the venom spray!
The icy, salty sea wind scraped across her scales, bringing a stinging sensation.
It was the corrosive effect of the venom mist, but the resistance, defense gained through countless trials, and the Green Dragon's innate poison resistance made Xia'er almost immune to this level of erosion!
This time, however, Xia'er's target wasn't the serpent heads, but a rock at the water's edge beside the Hydra's body!
"Thud!"
Xia'er's powerful hind legs slammed onto a huge black rock submerged in the shallow water, sending stone fragments flying.
Using the recoil force, Xia'er's massive body sprang up like a coiled spring, aiming directly for the left head that had just finished spewing venom and was in its brief period of rigidity!
Xia'er understood well the principle that Green Dragons were not adept at frontal confrontation, but excelled at seizing openings for a single, lethal strike.
Pushing her speed to the limit, her dragon maw gaped wide, her cold, sharp fangs aiming precisely for the vulnerable connecting point in the middle section of the left serpent's neck!
"Hiss-screech!"
The left head shrieked, writhing in agony.
Xia'er bit down hard on the serpent neck, muscles bulging, her immense bite force instantly cutting through the tough serpent scales and muscle!
However, the terror of the Hydra lay in its tenacious vitality and coordinated combat ability.
The central and right heads reacted almost instantly upon their companion being wounded. The central head, with thunderous momentum, opened its bloody maw wide and savagely lunged for Xia'er's left wing!
The right head began brewing venom again, targeting Xia'er's relatively vulnerable flank!
"Hmph!"
Xia'er snorted coldly, her wings rotating like sharp blades as she twisted her body, instantly knocking aside the attacking heads from left and right!
"That stings a bit..."
Feeling the impact pain transmitted through her wings, Xia'er could only suck in a sharp breath, forcibly enduring the pain. Then, decisively, she clamped onto the Hydra and soared into the sky, flying upward at extreme speed!
"Hiss~ hiss~!"
The Hydra, just dazed from being knocked by the dragon wings and not yet recovered, saw the surroundings blurring past at incredible speed. Realizing it had been taken high into the air, it became utterly terrified, trying to bite Xia'er to make her release her grip.
After ascending about forty or fifty meters, Xia'er simply opened her jaws. The Hydra immediately began free-falling.
Plummeting rapidly, the Hydra thrashed its body wildly. Its two heads instinctively curled up, attempting to form a cushioning structure to let its spine bear the impact of the landing!
However, Xia'er, hovering in the air, didn't stop there. A flash of ice passed through her eyes, and the next second, she folded her wings and dove fiercely after the falling Hydra, hurtling down like a meteor!
No fancy moves, just pure stats!
Over the past four or five years, the numerous buffs Xia'er had obtained by beating up Chromatic Dragon youngsters included not just magic resistance, but also some increases in defense.
Although this would still leave Xia'er bruised and battered.
But being able to directly drop-kill the Hydra made it all worthwhile!
"Crash-boom!"
The Hydra's massive body slammed hard onto the rocks in the shallows, churning up a huge wave of murky sand and silt.
The impact from the high-altitude fall and the intense pain arrived simultaneously, making the Hydra wail pitifully. The crisp sound of bone fracture was clearly audible, and a wave of dizziness followed.
Yet, this wasn't the end. A terrifying air pressure suddenly descended from above!
Xia'er, with wings folded, transformed her huge dragon body into an emerald green meteor. Wrapped in a howling wind, she crashed down with thunderous force!
"Thud!"
A dull, heart-pounding impact sound exploded across the island!
Xia'er's dragon body solidly crushed the Hydra at its most vulnerable midsection. The terrifying impact force combined with the dragon's own immense weight instantly snapped, even pulverized, the Hydra's spine!
Internal organs ruptured under unimaginable force. Foul blood plasma and shattered tissue gushed out like a fountain!
The other two heads drooped limply, the ferocious light in their serpent eyes completely extinguished.
On the entire shallow beach, only the hill-like Green Dragon stood coldly atop the Hydra that had been smashed into pulp.
It wasn't for show.
Rather...
"This is way too dizzying..."
Xia'er was also dizzy, seeing stars. A tidal wave of vertigo nearly overwhelmed her consciousness. Fortunately, her will was firm, and she didn't faint on the spot.
Around her, some emerald green dragon scales had fallen off due to the violent impact.
"Although this move can crush opponents with stats, it should be used cautiously..."
Xia'er thought silently to herself. At the same time, a panel flashed before her eyes.
[Slaughter Quest: 7/10.]
[Killed Deep Sea Hydra 'Sebastian Cronus' (Challenge Rating 8), Reward Obtained: Winged Breath (Venom), 'Toxic Resistance' Experience +1, 'Defense' Experience +1.]
"Winged Breath?"
Seeing this, Xia'er couldn't help but be startled.
What was this?
Wasn't Dragon Breath something you spewed out after opening your maw wide?
What was Winged Breath...
Xia'er was astonished. Immediately afterward, she felt an itch in her wings. Flapping them, slowly raising them, Xia'er suddenly had a thought. It seemed her wings had gained a new ability; the membranes of her wings now had... tiny spray nozzles.
Xia'er marveled at the strange itching sensation coming from her wings. Her body moved with her thought.
In an instant, from the fine gaps between scales along the edges of her wing membranes, dark green, viscous venom shot out like arrows from a bowstring!
"Hiss!"
The venom accurately struck a dark black rock below, emitting a heart-stopping corrosive sound.
The hard rock, as if splashed with strong acid, instantly billowed with pungent white smoke. Its surface dissolved at a visible rate, corroded into a deep pit. The edges sizzled and crackled, becoming riddled with holes in the blink of an eye.
"This power..."
Looking at the sorry state of the rock below, a flash of surprise and delight passed through Xia'er's dragon eyes. "Quite impressive. And who would ever suspect that a Young Dragon has already mastered a breath attack, and that this breath isn't fired from the mouth, but shot from the wings!"
The perfect little trick for ambushes, absolutely unbeatable!