The icy, gray surface of the Sea of Frost rapidly retreated beneath Xia'er. The briny sea wind buffeted her face, giving her a comfortable feeling, a warmth that belonged to home.
Although Xia'er hadn't spent a very long time in the Sea of Frost.
Counting every single day, in her eleven years of life, she had actually only spent half a year on the islands of the Sea of Frost.
But as the saying goes, 'Half a year as an island ruler, a lifetime of affection for the sea.'
This was, after all, Xia'er's own territory, naturally making her feel more dependent and attached.
The immense power brought by the five-year dragon sleep surged through her bloodline, yet she was also tormented by a massive sense of emptiness in her belly.
Xia'er's dragon pupils, like quenched emeralds, scanned the churning sea below, efficiently filtering for targets.
Ordinary fish and shrimp could no longer satisfy Xia'er's current needs; she required energy worthy of this newly born body.
Suddenly, a massive silver-gray figure parted the waves, swimming not far below the surface.
It was a giant king salmon, a full five meters long, its plump body shimmering with a tempting silvery light in the dark seawater—the most ideal food for Xia'er at this moment.
However, Xia'er did not dive down as Rebecca had anticipated, stirring up towering waves for a primitive pounce. She
Instead, she adjusted her flight posture with extreme precision, her right foreclaw covered in heavy scales casually flicking downward.
No lengthy incantations, no obvious gathering of magical energy.
Three scorching, crimson-red rays instantly erupted from the tips of her flicked claws!
"Fsssh!"
The Scorching Rays tore through the cold air with a sharp whistle.
They were unnervingly precise, as if guided by an invisible hand, instantly shooting down and piercing through the giant salmon's relatively fragile head and vital gills, leaving three small, charred, smoking holes!
And on the sea's surface, only a few insignificant splashes of water were raised.
The massive salmon's body stiffened violently, instantly losing all vitality, turning belly-up as it slowly floated to the surface.
Immediately after, Xia'er's other dragon claw made a slight, empty grasping motion, and formless magical energy instantly coalesced into shape.
A transparent, giant hand manifested out of thin air, gently and steadily reaching into the cold seawater. As if picking up a feather, it effortlessly scooped up the several-hundred-kilogram king salmon, steadily lifting it before Xia'er.
Xia'er opened her maw, lined with sharp teeth, and without the slightest hesitation, used the Mage Hand to accurately deliver the salmon into it.
Accompanied by the sound of cracking bones and the muffled grinding of flesh, the enormous salmon was swiftly swallowed down.
The heavy scales covering Xia'er's throat visibly slid, a deep sense of satisfaction temporarily overpowering the burning hunger.
The entire process flowed seamlessly, from discovering the target to completing the meal, happening in mere moments.
Rebecca, watching from the side, was utterly dumbfounded, her dragon wings forgetting to flap, nearly causing her to plummet from the sky.
Her small dragon mouth hung slightly open, her dragon pupils filled with unbelievable shock.
"You... you..."
Rebecca's voice carried obvious astonishment and a trace of awe she herself hadn't noticed: "You're a mage? A warlock?"
She couldn't comprehend it at all.
Xia'er possessed a physique that was terrifyingly superior for a dragon her age, even more formidable than a Red Dragon's build, yet she also possessed superbly powerful spellcasting abilities, effortlessly completing this hunt.
The impact of this contrast shook Rebecca's mind far more than seeing Xia'er bite a giant beast to pieces.
Xia'er swallowed the last mouthful of delicious fish meat, her deep emerald dragon pupils turning toward the dumbstruck Rebecca. "Dragons are inherently magical creatures. We don't need to learn; magic is etched into our bloodline. And Green Dragons are natural-born spellcasters. Don't be so surprised, Rebecca."
With that, Xia'er's massive wings beat powerfully, stirring up stronger air currents as she accelerated toward the direction of the Star Mist Archipelago.
She left Rebecca hovering in place for a moment before the young Blue Dragon frantically flapped her wings, her mind filled with shock, and hurriedly gave chase.
Rebecca had only one thought.
Xia'er might be even more terrifying than she had imagined.
A being far, far more powerful than Karta, Otto, or even Princess Valentina!
Rebecca was completely immersed in the scene of Xia'er's spell-assisted hunt. The image replayed over and over in her little Blue Dragon head, causing her to completely neglect the most crucial aspect of flight: observation.
When Rebecca finally snapped out of the lingering shock, she suddenly realized her field of vision contained only the tip of Xia'er's tail, covered in deep emerald barbs and alarmingly close!
Rebecca jumped in fright, letting out a short, sharp scream: "Yah!"
The next moment, she could only flap her wings frantically, trying to brake hard and turn, her wingtips almost grazing the barbs on Xia'er's tail, stirring up chaotic air currents.
She barely managed to steady herself, hovering to the side and slightly behind Xia'er, her heart pounding wildly, the muscles beneath her scales trembling slightly.
"X-Xia'er, Lady Xia'er!"
Rebecca's voice was clearly flustered and fearful. She looked at the imposing, unmoving deep green figure ahead and stammered, "What happened? Why did you stop so suddenly?"
Xia'er's massive dragon head slowly turned, a sense of helplessness washing over her.
How exactly was Valentina raising these kids?
Could a Blue Dragon like this really go to battle? Wouldn't she just become forging material for the Dwarves?
This clumsy performance perfectly matched Xia'er's stereotypical impression of Karta, Otto, and the other Blue Dragons raised under Valentina's care.
However, Xia'er didn't scold Rebecca. Instead, she opened her mouth and said, "Quiet, Rebecca. Several presences are approaching from ahead. They carry the salty tang of the sea and a... dragon's scent."
"But this kin's aura is muddled and impure, different from any Chromatic Dragon I'm familiar with, yet it's not the detestable scent of a Metallic Dragon either. Does your inherited memory contain any similar presence?"
Upon hearing this, Rebecca immediately raised her head, tense and serious. Her indigo-blue scales quivered slightly in the wind as she tried hard to concentrate, sending her perception out like threads toward the distant area Xia'er indicated.
An unknown, muddled aura...
This sudden situation instantly dispelled Rebecca's earlier shock, replaced by tension in the face of the unknown and a flicker of excitement at being entrusted with a task.
Rebecca strained, twitching her nostrils, but ultimately shook her head in confusion. "My inheritance doesn't have this scent..."
As she spoke, the sea surface ahead suddenly parted, and a figure burst forth, accompanied by spray and a heavy scent of blood.
It was a dragon of peculiar form, its scales distinct in texture, with pale white markings on its neck, spine, and tail tip.
Its head bore spiky mane-like growths, its maw gaping wide to reveal teeth. Its wings were broad, their membranes showing a gradient of bluish-gray, its posture agile, exuding an overall sense of sharp, imposing majesty.
This was a... uh, Xia'er didn't recognize what kind of dragon this was.
But it was definitely a dragon, likely some kind of Hybrid Dragon.
However, this Hybrid Dragon was in terrible condition, its body covered in bone-deep lacerations. Particularly, a massive wound slashing diagonally from its shoulder blade to its belly was gushing blood, its jade-green blood dyeing the surrounding waves red.
Right behind it, over a dozen ferocious figures broke through the waves. They had fish-like heads, humanoid bodies covered in slimy scales, webbed fingers, and gripped finely crafted tridents and bone spears.
They seemed to be...
Sahuagin from east of the Star Mist Archipelago!
The leading Sahuagin fiercely pointed its trident, dripping with jade-green dragon blood, at Xia'er in the air. Its barbed gills flared violently, its crimson fish eyes churning with the most primitive savagery and greed. It let out a piercing, sharp roar, filled with bubbling sounds: "Gugga, guluwada, gudingwanahaqibala!"
Xia'er: ?
What's all that gibberish?
Can't understand a word.
Xia'er, a Green Dragon, how could she possibly understand fishman language.
However, Sahuagin were the most vicious, extremely evil fishmen. They would slaughter and devour anything they caught.
Xia'er didn't think they were trying to negotiate anything. She immediately nimbly flew higher into the sky, her dragon pupils icy as she looked down imperiously upon the scene below. She spread her wings, opened her massive maw, and an invisible aura of fear instantly erupted, washing over the Sahuagin like a tidal wave!
In the next instant, an emerald-green light blossomed from Xia'er's mouth.
The Sahuagin couldn't help but pause, then looked somewhat puzzled.
You're a Green Dragon, spraying poisonous mist? What's the use? It'll just disperse into a cloud of underwater poison gas. We fishmen, proud children of the sea, can easily avoid such gases!
We're not some clumsy sea beasts.
But before the Sahuagin could react, they saw the previously spread wings suddenly shoot out several streams of emerald-green venom, accompanied by Scorching Rays, all surging toward them.
"BOOM!"