The ferocity of the Dragon of Shadowed Wings caused everyone to gasp in alarm.
Nie Yan’s pet, just like its master, exuded an aura of deadly menace.
Although the Dragon of Shadowed Wings was surrounded and attacked from all sides, its attacks remained decisive and ruthless, not showing any sign of being at a disadvantage.
“True to his reputation, the Rogue Nie Yan. If it were me, I’d have already been defeated.”
“What ruthless tactics!”
The players riding these flying mounts felt admiration for Nie Yan, but they had orders from above—they absolutely could not let the Rogue Nie Yan escape, and thus would hold nothing back.
The two Shadow Black Hawks viciously tore into the Dragon of Shadowed Wings, their razor-sharp talons ripping off chunks of flesh. With a piercing screech, the Dragon of Shadowed Wings swatted one of the Shadow Black Hawks away with a single powerful swipe of its claw.
Nie Yan leapt and landed on the back of another Shadow Black Hawk, kicking the rogue rider off its back with one foot, then slicing his dagger across the hawk’s throat. Blood sprayed everywhere.
With a mournful cry, the hawk plummeted from the sky.
Nie Yan used a climbing skill to leap back onto the back of the Dragon of Shadowed Wings.
Locked in a fierce aerial battle with the other sixth-tier flying mounts, the Dragon of Shadowed Wings was already covered in wounds—twenty or thirty deep gashes—its body a bloody, horrifying mess.
Nie Yan glanced at the Dragon of Shadowed Wings’ status. It was critically injured, its life hanging by a thread.
There were still more than twenty flying mounts surrounding the Dragon of Shadowed Wings, leaving no path of escape.
Still, the Dragon of Shadowed Wings continued to fight like a trapped beast.
The situation was now desperate, and the dragon’s final struggle carried a tragic air.
Nie Yan’s heart sank to the depths of despair. It seemed the Dragon of Shadowed Wings was doomed.
At this point, he had no choice but to abandon it, though the thought pained him deeply.
Though restrained by the Dark Cleric’s War Shackles, Nie Yan was still confident he could escape. However, recalling the Dragon of Shadowed Wings was nearly impossible—it required a long incantation, and the moment he started chanting, these enemies would surely rush in and interrupt him!
As if sensing Nie Yan’s helplessness, the Dragon of Shadowed Wings let out a mournful cry, then suddenly accelerated, diving toward a Gold-winged Giant Lizard below.
Seeing the dragon dive toward it, the Gold-winged Giant Lizard panicked and tried to flee, but it was far too slow compared to the Dragon of Shadowed Wings.
The dragon dove sharply, grabbing the lizard’s wings, then lowered its head and bit into the lizard’s neck.
The lizard shrieked in agony, lashing its tail against the dragon’s body. But no matter how fiercely it struggled, it could not escape the dragon’s deadly grip.
Soon, the Gold-winged Giant Lizard was dead.
The Dragon of Shadowed Wings opened its mouth wide, and the corpse of the lizard fell from the sky.
Nie Yan spotted an opening and an idea flashed through his mind. He immediately issued a command to the dragon.
The Dragon of Shadowed Wings accelerated and charged outward.
“Stop him! Don’t let him escape!”
“Hurry, if he gets away, none of us will be spared!”
Three Shadow Black Hawks immediately moved to intercept.
In an instant, the three hawks were upon them, their talons glinting with cold menace.
The Dragon of Shadowed Wings was already gravely injured. If it were caught in this pincer movement, it would certainly be finished.
Nie Yan maneuvered the dragon into a sudden sideways flight, narrowly dodging the attack. But ahead, the only escape route was already blocked.
These enemies were clearly well-trained and coordinated. It was obvious they belonged to a top-tier guild. Only a handful of guilds in the entire Dark Faction could muster so many sixth-tier flying mounts at once.
If he abandoned the Dragon of Shadowed Wings, Nie Yan could still escape. But if the dragon died first, his chances of escape would be slim.
Normally, when faced with any sudden crisis, Nie Yan could always make the wisest decision in the shortest time, minimizing losses. But now, he hesitated.
With his current strength, he could find another pet of equal power to the Dragon of Shadowed Wings.
Though he rarely summoned the Dragon of Shadowed Wings, the thought of truly abandoning it now filled him with deep reluctance. After all, the dragon had fought countless battles alongside him, and they shared an unspoken bond.
In this virtual world, the Dragon of Shadowed Wings had formed a spiritual contract with Nie Yan from birth. Over time, they had developed a deep understanding. The dragon had even begun to develop a form of intelligence. No matter what happened, it would always trust its master unconditionally—even if that master chose to abandon it, the dragon would fight to its last breath.
The Dragon of Shadowed Wings turned its head and looked at Nie Yan.
Their eyes met. For the first time, Nie Yan noticed an unexpectedly complex emotion in the dragon’s dark eyes. He could almost feel the dragon’s sorrow and attachment.
That sense of grief struck Nie Yan deeply, shaking him to his core.
A seventh-tier flying mount already possessed a certain level of intelligence, but Nie Yan was certain that only an eighth-tier mount could display such complex, human-like emotions.
A wave of pain surged through him. The Dragon of Shadowed Wings was on the verge of reaching eighth-tier—could it really die here?
With what little strength it had left, the Dragon of Shadowed Wings let out a low, furious roar, as if venting its rage. The surrounding sixth-tier flying mounts flinched slightly, trembling instinctively—they still carried an innate fear of dragonkind.
The Dragon of Shadowed Wings was clearly at its limit. Its only option was to make one final, desperate strike.
The dragon’s deep fury and unwillingness stirred something within Nie Yan, making him feel restless and agitated.
It felt like losing a comrade-in-arms. This was a feeling he had never experienced before. For the first time, he felt such strong emotions toward a virtual pet.
The three Shadow Black Hawks attacked again.
The sheer size of the flying mounts meant that five of them flying together could completely fill the surrounding space, making it impossible to maneuver. Three at a time was the optimal number for an attack. Since the Shadow Black Hawks were skilled in close combat, they had taken the lead.
The Dragon of Shadowed Wings was locked in a deadly struggle with the three Shadow Black Hawks, its body receiving more wounds with every passing second.
Nie Yan could feel the dragon’s life force rapidly fading.
The Dragon of Shadowed Wings turned to look at Nie Yan one last time. Nie Yan could see the dragon’s pupils growing dim and unfocused.
Its end was near.
Nie Yan clenched his fists, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He was puzzled—he was actually feeling this way about a virtual pet.
Humans are emotional beings. Though the Dragon of Shadowed Wings was only a virtual pet, it had been raised by Nie Yan from the beginning—from fifth-tier all the way to the peak of seventh-tier, nearly reaching eighth. To help the dragon ascend, Nie Yan had searched tirelessly for dark-element crystals and dragon crystals, investing not just effort but also emotion. If the dragon died, of course he would feel heartbroken.
Nie Yan glanced at his backpack. Inside were rows of dark-element crystals and four dragon crystals. He hadn’t had the chance to feed them to the dragon yet. Before this, he had planned to feed them gradually, helping the dragon steadily rise in power, even aiming for ninth-tier or beyond. But now, all of that was gone.
“The Dragon of Shadowed Wings is almost dead—push harder!”
“Don’t let the Rogue Nie Yan escape after the dragon dies!”
“I’ll pay five hundred thousand gold coins for the dragon’s core crystal—it’s mine!”
The players riding the flying mounts grew excited, already eager to divide the spoils. The core crystal of the Dragon of Shadowed Wings was an irresistible prize. Even if they couldn’t defeat Nie Yan, obtaining the dragon’s core crystal would still be a major gain.
Everyone believed the Dragon of Shadowed Wings was doomed.
Nie Yan looked at the dark-element crystals in his backpack. He had to try. He didn’t know if they could help the dragon, but he had to give it a shot. Each crystal was extremely valuable—if they didn’t help the dragon, he would be throwing away precious resources for nothing.
But at this point, Nie Yan no longer cared. He grabbed a handful of dark-element crystals—about five in total.
He issued one final command to the Dragon of Shadowed Wings: turn your head and open your mouth!
The dragon was barely conscious, but upon receiving Nie Yan’s command, it still turned its head.
Nie Yan shoved the crystals into the dragon’s mouth.
With a gulp, the crystals disappeared down the dragon’s throat.
The dragon didn’t suddenly regain its strength, but its breath grew slightly stronger.
Desperate, Nie Yan grabbed another handful and fed them to the dragon.
Still not enough—another handful.
Nie Yan fed the dragon five or six handfuls of dark-element crystals—these were the ones he had obtained when he had advanced to the Saint Shadow Dancer class. If he used them now, it would be hard to find replacements later. But at this point, he no longer cared.
Feeding a pet massive amounts of crystals wasn’t unheard of. In the past, a player had fed a large quantity of crystals to his seventh-tier flying mount—no one knew exactly how many—but the mount had exploded from the overload. Nie Yan was doing the same thing now.
Nie Yan had previously refrained from feeding the Dragon of Shadowed Wings too many crystals, precisely because of this risk. But now, he no longer cared—this was a last-ditch effort.
After swallowing over thirty dark-element crystals, the Dragon of Shadowed Wings suddenly exuded a much stronger aura. Its powerful dragon presence caused the surrounding sixth-tier flying mounts to instinctively retreat slightly. The players riding them stared in shock. No matter how they commanded, their mounts refused to get closer.
“Damn it, move!” A warrior furiously urged his Shadow Black Hawk, but the hawk violently flapped its wings in resistance, nearly throwing him off. He barely managed to steady himself.
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