Kael's figure flickered toward the lakeshore with lightning speed. With the Wings of the Wind God aiding him, he covered the distance in an instant, arriving at the water's edge in the blink of an eye.
The Moongaze Leaf came into view.
"This one has to be at least five hundred years old—fully matured and incredibly rare!" Kael's eyes gleamed as he immediately assessed its value.
The leaf's surface shimmered with a faint silver hue, beautiful and metallic, as if coated in liquid moonlight.
This particular Moongaze Leaf was far beyond ordinary—its potency, honed over centuries, was incomparable!
The little kitten stared at the herb, eyes sparkling, drool nearly dripping from its mouth. It had never forgotten the last time it consumed a Moongaze Leaf—its strength had surged to the eighth tier, and it even gained a transformative ability. If it devoured this one now, what new power might awaken?
Kael chuckled at the kitten's ravenous expression. With a flick of his wrist, mana coiled around his fingers, and he carefully uprooted the silver-glowing plant.
As the radiant herb settled into his palm, Kael smiled in satisfaction, inspecting it closely. There was no doubt—this was a five-century-old spiritual treasure.
"Kael! Trouble—something powerful is approaching!" the kitten suddenly yowled.
Kael's brow furrowed. A sense of unease prickled at his instincts as well.
BOOM!
A black dot streaked across the sky, rapidly expanding until it blotted out the sun. An enormous shadow loomed overhead, revealing a monstrous figure!
The creature's wingspan stretched dozens of meters, its serpentine body a vicious emerald green. Armor-like scales covered its form, and its piercing eyes radiated malice. With a gaping maw, it let out a low, rumbling growl—every inch of it screamed lethality.
When Kael and the kitten finally got a clear look at the behemoth, their expressions froze in shock.
"A wyvern! Damn it, it's a wyvern!" Kael spat out the words, his eyes darkening.
The little kitten was clearly stunned. Though it had always boasted about being a "great dragon," facing an actual wyvern left it utterly terrified.
Wyverns, though classified as lesser dragons, were the most formidable among their kind—inheriting most of the terrifying traits of true dragons. Fiercely aggressive, they stood as apex predators among magical beasts. Some wyverns could even rival genuine dragons, reigning supreme at the top of the food chain.
The one before them was undoubtedly an adult. Its colossal size alone made Kael wary—measuring its strength was nearly impossible. Dragons, after all, were born with earth-shattering power.
"Run!" Kael's first instinct was to avoid a direct confrontation.
This wyvern had likely been lurking in the underground world all along—perhaps even drawn by the Moongaze Leaf!
Kael cursed his luck. He'd just secured the herb, only to attract a wyvern's attention. What rotten timing!
Shoving the Moongaze Leaf into his spatial ring, Kael blurred into motion, darting away at full speed.
The wyvern roared, its wings unfurling as it unleashed a hurricane from its maw. The gale, accompanied by a deep draconic resonance, hurtled toward Kael with devastating force!
This was no ordinary wind spell—it surpassed even eleventh-tier magic. Cyan wind elements coalesced into a terrifying storm, twisting the skies and rupturing the earth in its wake. The destructive energy ran rampant, with Kael as its primary target!
Kael's eyes narrowed. The Wings of the Wind God flared as he veered sharply, attempting to evade the tempest.
Yet the magical storm closed in with terrifying speed. Gritting his teeth, Kael pushed his wings to their limit, barely escaping the maelstrom's edge.
Behind him, the ground shattered. The landscape was now a chaotic web of magical scars—a horrifying testament to the wyvern's power.
"What a monster…" The kitten clung to Kael's shoulder, gaping in shock.
The wyvern let out another piercing cry, its massive form surging forward on gusts of wind. It pursued Kael relentlessly, its amber, reptilian eyes locked onto him with predatory focus.
Trapped in its sights, Kael could only grimace inwardly. This creature wasn't letting go.
Kael wasn't powerless against the wyvern—but engaging it would undoubtedly drain him severely, and his odds of victory were no better than fifty-fifty. Naturally, he had no interest in such a thankless battle.
"I need to shake off this damned creature!" Kael's eyes flickered with calculation.
Suddenly, he whirled around, his gaze sharpening as he unleashed—Thunderflame Eyes!
Among all the spells Kael had mastered, Thunderflame Eyes was the fastest to cast. Though its potency had lagged behind as Kael's strength grew, it was perfect for this situation.
But now, the technique had evolved. Gone was the icy flame of before, replaced by Stellar Violet Flame—a deep, amethyst fire intertwined with violet lightning. The two opposing forces erupted in tandem, exploding against the wyvern's body!
The wyvern shrieked, a piercing draconic cry laced with pain and fury. Kael's strike had wounded it.
Its wings and back were scorched by the Stellar Violet Flame and seared by lightning, forcing another agonized roar that shook the heavens. The sound was so deafening Kael nearly lost his hearing.
The wyvern's flight faltered from its injuries. Were it not for its innate draconic scales—hardened armor shielding its entire body—the attack might have been fatal. Yet Kael's assault had also ignited its wrath.
How dare this insignificant human challenge the might of dragonkind!
With a furious bellow, the wyvern opened its maw, and Kael felt an overwhelming pressure surge toward him.
"Dragon's Breath!" Kael's expression darkened instantly. A wyvern might not be a true dragon, but it could still unleash this signature draconic weapon.
The pressure crashed down like a tidal wave, inescapable and devastating.
"Wings of the Wind God!" At this life-or-death moment, Kael's potential erupted. He pushed the divine wings to their limit, his speed skyrocketing—and in the split second before impact, he escaped the breath's range!
The breath's area of effect was limited—only about ten meters—but within that radius, the ground collapsed instantly, leaving a gaping, bottomless crater.
Kael's scalp tingled with lingering dread—had that Dragon's Breath struck him, the consequences would've been dire.
The wyvern roared again, clearly enraged that Kael had outsped its lethal attack. But now, after unleashing its breath, the creature's movements noticeably slowed. Already wounded by the Thunderflame Eyes, and further drained by the breath's exertion, its pursuit grew sluggish.
The kitten, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed immediately. **"Kael! The wyvern's slowing down—it can't keep up!"** it yowled excitedly.
Kael glanced back. Sure enough, the wyvern had fallen behind, now thousands of meters away.
"Kael?" Somere's voice rang out from a distant ridge where she'd been gathering herbs. Hearing the commotion, she'd rushed over, only to freeze at the sight of Kael's hurried escape.
Before she could speak, Kael barked, **"Move! A wyvern's on our tail!"**
"A wyvern?!" Somere's eyes widened. Then she spotted the colossal figure in the distance and paled.
"Go!" Kael grabbed her wrist, and Somere instantly matched his pace, both pouring every ounce of speed into their flight.
Their figures blurred as they streaked away from the spirit mountain. Behind them, the wyvern shrank to a mere speck, its earth-shaking roars fading into the distance. Yet those bellows alone sent tremors through the underground world, scattering newcomers in terrified chaos.
Finally free of the wyvern, Kael exhaled in exhilaration.
The Moongaze Leaf—was his at last!