25: Chapter 25: Emerging from one wolf's den only to fall into another?!

Just as the situation became extremely critical.

Jiang Yun suddenly sensed an abnormality coming from within his Beast Taming Space.

With a thought, Jiang Yun's consciousness sank into the Beast Taming Space for a moment.

He saw the surface of the lake inside the Beast Taming Space being turned upside down by the Fire Dragon Fish.

Looking at the Fire Dragon Fish on the lake's surface, the fish that was originally only half a meter long had actually grown nearly twice as large!

Its body-wide crimson scales shimmered with a faint golden light. Most eye-catching was the top of its head, where two dark-golden horns about three centimeters long had sprouted, their tips flickering with fine wisps of flame.

Clearly, the Fire Dragon Fish had achieved a Breakthrough in its cultivation.

Its appearance had also undergone some subtle changes.

What surprised him even more was this.

The aura emanating from the Fire Dragon Fish was several times stronger than before; it had actually broken through to the Black Iron Sixth Tier!

"Good grief, it ate another full five hundred Spirit Stones this time, yet it only rose from Black Iron Third Tier to Sixth Tier? This Fire Dragon Fish with the Pseudo-Dragon Bloodline will definitely consume more and more as it progresses!"

Jiang Yun couldn't help but grumble in his heart.

But the smile at the corners of his mouth couldn't be hidden.

Now was not the time to dwell on the leveling speed. With the Fire Dragon Fish breaking through to the Black Iron Sixth Tier, it certainly had the capital to fight the Icefield Snake.

"Come out! Little Fire!"

Jiang Yun gave a low shout and extended his right hand forward.

A streak of crimson light surged from his palm, and the silhouette of the Fire Dragon Fish instantly appeared before him.

As soon as it landed, the Fire Dragon Fish sensed the Icefield Snake's aura. The horns on its head trembled slightly, and the flames on its body instantly flared up, pushing back the surrounding chill by a few degrees.

It turned its head to look at Jiang Yun.

There was actually a hint of resentment in its eyes.

It was as if it was saying that calling it out to fight right after a Breakthrough was simply too unkind... Seeing the Fire Dragon Fish, a flash of wariness crossed the Icefield Snake's pupils.

It could sense that this seemingly unremarkable fish possessed an aura that made it instinctively apprehensive.

However, as a Vicious Beast with Black Iron Seventh Tier strength, its pride would not allow it to retreat. Its massive head reared back slightly, once again brewing an Icefield Breath. As its forked tongue flickered, the chill in the air grew even more intense.

"Can't give it the chance!"

Jiang Yun's eyes narrowed, and he immediately began to command.

"Fire Dragon Fish, use Bloodline Suppression first!"

The Fire Dragon Fish understood Jiang Yun's command and jerked its head up, its body erupting with a very overbearing and unique aura.

This aura was different from that of an ordinary Vicious Beast; it carried a pressure originating from the depths of its Bloodline, like an ancient True Dragon announcing its arrival into the world.

It had a suppressive effect on any Yao Beast that did not belong to the King Beast level.

The Icefield Snake's body visibly stiffened, and its action of brewing the Icefield Breath slowed by half a beat as a flash of fear crossed its eyes.

It could sense that this fear seemed to come from the depths of its Bloodline, making its whole body lose its strength.

Even its consciousness began to waver slightly.

"Now! Fire Domain Cage! Imprison it!"

Seeing that the Bloodline Suppression skill was effective, Jiang Yun seized the opportunity and immediately issued the second command.

With a flick of the Fire Dragon Fish's tail, the flames around its body instantly spread out, forming a circular fire domain about ten meters in diameter. The flames at the edge of the domain condensed into walls of fire, trapping the Icefield Snake in the middle.

The Icefield Snake snapped out of it and tried to break through the fire walls, but its scales smoked from the heat, and it let out a hiss of pain.

It just so happened that the fire attribute countered the ice attribute.

The burning power of the flames was multiplied.

"While it's trapped, use Flame Breath!"

Jiang Yun gave the Icefield Snake no room to breathe and continued to command.

It was a direct combo of crowd control followed by damage output.

The Fire Dragon Fish took a deep breath, its belly bulging slightly, and then it snapped its mouth open. A thick stream of crimson fire shot out like a small fire dragon, lunging straight at the Icefield Snake trapped in the center of the fire domain.

The Flame Breath carried an extremely high temperature.

Everywhere it passed, the air was scorched into distortion.

Boom!

The Flame Breath accurately struck the Icefield Snake's seven-inch mark, the most vulnerable spot for any snake.

The Icefield Snake let out a shrill scream, its massive body thrashing violently within the fire domain. Its scales melted under the flames, revealing the bright red flesh beneath, which was quickly charred black.

It tried to sweep the Fire Dragon Fish with its massive tail, but was blocked by the fire walls of the domain. Every strike was accompanied by a burst of searing pain.

In just a few short seconds, the Icefield Snake's struggles grew weaker and weaker, until it finally collapsed in the fire domain. Its body was gradually consumed by the flames, leaving behind only a pile of charred bones.

The fire domain and Flame Breath dissipated simultaneously. The Fire Dragon Fish's body had clearly become somewhat weak, and the golden light on its scales had dimmed.

Using three ultimate moves in succession was a significant drain for it, having just broken through.

Jiang Yun immediately stepped forward, gently stroking the Fire Dragon Fish's scales, and said softly, "Thanks for the hard work. Go back to the Beast Taming Space to recover!"

The Fire Dragon Fish nuzzled Jiang Yun's hand, then turned into a streak of red light and returned to the Beast Taming Space.

Jiang Yun's Beast Taming Space possessed the Heaven-Defying trait of rapid recovery; it wouldn't be long before the Fire Dragon Fish could return to its Peak state.

He looked over the battlefield.

Seeing that the Icefield Snake was thoroughly dead.

Only then did Jiang Yun breathe a sigh of relief.

He felt somewhat fortunate that the Fire Dragon Fish had such powerful Aptitude.

Otherwise, in this kind of battle against a higher-tier opponent, it would have been impossible to achieve such an easy instant kill.

Jiang Yun was also exhausted from running for his life all this way.

He then leaned against a nearby boulder, intending to rest and reorganize.

However, not long after he sat down.

Jiang Yun, who had just calmed his mind, suddenly frowned.

"What's going on? Why do I feel like I'm being watched by many people?"

Jiang Yun felt an inexplicable chill down his spine, as if countless pairs of eyes were staring at him from the shadows. That feeling was like a prey being locked onto by a hunter, making his whole body feel uneasy.

In fact, since entering this forest, he had faintly had this feeling, but he was being hunted by the Icefield Snake earlier and had no time to think about it.

Now that the crisis was resolved and his mind had settled.

This feeling of being watched became exceptionally strong, and it wasn't just one gaze; it seemed to come from all directions, like an invisible net enveloping him.

"Something's wrong."

Jiang Yun stood up and looked around warily. "This is the Misty Forest, teeming with Vicious Beasts. It seems a bit too quiet here..."

Jiang Yun's expression became solemn.

His intuition told him that it was definitely not safe here. Those things hidden in the shadows were likely even more dangerous than the Icefield Snake from before.

"I can't stay here. I must immediately head back the way I came!"

After Jiang Yun finished speaking.

He immediately got up and moved quickly back along the path he had come from.

However, they had barely run a hundred meters when Jiang Yun abruptly stopped, his body instantly tensing up.

He thought to himself, "Is this just out of the wolf's den and into the tiger's cave?"

In the shadows of the woods ahead, pairs of blood-red eyes the size of fists suddenly lit up!

These eyes were hidden in the darkness, flickering with a cold light like beasts foraging at night, staring fixedly at him.

Immediately after, similar blood-red eyes lit up in the woods to his left and right. Even from behind him, there came the sound of rustling and the shaking of trees.

Pair after pair of eyes emerged one after another, forming a surrounding circle from all directions, trapping him firmly in the middle...