Descending the cliff, the tribespeople pushed through the forest, tracking the silhouette soaring through the sky.
Whenever they encountered venomous insects or ferocious beasts along the way, they avoided them if they could, and hacked them to death if they couldn't.
They were racing against time to catch up.
“Chieftainess, how is our direction?” Si Cang asked.
“Just as expected, it is flying back to its home,” Si He replied, assessing their path.
“Excellent! We will definitely find it this time!” Yan Shou said, deeply excited.
“Yes,” Si He agreed, a visible trace of joy on her face.
They were finally drawing close.
At the same time, she felt a rising sense of trepidation.
The prayers to seek protection were traditionally performed by the tribal chief.
Having taken charge of the tribe only a year ago, she lacked experience and was naturally nervous.
Yet, she had no choice but to brace herself and face it.
They had no retreat.
And she, least of all.
Biting her lip, she silently encouraged herself.
Together, they finally made their way out of the forest.
The view suddenly opened up.
Before them lay vast, flat green plains and towering mountains.
There were deep blue lakes and crystal-clear streams.
Under the blue sky and white clouds, the scenery was as picturesque as a painting.
They looked up into the distance.
The massive mountain, with its ash-white peak and rugged rocky slopes, was actually an active volcano.
Billowing plumes of hot steam were rising from the crater.
Not far below the mountain, the Red Dragon had coiled its body, its talons planted firmly on the ground, watching them from afar.
The tribespeople's hearts tightened, but led by their Chieftainess, they slowly walked forward.
The closer they drew, the more they felt a subtle, radiating warmth.
And the sight before them became increasingly shocking.
They saw the Red Dragon perched upon a giant boulder at the foot of the mountain, its gaze filled with scrutiny.
Nearby, countless giant snakes lay lazily scattered around. Most of them were over ten meters long, with horns on their heads—some single-horned, others double-horned—and covered in coarse, menacing scales.
Sensing their approach, the snakes raised their heads in unison, their eyes glinting with a savage light.
The tribespeople's breathing stalled.
So many dragons...
Any single one of them could easily tear the tribe to shreds.
In the center of this gathering of dragons, the fifty-meter-long Red Dragon commanded supreme authority, looking down on them with utter disdain.
Was that the Dragon Ancestor?
Panic and anxiety gripped every tribe member's heart.
They felt a profound urge to pay homage to the Dragon Ancestor, yet they were paralyzed by the sheer terror and pressure radiating from the gathering of dragons.
Instinctively, they turned their gazes toward the Chieftainess.
In unison, they halted their steps.
Si He naturally felt the weight of their hopeful stares.
Taking a deep breath, she walked forward.
Si Yun reached out to pull her back, while Yan Shou stepped forward, his posture suggesting an attempt to block her path. Behind them, Si Cang and the other hunters watched her with deep concern.
Everyone knew that if she failed, there would be no surviving this.
“Perhaps... we should discuss this first?” Yan Shou suggested.
“Yes, Milady—no, Chieftainess, we should be careful and make sure we are fully prepared...” Si Yun faltered, unsure of what to say, but she felt that walking over there like this was far too dangerous.
Si He took a long, deep breath and said, “If we hesitate and dawdle, we might actually make them suspicious. If they decide to charge us all at once...”
She had barely finished speaking when her eyes suddenly went wide.
At the foot of the mountain, the dragons were already slithering toward them, their eyes glinting with malice and their tongues flicking in and out as they stared at them with hostile intent.
She immediately raised her hand to reassure her people.
If they turned around and fled now, they would almost certainly be hunted down.
There was no other choice.
Restraining her tribespeople, Si He tightened her grip, took a deep breath, and walked alone toward the gathering of dragons.
She had to obtain the protection of the Dragon Ancestor.
If she failed, the tribe would not survive much longer anyway.
A gentle breeze rustled through her long hair, lifting the hem of her skirt and sending it fluttering in the wind.
Opposite her, the dragons fanned out, completely covering the green fields.
Before long, they met.
The Red Dragon remained coiled on the giant boulder, raising its head to watch without showing any intention of intervening.
As the dragons converged upon her, Si He slowly came to a halt.
Seeing that she was alone, the ferocity in the dragons' eyes subsided significantly.
Flicking their tongues, they drew near Si He, sniffing her scent. Then they began to coil their massive bodies, surrounding her in a tight circle.
A heavy, scorching heat washed over her.
The dense, writhing mass of coiled dragon bodies was a dizzying, sanity-straining sight.
Si He's chest rose and fell rapidly, but she forced herself to remain calm. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the Red Dragon, her gaze unwavering.
The Red Dragon narrowed its eyes slightly as it stared down at her.
A coarse giant dragon with a single horn on its head coiled its massive body around Si He, moving to stand behind her. Arching its neck, it opened its blood-red jaws wide.
Seeing this, Yan Shou and the others gripped their spears tightly and dashed forward.
The dragons immediately became agitated, letting out fierce, warning roars at Yan Shou and the hunters.
Seeing the sudden agitation, Si He could guess why they were angry, but she dared not utter a single word right now.
Her power had not yet completely degenerated.
Her sharp senses told her that the giant dragon behind her had already tensed its body, ready to strike at any moment.
Stiffening her body, she could only look up at the Red Dragon with desperate hope.
Behind her, the single-horned dragon seemed unable to contain its hunger any longer. It lunged forward, jaws gaping wide, preparing to snap her up.
A foul, rank wind blew past her, parting the soft hair at the back of her neck.
The gust sent shivers down her spine, making her hair stand on end.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, unable to accept that her life would end so abruptly. Her petite body tensed to its limit, yet she remained perfectly still.
Any struggle would be utterly futile. Against such a terrifying dragon, fighting back would only plunge her entire tribe into a fatal catastrophe.
With that thought, she relaxed slightly. The moment she felt the humid, hot maw closing in on her neck, she instinctively closed her eyes.
Whoosh!
The long hair on her neck whipped wildly in the wind.
Yan Shou felt his vision blur with rage at the sight, and he raised his spear high.
“Hmph!”
The giant dragon's massive jaws, which had already enveloped Si He's entire head, froze instantly upon hearing the Red Dragon's reprimand, as if time itself had stopped.
It then flicked its long tongue, licking Si He's hair, before pulling back its jaws and slithering to her front. As she opened her eyes in confusion, the dragon's golden slit pupils glinted with a playful, mocking expression.
Then, it turned and left.
Following its departure, the other dragons also dropped their hostile postures, turning back to slither toward the foot of the volcano.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
Yan Shou watched with bated breath, his breathing ragged. He had caught his spear just as it was about to leave his hand, his grip now holding onto the very tip of its shaft.
It had been an incredibly close call, so heart-stopping that he could barely catch his breath.
Si He was even more startled. Only after the dragons had slithered several meters away did she remember to breathe, her chest rapidly rising and falling.
If she hadn't seen wrong, did that single-horned dragon just smile at her?
Drenched in a cold sweat, she raised her head in surprise, scanning the crowd of snakes for that dragon's silhouette, only for the crimson Red Dragon to leap off the boulder and fly toward her.
Taking a deep breath, she walked forward.
Seeing the dragons retreat, the tribespeople surged up as well.
Thud!
Whipped up a cloud of dust, the Red Dragon landed directly in front of Si He, extending its long, serpentine head to inspect her expression from inches away.
Si He breathed shallowly. Seeing the Red Dragon's massive head so close to her face, she instinctively reached out, wanting to stroke it.
But with a swift turn of its head, it spun around and flew back toward the volcano.
Si He's hand froze in mid-air. Stunned for a moment, she hastily pulled it back.
She had almost violated a great taboo—daring to touch a deity.
Seeing the Red Dragon fly away, she hurriedly gave chase.
She had to explain her purpose clearly, or all of their efforts would go to waste.
Seeing this, the other tribespeople quickly followed.
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