Recreational venues like Country Fun started rising in popularity in the early 21st century. In its beginning, they were usually located at accessible places—where at least cars could go in—so that the business could do well. Later on, people's likings changed, and Country Fun was developed deep in the forest, deliberately located in hard-to-find places with stunning sceneries. Qingxi Valley was most probably that.
Yang Tian looked down and saw much fragmented dry cement. It must have been the ruins of a cemented road from decades ago, destroyed by the raving growth of trees.
He walked carefully forward and headed to the center of the valley.
The farther he went, the fewer trees there were. There were ruins of buildings made of bricks and cement on either side, next to the cliffs.
A gust of wind blew over, making noises that sounded like squeaks and bangs of doors and windows.
Even though trees were rare in the valley, waist-tall weeds and vines were everywhere, covering the cemented road. Yang Tian swung his saber a few times and kicked the weeds away, and the crack-filled cemented road appeared underneath.
Hissss!
Right then, a green-colored giant python with a body as thick as human thigh jumped out of the tall weeds, flashing its tongue while striking at Yang Tian. Yang Tian swung his saber and chopped off its head.
It was an ungraded Monster. Yang Tian had no interest in its corpse and continued forward.
Right at that moment, a red-colored lizard that was two meters in length appeared. It glanced at Yang Tian and disappeared in the grass.
This Monster was more cowardly than the green python.
Many Monsters in the forest were similar; they would escape the first moment they felt any disruption. Only the higher-graded Monsters or the more violent ones would take initiative to attack humans.
As he walked another mile farther, he heard burbles from ahead that sounded like a flowing stream.
Yang Tian sped up his pace and went toward the source of the sound.
A few minutes later, Yang Tian exited the thick field of weeds and a pond of about 2.5 acres in size appeared before him. A narrow current flowed from the top of one of the cliffs, filling the manmade pond.
Another tens of meters ahead was a structure that looked like a mansion and a three-story-tall building on either side of it.
Yang Tian glanced at them and went to the pond.
Seeing the crystal clear water, he had the urge to take a bath in it. He had not had a chance to take a good bath ever since he entered the forest and felt unbearably filthy.
The pond looked very deep. Even though the water was clear, he could not see the bottom of it.
"Squeak squeak squeak…"
Drago suddenly cried urgently.
Upon the little dragon's reminder, Yang Tian immediately took a few steps backward.
Drago told him that the Monster was inside the pond.
Yang Tian had not seen an aquatic Monster, so he curiously watched the calm water.
The YS outbreak started from the ocean and then spread to the land. Warriors did not usually set foot in oceans, hence there were definitely more Monsters in there compared to terrestrial Monsters.
After the mutation, oceanic Monsters could survive on land for a short time. That was the very reason why coastal cities were the first to be destroyed after the outbreak.
Having waited for a few minutes, Yang Tian did not see any movements in the pond. He searched around and found many pieces of heavy dried cement. He tossed them into the water.
Splash… Splash… Splash…
The calmness of the water was shattered by the cement pieces. White water splashes wrinkled the rest of the pond.
Crash!
A gigantic black creature shot out of water.
The mutated animal in the pond was finally disturbed by Yang Tian.
From the outlook, it was a mutated snake—a giant mutated King Cobra!
The creature's body was four meters in diameter and its head was the size of a little hill. Yang Tian finally understood why it was dark in the pond, it was because its gigantic body took up almost the entire pond.
Whoosh!
When the giant snake emerged, it glanced at Yang Tian, and then there was a blast of wind that blew up the water in the pond. The air current shot the water up into the air, and it splashed down like pouring rain.
Only when the water poured down did Yang Tian notice that the water had been fanned up by the giant snake's wings—the snake grew wings on its back.
A snake with wings! Living underwater! Plus, it was such a huge one! Yang Tian was completely stunned, and his eyes were wide open staring at the creature.
This animal was too big so killing it would not be easy!
That was when Yang Tian had the urge to turn around and run.
By then, Yang Tian could identify it as a Grade Seven Monster, and one that had gone through a unique mutation no less.
The battle rating of Grade Seven Monster like this was comparable to a Grade Eight Monster.
With Yang Tian's ability then, he was no match for it.
'Let's just run!'
Time and again, the thought flashed through Yang Tian's mind. As he stared at the giant snake, he retreated very slowly.
Whoosh!
The wings on the back of the snake spread open again. It flapped once and drew a strong air current.
The giant snake continued flapping its wings and flew into the air.
Yang Tian looked up and noticed that under the belly of the snake close to the tail, it had a pair of legs. They looked quite similar to Drago's legs—sturdy and strong.
"Is this also a dragon?" Yang Tian gazed at this strange creature and mumbled to himself.
The Flying Snake kept fanning its wings and stared at Yang Tian with its gigantic eyes—no, probably at the little dragon on Yang Tian's shoulder.
"Squeak squeak!"
Drago shook his claws and cried excitedly.
The little dragon issued a challenge at this creature that looked similar to himself!
Roarrrr!
The Flying Snake, too, roared into the sky.
Drago hopped off of Yang Tian's shoulder and stood on the ground.
Something that stunned Yang Tian happened—Drago's body started to transform. Its body started expanding like a balloon. It grew bigger and longer, and at great speed!
Within a minute, Drago completed its transformation! He went from being one foot tall to tens of meters in length, and his body was about four meters in diameter—a true gigantic dragon.
Roarrrrrrrr!
As he completed his transformation, he roared furiously at the Flying Snake—they were no longer squeaks, but the real roar of a beast. The vigor that Drago projected was completely different from before. It possessed the majesty and dominant aura of a true dragon.
Yang Tian then realized, the Flying Snake in the air had fear in its eyes.
The Flying Snake was afraid!
"Drago, take it down! Tonight, we'll feast on grilled snake meat," shouted Yang Tian with a big laugh, looking at the confrontation.
Drago turned at Yang Tian and nodded its head.
The battle between two giant Monsters was about to take place!