McGee led his warriors charging through the underground world, and wiping out this kilometer-wide territory was just a matter of time. Thorne stopped paying much attention to it, but he sensed a significant commotion up on the surface.
In the distance, he saw the demon dragon gecko racing along on the back of a red-flame wind-chaser horse, with its five newly recruited underlings in tow. Behind them, a detachment of the Sinking Sand Army that had been stationed around the lake was locked in a standoff with a massive cloud of fire in the sky.
That fiery cloud was made up of the southern fire crows—the most troublesome race that had once forced Shelley to retreat. This group was incredibly vengeful; if anyone offended them, the whole flock would mobilize, hounding their enemy relentlessly with insane fury.
Thorne had no idea how the demon dragon gecko had provoked them, but it was fleeing like a rat with its tail between its legs. If the nearby Sinking Sand Army hadn't spotted them, the gecko would have been caught long ago. Now, under the army's cover, the six of them were riding the red-flame wind-chaser horse back toward the lake.
But the Sinking Sand Army consisted of ground-based beasts, posing little threat to the flying flames. The lead fire crow let out a piercing screech, and suddenly all the flames accelerated, soaring over the Sinking Sand Army's heads. The army's attacks barely hit any of the crows.
The demon dragon gecko glanced back and yelped in terror.
Thorne had been watching the scene unfold but wasn't in a hurry to intervene. The demon dragon gecko was too mischievous—it could use a lesson or two.
The red-flame wind-chaser horse was fast, but not as swift as the airborne fire crows, especially the leaders, who were all at the peak of the mortal tier. Their speed far outpaced the horse, which was only at mortal tier five.
Before long, the six were overtaken, and the fire crows opened their beaks, spewing streams of flame downward.
The demon dragon gecko flapped its wings behind it and dodged, but the red-flame wind-chaser horse beneath it was reduced to ashes.
It was only then that Thorne noticed the golden egg clutched in the gecko's arms.
The fire crows in the sky spotted the egg and grew even more enraged, screeching in unison.
The demon dragon gecko bolted with the golden egg in its grasp, matching the speed of the airborne flames without falling behind. It deliberately steered clear of the horned dragons and the other four beasts.
"This little guy's got some loyalty after all," Thorne chuckled to himself.
The ghost thorn tree chimed in nearby: "It's a bit naughty, sure, but it's got great potential. Its intelligence is way above average for beasts—even higher than those with rare bloodlines."
The demon dragon gecko was quick in flight, but its endurance couldn't match the fire crows'. Soon, its speed lagged, and it was caught again.
Having failed to shake off the crows twice, the gecko's frustration boiled over. It hurled the golden egg downward.
The fire crows panicked and dove to catch it. In that moment, the demon dragon gecko fluttered its wings, teleporting above one crow. Its claws gleamed with black light, and with a single slash, the crow's head tumbled off.
The other three crows turned and spat flames at the gecko. One caught the egg and hovered aside.
Under the assault of the three crows, the gecko scrambled for a bit. These flames were all between mortal tier nine and ten. The gecko was tough, but its teleportation ability had heavy restrictions and drained a ton of energy—especially while maintaining flight, making one-shot kills nearly impossible.
Amid the crows' fierce attacks, the gecko teetered on the edge. It managed a few teleports to gravely wound one crow, but it took some serious hits itself.
This time, the gecko was at a real disadvantage. On the ground, with its flight and teleportation talents, those three crows wouldn't stand a chance. But up in the air, it was the one handicapped.
Now on the defensive, the gecko's repeated injuries ignited its ferocity. It stopped dodging and started trading blows, raining blood from the sky—some from the crows, some from itself.
The problem was, the main flock of fire crows was closing in fast, while the Sinking Sand Army lagged behind and couldn't offer much support.
"Fights should be fair, right?" Thorne mused.
He summoned a wave of water that enveloped the demon dragon gecko and the crows. The incoming flock battered against the water barrier but couldn't break through.
Inside, the crows and gecko noticed the change. The crows grew frantic, desperate to finish off the gecko quickly, while the gecko realized Thorne had stepped in and relaxed a bit.
With the tables turned, the crows' repeated charges failed to take down the gecko. Instead, their energy depleted, and their wings slowed.
The gecko seized a moment when one crow exhausted itself after breathing fire—teleporting behind it and striking with rapid claws, killing it.
The remaining two crows froze in shock and tried to flee, but Thorne's water barrier held firm. The gecko capitalized, taking them out one by one.
The golden egg plummeted from the sky. The gecko lunged to catch it but, utterly spent, tumbled down with it.
The barrier that had blocked the crows transformed into a giant hand, scooping up the gecko and the egg, carrying them back to the lake.
The pursuing fire crows, seeing the egg snatched away, charged onward—but they were met by thousands of incoming ice arrows, wiping them out entirely. The sky poured with bloody rain.
...
Thorne watched the demon dragon gecko dancing triumphantly on the ghost thorn tree's trunk, shaking his head in exasperation.
He had no clue how it had swiped that golden egg, nearly getting itself barbecued in the process.
But the golden egg was intriguing—Thorne could sense a powerful life force pulsing inside, suggesting whatever was gestating was close to hatching.
After some thought, Thorne decided to place the golden egg in the lake; it would be better for the life within. Since it was stolen from the fire crows, maybe it'd hatch into a flying beast.
"Alright, you've proven you're tough. You've had your fun—time to buckle down and cultivate. The ghost thorn tree's about to break through to the transcendent tier."
Thorne sent a soul warning to the gecko, who stomped twice on the tree beneath it, as if to say it was on the verge of breakthrough too.
After this life-or-death brawl, the gecko's potential had surged. Thorne figured it'd reach the transcendent tier within a week. That's when it'd truly unleash its power.