Logan approached the roots of the fallen Ancient Tree and made an unexpected discovery—the collapse of this giant tree didn't seem to be entirely due to natural decay, or at least not solely.
On the jagged, uneven cross-section, one area stood out particularly. That segment was unusually smooth, as if it had been cleaved by a sharp blade. The surface was covered in charred marks left by extreme heat.
It looked as though a massive axe had truly hacked a huge notch into the trunk, and only then—unable to withstand the raging winds—did the tree come crashing down into the marsh with a thunderous boom.
"The only one capable of something like this has to be that guy!"
Logan muttered to himself as he gently ran his claw over the smooth, carbonized marks on the stump. The wound was four or five meters deep and seven or eight meters long. Just imagining that kind of power landing on him made him think it could split him clean in two.
"I didn't expect to run into Odogaron here. Doesn't it usually live deep in the Rotten Vale?"
Following the cut, he nimbly climbed onto the fallen trunk. Once steady, he jumped hard a few times and found that the trunk didn't budge at all. This thousand-ton Ancient Tree had half its body sunk deep into the silt, and the branches spreading wildly in all directions acted like natural stakes, providing excellent stability.
After confirming the trunk wouldn't roll or collapse, Logan confidently walked along it toward the center of the marsh. Zhu Peiniang shook the mud off her body and followed closely behind in small steps.
As they continued forward, the water grew deeper. The tall, slender emergent plants gradually thinned out, replaced by patches of duckweed and water lilies. The surface had become somewhat murky from the frequent activity of many creatures, taking on a faint yellowish hue.
"This place is obviously teeming with fish—it's practically a paradise for anglers!"
Looking at the surroundings, Logan couldn't help but sigh. At the same time, he extended his long tail, gently sweeping it across the water's surface, feeling the cool sensation at its tip.
But there was no way he was getting into the water himself.
Who knew what horrors lurked beneath this marsh? If he encountered something dangerous, he might not even be able to escape in time. So, he decided to stick to his old reliable method—chumming the water to lure the fish over.
...
As the largest water source in the area, this marsh not only supported a huge population of fish but also nurtured lush vegetation, providing food for numerous herbivores—and in turn, drawing in large numbers of carnivores.
Logan backtracked to the nearby forest. His nostrils flared slightly as he sensitively picked up a faint, elusive stench from the complex mix of surrounding odors.
Leading Zhu Peiniang, he quickly followed the scent. Before long, under a large tree, he spotted a group of figures hunched over and feeding.
It was a pack of Jagras—over three meters long, covered in yellow-green scales, their bodies a mix of wolf and lizard. They were lowering their heads, gnawing on a pile of bones mixed with rotting flesh.
Even from far away, Logan could smell the pungent, sour stench—it was enough to make his head ache. He would never eat one of these creatures again, but they were perfect as bait.
In the next moment, fine electric sparks flickered across his pristine white scales. Stimulated by the current, his muscles activated to their peak. Then, he kicked off powerfully with all four limbs, his body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
The Jagras, focused on the carrion, heard the footsteps and immediately raised their heads. They saw Logan approaching like a bolt of white lightning, crackling with electricity, and bared their fangs in threatening roars.
Logan paid them no mind. His feet didn't slow, covering hundreds of meters in a flash. In less than 10 seconds, he was face-to-face with one of the Jagras.
That Jagras snarled with sharp fangs and lunged at Logan, trying to strike first.
A hint of disdain flashed in Logan's eyes. His body was now over 7 meters long—though two-thirds of that was tail—his high-density muscles and bones still gave him a weight nearing two tons. These little things were no match for him.
As the Jagras closed in, Logan swung his right foreclaw. Immense force surged along his arm like a flood, accompanied by a torrent of electricity that instantly struck the creature. Its body was sent flying, scales shattering, arcs dancing across it, limbs convulsing as it crashed heavily to the ground.
The other Jagras didn't retreat at the sight—instead, their ferocity was aroused. They circled Logan, letting out low, rumbling growls, and swarmed him one after another.
Logan immediately dropped low and spun around his foreclaws, whipping his long, powerful tail in a wide arc like a heavy steel cable.
The sweep carried tremendous force. With a sharp crack, one Jagras that failed to dodge was struck like a hammer blow. Its body folded in half and flew outward, who-knows-how-many ribs broken. It howled in pain, writhing on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, two Jagras had lost their ability to fight, struggling painfully on the ground.
This made the remaining Jagras realize that the opponent before them was no easy prey. They exchanged glances and began to slowly back away, apparently intending to flee.
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed from the distance. A massive dark shadow emerged from behind a thicket, its heavy body snapping slender branches with crisp cracks.
It was also a Jagras, but its size was in a completely different league—over 13 meters from head to tail, robust and muscular, with powerful limbs. On its head was a stylish "center-parted" mane.
That was actually a mass of tiny spines intertwined together—a sign of maturity in male Jagras.
A Great Jagras.
Normally, a Great Jagras wouldn't go out of its way to protect ordinary Jagras. The habit of regurgitating food for the pack was merely a complementary behavior; more often, it preferred to act alone and didn't care about the lives of regular Jagras.
But Logan's luck was bad this time. This was a creature with an extremely voracious appetite, fond of swallowing prey whole. After digesting the most nutritious parts, it would regurgitate the remains and then hunt for new prey.
The foul-smelling pile of bones and meat on the ground was clearly what it had just vomited up. Looking at its flattened belly, there was no doubt—it was hungry again.
(End of Chapter 27)