The Yao Emperor and His Human Doctor.

Chapter 35 - Ambush.

"There's nothing else there." Su Ning continued to  assert. Qiang Yong felt his heart skip a beat.
"How do you know?" Ren Loo asked in fright.
"There is no sign of life energy. There is only barrier energy. Use celestial vision and you will see." Su Ning explained.

The dragons stared at the barrier. Then with a sudden movement of his hand, the emperor made an opening in the thick smoke and entered. Ren Loo followed closely behind, signaling the others to follow her. As soon as they crossed the barrier, a strong smell of blood and rot hit them squarely in the face. An Shu made a quick face. The entire Plateau was an expanse of destroyed and burned land.

Where there should have been a fertile land suitable for living well, there was nothing left, not even a sign of life. Even the sky over that place was dark, permeated with negative energy.
"By Buddha!" Huang Jia exclaimed.
Qiang Yong thought the world was collapsing beneath her head. There must have been at least a hundred yao trapped in this place, but what you saw was just land and more devastated land.

They ended up killing each other?! Why!? It would be great to continue a life in that place! He swallowed hard.
"They fought to the death." Ren Loo sighed regretfully. "How long have we maintained this useless barrier if there are no more rogue yao to stop…we should have anticipated something like this could happen and monitored to see if there was life before. Now there are no survivors."

"No, there must be at least one left. He must have absorbed the power of the others and managed to escape the barrier. That's why the yao didn't recognize what attacked the phoenixes, because now he must be a chimera." Su Ning said, assessing the surroundings. Qiang Yong was grateful for not having breakfast that morning. His stomach was churning. This monster killed ninety-nine yao, gaining enough power to escape the barrier.

If it was no longer important to guard the barrier, why did he attack the phoenixes? Revenge too? Or... His eyes lit up and his pupils constricted at the sudden enlightenment. He attacked the phoenixes with the purpose of luring them there!
"EVERYONE GET OUT OF HERE!" Qiang Yong shouted. As they were still close to the opening, he pushed them out with all his might.

The group fell clumsily out of the barrier, just as the smoke screen closed behind them and a dark laugh echoed across the Plateau, as if there were suddenly thousands of mouths mocking them.
"Qiang Yong! Wouldn't you like to see what it's like to live a hundred years on a desolate Plateau?"
Quick strikes of dark energy, like claws, were launched from one direction in order to cut and tear them while they were still down.

The dragon raised its own claws to defend but the attack was blocked by a glowing blue protective dome formed over them. He turned to see where the barrier came from. Su Ning had intervened by keeping his hands cupped in the same shape as the dome, despite Ren Loo and Huang Jia still lying dazed on his back. The Emperor assumed his original draconic form, prepared for confrontation.

He was aware that a chimera would be a very difficult opponent for him. Ren Loo was also aware of this and transformed soon after.
"Dr.Su, An Shu, take care of Huang Jia!" She instructed, after all the phoenix was still convalescing.
"I want to fight! That bastard killed my mother!" Huang Jia struggled in An Shu's arms, tears of anger and hatred running down her face.

"You're hurt! You'll only get in their way!" An Shu exclaimed.
"If something happens to you now, what will happen to your baby?" Su Ning reminded her and the phoenix stopped struggling, swallowing its anger. Yes, there was still someone who depended on her. She lowered her head helplessly. "I'm sorry."

Su Ning stroked his face. "There's no shame in knowing when to back down. Besides, dragons don't rule over the yao for nothing. You'll get what you want."
Huang Jia sighed, making a sad smile. "Dr. Su always chooses the right words at the right time."
The three moved away from the epicenter of the fight. The enemy had at first concealed his presence but had now revealed his form.