Chapter 21: Love-Hate Entanglement and Co-evolution!

This young Tyrannosaurus rex was none other than Chu Xu, who had been observing from the shadows all along.

He had realized that while the Triceratops herd’s defensive formation was formidable enough to withstand a frontal assault from an adult Tyrannosaurus, it possessed a fatal flaw: the rear was completely unguarded. Originally, Chu Xu had no intention of involving himself in this messy affair. However, his position happened to align perfectly with the herd’s exposed rear. With his father drawing the full attention of the adult Triceratops at the front, the juvenile Triceratops in the back were left entirely vulnerable to him.

Seizing the moment, and perhaps as a way to repay his father for the occasional meals he had brought in the past, Chu Xu decided to risk it all. He targeted a juvenile Triceratops barely a meter long. Under the force of his armed, razor-sharp teeth and a powerful bite, the juvenile’s neck frill shattered instantly. It was no match for him; he effortlessly bit through the neck beneath, killing it on the spot.

"Moo!!"

It was only when they heard the dying wail of the juvenile that the adult Triceratops at the front, who had been focused on fending off the father, realized what had happened. They never expected the enemy to employ such a feint—the adult Tyrannosaurus attracting their attention while a smaller one circled around to strike from behind. How dishonorable!

Little did they know, the father was just as stunned. At first glance, he hadn't even recognized Chu Xu, who had changed significantly, but upon catching his familiar scent, he finally understood.

"Moo~~"

The female Triceratops that had been bitten by the father earlier let out an angry bellow. She was the mother of the juvenile, and seeing her offspring perish at Chu Xu’s jaws, she ignored the integrity of the defensive formation and charged straight at him. The two thick, sharp brow horns atop her head glinted with a lethal, cold light; the consequences of being struck by them would be unthinkable.

In truth, Triceratops generally did not charge headlong with their horns like rhinoceroses of later eras, as their skulls and horns could not withstand such violent impacts—it was often a pyrrhic victory. However, consumed by the grief of losing her child, this female had lost all reason. Her massive frame rumbled toward Chu Xu like a runaway truck.

Chu Xu responded with a Cretaceous-style bullfight. When the female Triceratops charged blindly, he dropped the juvenile’s carcass and nimbly side-stepped, causing her to miss completely.

Taking advantage of the clumsy female as she turned, Chu Xu lashed out with his claws. Infused with fluid energy, his talons tore seven or eight jagged gashes into her right hind leg, which was as thick as a barrel. Her scales were tough and coarse, and though the wounds were not deep, they bled profusely, staining her entire leg a deep, arterial red.

"Moo~~!!"

The female cried out in pain, though the injury was not fatal. She quickly completed her turn and swung her massive horns back, thrusting them out with lethal intent. Seeing this, Chu Xu stepped back with agility, causing the female to snort repeatedly, her blood-engorged neck frill turning a terrifying, fiery red.

"ROAR!!"

Just then, seeing the gap in the herd’s formation, the father, who had been on the verge of giving up, seized the opportunity. He launched a counterattack, breaking directly into their ranks. The juveniles scattered in panic due to Chu Xu’s assault, and the adults fell into chaos as the father breached their line. They no longer cared to block him, prioritizing their own safety and that of their remaining young, desperate to put distance between themselves and the two Tyrannosaurs.

The father’s target was not the juveniles, but the female currently locked in a struggle with Chu Xu. His cold, vertical pupils locked onto her, and a thick, murderous aura rose from him, fully displaying the wild dominance of a King of Dinosaurs.

Because the massive neck frill blocked the view behind her, the female had a fatal blind spot. The father struck from behind, biting down on her right hind leg, right where Chu Xu had previously wounded her. His bite was far more devastating than Chu Xu’s claws; with a single snap, he pierced her thick, hardened scales and tore away a massive chunk of flesh, exposing the jagged bone beneath.

"Moo!!"

The intense agony forced a shrill, piercing scream from the female. Her mangled leg bled onto the ground, and she nearly lost all feeling in it.

"CRUNCH!"

The father did not hesitate. His blood-soaked jaws, acting like a giant bear trap, clamped down on the female’s already fractured neck frill. This time, the frill could no longer withstand his immense bite force. His banana-shaped teeth pierced right through, driving deep into the muscles of her neck.

As he bit into her neck, the father pushed with all his might, acting like a bulldozer to flip her heavy body over. With his father taking the lead, Chu Xu ceased his bullfighting act. He too charged, putting his entire strength into a collision to help shove the female.

"THUD!!"

Already lacking support from her injured hind leg, the female’s center of gravity was unstable. Under the combined force of the two Tyrannosaurs, her four-ton body was shaken and overturned, crashing to the ground like a collapsing mountain.

This fall effectively pronounced her death sentence, leaving her as helpless prey on the chopping block.

"Moo!!"

The remaining adults finally regained their composure. The females gathered the surviving juveniles, while the males let out low, rumbling bellows, attempting to rescue the fallen female.

"ROAR!!"

But the father lifted his head and let out a thunderous roar that shook the earth. It cowed the restless males, who dared not make a move and instead retreated in fear. This was a terror etched into the very DNA of the Triceratops. Ever since their ancestors, the Psittacosaurus of the Early Cretaceous, the Ceratopsians had lived in the shadow of the Tyrannosaurids.

This was not limited to the Hell Creek Formation in North America; throughout the Cretaceous period, in every corner of the world, the dance of life and death between Ceratopsians and Tyrannosaurids continued—from the Zhuchengceratops and Zhuchengtyrannus of Asia's Xingezhuang Formation, to the Styracosaurus and Daspletosaurus of the Dinosaur Park Formation, and the Pachyrhinosaurus and Nanuqsaurus of North America’s Prince Creek Formation.

Born as eternal rivals, the two groups evolved in tandem through deadly competition—one strengthening its defenses while the other refined its offense—becoming the two most prosperous dinosaur lineages of the long Cretaceous era.