The team followed the mountain path towards the second checkpoint wall.
"You seem to be in a hurry. Is something wrong?" Yodola asked as she ran.
Logically, after repelling the Wind God Dragon, they should at least rest and recover their strength before taking the next step.
"I have a theory about the Thunder God Dragon. If it's proven, we need to eliminate the Wind God Dragon as soon as possible," Li Fan replied.
"What theory?"
"If the Wind God Dragon is searching for the gathering point, Dragon Palace Ancient City, is the Thunder God Dragon doing the same?"
"That makes sense, but the Thunder God Dragon has never been sighted," Yodola pointed out the inconsistency.
"Perhaps their paths are different. I suspect the Thunder God Dragon always searches from the sea. The Wind God Dragon also had the opportunity to continue its journey, but it was blocked by the Verdant Leaf Fortress, forcing it to retreat midway. The Thunder God Dragon, unable to find Dragon Palace Ancient City or the Wind God Dragon, also had to leave."
"Hmm... Even if your theory is true, it's just repeating the previous cycle." Yodola still couldn't grasp the crisis.
"This time is different. The Wind God Dragon is severely injured. When it's on the verge of death, it's highly likely to change its retreat route. Most importantly, there are two people on the cross-sea ship heading to Elgard who can be asked for directions. If the Thunder God Dragon is lurking near the sunken Dragon Palace, I fear there's a possibility of them meeting." Li Fan explained his reasoning.
"You mean those twin witch-dragon sisters?" Yodola probed.
"Exactly."
"How could this happen?" Yodola was incredulous. They had severely injured the Wind God Dragon, only to inadvertently create an opportunity for the two to meet.
"Perhaps this is karma," Li Fan said. The team then quickened their pace and soon arrived before the dilapidated second checkpoint.
A low growl, like a ghostly wail, echoed through the mountains. The team followed the sound and peered down.
"Is that a Kulu-Ya-Ku, meow?" Dilu exclaimed in disbelief. The Kulu-Ya-Ku's current size was about a third larger than before. Its blocky scales had been stretched open, and its bright red muscle bulged out from the gaps in its armor. The arm blades extending from its forelimbs were engulfed in a surging purple spectral fire. Perhaps the rate of keratin growth couldn't keep up with the flesh, as the Kulu-Ya-Ku's single horn hadn't grown much, making its head appear no larger.
"How much has it eaten?" Li Fan knew that the Tigrex had this characteristic, but this was his first time witnessing it. Not far behind the Kulu-Ya-Ku, Lei Ge and Xi Xi looked up at Li Fan helplessly. It was clear that the Kulu-Ya-Ku's current state was beyond their control.
"What is the Kulu-Ya-Ku growling about?" Yodola asked.
"Grudge... summons... mission... born for this... those are the words, I think. It doesn't seem very lucid." Li Fan attempted to translate. Huìhuì descended from the sky, and the Kulu-Ya-Ku gazed up at her without fear. However, after a moment, it averted its gaze and charged forward. This state was definitely not suitable for capture. Li Fan signaled Lei Ge and the others to continue tracking and try to prevent the Kulu-Ya-Ku from causing too much trouble. Although the Verdant Leaf Fortress had successfully repelled the Wind God Dragon, its severe damage had also caused it to cease operations. Monsters now roamed freely within, and there was no way to stop them.
Huìhuì landed on the leeward side of the mountain, kicking up a cloud of dust. Li Fan explained the situation, and Huìhuì indicated two problems with pursuing. The first was that the Wind God Dragon could use wind currents to drag clouds along, providing cover for itself. To lock onto its position for an attack, they would have to charge at high speed to first disperse the clouds. However, due to the low altitude of the clouds, this would cause widespread panic among the monsters. As for the second problem, Huìhuì spread one wing and exhaled a large amount of black smoke and sparks.
"This... have the two ore veins been used up?" Li Fan was shocked. Huìhuì nodded in acknowledgment, confirming Li Fan's suspicion. Although his heart ached, Li Fan said indifferently, "It's okay, the Blazing Fire has three spares. Dilu, send a signal for Ferei to come. There's no more threat here." After the battle in the Elder Peaks, the Starstone had indeed become cheap, but Huìhuì's combat consumption was still too exorbitant for the team.
"Understood, meow!" Dilu immediately fired a signal flare. Since Huìhuì was too conspicuous, even with the mountains blocking her, she was easily spotted. Li Fan took out an adaptation sphere and put Huìhuì inside.
At the same moment, the deck of the ship sailing to Elgard erupted in cheers. Just moments ago, a giant red flare had exploded in the sky above the Blazing Fire Village. This signaled that the Wind God Dragon had been successfully repelled, and the villagers no longer needed to evacuate to Elgard. Hearing the cheers, Shui Yun rushed out of the cabin and exclaimed, "That's great, sister! Blazing Fire Village is safe!"
"Yes, now we can only hope that the villagers and hunters who fought are safe," Huǒ Yá said, looking at the fiery red smoke in the sky with genuine relief. However, after a moment, Huǒ Yá's consciousness wavered, and she stumbled as if about to fall. Before Shui Yun could help her, she quickly regained her balance. Huǒ Yá stiffly raised her head, and a bright blue light emanated from her pupils.
"Why now... It doesn't matter as long as I don't respond meaningfully," Shui Yun took a deep breath and calmed herself.
"It's too late... Why can't I find it even after thousands of years... I can bring good fortune to my kin, yet why am I cursed... Where is the promised land... Where are you..." Huǒ Yá's intermittent mumbling made Shui Yun feel a pang of pity, but with the crisis in Blazing Fire Village just over, she didn't want to attract more trouble.
"Disperse quickly! My sister is about to eat rabbit dumplings! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude," Shui Yun said, taking out a talismán for warding off evil.
"Fate... karma... world... bless me once... it's too late..."
"I sympathize with you, but please leave my sister alone." Shui Yun placed the talismán on Huǒ Yá's forehead, but the blue light in Huǒ Yá's eyes showed no sign of receding.
"So persistent..." Shui Yun was helpless. Of course, for a fleeting moment, she wondered if her exorcism skills weren't good enough.
"Bless me once... bless me once... bless..." Huǒ Yá murmured, her voice growing weaker.
*Boom!* In the dark clouds above, a distorted golden lightning bolt exploded. Shui Yun looked up at the lightning that spanned the sky, and to her horror, found that she couldn't look away, her consciousness gradually fading. Moments later, a bright yellow light emerged from Shui Yun's eyes. The two looked at each other, a mixture of excitement and confusion in their gazes, feeling both strange and familiar. They extended their hands, and their palms gently touched, as they simultaneously began to sing the song of the Wind God Dragon and the Thunder God Dragon.
"The other half, appear. I am here, blazing thunder. Trample the heavy clouds, sweep across the eight directions. The promised land of the past, now a deep chasm."
"The ancient dragons, meet here. My companion, the earth-devouring thunder. My companion, the sky-swallowing gale."
"Lightning and tempest, turning the mortal world to dust. Father and mother, grant you a promised land. With kin, the world shall be unified."
As the song drifted melodiously, the dark clouds were illuminated by the lightning, revealing countless clear patterns, as if sunlight were piercing through from above.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* ... The earth-shattering thunder rumbled continuously. All the villagers on the ship watched the sky in terror, completely unaware of what was happening.
*Whoosh~* A circular hole opened in the clouds, and as it expanded, the cloud walls, laced with golden electricity, slowly revealed themselves. With a flash, a massive orange-yellow figure drifted down from the cloud hole, descending towards the sea in an inverted posture.
"Ah!" Shui Yun and Huǒ Yá, their palms still touching, suddenly awoke. They looked up at the sky and exclaimed in unison, "The Thunder God Dragon!"
On the sea, the giant airship Hunter, en route to Blazing Fire Village, accidentally encountered the Wind God Dragon and began to pursue it. To everyone's surprise, the Wind God Dragon, despite enduring several rounds of attacks, chose to turn back. On the side hull, six heavy ballistae continuously changed their firing angles, attacking the rapidly swirling clouds.
"Can't we get any closer?" Pazizi asked a crew member.
"No, the Wind God Dragon's wind vortex is too much for the airship. If it weren't for Blazing Fire Village stating that the Wind God Dragon's wind sacs on its chest and tail are still functional, the Guild wouldn't have dared to attack," the crew member explained.
"But it's hiding in the clouds, and we can't see its position. Is this blind firing really effective?" Pazizi felt it was unreliable.
"If we can luckily break another wind sac, the Wind God Dragon might lose its balance and fall. This is the opportunity the captain has arranged," the crew member informed her.
"So, it's purely a matter of luck?"
"Yes, the Guild believes the Wind God Dragon has very bad luck, so it's worth a try."
"That can be a reason too... Alright." Pazizi reluctantly agreed, then suddenly noticed lightning flashing in the distant sky and raised her telescope to observe.
"That's!... We're doomed!" Seeing Pazizi drop her telescope and rush towards the ship's cabin, the crew member was surprised, as he had never seen a Seven-Star Hunter so agitated.
Shortly after, the captain of the Hunter issued an order to intercept the Wind God Dragon at all costs. If necessary, the Hunter could be sacrificed. As the Hunter ventured closer, the attack area became more concentrated. *Bang!* Under the continuous barrage of heavy crossbow bolts, a gust of wind exploded, and a large area of swirling clouds dispersed. The Wind God Dragon's body appeared within the clouds.
"The wind sac was actually broken! Could it be that while dragging the clouds to conceal itself, the wind protection couldn't be used simultaneously? Also, I didn't expect the Wind God Dragon to accelerate its flight by rotating its body." Both the random heavy crossbow bolt and the Wind God Dragon's flight posture surprised Pazizi greatly.
Meanwhile, on Li Fan's side, after Huìhuì absorbed the three ore veins, Li Fan equipped the Diablos Lance and was about to set off when Huìhuì, as if sensing something, suddenly raised her neck and looked towards the sky at the end of the Verdant Leaf Fortress.
"Did you sense something?" Li Fan asked.
*Roar...*
"I have a familiar feeling, just like many years ago... This isn't good. Let's go quickly. This time I have the Iron Tower Heavy Shield, so you can charge with all your might. Don't worry about startling the ground monsters or anything else," Li Fan said, quickly climbing onto Huìhuì's back.
"Li Fan! You just rested for a bit. Are you really okay?" Yodola reminded him anxiously.
"It's fine, just intercepting a severely injured Wind God Dragon..."
"Don't worry, meow, we'll be back soon..." As Huìhuì ascended, Li Fan and Dilu's voices grew fainter, soon becoming inaudible.
*Boom!* Six streams of red flame were simultaneously ejected, and with a flash of red light, they streaked across the coast and into the sky above the sea.
"Stop!" *Screech! Whoosh~~* Huìhuì's gun wings reversed, performing a deceleration thrust and entering a hover state. In the distance, countless pillars of golden lightning connected the sea and the clouds, illuminating the entire area as if it were daytime. Li Fan was stunned for several seconds, unsure how to issue an order. Without a doubt, the Thunder God Dragon had appeared, and it was in the sea ahead.
"Let's go around, Huìhuì. Breaking through head-on is too dangerous. The Wind God Dragon should be nearby," Li Fan instructed. While detouring would consume more dragon energy, it was precisely because of the apparent lack of dragon energy that they couldn't break through head-on. If any variable arose, Huìhuì would have to retreat. Li Fan and Dilu took out their telescopes and looked in two different directions. Huìhuì began to circle, entering a search pattern.
On the other side, the Wind God Dragon no longer cared about exposing itself. The swirling clouds around it had completely detached. The single remaining wind sac on its chest, along with several intact ones on its tail, were all releasing wind vortex currents to circle its body, pursuing faster flight speeds.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!* The two thrusters below the Hunter ejected two long tail flames.
"Can we go any faster?" In the captain's cabin, Pazizi anxiously asked the helmsman.
"This is the limit!" The captain replied through gritted teeth, helpless. The Wind God Dragon was getting further and further away. Pazizi sighed in frustration.
*Buzz! Boom!* A scorching red light flashed, followed by a burst of wind. Although the speed was too fast to see clearly, Pazizi, having participated in the battle at the tower's summit, naturally knew what that red light represented.
"Is that the vanished Valstrax... Is the legendary ecological self-purification activated?" Pazizi muttered in disbelief.
"This encounter was too sudden. No creature could have predicted it in advance," the captain found this explanation unbelievable. Seeing the red light beneath the clouds, the inverted Thunder God Dragon's body twitched, and it also charged forward in a rotating posture. Unlike the Wind God Dragon's wind vortex propulsion, the Thunder God Dragon paved its way by striking with golden lightning that covered its entire body, sliding along the electric path to propel itself.
*Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!* Flashing electrical sparks converged on its left forelimb, forming an energy sphere. As the Thunder God Dragon swung its forelimb, the sphere transformed into a golden ring that expanded and dispersed as it rotated. Soon, more and more golden lightning rings were released, seemingly to seal off the entire area.
"One strike! Then escape!" Li Fan said, looking at the incoming rings.
*Boom!* Huìhuì accelerated with all her might, a red membrane appearing on the surface of her silver carapace. At this distance, with a straight charge, Huìhuì wouldn't have time to reach her maximum speed, but for the Wind God Dragon, this strike could be fatal.
*Boom!* A crimson meteor collided with the Wind God Dragon.