Wannian continued to dive down around the tall tower.
The Gold Rathian, flames spewing from its mouth, tilted its head back, about to unleash a blue flame fireball. Kuku and One-Eye, one on each side, charged towards it.
One-Eye aimed for the Gold Rathian's eye, delivering a powerful peck.
Unfortunately, it missed its target and instead struck the Gold Rathian's head carapace. *Clang!* Sparks flew.
The Gold Rathian immediately turned sideways, somersaulted in mid-air towards One-Eye's direction, and swung its tail, laden with venomous spikes, with great force.
After dodging, One-Eye quickly descended and pecked towards the Gold Rathian's legs.
Whether it was the eyes or the crotch, One-Eye's attack methods were so ruthless.
Seeing this, Li Fan couldn't help but sigh.
The Gold Rathian retracted its claws and stomped out.
One-Eye's back was heavily stomped, sending it flying backward.
Before it could pursue, Kuku grabbed onto the Gold Rathian's back carapace from above with its claws, successfully restraining it.
The Gold Rathian immediately spun and shook its body. Kuku, despite the turbulence, did not let go and even pecked at it.
Forced into a corner, the Gold Rathian accelerated backward and slammed its back against the tall tower.
*Boom! Crash!*
With a dull thud, Kuku was slammed into the outer wall of the tall tower.
*Whoosh! Roar!*
Wannian's fireball directly struck the Gold Rathian's head. However, after the latter slightly shook its head and dispersed the black smoke, the remaining flames immediately vanished.
Apart from the shockwave from the explosion, which caused the opponent to stagger back slightly, the fireball attack had no other effect.
The Gold Rathian roared, and a large portion of its carapace on its chest and neck turned a faint pink under the intense heat.
Just as it was about to deal with Kuku, it unexpectedly noticed that the impact crater in the outer wall of the tall tower was empty.
The Silver Rathian, following closely behind, flew past with a roar, seemingly complaining that the Gold Rathian hadn't intercepted Wannian.
"Wannian! Dive straight down!"
After narrowly escaping this danger, Li Fan felt that the altitude was about right. He stopped having Wannian circle the tower and instead commanded it to dive straight down.
Standing on the head of the Mantis Captain on the ground, Shiny's compound eyes looked up at the sky, swirling its scythes to wrap around a steel beam with silk.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
As the speed increased, a whistling sound of wind arose.
The Gold and Silver Rathian couple, seeing that Wannian was no longer circling, also followed in a diving posture.
"Kuku, once you're out of the ball, remember to fly upwards with all your might!"
Li Fan shouted towards the Outbreak Ball and then made a preparatory throwing motion towards the sky.
*Whoosh!*
Shiny threw the steel beam, aiming for the sky.
"Dilu! Hold on tight!"
Li Fan threw the Outbreak Ball diagonally upwards. Kuku, who had emerged, flapped its wings and gained altitude.
A strand of Wyvern Silk wrapped around its claws, pulling it away from Wannian's back. Li Fan turned around and opened the recall ball.
*Swish!*
Wannian turned into a white light and flew into the ball. The Gold and Silver Rathians, who were diving, hadn't figured out what was happening when they saw a steel beam, carrying an impact wave, flying up from below.
*Clang! Crash!*
The sound of heavy metal impact and cracking carapace echoed.
"At the critical moment, the Silver Rathian actually accelerated and willingly took the impact. How touching," Li Fan, hanging from Kuku's claws by Wyvern Silk, couldn't help but exclaim.
However, he soon realized that even though the Silver Rathian fell to the ground on its back, it still couldn't stop the Gold Rathian's pursuit.
Seeing its ferocious demeanor, Li Fan deduced that it had likely lost its mind.
Kuku, climbing with all its might, saw that it couldn't shake off the pursuing Gold Rathian. It prepared for battle, turning around and letting out a roar of intimidation.
Then, it began to accumulate a fireball.
However, to Kuku's surprise, the pursuing Gold Rathian ignored its flight posture, lowered its body, and flapped its wings forward with all its might.
Even though it came to an abrupt stop, it still slowly retreated cautiously.
*Roar?*
Kuku was somewhat bewildered.
Although the Gold Rathian had flown backward in the previous collision, Kuku had deeply felt its terrifying power. Therefore, it had concluded that this golden dragon was extraordinary.
But now, it was intimidated by its roar and dared not move forward, which was truly unexpected.
*Roar!* Kuku roared towards Li Fan, who was hanging from its claws, in a posture seeking praise.
"Amazing, amazing." Li Fan was not stingy with his praise.
However, it was only when Kuku noticed the red glow appearing on the Gold Rathian's body that it understood the dragon wasn't afraid of it.
"Your husband fell, and you still have the mood to fight here? Hurry and go check on him," Li Fan advised.
The Gold Rathian's eyes shifted from Huihui and focused on Li Fan, who was speaking.
*Roar...*
"We don't intend to occupy this place. If you could grant us passage, I promise we will leave within three days." Li Fan explained.
The Gold Rathian, hovering in the air, pondered for a moment and then let out a low growl.
"What if you don't agree? Good question! See that tall tower over there?" Li Fan pointed in a direction.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
A series of heavy impacts echoed.
Not long after, the third tallest tower in the ancient tower secret realm area tilted to one side and collapsed.
"Shiny, you demolished the wrong one..." Li Fan was not yet sure what monsters inhabited it.
However, anything that could occupy the third tallest tower in the ancient tower secret realm area was definitely not ordinary.
Li Fan's original intention was merely to show the Gold and Silver Rathian couple that he possessed the ability to easily destroy tall towers.
"Li Fan, it seems your demolition flag has been placed on the wrong tower, meow," Dilu seemed to recall something.
"No way, even if the mist below is a bit heavy, it seems I really made a mistake." Recalling some details, Li Fan also felt he had made an error.
"Ahem... I pointed in the wrong direction just now, it's the central area..." Li Fan shifted his finger, but before he could finish speaking, a loud noise erupted.
*Boom!* The collapsing third tallest tower struck the adjacent second tallest tower.
Perhaps because the debris was too old, the seemingly solid and upright second tallest tower also began to collapse.
"No way..." Li Fan and the Gold Rathian's eyes twitched simultaneously.
*Boom!* The second tallest tower struck the outer wall of the first tallest tower. Fortunately, the first tallest tower was sturdy enough not to collapse.
*Roar! Roar! Roar!* The Gold Rathian let out a series of urgent roars and, as if fleeing, dived downwards.
"Does that mean it agreed, meow?" Dilu asked in surprise.
"Yes, and he also advised us not to get agitated," Li Fan replied.
Having obtained temporary ownership of the first tallest tower, Li Fan didn't rush to land. Instead, he directed the monster squad to absorb the other red spheres in the air.
Meanwhile, Xi Xi, realizing that the energy attached to her body was constantly dissipating, rushed towards the Inferno at full speed.
*Roar! Roar! Roar!* Hearing Xi Xi's urgent roars, the Felynes and the little idiot on the ship hadn't figured out what was happening when they felt violent impacts.
"Ah! Xi Xi! Why are you in such a hurry, meow!" Ferri, who had fallen in the turbulence, got up and quickly grabbed the helm.
Before Xi Xi could explain, the red energy on her body suddenly exploded, turning into twisted arcs of electricity that flew towards the Fire Dragon Egg and the little idiot.
*Crack! Crack!* The little idiot spread its wings to block, absorbing some of it, but it was unable to intercept the injection of red lightning into the Fire Dragon Egg.
By the time all the energy dissipated and the deck returned to its usual tranquility, it was as if nothing had happened.
*Roar!* The little idiot let out a fierce roar.
Seeing that the energy transfer was complete, Xi Xi informed them with a roar that they didn't need to thank her and then set off again.
When Xi Xi returned, Li Fan had her attach more energy to Zai Zai and Shiny. Although the possibility of Shiny absorbing it was slim, it was worth trying if the conditions allowed.
Afterward, he went to the top of the first tallest tower to conduct some investigations.
The Barroth and the Zinogre were still fighting, their foul language echoing in the air. Li Fan speculated that their previous fight was for the red spheres, and this one might be related to the collapse of the two towers.
After collecting some small fragments of carapace from the Gold and Silver Rathian couple for research, there was nothing else of value on the circular tower top. Due to the risk of collapse, Li Fan didn't want to stay here long.
However, the view from here was exceptionally wide. By observing with a telescope from the edge of the tower top, one could grasp the movements in the ancient tower secret realm area. This was far better than the area below, which was obscured by mist. Another significant advantage was that if the black lightning strikes were to occur again, the areas with the densest concentration of red spheres would also be here.
With the fighting concluded, Dilu built a bonfire. Li Fan, sitting down to rest, opened his handheld game console. Wannian, the little idiot, and Zai Zai were all in a state of mutation. Huihui and Shiny showed no changes. Xi Xi was already mutated, but since she couldn't absorb red spheres and showed no other abnormalities, Li Fan speculated that this substance might be completely ineffective for her.
Several hours passed, and the sky gradually darkened. The fight between the Barroth and the Zinogre finally stopped. The ancient tower secret realm became unusually quiet, with only the sound of the wind occasionally rustling in their ears.
On the pitch-black tower top, Dilu had fallen asleep by the bonfire. Seeing that the branches were almost burnt out, Li Fan got up to borrow some from the Gold and Silver Rathian couple's nest.
As he pulled off a few thick branches, a silver moonlight swept past behind him, quickly illuminating the entire tower top area. Surprised, Li Fan turned around to look. A giant full moon was moving, rapidly reaching the center of the night sky. Every star in this night sky was exceptionally bright, occasionally accompanied by shooting stars.
How magnificent... but also too bizarre. Li Fan's gaze shifted to the edge of the perpetually cloudy sky. He was surprised to find that the night sky and the edge of the clouds had merged. Under the intensely bright moonlight, Dilu rubbed his eyes and got up.
"Is it morning, meow? This moon!" Dilu exclaimed, looking at the giant moon.
"This night sky is reflected in the clouds, yet it truly exists here. Many things indeed cannot be reasoned with common sense," Li Fan sighed, facing the incomprehensible scene.
With the monsters taking turns on watch, Li Fan and Dilu had a good night's sleep. Two days quickly passed, and everything was calm. With intelligence from the outside world cut off, the progress of the Fifth Expeditionary Force's preparations entered an unknown state. However, the mutated state had not yielded any substantial results, and Li Fan was unsure if the primordial power he had absorbed could induce complete mutation.
"If only there was a progress bar for mutation..." Li Fan sighed helplessly at the handheld console on the tower top.
Dilu threw the branches he had taken from the nest into the bonfire. Recalling Kuku's mutation situation, he advised, "You can't rush things like mutation, meow."
"That's true. Although there's enough time, the reaction is gentle enough not to be a rescue situation," Li Fan agreed.
"What happened to Puf, meow? Did it gain the favor of the Ghostfire Bird?" Dilu asked with concern.
"Who is Puf?"
"Ah? Did you completely forget, meow?" Dilu exclaimed.
"Just kidding, how could I forget? Puf didn't mutate, but it gained a new trait called 'Primary Ecology Integration,' which allows it to blend more easily into the local ecosystem and coexist harmoniously with more species." Li Fan informed him.
"There's such a trait, meow."
"It's a trait that's somewhat exclusive to the 'networking' route."
*Roar! Roar!* Kuku and One-Eye landed on the tower top, chasing each other. Although their time together was not long, Kuku had learned many killing moves from One-Eye. Both focused on attacking the eyes and employed ruthless moves targeting the crotch. One-Eye felt Kuku had great talent, with its only drawback being its size.
*Ahhh...* Li Fan, feeling sleepy, stretched and lay down on the ground. The ancient tower secret realm was indeed dangerous, but once the danger was removed, all that remained was a long wait in a tranquil environment. Li Fan's eyelids grew heavier, and he gradually fell asleep. Seeing this, Dilu came over and sat down to keep watch.
*Hehehehe...* A girlish giggle echoed. Li Fan opened his eyes and found himself in a circular hall. The walls were covered in moss, giving it a desolate appearance. The air, illuminated by slanted sunlight, was filled with floating particles, making it appear very murky. At the large open doorway of the hall in the distance, a girl in a white dress was gazing at him. Her skin was unnaturally pale, her eyebrows as white as snow, and her eyes were a blood-red hue, making her look incredibly eerie.
"Who are you?" the girl asked with a light laugh.
"My name is Li Fan." In the eerie atmosphere, Li Fan thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth.
"Li Fan, why did you and your friends come here?"
"We're going on a long journey, so we came to train." Li Fan replied.
"This is not a place you should be," the girl's tone suddenly became stern. Li Fan did not respond. Instead, he pinched his arm skin hard and found that he felt no pain. He quickly realized he was in a dream.
"Who let you into my dream? If I shouldn't be here, then neither should you." The girl was momentarily stunned by the question and muttered, "Indeed, it's unusual."
"Who are you?" Li Fan asked.
"My name is Azu." The girl replied. Li Fan's expression stiffened; he had likely figured out who she was.
"A good name. May I ask, how many more days until the thunder?"
"You know who I am?" the girl narrowed her eyes.
"Yes, you are the Ancestral Dragon."
"You're not afraid?"
"Why should I be afraid? I haven't offended you. Are you in charge of the thunder? Help me out, I'm in a hurry to get to the new continent."
"You're going too? What's there?" the girl asked, surprised.
"Then that's amazing. Have you heard of the King of Ancient Dragons?"
"Oh, it's that young heartbeat." The girl suddenly understood.
"So you sensed it too."
"Are you going to deal with him?"
"Uh, it depends."
"Li Fan, in an ecosystem, what is most important?" the girl asked softly.
"Balance." Li Fan gave his answer.