Having understood the miraculous effects of the Divine Realm, Li Fan decided to move their base of operations a bit further towards the lava island, allowing Zhan Zhan and Xi Xi to gain more benefits.
In just one night, the flame-shaped shell on Zhan Zhan's back, which had been flattened by the Blazing Inferno Blade, regrew to about one-third of its original height.
Xi Xi's golden carapace proliferated, and its body size also expanded.
The negative side effects were increased hunger and heightened combat desire.
As for Hui Hui and Shan Shan, who had no status prompts, there were no obvious changes.
Li Fan summarized the differences, and the key distinction finally narrowed down to not fearing the Dragon attribute.
Xi Xi and Zhan Zhan also didn't fear it much, but that was trained through acquired experience, whereas Hui Hui and Shan Shan were naturally fearless.
Did monsters need to harbor a sense of awe to receive the blessings of the Divine Realm?
With no immediate answers, Li Fan stopped dwelling on it and focused on preparing for today's special training.
After two hours of hunting, Zhan Zhan and Xi Xi were about seven-tenths full.
Briefly explaining the combat points and advising against impulsiveness, the spirited monster squad set off again.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the island. The rock layers that had collapsed on the surface yesterday had resurfaced from the lava.
Xi Xi flew a reconnaissance lap around the island and provided a rather surprising report.
The Akantor was not home today, only the Black Blazing Diablos was present.
However, they hadn't observed the latter leaving the lava island last night. Li Fan speculated it might have burrowed out.
"Yesterday, I said there was no way it would leave, and today it left on its own... probably looking for food?" Li Fan speculated.
"The plants here are so big, meow. Is there really a need to go out foraging?" Dielu asked curiously.
"Of course. If monsters cannot directly obtain energy from external sources, then eating is the only option. The high metabolism here will further increase the amount of food needed... Dielu, your backpack is bulging. Is that mushrooms?" Li Fan explained, noticing the green cap of a mushroom peeking out of the small backpack and tentatively asked.
"Yes, meow. I've never seen such a big Heartbeat Mushroom before, so I collected it," Dielu confirmed.
"This mushroom is abnormally large. It's better to keep it as a specimen," Li Fan suggested.
Soon, after confirmation from both Hui Hui and Xi Xi, the Akantor was indeed not on the lava island.
"Hmm... Since the Akantor isn't here, let's fight the Black Blazing Diablos today." Li Fan was actually reluctant to use the Black Blazing Diablos as a special training opponent.
The reason was that in the real world, monsters with flight capabilities wouldn't frequently land for combat for game-like reasons.
This meant that if a monster could fly, it would inevitably exploit this inherent advantage to the fullest.
The Black Blazing Diablos, as a special individual, would certainly have a much deeper understanding of combat in this regard than an ordinary Blazing Diablos.
Therefore, if a real fight broke out, it would easily turn into an aerial duel between Xi Xi and the Black Blazing Diablos, making it difficult for him and Zhan Zhan to participate.
However, the central area of the island was where the effects of the Divine Realm were strongest.
To allow Xi Xi and Zhan Zhan to grow rapidly, Li Fan had no better options.
Soon, the Black Blazing Diablos, sensing the anomaly, took to the air, patrolling the island to find the source. Upon seeing Li Fan's team, the Black Blazing Diablos immediately became alert, flapping its wings vigorously and circling to observe.
Li Fan didn't rush to show hostility. Instead, he waved and greeted it.
The circling Black Blazing Diablos watched curiously for a moment, then lowered its flight altitude. Seeing that the other party still made no aggressive moves, it hovered in the air and slowly approached.
"Aren't we preparing, meow?" Dielu whispered.
"It's alright. Although Blazing Diablos are also ferocious, they are much more rational than Diablos," Li Fan informed her.
Of course, he also knew that this rationality was based on the fact that they had more people on their side.
"Hello! Are you on duty today?" Facing Li Fan's question, the Black Blazing Diablos, with black smoke emanating from its mouth, was a bit stunned.
"Roar..." A low growl came, as if confirming Li Fan's words.
"As expected, the control of the lava island by the two special individuals is on a shift system." Li Fan nodded slightly, his guess confirmed.
"What is a shift, meow?" Dielu asked, confused.
"Yesterday, when we came, the Akantor was on duty, and the Black Blazing Diablos went out to hunt. Today, it's the Black Blazing Diablos' turn to guard the island, and the Akantor is out foraging. This way, the lava island can always have a monster on guard. This system is called a shift," Li Fan explained.
"It sounds similar to the rotating night watch at the camp, meow," Dielu mused.
"Where did the Akantor go?" Li Fan pointed to the sky with both hands, indicating that he was asking about the monster with two horns on its head.
"Roar..."
"Big brother went out to forage." Hearing the answer, Li Fan's speculation was further confirmed.
He also learned from the address that the two special individuals had a good relationship.
However, given the Akantor's ferocious nature, the two dragons certainly didn't cooperate after negotiation.
The most likely scenario was that the two sides had a standoff for a long time, and then gradually realized that the shift system was beneficial to both, leading to the current situation.
"Roar?" This time, it was the Black Blazing Diablos' turn to ask.
"What are we doing? Good question! I'm here to develop the lava island and plan to turn it into a monster training base. You and big brother should move out quickly and don't delay our construction."
"Roar?" Perhaps the content of Li Fan's words was too complex. The Black Blazing Diablos pondered for a long time but couldn't grasp the meaning behind the human's words.
Li Fan casually pointed in a direction and then mimicked the action of flapping wings with his hands.
"Roar... Roar... Roar!" The Black Blazing Diablos' hovering body swayed slightly, and a few wisps of flame escaped from its sharp-toothed mouth. Its expression was like a grim-faced person sneering.
"Put on your Earplugs. I'll try to provoke it and see if I can get it to fight on the island," Li Fan whispered. Then, he started jumping in place, shouting arrogantly, "You said no one can touch your brothers' territory, but we're standing right here."
The Black Blazing Diablos narrowed its eyes and unyieldingly placed its two claws on the rock layer. As its wings spread, its neck tilted back.
"It's going to roar! Dielu!" As Li Fan spoke, he drew his sword and struck the rock layer, absorbing a small amount of Qi, and immediately assumed a preparatory stance for the Foresight Slash.
"Roar!!!" Using the roar's impact, the activated Qi entered the blade, filling the Qi gauge. Aiming at the left wing membrane, Li Fan threw a Wirebug and pulled back on the silk with one hand, leaning his body slightly backward. His body spun forward under the pull of the wire, executing a Sakura Steel Wirebug Slash!
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
Dense golden lightning exploded on the wing bones. However, the pain did not make the Black Blazing Diablos retreat. Li Fan's peripheral vision caught its turning form, and he quickly rolled away.
*Whoosh~*
The tail, covered in thorns and resembling a giant whip, swept past with a whistling wind. As Li Fan got up, the strong airflow generated by the Black Blazing Diablos' flapping wings blinded him, forcing him to raise his arm in defense.
Suddenly, a pair of goggles were placed over his eyes from behind. Then, Dielu's cat paw gave a thumbs-up, indicating that the disc had been successfully inserted.
Seeing the Black Blazing Diablos tilt its head and look up while hovering, Li Fan chose not to dodge. Instead, he took a deep breath and prepared for an Iai Slash.
*Boom!*
The fireball spat out by the Black Blazing Diablos exploded at a considerable distance from Li Fan, causing a blast. However, this was not a mistake. After the initial explosion, the flames immediately triggered several subsequent explosions in the surrounding area.
*Ding! Whoosh~*
Amidst the thick black smoke and flames, a faint blue light flashed. Three arc-shaped air blades cut through the dust of the explosion, dispersing a large patch of black smoke, revealing a figure with composed steps.
"This intensity is just right," Li Fan said with a smile, then charged towards the Black Blazing Diablos with his sword.
"Ugh! ... Ah! ... Roar!" An hour later, Li Fan, with burn ointment applied to his bed in the control room, was no longer the valiant figure he had been.
"The temperature of the Black Blazing Diablos' fireballs is so high, meow. Should we switch to the Dragonbone set?" Dielu suggested after applying the ointment.
"No, the Thunder God Dragon armor set is the only equipment that can push my abilities to their limit right now," Li Fan explained.
"I see, meow. By the way, why hasn't the head tilt been corrected yet?" Dielu asked curiously.
"Perhaps correcting it to this extent is the limit," Li Fan said with a hint of helplessness. Some assimilation side effects from armor, if utilized properly, could be used as positive abilities, like the wall-climbing ability of the Fulgur Anjanath Vambraces. However, no matter how one adapted, the adverse reactions could never be completely eradicated and could only be suppressed by willpower. Compared to the ability enhancement provided by the Thunder God Dragon armor, merely enduring the negative effect of being upside down was already a very mild assimilation effect.
"How did Eudora adapt, meow?" Dielu asked, puzzled.
"She didn't adapt at all. The Wind God Dragon armor allows for floating and gliding. If willpower couldn't suppress it, she would just fly upside down. If it were me, I couldn't possibly act upside down," Li Fan explained the difference between them.
"Hunting upside down... That's too advanced, meow. Actually, you don't need to worry, Li Fan. Your neck is tilted very naturally now, and it looks quite coordinated. Also, my ear-covering training has always been practiced with a tilted neck. If it were suddenly corrected, you might not be used to it," Dielu informed him.
"Alright, this current tilt angle... I actually find it quite comfortable. Perhaps it's because the influence comes from the Thunder God Dragon, so I have some resistance, and I've always had the thought of correcting it," Li Fan expressed his thoughts and felt somewhat relieved.
"Speaking of Eudora, meow, I miss her so much," Dielu sighed.
"The training location is in East Duruma. At this time, she's probably having a big meal at some restaurant," Li Fan speculated.
At the same time, in a lava cave, within a black mountain range. A joint team composed of Pabobobo, Pazuzhu, Gu Xing, and Eudora was hunting a Rajang. The Rajang resembled a giant ape, covered in thick black fur. It had two curved horns on its head and two sharp fangs protruding from its lower jaw, giving it a monstrous appearance. Its terrifying upper limb strength was said to be capable of breaking even a lance.
The Rajang, facing the paralyzing traps flashing with electricity on the ground, grabbed them with its rough, giant palm and threw them at Pazuzhu.
*Bang! Crash!*
From behind, Pabobobo's charged Ice-elemental Great Sword slashed down, causing a large amount of ice crystals to shatter. The Rajang turned its head and tried to grab with its open left palm, but Pabobobo immediately rolled back after drawing its sword, getting up and quickly retreating.
The Rajang, having missed its grasp, had no time to react before Gu Xing, who had leaped up, brought down his Odachi in a vertical slash. A straight line of energy blade descended.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
A series of explosive sounds from the blast attribute. The Rajang immediately fell to its side, one forelimb slapping the ground, desperately trying to stand up.
Eudora, hovering in the air, seized the opportunity, pulled on her Wirebug, and descended in front of the Rajang's head, swinging her Gale God Great Sword backward to charge up a slash.
"Hiyah!" The heavy sword, carrying a swirling airflow, descended. The Rajang, receiving a heavy blow to the head, rolled along the ground.
At this moment, Pazuzhu, swinging its Diablos Hammer to its side, charged up a heavy blow while rapidly approaching.
*Bang! Hiss...*
The Rajang raised its arm to block the heavy hammer strike, its body sinking into the mountain rock layer.
*Crack...*
Several cracks rapidly spread across the mountain's surface. The fallen Rajang saw this and raised its giant palm, clenching it into a fist and slamming it hard onto the ground.
"The surrounding mountains can't take much more! Retreat!" As Gu Xing finished speaking, a loud boom echoed, and centered on the Rajang, the mountain rock began to collapse on a large scale.
Eudora, leaping and gliding, rotated in the air and, head-down, flew directly towards the massive collapsing pit.
"The bottom hasn't been explored yet! We can't pursue!" Gu Xing quickly shouted to stop her. Seeing Eudora continue to dive downwards, Gu Xing could only voluntarily leap into the pit.
As he fell, he saw Eudora floating upwards, dragging Pazuzhu. Gu Xing was stunned. He suddenly realized that his attention had been on Eudora, causing him to overlook Pazuzhu, who had fallen into the giant pit. After passing each other, one going up and one going down, they rapidly moved away from each other.
"Uh... I fell because I couldn't dodge, so why did Gu Xing jump down?" Pazuzhu asked, confused.
"I don't know," Eudora replied truthfully.
The two returned to the ground, found a high point to land, and began to observe the giant pit. At the bottom of the hollow mountain, there wasn't a large expanse of lava as imagined, but rather several streams of faint blue rivers and rock pillars of varying shapes.
"Why did Gu Xing really jump down?" Perhaps because the question was too perplexing, Pazuzhu asked again.
"It must be a unique hunting style of a solo hunter. After all, they can hunt without team coordination," Eudora speculated.
"No, looking down from here, there's only the light from the pit at the bottom of the mountain. This means the environment below is likely completely dark. Even a solo hunter wouldn't rashly enter such an area to pursue a monster," Pabobobo informed them.
"Speaking of which, Gu Xing's performance this time has been strange. Has he changed his hunting style?" Pazuzhu asked curiously.
"In any case, let's get Gu Xing back up. The bottom of the mountain is too dangerous," Pabobobo said, looking at Eudora.
"Huh? He can climb up by himself, right?" Eudora said with some reluctance.
"The inside of the mountain is hollow, so climbing would be too difficult."
"Can't he use the Ghost Fire explosions to jump?" Eudora insisted.
"That's right! No wonder he's been acting strange. I haven't seen Gu Xing use his Ghost Fire explosions to leap during this hunt," Pazuzhu recalled the problem.
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