Shanshan had never been to the New World, let alone posed a threat.
Therefore, theoretically, the Namielle could not have known what the Great Serpent's Coil was planning.
This was fundamentally different from the Zorah Magdaros, which had already caused an ecological disaster.
Even if there was hostility, it would have been triggered by random digging in the Coral Highlands.
Li Fan, considering this, decided not to summon Huihui for now and continued to observe the situation from the Crimson Glow.
Since there was no strong overflow of Dragonite energy along the coast, the Elder Dragon's senses would be much more acute. If Huihui rushed in and was detected, it would only provoke the other party's defensive instincts.
With the current setup of the Monster Squad, they weren't particularly afraid of the Namielle.
The problem was that the Great Serpent's Coil could not be put into a sphere. If the Namielle sensed something, even if it didn't attack, just tailing and investigating would create immeasurable variables.
Ten minutes later, the storm and wind raged on, and Shanshan emerged from the gaping maw of the Great Serpent's Coil.
Dragging the Dragonator back from the jungle, it was reloaded into the Serpent Emperor's Ballista.
The Namielle on the distant cliff looked down at the endless sea, its body seemingly still.
A monster, in the pouring rain, staring blankly at the sea, seemed so melancholic.
Li Fan thought to himself that its peculiarity was that, under normal circumstances, monsters rarely showed signs of sadness.
Boom! Boom!
After two consecutive claps of thunder, the Namielle finally made a move.
It slowly flapped its wings and flew off the cliff top.
Its wings cast shadows as they swept across the ground.
Upon reaching the sky above the Great Serpent's Coil, it merely glanced sideways and then flew away.
Moments later, rays of sunlight streamed down, and the clouds dissipated.
"What could make an Elder Dragon feel sad..."
After watching the Namielle disappear into the horizon, Li Fan mused.
The Serpent Emperor's Ballista had been loaded without incident. Shanshan had personally traveled to the Elder's Recess, so not much guidance was needed.
Now that the Monster Squad had secured a certain territory, the Crimson Glow could tentatively visit.
To ensure synchronized progress, the squad chose to travel by the Crimson Glow.
The camp, which previously had only a small tent, had now developed into a small outpost with wooden walls.
The only one daring to fly an airship in the New World was the Fifth Expedition Leader, Li Fan.
The people in the camp immediately recognized it and waved at the airship.
For safety reasons, the Crimson Glow descended and hovered at a low altitude next to the camp.
The Grand Commander, who rushed to greet them, didn't have time to say hello before asking, "Li Fan, was it you who initiated the joint operation to hunt the Kushala Daora?"
The Grand Commander was anxious because after arriving at the newly established outpost, a large number of hunters had visited.
These hunters, all rated four stars or higher, had only one goal: to jointly hunt the Kushala Daora.
And the person who initiated this joint hunt was the Fifth Expedition Leader, Li Fan.
"Yes."
"Why?"
The Grand Commander couldn't understand.
"According to eyewitness reports, although the Kushala Daora is closely linked with the Teostra and Lunastra, its injuries have not healed and are even worsening. I believe this is an opportunity."
Li Fan explained.
"But the unknown threat..."
"If we are to undertake the Elder Crossing and visit the Elder's Recess, we must achieve something. Therefore, the unknown threat is not just aimed at the investigation team; it is the same for them."
Li Fan stated his view.
The Grand Commander pondered for a moment and felt that Li Fan's approach had some merit.
Once the unknown threat was touched upon, the three Elder Dragons residing in the Elder's Recess would surely notice.
They had no intention of directly confronting the threat, but the three Elder Dragons might.
If the already injured Kushala Daora were to suffer further severe damage, it would indeed be a good opportunity for a hunt.
"I'm sorry, I thought it was a decision you made on the spur of the moment."
The Grand Commander breathed a sigh of relief.
"Actually, I can't guarantee that the situation will be extremely favorable to us, but without gathering hunters and making preparations in advance, the operation plan would have no chance of being implemented."
Li Fan admitted there was an element of gambling involved.
The difference was that he possessed sufficient intelligence, giving him a greater chance of winning.
After gathering the hunters for the joint hunt, Li Fan made the operational deployment.
A total of 31 four-star hunters and 11 five-star hunters participated.
Li Fan did not make many specific arrangements for the tactics.
He only emphasized three points: gather and act according to the signal flares, maintain concealment when dispersed and on standby, and most importantly, do not be tempted to explore upon seeing any astonishing anomaly.
As for confirming the location and how to kill the Kushala Daora after arriving, they were to use their full abilities.
After completing the deployment, the four of them set off in the evening.
The large number of hunters entering the exploration made the map increasingly complete and accurate. Combined with the Grand Commander's excellent wilderness navigation skills,
They reached the cave discovered by Murl in less than a day's walk.
Li Fan realized that the terrain they were currently in had descended to the point of being swallowed by the ley lines.
However, the cave before them still showed a downward slope that seemed to have no end.
The place where the Xeno'jiiva molted was deeper than he had imagined.
After tapping the pixelated avatar of Shanshan on his handheld device a few times, Li Fan followed the Grand Commander into the cave.
They slid down the slope and after about ten minutes, they finally reached the bottom.
It was a dark cavern filled with deep blue Dragonite crystals. The Grand Commander continued to lead them, following the sound of water. Soon, a small camp built beside an underground river appeared in their sight.
Murl, sitting by the campfire, stood up to greet them.
"You've indeed come."
"Yes, how are you feeling?"
Li Fan noticed Murl had dark circles under his eyes and asked tentatively.
"My perception is quite strong. I received a lot of mental information a while ago. I wanted to sense more to see if I could analyze anything, but I stayed up for several days with no results."
Murl said helplessly.
"What did you sense?"
Li Fan asked curiously.
"A very majestic dragon roar... and... the grunting of a wild boar. The two sensations were mixed together, and experiencing them for a long time was truly agonizing."
Murl sighed with a dejected expression.
Yodora and Dilu listened with sympathy in their eyes.
"Let's get down to business. Through years of investigation, I've found that the highly concentrated energy in the New World has been continuously sinking downwards. However, due to geographical barriers, it couldn't penetrate deeper, so its final destination remained unknown. That is, until we successfully reached the Elder's Recess and discovered the reverse ley lines, leading us here."
Murl said, then looked up and around.
"The end of this river, and the end of all energy convergence, there must be something waiting for me. If I fall, you must bring what you see back to the outpost. This should be the key to unraveling the mystery of the Elder Crossing."
Murl stated with conviction.
"Are you all really ready?"
The Grand Commander asked.
"We haven't eaten Palico food yet."
Aibo raised her hand and said.
"I also need to repair the small boat I built."
Murl informed them.
"I was too hasty. Everyone, prepare yourselves first."
The Grand Commander's shoulders slumped, feeling that he had been overly anxious.
Aibo immediately took off her backpack, took out various cooking utensils, and busied herself at the earthen stove.
Games were different from reality, and under the immense unknown threat, no one could maintain a calm state of mind.
Although they all seemed calm and were making their preparations, everyone was enveloped by a suppressed atmosphere.
Unlike Murl, who was determined to uncover the truth of the Elder Crossing even at the cost of his life, Li Fan had his own plans.
If they didn't attempt to capture it now, the emergence of the Fatalis in six months could very well overturn the entire world.
After everyone quietly finished their Palico food, Aibo said with a forced smile, "I'll wait for you all to come back."
The four of them and the cat then boarded the small boat. Murl, paddling, said, "Regarding the New World's ecosystem, I actually have a theory, but it's quite horrifying, so I've never mentioned it publicly."
"Tell us about it."
The Grand Commander, who had been staring ahead, turned back and asked curiously.
"The ecosystem of the New World is as if it were designed."
"Don't be ridiculous..."
The Grand Commander shook his head in disbelief.
"I hope it's a joke. It would be better if a monster capable of shaping the ecosystem on such a large scale didn't exist in the world."
Murl sighed.
"Shaping the ecosystem... the capabilities wouldn't allow it, right?"
Yodora also joined the discussion.
"Yes, a single ability definitely wouldn't be enough."
Murl agreed.
"What if multiple monsters cooperated to shape the ecosystem?"
Li Fan proposed his idea.
"Monster cooperation? Is it like a symbiotic relationship?"
The Grand Commander couldn't quite understand.
"This theory... it's probably impossible."
Murl found it hard to believe.
The exchange of ideas quickly eased the oppressive atmosphere.
The small boat traveled along the winding river for about an hour before reaching its end.
The Dragonite crystals here were no longer columnar, but all appeared as long, sharp cones.
The parts extending into the river had to be cut away for the boat to proceed.
The rich life energy accumulated in their nasal cavities and throats, making breathing difficult.
After docking, the dense crystal spikes blocked the path behind them, and a dazzling white light emanated from within.
Li Fan had no time to be surprised. He took out his handheld device, tapped Shanshan's avatar, and used its senses to provide a second定位.
He felt his previous judgment was correct. If they fought here, the Xeno'jiiva's crystallization resonance ability alone could blow up the entire map, and ten lives wouldn't be enough to win.
Drawing his hunter's knife, he cut away the crystal spikes in front of them, and the group continued forward.
When the true form of the light cluster was revealed, everyone froze in place.
It was a giant cocoon hanging from the cave ceiling.
Over a hundred constantly expanding and contracting silk tubes were infusing materialized life energy into the cocoon.
Even though Li Fan had experienced this scene in the game, he still felt a deep sense of pressure. The others were even more so.
Hum~ Hum~
A slight vibration stopped them from stepping further.
However, upon observation, they realized the vibration was not coming from the cocoon, but from the area above.
"We've come this far, there's no turning back..."
Murl muttered, and disregarding the danger, rushed towards the cocoon.
"Don't be reckless!"
The Grand Commander shouted, but could only chase after him.
Hum~ Hum~
The vibration intensified, and the crystal spikes on the cave ceiling began to fall.
Li Fan realized that Murl, in his pursuit of the truth of the Elder Crossing over the years, had become somewhat obsessed due to his deep-seated fixation.
Although providing Shanshan with the convergence point was the real objective,
Protecting him and assisting in the exploration was also one of the reasons for their visit.
So, he and Yodora rushed forward, smashing the falling sharp crystals to provide cover.
As the vibration further intensified, the cocoon also reacted.
From the core of the white light, rows of blue lasers were fired.
The Dragonite crystals they touched immediately melted and burned, and after a moment, they would explode violently.
Soon, the increased vibration affected the stability of the giant cocoon, and many silk tubes began to crack.
Riiiiip~
A five-clawed talon emerged from the cocoon and swiped.
This seemingly weak swipe not only caused the giant cocoon to shake more violently but also severed several silk tubes.
The tilted cocoon could no longer maintain its position and a gap opened.
Crash~
A massive figure slid out and landed on the ground.
The figure wriggled for a moment, shifting from a prone position to lying on its side. Then, with its four claws attempting to support itself, it raised its enormous body from the ground.
"What in the world is this!"
Seeing the full form of the Xeno'jiiva, the Grand Commander was plunged into deep horror.
Li Fan, who was slashing through the sharp crystal spikes with his knife, shouted, "Withdraw!"
The Grand Commander, supporting the gravely injured Murl who had fallen at some point, asked, "What about you?"
"Of course we're running! We're not staying here, are we!"
Li Fan said, grabbed Dilu, and turned to flee.
Yodora swung her weapon in the air, smashing the falling sharp crystal spikes and providing cover.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~
The three leaped onto the small boat. The Grand Commander put Murl down and grabbed the oars, paddling quickly.
As they moved away from the source of the vibration, the surroundings gradually quieted down.
Seeing Li Fan staring intently at the convergence point, the Grand Commander comforted him, "I know you're very unwilling, but it's a miracle that we escaped."
"I think so too."
Li Fan's response surprised the Grand Commander.
Boom! A huge rumbling sound echoed through the cave.
The crystal spikes at the convergence point were instantly shattered.
The Grand Commander stopped paddling and observed.
A circular giant pit opened in the rock wall above the crystal formation, and a dragon skull with a serpentine head emerged.
As the skull turned and lowered, its body, adorned with fan-like scales that continuously cut through the crystals, gradually became visible.
Roar! The Xeno'jiiva's fierce roar was heard, followed by the sound of more crystal spikes falling.
"Is this still the New World I've been exploring for years..."
The Grand Commander found it difficult to accept the continuous succession of events that exceeded his understanding.
"Since there's a monster to keep it occupied, we plan to go back and continue observing."
Li Fan stood up and said.
"Count me in."
The Grand Commander said firmly.
"No, Murl is injured and needs someone to escort and care for him."
Li Fan shook his head.
"I'm fine, I can go too..."
Murl, lying down, suddenly raised a hand.
"Hmm?"
Murl was still conscious, which exceeded Li Fan's expectations.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
Li Fan held up two fingers.
"That's... uh..."
Murl's head tilted, and he fainted again.
(End of Chapter)