69: Chapter 69 The Mountain God's Wrath!
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Chu Ran was initially lamenting why the third divine trial difficulty didn't appear when he killed the Star Demon Bone Lion...
It felt like a complete waste of a Saint Spirit Grade Demonic Beast...
But when the Saint Spirit Level rank of the Heaven Swallowing Crocodile Emperor appeared on the panel, Chu Ran's inner distress instantly vanished...
He looked at the terrifying demonic beast before him, exchanged a glance with the Flame Sky Sparrow beside him, and couldn't help but let a smile curl at the corner of his mouth...
Originally, coming all the way from Dragon Country to Sakura Sun only to kill a Pope and a few cultists had left the pent-up fury in Chu Ran's heart with no outlet.
Now, the appearance of this Heaven Swallowing Crocodile Emperor was just too timely!
Without the slightest hesitation, the Flame Sky Sparrow instantly understood Chu Ran's intent.
Its fiery wings beat violently, each flap stirring up raging flames, the dazzling firelight seeming capable of igniting the entire sky!
This blazing radiance was so dazzling, it actually directly obscured the high-hanging scorching sun at the horizon!
Along with the dance of its wings, a terrifyingly intense heatwave surged forth like a raging torrent, swallowing the cold aura released by the Heaven Swallowing Crocodile Emperor in the blink of an eye.
This heatwave was like a gigantic furnace, mercilessly scorching everything around it, even the air warping and distorting from the heat...
Simultaneously, countless Heavenly Flame meteorites rained down from the sky like a torrential downpour, but these 'raindrops' were meteors burning with raging fire!
The meteorites fell densely like a curtain of rain, smashing violently onto the sea surface, splashing water and billowing thick smoke!
The once boundless blue ocean transformed in an instant into a seething sea of fire!
Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, the Heaven Swallowing Crocodile Emperor immediately turned and fled swiftly towards the depths of the sea. But the Heavenly Flame gave it no chance to escape; the nearly ten-thousand-meter stretch of sea area showed signs of evaporating under the scorching of this Heavenly Flame!
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At the edge of the Sea Borderline, in another city, Sakura Island City.
Several uniformed field reporters were looking up in astonishment, watching the Sakura Island volcano continuously spewing lava over the sea...
"Is this... a deity manifesting?" The cameraman, holding a military-grade camera aloft, filming the gushing Heavenly Flame, spoke with immense excitement.
They were field reporters from the Sakura Sun military district, specifically tasked with issuing lockdown warnings for people in the Sea Borderline area. Most of them were also Professionals, but they usually filmed from several kilometers away from the Sea Borderline...
For about fifty years...
Because the sea level had been continuously rising in recent years, most of the Sakura Island volcano was already submerged in the sea, making another eruption basically impossible...
But just moments ago, this volcano, dormant for nearly fifty years, suddenly erupted!
The surging magma continuously flowed out, steaming a thick layer of mist over the sea surface!
Those residents watching this magnificent spectacle through the broadcast, some elderly and middle-aged folks, had already begun kowtowing towards the direction of the volcanic eruption...
"Great Mountain God of Sakura Island, please protect us, the people of Sakura Sun!"
On the internet, people gradually began posting comments in the live broadcast stream.
"Why isn't that patch of magma falling?"
Some sharp-eyed individuals noticed a patch of 'living' magma at the volcano's crater that wasn't falling and voiced theirdoubt.
Soon, more and more people noticed this and started pointing it out. Seeing the barrage comments, the war correspondent adjusted the zoom magnification higher, and immediately the barrage was flooded with question marks...
"That's not unmoving magma, that's clearly a flying tamed beast!"
Because the war correspondent was standing far away and primarily filming the volcanic eruption, and the Flame Sky Sparrow was positioned right above the volcano's crater, initially no one noticed that hovering over the sea hundreds of kilometers away was a terrifying Flame Sky Sparrow!
"Closer, a bit closer! That terrifying flying tamed beast must be the incarnation of the Sakura Island Mountain God!"
As a field reporter, Kudo Hayakawa's heart was pounding with excitement. He had already crossed the safety line with his military camera, passed Sakura Island volcano, and flown completely over the sea...
He had initially picked up the camera upon hearing the warning broadcast, only to start filming when he discovered the volcanic eruption...
But the scene before him now left him utterly stunned, his inner astonishment beyond words!
The sea level of this tens-of-thousands-of-meters-long Endless Sea Region coastline was continuously dropping!
He saw the full form of that World-Burning Flame Sky Sparrow clearly.
It was a terrifying existence. Under the radiance of its glow, Kudo even forgot he was currently in the Endless Sea Region...
In the past, even ten kilometers outside the Sea Borderline was a death zone for a Professional of his level, but now, standing over the sea, he felt not the slightest fear...
Instead, he felt an urge to worship...
"Look! There's a person standing on that Flame Sky Sparrow!"
"Heavens! Is that the incarnation of the Mountain God..."
Only Kudo knew what it truly was...
That was a Beast Tamer!
The Pope of Sakura Sun had died ten minutes ago, killed by a Beast Tamer from Dragon Country.
Kudo Hayakawa was among the first in Sakura Island City to know this news. His department was also agonizing over how to break this news to the citizens of Sakura Island City...
The Pope's death was an omen of national collapse for Sakura Sun, especially since the Pope was also the leader of the Blood Cult. If the common people found out, it would surely cause massive unrest...
But what astonished Kudo Hayakawa even more now was...
Why would such a powerful Beast Tamer appear in the dangerous Endless Sea Region?
He couldn't possibly be here just to...Fried fish (stir up trouble/fish in troubled waters)...
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The next moment, a colossal demonic beast was blasted out of the sea surface.
"That's... the Heaven Swallowing Crocodile Emperor!"
The moment the Crocodile Emperor was blasted out of the water, the military camera locked onto its position. Some elderly high-ranking Professionals immediately recognized this legendary terrifying entity!
Since they were young, they had heard terrifying legends about the Endless Sea Region, one of the four death zones closest to Sakura Sun...
"That's a Saint Spirit Grade Demonic Beast, the overlord of the Endless Sea Region, and now it's getting beaten up like this?"
From the footage, the Heaven Swallowing Crocodile Emperor seemed to be at a disadvantage in the battle...
Or rather, it was forced into this fight...
Because it showed no intention of attacking at all, just desperately trying to dive back into the sea...
The Heavenly Flame of the World-Burning Flame Sky Sparrow had already seared one charred wound after another onto its body...
The Crocodile Emperor had long lost its overlord demeanor, now resembling a piece of crocodile meat skewered on an iron grill...
Seeing that most of the crocodile emperor's defensive armor had been burned off, Chu Ran decisively unfurled the Beast Taming Formation Diagram.
This demonic beast's hide was quite thick, its defense truly exceptional. Relying solely on Heavenly Flame scorching would take too much time. Moreover, the Mosquito Queen hadn't fed on a high-grade demonic beast for a while. This Saint Spirit Grade Demonic Beast might just give the Shadow-Devouring Mosquito Beasts a chance to evolve their physiques...
The Saint Mosquito Queen slowly emerged from the formation map, like an ancient executioner, beginning to release its 'Demon-Slaying Chains'. Countless Shadow-Devouring Mosquito Beasts swarmed out, linking into long lines, winding around the Crocodile Emperor's body in circle after circle. Seeing this horrifying scene, the Crocodile Emperor instantly let out a pained roar of fury...
"ROAR—GACK!"
It opened its bloody maw wide, emitting a terrifying roar, but this didn't slow the speed of its life draining away. Instead, more Shadow-Devouring Mosquito Beasts flew into its gaping mouth...
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Kudo Hayakawa stood rooted to the spot, not daring to breathe heavily, because he could clearly feel the life force of the Heaven Swallowing Crocodile Emperor rapidly waning...
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