by Zhuang Bifan
The Dragon Hawk Queen was still circling in the sky with its gorgeous tail in tow, just like a meteor falling from the sky. The two men in the woods desperately tried to hold onto their breaths, afraid to make a noise. Shaun's plump face had turned pale from fright, and his small eyes were glued to the sky, keeping a lookout on the Dragon Hawk Queen at all times, while Lin Li was still trying hard to rack his brains, carefully filtering every resource they had. From level-one spells to level-14 spells, from the various potions to the various scrolls, and every item in the Ring of Endless Storm were all given a thought to by Lin Li.
It was not until this time that he realized—although he had many treasures in his hand, nothing could help him out of his predicament…
"Hey, Connoris, you still alive?" After much deliberation, Lin Li decided to hit on Connoris.
"What?"
"Do you have a solution?"
"Don't ask me. I'm just a hammer."
"F*ck, our assess are burning already and you're still merely a hammer? Great soul merchant, please find a way out. My death is not going to do you any good!"
"How is it no good?" Connoris had had enough, and began analyzing scornfully. "If you're dead, no one will keep me in the ring anymore. As for the Eternal Furnace, I could just find a new owner for it. It doesn't matter. The Brand Of Dusk is indestructible, anyway…"
"Connoris, you've got guts!" Lin Li cursed through clenched teeth. "But don't worry. Before I die, I'll think of a way to put you in the ring and fuse my Spiritual Brand in it completely. Unless you can find someone with exactly the same Spiritual Brand as me, don't ever think of getting out from the ring!"
"F*ck…" Connoris started. He stood stunned for a while before responding lamely, "You're good!"
"Glad you know. Hurry and think of something. I don't believe a monster like you who has lived for 1,000 years can't handle a Dragon Hawk!"
"Don't rush me…" Connoris grumbled, then exclaimed suddenly, "I remembered!"
Lin Li's eyes lit up. "Spill it!"
"I remembered…" Connoris said confidently. "There's a creature the Dragon Hawk fears!"
"Which creature?"
"The Wyrm!"
"Bloody hell…" Lin Li nearly kicked the hammer. "Are you kidding? Who isn't afraid of the Wyrm now in Anril? If I could get the Wyrm to help me, I wouldn't be here, wasting my time badgering with you, and would have made it kill that little red birdy long ago…"
"Be patient and listen to me… The Dragon Hawk's fear of the Wyrm is different from that of other magical beasts. Ordinary magical beasts are afraid of their power. Where the Wyrm exists, there will not be any magical beast within a hundred miles' radius. But the Dragon Hawk's fear of Wyrm comes from the memory deep in the soul. Because they have the blood of wyrms themselves, this fear was probably engraved in their souls even before they were born. Just a howl from the wyrm, or even a slight hint of wyrm's aura, is enough to drive away any Dragon Hawk."
"Wyrm's aura?" Lin Li frowned, then suddenly slapped his t.h.i.g.h. "Got it!"
"What?"
"Hold on…" Lin Li couldn't care to explain at all in a haste. He hurriedly opened the Ring of Endless Storm and took out a fist-sized item.
"Luckily, I didn't throw it away…" Lin Li held a dull stone in his hand, but he seemed to be holding it like it was something precious. The Wyrm's aura? This stone was dug out from the body of Azardas, the Dragon of Destruction. Even if it was not a magical crystal and a gallstone instead, it would still carry a trace of the aura of the Dragon of Destruction, wouldn't it?
That was one of the four Dragon Aspects in the Endless World. It absolutely could not be mentioned at the same length as other ordinary dragons. Once its aura was emitted, even a real dragon would bow in trepidation, let alone the Dragon Hawk Queen.
"What is this?"
"O great soul merchant, can't you see? This is something from a wyrm's body. How's it? The wyrm's aura it emits is pretty strong, eh?"
"To be honest, I can't feel it at all." Connoris did not give Lin Li face at all. "If you're depending on this to scare the Dragon Hawk away, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed…"
…
Chapter 241 - Little Dragon Hawk
"Nonsense!" How could Lin Li believe it? Others might not know the origin of the item in his hand, but how could he not know? That was what he got straight from the body of the Dragon of Destruction, Azardas. How could it not possess any wyrm's aura? Surely the wyrms in Endless World couldn't be much different from the wyrms in Anril?
"No…" Just as Lin Li was in a state of bewilderment, Connoris started mumbling to himself. "That stone of yours is odd. The aura it emits isn't from the wyrm; it's even stronger. Could it be that there's a creature in Anril that's more powerful than the wyrm?"
Lin Li pursed his lips, and thought, You almost frightened me to death…
Azardas was the Dragon of Destruction, one of the four Dragon Aspects in Endless World. If it hadn't been for the hole in the Endless World, perhaps even God himself couldn't have killed it. How could something from an ordinary wyrm compare with one from the Dragon of Destruction?
"Strange. Where did you get such a powerful thing from…?"
"It's none of your business…" Lin Li snapped. He raised his head with worry and looked at the Dragon Hawk Queen in the sky.The blazing flame and fire elements it released were unbridled. Lin Li knew it wasn't long before the next dragon breath attack.
"If you have time, use it to think of a way out. We'll never see the day if the Dragon Hawk Queen doesn't go away…"
"What ways would I have…?" At the mention of this, Connoris felt aggrieved and began to grumble. "You'll have to blame yourself. If you were stronger—and I'm not even saying the Legendary Realm, if you were at least level-18—you could summon the Eternal Furnace from the fissure of the World of Void. Then, we could use the magical crystal from a fire wyrm to drive the Dragon Hawk Queen away. So what if I know the weakness of the Dragon Hawk Queen? Do you expect me, a hammer, to fight on your behalf…?"
"Then, how?"
"We'll just have to make a Hail Mary effort. Didn't you say this stone was taken from a wyrm's body? We've no other choice, anyway. We'll just have to give this stone a try. If it doesn't work, you'll just have to resign yourself to fate…"
"Alright!"
"Oh, yes, what kind of wyrm was it?"
Lin Li pondered, and replied, "It should be a fire wyrm."
"Try to stimulate it with fire magic. If it's really a fire magical crystal, the stimulation will most likely drive its power out. But, to be honest, I'm not 100% confident, either…" At this point, Connoris suddenly exclaimed, "To hell!"
"What—" Before Lin Li could finish his sentence, he heard a clear, long howl coming from above him, and a red light swept across the sky. In that moment, Lin Li felt like he was enveloped by a scorching breath…
F*ck, this is too despicable!
The thought crossed his mind in a flash. He didn't even have the time to curse out before he was drowned in the heat wave in an instant. It all came too fast. Without warning, the Dragon Hawk Queen swooped in and released a dragon breath—the dragon breath was directed straight to the woods Lin Li and Shaun were hiding…
The fiery dragon breath fell, and tens of meters of forest was reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye. In that instant, Lin Li felt as if he had been baked, and as if his body didn't belong to himself. He felt only numbness from head to toe. Under the surging heat wave, he was like a kite being sent out into the distance. Lin Li only had time to release a Frost Shield in hopes that this thin layer of protection could reduce the impact of the flame for himself.
However…
How could a Frost Shield resist a dragon breath that was near legendary-level? The Frost Shield turned into a puddle of water as soon as Lin Li finished his recitation, and the puddle very soon evaporated. What followed was numbness, then an excruciating pain. Lin Li felt as if his body was torn apart—the pain was even more severe t
han having a sharp knife stuck in his body.
Lin Li lay in a pile of ashes after the fire. He had lost the support of his legs, and his left hand limped weakly. Lin Li knew that it had been broken by the impact just now. His right hand, which was still functional at the moment, was holding onto the stone tightly.
The Dragon Hawk Queen was rampantly venting its anger. The gorgeous red figure glided across the sky above the forest with its long flaming tail in tow. Its cries—which were getting louder and louder—were filled with anger and impatience. Its sharp eyes were flashing red as they swept through the woods. Lin Li knew that it was searching for the Dragon Hawk egg. Once the egg was found, Shaun would have to be burned to death…
Hold on. Shaun…
It was only then that Lin Li realized Shaun had been gone. Where did the culprit who'd started this mess flee to? The whole woods had been burned to the ground with the dragon breath earlier. Lin Li barely managed to keep himself alive with the Frost Shield. Shaun was far lacking in strength as compared to him, and didn't have any Frost Shield on him. Could he be dead already?
Darn, the Dragon Hawk's egg was still with him…
Panicked, Lin Li couldn't care less about pain. He gritted his teeth and struggled to get up from the ground. But as soon as he moved, he felt a burning sensation coming from his hands. Then, he saw a gush of red light, which instantly lit up the whole earth. The red light was even more scorching and dazzling than the previous one.
As soon as the red light lit up, another growl sounded from the sky.
The curling flames dispersed in an instant. The Dragon Hawk Queen at present looked just like any other ordinary bird. It seemed to have seen something horrible when faced with the dazzling red light. Its long howls were full of fear and despair, and its slender wings were curled up into a pitiful position in the sky. Lin Li could even see its body, which was covered by those gorgeous feathers, shivering in the wind…
"Indeed…" Lin Li's heart descended back into place at last.
Connoris was right—the Dragon Hawk had an innate fear of the wyrm's aura. It was the same with the Queen.
Indeed, only the word "fear" could describe the Dragon Hawk Queen's state at present.
It dared not even look directly at the brilliant red light as it buried its red skull between its wings. Lin Li could even hear a trace of plea in its sorrowful cries.
Lin Li was dumbfounded. He saw with his own eyes how the mighty Dragon Hawk Queen from before turn into a pitiful little rabbit.
"Get out of here!" Lin Li raised his right hand high at once, and a surging mental strength emanated instantly. The stone on his hand seemed to feel his mind, and the brilliant red light became more intense immediately.
In that moment, the whole world was illuminated by the red light.
Everything—the sky, the earth, the ashes, and the mud—seemed to be shrouded in this red brilliance.
It was followed by a shrill howl from the skies.
The Dragon Hawk Queen could no longer resist the majesty of the wyrm. After a cry of despair, it finally unfolded its slender wings and disappeared in the tumultuous dark clouds with its gorgeous flaming tail…
"Phew…" Lin Li let out a long sigh of relief at last as he watched the Dragon Hawk Queen leave. At this moment, he felt as if his whole body had been emptied. He was without a trace of strength, nor could he feel the slightest joy. Even the pain in his body seemed to disappear suddenly, and he simply sat upright on the ground…
The fist-sized stone was still burning with the bright red light.
But Lin Li didn't feel any discomfort at all.
There was neither the pain from the heat, nor the glare from the light. There was only a warm feeling rising from the bottom of his heart. It was as if it wasn't a scorching stone in his hand, but a delicate hand warmer instead. Lin Li could even feel his badly traumatized body recovering at an amazing speed. Whether it was his burned back or his broken left hand, they seemed to have been revitalized.
The amazing recovery speed startled even him, a pharmacist. This was totally unreasonable. Every injured part of the body was completely healed in an instant, regardless of how serious the injury or what the cause of injury was.
This, this… This doesn't make sense, does it?
Lin Li stood there with his mouth agape. He was absolutely stupefied.
"He.. Help!" Lin Li suddenly heard a weak cry for help. Upon listening carefully, he realized it was actually Shaun's voice. That fatso's still alive? Fl.u.s.tered, Lin Li hurriedly looked all around, but he couldn't find Shaun's plump figure even after a long while.
"I… I'm below you!"
"Ah?" Lin Li started in surprise and quickly looked down.
He didn't know whether he should feel amused at the situation.
He was actually sitting on the fatso all along.
However, Lin Li was not to be blamed. The fellow's posture was too inconspicuous. Shaun had kept his backpack on his c.h.e.s.t when the dragon breath came down. Then, under the impact of the heat wave, he naturally lay face down on the ground. His whole body seemed to be buried under the thick mud mixed with ashes. If it weren't for his timely call for help, Lin Li would probably still be sitting on him…
"Oh, sorry…" Lin Li scratched his head and stood up embarrassedly. Fortunately, the fatso had a thick flesh, and was still in one piece after being sat on.
"Pff, pff…" The fatso got up and began spitting all the mud out from his mouth. Just as he was about to speak, he felt something moving on his c.h.e.s.t. For a moment, the expression changed on Shaun's face. "Mr… Mr Mage…"
"What?" Lin Li was slightly stunned.
"I think it came out…"
"Ah?!" Lin Li jumped in fright. There were only two of them in this wilderness. Any man with a lack of nerves would be frightened to death when being told "it came out". What gibberish was that? Don't say things that'll lay ourselves open to suspicion, alright…?
"Shaun, this ain't funny…"
"Ha… Have a look yourself…" Shaun stretched his finger out and pointed to the backpack he was carrying on the front. His right hand was trembling as he spoke.
Lin Li frowned and opened the bag.
Then… he witnessed an awfully bizarre scene.
Almost as soon as he stretched out his hand to open the backpack, a fiery glow burst out and pounced on Lin Li.
"F*ck!" Lin Li was almost scared out of his wits at that moment.
How… how come there's another Dragon Hawk?
Lin Li saw clearly when the ball of red light burst out. Those red feathers, slender wings, the magnificent and almost arrogant aura were the exact same as the Dragon Hawk Queen's.
"We're f*cked this time…" Lin Li thought he would pass out.
But very soon, he realized a problem.
Wrong…
The wings of the Dragon Hawk Queen could reach more than ten meters when stretched out. How could a lousy backpack hold it? Surely the backpack couldn't have been another Ring of Endless Storm?
A thought flashed across Lin Li's mind. A little Dragon Hawk!
It couldn't be wrong—it had to be a little Dragon Hawk.
"This is too uncanny…" Lin Li was dizzy for a moment. This little Dragon Hawk had picked a crucial time to hatch. Lin Li had scared its mother away a moment ago, and now it hatched from the egg and came onto him. Was it trying to seek revenge for its mother?
Lin Li couldn't help but swallow his saliva with much difficulty at the thought of it…
But when he looked down, he realized that the little Dragon Hawk seemed to have no intention of revenge. It was rubbing itself affectionately against Lin Li's body. There was some attachment in its low, tender howls—like a newborn baby beast acting cutely in front of its mother.
This time, Lin Li was really taken aback.
Chapter 242 - The Little Dragon Hawk's Dad
"Connoris, you'd better come out!"
Lin Li held onto the little Dragon Hawk's head to prevent i
t from snuggling into his arms while he looked out for Connoris. Connoris was too sly. It had been faking death since it came down from the dragon breath. How could it be killed by the dragon breath when it was cast by the Eternal Furnace?
"Stop shouting and look at what's at your feet…" Connoris weak voice could be heard coming from below. Lin Li saw that the fella was half buried among the ashes, and its head was resting on a burnt tree branch.
"Stop playing dead. The Dragon Hawk Queen had long been gone…" Lin Li grabbed onto the little Dragon Hawk with one hand while he pulled Connoris out with the other.
"What happened?"
"Why does this little fella keep clinging onto me?"
"I think that it might have thought that you are its dad. HAHAHA…" Connoris chuckled. "Maybe it sees you as its mom too…" he continued irresponsibly.
"You are its real mom. Everyone in your family is its mom!" Lin Li scolded in exasperation, but he was really at a loss what to do.
F*ck, what do I do? This fur ball is really clinging to me. Could it really be that it thought I'm its dad or mom?
Although he knew a few tricks for taming magical beasts, the taming of Dragon Hawks needed to start right when it was still in the w.o.m.b. Or else, it would be really hard to deal with—like this situation.
The more Lin Li looked at it, the cuter it became to him. It really seemed to be treating Lin Li as its mom when it rubbed itself against him.
Yet, magical beasts were magical beasts. No one knew what it would be like were it to grow up. Wouldn't it be very unfair if it were to turn against him then?
"I say, Connoris. Will this little fella turn against me when it grows up?"
"How could it be? Don't you feel that it is closer to you than its true mom?"
"…"
After laughing at Lin Li's misfortune, he asked skeptically, "Oh, yes. Did you really acquire that rock in your hand from the body of the Wyrm?"
"Are you thinking that I'm lying to you?"
"I understand now…
"What do you understand?"
"I understand why it loves to cling onto you. You are really lucky."