Chapter 159 Dust Settled

Chapter 159: The Dust Settles

Everyone moved swiftly.

Lu Wenchuan, the sole sentinel to have traversed this forest, led the team towards the forest's edge after gathering the hidden guides.

No sooner had the group vanished among the tree shadows than the sky abruptly darkened.

Within seconds, colossal raindrops began to pound down.

The sudden, destructive downpour shrouded the surroundings in a gray haze, rapidly diminishing visibility.

The giant beast shuddered slightly, turned, and fixed its gaze intently on the crimson lake.

What's happening?

Fang Ran's heart rate surged, the ominous premonition resurfacing within him.

He could feel the beast's muscles rippling continuously, then tensing instantly, as if preparing for something beneath the water's surface.

Meanwhile, the rain intensified.

The downpour was relentless.

Dense raindrops hammered the lake's surface like a volley of arrows, pocking it with countless indentations.

With their heightened senses, many sentinels now detected something amiss.

The dark forms that had been floating on the water's surface had all vanished, as if clearing a path for something.

Suddenly, a deep, muffled roar echoed from the lake's depths.

"Boom!!!"

The water surface abruptly sank, forming a massive whirlpool.

"Everyone, be on your guard!" Lu Wenshan shouted.

The next second.

The center of the vortex exploded with violent force!

The entire body of water erupted upwards like a boiling cauldron, waves carrying a suffocating scent of blood, surging dozens of meters high, instantly overpowering the raging rain.

Amidst the chaotic curtain of water, a colossal shadowy figure burst forth from the lake.

What was this?

Fang Ran's pupils dilated instantly, speechless with shock at the sight before him.

This monster bore a resemblance to the S-class basilisk variant Fu Zhangzhou had once slain: black, armor-like scales, and crimson mane encircling the horns on its head...

But this creature had clearly undergone multiple mutations, for its tree-trunk-thick serpent body now bore three heads.

The snake heads varied in form, but all three pairs of vertical pupils simultaneously fixed on the giant beast and Fang Ran.

Before anyone could react, one of the snake heads suddenly opened its maw and unleashed a stream of corrosive greenish energy.

The giant beast, however, was prepared. It leaped instantly into the air, hovering briefly before spewing a blinding flame towards the basilisk.

The basilisk lacked its agility.

The snake head that had discharged the corrosive energy swung aside, allowing another head to intercept the attack.

"Hiss!!!"

The struck head roared in fury, emitting an earth-shattering hiss!

It stared fixedly at the giant beast and Fang Ran, countless jets of water erupting from its mouth, attacking them wildly and without pattern.

Though the giant beast was incredibly fast, dodging assault after assault, the massive basilisk's enormous size and broad attack range made it impossible to avoid all the corrosive water jets. Some inevitably splashed onto the beast.

A strong, acrid odor instantly assailed Fang Ran's nostrils.

Not good!

He quickly looked down and saw that the flesh on the beast's right foot had been peeled back, blood flowing freely, revealing the bone beneath.

Lu Wenshan and Chen Yang rushed forward at that moment, both activating shields simultaneously to block many of the attacks.

Seizing the opportunity, the giant beast dashed back to the shore, tilted its body, and deposited Fang Ran on the ground.

As soon as Fang Ran steadied himself, he saw it turn to charge back into the air and hurriedly called out, "Fu Zhangzhou!"

The beast glanced back at him, a complex emotion flashing in its eyes, before leaping into the air once more and charging towards the basilisk.

The remaining sentinels were all Super A+ rank, and they now surged forward, coordinating with the giant beast to attack the basilisk.

Various energy light waves exploded mid-air, one after another.

The three-headed basilisk was exceptionally formidable, managing to withstand all these attacks for a time.

Fang Ran's gaze never left the giant beast, fearing even the slightest misstep.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze fixed upon him.

Fang Ran numbly looked up and saw, amidst the countless energy light waves, a pair of golden vertical pupils intently fixed on his position.

A chilling sensation instantly crawled up his spine.

A voice in his mind screamed: *Run!*

But it was too late.

The space beside him shattered abruptly, and his vision went black.

The wind whistled past his ears, and when he opened his eyes again, he had been teleported right in front of the basilisk.

A familiar voice suddenly intruded into his mind.

"Fang Ran, you can't escape."

It was Wen Qi!

The central snake head stared fixedly at him, suddenly opening its gaping maw.

At that very moment, two figures charged in from both sides.

The giant beast moved with extreme speed, placing itself in front of Fang Ran just before the basilisk's attack landed.

"Boom!"

The world shook violently in an instant.

Fang Ran stood frozen in place, watching helplessly as the giant beast was engulfed in the basilisk's blast of energy.

"No!!!"

Struck head-on by the energy, the giant beast seemed to lose all vitality and plummeted toward the lake.

"Splash!"

A huge splash erupted as the beast crashed into the lake, stirring up whirlpools again.

Lu Wenshan threw up a shield and rushed to Fang Ran's side, catching him.

"Fang Ran, I'm getting you out of here."

"No!"

Fang Ran's eyes stayed locked on the lake. Without a second thought, he instinctively tried to wrench free from Lu Wenshan's grasp.

Just then, the basilisk unleashed another attack, forcing Lu Wenshan to release Fang Ran and use his ability to defend.

"Boom!"

In that split second, Fang Ran was sucked down by the vortex, falling rapidly.

Weightlessness and panic churned in his chest.

But Fang Ran's only thought was to find that familiar figure.

Within seconds, he sank into the blood-red lake.

As he submerged, suffocation gripped him instantly.

After his previous mission where he fell into a lake, Fang Ran had specifically trained in swimming and free-diving. Now, he forced himself to remain calm, opened his eyes, and frantically searched for the giant beast.

The lake water was incredibly murky, but Fang Ran could just make out a faint glow deep below.

Instinctively, he swam towards it.

The closer he got, the louder the heartbeat pounded in his head.

Fang Ran couldn't tell if it was due to lack of oxygen or just his body's physiological response, but he felt the familiar presence growing stronger.

When he reached the glowing light, he stopped dead in astonishment.

A huge bluish-green flower stood silently at the bottom of the lake, with the giant beast lying beside it.

Without hesitation, he rushed over.

Miraculously, the giant beast showed no signs of injury but seemed to be in a deep, sleep-like state.

He sighed with relief inwardly, then turned his attention to the strange flower.

The flower wasn't open; instead, its petals were wrapped tightly around its center, forming an enormous bud. Energy seemed to flow through its petals and veins, beating rhythmically...

Like a human heart.

He'd seen this before.

In his dream, the flower spirit that said it wouldn't kill him, along with Shen Ke and Wen Qi, had been rescued from a mutated Protea.

If that was the case, then perhaps...

A daring idea popped into his head.

He reached out to tear the petals open, but it was much harder than he expected.

Although the Protea wasn't aggressive, it was shielded by a powerful energy field.

Just as Fang Ran was out of ideas, he looked over at the giant beast beside him.

This was Fu Zhangzhou's Spiritual Body...

As if sensing his intention, he reached out towards the giant beast.

The moment they touched, the beast vanished instantly.

A torrent of energy flooded into Fang Ran's body, racing unimpeded all the way to his Spiritual Sea.

Winds roared across his Spiritual Sea, churning the grassy plains into waves.

A connection rooted itself and grew.

The next moment.

A black rose burst through the earth in his Spiritual Sea.

Simultaneously, a blinding light flashed from within the flower bud before him.

Fang Ran's heart hammered wildly.

Because he could see a blurry figure inside.

The figure stretched out a hand, pressing against the inside.

Fang Ran reached out, his hand shaking uncontrollably as he lined up his palm with the faint outline.

Their palms slowly aligned.

In an instant, they connected.

Spiritual energy gushed from his palm.

The energy flowing through the petals and stems suddenly expanded, breaking free of its confines and illuminating the entire lakebed.

The familiar figure finally emerged.

Fu Zhangzhou...

Fang Ran had finally laid eyes on his Sentinel.

In that moment, emotions swirled inside him—like raging waves, all converging into overwhelming feeling for the person before him.

At this moment, due to oxygen deprivation, his vision began to flicker.

The Sentinel reached out, embraced him, and bent down to kiss him.

Their lips met.

As oxygen passed between them, Fang Ran finally felt a sense of relief.

His consciousness began to blur, and the world began to warp before his eyes, yet deep down, he had a feeling of things settling into place.

************

This part was finally over; the rest would be smooth sailing.