At the bottom of the Rotten Vale, at an entrance to the Everstream.
Zorah Magdaros dragged its exhausted steps forward. A trace of hesitation flickered through its aged eyes, then quickly hardened into resolve as it stepped toward the Everstream.
In the distance, two Vaal Hazak concealed within the dense effluvium silently watched Zorah Magdaros's departing figure, making no move at all.
They had originally sensed the dying life aura emanating from Zorah Magdaros and had come to "handle its remains," ensuring that its slumber would not be disturbed by other creatures, and likewise that it would not disturb other life in the New World.
But—
Zorah Magdaros chose to leave.
Once it entered the Everstream, its fate would no longer have anything to do with the Vaal Hazak. Their task would end there.
This kind of existence—taking responsibility only for what one is charged with, and nothing more—might well be the true way of life for Elder Dragons in this world.
Those willing to heed the summons of nature's will have always been few.
Seen this way, even Mother Chameleos over the past few decades could be considered diligent.
As Zorah Magdaros advanced, not far from this Everstream entrance, a massive checkpoint stood directly in its path. Behind it flowed a lava stream carrying immense life energy, moving slowly onward.
Atop enormous stalactites above, barrel bombs were firmly secured in place, ensuring that when detonated, these heavy stalactites would be blasted down, inflicting devastating damage on anything below.
On the elevated platform of the checkpoint, twenty transported Dragonator cannons and ten reusable Dragonators—constructed primarily from large quantities of ancient metals, assisted by ancient Wyverian alchemy and reinforced with new alloys—were firmly installed at positions calculated long in advance.
With the help of dozens of ordinary Fire Wyverns of the Ancient Tree, supplies were delivered to the site piece by piece. Thousands of hunters moved continuously across the checkpoint, every one of them filled with confidence for the interception battle to come.
This battle was the Research Commission's another all-out effort since the Yama Tsukami incident back then.
These years of stockpiles, plus various technological accumulation from cooperation with the Ancient Tree, as well as once again taking a large amount of ancient metal on credit from Ahtal-Ka in the ancient ruins basin to make Dragonators.
By relying on the Wyverian hunter's notes brought back from the Elder's Recess by the research squad, and the intelligence obtained over the years by the Admiral and the Field Master while operating in the lower layers of the Rotten Vale, and then through a large number of hunters' inhuman labor, and by bringing in the Fire Wyverns on the Ancient Tree side to assist, in the end, within an extremely short time, they finally completed this enormous checkpoint that could be called a war fortress.
Behind the checkpoint, on a massive platform in the lava, the Radiant Fire Wyvern group led by Little Loren was lying on the scorching platform to rest.
Perhaps because its age had come, Little Loren actually sensed the summons of the big boss of nature.
After asking Aki and learning that completing the mission could yield some unclear, indescribable rewards that could accelerate its own growth in strength—and with the knowledge that its father also often went out for this reason—Little Loren decisively sought Aki's approval, and led this batch of Radiant Fire Wyverns, along with dozens of ordinary Fire Wyverns, to carry out this cooperation with the Research Commission.
And indeed, perhaps because Logan had become more and more "high and mighty" on the Ancient Tree over these years—so much so that even the Radiant Fire Wyverns guarding the palace were only the topmost Radiant Fire Wyvern couple—a huge gap had formed between it and the Fire Wyverns living in the middle and lower layers.
But Little Loren, with a noble bloodline and powerful strength, possessing power not inferior to that of ordinary Elder Dragons, and living in the middle layers of the Ancient Tree, would also from time to time take wyverns along to carry out tasks issued by Logan and participate in group hunts.
Therefore, it still had considerable influence among these Fire Wyverns; with a single summons, it could bring over a hundred Fire Wyverns to follow.
It had to be said that as it grew older, Little Loren's growth was quite gratifying.
When Zorah Magdaros stepped into the Everstream entrance, after only one turn, what it saw was precisely such a scene.
That all-too-familiar checkpoint construction style, the Dragonator cannons and Dragonators that could make it feel threatened, and those little pests that annoyed dragons—these actually appeared before it once again.
Its instinct for survival had originally made it further firm up its resolve, and it had resolutely left the slumbering place it had already chosen, heading out to seek that "slim chance of survival."
But upon seeing the scene before it, it despaired!
If it were in its youth, facing this checkpoint, it would definitely have let those little things know what the wrath of a volcano was!
But now, for it—who would feel the pain of death descending the moment it slightly mobilized the life energy within its body, and who could only use this aged, broken body to fight in purely physical combat—this checkpoint was no different from an impassable chasm, firmly separating life and death.
But it was unwilling to accept this!
Even though it had lived for countless ages, fear of death still lingered within Zorah Magdaros.
If not for this pheromone outbreak from Xeno'jiiva, Zorah Magdaros would likely have turned back now and returned to the burial ground it had already chosen in the Rotten Vale.
But now, it still wanted to try!
After only a brief pause, Zorah Magdaros once again spread its steps and walked resolutely toward this place.
"It's coming!"
The Commander's eyes sharpened. Listening to the rumbling footsteps as Zorah Magdaros moved, watching the ground constantly shaking due to its abnormal movement, he took a deep breath and raised his hand in a decisive wave!
"For the future of the New World! Stop it outside the Everstream!!"
"Ho!!"
After the unified response rang out, sharp whistle calls sounded one after another.
Half of the hunters summoned Wingdrakes, which carried them onto Zorah Magdaros's back.
Just like at the Great Ravine entrance, they had to destroy Zorah Magdaros's exposed heat-dissipating organs in the shortest possible time.
At the same time, Little Loren, having heard the commotion, also led the Fire Wyvern group into flight. Nearly a hundred massive Fire Wyverns taking off together was undoubtedly a breathtaking sight.
Different from the hunters' mission, the Fire Wyverns could not deal any effective damage to Zorah Magdaros. Therefore, their task was the massive stalactites bound with large numbers of barrel bombs. They were to detonate them as Zorah Magdaros passed beneath, using the falling stalactites to hinder its advance.
Of course, that was only the mission of the Radiant Fire Wyverns.
As for Little Loren, it remained quietly on the checkpoint platform, its deep-blue vertical pupils tightly fixed on the area around Zorah Magdaros. It was waiting for that uninvited guest!
As the heat-dissipating organs on its body were destroyed one by one, Zorah Magdaros's body temperature rose rapidly. The volcanoes on its back, which had been dormant, erupted once again, magma began to flow, and in Little Loren's perception, that colossal body was like a sieve—along with its movements, life energy continuously overflowed from every part of it.
Suddenly!
"Roar!!"
"It's here!"
Little Loren's eyes lit up. Excited, it watched the black figure rapidly approaching, kicked off with both legs, and leapt down from the checkpoint.
As its wings beat, a provocative dragon roar burst forth from Little Loren's mouth!
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