He changed Tiwat

Paimon exclaimed, "It's an Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard!"

She and Ying had encountered an ancient rock dragon lizard in Tianqiu Valley.

Legend has it that in the battle between the Rock King and the Dragon King Ruoduo in Tianqiu Valley, the earth shook and mountains crumbled, and thousands of rocks shattered. The Rock Dragon Lizards, Ruoduo's subordinates, all fled underground. The battle ended in victory for the Rock King, who sealed Ruoduo away. The Rock Dragon Lizards that had hidden themselves sank into the earth, awaiting their chance to rise again.

There is a saying that dragon lizards are "the older they are, the stronger they become." The longer they live, the more elemental energy they absorb from the earth's veins, and the more tightly the "immature jade" crystallized in their bodies fuses with their hearts. It is said that when the "immature jade" in their bodies fully matures and replaces their hearts, they can become true dragons that can shake mountains and tear the earth apart.

One way to determine the age of a rock dragon is to look at the number of rock ridges growing on its back. These ridges contain a huge amount of elemental energy, and only one ridge can be accumulated every hundred years. The one that Ying and Paimon encountered in Tianqiu Valley had more than twenty rock ridges on its back, proving that it was at least more than two thousand years old.

The one in front of them had more than twenty rock ridges on its back, just like the one they encountered in Tianqiu Valley!

Before she could even process why an ancient rock dragon lizard had suddenly appeared, Ying's fighting instincts had already kicked in—

She conjured a ball of golden rock element in her hand and slammed it onto the ground: "Rock Tide Overlapping Peaks!"

The rock element hidden underground was activated by the power of the glow, and the earthquake-like shockwaves spread out in layers, actually forcing the massive ancient rock dragon lizard back several meters. When the shockwaves reached their maximum extent, stalagmites-like rock formations suddenly appeared on the outer edge of the shockwaves, forming a solid barrier between the rock dragon lizard and the glow.

At the same time, a water elemental die emitting a blue glow appeared in Yelan's palm.

"Silk threads, intertwined!"

With Yelan's soft shout, arrows composed of water elementals launched a deadly attack on the dragon lizard's eyes and abdomen, which were not covered by its rock helmet.

The lizard reacted quickly, curling its body into a ball the moment it was attacked, like a spiky sphere. The attacks from Ying and Yelan landed on the incredibly thick rock armor, only chipping away some fragments of rock; the lizard itself remained completely unharmed.

Then, the spiky sphere suddenly spun around, dug a large pit in the ground, and then disappeared underground.

Watch your step!

As Ying leaped high into the air, she warned the people behind her. This was the Rock Dragon Lizard's signature move: burrowing underground, also known as "earth dragon swimming." They moved underground like fish swimming in water, never knowing where they would emerge from, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Before she could finish speaking, several sharp rock spikes suddenly emerged from the ground, their target being Yan Fei and Han Fulai, who had been on the periphery of the battle!

Chapter 29: The Mysterious Land Under the Rock (8)

Normally, Han Fulai would have calmly used the Jade Shield—he could withstand the attack of the Demon God, so what was a mere Rock Dragon Lizard?

He might even have the leisure to mutter a couple of lines like "Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain" to mock this rock dragon lizard.

But he doesn't have the leisure or inclination for that right now.

Without Ying's prompting, the moment the rock dragon lizard entered the ground, Han Fulai grabbed Yan Fei's wrist and ran away.

—Although he was a clerical secretary, he had experienced quite a few battles since his transmigration. Even though his martial arts skills hadn't improved much, he still had the reflexes honed through battles, and of course, he had also developed good running speed.

Although Ye Lan's "Mysterious Wristband" temporarily calmed his mind, it was only a temporary solution. He still couldn't use his power, so he could only try to stay away from the battle and not hold Ye Lan and the others back.

Wild animals seem to have an instinct to judge the strength of their prey—the one that runs away is the weakest.

When choosing prey, of course you should pick the softest persimmon.

He and Yan Fei ran fast, but the rock dragon lizard swam even faster underground, catching up with the two in no time.

What's even more disadvantageous is that the island is simply too small. Han Fulai and Yan Fei reached the edge of the island in just a few steps, with a vast, unfathomable sea of ​​clouds at their feet...

Moreover, this rock dragon was extremely unsportsmanlike—it didn't even emerge from underground, but merely activated the rocky ridges on its back, shooting them out of the ground like a hail of arrows at the two of them.

Each of these rock ridges is shaped like a spear and weighs over a hundred pounds. Even if two people were both half-immortals, they would probably be in danger of losing their lives if they were to touch each other.

In the critical moment, Yan Fei summoned her "Dragon Head Scale" passed down by the Emperor, which activated the "Golden Iron Certificate".

"The Golden Iron Certificate" can briefly generate a fire elemental shield that envelops her and nearby people, negating enemy attacks.

This elemental shield is very effective against elemental attacks, but it is not very effective against the physical attacks of the Rock Dragon Lizard. Yan Fei doesn't know if this thin shield can block those heavy rock ridges.

Han Fulai, however, forced himself to calm down and prepared to forcefully activate the Jade Shield once—he didn't know what the consequences of using his immortal power now would be, but it was much better than being crushed to death by the falling rocks on the spot...

Just then, a fiery red Suanni appeared before them.

It's Jiaming.

His black clothes were adorned with fiery red talismanic patterns—the legendary "Mysterious Beast" of the Shenyu Valley area was said to have such "mysterious patterns" on its body.

"Wen-zai, get on the stake!"

Jiaming leaped into the air with his right foot, and his left foot lightly stepped in mid-air, creating a fiery red "plum blossom stake" beneath his feet. He held aloft a fiery red lion, which was none other than the lion head from the animal dance.

The lion-like beast Wenzi stood atop its head, roaring fiercely at the rock dragon lizard underground—a roar that shook the surrounding area, displaying the demeanor of a king of beasts.

With its roar, the beast's head burst into flames, the flames being the lion's mane.

"The courtyard is as beautiful as a wall, and the golden lion incense burns even in the gentle breeze."

Jiaming chanted the Beast Dance Incantation, his body spinning in the air like a top. The beast heads in his hands blocked and parried left and right, actually deflecting all the rock ridges shot out by the Rock Dragon Lizard, protecting the two behind him like an impenetrable city wall.

The Rock Dragon Lizard also burst out of the ground and roared at the lion-like beast in front of it—Wenzi's roar just now seemed to be a provocation that only magical beasts could understand, and the Rock Dragon Lizard responded to Wenzi's provocation head-on.

The Rock Dragon Lizard is the lord of Tianqiu Valley, while the Lion Beast is the lord of Chenyu Valley.

This is a duel between the mountain lords.

However, the main characters this time are not the lion beast and the dragon lizard.

Seeing the rock dragon lizard lured out and even foolishly exchanging trash talk with Wenzai, Jiaming certainly wouldn't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by.

"Alone I climb the city wall to gaze upon the vast wilderness, with a courageous desire to pacify the Yellow River and the Huangshui River for the sake of my country!"

Jiaming raised the lion high with both hands, then stepped on the plum blossom stakes, leaping high again in a pouncing stance, heading straight for the rock dragon's head.

Man-jai and Ka-ming have been partners for many years and have a great understanding of each other. Man-jai can tell what to do just by listening to Ka-ming's song lyrics.

Suddenly, it leaped out from the beast's head, crashing down on the rock dragon lizard like a fiery meteor.

The Rock Dragon Lizard seemed to have been provoked by Wenzai's earlier provocation. Without dodging or avoiding, it opened its huge mouth and a beam of rock element light gushed out from it—this was its killing move, "Primal Rock Spit".

The fireball collided with the rock pillar and bounced off.

At that moment, the beast head in Jiaming's hand opened and closed, suddenly biting down on a huge horse-slaying sword. The blade was made of black rock crystals mixed with crimson ore, as thick as ink and as red as blazing fire.

This is the proudest work of the "Cold Edge Ironworks" in Liyue Harbor—the Blackrock series Blackrock Cleaver, crafted by the Cold Edge master craftsmen from layered rock and rare minerals.

Black Rock Weapons are inherited from the "Prototype" series and have these three characteristics: as hard as rock, as cold as ice, and as fierce as blood.

Although the "slashing sword" here is a greatsword, its thinnest part is not much thicker than silk. The red and black crystals are exquisitely pieced together, interlocking to form a blade surface, and the handle is adorned with a fire totem and a red jade bead, making it look like blood seeping from an ink pool from a distance.

The blade also bears an inscription bestowed upon it by the Yun family, a family of forge masters: "Splitting mountains and seas, tearing clouds and severing the moon."

This Black Rock Slashing Blade is a treasure of the "Sword Box Escort Agency," and each generation only awards it to the agency's most outstanding escorts. The current wielder of the Black Rock Slashing Blade is Jiaming.

The flames on the beast's head merged with the cleaver, and the flaming greatsword slashed towards the rock dragon lizard with the force to split mountains, cleave seas, tear clouds, and sever the moon.

Sensing the sharpness of the sword, the rock dragon instinctively lowered its head and curled up again, preparing to withstand the attack with its hard rock helmet—although the Black Rock Sword was sharp, it was thin and light, and a head-on collision might not be able to penetrate its rock helmet.

Just as the flaming longsword was about to clash head-on with the rock helmet, several "whoosh" sounds rang out, and Ye Lan added a few more water arrows in the nick of time.

The water arrow couldn't penetrate the rock dragon's helmet, but it did coat the surface of the helmet with water elemental energy.

As Jiaming's sword slashed down, the fire element on the blade came into contact with Yelan's water element, instantly producing a violent elemental reaction—evaporation!

The rock helmet, which should have been incredibly hard, shattered upon impact with the water and fire. The Black Rock Slashing Blade then cleaved down, severing the Rock Dragon Lizard's head!

The flames on the knife, still burning, spread from the severed neck of the dragon lizard to its entire body, turning it into a pillar of fire.

Upon seeing this, Paimon, who had been watching the battle, couldn't help but shout, "Wow, is this Liyue's Beast Dance? It's so majestic and beautiful! Jiaming, what's the name of that move you just made?"

Jiaming caught Wenzai, who bounced back from the air, and patted its little head approvingly. He replied to Paimon somewhat shyly, "'Golden lion spits out auspiciousness, fire trees and silver flowers'... Well, this is called 'prosperous and thriving, always making money'."

Chapter Thirty: The Labyrinth Beneath the Rock (Final)

A moment later, Ying and Yelan, who were a little further away, also arrived.

The monster has extremely strong vitality, so even after its head has been severed, we cannot let our guard down. Ying and Yelan remain vigilant, ready to finish off this big guy at any time.

Just then, the burning dragon lizard corpse in front of them suddenly disappeared.

"Huh?" Even the usually calm Ye Lan showed a slight surprise.

Ying was even more puzzled: "How could it disappear... I was thinking of finding some jade pendants and bone fragments on it..."

In addition to their rocky spines, rock dragons usually carry ancient fossil bone fragments with them—they believe these fragments are the remains of ancient dragons.

These fossils can be sold to scholars in the Academy of the Adventurers' Guild for money. The "Immature Jade" inside the dragon lizard is also a rare alchemical material, and its skin can be used to make leather armor. It can be said that every part of it is a treasure.

As an adventurer, Ying is very good at "making use of waste"... Unfortunately, no matter how clever her plan is, once the item is gone, it's gone.

The group, upon discovering the disappearance of the dragon lizard's corpse, exchanged bewildered glances. It was quite common for secret realm mechanisms to summon powerful monsters, so they weren't particularly surprised. However, it was rare for a summoned monster to disappear on its own after being defeated.

"Was that just now an illusion?" Yanfei asked Jiaming tentatively.

Jiaming looked at his hand: "...But I clearly felt like I hit someone!"

Wenzai then raised his little paws and touched his head, meaning something like, "Look, I still have a bump on my head from that guy's bump."

Han Fulai, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "...That rock dragon lizard just now could indeed have been an illusion created by some kind of elemental force. I've seen similar techniques called 'shikigami'. Its true form was likely just a talisman or something similar, which was burned away by Jiaming's flames. In addition, the 'Goddess's Spirit Summoning Technique' in immortal arts can also create 'ice golems'..."

Yan Fei stroked her chin: "So, that rock dragon lizard is actually a product of some kind of magic, and there should be a hidden sorcerer controlling it?"

Han Fulai nodded: "At present, this explanation is the most reasonable. The key to dealing with this kind of magic is to defeat the manipulator."

Jiaming recalled Tian Tiezui's storytelling and slammed his fist down: "No wonder you didn't make a move earlier, Master Han... It turns out you saw through the scheme long ago and used a 'dragging knife trick' to feign weakness, tricking the manipulator behind the scenes into revealing a weakness, and then gave him a 'counterattack'!"

"Well, that's right." Han Fulai shamelessly agreed.

Ye Lan glanced at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, as if she was thinking of saying something to give this shameless guy a good slap on the wrist.

Then, a golden bridge, identical to the one before, reappeared, extending towards the next island.

Ye Lan's gaze shifted to the golden bridge.

"It seems we have no choice but to follow the path laid out by the person behind the scenes... We don't know what other traps await us, so we should be careful."

After that, the group overcame numerous obstacles and conquered one island after another.

Along the way, they encountered all sorts of monsters, including slimes, Rockhelm Hilichurl Kings, Ruin Guards, and even a treasure-hunting group that looked just like "Little Light Strategy's" group... They were all "illusions" that left nothing behind after being defeated.

Along the way, there are all sorts of strange mechanisms, such as the "Upside-Down City" where you have to walk upside down, and the elemental pillars that need to be activated with rock element, just like the "Salt in the Earth," etc...

While deciphering mechanisms and defeating monsters, the group also kept an eye out for sorcerers who might be hiding in the secret realm, as well as the "Taiwei Instrument" that might be hidden within the realm... but in the end, they found nothing.

About an hour later, they reached the end of the secret realm.

There were no new islands or extended paths around them, and in front of them stood a secret realm exit that was exactly the same as the entrance they had come in through.

"I'm so tired, but we've finally reached the exit."

Paimon, who felt he had worked very hard even though he hadn't done anything, breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Lan frowned slightly, vaguely feeling that things were too simple... but staying in this secret realm any longer would be useless.

"Just like when we came in, I used the 'Life-Binding Silk' to connect everyone together, and we all stepped out of the secret realm at the same time."

After making preparations, they walked out of the secret realm together.

They were met with darkness once again.

Fortunately, everyone was prepared this time and immediately turned on their headlamps.

What came into view was a narrow cave.

Ying turned around in surprise and saw a familiar "door frame" at the exit behind her.

"We...how did we get back?" Paimon exclaimed.

"Is this the place we came in from before?" Jiaming scratched his head in disbelief.

Wenzai let out a loud "Aww," seemingly in response to his "Yes."

Jiaming was still puzzled: "But we were walking the path leading to the exit all the way in the secret realm, we didn't turn back, did we?"

"Yes, I don't think we've gone the wrong way," Ying agreed.

Ye Lan nodded: "I remember it the same way."

—For intelligence agents, a sense of direction and memory of routes are practically their "lifeline" when exploring secret realms. If Ye Lan said so, then they definitely didn't go astray.

“Strange…” Paimon scratched her head, still completely baffled even though she wasn’t quite twelve feet tall.

Yan Fei squinted and touched the wooden door frame. She had done the same thing before going in, and at that time she had secretly picked off a few wood chips from the door frame as a mark. Now, the texture on her hand told her that this door frame was indeed the entrance to the secret realm they had passed through.

"Well, there's a folk tale in Liyue about a merchant who wandered through the cemetery at Wuwang Slope at night, only to find himself lost all night long, unable to find his way out until dawn. When he finally did, he discovered he'd been circling the same place all night..."

"Wow, I know, it's a 'ghost wall'! Could it be that what was manipulating the secret realm just now wasn't human, but a ghost?!" Paimon was so scared that she shrank into a ball and hid behind Ying's head, using the ribbons on Ying's clothes to cover her face and head. Ying disgustedly pulled her aside...

Han Fulai stared silently at the door for a long time before speaking: "I was thinking that perhaps this secret realm was indeed set up by immortals... Yan Fei just mentioned Wuwang Slope, which reminded me of 'Heavenly Thunder Without Fear'."

Yelan immediately understood what he meant—

"You mean that 'Secret Palace for Innocent Blame'?"