Water Lizard's heart had completely sunk to the bottom.
The battle with the Giant Octopus had lasted six sunrises and sunsets, yet throughout those six days, they had still been beaten back by the Giant Octopus.
Still, there was one fortunate thing: although Giant Serpent was unreliable, he had killed enough Children of the Abyss these past few days. As long as they could keep this Giant Octopus tied down and stop it from ravaging his Near Sea and its people, the current losses were still bearable.
It was just that Water Lizard had now been completely targeted by the Giant Octopus. Vanishing from right under its eyes was absolutely impossible.
The Giant Octopus had no way to deal with Giant Moth flying in the sky, and it was one thing for Giant Serpent to refuse to come close, but Water Lizard had thoroughly drawn its hatred.
Because Water Lizard had been the one fighting it at close quarters these past few days.
Although the Giant Octopus was barely injured and had been pressing Water Lizard hard, for some reason, it always felt an inexplicable fury in its heart.
That fury was entirely because Water Lizard was simply too slippery.
Its whole body was covered in a viscous liquid, and the suckers on the octopus's tentacles could not adhere to Water Lizard's body at all.
And with Giant Moth harassing it from above, even when it occasionally caught Water Lizard, he escaped every single time.
That stifling frustration was something the Giant Octopus had never experienced in its life.
One could imagine just how crazed the Giant Octopus had become when its fury arose yet could not be vented.
Though this Giant Octopus was powerful and terrifyingly huge, it was clearly not very bright. Apart from roaring endlessly and chasing Water Lizard in battle, it had no other means.
But while it could not catch Water Lizard anytime soon, Water Lizard could not get away either.
Thus, Water Lizard could only fight while retreating, deliberately or otherwise drawing the Giant Octopus farther and farther from his territory.
Then, today, the battle between the four Giant Beasts had nearly reached the territory of another Giant Beast.
This Giant Beast was a crustacean sea creature.
There were sixteen pairs of legs beneath its abdomen and no arms. It was essentially an enlarged Trilobite.
This Trilobite had originally been quietly buried in the silt at the bottom of the sea, sleeping all this time, only to be awakened by the aftershocks of Water Lizard and the octopus's battle.
Its people were a group of humanoid creatures carrying shells on their backs. Their shells were divided into three segments and possessed a metallic texture. They had six legs and two arms, and overall looked like centipedes draped in humanoid skin.
They called themselves the people of the God of Black Water.
From ancient times to the present, the giant Trilobite and its people had always been peaceful.
They had merely guarded their own little patch of territory, never moving elsewhere or attacking other seas.
Of course, they occasionally fought the Children of the Deep Sea, but those wars had entirely been started by the Children of the Deep Sea.
Based on past experience, the next battle between the Black Water Populace and the Children of the Deep Sea should still have been far off.
Yet for some reason, Black Water Populace scouts discovered that all the Children of the Deep Sea had poured out a few days ago and attacked the territory of the Children of the Near Sea.
The Children of Black Water had originally been delighted, believing that after the Children of the Deep Sea waged an all-out war against the Children of the Near Sea, they might enjoy peace for a long time.
But the result had been somewhat unexpected.
Three enormous gods had suddenly appeared among the Children of the Near Sea.
And those three gods had fought the god of the Children of the Deep Sea.
If that had already shocked the Children of Black Water, then when the battlefield of the Four Gods gradually moved into their territory, that shock became terror and rage.
Their terror stemmed from the God War being utterly beyond mortal imagination. Merely watching it made them tremble uncontrollably.
And their rage came from the Lord of the Near Sea seemingly deliberately dragging his battlefield with the Lord of the Deep Sea into the territory of the Children of Black Water.
Just as the Children of Black Water had yet to devise a response or decide whether to awaken their own god, their god awakened on his own.
The enormous Trilobite emerged from the mud and rocks of the seafloor.
Its beady eyes looked upon its people, but it quickly shifted its gaze away from them.
It raised its head and looked toward the waters at the horizon.
It sensed surging undercurrents approaching and heard roars unique to Giant Beasts.
Was some Giant Beast planning to invade its territory? And was it even provoking it?
At that thought, driven by the instinctive dignity of a Giant Beast, it suddenly spread the long, soft gill filaments lining the edges beneath its shell.
With those gill filaments wriggling, its body quickly floated up from the seafloor and shot toward the surface.
The dignity of a Giant Beast could not be challenged!
Answering a Giant Beast's battle was the bearing a Giant Beast ought to possess.
Before it even approached the surface, seawater had already gathered around the Trilobite.
The seawater twisted, gathered, and compressed as though it had gained life, until it seemed to have been dyed a pure black.
This black water wrapped around the Trilobite's body, and the instant it broke through the surface, a sea giant nearly six hundred meters tall appeared upon the sea.
Of course, this so-called sea giant was not human. It instead somewhat resembled a water elemental from a fantasy tale.
It had no arms, its chest and abdomen connected to the sea's surface, and it had a flat head.
Once the Trilobite Giant Beast had prepared for battle and transformed into this sea giant, it turned its gaze toward the distant horizon.
But when it clearly saw the scene in the distance, it froze slightly.
Because there were actually four Giant Beasts there.
One flew in the sky, three swam in the water, and the Giant Beast being ganged up on was as enormous as a small island.
For a moment, the Trilobite Giant Beast wanted to turn around and return directly to the seafloor.
But at that moment, a flaming monster suddenly burst forth from the deep sea and dove into the battlefield of the four beasts!
Rolling heat waves spread from that Giant Beast's body.
The heat swept across the entire sea surface, causing great clouds of white mist and vapor to rise from the evaporating ocean.
Yet that white vapor was quickly swept away as the temperature of the Giant Beast's body surged once more.
The flaming monster shot out of the sea and immediately charged at the Giant Beast with eight tentacles.
Though the tentacled monster was startled by the sudden appearance of the Flame Monster, it reacted swiftly, sending all eight tentacles forward to bind the flaming monster tightly.
However, the binding did not last long, because even the Trilobite Giant Beast could smell the mouthwatering scent of grilled meat from so far away.
"Roar!!!"
The eight-tentacled Giant Beast howled in agony. Then the Trilobite Giant Beast saw the flaming monster break free from the tentacled monster's restraints and fire a massive White-Hot Ray directly at it.
At that moment, a massive explosion erupted across the entire ocean, and the sea's surface was wholly swept up by the sudden energy shockwave.
Waves over five hundred meters high began spreading relentlessly in every direction.
"Finally made it in time! That blast should be enough to make this Giant Octopus suffer, right?"
Watching the octopus get blasted into the deep sea by the White-Hot Ray, Kangqiao let out a slight breath and muttered uncertainly to himself.
And just as Kangqiao had imagined, after being struck by the massive White-Hot Ray—
the enormous octopus's head had been charred black and caved in over a large area.
Yet this octopus was astonishingly tenacious. Even after suffering such a terrifying strike, it was still alive.
And after sinking to the seafloor, without even pausing to think, it began using its few remaining, badly roasted tentacles to stir up enormous clouds of sediment.
It was digging into the ground beneath the seafloor and trying to escape!
Seeing this, Kangqiao had wanted to pursue it, but then he noticed the enormous water-elemental-like Trilobite construct standing on the sea not far away.
Frowning slightly, Kangqiao looked uncertainly at the still-dazed Water Lizard, then pointed toward the Trilobite.
Water Lizard snapped back to his senses, his expression complicated and stunned.
The Giant Octopus that had been beating him down had been dealt with just like that?
This Lava Flame fellow was far too strong, wasn't he? And it had not even been that long. Why was this Lava Flame monster so much larger than before?
Water Lizard's body was not even two-thirds of its size?
Water Lizard's thoughts churned violently, and he inexplicably felt a small jealousy he had never experienced before.
But this was no time for Water Lizard to think so much.
Seeing Kangqiao point behind him, he immediately turned and looked toward the Trilobite water giant construct. After only a moment, he shook his head at Kangqiao.
"Not an enemy? Then it's the Giant Beast of this sea region? Drawn here by the battle?"
"Heh, this water construct looks pretty interesting!"
Kangqiao thought this as he turned his gaze back toward the seafloor.
But the seafloor had already become completely murky.
Kangqiao had considered pursuing it, but after thinking for a moment, he ultimately made no move.
Just as when he had dealt with Giant Serpent before, after this lesson, the Giant Octopus presumably would not act so recklessly again.
Besides, Kangqiao did not yet understand the whole situation, so it would not be right to take things too far based solely on his own judgment.
By nature, Kangqiao was not the type to slaughter indiscriminately. Besides, these Giant Beasts possessed intelligence as well.
It was hard to say whether they would be enemies or friends in the future. What if they could be won over?
As for the casualties in the battle between the Four Races and the Frog-Fish People?
That was a war between their own civilizations and was insignificant to Kangqiao's existence.
Death by old age was death, and death in war was death. As long as they were not exterminated, that was already Kangqiao's greatest consideration for the Dinosaur People.
Besides, the Frog-Fish People had certainly suffered far greater losses than the Four Races this time. Kangqiao would not interfere if the Four Races chose to wipe out the Frog-Fish People either. Bullying the weak with strength was far too boring.
Still, the three Grilled Octopus Legs floating on the sea made Kangqiao's appetite surge.
Kangqiao was not the only one. Giant Moth, who had already landed on the water, was staring at the Grilled Octopus Legs as well, along with Giant Serpent, who had craned over his head and was letting out low, ingratiating rumbles.
Seeing Giant Serpent's change in attitude, Water Lizard felt utterly frustrated. But the war had come to an end for now, so that was that.
Still, the way Water Lizard looked at Giant Serpent was clearly off. Evidently, once they returned, Water Lizard and Giant Serpent would not avoid a brawl.
Thanks to reader Kylax for the 500 Qidian Coins donation. That's all.
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