The Oriole Behind! (Seeking reads, seeking reads)

"Gurgle--"

The massive Poison Centipede's body floated entirely atop the mire, undulating in an S-shape like a water snake. Its roar stirred up a sky full of mud, accompanied by a nauseating, foul wind.

"Moo--"

The Armored Shell Giant Lizard had not expected to run into that centipede here. Its lantern-sized eyes locked onto the centipede, and its cavernous mouth gaped open, unleashing a defiant roar at its rival.

The two roars collided, deafening in their intensity.

Their mutual wariness provided Lan Yu, caught in the middle, a brief window to catch his breath.

However, just as Lingling had said, Commander-level creatures would not easily erupt into full-scale battle, and they possessed a certain level of intelligence.

Within this short minute, they seemed to reach a consensus: kill this suicidal human first!

Just then, that vortex finally appeared.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lan Yu decisively unleashed the soul skills granted by his Fire Dragon King Left Leg Bone and Ice Dragon King Right Leg Bone.

Lan Yu's figure rapidly dissolved into an afterimage, and the giant claw swiped by the Armored Shell Giant Lizard struck only the afterimage left in place.

The resulting shockwave expanded rapidly in all directions, kicking up waves of mud a hundred meters high.

The impact sent Lan Yu stumbling, but fortunately, he had already reached the vortex.

With a whoosh, Lan Yu leaped directly into the vortex.

After Lan Yu jumped in, the vortex vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Meanwhile, the two behemoths stood tall in the swamp, roaring and confronting each other amidst the splashing mud, completely oblivious to the vortex's appearance.

Once the human was no longer in sight, the two giants began to slaughter one another.

"Damn, finally escaped that encirclement," Lan Yu said, unable to help himself as he carefully washed himself clean with water.

"Why is your progress so slow?"

"We collected the Earth-element Soul Seed first," Lingling said, handing the collection vessel to Lan Yu. "Aren't you fine?"

"You little brat, what kind of talk is that? If I hadn't run fast, I'd probably be a mixture of mud and meat paste by now," Lan Yu retorted irritably.

As he spoke, he took the collection vessel.

This Flowing Swamp was a top-tier Earth-element Soul Seed, worth at least thirty million to start.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Looking at the ice-sealed opening, violent tremors came from above, giving the constant feeling that it might collapse at any moment.

"It seems they've started fighting. Let's head back to that cave first."

Mud waves rose one after another, each higher than the last.

On the west side of the valley, swarms of Lizard Skull Giant Demons scrambled rapidly up the western mountain. They looked back at the churning black mud in the center of the swamp lake, desperate to get as far away as possible.

A battle between Commander-level creatures posed a mortal danger to anything within a one-kilometer radius; a safe distance was at least two kilometers.

In the swamp lake, patches of land were continuously swallowed, and shockwaves rippled out in all directions.

These two Commander-level creatures had harbored a grudge for years, especially since the Armored Shell Giant Lizard had once eaten a leg of the Swamp Poison Centipede, leaving the scent of the latter lingering on its body.

How could the Swamp Poison Centipede let the Armored Shell Giant Lizard off? Especially since the former had inhabited this West Glow Valley for decades before the Armored Shell Giant Lizard usurped its nest, forcing the Swamp Poison Centipede to hide in a small swamp lake on the other side of the valley.

Furthermore, this valley was a prime location where at least one Water-element or Earth-element Soul Seed was born every few years.

For demons, such spiritual treasures were the key to increasing their strength!

Especially for the Armored Shell Giant Lizard and the Swamp Poison Centipede; both possessed Earth and Water-element abilities, so they naturally required such spiritual treasures.

This valley could only have one Commander!

The Swamp Poison Centipede had long been disgusted by the Armored Shell Giant Lizard—not only for stealing its nest but for having the audacity to eat its leg; it truly deserved to die!

In this West Glow Valley, there could only be one Commander!

In an instant, the Swamp Poison Centipede spat purple toxins from its mouth, the virulent poison instantly staining a large patch of mud.

"Moo--"

The moment the Armored Shell Giant Lizard saw the poison, its momentum weakened significantly.

Although it was slightly stronger than the Swamp Poison Centipede, the latter's venom was enough to make the Armored Shell Giant Lizard fearful.

Consequently, the Armored Shell Giant Lizard's massive body retreated, temporarily avoiding the brunt of the attack.

However, the Swamp Poison Centipede lunged forward, its pincer-like mouth snapping onto the Armored Shell Giant Lizard's face, not only tearing off a chunk of flesh but injecting its toxins as well.

"Moo--!"

The Armored Shell Giant Lizard let out a roar. Enraged, it stood upright, grabbed the centipede legs of the Swamp Poison Centipede with its front claws, and tore them forcefully to the sides.

Rip--

Two centipede legs were torn off, and body fluid gushed from the stumps like a fountain.

"My god, have these two big guys really lost their minds?" Lingling, watching from afar, couldn't help but remark.

"Get out of the way!"

Lan Yu hurriedly grabbed Lingling by the back of her collar and dodged to the side in a flash.

The Armored Shell Giant Lizard and the Swamp Poison Centipede, locked in a tangled brawl, came crashing toward the very cliff face they had just occupied.

BOOM—

The two behemoths slammed into the cliff, creating a deafening roar as boulders tumbled and debris sprayed everywhere.

Lan Yu carried Lingling to safety, reaching a spot two kilometers away at top speed.

"Those two beasts, it's like they have eyes in the back of their heads." Lan Yu set down Lingling, who was left feeling dizzy and disoriented, and couldn't help but grumble.

It took a long while for Lingling to recover. She looked up at Lan Yu and snapped, "Next time you decide to run, please be mindful! I'm just a little girl who hasn't even awakened her magic yet!"

"Not guaranteed."

"..."

A long time passed, and the battle between the two continued.

After all, they hadn't been severely wounded by a demonized Mo Fan as they were in the original story.

However, the Armored Shell Giant Lizard was clearly poisoned, its limbs moving with noticeable stiffness.

"Time for me to beat a drowning dog!"

Lan Yu immediately took control of the stars. One golden star after another formed a star track at top speed, and the tracks intertwined to weave a star map.

Finally, the star maps coalesced into a Light Element constellation.

Lan Yu stood beneath the constellation, the golden radiance spilling over him, making him appear incomparably sacred and solemn.

"Light Fall Myriad Zhang!"

Countless motes of light hovering around Lan Yu transformed into arrows of light filling the sky under his mental command!

With his order, the rain of light arrows descended at breakneck speed upon the Armored Shell Giant Lizard and the Swamp Poison Centipede, who were still locked in combat.

The sky-filling arrows of light poured down onto the massive bodies of the Armored Shell Giant Lizard and the Swamp Poison Centipede.

The Swamp Poison Centipede possessed a dark attribute, making it most vulnerable to Light Element attacks. As the light arrows struck it, it was like a red-hot branding iron touching wax, easily melting through its sturdy shell.

Although the Armored Shell Giant Lizard had a shell on its back, the rest of its body was exposed. Even with its tough skin, weakened by the toxins of the Swamp Poison Centipede, its defenses could hardly withstand the downpour of light.