Shortly after Yang Yi fired that shot, brilliant golden light suddenly erupted in the sky, piercing the clouds and illuminating a vast area around them.
Once the light faded, a piercing shriek followed from overhead. It sounded like some kind of birdcall, but it was absurdly loud, making Yang Yi feel as though his whole body were vibrating with it.
A blast of air arrived almost simultaneously, scattering the water column and blowing the swirling "clouds" of floating debris apart. The sea sank beneath it, forming a deep pit.
"Some kind of enormous living creature?"
Yang Yi widened his eyes and stared fixedly upward.
Because this counted as good news.
What he had feared most was that the water column would show no reaction to his shot. That would have been truly terrifying.
Now that his opponent had reacted, Yang Yi was pleased instead. It proved that, at most, it was merely a stronger, larger beast, not a Great Being.
Yang Yi was blown away along with the floating debris, clutching the Nightmare Star tightly in his arms.
Almost all the debris he encountered along the way was caught by bright red tongues. Some was swallowed into his belly, while the rest was delivered into Yang Yi's chest cavity, becoming fuel that intensified the flames on his body.
About ten minutes later.
Yang Yi finally fell into the sea, having been blown more than ten nautical miles by that savage wind.
The storm abated for the moment, and the enormous water column had vanished completely.
But towering waves followed right behind it as the tilted sea returned to its original state.
Yang Yi had no attention to spare for the waves. A pair of Flame Wings appeared on his back, and he flew straight into the air. They were the