Although Haoyuan confidently turned and left, his dragon whiskers actually remained focused on the situation inside the cave.
Only after confirming that the Gui God was indeed completely incinerated did he finally shift his attention away.
Before the White Flame died out, it would burn upon contact with the wind, saving him the trouble of adding any more wind.
His gaze fell onto the panel as countless energy points flooded in like a downpour, almost allowing him to hear them clinking against it.
“This feels absolutely amazing!!”
Haoyuan roared with excitement in his heart.
The energy provided by a single Gui God, spanning two to three hundred meters, was several times more than what he had obtained back when he swept through two whole continents.
This sheer thrill sent a tingling sensation through his entire body, leaving him thoroughly refreshed.
“So this is a deity!! The energy payoff is off the charts!!”
Unseen by all living creatures, countless wisps and threads of energy floated out from the subterranean hole dug by the Gui God, pouring into Haoyuan's massive Dragon Body.
With each thread that entered, Haoyuan's essence, qi, and spirit grew a fraction stronger, and his scales shone ever more brilliantly.
“This is the Gui God's qi.”
Haoyuan could see this qi. Watching it hover around his body, constantly nourishing and strengthening him, he found it truly miraculous.
“How fascinating...” Haoyuan could not help but marvel. Suddenly, a wave of information flooded his mind, and once he understood its meaning, his eyes lit up in delight. “No wonder it cost me so much energy. To think that after Consuming Qi, I can even learn the Gui God's Divine Abilities!”
“Fire Consumption and Premonition of Fortune and Misfortune?”
Haoyuan pondered.
Just as he was about to evolve Premonition of Fortune and Misfortune on his panel, he suddenly noticed the lifespan column. With the influx of the Gui God's qi, the number was rapidly climbing.
His eyes could not help but widen.
This was the first time he had obtained lifespan without relying on evolution. Was the Gui God's qi truly so miraculous?
“In the West Ridge, there are bats with red eyes and fangs. They hide by day and emerge by night. Eating them can prolong one's life.”
The Red Dragon's words flashed across his mind.
“The Gui God's qi alone can increase my lifespan. Then the qi of those bats, which inherently prolongs life...”
At this thought, Haoyuan could no longer remain calm.
His breathing grew even heavier, especially when he looked at the panel and saw the number freeze at 180 million years.
“I must eat those bats!!”
He made his final decision, and then evolved Premonition of Fortune and Misfortune.
At the instant of evolution, it felt as if some vital connection had linked him to the entire world. He could not put it into words; he simply felt that all things in creation suddenly took on a different appearance.
A glimpse of their future form...
This mysterious perception lasted for only a fleeting moment before vanishing.
Everything returned to how it had been.
Even so, as Haoyuan gazed at the world and felt its atmosphere, his experience of it had completely transformed.
“It's almost like a spiritual communion. Truly wondrous.”
Haoyuan marveled, finally turning his gaze to the living creatures on the ground.
Upon hearing the agonized wails echoing from deep inside the cave, Gui Li and her people knew that their patron deity was no more.
Amidst their grief and distress, they felt utterly lost about the future.
When they saw the Dragon God, who had been hovering in the air lost in thought, suddenly cast his gaze down at them, their entire bodies tensed up.
“Lord Dragon God!!” Without a moment's hesitation, she fell to her knees and prostrated herself.
The people of the Gui Tribe, sharp-witted as they were, immediately followed suit and knelt.
If they still could not read the situation by now, they would have lived their lives in vain.
Haoyuan glanced at them, then looked over at Si He and her companions.
Every single one of them was panting heavily, though he had no idea what they had been up to.
He then scanned the dragons. A few of them were still feasting on the flesh of the Gui tortoises on the ground. Feeling his gaze, they lifted their heads, their eyes gleaming with deep admiration and eagerness.
As he looked around, he found that all the dragons were the same. It was as if they had found their pillar of support, their guiding star. Their gazes were filled with earnest hope, deep reverence, and aspiration, their heads held high with unwavering pride.
He smiled faintly, his gaze shifting to Tai Shan and the others. They shuddered violently and rolled off their Bo in a trembling heap, bowing their heads low in worship.
“Continue leading the way.”
He spoke, his majestic, divine pressure descending and compelling all living beings to submit.
The dragons raised their heads proudly, slowly gathering to follow behind him.
Tai Shan and his men loudly voiced their compliance, trembling as they climbed back onto the equally weak-legged Bo.
With that, the army set out.
A wisps of white flames drifted down onto the unfinished carcasses of the Gui tortoises.
Their massive bodies rapidly melted away, vanishing completely within seconds, leaving behind nothing but scorched, molten ground.
Seeing this, the breathing of Si He and her companions grew rapid and excited.
The reason they were panting so hard was because they had been marching with the army, running almost nonstop for over a day.
During the assault, they had to dodge and weave through a rain of fiery arrows.
Afterward, they scaled the walls, managed the captives, borrowed the Dragon God's prestige to intimidate others, and cowed the Gui tortoises.
Although they had not been of much actual help, they were indeed thoroughly exhausted.
Seeing the army on the move, Si He could not bother to rest. Wiping the sweat and soot from her face, she approached Gui Li and said, “The Lord Dragon God has awakened, and he intends to conquer the tribes that enslave dragons. We must also join the campaign, so we are requisitioning a few Gui tortoises from your tribe, which we shall return in the future.”
Upon hearing this, Gui Li looked at Si He's crudely dressed tribe, yet her eyes held no trace of disdain. She bowed her head respectfully and said, “Yes, My Lady.”
Behind Si He, Yan Shou and the others, who had been listening with bated breath, instantly brightened.
This was perfect. They had been running the entire way before; no matter how strong their endurance was, they could not have kept it up forever.
Their Chieftainess truly had a way, and the Dragon God was indeed incredibly majestic.
Si He nodded, picking out several Gui tortoises with complete composure, showing neither hesitation nor any sign of smugness.
This level-headedness earned Gui Li's respect even more.
Afterward, Si He climbed onto the back of a Gui tortoise that was over thirty meters long.
Not far away, the flood dragon that had been slowly slithering to protect her smiled faintly in its eyes, withdrew its gaze, and followed the army.
Yan Shou and the others all climbed onto the backs of the Gui tortoises, driving them using the simple commands Gui Li had taught them.
“Hyah!”
Upon hearing the command, the massive Gui tortoises flattened their limbs and frantically clawed the ground to move forward.
Yes, clawing the ground to slide forward.
This was also the first time Si He had experienced this method of crawling.
She had only hoped it would be faster than running, but she had never expected them to whoosh forward at such a blinding speed.
With their white-jade plastrons pressed flat against the earth, it was like they were ice-skating, producing a rustling sound as they zipped along at high speed.
The cool breeze brushed past their faces, bringing a refreshing chill. Si He and the others finally let out a sigh of relief, completely relaxing.
Now that they had Gui tortoises in their ranks, Haoyuan's army began to look even more formidable.
Haoyuan himself could barely maintain his composure.
Although he had slithered ahead, he had overheard every single word of the conversation between Si He and Gui Li. He could not help but admire Si He's boldness and intelligence; she had actually managed to coax several Gui tortoises to join them.
Not bad. She was indeed a talent.
Only now did he seriously consider the potential usefulness of this human tribe.
“Perhaps they might serve another purpose in the future.”
As he pondered, Gui Li's translucent, jade-like skin came to mind, bearing a striking resemblance to the Gui Tribe's patron deity.
In this era, deities were willing to protect humans; there might indeed be a reason behind it.
He looked down at Tai Shan and the others leading the way on the ground, then peered ahead. With each breath he took, mist and clouds naturally materialized, quickly forming a vast, thick, low-hanging cloud bank. Enveloping the flying dragons, it hovered above the slithering flood dragons, moving forward at a steady pace.
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