Chapter 2133: Chapter 2170: Underground River Diversion
Ding Fan led all the Tigertooth Apes onto the battlefield. From afar, he saw a large group of martial artists fighting with over a dozen low-level spirit beasts. These low-level spirit beasts primarily lived in water, but on land, they were ferocious. Many martial artists of Skull Island had died, and corpses of Skeleton Army warriors were scattered everywhere.
The deceased martial artists of Skeleton Sect were recently cultivated by the Second Elder and others. They possessed only the power of Supreme God Level One, but some of those spirit beasts were Second Grade or higher, so the loss of so many people wasn’t surprising.
"Leave two Tigertooth Apes to assist! The rest, continue to charge forward with me!"
Ordered Ding Fan to the eight Tigertooth Apes who accompanied him. Two stayed behind automatically, while the remaining six continued to charge forward with Ding Fan. Ahead, in a mountain pass, Ding Fan could faintly hear deep roars—that was the roar of Third Grade spirit beasts.
At this moment, Ding Fan also heard the frenzied roar of Mu Gaosou, accompanied by tremors shaking the earth and mountains. It seemed Mu Gaosou and that Third Grade spirit beast were locked in a fierce battle.
Here, as soon as Ding Fan commanded, the two Tigertooth Ape slaves sprang into action, instantly boosting the spirits of the Skeleton Sect martial artists. The Tigertooth Apes’ strength rivaled that of Supreme God Third Level experts, and they should be able to deal with the dozen or so spirit beasts here.
"Such strong aura, truly worthy of being a Third Grade spirit beast! How powerful its aura is!"
Before Ding Fan and the six Tigertooth Apes even entered the mountain pass, they felt a surge of powerful aura and saw large tentacles waving in the sky, thick as a Thousand-Year Ancient Tree, indicating the vastness of their owner.
Ding Fan quickly ascended to a vantage point and looked below. There he finally saw the true form of the aquatic spirit beast—a gigantic octopus with ten huge tentacles!
At the front battleground wasn’t a mountain pass but rather a sizable valley. The valley was now filled with seawater, with most of the gigantic octopus’ body submerged, its tentacles, lined with large suckers, ceaselessly swept towards Mu Gaosou and the Tigertooth Apes.
Previously, the Fourth Elder had brought these Tigertooth Apes to Baisheng Island. Fortunately, he did, otherwise, the island’s original inhabitants would have been annihilated by this gigantic spirit beast!
"This spirit beast is too fierce, so overpowering. I wonder if Mu Gaosou can handle it?"
Staring at the octopus monster several stories high, Ding Fan was exceedingly shocked. The spirit beast was enormous; the ten tentacles each stretched over a dozen meters, with the suckers and jagged teeth appearing dreadfully menacing. The monster’s fearsome visage made the Fourth Elder, hiding behind a mountain ridge, shiver with unease.
"Boom..."
With a loud boom, the octopus monster’s tentacle slammed onto the small mountain ridge Ding Fan was perched upon, shaking the ridge violently and carving out a terrifying ravine. The sight of the deep ravine before him left Ding Fan’s heart stunned; this gigantic octopus monster was truly terrifying. Given Ding Fan’s current realm, if he were struck by these tentacles, he’d likely be smashed into pulp.
"Get in there, annihilate this beast!"
With a wave, Ding Fan commanded the six Tigertooth Apes behind him. In almost an instant, they charged out, their speed incredible, diving into the fray and plunging underwater towards the gigantic creature.
"Mu Gaosou, distract the spirit beast; I’ll have the Tigertooth Apes attack it," Ding Fan said to Mu Gaosou.
"Island Master Ding, you must be joking with me; this octopus spirit beast’s defensive power is so terrifying. How can your Tigertooth Apes deal with it?"
He wielded a long Golden Sword, moving swift as the wind, fleeting as an illusion across the mountains. Occasionally, his Golden Sword collided with the octopus’ tentacles, yet left no scar upon them.
"Let the Tigertooth Apes distract the octopus, while you attack its body."
Mu Gaosou roared, and Ding Fan and the far-off Fourth Elder immediately commanded the Tigertooth Apes to circle the mountain, catching the octopus’ attention.
"Yo!"
Mu Gaosou darted behind the mountain to hide; as the octopus was distracted by the Tigertooth Apes, he stealthily dashed to the lakeside valley and charged at the octopus’ body.
"Hmhm"
As Mu Gaosou neared the octopus, it was startled, and three tentacles smashed into the water. Mu Gaosou quickly burst from the water, but green liquid seeped from the dirty water, dying a patch of water green.
"Good job!"
The Fourth Elder shouted; the Nine-Clawed Octopus’ blood was green, Mu Gaosou’s successful attack dealt a hit to the octopus spirit beast. If Mu Gaosou could strike a few more times, the octopus would be finished.
"Great!"
Ding Fan now truly witnessed Mu Gaosou’s combat prowess. Supreme God Third Level Peak was indeed formidable, and his speed was immensely quick. Should Mu Gaosou wish to kill someone, it would be easy if they couldn’t react in time.
Mu Gaosou struck once again, emerging from the water upon the octopus’s tentacles. Soon, water erupted again, as another mass of green liquid flowed into the water below.
Mu Gaosou had lived over a hundred years; though all of his assaults over the past century had failed, his battle experience was incredibly rich. He constantly flitted across the octopus’s tentacles, periodically wounding the octopus’ body, clearly intending to wear it down.
Half an hour later, the mountain valley lake had turned dark green, the octopus’ attack speed began to slow, and Ding Fan and the Fourth Elder looked at each other, feeling much relieved.
"Yo!"
In the distance, someone flew over, rushing to the Fourth Elder to report. The Fourth Elder’s complexion changed as he turned to Ding Fan, saying, "Island Master, over a dozen Level Two spirit beasts have charged out of the volcano, and there’s more than one First Grade spirit beast. This side can be handed over to Mu Gaosou; let’s go suppress them."
"Right! Let’s go!"
Ding Fan nodded, called back the "Tigertooth Apes," and after instructing Mu Gaosou, charged to the mountain front on the left.
The mountains were engulfed by raging lakes, with many low-level creatures faintly visible in the water. The land was increasingly chaotic, and Ding Fan’s heart grew increasingly puzzled.
The volcano is not erupting magma; it’s actually spewing water? This is truly baffling.
This island is not very high, but it’s much higher than Tianmu Sea, with water flowing downward. If this water came from Tianmu Sea, how could it be gushing out from here? Then, where did this water originate from?
After running ten miles, Ding Fan saw a not too tall or large volcano, and at that moment, a tremendous stream of water surged from its crater.
"So much water? Where is it coming from?"
This can’t be water from Tianmu Sea; the gushing water lacks mist, indicating it’s not a precursor to a volcanic eruption. There shouldn’t be such an abundance of water inside a volcano.
If it’s not Tianmu Sea’s water, could it be water from another world?
Ding Fan couldn’t comprehend it, with many animals being driven out, he had no time to ponder and must act quickly. The island’s tribe members hadn’t moved; if they dispersed, it would be disastrous.
The volcano’s crater was over a dozen yards in diameter, with water shooting to a height of over a dozen yards, making the volume substantial. Without intervention, the island would soon be submerged by a flood.
Building a ditch was too late and useless, but the islanders could swim; without attacks, they wouldn’t drown.
"Kill all the beasts!"
Ding Fan shouted, and the Tigertooth Ape immediately charged like a sword. The Fourth Elder brought five Tigertooth Apes, while he brought seven, three of which stationed on Skull Island.
Ding Fan, the Fourth Elder, and other martial artists began to take action. Ding Fan and the Fourth Elder targeted two Second Grade Spirit Beasts, while ordinary martial artists targeted First Grade Spirit Beasts, each engaging in battle.
Ding Fan didn’t unleash his Inherited Power, as it could only sustain for less than an hour, and he wouldn’t use it unless it was absolutely necessary.
Even so, Ding Fan’s combat prowess was fierce; Wu Qingxia got him a set of Supreme Quality Armor, and wielding the Heaven Measuring Ruler with his skills, he could exert a massive strength of a hundred thousand pounds, easily dispatching Second Grade Spirit Beasts.
"Wow~"
A giant fish shot out from the water, its mouth bigger than Ding Mai’s body, filled with sharp teeth. Ding Fan, without seeing it, swung the Heaven Measuring Ruler backhand, smashing the large fish and sending it flying, its head bloodied.
The Tigertooth Ape was even more ferocious, having no trouble dealing with Second Grade Beasts. Its green claws struck out grabbing one at a time, and eventually, Ding Fan and the Fourth Elder hardly needed to act, as the Tigertooth Ape suppressed them easily.
"Yo!"
A shadow approached from afar; Mu Gaosou arrived, seemingly having slain a giant octopus. The strength of a Third Grade creature comparable to the Divine Realm Third Level, Mu Gaosou, at the peak of Divine Realm Third Level, could easily kill a Nine-Clawed Octopus, which was what Ding Fan and others anticipated.
"Fourth Elder!"
Ding Fan rushed to the Fourth Elder and said, "I’ll guard with Mu Gaosou; you take three Tigertooth Apes to other parts of the island and kill all the beasts."
"Yes! Understood."
With Mu Gaosou and the Tigertooth Apes arrived, the Fourth Elder was reassured, and left with three Tigertooth Apes. Ding Fan and Mu Gaosou stood atop the mountain, away from the volcano, while all the Tigertooth Apes roamed nearby, eliminating all the beasts in the water.
"Mu Gaosou, what do you make of this volcano? Do you know what’s happening?"
Without immediate danger, Ding Fan asked Mu Gaosou, who thought for a moment and then said to Ding Fan, "Tianmu Sea is lower, so this water can’t be from Tianmu Sea, leaving only two possibilities."
"Oh?"
With over a hundred years of life experience, Mu Gaosou, well-versed in knowledge, piqued Ding Fan’s curiosity. "Tell us what’s going on."
Mu Gaosou proudly stroked his sparse beard and, glaring with a grin, said, "Either a massive underground river was diverted beneath the volcano, triggering this flood, or the volcano has unearthed a peculiar treasure or a powerful beast, affecting the water flow. There’s no other explanation."
"An underground river diversion!"
Ding Fan somewhat believed this theory. As for a powerful water-attributed spirit beast? This is a small volcano with limited space, so how could there be such a powerful spirit beast? The larger these spirit beasts, the stronger they become.
"Treasure?"
This piqued Ding Fan’s interest slightly. Who doesn’t love treasure? If the unique water element’s emergence indeed triggered the lake water’s eruption, it’s not implausible.
The volcano’s crater continued to spew out its surge, faintly revealing some creatures being expelled. Naturally, Ding Fan was reluctant to send people to explore the volcano and could only wait to see how it developed.
Fortunately, the creatures erupted afterward weren’t strong, only First and Second Grade creatures, with no appearances of creatures above Third Grade. Mu Gaosou hadn’t made a move to kill them yet, as the Tigertooth Ape already carried out the massacre.
The Fourth Elder returned once, with the external spirit beasts completely cleared. Ding Fan had him leave the Tigertooth Ape to aid Wu Qingxia in organizing the island tribes’ evacuation. The volcano was still spewing water, so it’d be best to move away.
Two hours passed.
The water from the volcano’s crater began to subside, and Ding Fan finally sighed in relief. It seemed likely that a massive underground river changed direction, triggering the volcanic eruption.
Underground, there were many underground rivers and lakes, with some huge creatures; this was normal.
Thousands of people perished on the island, exceeding a thousand, while the rest were in the process of evacuating. Safety wasn’t completely assured, and Ding Fan didn’t dare leave this predicament, fearing unexpected events might occur.
