The water, empowered by the wind, instantly whipped up monstrous waves. From a distance, it looked like a waterspout piercing the sky.
By now, Li Qian had already figured it out. Whether or not it could actually harm the enemy was one thing, but he had to make this commotion as big as possible.
So big, preferably, that everyone could see it with perfect clarity.
The waterspout surged forward with unstoppable momentum, hurtling fiercely toward the mysterious red-robed man and his Nightmare Crow.
Boulders were sent flying and trees were torn up by the roots. In an instant, the area looked as if it had been struck by an apocalypse.
The mysterious red-robed man watched the scene unfold, his brow deeply furrowed.
"Damn it!" he snarled, immediately commanding his two Pet Beasts. "Nightmare Crow, use Shadow Escape! Rock Python, use Rock Guardian!"
As his voice faded, the Nightmare Crow vanished from mid-air.
At the same time, four stone walls erupted from the ground, enclosing him and instantly forming a rock fortress.
As the waterspout passed over, dirt and stone crumbled from the rock fortress, but the structure itself was largely unaffected.
HUFF… HUFF… HUFF…
Li Qian's chest heaved like a blacksmith's bellows.
He and Qizai were of one mind. Even before Qizai unleashed its Skill, Li Qian had already started sprinting down toward the base of the waterfall.
It's said that climbing a mountain is easier than descending one, but Li Qian had, after all, experienced an evolutionary feedback that had greatly enhanced his physical abilities. So, by the time the gale weakened slightly, he was already about halfway down the stone steps.
He could even see Fatty An clearly by the side of the pool.
Right now, he was just standing there, dumbfounded, frozen like a statue.
Seeing this, Li Qian almost couldn't stop himself from cursing out loud.
'This Fatty An... he usually seems so sharp. I can't believe he's just spacing out at a time like this.'
"Run!"
After shouting the single word, Li Qian picked up his pace again.
Just as Li Qian was sprinting down the mountain, back where the waterspout had raged, the earthen fortress split apart, revealing the man and his Pet Beast inside.
The mysterious red-robed man surveyed the wreckage, his expression turning utterly grim.
"You damn brat, I'll make sure there's not even enough of you left to bury!" he hissed venomously. He reached out with his mind to the Nightmare Crow in the air, preparing to crush Li Qian with a swift and brutal assault.
However, just then, a casual glance caught something that made him freeze in place.
In the pool at the top of the waterfall, so much water had been sucked up by the Tornado that a portion of the pool's bottom was now exposed.
It was the sight of the pool's bottom that stunned the mysterious red-robed man, a feeling that was quickly followed by overwhelming ecstasy.
The once deep and murky pool, now drained of so much water, had a soft, layered glow emanating from its bottom.
As an Ancient God Cultist, the mysterious red-robed man's primary reason for sneaking into the Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area was to search for the Cloud Mist Ruins.
This scene, at this very moment, left no doubt in his mind: Li Qian had accidentally stumbled upon the entrance to the ruins.
'He was at least ninety percent certain of it!'
His ecstasy overriding all else, the mysterious red-robed man no longer hesitated. He commanded the Nightmare Crow to dive straight for the glowing light at the bottom of the pool.
"Flame Spray!"
Just as the Nightmare Crow was about to reach the glowing light, a thick pillar of crimson fire shot toward it with lightning speed.
CAW~!
Unable to dodge in time, the Nightmare Crow was struck squarely by the thick pillar of fire and let out a piercing shriek!
THUD!
The Nightmare Crow, struck by the pillar of fire, dropped straight from the sky and plunged into the pool, its fate unknown.
PFFT—!
His Contracted Pet Beast having suffered such a grievous blow, the mysterious red-robed man violently spat out a mouthful of blood.
"I knew it was you damned cockroaches. This time, you can get a nice, long look at the inside of a Federation Prison." An investigator from the Public Security Bureau, dressed in a black uniform, stepped out of the shadows.
Beside him stood a canine Pet Beast about the size of a calf, covered in crimson fur.
"A Fire Mastiff... You're from the Public Security Bureau's special operations team!" The mysterious red-robed man recognized the man's identity the moment he saw the Pet Beast at his side.
Indeed, the newcomer was none other than Liu Changfeng, the captain of the Yunlan City Public Security Bureau's special operations team.
Liu Changfeng grinned, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "Good eye. Too bad there's no prize."
"Xiaohong, continue your fiery assault! Dragon Flame Song!"
As Liu Changfeng's voice faded, the Fire Mastiff standing beside him charged forward, a ball of blazing fire erupting from its mouth.
The flame shot out, instantly coalescing into the shape of a dragon in mid-air.
The Dragon-shaped Flame surged toward the mysterious red-robed man with the force of an avalanche.
"Commander Level!"
Facing the terrifying power of the Dragon-shaped Flame, the mysterious red-robed man cried out in horror, having gauged Liu Changfeng's strength.
"Rock Guardian!"
With no time to dodge, he could only order his Rock Python to use Rock Guardian again, struggling to hold on.
Meanwhile, Li Qian had made it to the bottom of the waterfall, with Qizai circling above his head.
After meeting up with Fatty An and recalling Ah Fu, Li Qian prepared to enact the best of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: running away.
ROAR…
Just then, however, Qizai suddenly let out a series of low roars.
Li Qian noticed something was wrong immediately and instinctively glanced back toward the top of the waterfall.
Then, he was left stunned. A Dragon-shaped Flame soared into the air, hurtling toward some unseen target.
He could still feel the intense heat, even from over a hundred meters away.
A testament to its terrifying power.
The sudden appearance of the Dragon-shaped Flame made Li Qian freeze in his tracks.
"What's going on?" Fatty An was a little dazed. He looked at Li Qian, a question mark practically appearing over his head.
Li Qian shook his head.
All he knew for sure was that some new development had just occurred on the viewing platform at the top of the waterfall.
As for what that development was, he had no idea.
And Li Qian had no desire to find out.
'His only thought right now was to get away from this troubled place as fast as possible.'
With that in mind, he turned to Fatty An and voiced his thoughts. "Whatever is happening up there, two small-fry Karami like us have no business getting mixed up in it."
Hearing this, Fatty An immediately nodded in agreement. "Right, right, you're absolutely right. I've been wanting to get out of this godforsaken place for a while now."
Having confirmed they were on the same page, the two didn't hesitate any longer and sprinted straight for the entrance of the scenic area.
The whole way, Qizai flew low, protectively circling them.
This gave both Li Qian and Fatty An a much-needed sense of security.
"Bro, you were right. To hell with the Black Flame Swordsman." The panting Fatty An glanced at the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon flying low overhead and said with envy, "The Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon is the true GOAT!"
"Say no more. After we get out of this dump, you have to get me a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon!"
"Whatever it costs, just name your price!"
Li Qian pursed his lips. "Money's the easy part. The key is that for a Koi Carp to evolve, you have to find a suitable waterfall."
"So, for all we know, we might have to come back to this godforsaken place!"
The corner of Fatty An's mouth twitched. After a moment, he said faintly, "I'll go back and talk it over with An Tianyou. See if we can just buy out the entire Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area…"
Li Qian asked, puzzled, "Who's An Tianyou?"
Fatty An: "My grandpa!"
Li Qian: "…"