The Fiery Aberrant Beast

Above the Green Cloud, Du Chen could only offer a wry smile after hearing his daughter's anxious voice. Little Beibei wasn't one to casually exclaim "big event" over trivial matters; she was hardly a child who made a fuss over sesame-seed-sized concerns!

"Beibei, are you and your brother in any danger right now?"

"Beibei and brother are both fine, but Dus is very depressed! Anya, come here and tell Daddy you're safe!"

"In the eyes of The Master, there is never any danger!" Alex's voice, transmitted through the Battle Soul, was still as arrogant as ever, but Du Chen smiled contentedly. He halted the Green Cloud, listening as little Beibei recounted the events that had transpired in Emerald City over the past seven days!

The Batuk Family's Millennium Celebration began on February 1st. On the night of the 6th, Du Chen returned to Bog Island, and on the 7th, he captured Sophie from the Scarlet Army, impersonating the Sea King to assist Miki’s Restoration. Also on the 7th, Arthur, under the pretext of a "martial display for entertainment," challenged Sea Emperor Thanes!

The duel took place beneath the sacrificial platform on the northern coastal cliffs of Emerald City. Initially, everything proceeded smoothly; Arthur was at first no match for Seins, but at a critical moment, he unveiled the Thundercloud Art hidden within Lionheart King's greatsword…

Indeed, though Arthur didn't elaborate on the specific Secret Technique concealed within the greatsword, Du Chen already knew—during the great naval battle on the 7th, Lionheart King had spoken extensively with him afterward, frankly revealing that his most powerful Battle God Secret Technique, which he relied on to dominate the world, was called the "Thundercloud Art," a Secret Technique derived from the Divine Emperor's Myriad Ages' Nine Gods Art! While Lionheart King's ostensible strength was Eleventh-Tier, if he truly fought to the death, his Ninth Strike of the Thundercloud Art was potent enough to annihilate a Thirteen-tiered Battle God along with himself…

And what was hidden within Arthur's sword was the Thundercloud Art's first move—the Hymn of Heavenly Thunder!

The moment the "Hymn of Heavenly Thunder" was unleashed, Seins was instantly blasted by Arthur, his sternum shattered, sent flying backward as blood splattered across the sky! However, the problem lay precisely with the duel's location—the "seaside" cliffs! After being struck, Seins plummeted into the ocean! Arthur then "innocently" apologized and offered compensation, claiming it was merely an accidental slip of his hand!

Although Yonker, the Batuk Family patriarch, was stunned by Seins' death, Lionheart King was already commanding two hundred thousand Reno Fleet warriors, poised for battle right at Emerald City's gates! Weighing the pros and cons, Yonker chose to express "understanding" for Arthur's mishap. After a few words of reprimand, he ordered men to salvage the body and prepare Seins for burial, but… The men sent to retrieve the body never returned! Yonker quickly dispatched a second group—they, too, failed to return! By this point, everyone realized something was amiss. To preserve the Batuk Family's reputation, Yonker ordered the family's Masters to assemble an elite search party. The final outcome was… well, one person did return, but it was only his charred corpse, washed ashore onto the reefs by the tide!

Yonker immediately flew into a rage, summoning three thousand Thunder Legion soldiers to conduct a dragnet search of the waters beneath the cliffs. At this point, Arthur, under the gaze of the observing guests, felt his reputation somewhat tarnished—*You* caused this mess, so why are you sending Batuk Family members to their deaths while you just stand here watching the spectacle? Arthur immediately volunteered to descend into the sea to search; his stubborn temperament was such that no one could stop him. Dus, disguised as Francis, was also a bit overconfident, presuming he couldn't be killed, and also, in accordance with Du Chen's orders to look after Arthur, bravely volunteered to accompany Arthur into the sea…

Little Beibei, reaching this point, added a mischievous lilt to her voice, "The result, the result was Arthur came back safe and sound, but Dus, to protect Arthur, was first roasted into a solid, then melted into a liquid, and finally completely evaporated into gas… Gurgle-gurgling in the sea was so much fun!"

Du Chen was profoundly startled! Dus wouldn't die; that was certain! But his battle with the Dragon God back then had also proven that whenever Dus encountered an opponent far superior to him, the stronger the opponent's killing move, the slower his recovery! Back then, Dus had recovered from the Dragon God's Eleventh-Tier Moonfire in mere seconds. Today… seven days have passed, and he still hasn't recovered!? Just how powerful a Battle God was that opponent? Could it be Bonis or Margaret!?

Du Chen's heart then gave another anxious flutter, and he urgently asked, "Doesn't that mean that in the eyes of everyone in Emerald City, Francis is now dead!?"

"No way! The incident happened deep in the sea, and before anyone could see, Dus, with his last breath, pulled back some of his evaporated gaseous body, shaped it into a large balloon, then inflated it to look just like you, Daddy, floating in the seawater! Then Brook and Arthur, knowing Dus was an imposter of Daddy, quickly 'protected' him… Now Dus is unconscious in bed, and Beibei won't let anyone visit him!"

"My daughter did an excellent job!" Du Chen praised internally, then asked, "So, that means the 'Francis' currently in Emerald City is just an inflatable shell, and if anyone touches him, our entire plan will be exposed!"

"Yup… good thing you came back just in time, Daddy!"

Damn it! Good thing he'd rushed back in time, or it would have been colossal trouble! However, Dus's life wasn't truly in danger, and with Du Chen's return, this particular problem would resolve itself. But the crucial question remained… who injured Dus? And what exactly happened? Solid, liquid, gas? It sounded like Dus had been thoroughly tormented! These matters couldn't be clarified with just a few words; he had to return as soon as possible and see for himself!

Du Chen swapped the Green Cloud for his Precious Lotus Scripture, telling his daughter to ride Andy and find an excuse to meet him by the sea outside the city. Then, he blended into his daughter's snack pouch and returned to the Batuk Family's old stronghold—Emerald City—after half a month's absence!

Dus was settled in a guest room within the Exquisite Pagoda. Deboning and Andy stood guard in shifts, and Arthur remained steadfastly by his side in the adjacent room, terrified that someone might discover that this 'Dus' was merely an empty husk! After a careful examination, Fifth Brother was indeed not in mortal danger, but his unique body had mostly transformed into gas, leaving only a shell of skin. Currently, Dus was in a state of deep hibernation, absorbing his dissipated "body" from the air to repair himself—no wonder he'd been unreachable. "Fifth Brother, did you run into a tough opponent this time?" Du Chen chuckled, poking Dus's skin. "Poof!" With that sound, the Francis on the bed instantly collapsed into a puddle of goo!

He used the Water Veil Shield to collect the "puddle of goo," then used Holy Light to accelerate Dus's recovery. He even tossed the charred Snoopy in to keep Dus company. Du Chen then flopped onto the bed, "Heavens, I can finally rest!" He himself was still a patient, yet after choosing a comfortable sleeping position, Du Chen turned over and waved, "Still can't sleep. Beibei, call Uncle Arthur and tell him I'm back!"

*Clang*, Arthur burst in hurriedly, his face filled with guilt. Standing by the bedside, he apologized, "I'm truly sorry, if I hadn't been so arrogant, Dus wouldn't have…"

"Haha, don't worry, that kid Dus won't die!" Du Chen said with a serious expression. "First, tell me, what did you two encounter under the sea that day!"

Arthur shook his head. "I didn't see clearly… That day, Dus and I discovered a cave underwater. Blood water was flowing out, and some items belonging to the initial search party members were scattered near the entrance. Dus and I went in one after the other… But we hadn't gone far into the cave when Dus, who was in front, sensed a life form dwelling deeper inside. He said he wasn't afraid to die anyway, told me to wait outside, and went in to explore by himself…" At this point, Arthur offered a bitter smile. "But not long after, Dus fled out as if his life depended on it, yelling at me to run out quickly as he escaped. He even forcefully pushed me out of the cave… Alas, my vision was blocked by Dus, but I only felt an incredibly high-temperature flame suddenly burst out from deep within the cave. That flame was the culprit! And Dus was dried up, melted, and finally even evaporated into gas by that flame…"

Du Chen carefully chewed over the entire account, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Are you certain? Dus said there was a 'life form' deep within the cave, not a human or some other specific race?" Arthur nodded, "I'm absolutely sure I didn't mishear!" Strange. Although Dus's perception wasn't as sharp as little Beibei's, his judgment over short distances was infallible—he basically "saw" things using thermal imaging! If he used the term "life form," then the opponent was definitely not a human or a Violet-Blood, but rather an… Aberrant Beast?

At this moment, Arthur slowly stated, "The culprit is an Aberrant Beast possessing super-strong fire-elemental power! That's my assessment!"

"I thought so too, but can there truly be an Aberrant Beast in this world as formidable as Margaret or Bonis? Snoopy, have you heard of one? Could a Dragonfinch possibly reach this level?" Du Chen inquired, still suspicious of Water's Embrace Lake. After all, those Old Hags had recently appeared near Emerald City, and since Margaret possessed a Twelfth-Tier fire-elemental Dragonfinch, perhaps she might have something even more advanced! "A Dragonfinch's flames cannot reach that intensity, not even a Dragonfinch King's! As for others… let me think!" Snoopy replied from within the Precious Lotus Scripture, "There are a few, but they should all be extinct by now…"

At this moment, little Beibei, who had been diligently massaging her daddy's legs, pouted her lips and said heartbrokenly, "Daddy is so badly hurt! Beibei will go make Daddy some yummy food to help him recover, okay?" Arthur suddenly broke into laughter and quickly said, "I overlooked your condition! Well, that's all the information I have. You should rest first… Oh, one last thing: after Dus and I fled back in a panic, Grandfather Yonker deployed the Thunder Legion to blockade that entire sea area. The subsequent situation has since been sealed off by the Batuk Family!" With that, he tactfully departed.

Little Beibei also giggled and followed him out, the little one off to prepare "yummy food" to help her daddy recover! Du Chen watched his daughter's retreating figure, his heart warming. "No wonder they say daughters are thoughtful little padded jackets… Snoopy, continue. What other super fire-elemental Aberrant Beasts are there? Oh, Beibei, don't cook, let Anya do it!" Heavens, little Beibei's cooking could turn the living into the dead! But the little one had already scampered to the outer hall, her small hand swiping through the air. *Poof!* A ball of flame appeared in her palm. Tilting her head, she mused, "Hmm… I'll grill Daddy some beef!" Almost instantly, a steak was grilled into a hard lump of charcoal. Occasionally, a few somewhat fresh spots oozed dry oil, and as the flame intensified, faint wisps of smoke even rose from the pathetic cut of meat… As little Beibei progressively evolved, not only had her Spiritual Power strengthened, but her fire-elemental talent—which once was only good for pranks like singeing Jamis's ponytail—had also considerably increased. Of course, this also made her cooking even more… life-threatening for Du Chen!