Chapter 669

Chapter 669: Obsidian Volcano

The Obsidian Mountain Range.

As Lolan Hill gradually approached this volcanic region, the temperature around her steadily rose.

The air was filled with heat, and the jungle plants in the mountains were exceptionally lush. Various animals lived in this region; some insects were as green as leaves, slowly crawling on branches; some venomous snakes had black-and-red segments, coiling like spines among the trees; some birds had dark blue feathers, with white down feathers that looked like eyes when spread.

Although there were many mosquitoes and poisonous insects here, making it unsuitable for human habitation, other creatures thrived freely. Lolan Hill had to be cautious while moving through the dense foliage, avoiding ants falling from branches, flying insects, and even snakes.

With her keen perception, she wouldn’t be attacked by these small creatures, but prolonged exposure was still troublesome.

Several green rays shot out like needles, causing several mosquitoes and poisonous bees in the air to fall and roll into dead leaves and weeds.

She needed to find a solution, Lolan Hill thought. If this continued at night, sleeping would become a problem.

She paused momentarily, closing her eyes to feel the extraordinary core inside her body, a clumsy little bird.

In the sea of consciousness, the little green bird on the tree was still asleep, curled up in its nest, breathing steadily. Compared to before, its fluffy gray feathers were less, replaced by smooth, long green feathers.

At this moment, the bird woke up from its comfortable nest, looked around, leaped out, pecked a red fruit from a branch, and swallowed it. A refined essence of mana surged into the core, advancing her cultivation progress another notch, stopping at 82%.

She glanced at her status panel, then focused on the new abilities gained after advancing to Natural Sequence 3·Branch-Hopping Fledgling.

[Bird Affinity Lv.3] (Excellence): Can summon birds weaker than herself for assistance, increasing their goodwill towards high-ranking birds. (Affected by the profession’s ability, gaining corresponding bonuses Lv.1→Lv.3)

After slightly experiencing how this ability worked, Lolan Hill opened her eyes. She looked up at the dense canopy, then leaped, landing lightly on a branch. She jumped again, passing through the lush foliage, emerging from the forest to survey the beautiful world below.

Ahead, several tall mountains loomed in the mist, their peaks faintly glowing red, emitting hot air. Nearby, a vast and lush jungle covered the earth, forming a shallow green sea.

She easily snapped off a tender branch, her fingertips brushing over its surface, causing rough bark to peel away. A tiny whirlwind drilled holes in the branch, turning it into a newly crafted wooden flute in her hand.

Recalling the music theory she learned from Lady Phyllis, she held the flute horizontally and played a melodious tune.

The tone was not intense, the melody carried a hint of etherealness, sometimes gentle, sometimes lively. Her extraordinary profession’s abilities rippled outward with the music, spreading into the surrounding breeze.

After a long while, when Lolan Hill slowly stopped playing and opened her eyes, various birds gathered on the branches around her, looking at the white-robed girl.

Her actions were like ripples in water, causing the birds to chirp happily, despite not fully understanding her intentions. The joyous atmosphere also infected the girl.

Animals’ thoughts were simple; they were happy when they were happy. Hearing pleasant music made them joyful too.

Lolan Hill observed the birds she had summoned, many being Extraordinary Sequence 1-2 animals, including two Extraordinary Sequence 3 birds.

Natural Sequence 3·Firecrest Daiju

Necromancer Sequence 3·Dark-crested Blue Jay

These two birds were about as long as Lolan Hill’s forearm, not particularly large but very beautiful, seemingly evolved from ordinary birds. Even though they had grown larger, they weren’t fierce, retaining the beautiful plumage of small birds.

Compared to other birds, these two were much smarter. They perched on nearby branches, emitting pleasant calls. Lolan Hill quickly understood their messages, asking what help the girl needed.

Lolan Hill closed her eyes, clearly conveying her thoughts. The two birds responded chirping, as if understanding her.

However, their eyes seemed a bit pitiful, perhaps thinking it strange that such a big girl couldn’t even fly, truly foolish.

Lolan Hill could only smile helplessly. Unlike before, the current world restricted flight abilities. Only professions related to it could obtain flying abilities after reaching Sequence 6. Even with her wind-related talent, she could only freely fly after reaching Sequence 4. Now, she could only glide and hover.

The two Sequence 3 birds took flight first, circling in the sky. Then, one by one, they dived down, forming long lines, laying parallel paths in front of the girl, extending upward into the sky.

“Thank you.”

Lolan Hill murmured, then stepped forward, lightly tapping on the back of one bird, quickly moving forward. One after another, she ascended rapidly into the sky. As she moved quickly, the birds behind accelerated, rushing forward to reform the path ahead, repeating this process.

Lolan Hill stretched out her arms, maintaining balance as she swiftly navigated the sky. Step by step, she ascended higher. Below, the emerald-green forest grew smaller, distancing further until she could easily overlook the vast and magnificent world beneath.

The earth was divided into vivid green and dark brown sections, with green underfoot and on either side. Ahead stood black volcanoes. Although only a portion emitted lava, the intense heat prevented any plant life from surviving at the summit. Dark red molten lava spread like cracks around the mountain, flowing downward.

As Lolan Hill approached the volcano’s upper airspace, she noticed a few creatures living near the crater. Stronger than the animals in the outer forests, some were even Sequence 4-5 beings, considered high-level demonic beasts in the current world.

These demonic beasts usually dwelled in nests near the volcano, absorbing rich mana from the volcanic dragon veins. When hungry, they would rush down the volcano to hunt in the nearby dense jungle.

The rising steam from the volcano swept over Lolan Hill. After entering high altitude, the birds that had formed a line dispersed, as she could now use air currents for gliding. Moreover, the heat was too intense for ordinary birds to bear.

Gentle winds surrounded the girl, continuously circulating, dispersing the heat from the volcano and gradually leading her toward gaps between the volcanoes, avoiding dangerous areas.

Only the two Sequence 3 birds remained with Lolan Hill, unbothered by the heat, perhaps accustomed to the environment.

Sliding gracefully through the sky, the scorched black soil gradually filled her view. Over hundreds of miles, patches of black and dark red dominated the landscape, with lava quietly flowing from the volcano, even illuminating the surroundings at night.

A pungent sulfuric smell permeated the air, with steam rising from the ground, occasionally carrying the scent of rain.

Suddenly, waves rippled in the lava pool of a volcano. Thick, scorching magma surged high, and a robust dragon shadow emerged, roaring loudly. Its massive body, hundreds of meters long, shook off the blazing lava, slowly swimming to the edge of the pool.

Lolan Hill watched the figure emerge from the lava, feeling a powerful aura wash over her. The dragon’s roar spread through the air, like a knife cutting through, causing her skin to tingle slightly. Even from thousands of meters away, it sent shivers down her spine.

[Dragon Sequence 7·Molten Fire Dragon]

The information displayed on the system was highlighted in red, warning the girl about the strength of this creature. In the current world, few could match its might.

To avoid being discovered by this dragon, she and the two birds quickly descended, avoiding the area where the dragon resided.

Phew, looks like I’ll have to walk, Lolan Hill thought, stepping onto the slightly warm black basalt. Flying any further might attract the dragon’s attention. She had seen the dragon devour several high-ranking demonic beasts when it emerged.

Even Sequence 5 demonic beasts were as fragile as chickens in the dragon’s claws, easily torn apart.

After landing, Lolan Hill looked up at the stars, estimating the time to be around 9 PM.

She glanced at the two birds standing beside her, placed a wooden box on a basalt rock, opened it, and took out yesterday’s acorns, placing two in front of each bird.

Regardless, these two little ones had helped her travel so far, so she should feed them dinner.

“How long have you been living here?”

Kneeling on the rock, Lolan Hill asked the birds curiously, knowing they might not understand completely.

Chirp chirp, caw caw.

The birds pecked at the cooked acorns, then chirped happily.

Satisfied, the girl watched the birds eat, then took out an acorn from the box and nibbled on it.

Her appetite wasn’t large, and a small box was enough to satisfy her.

Looking at the distant volcano and night sky, Lolan Hill pondered for a moment, deciding to rest here for the night before continuing her journey tomorrow.

Firstly, traveling at night was dangerous, and secondly, she needed a good rest.

After making her decision, she surveyed the area, finding an extinct volcano. Unlike other regions, this volcano had sparse vegetation growing on its slopes, not too hot.

She carried the wooden box lightly to this spot, raised her arm, and silently chanted. A green arc gradually formed on her palm, with rapid air blades swirling on it.

“Gale!”

The spinning air blade shot out, embedding itself in the soil and exploding, creating a large pit. Seeing the girl attack, the Firecrest Daiju and Dark-crested Blue Jay nearby spread their wings, red and blue light blades appearing in the night sky, also shooting into the pit and exploding.

“Thanks, but let me handle this.”

The girl looked at the chaotic pit, shaking her head slightly. These helpers were better off not getting involved in such delicate construction.

She waved her hands, blocking the birds’ view, making them land and wait patiently. Then, she placed her hands together, a compressed air ball forming in her palm, gradually expanding.

“Go,” she whispered, and the air ball spun rapidly, pressing into the pit. It compacted the surrounding soil and smoothed the ground, creating a standard and beautiful spherical space on the mountainside.

After inspecting it, Lolan Hill jumped into the space, stepping on the firm ground. She extended her hand, three tiny green flame orbs floating up, illuminating the cave.

Though it took some effort, this place was suitable for sleeping. She felt warmth from the compacted soil walls. There was no need to worry about catching a cold tonight.

She opened the box, took out the blanket prepared by Aitexi, and laid it on the ground. Turning to look at the large hole above, she raised her palm.

[Nature Manipulation Lv.6] skill activated, various grasses and shrubs rapidly grew at the entrance, intertwining into a net, sealing the opening.

This way, she didn’t have to worry about ordinary wild animals disturbing her. As for other demonic beasts, unless they were Sequence 6, she could handle them.

After settling in, she felt a bit tired from the day’s journey.

Unfastening the hairband at the back of her head, she let her hair loose to avoid crushing it. She walked to the blanket, glanced at the two birds in the cave, and waved her hand.

“Good night, you should rest well too.”

Watching the girl’s actions, the two birds tilted their heads and chirped in response.

Lolan Hill then untied her shoelaces, removed her boots, sat on the blanket, pulled up the thin single-layer quilt, and lay down quietly, preparing to rest.

But soon after closing her eyes, she opened them again, looking at the two birds squatting on the quilt, feeling the warmth of their weight. She laughed and cried a little, wondering why birds could sleep standing up.

Thinking it over, she decided not to disturb these little ones and let them sleep on the quilt, even if it was a bit heavy but still warm.

Thus, the three small fireballs at the top of the cave gradually dimmed, slowly rotating. The girl and the birds inside gradually closed their eyes, entering a peaceful sleep.

Outside the cave, some nocturnal demonic beasts began to roam in the Obsidian Mountain Range. Some resembled lizards with black-red scales, while others looked like bats, their crimson fangs swooping through the night, grabbing smaller insects or beasts.

Compared to the peaceful human-inhabited areas, the Obsidian Mountain Range had strong dragon veins, harsh environments, and numerous poisonous insects and snakes. However, due to the dense mana, it became a gathering place for demonic beasts.

They fought each other, living in their own ways, and through constant struggles, gradually chose better ways to advance and individuals. Stronger individuals gained more mating rights, passing down their genes and cultivation methods.

Though not as efficient as humans, these demonic beasts and monsters still progressed slowly. They occupied large tracts of wild territory in the Eastern Dragon Continent, keeping many mysterious and dangerous regions within the House of Plantagenet’s domain.

These regions gave birth to all kinds of demonic beasts, enriching the world and providing more learning and reference opportunities for people in the Eastern Continent. This led to more cultivation methods, sources of extraordinary materials, and future possibilities.

This was the development model of the Eastern Continent, and the dragon-loving nation, the House of Plantagenet, was the embodiment of this philosophy, pushing the Dragon Sequence to its ultimate form.

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PS: A surprise will be set in this chapter. I’ll upload references for the two little birds at the end of the chapter.