Chapter 642
by fanqienovelChapter 642: Sparrow Battle!
“I… shouldn’t have joined this expedition!”
“Seriously…”
The "Giant Ether God" now crawled slowly through the jungle, daring not breathe.
His name revealed why he’d been first to be expelled—not just for being "relatively weakest," but also for his lack of camaraderie. Even in the Primal Wilderness, he remained a newcomer.
The so-called "Giant Ether God" belonged to the ether deities dwelling upon the Primal Wilderness.
Such deities…
Shouldn’t logically exist.
The Primal Wilderness had long symbolized desolation and savagery, for one simple reason: it lacked one of the four fundamental energies.
For any realm to thrive—or at least sustain multitudes of demon gods within finite bounds like the Chaos Swamp Realm—all four energies must intertwine:
ether, primordial, void, and Fire Domain.
The "shallow ether" of Endless Ether and the "Waist of the Swamp" possessed all four energies, thus nurturing countless Chaos Demon Gods, Ether Usurpers, and the sprawling Abyss blanketing nearly half the "shallow ether."
Most "deep ether depths" lacked Fire Domain and void, rendering them barren. The "shallow deep ether" seemed unconnected to the primordial—yet "void dust storms" rising from the Primal Wilderness hurled Primal Mud through turbulent waves onto this layer. Thus, the Ether Mother and her deities dwelled there.
Beyond the "Waist of the Swamp," two zones lay perpetually shrouded in "etheric dark clouds" saturated with curses. With scarce "Fire Domain" energy, these regions too remained desolate.
As for the Primal Wilderness…
Plainly, its "ether" was far too scarce!
An "Ether God" here seemed as absurd as fish in a desert.
Yet realms weren’t immutable.
The recent relentless "ether downpour," for instance, had drenched the barren Primal Wilderness into dampness.
Though still far from lush, countless winding "Ether Rivers" and scattered "Ether Lakes" and "Ether Pools" had formed.
Deities never before seen on the Primal Wilderness awoke from long slumber, crawling across the moist earth.
Among them was the "Giant Ether God."
These deities retained no memories predating their awakening.
Perhaps newly born, or ancient recollections lost to eons of sleep.
But memories meant little to deities of the Primal Wilderness.
Here, only violence and slaughter held sway!
To seize status as an "Awakener," this "Giant Ether God" had attacked and defeated a low-ranked Tyrant Chosen, inheriting the title.
His participation in the "Giant God Expedition" aimed to leverage it as footing in the Primal Wilderness.
Yet…
Perhaps due to recent awakening, the "Giant Ether God"—though sizable enough to barely merit "Tyrant Candidate"—stood unremarkable among formidable contenders.
Worse, his divine form favored swimming through "Ether Rivers" and "Ether Lakes," not crawling comically on stubby legs!
Such antics…
It was truly unfair not to bully!
"He just hoped that Giant God wasn’t too formidable…"
"He hoped he was just a name without merits…"
Holding onto unrealistic fantasies, the Giant Ether God crawled slowly through the forest.
He was very anxious…
Although his deity form, with four legs and short legs, let him hide under the low World Tree, it also blocked his view.
He could only see a small area around him.
Even worse, the etheric storm seemed to grow stronger, making visibility worse.
The World Tree itself seemed to dislike the newly arrived deities, giving off some energy that tickled his sense of smell and hid other scents.
With nothing clear to see or smell, his only reliable source of clues was his hearing.
But hearing was the easiest sense to trick and mess with.
So…
"Deep roar—!"
"Whoosh—!"
A low rumbling roar echoed far away.
"Ha!"
"There! I’m coming!"
"Boom—Boom—Boom—!"
His short legs suddenly charged ahead, dragging his huge divine body over the Primordial Earth and leaving a giant mark!
He sprinted as hard as he could.
But…
"Whoosh… Whoosh… Whoosh…"
When he got there, he only heard wing flaps and sacred feathers floating down from the sky!
Soon…
"Deep roar—!"
"Whoosh—!"
A low, distant roar sounded again from the opposite way!
"There!"
"It must be there!"
"Charge!"
"Boom… Boom… Boom…"
However…
“Whoosh… Whoosh…”
When he sensed where the roar came from, he still only heard the rapid flapping of wings.
And this time…
Not a single feather was left.
—-
“Hmm…”
“The plan was very successful.”
Trilobite watched the former "Baryonyx lady," now the "Gu’s Small Dinosaurs," as they put on their "performances" all around.
He had added the key feature—“complex vibrating sound tubes”—to the upgrade project for the "Small Dinosaurs."
Perhaps many dinosaurs already had “sound tubes” that could make complex noises, but they likely fell short of birds in later times.
Trilobite made a more complex sound tube for his “customers.” It wasn’t pricey and took little space.
Now, these “bird-like dinosaurs” used their numbers and flight to play tricks in the forest.
“Below…”
“Boom…”
Trilobite lifted his body a bit. As a member of the dinosaur order, he could stand tall and spot prey far away.
“You must be a Short-headed Salamander.”
“Hard to tell which kind, since their fossils are rare, and many types lack common names…”
The Short-headed Salamander was a type of amphibian living in the Middle Triassic period.
These fellows…
Weren’t common, and their fossils were scarce, meaning they were on the fringe in that era’s ecosystem.
Still, they weren’t small.
Most reached about two meters in length.
As for their look…
The name says it all: “short-headed” plus “salamander.” Their heads were round, often wider than long, with very short legs that made moving on land tough.
They had stout bodies and fairly long tails.
At first glance…
“Isn’t that just a Giant Salamander!?”
You could say their ecological niche was like the Giant Salamander’s; they lived in streams and rivers, swallowing prey whole with wide mouths.
“Of course, it’s a giant version.”
The Short-headed Salamander before Trilobite was an amazing four and a half meters long!
That’s double the length of a giant salamander, and with its round shape, it weighed about half a ton!
“Hmm…”
“I haven’t heard of a Short-headed Salamander this size, stuck in between…”
“What good is it?”
Big amphibians started to decline in the late Triassic.
Simple reason…
They couldn’t fight the true dragons, and they were no match for the false crocodiles!
Back then, freshwater predators were ruled by the planted dragons!
These false crocodiles looked much like crocodiles except for their nostrils, and they knew how to survive in water.
With better metabolism, more movement, and strong defenses, they thrived in Triassic waters.
Big amphibians stood no chance; they died out or shrank to avoid fights.
This was the start of giant amphibians vanishing.
But the Short-headed Salamanders kept a spark for them and even outlasted the planted dragons!
Though that’s another story.
What Trilobite had to do now was hunt!
“Never mind.”
“Let’s go around back.”
“The first one might still be useful.”
“I won’t eat him yet.”
“The key is to see if he knows his place!”