I, the Lord of the Fifth Throne, am the source of all things!

"I am very grateful for your help. I am the village chief of Jieyun Village, and it is a pleasure to meet you three."

The village chief of Jieyun Village bowed slightly to Duanmu Lian, expressing his gratitude for her help to Jieyun Village.

After all, the Red-Headed Blue Bear Beast poses a great threat to human settlements.

If they failed to defeat the Crimson Bear Beast this time, the village chief of Yukumo Village originally planned to request the Hunter's Guild to send a stronger hunter.

After all, given the strength of Red-Headed Blue Bear Beast, it ranks as a seven-star difficulty level in Hunter Quests, so it naturally requires a stronger hunter.

According to the village's Palicoes, Duanmu Lian instantly defeated Red-Headed Blue Bear Beast. The village chief of Yukumo Village personally came out to thank her and expressed his intention to befriend such a powerful hunter.

After a brief conversation, the village chief learned the purpose of the three people's visit, or rather, Duanmu Lian's purpose.

They were travelers passing through and would be staying here for a short time.

The village chief readily agreed to this.

After all, in the Old World, Yukumo Village was a village famous for its hot springs and forestry.

Every year, many people come here to enjoy the hot springs and to buy tamarisk wood.

In return for Duanmu Lian's victory over the Red-Haired Azure Bear Beast, the village chief decided to reimburse the three of them for their expenses during their stay in Jieyun Village.

...............

night.

Duanmu Lian went off alone to find a suitable place to build a base.

Ryuu and Tokisaki Kurumi stayed in Yukumo Village.

Jieyun Village is not large, and its narrow streets are crowded with all kinds of shops, such as general stores, processing shops and shops.

After selling the Red-Headed Blue Bear Beast, Duanmu Lian gave the money to Liu Zi and Tokisaki Kurumi, telling them to take this opportunity to enjoy the local customs and culture of Yukumo Village.

Although the village chief of Jieyun Village reimbursed their expenses, the three polite people would still pay for some of the costs.

In Yukumo Village, Tokisaki Kurumi fell in love with the hot springs there; the mineral-rich water made her feel very comfortable.

With several Palicoes attending to her, Kurumi Tokisaki couldn't be more satisfied.

"Miss Liu Zi, I remember Duanmu-kun said you were a doll, right? Can you feel the sensation of soaking in a hot spring?"

Kurumi Tokisaki, with her hair styled in a bun, soaked in the misty hot spring and looked at Ryuu in front of her, asking with some curiosity.

"Please don't treat me like a lowly robot. My senses are more sensitive than those of humans."

With a white towel on her head and her hair also tied up, Ryuuji glanced at Tokisaki Kurumi expressionlessly.

Her technical skills are very strong and excellent, but she is lacking in the quality of materials.

However, this problem was already solved when she encountered the Duanmu Lian from her memories.

Although the other party didn't pay much attention to her, they still reinforced all the materials on her body.

When Duanmu Lian now employs her, she further upgrades and strengthens the imaginary mechanism.

"Does a girl have all the senses she should have?"

Kurumi Tokisaki looked at Ryuu with a grin, very curious about the doll that was following Duanmu Lian.

"I have a feeling you're setting a very vulgar verbal trap for me. I really don't know why Lord Duanmu would know such a bewitching woman like you. To put it bluntly, I hate that fake smile on your face."

Liu Zi's tone was calm but sharp; she was cold and indifferent to everyone except for Duanmu Lian, who was her master.

She could tell that Duanmu Lian and Tokisaki Kurumi were not friends, but merely acquaintances who made deals with each other.

Liu Zi will not interfere with what Duanmu Lian does, but as a servant, she will also fulfill her responsibilities as a servant.

In her eyes, Tokisaki Kurumi is not an easy person to get along with and is a dangerous person who needs to be wary of her.

"Oh dear, we need each other, we each have the power to help each other."

Kurumi Tokisaki lightly touched her cherry lips with her slender white fingers, showing no anger at Ryuu's words.

After all, she was a nightmare in her own world, and she had long been used to being hated and feared.

"Aside from your ability to manipulate time, I don't feel that you're that strong."

Ryuu was telling the truth; in her eyes, Tokisaki Kurumi was only special, not particularly powerful.

She had already noticed many weaknesses in the opponent when they dealt with the Thunder Wolf Dragon.

Firstly, when using Zafkiel's abilities, specific spirit bullets need to be loaded into the flintlock pistol, and Ryuu is confident that she can break the time difference in this process.

Then there's the opponent's attack methods, which are part of the mechanism.

For example, various abilities can only function if the bullet hits the target.

And the seventh bullet, which can stop time for those it hits.

That attack speed was so fast that even Liu Zi could easily surpass Duanmu Lian's.

In the previous world, Duanmu Lian fought against the divine power of the Thunder God in his battle mode within a high-speed field invisible to ordinary people.

If Kurumi Tokisaki were to fight against him, a tragic situation of numerical overwhelming would definitely occur.

"Yes, compared to Duanmu Jun, my power is indeed not very strong, which is why I want to pursue greater power from him."

Kurumi Tokisaki picked up the sweet sake that the Palico had poured for her from the bamboo tube and drank it down, quite frankly acknowledging the flaws and inadequacies in her power.

After witnessing Duanmu Lian's battle with Shenwei, she knew that her proud power was insignificant in front of him.

And it wasn't just Duanmu Lian; apart from Mebius, the researcher, there wasn't anyone in the group that Tokisaki Kurumi was absolutely certain she could defeat.

Everyone is strong and strives to become even stronger.

In this chat group environment, Tokisaki Kurumi naturally became caught up in the competition as well.

She was willing to give everything if Duanmu Lian could give her even greater power.

...........

On a desolate, high mountain, a beautiful girl, as ethereal as a celestial maiden, sat by a mountain spring, splashing in the water with her delicate white feet.

The girl's snow-silver hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and a pair of golden dragon horns extending backward on either side of her head, which looked like coral branches.

"Clang clang clang!!!!"

Suddenly, the girl, who was leisurely washing her face, twitched her pointed ears and heard a noise that disturbed her good mood.

The silver-haired girl opened her slightly narrowed eyes, revealing a pair of golden vertical eyes full of wildness and coldness.

She stopped playing in the water and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came.

Then——

"boom!!!!"

Amidst the thunderous roar and flashes of energy of a violent storm, the silver-haired girl vanished from the spot.

Instead, a tall, slender dragon with white wings on both sides of its body emerged from mid-air, its posture awe-inspiring and unapproachable.

It is a Storm Dragon, one of the ancient dragon species that exist in this world.

The most distinctive feature of the Lanlong is the flying membranes that grow all over its body.

Although those flying membranes don't look very impressive, they have the ability to assist in flight and are surprisingly tough.

Even if it suffers some damage, it will not affect the Lanlong's flight ability.

Lanlong has an exceptionally strong sense of territory and will absolutely not allow any other being to infringe upon its domain.

The reason why there are no powerful creatures in this area is because they have all been driven away by this Storm Dragon.

Now, Lanlong senses that intruders have entered his territory.

The outcome is self-evident.

"Roar---!"

With the roar of the dragon, a gale and torrential rain descended upon the area as she charged toward the invaders who dared to encroach upon her territory.

Duanmu Lian, who had already established the experimental base, raised an eyebrow.

Hearing the monster's roar, he didn't intend to make a move.

Buzz————!

He unleashed his killing intent, which was even more terrifying than Conqueror's Haki and could change the very color of the heavens and earth, in an attempt to drive the other party away.

As Lanlong sensed this aura, which was even more powerful than that of the ancient dragon, its massive body paused.

Then anger flashed in her eyes, and she charged forward despite the terrifying pressure.

As an ancient dragon with wisdom, it naturally has its own pride.

The other party's provocative actions were already a provocation, so Lanlong naturally couldn't back down easily and be scared away by the other party's momentum.

"call out---!"

Even more terrifying than a high-pressure water cannon, it was powerful enough to cut through mountains and pierce the earth, spraying straight towards Duanmu Lian's base.

"I'll stay for a while and then leave immediately."

Duanmu Lian's body trembled, and then a golden aura of supreme yang, strength, and dominance transformed into a giant bell, enveloping him and his base.

It directly blocked the Lanlong's breath, which was incredibly penetrating and cutting.

This is the Golden Bell Cover, one of the four great martial arts of Shaolin Temple, a supreme martial art that cultivates both internal and external skills.

Known as the best defense in the world, it originally consisted of twelve levels, but after being improved and refined by a certain generation of Duanmu Lian, it was divided into fourteen levels.

Each level is more difficult than the last.

After completing the fourteen trials, one becomes not only indestructible but also impervious to water, fire, and poison. Furthermore, one can work tirelessly without sleep, and one's power is inexhaustible, making one truly miraculous.

Even if it is not perfected, the Golden Bell Shield has the ability to reflect when attacked.

The higher the level, the stronger the protective ability, and the stronger the counterattack force against enemy attacks.

During the years of eternal torment, he was the first to master this skill to perfection.

For no particular reason, just to be more resilient to beatings.

"Roar!!!"

After Lanlong heard and understood Duanmu Lian's telepathic message, the anger in his eyes lessened almost imperceptibly.