There was always someone stronger, a higher mountain beyond the next.
Li Ye, for the first time, deeply understood the meaning of this saying.
In his opinion, the Tomorrow was currently a very powerful Level 2 Mobile City, capable of roaming even the Western Wasteland Continent unchallenged.
But no matter how powerful the Tomorrow was, it was still only a Level 2 city.
In the face of an unknown Level 3 city, its combat power was negligible. Not to mention a Level 4 Mobile City.
The hierarchy of Mobile Cities was strict, with insurmountable gaps in strength between each level.
And yet, the Fire-Eater Gideon could easily destroy a Level 4 Mobile City.
Just then, Professor Annie sent another message.
【Nature L3: Would everyone like to know more about the deeds of the Fire-Eater Gideon? I'm willing to explain.】
【Tomorrow: Please go ahead.】【Nature L3: The Fire-Eater Gideon was originally a Level 2 Wild BOSS “Molten Shell Turtle”. It didn’t originate from the Western Wasteland Continent, but from a distant continent.】
【Tomorrow: Professor Annie, may I ask, how many continents are there in this world?】
【Nature L3: I can only tell you that there are more than a dozen continents in this world. But I know nothing about their distribution, size, or the number of regions.】
“So there are over a dozen continents?” Li Ye murmured to himself.
He had thought this planet was similar to Blue Star, but it seemed far larger.
At that moment, the Fire-Eater Gideon let out thunderous roars toward the sky.
【Tomorrow: Professor Annie, may I ask what it's doing?】
【Nature L3: The Fire-Eater Gideon is proclaiming its dominance over this area. As a top-tier predator, an Emperor Beast also has a strong territorial instinct. A region cannot accommodate two Emperor Beasts.】
【Engineer: Professor Annie, I’m actually more curious. Creatures the size of Emperor Beasts must consume a lot of energy when moving, right? So how do they feed?】
【Nature L3: I must say, young man, that’s an excellent question.】
Professor Annie then provided a lesson to everyone.
Emperor Beasts had many ways to replenish their energy, often evolving special bodily structures.
Some gnawed on mountain ranges, digesting rocks to restore energy.
Some evolved complete photosynthetic systems, absorbing sunlight for nourishment.
Some could burrow thousands of kilometers underground, directly consuming mantle material weighing millions of tons.
As for the Fire-Eater Gideon, it fed by absorbing geothermal energy and devouring magma.
Giant Volcanoes were its favorite habitats.
【Nature L3: According to records from the Titan Throne’s scientific expeditions, the Fire-Eater Gideon once resided inside a giant underwater volcano. When it ended its hibernation and emerged, it caused severe seabed earthquakes and even tsunamis tens of meters high.】
【Nature L3: Just look at its magnificently sculpted body—Emperor Beasts are truly fascinating creatures.】
At this moment, a fleet of Mobile Cities had reached the edge of the Sedimentary Basin, all silently watching Gideon at the mouth of the volcano.
During this time, although Gideon had noticed the human Mobile Cities, it paid them little mind.
Professor Annie added that Emperor Beasts were highly intelligent, possessing human-like wisdom.
Once, an Emperor Beast from the sea had befriended a coastal human town.
During every tide, it would arrive at the shore, open its massive jaws, and expel a bounty of fish and shrimp it had hunted from the ocean, presenting them as gifts to the humans.
Even now, Gideon continued to roar at the sky.
“Even if it’s claiming territory, isn’t this going on a bit too long?” Li Ye muttered in confusion.
At that moment, Professor Annie suddenly spoke up.
【Nature L3: Something’s wrong. Gideon doesn’t seem to be asserting dominance.】
【Pacifier: Then what is it doing?】
【Nature L3: Judging by the frequency of its roars, it seems to be declaring war on something.】
【Nature L3: Wait—look at its left eye!】
Li Ye immediately grabbed his binoculars and looked.
He saw a grotesque wound dozens of meters long on Gideon’s left eye, seemingly slashed by something sharp.
Realizing something, an ominous feeling surged within him.
“Could this be... a wound from a fight with another Emperor Beast?”
On the city communication channel, Professor Annie shared her speculation.
【Nature L3: If my guess is correct, Gideon has a nemesis, and the opponent is also an Emperor Beast. They fought a battle years ago without a decisive outcome, and Gideon migrated to the Cretaceous Zone, entering hibernation inside this dormant volcano.】
【Nature L3: Perhaps you don’t know this, but Emperor Beasts are creatures of immense pride. I believe that after recovering, Gideon’s first thought was to summon its nemesis for a rematch.】
【Nature L3: I must say, our luck is truly remarkable.】
【Pacifier: …】
【Twilight: …】
"Evacuate the Sedimentary Basin Zone immediately—get as far away as possible!"
About two or three hours later, Li Ye, standing on the Armor Deck, clearly sensed something was wrong.
Strong gales surged across the land, sand and stones whipped up from the ground, and vegetation was nearly flattened by the wind.
Li Ye gripped the railing tightly and looked up to the sky.
"It’s coming!"
A piercing screech tore through the clouds from above.
A giant beast emerged through the churning smoke and clouds—making its grand appearance!
Its wings covered the sky, and its colossal form swept across the land like a descending natural disaster.
Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, this Emperor Beast made its arrival.
From its appearance, it resembled a giant Pterosaur, its head vulture-like with a sharp beak.
Its body was a deep brown, with an incredibly thick neck, muscular torso, and a back covered in hardened scales and bone plates. Its wings were bat-like membranes edged with sharp bone spines.
This Emperor Beast was only half the size of Gideon.
Its flight speed was astonishing—vanishing almost in the blink of an eye.
Li Ye instinctively turned to the screen. Professor Annie had sent out another stream of messages.
【Nature L3: Oh! I recognize this Emperor Beast—it's the "Heaven's Chosen" Harder!】
【Nature L3: Harder stands about 450 to 500 meters tall, with a wingspan reaching 700 to 800 meters. Its speed is incredible—Mach 5!】
"Mach 5?"Li Ye was completely stunned.
Mach refers to the speed of sound. Under standard conditions at sea level, Mach 1 equals 1225 km/h, or 340 m/s.
So Mach 5 would be 1700 m/s!
That speed surpassed transonic, broke the sound barrier, entered supersonic range, and directly reached hypersonic!
"These Emperor Beasts are truly outrageous,"he murmured.
【Nature L3: In fact, Harder hails from the distant Northern Firmament Continent. It is nearly ten thousand kilometers away from the Western Wasteland Continent.】
"Northern Firmament Continent?"Li Ye questioned.
This was only the second continental name he had learned about this planet.
He quickly typed a question to Professor Annie.
Since his arrival, Li Ye had always been curious about this planet. Any information about it was worth gathering.
According to Annie, the Northern Firmament Continent was located at the northernmost part of the planet.
Its area ranked among the top of all continents.
The Northern Firmament Continent had an extremely high altitude, with an average elevation of 8200 meters, and even the lowest valleys were above 5000 meters.
It was a desolate region, perpetually covered in snow and ice.
The tallest mountain range on the continent was the Heavenly Ridge Range, with elevations exceeding 20,000 meters.
The Western Wasteland Continent and the Northern Firmament Continent were separated by over ten thousand kilometers.
The Emperor Beast "Heaven's Chosen" Harder had long resided in the Northern Firmament Continent.
After receiving its nemesis’s signal, this giant beast had set off to the Western Wasteland Continent to fight.
At this moment, the Mobile Cities had already retreated seventy to eighty kilometers away from the Sedimentary Basin—far enough to avoid being caught in the battle between the two Emperor Beasts.
【Nature L3: I’ve deployed surveillance drones over the Sedimentary Basin, capable of real-time transmission. If you're interested, come to Nature L3 and take a look.】
Upon reading this, Li Ye immediately stood up and hurried to the upper Armor Deck. Lin Wu said he would come along too.
The two boarded a Black Hawk Helicopter and arrived at Nature L3's Armor Deck.
Other Lords arrived one after another.
Everyone was filled with anticipation for the battle between the two Emperor Beasts.
The drones circling above the Sedimentary Basin transmitted clear footage.
As Harder landed, a massive shockwave rippled outward, shaking the earth.
It lifted its neck and screeched sharply toward Gideon in the distance.
Gideon responded with a thunderous roar.
It began stomping the ground with its front claws, steam rising from its body as it prepared to charge.
"Who do you think will win?"someone asked.
"I think it will be Gideon."
After all, Harder was only half the size of Gideon, which would put it at a disadvantage in a close fight.
Professor Annie simply smiled and shook her head.
"If you're judging an Emperor Beast’s strength by size alone, then you're thinking far too simply."
The two Emperor Beasts stood locked in a fierce standoff, roaring, shifting their weight, preparing for battle.
A few minutes later, Harder made the first move.
He slightly arched his body, then began rapidly shaking his wings. The air within several kilometers was drawn and pulled toward the base of his wings, forming a massive spiral vortex visible to the naked eye.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Harder suddenly flapped his wings and soared upward. The enormous spiral vortex instantly exploded into a shockwave, and the friction between the scales on his wings and the air sparked bursts of blue-white flames!
The shockwave spread across the entire Sedimentary Basin, sweeping away all flowers and vegetation in its path.
Through the drone’s perspective, everyone saw Harder climbing higher and higher into the sky.
"Harder can ascend to an altitude of ten thousand meters, even break through the atmosphere and reach outer space,"Professor Annie explained.
"What—"Fang Yong was left dumbfounded."How is that possible? Emperor Beasts need to breathe, right? How can it survive in space?"
"The physical constitution and organ functions of Emperor Beasts are far beyond your imagination,"Professor Annie replied."Harder’s respiratory system is extraordinarily advanced and can store large amounts of oxygen. This allows him to survive in space for several hours."
Harder flew higher and higher, eventually disappearing from sight.
Roughly a few dozen seconds later, he reappeared from high altitude, descending with an unstoppable momentum straight toward Gideon.
"At this rate, Harder might be the winner,"Li Ye speculated.
At this moment, Harder was like a rapidly falling meteor, heading straight for Gideon.
Even an Emperor Beast with overwhelming physical strength could hardly endure such an impact.
Just then, Gideon suddenly moved.
He neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, he raised his head and let out an earth-shattering roar as Harder descended.
In the next second, a molten-colored barrier appeared around his body.
Everyone watching was left speechless.
"That’s…"
Professor Annie nodded with a smile.
"Yes, Gideon activated his biological field to defend against Harder’s attack."
Li Ye and Lin Wu exchanged glances, falling into silence.
They hadn’t expected Emperor Beasts to possess biological fields!
This meant they could use such fields to defend against incoming artillery, or even generate shockwaves that destroyed everything in their path.
No wonder Gideon could destroy a Level 4 Mobile City.
At this moment, the shrieks and roars of the two Emperor Beasts reached a peak.
Under everyone’s gaze, they collided.