Chapter 1
Only to see Hekimga conjure a water wall suspended in the air for about one or two seconds, seemingly gathering power, before erupting like a tsunami with overwhelming force!!

The momentum of this blast was akin to a flash flood. In that instant, at least half of the underground lake's water was violently sucked out, spewing forth with Hekimga's agonizing fury!!

The reason Hekimga hadn't used this move before was obviously because it was wary of the immense force affecting the eggs it had laid nearby. Now, without any reservations, it unleashed its ultimate move, using every ounce of strength it possessed.

Although the underground mountain belly was vast, under Hekimga's full-force suction and drive, it instantly transformed into a boundless ocean. Its momentum didn't wane, and the surging flood even crashed through the massive natural archway on the eastern side of the mountain belly, then directly vented towards the relatively lower-lying mountain cave passage on the right!

Only now could one see Hekimga's terrifying power. If it was a Legendary Tier 5 creature before, then its strength after entering the water would at least ascend to the peak of Legendary Tier 6 (Upper)!

Fang Senyan was caught off guard, his hiding place suddenly submerged. He himself was even swept up by the violently surging flood, but thankfully he reacted quickly, grabbing a nearby stalagmite. His entire body was stretched taut by the rushing water.

Fortunately, his unequipped strength was still considerable, allowing him to carve several finger marks into the stalagmite. Even so, the rock on the stalagmite cracked and crumbled, threatening to break in the next second. Fang Senyan barely managed to maintain his balance, gritting his teeth to avoid being swept away.

At this moment, looking at the raging flood, Fang Senyan suddenly understood why there were scattered Hekimga eggs in the canyon passage they had entered earlier.

It seemed that Hekimga, this giant octopus, had tried to spawn here many times… apparently because this unique place was suitable for spawning. The rocks here would warm up and possess a body temperature-like special phenomenon, but this was due to the influence of the Balrog lurking here, so its every attempt at reproduction was sabotaged by the cunning Balrog.

In its rage, the octopus would often stir up massive floods, instantly inundating everything and rushing towards the canyon they had entered. Because there was a boulder (the one they had climbed) blocking the end of that canyon, the water flow would slow down there due to the obstruction, and most of the Hekimga eggs would settle and distribute themselves in that canyon. The flood would then slowly overflow from the holes beneath the boulder, flow through the pine forest behind, and merge into the lake.

And the bizarre behavior of the Orc tribe previously controlled by Saruman was also revealed. They would skin the captives and throw them off the ice cliff, while ensuring the captives' health, because if the captives were still alive after being skinned and falling off the cliff, they would roll and struggle on the ground as much as possible.

Under such frigid temperatures, the iced corpses of the skinned captives that Fang Senyan had seen before would be covered in a lot of mud, sand, and rocks… and of course, the ultimate goal of these Orcs and Saruman… the Hekimga eggs at the bottom of the valley.

Obviously, the Uruk-hai and Orcs, even Saruman's avatar, could not climb down from the ice peaks that were several thousand meters high to retrieve the thrown corpses. Because they had to face not only the low temperatures and dangers of the snow mountain, but also the huge threat of crossing the lake on the return journey. But what they couldn't do, didn't mean that other creatures couldn't do it.

Speaking of which, Saruman's avatar was indeed a genius. He actually studied the habits of the Great Eagles in the Misty Mountains—the descendants of Thorondor—and concocted a scent they liked (the burning smoke in that crude stone basin) to lure them. Then, he would throw the stone basin down the ice valley.

The Great Eagles would naturally follow the source of the smoke and would, of course, discover the iced corpses that had fallen to the valley floor (with added flavoring: Hekimga's mucus). When they encountered this fresh and delicious food, they would naturally feast on it. According to the habits of this creature, they would inevitably grab a few back to their nests, either to feed their young or to bring as a late-night snack for their partners.

Based on the terrain of the ice peaks and valleys here, the Great Eagles, after feasting, would usually fly over the Orc camp. At that time, Saruman would control the tower to attack. The Great Eagles' most powerful weapons were their beaks and claws, so when angered, they would instinctively release their claws in retaliation. Then, the iced corpses being held would naturally fall down. If the iced corpse had Hekimga's eggs attached to it, then Saruman's avatar would have profited. Of course, the vast majority of the time, it was unlikely.

However, Saruman had obviously obtained a lot of benefits from the Hekimga eggs, and his research had likely made breakthrough progress.

This was not only reflected in the fact that he had researched and bred those powerful tentacle monsters, but also in the "Hekimga's mucus" that Fang Senyan and the others had drunk before.

The former were extremely powerful biological weapons, loyal, intelligent, and good at thinking. The latter was an incredibly miraculous healing medicine that could increase the survival rate on the battlefield several times over!

Currently, the only thing Fang Senyan was uncertain about was how Saruman had discovered the first Hekimga egg… possibly an Orc had fished it out of the lake, possibly it was a legend passed down among a small Orc tribe that had been wiped out, or possibly it was through evil and bizarre sacrificial divination, and so on.

But Fang Senyan was certain that Saruman should have conducted multiple explorations of this area, even paying an extremely heavy price, before resorting to the extremely inefficient method of skinning and luring eagles.

“Then…” Fang Senyan also understood one thing: “Those Uruk-hai and eye-demons outside weren't coming for the three of us at all! We were just collateral damage!”

Obviously, Saruman had been planning this for a long time. In terms of his strength, he shouldn't be too far behind Hekimga. However, Hekimga was an aquatic creature, with great geographical advantages in the water. As long as he guarded the only passage of Lake Carn Dum, Saruman would definitely not be able to do anything to it.

However, Saruman was not only powerful but also possessed a very shrewd mind and wisdom. After long-term and thorough investigation and calculation, he should have accurately calculated that Hekimga, this legendary creature, should be spawning around this time, so he would launch an expedition at this time to take advantage of the opportunity!

The large amount of potion materials that Fang Senyan had processed in the cellar of the tower should have been prepared for this expedition. And Fang Senyan and the others' escape became the fuse for Saruman to launch this expedition in advance… The location of this secret Uruk-hai breeding base, which had cost Saruman a lot of effort, must not be leaked to the outside world!

Of course, Saruman was a man, not a god, and he could not have guessed that Hekimga would have a direct conflict with the ancient Balrog because of spawning. The main purpose of his expedition this time was probably to take advantage of the great opportunity of Hekimga not being in the lake due to spawning, and to go to that narrow valley they called "the Land of Hope" to collect the Hekimga eggs inside.

But as the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. Hekimga's furious outburst directly caused the Orcs, Uruk-hai, and tentacle monsters who had entered the "Land of Hope" to suffer as collateral damage, and they had to face the terrifying flood!!

Fang Senyan desperately grabbed the stalagmite in front of him, and he could even hear the slight "creaking" sound of his fingernails and fingertips rubbing against the stone. He bit his lower lip tightly, and the fingernails of the hand holding the stalagmite even turned over, dripping with fresh blood. However, Fang Senyan was still trying his best to stabilize his body in the flood, knowing that once he was swept away, the violent collisions with the surrounding rocks would be enough to kill him!

Fortunately, the location where he was was still in the rear part of the mountain belly, near the underground lake, and not in the direct path of the water flow driven by Hekimga. Therefore, there were occasional return flows that allowed Fang Senyan to catch his breath.

Seizing the opportunity of a return flow rushing back, Fang Senyan leaned forward forcefully, then used his hands and feet to hug the stalagmite tightly. There was also a large rock in front of him, so he was hidden exceptionally well, and finally regained his breath. Hekimga angrily spewed water for nearly ten minutes before stopping. Fang Senyan estimated that the tonnage of water it controlled and spewed out was definitely no less than the peak flow of a medium-sized river in a flood!

The "splashing" and "splashing" of the water slowly lapped against the surrounding rock walls. Even as a powerful legendary creature, Hekimga felt obvious fatigue. Its intact tentacles lay flat on the water surface, obviously panting. The surging water quickly receded, causing the underground space that had originally formed an ocean lake to quickly reveal land again.

Without a doubt, both Fang Senyan and Hekimga, the giant beast, stared intently at the center of the underground cavity, where there was still water, and white foam and turbid waves formed multiple small whirlpools—"That was also where the Balrog was before the flood!

The water receded quickly, without seeing any trace of the Balrog. Only a small scorched mark on the rock surface realistically proved one thing: a legendary creature had stood on it a short time ago, and it had a very high temperature.