Above The Sky
Chapter 234 - 234 222 Malicious Parasite 33

234: Chapter 222 Malicious Parasite (3/3) 234: Chapter 222 Malicious Parasite (3/3) The Cyan Armored Lizard is a medium to large-sized lizard similar to a crocodile, but its carapace is covered by sturdy bony armor.

This armor is mainly composed of a calcium silicate composite, which is incredibly hard, resembling metallic cyan rock.

It is grayish during its juvenile phase but turns into a pure cyan as it matures.

These lizards are generally mild-tempered and are primarily herbivores.

They can synthesize chlorophyll from the plants they consume for photosynthesis, so they can sustain long periods of dormancy without food.

The ecological niche of the Cyan Armored Lizard is not very high, and there are seldom individuals at the level of Magical Beats.

However, they are still medium to large creatures that average over three hundred kilograms in weight, so they can exert extreme strength when angered—a swing of their tail, with its solid hammer, can smash a knight’s armor suit.

Typically, the Cyan Armored Lizard resides in the shallow riverine forests along the coast of the Redwood Forest and does not venture too deep into the sea…

However, occasionally, these behemoths will enter the sea to change their diet, eating seaweed and kelp, and enriching their bodies with fish protein.

The few before us had likely been a group of Cyan Armored Lizards foraging and nurturing their bodies when they were swept up in the anomaly of the Southern Sea and carried into the caverns along with the seawater.

Just like myself.

Ian held his breath; the Cyan Armored Lizard actually had a very keen sense of perception, especially its sense of smell, which it could use to detect newcomers from a great distance and then choose whether to avoid them or stay put.

However, Ian naturally had no body odor, and as a Sand Armor Apprentice Cultivator, he could easily conceal all his external auras.

If need be, using the power of the Wave Singer, he could even make himself truly emit a fresh scent like that of the ‘ocean’.

Of course, he could also use the Silent Voice Ring.

But that wasn’t necessary; Ian sensed that this ring had suffered some damage to its inscriptions structure since he had overtaxed it during his stealth attack on the Great Shaman in his armor suit.

He decided to use it as little as possible to avoid it failing him at a critical moment.

After sensing no other creatures in the vicinity, the leader of the Cyan Armored Lizard group, also the ‘patriarchal figure,’ gave a ‘woo’ sound and led the two slightly smaller females and three young lizards forward.

At this moment, their pace appeared to be somewhat hasty and impatient.

A long trek through the caverns and soaking in the sea had left them extremely thirsty…

Indeed, the Cyan Armored Lizards could osmotically absorb freshwater from the sea through their skin, but the efficiency of such replenishment was too low and served only as an emergency resource.

Soon, with their simpler thought processes, they found the blue river babbling behind the monolith even quicker than the young man did.

Calling it a river might be overstating it, but if one looked closely, the depth was unclear; the water was not transparent due to minerals or other reasons, and even with the illumination from the Light Cloud above, one could only discern a blue-blackish hue.

Regardless, it seemed to indeed be freshwater, and the Cyan Armored Lizard group cautiously approached the river and then drank in turn.

Watching the Cyan Armored Lizards thirstily gulping down the river water, filling even the gular sac beneath their throats, Ian felt strangely relieved and began to ponder, “If the underground relic cluster has light, a water source, and apparently good air circulation… does that suggest other life forms exist within the relic cluster?”

With that thought, he looked forward even more to what was ahead.

The young man didn’t intend to disturb the drinking Cyan Armored Lizard group; he even decided to wait and see where the group would go after their drink, then secretly leave behind some Origin Quality to track them and help him explore the relic cluster.

Based on his analysis, because of the two great storms, the relic cluster had already developed gaps connecting it to the outside world—the Crystal Dragon might have emerged from one of those gaps, and it might not be a foreign entity, but an Overlord that originally resided within the South Sea Relic Cluster.

However, Ian’s plan might be a bit off.

Because soon after the lizards finished drinking, they remained stationary and no longer moved.

At first, Ian wondered if the lizards were too exhausted, so after drinking water and finding no other creatures nearby, they simply decided to rest, sprawl out, or settle down…

But after giving it some thought, he wondered if wild animals could really be that carefree?

The Cyan Armored Lizards aren’t apex predators; resting right next to where they drink would be a rather naive move, considering they have been hunted before.

But after waiting for some time, he realized something was wrong.

Apart from the continuous, network waterfall-like sound of the sea water flowing out from the cavern, the group of lizards by the blue river was deathly silent.

Something was off—the Cyan Armored Lizards weren’t mute, so why weren’t they making any noise after drinking the water?

Could it be…

that there was poison in the water?

Narrowing his eyes, Ian’s pupils once again lit up with the aqua glow of Spirit Energy Halo, along with the light of the Silver Chip.

Then, he sighed, no longer concealing his form, but standing up to face the group of Cyan Armored Lizards that had fallen into a strange silence.

Click, click, click…

Sensing the presence of another creature, the originally silent Cyan Armored Lizards slowly turned their heads, looking behind them.

“Ha…hah…”

An eerie howling filled the air, echoing in the hollow space.

The voice was hoarse and the tone abrupt, definitely not a sound that a normal Cyan Armored Lizard could make.

It was more like the sound of a leaky sack flapping frantically in the wind, a strained and chilling sound, as though from a ghost.

But this sound wasn’t like that of something that had died—for even the howl of a Spectral Banshee didn’t have such excited and ‘lively’ vitality.

Ian faced the group of lizards, his expression solemn, and with a wariness that could be described as ‘nervous’!

For the lizards that had turned around were completely different from before—their bark-like rough skin had begun to swell, becoming smooth.

But this smoothness was not the healthy kind, rather it was as if something was swelling up from within, stretching the skin taut and glossy.

Bulbous, smooth pustules appeared on the skins of these giant lizards, and one might even faintly discern blue-black specks moving rapidly within these pustules…

but the most terrifying aspect was not this.

It was their eyes.

The eyes of Cyan Armored Lizards were originally set deep in their wide eye sockets, protected by thick eyelids—after all, they did not rely on good eyesight to live, a rough distinction was enough.

But now, the eyes of these giant lizards bulged oddly—as if something had swollen inside the eye sockets, pushing out their originally light brown eyeballs completely from the sockets, exposing the continuously writhing red and green muscles within.

And…

the parasites.

A mass of pale blue parasites wriggled and squirmed through the flesh and blood, burrowing in and out, exuding a nauseating vitality…

and a bizarre horror.

[Redwood Cyan-armored Lizard (South Sea Amphibious Species)]

[Incapable Level Creature·Ordinary]

[Inhabits the tropical nearshore river areas of the Southern Sea, mainly feeds on green plants as well as algae, can provide its daily energy needs through photosynthesis, and occasionally hunts sea fish or other small animals to supplement nutrients before and after the mating season, the tail mace of the Demon-beast Transformed Cyan Armored Giant Lizard can be used to create high-quality heavy blunt weapons]

[Warning!

Warning!

Warning!]

[This creature has been parasitized by noxious parasites, extremely dangerous, not edible!]