Chapter 1308: 1308
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The elephant saw the bird come for it, and so it turned and used its trunk in an attempt to bat it away . The bird was swift with its talons, though, and it grabbed the trunk neatly . Then, with a quick turn, the elephant was pulled upwards into the sea .
The elephant struggled the best it could, not wanting to go with it . But its resistance was futile, and it kept on getting pulled until the gravity flipped and it fell into the blue .
Han Sen wished to stop it . The elephant was his prey, and Han Sen had exhausted quite a bit of effort in trying to defeat it mano-mano . But unfortunately for him, the bird was too fast, and it was too late for Han Sen to stop its snatch .
The bird disappeared beneath the surface of the sea, taking the elephant with it .
Strangely, Han Sen noticed something else this time, though . He saw the bird transform into a fish the moment it took back to the water .
"What the—? That thing is just like the red bird . It can turn into a fish when it takes to water?" Han Sen frowned, as a few other thoughts and theories crossed his mind .
Perhaps it was because the elephant had been born in the area, but Han Sen noticed it had not been taken under and finished off . In the water, it was left alone by the fish-bird and allowed to swim towards the peak of the mountain which touched the water .
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But before it could get there, the fish opened its mouth that was laden with teeth and took a big bite out of the elephant, then swallowed it .
The elephant was bleeding profusely following the bite, but overall, the wound was mild .
Then, the fish opened its mouth again . And almost to its surprise, the hardy elephant began thrashing at the waves of the upset sea .
Han Sen did not expect them both to be fighting in such a manner .
But regardless of what might have been occurring, the elephant was at a disadvantage . It might have been able to swim, but it wasn't very proficient with the act . And no matter how strong it was, it wouldn't last very long in the tumultuous water .
Just as Han Sen thought this was about to end, though, a howl came from someplace on the mountain .
There was a white turtle, the size of a mortar, swimming towards the two that were engaged in a fit of battle .
Han Sen took a closer look at what was going on and noticed there were in fact six turtles . They had all come to assist the elephant .
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They were all super creatures, too . They had not opened their tenth gene locks, but their shells were sturdy . Whenever the fish-bird tried to peck them, they'd pull their heads and limbs back inside their shells, the defensive properties of which seemed ample enough to protect them .
The fish-bird also received a few bites from the pesky turtles, amidst the rumble that was currently on-going .
With the helping hand it received, the elephant was able to reassert control over itself and continue its struggle to swim towards the safety of the mountain .
The fish looked angry over the intrusion and the fact that the elephant was getting away . So, it turned into a bird once more and grabbed two turtles in its beak, then it tossed them into the sky .
Han Sen heard two katcha noises, indicating their fall was not a pleasant one . Taking a look, he was able to see that the shells of the two unfortunate turtles had been wholly broken .
The other four turtles thought it best that they now scram, and so they did . They returned to the mountain as hastily as they had left it .
The bird was not keen on letting them and their transgressions get away scot-free, so it tried going after them . The turtles were small, though, and try as the fish-bird might, circling the mountain from above, it lost sight of them . So then, it turned towards another target . It was going to go for Han Sen .
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Han Sen knew it was not a foe to be trifled with or underestimated, so he kept his ten gene locks open in anticipation of its coming assault . Lotus Empress prepared herself to fight, too, while the Fish King readied itself for a departure to the sea above .
But then, the strangest thing occurred . Just as Han Sen was ready to unleash a barrage of attacks upon the approaching bird, it stopped short of him and dropped two dead turtles on the ground before him .
The bird let out a brief squawk and returned to the sea, motionless . It appeared just as it used to, when it had been following Han Sen and his companions on their journey .
Needless to say, everyone was a little taken aback . They were shocked to see the bird-fish had delivered two of its kills to Han Sen .
Lotus Empress was very confused, in particular .
"Perhaps I was wrong . Perhaps that wasn't Sea Ghost after all . " Lotus frowned, after issuing her best attempt at an explanation .
Han Sen looked at the red bird next, and thought to himself, "They can both shapeshift between bird and fish . Perhaps they're related? Maybe the big bird-fish wants to take care of the little red birdy-fish . "
He wasn't going to let the turtles go to waste, so the next thing Han Sen did was pick them up .
After removing their shells, he received another two Life Geno Essences . After that, he cleaned up the flesh and gutted them, then prepared them as food . If their flesh was edible, that would prove they were second generation super creatures .
Sea Ghost continued trailing Han Sen and his fellows after that, but it did not attack .
Under its protection, for that was what they now assumed it was, they reached the island in safety and without further incident .
"Why is Sea Ghost protecting us, I wonder?" Lotus Empress asked Han Sen .
She thought he might have an answer, but the truth was, he didn't . And not being sure of what Sea Ghost was thinking, he could not reply . So, instead, he decided to ask Bai Yishan something .
When he became a surpasser, he was sent to an abandoned shelter near the Endless Sea . The path they traversed was a shortcut he himself had devised and developed .
Bai Yishan told Han Sen about the Elephant Sutra and the research he had been conducting, and then asked Han Sen what he had been practicing .
"Professor, you cannot abandon your research . There's something really tangible behind all this . There is a meaning to your research . As for what I have learned, it is a skill of the Xue family . It is not suitable for just anyone to learn, however . If your research and development of a new hyper geno art is a success, it will benefit humanity . I know it will . Don't give it up," Han Sen said, with a soft and reassuring voice .