Chapter 545 - 542: Species Sanctuary

Chapter 545: Chapter 542: Species Sanctuary

Senluo Island is a rather special island among the Hua Sheng Islands.

The environment here is excellent, with a mild climate and abundant water. Located at the very bottom of the archipelago, it is also highly secluded and has always been used as a species preservation zone.

Healers have treated many creatures afflicted by plagues. These plagues often devastated entire species, rendering their native habitats uninhabitable for the survivors. ℯℯ𝑙.

Thus, these cured creatures became "displaced creatures." Unable to return to their original habitats, and with their kind driven to extinction, they could find no others of their own.

Unable to find them new homes, the Healers could only temporarily place these displaced creatures on Senluo Island.

Although Senluo Island isn’t particularly large, it boasts every kind of environment imaginable—lakes, hills, forests... These displaced creatures could usually find a habitat that suited them.

Meanwhile, the Healers were also continuously modifying Senluo Island’s environment.

They planted all sorts of rare flora on the island, like Iron Green Wood and Light-Avoiding Grass. Many of these plants had already gone extinct in the Abyss, but the Healers had managed to preserve them.

"The Healers grow attached to the patients they’ve treated."

After going to great lengths to find the cause of an illness and cure these terminally ill creatures, they would discover the creature’s species had already been wiped out. Once that single creature died, its species would vanish from the Abyss forever. It’s a terribly cruel reality.

All the Healers could do was protect these last survivors, allowing them to live out their lives in peace on Senluo Island. They were powerless to alter the fate of these near-extinct species...

Protection was the last thing they could offer.

And so, this beautiful Sky Island became a haven for those displaced species.

"We cannot interfere with the fate of other races, but we can at least let our patients live on in peace and safety."

"That is why Senluo Island exists. Normally, we don’t come to this island unless we need to bring some patients over. There are dedicated administrators here responsible for stabilizing the ecosystem, and it has always been very peaceful..."

"But now, why has it become like this?"

Xi’s voice was filled with sorrow. This island, a symbol of the entire Healer race’s compassion, was now twisted beyond recognition.

"You said there are administrators here?" Li Luo picked up on the keyword in his words.

"Yes. Because the mix of species is so jumbled, we have to partition the areas. Otherwise, the ecosystem would collapse in no time. That’s why Senluo Island has administrators. They’re responsible for separating the different ecosystems and maintaining ecological balance," Xi explained earnestly.

"Then if Senluo Island has become like this, are the administrators just turning a blind eye? Or... did the administrators leave, allowing the ecosystem to fall into chaos and end up like this?"

"I don’t know." Xi was also very confused. "I haven’t been here in a long time. The last time I came was to transplant some plants."

"Do you know where the administrators are?" Li Luo pressed.

"Of course." Xi immediately understood Li Luo’s meaning. "Follow me. He should be in the shelter at the center of the forest."

Having confirmed their direction, the two of them quickly set off, heading deep into the forest.

...

Along the way, Xi observed the surrounding vegetation. He still remembered what kinds of plants originally grew in these places, but now they were all changed beyond recognition.

While the plants still retained their original characteristics, their outward appearance had warped into that bizarre, sutured state.

Not only that, but even the small insects in the forest had also taken on sutured forms.

They flapped completely mismatched wings as they darted through the air, yet their flight patterns were completely unaffected.

As the two of them advanced, they saw a swarm of insects, each one looking different from the next, fly naturally over their heads.

"Those are Patrol Bees. From birth, they patrol along the same route. They never deviate from this route until they die. Newborn Patrol Bees join the swarm to replace the dead ones, and this route is passed down with their colony, from one generation to the next..."

"They are incredibly single-minded. They will never leave this route their entire lives. Foraging, hiding, resting... everything happens on this route. Even if a natural predator sets a trap on the route, they will fly into it without any hesitation."

"It’s because of this strange habit that this creature is very fragile. If the route is destroyed, the entire colony will be completely wiped out. They are almost extinct in other parts of the Abyss; they only exist on Senluo Island."

Xi watched the swarm fly further and further away, a dejected look on his face.

"Even though they’ve all turned into strange shapes, they are still following their instincts."

The bodies of the Patrol Bees had all become sutured. Features from various creatures were pieced together haphazardly on their bodies. Each individual in the swarm looked different from the next, and while their colors remained somewhat consistent, a closer look revealed a chaotic mess.

They were more like puppets formed from the parts of various creatures, only blindly following their original instincts, completely unaware of the bizarre changes that had happened to their own bodies.

In the forest, there were many more creatures like this.

Before they had gone much further, they spotted another large sutured creature. Its silhouette resembled a mix between an elephant and a rhinoceros, with a long trunk and a massive horn on its head, pointing toward the sky.

"That’s a Horned Elephant. Let’s go around it. Don’t startle it."

They were still far from the Horned Elephant when Xi issued his warning.

Because he saw that there seemed to be something wrong with the Horned Elephant’s horn.

On the white horn, there seemed to be some black threads slowly wriggling.

But Xi’s warning seemed to be too late. The Horned Elephant instantly locked onto the two of them in the distance and charged at them like it had gone mad.

"Quick, get behind a tree!" Xi shouted immediately.

But how could these sutured trees possibly withstand that hardened horn?

The Horned Elephant charged recklessly, bowling over several large trees in its path. All sorts of organs and foul-smelling pus gushed from the splintered trunks. As its massive body then trampled the fallen trees, flesh and blood splattered everywhere, and another spray of unidentifiable organ fragments burst out.

Xi was so terrified by the scene he froze in place. Only when Li Luo grabbed him and leaped aside did he narrowly avoid the Horned Elephant’s charge.

"I saw it clearly! That’s not the Horned Elephant’s horn, it’s a Bone Snake’s tail! A Bone Snake’s tail has replaced the Horned Elephant’s horn, that’s why it’s so agitated! The Bone Snake’s tail constantly makes noise, and Horned Elephants hate repetitive sounds..."

Xi shouted to Li Luo as he dodged.

Unable to stop its momentum, the Horned Elephant crashed through a patch of forest, reducing it to ruins. Fragments of organs flew everywhere, and the Horned Elephant’s own body became splattered with strange pus.

But the Horned Elephant’s rampage didn’t last long. It had just turned its head, intending to charge again, when a clean slice appeared across its neck.

The head, bearing the huge horn, fell directly to the ground under the force of gravity, while the body remained standing.

Because the beast itself was sutured, the cross-section of the cut was like marbled beef, with starkly distinct layers. Tiers of multi-colored flesh were stacked together, looking almost like a world map.

Mo Ling had made his move. He didn’t care one bit whether this was some "protected animal."

After a few twitches, the Horned Elephant’s massive body collapsed with a THUD, landing next to its fallen head.