On the head of the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, there is a protruding carapace—a unique light-emitting organ. Flanking its central whiskers are two slits that, when unfurled, become fan-shaped reflective membranes.
When the organ atop its head suddenly ignites, the light is gathered and reflected by these membranes, instantly forming a powerful flash that blankets a 140-degree arc in front of it.
In an instant, the world seemed to turn blindingly white. The high-intensity light, bright enough to sear a retina, causes any creature witnessing it to fall into temporary blindness.
However, the moment Logan spotted the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, he closed his eyes. The dense scales on his eyelids were enough to block any intrusive light. Simultaneously, he parted his lips slightly to emit high-frequency sonic waves, receiving the reflections with his pricked ears.
The inexperienced Zhu Peiniang, however, saw only a vast white void. This sudden turn of events caused her to let out a panicked, angry roar.
At that moment, Logan's massive frame lunged forward. His powerful limbs allowed him to cover nearly ten zhang (approx. 30 meters) with every leap. Under the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku's incredulous gaze, he pinned it down with a single strike.
The sheer force was insurmountable for a small Bird Wyvern. Its body buckled uncontrollably, slamming directly into the ground.
The Tzitzi-Ya-Ku let out terrified shrieks, its limbs—armed with sharp hooked claws—flailing wildly. Yet, Logan stood upon it as steady as Mount Tai. His scales, rendered tougher by the integration of metal, remained unmarked by the creature's frantic scratching.
Next, Logan's long tail coiled around the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku's neck, hoisting it off the ground like a helpless chick. He then raised a claw and delivered two sharp "thumps" to its head. Accompanied by flickering arcs of electricity, the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku instantly went quiet.
Even now, the creature couldn't fathom what had happened. How could its normally infallible skill fail? This intruder didn't look like those red monsters from below; its large golden eyes were bright and clear.
Before it could recover from the daze, Logan grabbed one side of its reflective membranes, forcing it shut and pulling it straight. With a light tap from the five fingers of his other claw, he drew out several strands of long spider silk.
With a flick of Logan's wrist, the whisker was rapidly encased in a soft white layer. As he wound more silk, the layer grew thick. He repeated the process on the other whisker and bound them together, turning the two reflective membranes into a single, upward-pointing horn.
"You like flashing people so much? Today, I'm smashing your 'flashlight' to teach you a lesson!"
The Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, neck still constricted, struggled desperately, kicking Logan's chest and scratching at the tail. But claws made of keratin stood no chance against alloy scales forged from Carbalite; instead, the sharp edges of the scales pierced numerous bloody holes in its feet.
Just as it felt it was about to suffocate, its body was tossed aside, crashing into a nearby coral cluster. A dull ache throbbed through it, but at last, it could breathe again.
Scrambling up from the ground, it stubbornly tried to shake its head membranes. Unfortunately, they were completely sealed by the silk. Even the light organ was muffled, emitting only a faint, flickering white glow—it looked more like a giant firefly.
The Tzitzi-Ya-Ku felt as if its world had ended. It used its foreclaws to frantically pick at its head, but its clumsy digits could not unravel the tenacious silk.
In that delay, Zhu Peiniang recovered from her blindness. Having rarely suffered such a loss in her life, she roared and pounced toward the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku.
Unable to unfurl its flash, the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku immediately bolted, driven by instinct toward its nest.
Logan followed leisurely. The three behemoths—one large and two smaller—began to weave rapidly through the complex terrain of the Coral Highlands.
Soon, they arrived at a hollow cave formed by accumulated coral growth. The rough, pale coral walls were covered in smooth, translucent shells. Under normal circumstances, these glossy shells would reflect the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku's flash, creating a 360-degree blinding zone.
But now, with its light organ and membranes blocked, the shells were useless, doing nothing more than making the surroundings a bit brighter.
Seeing this, the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku gave a strange cry, ducked out the other end of the cave, and resumed its desperate flight.
Logan stopped Zhu Peiniang from continuing the chase and turned to examine the shells on the walls. As the coral evolved toward the land, some barnacles and giant clams had gradually shed their dependence on water, evolving the ability to survive on land.
However, some mollusks still maintained traditional lifestyles; some of the shells on the walls still held remnants of dried moss.
Since he planned to fish for Goldenfry and Platinumfish, his primary task was finding a water source. The Tzitzi-Ya-Ku's habit of collecting shells meant its nest wouldn't be far from water.
After a night's sleep, a search tomorrow should reveal a river or something similar. This cave was ready-made; though perhaps not the most comfortable, it could at least block the strange, fierce wind currents outside.
The night passed without incident. When the sun rose the next day, the Coral Highlands brimmed with a vitality far different from the night. While these colorful polyps drew their primary sustenance from nutrients rising from the Rotten Vale below, sunlight still played an irreplaceable role.
The coral polyps contained numerous symbiotic algae that absorbed carbon dioxide, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from their hosts, producing oxygen and carbohydrates through photosynthesis. Sunlight made the coral more vibrant; those that lost their color and turned pale did so because their symbiotic algae had died.
Logan and Zhu Peiniang strolled through the brilliant, fairytale-like coral groves, heading toward lower ground. The landscape, built from coral reefs, took on bizarre shapes: towering pillars, vast sprawling platforms, and spanning bridges... it was like a garden of strangely shaped stones.
Following a natural corridor downward, large roof-like corals blocked the sun, dimming the surroundings. Rustling sounds echoed occasionally from the dense coral on both sides. Through the cracks in the reefs, one could see small, ash-white creatures with red heads and large golden eyes.
Those were Shamos, a fierce species of Fanged Wyvern that sometimes scavenges on carrion.
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