Angel's Descent: The Wings of Rebellion

With some cured meat in hand, Jano asked around among the eagle-men who had already carried out their tasks.

 Jano held his bone spear, donned in a bear-skin cloak, and pretended to be a royal guard leading his family members, soaring into the air, openly flying out of the camp.

 The journey was uneventful; there were too many such groups, and no Hawkmen paid much attention.

 One by one, the royal Hawkmen departed with fifty warriors from their respective clans, and others returned with a dozen or so Hawkmen. Scout-type units often suffer the greatest losses before a battle.

In the skies above, the Hawkmen warriors were the weakest. Not counting the dragon hybrids, various flying dragons, wyverns, and griffins, even a single griffin could match a whole team of fifty Hawkmen scouts.

Just as Jano was about to fly out of the camp's perimeter, a royal Hawkmen guard stationed at the edge furrowed his brow and flew toward him, his face emotionless as he asked, "Who are you? I've never seen you before."

"I'm new today," Jano replied calmly.

His expression was so natural that the guard couldn't spot anything amiss. He nodded and allowed him to pass. 

Behind him, his family members' hearts raced, but as the guard let them through, they finally sighed in relief.

However, when they saw Jano's next move, their hearts began to race again. 

Jano didn't leave immediately. Instead, he quietly moved forward and slipped a gold coin into the guard's hand, asking, "Brother, I'm new here. Can you tell me where the fiercest battles in the sky are happening?" 

Gold coins were still considered hard currency even in the ancient era, and this piece was obtained during the extermination of the snake-men tribe. 

The guard Hawkmen nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "I understand. These days, the eastern skies are the most intense. Even some of the extraordinary noble Hawkmen have fallen. Brother, you're new here, so it's best to fly west." 

"Thank you, brother," Jano smiled and nodded before leading his family to the west.

 Next to the Hawkmen's camp was the goblin camp, a fallen race from a future era, yet still one of the major subordinate races under the Titans in this ancient time. They had a population of several million and could be found throughout the Feland world, even in the service of the ancient dragons.

 The goblins were quite clever. Jano noticed that their camp was much more orderly than the disorganized Hawkmen's, with large trebuchets being constructed and wooden watchtowers erected. The tents were simple, but the layout was far more organized than the Hawkmen's chaotic camp.

 Beside the goblins were the ogres, whose camp, like the Hawkmen's, was haphazard and disorderly. Jano figured the ancestors of the elegant and beautiful elves were probably among them.

 Further ahead were the centaurs, dwarves, and half-orcs, among others. All in all, it was a miniature representation of the world's intelligent races.

 After flying out of the camp, Jano led his family further west, searching for small lakes, ponds, and streams.

 As for the great river that ran through the forest, Jano knew from the old turtle's description that it wasn't where he had lived as a child.

 By nightfall, he returned, bringing his family back in stages. He continued this early morning to late evening routine, so his family members' numbers didn't attract any unwanted attention.

After several days of searching to the west, Jano had yet to find the old turtle's resting place. 

On the fifth day, when he flew out, the gatekeeper Hawkmen stopped him, telling him that he couldn't keep heading west, the safest direction. 

Reluctantly, Jano led his family south. 

They carefully avoided the flying dragons and griffins of the dragon faction but still encountered a wyvern. 

After losing a few family members, Jano threw his spear and struck the wyvern's eye. 

The wyvern screeched in agony, but the wound wasn't fatal, and it became even more enraged. 

It went berserk.

Jano made a quick decision, abandoning the others and drawing the wyvern away on his own.

They raced through the forest sky, occasionally disturbing other creatures engaged in aerial combat. Fortunately, Jano's flying skills were excellent, and the wounded wyvern was a one-eyed creature, so it didn't catch up to him.

Just as an Hawkmen and a dragon fought in the air, the sky suddenly darkened.

Jano looked up and saw a massive blue dragon with a wingspan of over five hundred meters soaring above him. 

The ancient Blue Dragon King was surrounded by a thunderous blue storm. Its enormous body was covered in scales as tough as steel, making it look magnificent and mighty. 

Behind Jano, the wyvern that had been chasing him let out a triumphant roar. 

It was calling for its dragon lord! 

But before the wyvern could celebrate, a thunderous roar rang out from the distant north. 

"Aterri! I haven't come to find trouble with you, yet you dare to seek death?!"

The massive roar shook the earth. Jano turned to look to the north.

There, he saw a two-hundred-meter-tall Titan, crackling with purple lightning, wearing a strange skin around its waist and wielding a silver spear. Thunder raged around it as it stomped toward this direction, shaking the earth beneath its feet. 

The blue dragon roared back,"Aterri, you foolhardy and arrogant Titan brute! Today, let Lord Aterri grant you eternal silence!" 

The distance between them seemed far, but to these colossal beings, they could close the gap in an instant. 

Boom!

The two ancient beings clashed in mid-air.

The earth trembled beneath their battle, the sky split open, and the forest below was crushed underfoot. The winds whipped up dust and sand, unleashing the fury of nature.

As the battle erupted, the forces of both sides began to clash on the ground. 

On the ground, minotaurs swung trees as weapons, goblins hurled stone projectiles, ogres wielded stone axes, stone giants slammed the earth, ram-horned warriors charged forward, half-horses galloped across the battlefield, serpentfolk fired bows, dwarves swung hammers, wild boar-men attacked with tusks…

In the sky, Hawkmen fought in large groups, wyverns screamed through the air, firebirds scorched the heavens, griffins slashed with their claws, and dragonhawks soared like blades…

It was an epic mythic battlefield! 

Jano, however, was situated right in the midst of it all, dangerously close to the battle between these two titans.

In the fire and fury, it was unclear who would win! 

In almost an instant, Jano made up his mind.

Behind him, the wyvern, influenced by the battlefield atmosphere, charged at Jano with even more fervor.

Around them, the battlefield raged on, flames lighting the sky, but Jano didn't retreat. Instead, he pulled a bronze short sword from his cloak. As the wyvern lunged at him, he jumped onto its head and plunged the sword into its brain, twisting it fiercely. 

[You have slain a wyvern, experience +100]

The wyvern fell dead, its massive body plummeting. 

Jano, still on its back, fell with it, pretending to go down with the creature. 

He had already spotted a crescent-shaped lake below. 

He remembered the old turtle's description of its future home—a vast crescent-shaped lake—and was sure this was the place. 

A few moments later, he discovered a cute little pink turtle resting on a glowing smooth stone at the bottom of the lake. 

As he and the wyvern plunged into the water with a splash, Jano quickly dived below the surface.

A surge of excitement coursed through Jano as he recognized the ancient turtle. This was it! The source of his transformation. 

He swam swiftly to the turtle, patted its little head, and placed it on the stone. He then sat down himself. 

Immediately, a refreshing wave of energy spread through his body.

 Above the surface, the battle raged on.

Within Oceanwood, the towering and muscular form of the 200-meter-tall Titan giant was scarred, his golden eyes glinting with an icy coldness.

"Hmph, everything in this world belongs to the Titan gods! You dragons are nothing but a bunch of damned thieves!"

"Self-proclaimed gods, how arrogant! Even in the Star Realm, there are few races as shameless as yours. You are truly despicable!"

The Blue Thunder Dragon roared with laughter, and the battle between them resumed.

With a flick of its tail, dozens of meters long, electric sparks crackled and exploded along its length. The Titan giant laughed heartily, wielding a 300-meter-long spear, charging forward with deadly force.

"We Titans possess the strength to move mountains and fill seas, to overturn the heavens and the earth. To call ourselves gods—what's wrong with that?!"

"Ridiculous!"

With a roar, the two mighty beings clashed once more, sending up a storm of dust. Thunder raged as the forces of lightning from both sides clashed in mid-air, their battle growing more intense.

Golden blood sprayed through the air as they fought, splashing across the battlefield in the forest below. Having long transcended to semi-god status, their blood had turned to gold.

In the midst of the battle, at one point, the Blue Thunder Dragon Aterri's claws tore through the Titan giant's shoulder. A gush of golden blood spilled from the wound, falling into the crescent-shaped lake where Jano was located.

Almost immediately, the entire lake was filled with golden blood, and Jano, along with the little turtle, was enveloped by the Titan's golden blood in that very instant.

A searing, burning sensation gripped his body, as though he were being roasted alive in a furnace!

It was like being trapped in the heart of the sun, scorched by flames at a hundred thousand degrees!

At the same time, the system's voice rang out.

[You have bathed in Titan's blood, all attributes have been enhanced!]

The pain was unbearable!

Even with his will as unyielding as iron, Jano was tormented to the point of wishing he could die.

Beside him, the little turtle, its soft pink shell now scorched red, floundered on the blue stone.

But then, a wave of intense coolness surged into his body.

Jano looked down and saw a brilliant green light radiating from the stone, enveloping him and the little turtle.

However, the relief was short-lived. After only a brief moment of coolness, the lake continued to fill with more Titan blood.

Not only that, but because they were so close to the battlefield between the two semi-gods, the blood of the ancient Blue Dragon King also began to fall into the lake.

Once again, the burning sensation returned.

[You have bathed in Titan and Dragon King's blood, all attributes have been enhanced!]

At this moment, Jano finally understood why the old turtle had never been willing to talk much about the details of his awakening process—it was simply too painful, almost like a form of torment, a repeated agony!

Time passed, though how long, Jano could not tell.

[You have bathed in Titan and Dragon's blood, all attributes have been enhanced!]

[You have bathed in Titan and Dragon's blood, you have awakened the power of Thunder!]

[You have bathed in Titan and Dragon's blood, your bloodline has changed!]

[Your will has been strengthened in the Titan and Dragon's blood!]

[You have awakened a talent, Champion's Will!]

At last, the golden blood in the lake was completely absorbed by Jano and the little turtle. The torturous pain ceased.

Now, both Jano and the turtle had undergone a dramatic transformation.

The turtle's shell had turned a deep purple-blue, with threads of electric light flickering around it. Its small, green-bean-sized eyes were filled with newfound wisdom.