Chapter 1149: The Development of Shadow Penetration
Chapter 1149: The Development of Shadow Penetration (Combined)
The Sludge Frost Spirit was gone, but the Barrier it cast remained. Most importantly, this Barrier could float in the air.
Qiao Sang knew that some familiars’ skills could persist even after they disappeared, but she had never heard of a familiar’s ice skill remaining and floating in the air after the familiar was gone.
What kind of skill was this? After pondering for a moment and finding no similar skills in her mind, Qiao Sang gathered her thoughts and said, "Break it."
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker raised its claws, and a dense white light condensed, striking the Barrier with great force.
The ice Barrier remained unscathed, without a single crack.
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker called out, indicating that the ice was very hard.
Qiao Sang frowned and then remembered something, looking up.
The sky was now dim, with fewer lightning strikes than before, but they still continued.
The translucent protective Barrier that Pengamei had left behind had disappeared.
"Boom!"
A thick yellow lightning bolt struck the ice Barrier, but it only chipped off a few pieces of ice without breaking it.
The remaining familiars in the sea watched the sky warily, no longer attacking.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy called out, opening its mouth as terrifying fire energy condensed inside.
"Don’t attack", Qiao Sang said in time.
"Ya Ya?"
Fangy closed its mouth, looking puzzled and called out again.
Qiao Sang explained, "This ice Barrier was cast by the Sludge Frost Spirit. We can’t break the Imperial Beast’s defensive skills. If we force an attack, the skill could explode inside the Barrier, potentially injuring us."
"Now that the Sludge Frost Spirit has been moved by Pengamei, it can’t do much to us. In a way, we are actually safe inside here."
"Momo."
The Dragon King, hearing this, called out confidently, indicating that as long as it was there, they would be safe even if they came out.
With that, it raised its claws, condensed silvery-white light, and slashed at the Barrier.
"Zzzz..."
It was like cutting through incredibly hard crystal; the dragon’s claws left only a few claw marks on the ice Barrier.
The Dragon King fell silent.
Indeed... Qiao Sang thought to herself.
Even though the Dragon King was at the Imperial Tier, the Barrier left by the Imperial Beast wasn’t so easily broken.
"Xunxun?"
Treasure Seeker looked at the claw marks and turned to call out, asking what they should do now.
Qiao Sang looked at it and said, "Try to see if you can use Spatial Shift to get out."
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker called out, its eyes glowing blue.
The blue light disappeared, and it shook its head.
"Try Shadow Penetration", Qiao Sang said again.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker immediately channeled energy.
A black hole appeared out of nowhere.
Treasure Seeker dove into it.
A second later, a black hole appeared outside the Barrier.
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker poked its head out, looking at the outside scene with surprise and called out.
At that moment, there was a loud "Boom" in the sky.
Treasure Seeker was startled and quickly dove back into the black hole.
At the same time, a black hole appeared inside the Barrier.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker emerged, patting its chest with a lingering fear, and called out, confirming that its Beastmaster was right; it was indeed safer inside.
It seems this Barrier restricts Spatial Shift but not Shadow Penetration... Qiao Sang understood what was happening and thought for a moment before asking, "Can you make other targets pass through the black hole besides yourself?"
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker was taken aback and shook its head.
It had never tried that before.
Qiao Sang immediately said, "Give it a try."
She remembered reading in her research that when Shadow Penetration reached a certain proficiency, it could not only transfer attacks but also any living being.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker nodded and then cast a black hole.
Qiao Sang extended her hand into it.
Another black hole appeared outside the Barrier, but no hand emerged.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker looked disappointed and shook its head.
The black hole disappeared.
Qiao Sang said nothing but entered the Beastmaster Codex, quickly flipping to Treasure Seeker’s page and pouring points into Shadow Penetration.
Soon, Shadow Penetration’s proficiency level changed from Mastery to Perfection.
Qiao Sang’s consciousness returned to reality, and she said, "Try again."
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker called out and channeled energy.
A black hole appeared again.
Qiao Sang extended her hand.
At the same time, a black hole appeared outside the Barrier.
Raindrops fell on her hand.
Qiao Sang felt the sudden cold and was startled, looking outside the Barrier.
A slender hand emerged from the black hole outside.
"Ya Ya!"
"Xunxun!"
Fangy and Treasure Seeker looked excited and called out.
"Xunxun~"
After the excitement, Treasure Seeker placed its hands on its hips, raised its head, and looked proud.
It was a prodigy.
It worked... Qiao Sang took a deep breath, calming her racing heart, and pulled her hand back.
The black hole disappeared.
It seems that only at the Perfect level of Shadow Penetration can living beings be transferred. With this ability, I can leave this Barrier with Fangy and the others... However, for now, only a hand can be transferred, so I need to test it further... Thinking this, Qiao Sang cautiously said, "Try again, this time Qingbao will go."
Qingbao had the ability to float, so if its entire body could smoothly emerge, it wouldn’t fall.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker called out and cast a black hole.
Qingbao obediently floated into the black hole.
A moment later, a black hole appeared outside the Barrier.
"Qingqing!"
Qingbao’s body emerged from the black hole, and its eyes lit up as it looked around and called out happily to its Beastmaster.
Qiao Sang, seeing this, felt completely reassured and said, "Come back."
Qingbao dove back into the black hole and returned to the Barrier.
Qiao Sang wasted no time and said, "Quick, now that the Sludge Frost Spirit is gone and these familiars can’t attack us, it’s the perfect time to get the Ice Crystal."
She paused and added, "Leave a Substitute behind."
If something happened outside while Treasure Seeker was getting the Ice Crystal, the Substitute could help with the transfer.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker understood its Beastmaster’s intention, its eyes shining as it channeled energy.
An identical Night Ring King appeared beside it.
A black hole then appeared out of nowhere.
Just as Treasure Seeker was about to dive into the black hole, it suddenly stopped and turned to call out.
“Xunxun?”
What should we do with those ice sculptures?
Qiao Sang paused for two seconds before saying, "Take as many as you can before Sludge Frost Spirit returns."
That meant taking the ice sculptures as well.
“Xunxun!”
Treasure Seeker’s expression turned serious. It called out, turned its head, took a deep breath, puffed up its cheeks, and without hesitation, dove into the black hole.
...
Beneath the sea.
Treasure Seeker emerged from the black hole, its cheeks still puffed up and looking fierce.
The Sludge Water Maras that had been there earlier were nowhere to be seen.
Treasure Seeker looked around and, finding no familiar presence, deflated.
Then it glanced at the mountain of crystals and the thousands of ice sculptures nearby, recalling its Beastmaster’s words. It removed the rings from its ears, claws, and neck, and tossed them upward.
Five golden rings instantly floated in the air, slowly expanding until each was about ten meters in diameter before coming to a stop.
Treasure Seeker teleported above the rings, its eyes glowing blue.
At the same time, the mountain of crystals and the thousands of ice sculptures were lifted by an invisible force, floating toward the rings and entering them.
...
High in the sky.
“Tingting!”
Electric arcs crackled around Tingbao’s body as it struck the barrier.
Even the thunder from the sky couldn’t break through this barrier. What chance do these little electric arcs have... Qiao Sang thought to herself, saying, "Stop. Conserve your energy. We’re safe here for now."
“Tingting…”
Tingbao stopped discharging.
Suddenly, the seawater began to churn, followed by a loud explosion.
Several familiars with white stripes on their bodies emerged from the water.
Sludge Water Maras... Qiao Sang recognized them at a glance.
“Sludge Sludge!”
“Sludge Sludge!”
The Sludge Water Maras looked up and roared in unison.
An invisible sound wave rippled through the air.
“Sludge Sludge!”
A roar echoed from the distance.
Qiao Sang’s expression changed.
The tone and the power of that voice could only belong to Sludge Frost Spirit.
Pengamei hadn’t taken Sludge Frost Spirit very far, if its voice could still be heard here...
As this thought crossed her mind, a strong sense of weightlessness came over her, accompanied by the strong wind and the calls of Qingbao and Tingbao.
The entire ice barrier was plummeting at high speed.
A flash of white light appeared.
Dragon King used its back to support the entire barrier.
“Momo.”
Dragon King’s expression said, "With me here, there’s nothing to worry about." It turned and called out confidently.
But as it turned, it saw that there was no one and no beast inside the barrier. Its body shook in shock, and it cried out in surprise, "Momo?!"
Where are they?!
Dozens of meters away, a black hole appeared out of nowhere.
Fangy emerged from it, leading Qiao Sang and the others.
“Momo…”
Dragon King breathed a sigh of relief.
They were here all along...
With that, it tilted its body and disdainfully threw the giant barrier into the sea.
Good thing I had the foresight to have Treasure Seeker leave a substitute... Qiao Sang turned to the substitute and praised, "Well done."
“Xunxun~”
The substitute called out, indicating it was just routine.
Qiao Sang looked down at the Sludge Water Maras.
The Sludge Water Maras were stunned, clearly not expecting anyone or any familiar to escape the ice barrier.
“Mars Rain,” Qiao Sang said slowly.
Water-type and ice-type familiars kept emerging from the sea, including the Tidehowl Turtle, Sea Thunderbeast, Toxic Drasimare, and these Sludge Water Maras. There might be many more water-type companion beasts lurking below.
The best way to quickly resolve this battle was to blast them all out at once.
Without a word, Fangy raised its head, opened its mouth, and a crimson energy orb containing destructive power transformed into a magnificent beam of fire, rising into the sky.
It exploded with a loud bang.
Flame rain fell.
The dark sky was instantly illuminated red.
“Bang bang bang!”
Countless flames rained down on the sea, causing the water to explode and sending water splashing high into the air.
The familiars in the sea screamed and dove underwater, but those that had just submerged were quickly blasted out by the flame rain.
Qiao Sang thought of something and looked at Tingbao, saying, "Discharge into the sea."
“Tingting…”
Tingbao didn’t think it would make much of a difference, but it still obeyed its Beastmaster’s command. Yellow lightning arcs appeared around its body and continuously struck the sea.
When the small yellow arcs came into contact with the water-soaked familiars, their power suddenly amplified, shocking many familiars into chaos.
Before long, many wild beasts fainted in the sea, including some that hadn’t appeared before.
When the flame rain ended, the sea was filled with unconscious familiars. The Tidehowl Turtle, covered in injuries, poked its head out of its shell, glared up at the sky in anger, and then dove back into the sea, disappearing.
Just as Qiao Sang thought the battle was almost over, water droplets shot out of the sea without warning, with such force that they reached hundreds of meters high.
“Qingqing!”
Qingbao puffed up its cheeks, and a powerful wind swept down from its body, aiming to blow away the oncoming water droplets.
However, the water droplets were too strong, seemingly unaffected by the wind, and continued to fly upward at high speed.
In an instant, the water droplets were less than three meters from Fangy.
Qingbao’s pupils narrowed.
But at that moment, a strong gale suddenly blew, instantly scattering the attacking water droplets.
Qingbao was taken aback and turned to look.
“Steel Chief.”
Steel Treasure flapped its wings and called out to it.
“Qingqing!”
Qingbao’s expression turned serious, and it called out. Then, the Wind Transformation merged with the gale.
The wind became as if it had a will of its own, spinning and blowing all the oncoming water droplets downward.
The water droplets fell into the sea, causing splashes.
In the next moment, a brilliant blue light appeared, and a thick blue beam shot straight up from the sea, piercing the sky.
It moved so fast that it reached Fangy’s position before anyone could blink.
At the same time, a deep black hole tore through space, appearing unexpectedly along the path of the blue beam.
The blue beam was completely absorbed by the black hole, disappearing as if it had never existed.
The black hole slowly closed.
On Fangy’s back, the substitute disappeared.
Then, a black hole appeared, and Treasure Seeker emerged from it.
“Xunxun?”
Treasure Seeker looked at the sea and called out, wondering why the fight had started again.
Qiao Sang didn’t respond but asked, "Did you get them?"
“Xunxun~”
Treasure Seeker nodded.
It had taken all the ice crystals from the sea floor, but it wasn’t sure if any were SS-rank.
Qiao Sang felt a surge of joy and said, "Let’s go."
Clearly, there were still powerful familiars in the sea. They had what they came for, and she saw no reason to stay and face unknown dangers.
Dragon King: “???”
Not waiting for its Beastmaster?
Then Dragon King remembered how Migala had left it behind, and its hesitation vanished.
Fine, if you don’t wait, I won’t either!
“Momo!”
Dragon King called out.
I’ll protect you as you leave! (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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