https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-243-Fiery-Arena-The-Little-Crow-s-Call-for-Help-/13009769/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-245-Bizarre-Valley-A-Flock-of-Birds-/13009771/
Chapter 244: Winter Travel with the Dragon! Farewell to the Tomb Raiders!
Chapter 244: Winter Travel with the Dragon! Farewell to the Tomb Raiders!
At the entrance of the Heart of All Spirits base, Su Ping was once again geared up for battle, clad in a suit of scale armor. However, beneath the armor, he was also wrapped in thick fur to withstand the cold during this season.
After just one night of rest, Su Ping was ready to set out with the slightly recovered Fire Crow. After all, it was only two days until the New Year's Eve.
But what left Su Ping speechless and conflicted was that at this moment, there were more than just him and the little crow by his side.
Su Ping looked at the three people beside him and said, "I'm saying, brothers and sisters, instead of spending time with your families, why are you following me on this trip?"
At this moment, the three people beside him were Qin Xiaoxue, Dong Muchuan, and Ye Zhou.
Ye Zhou blinked and said, "I don't have a family to celebrate the New Year with. I've spent most of my holidays at the Academy in previous years. This year, I happened to meet you and this interesting situation. How could I not come and see the Fire Crow and our joint research project?"
Dong Muchuan, without a hint of the aristocratic demeanor of an Academy family, said in a simple-minded manner, "My sister told me to follow you around and learn from you."
Qin Xiaoxue gave him a sideways glance and said, "I was about to die of boredom in Linzhou. It's rare to have something fun here, so how could I not come and play with you? Don't you welcome us?"
Su Ping nodded, reluctantly acknowledging the lame reasons of the three people.
However, he glanced back and saw the massive figure that had been with him for several days, and finally, with a sense of helplessness, he said, "Big Yellow, the enemies of the little crow are probably only Elite-grade, and there might be more of them. Even if there are more, they won't exceed the strength of an Overlord-rank. What are you following us for?"
At this moment, besides these three people who loved excitement, there was another figure that attracted attention, despite the lack of tourists due to the approaching New Year. It was the massive Yellow Dragon belonging to Master Zhu Hong.
The Yellow Dragon glanced at this smelly boy and let out a sound.
The meaning was obvious.
If it weren't for its master, the Beastmaster who was so engrossed in his work that he forgot to return home, it wouldn't bother following this mischievous boy around.
Wouldn't it be better to dig for gold? However, despite Su Ping's verbal complaints, he had to admit that having such a massive Yellow Dragon by his side gave him a full sense of security.
As the most revered type of pet in Dragon Nation, the existence of a dragon was akin to a totem.
This was evident from the little crow's fearful yet excited gaze.
Oh well, strength in numbers! If they encountered any trouble along the way, these people would indeed be helpful. With this thought, Su Ping no longer hesitated and waved his hand, "Since it's like this, let's go! Little Crow, lead the way!"
"Caw caw caw!"
A series of caws sounded as the Fire Crow on Su Ping's shoulder flapped its wings and slowly flew into the sky.
Su Ping, amidst the envious gazes of Ye Zhou and Dong Muchuan, effortlessly mounted the Yellow Dragon's neck.
Riding a dragon was not an experience that ordinary people could enjoy.
Among the three, only Qin Xiaoxue wasn't particularly curious or excited about the dragon.
However, these three people were clearly not ordinary. Even without the dragon's lead, keeping up with the little crow was not a difficult task.
Su Ping saw Qin Xiaoxue's third pet for the first time.
Of course, this was Qin Xiaoxue's first true contract pet, also a Wood-type, but of a different species.
Flower Fairy.
A pet with the potential to reach the Sovereign-rank.
A Wood-type elemental pet.
This was a pet that resembled a young girl, with a few flower-like wings on its back.
At the same time, it held a lotus-like object in its hand, and with a slight touch, Qin Xiaoxue was grabbed by the Flower Fairy and soared through the sky.
Su Ping looked at the Overlord-rank Flower Fairy with great interest.
As for Ye Zhou and Dong Muchuan, they were like the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, each displaying their unique abilities.
When Su Ping first met Dong Muchuan, he had heard about the Weave-Air Spider from the other magicians in the Megacity. Now, he finally got to see it.
It was a small spider, only the size of a palm.
However, it had a semi-transparent color and could float freely in the air. Then, when the Weave-Air Spider crawled in front, Dong Muchuan, following behind, could walk as if on flat ground, moving at an incredibly fast speed.
Quite interesting.
As for Ye Zhou, although he didn't currently display the ability to fly, he didn't need to.
On his shoulder was a pale tiger, and with each rotation of the ring-like patterns on its body, it appeared behind the little crow.
However, no matter how close their relationship was, it was impolite to inquire about others' pets, even with the True Eye.
This was a matter of etiquette and manners.
Therefore, although Su Ping was curious, he didn't ask further.
As expected, the place where the little crow stayed was not near the urban area of Linzhou, but in the wilderness outside the city.
Although the Beastmaster Legion and the local Beastmaster Associations across the nation inspected and cleared wild pets, some remote areas naturally couldn't be as thoroughly monitored, and this was the case at this moment.
Jianghai, near the East Sea, at the end of the Spirit Stream River, and with West Dragon Lake, the Beastmaster Legion stationed here mainly focused on the East Sea and West Dragon Lake. The internal searches were naturally not as thorough.
The ground beneath their feet quickly passed by as the Yellow Dragon soared through the sky, while the little crow flew slowly.
Compared to the speed of the Yellow Dragon, following behind it even gave a sense of leisure.
However, despite the severe injuries of the little crow, it managed to return to the Wood Heart several times, clearly indicating that the distance from here was not too far away.
Indeed, that was the case.
In less than an hour, they had traveled approximately over a hundred kilometers, and a valley with an unusual situation appeared in Su Ping's line of sight.
Su Ping narrowed his eyes and shouted at the little crow ahead, "Little Crow, stop!"
"Caw!"
The little crow indeed halted, but through its gaze, Su Ping could see that the center of its vision was the destination of this journey—the eerie valley.
Su Ping opened his map and quickly located his position.
This place was still within the scope of Linzhou, but it was quite desolate, located in the southwestern part of Linzhou, on the outskirts of several cities in Jianghai.
Forget about cities; even relatively remote towns were scarce in these rugged mountains.
However, wild pets, especially flying ones, were more common in such remote areas without any nearby villages or shops.
Su Ping stopped in mid-air, and the others who were following behind him also rushed over, gazing at the distant valley.
No one spoke, as everyone stared intently at the scene before them. Despite their extensive knowledge, they were still awestruck by what they witnessed.
In the distant valley, countless shadows were perched on dead tree branches, soaring in the sky, standing on mountain peaks, or leisurely strolling within the valley.
However, these countless shadows were all bird pets.
Indeed, this scene gave Su Ping a sense of deja vu.
It was somewhat similar to the situation when he encountered the Rainbow Coral Worm beneath the Spirit Stream River, which emitted a rainbow glow.
The Rainbow Coral Worm's rainbow light satisfied the needs of water-type pets, attracting them involuntarily.
It was an extremely rare and precious treasure pet.
Now, Su Ping carefully nurtured it, and it also became the biggest secret of the Water Heart.
In Dong Muchun's words, this creature could support a large-scale water pet breeding farm. Using it solely for fishing at home would be a waste of a heavenly treasure.
At this moment, the countless shadows in the valley, these bird pets, were far more numerous than the water pets beneath the Spirit Stream River, by an unknown multiple.
Su Ping had reason to believe that within a few hundred kilometers, all the wild bird pets might have gathered here. There were pets of all levels, from common to elite to overlord ranks.
All kinds of birds were present, from eagles and falcons to swallows and sparrows, and more.
There were no monarch-level pets, as wild pets of that level would be detected by the Legion's special devices. Once they entered a certain range of human habitation, they would be captured immediately.
However, the number of pets here was indeed excessive.
At a glance, there were already thousands, if not tens of thousands.
It might not seem like a large number, but how many flying pets were there in the wild? This was within the jurisdiction of a nation with beastmasters, not in the true wilderness.
With this quantity, even without high-level pets, if they attacked small towns, it could still cause considerable casualties and chaos.
Su Ping frowned, realizing this was a significant safety hazard! Why were these pets gathered here?
Su Ping thought for a moment, then took the little crow back into his hand and patted the Yellow Dragon: "Yellow Dragon, stop in front of that valley."
As for the scene that Su Ping and the others couldn't afford to underestimate, in fact, for the Yellow Dragon, it didn't even raise an eyebrow.
Read the flawless version at 69shu! 6=9+shu_bar first release of the novel.
The difference in strength between an Imperial-grade and a Yellow Dragon was like that between a group of slightly larger ants and this Earth Dragon.
However, Su Ping, looking at the birds in the valley, fell into deep thought.
Wild pets, unless they were plant-type pets with higher affinity towards humans, were generally difficult to tame, which often resulted in low value and extreme hassle when dealing with them, even if they needed to be disposed of.
Nevertheless, these were flying pets.
Speaking of which, after returning from the Megacity to the Wood Heart, Su Ping consumed the Heart Fruit, and his talent 'Pet House' evolved into 'Spirit House'. This allowed him to capture pets one level higher than himself into his beast space, and these pets, to a certain extent, could not disobey his commands.
Unless they strongly resisted or faced life-threatening situations, Su Ping could theoretically tame them.
Could these wild pets be tamed? Of course, even if tamed, the number here was too large, and the difficulty was not worth the effort.
Moreover, Su Ping's current beast space was not large enough to accommodate them all.
Furthermore, even if he could, the cost of maintaining so many flying pets would be astronomical.
Flying pets were one of the three major types of land, sea, and air pets. Now that the Wood Heart had been renamed the Spirit Heart, not having flying pets would be a misnomer.
These wild birds were not plant-like, and Su Ping felt somewhat disappointed.
They were neither tasty nor worth discarding.
At this very moment, as Su Ping rode on the dragon and slowly descended towards the valley, he was also pondering how to recruit so many birds. Just then, beneath the forest before the valley, two shadowy figures were stirring.
They resembled two large gray rats constantly spinning cocoons.
Using their decent camouflage skills, they blocked the perception of the bird-type pet beasts in the sky.
If Su Ping had seen these two people at first glance, he would have been slightly startled.
The reason was simple; he knew these two individuals.
Moreover, they held great importance to him.
The reason was that the Five Elements Mutual Transformation he was currently researching was obtained from these two brothers.
Indeed, these two were none other than the Zhang brothers, the folk tomb raiders he met in the Megacity.
However, Su Ping probably never imagined that after leaving the Heart of Wood, these two brothers did not return to their hometown but instead came to this remote and rugged mountain range.
The brothers disguised themselves so well that even the bird-type pet beasts flying overhead did not notice them, as they emanated a plant-like aura like real vegetation.
"Big Brother, it's really here! Judging by the situation, this is no small feat," the figure hidden within the tree trunk exclaimed excitedly.
It was the younger Zhang brother.
The tall and robust older Zhang brother, however, did not share his younger brother's excitement. His eagle-like eyes were fixed on the situation within the valley.
The two brothers had indeed sensed something amiss while returning home on the train, using their ancestral secret technique.
They then got off at the nearest city and spent half a month exploring until they discovered some peculiarities. Following their observations, they made their way here.
Seeing that his older brother remained silent, the younger Zhang brother asked curiously, "Big Brother, what level of secret realm do you think this is? Could it be another Sage's secret realm?"
The older Zhang brother exhaled and shook his head under the cover of the tree trunk, "No matter what kind of secret realm it is, one must have the life to enjoy it. Little brother, this situation feels a bit off!"
The younger Zhang brother was taken aback. Since they took on their ancestral craft, how many secret realms had they opened?
Some were discovered in the modern world and bought by them, while others were found in places like this remote wilderness, untouched by anyone.
Moreover, in the past two years, for reasons unknown, the frequency of secret realm appearances had far exceeded the norm. Before this, they had even discovered a true Sage's secret realm, although it was taken away by those bastards from the Heavenward Surveillance.
"What's wrong?" asked the younger Zhang brother.
Indeed, the number of bird-type pet beasts in this valley was somewhat baffling.
But it was also normal; perhaps this soon-to-appear secret realm had resources that attracted bird-type pet beasts? Furthermore, judging by the situation, the rarity of this thing was probably extraordinary.
However, the older Zhang brother ignored his younger brother's blind optimism.
Secret realms were very special.
They were formed and condensed from the beast space of a deceased human beastmaster.
Even with the weakest spatial seal, it made no sense for so many bird-type pet beasts to be attracted.
Yet, they could indeed sense the impending rupture of a secret realm, and this aura was incredibly real.
It was so real that the older Zhang brother felt a sense of unease he couldn't quite describe.
To have survived until now, constantly exploring and opening secret realms in such circumstances, he relied on his cautiousness and his instinct to flee when things turned sour.
At this moment, it was his ungreedy heart that allowed him to continue living in the face of these dangerous explorations of secret realms.
"Brother, what do you suggest?"
The older Zhang brother narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Let's observe a bit more. Regardless, there are no Sovereign-rank or higher beings present yet. If such high-level wild bird pets appear, we'll retreat. If it remains like this, we'll continue waiting until the secret realm entrance appears."
No one wanted to give up.
After tracking for half a month and discovering this situation, the pain of being unable to enter and investigate was beyond what ordinary people could imagine or understand.
The older Zhang brother was also reluctant to give up.
On the other hand, the younger Zhang brother let out a sigh of relief.
The two brothers had been hiding here for an entire day.
There were indeed some wild pets from afar, but very few were Leader-rank, let alone any Sovereign-rank.
The younger Zhang brother chuckled, "Brother, if you want to stay and watch, just say so. Why bring up high-level pets? This is the mainland, with beastmaster associations and beastmaster legions stationed in various cities. Seeing a Sovereign-rank flying pet is not that easy. You might as well say that if a dragon appears, we'll retreat."
As soon as he finished speaking, a whistling wind blew over their heads.
Both of them remained silent.
However, what made them freeze in their tracks was the sound of the whistling wind fading, followed by a tremor coming from not too far in front of them.
Mustering their courage, they looked ahead.
A coarse rock dragon, with spiral horns and antlers unlike those of Western-style giant dragons, floated two meters above the ground, its long body stretched out.
This confirmed one thing.
A dragon had appeared before their eyes!
(End of Chapter)
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