Chapter 244: Winter Vacation with a Dragon! Farewell to the Tomb Raiders!

Chapter 244: Winter Vacation with a Dragon! Farewell to the Tomb Raiders!

At the entrance of the base of the Heart of All Spirits.

Su Ping once again donned his battle-ready attire.

However, beneath the scales of his armor, he was also wrapped in thick fur to withstand the cold during this season.

Indeed, after just one night of rest, Su Ping was ready to embark on a journey with the slightly recovered Fire Eating Crow.

After all, there were only two days left until the Lunar New Year's Eve.

But what left Su Ping speechless and conflicted was that at this very moment, he wasn't alone with the little crow.

Su Ping looked at the three people beside him in disbelief:

"I'm saying, big brothers and sisters, instead of spending time with your families, why are you tagging along with me?"

Indeed, at this moment, the three people beside him were none other than Qin Xiaoxue, DongMUXuan, and Ye Zhou.

Ye Zhou blinked:

"I don't have a family to celebrate the New Year with. Most of my holidays in the past were spent at the academy. This year, I happened to encounter your situation, so how could I not come and see the Fire Eating Crow and check on our joint research?"

DongMUXuan, who was from an aristocratic family at the academy, said in a simple-minded manner:

"My sister told me to follow you around more."

Qin Xiaoxue glared at him:

"I was getting bored in Linzhou, and I heard that there might be some fun things happening with you. How could I not come along? Don't you welcome us?"

Su Ping nodded, reluctantly acknowledging their flimsy reasons.

However, he glanced back at the massive figure that had accompanied him for several days, feeling helpless:

"Big Yellow, the enemies of the little crow are probably just at the Elite Rank, and there might be more of them. They might not even exceed the Commander Rank in strength. What are you coming along for?"

Indeed, at this moment, in addition to these three people who were eager to watch the spectacle, there was another figure that drew attention, especially with the lack of tourists due to the approaching New Year. It was none other than Master Zhu Hong's enormous yellow dragon.

The yellow dragon glanced at this smelly kid and let out a loud snort.

The meaning was clear.

If it weren't for its carefree beastmaster owner, it wouldn't bother following this mischievous smelly kid 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 dragon by his side gave him a strong sense of security.

As the most revered companion beast in the Dragon Kingdom, the presence of a dragon was akin to a totem.

This was evident from the little crow's eyes, which were filled with both fear and excitement.

Oh well, strength in numbers! If they encountered any trouble, these people would indeed be a great help.

With this in mind, Su Ping no longer hesitated and waved his hand:

"Since that's the case, let's go! Little Crow, lead the way!"

"Caw caw caw!"

The Fire Eating Crow, perched on top of Su Ping, flapped its wings and slowly rose into the sky.

Su Ping, amidst the envious gazes of Ye Zhou and DongMUXuan, effortlessly mounted the yellow dragon's neck.

Riding a dragon was not an experience that everyone could enjoy.

Among the three, only Qin Xiaoxue wasn't particularly curious or interested in the dragon.

However, these three people were certainly not ordinary. Even without the dragon's guidance, keeping up with the little crow wouldn't be a difficult task.

Su Ping saw Qin Xiaoxue's third companion beast for the first time.

This was Qin Xiaoxue's first true contract companion beast, also of the wood element, but of a different species.

Fairy Blossom.

A companion beast with a racial potential that had reached the Monarch Rank.

It was a wood element companion beast.

This beast resembled a young girl, with several flower petal-like wings on its back.

In its hands, it held a lotus pod-like object, and with a slight touch, Qin Xiaoxue was lifted by the Fairy Blossom and soared through the sky.

Su Ping took a keen interest in the Commander Rank Fairy Blossom, observing it for a while.

As for Ye Zhou and DongMUXuan, they each had their unique abilities.

When Su Ping first met DongMUXuan, he finally saw the Weave-Sky Spider that DongMUXuan had mentioned.

It was a small spider, only the size of a palm.

However, it appeared translucent, floating freely in the air, and as it crawled swiftly, DongMUXuan could follow its path as if walking on solid ground, moving at an astonishing speed.

It was quite fascinating.

As for Ye Zhou, although he didn't demonstrate flying abilities, he didn't need to.

A yellow tiger appeared beneath him, its body adorned with circular patterns resembling tree rings. With each rotation, it appeared behind the little crow.

However, no matter how close their relationship was, it was impolite to inquire about others' companion beasts, even with the True Eye.

This was a matter of etiquette.

Therefore, although Su Ping was curious, he refrained from asking.

Unsurprisingly, the little crow's destination was not the outskirts of Linzhou City but the vast wilderness beyond the city.

Despite the efforts of the Beastmaster Legion and local Beastmaster Associations to inspect and clear wild companion beasts, some remote areas were inevitably less thoroughly patrolled, as was the case at this moment.

Jianghai, near the East Sea, was home to the Spirit Stream River and West Dragon Lake. The Beastmaster Legion stationed there primarily focused on the East Sea coast and West Dragon Lake, leaving the interior less thoroughly searched.

The ground beneath them rapidly passed by as the yellow dragon soared through the sky, while the little crow flew at a slower pace.

However, despite Little Crow's severe injuries, it managed to return to the Wood Core several times. Clearly, the distance from here wasn't as far as it seemed.

Indeed, that was the case.

In less than an hour, they had traveled over a hundred kilometers, and from a distance, a valley with an unusual appearance came into Su Ping's view.

Su Ping narrowed his eyes and shouted at the vengeful Little Crow ahead: "Little Crow, stop!"

"Gaak!"

Little Crow indeed halted, and through its gaze, Su Ping could see that its attention was focused on the valley—their destination.

Su Ping opened his map and quickly located his position.

This place was still technically within the jurisdiction of Linzhou, but it was 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, it made sense. Wild Companion Beasts were more commonly found in such remote and isolated areas.

Su Ping paused in mid-air, and the others who were following behind him also arrived, their eyes fixed on the distant valley.

No one spoke; everyone stared intently at the scene before them. Despite their extensive knowledge, they were still awe-struck by what they witnessed.

In the valley at the end of their sight, countless figures stood on the branches of withered trees, flew through the sky, perched on mountain peaks, or strolled leisurely within the valley.

However, these countless figures were all Companion Beasts of the bird class.

Indeed, the scene reminded Su Ping of something familiar.

It was somewhat similar to the situation when he first encountered the Rainbow Coral Worm beneath the Spirit Stream River.

The Rainbow Coral Worm emitted a rainbow light.

This light attracted aquatic Companion Beasts, and it was an extremely rare and precious treasure among Companion Beasts.

Now, Su Ping had taken good care of it, and it had become the biggest secret of the Water Core.

In Dong Muchun's words, it could easily support a large-scale aquatic Companion Beast farm. Using it just for fishing was a waste of its potential.

At this moment, the countless figures in the valley, these bird Companion Beasts, outnumbered the aquatic Companion Beasts in the Spirit Stream River by an unknown factor.

Su Ping had reason to believe that within a few hundred li radius, all wild bird Companion Beasts might have gathered here. There were Companion Beasts of all ranks—Common, Elite, and Monarch.

All types of birds were present—eagles, falcons, and sparrows, to name a few.

There were no Monarch-ranked Companion Beasts, as those at this level would be detected by the Legion's special devices. Once they entered a certain range of human settlements, the Legion would immediately dispatch forces to capture them.

However, the number of Companion Beasts is indeed too many."

At a glance, there were already thousands, if not tens of thousands.

This might not seem like a large number, but how many flying Companion Beasts were there in the wild? This was within the territory of human Beastmasters, not in true wilderness.

Even without high-ranking Companion Beasts, this number could cause significant casualties and chaos if they attacked small towns.

Su Ping frowned, concerned about the potential safety hazards. Why were these Companion Beasts gathering here? After some thought, Su Ping patted Dahuang's body and said, "Dahuang, stop in front of the valley."

For Su Ping and the others, this was an impressive sight, but for Dahuang, a Yellow Dragon, it was as uninteresting as watching a few larger ants scurrying about.

The power gap between an Imperial-level and an Earth Dragon was vast.

Su Ping, however, was deep in thought as he observed the birds in the valley.

Wild Companion Beasts, especially those that weren't plant-based and had low affinity with humans, were difficult to tame, making them less valuable in many cases.

Nonetheless, these were flying Companion Beasts.

Speaking of which, after Su Ping's return to the Wood Core from the Metropolis, he consumed the Mind Fruit, and his talent, 'Companion Beast Home,' evolved into 'All Spirits Home.' This allowed him to not only house Companion Beasts stronger than himself in his Beast Space but also exert a degree of control over them.

Unless they strongly resisted or faced life-threatening situations, Su Ping could theoretically tame them.

Could these wild Companion Beasts be tamed? Of course, even if they were tamed, the sheer number of flying Companion Beasts would be a significant financial burden.

Moreover, Su Ping's Beast Space couldn't accommodate them all.

Even if he could, the monthly expenses for maintaining so many flying Companion Beasts would be astronomical.

However, without flying Companion Beasts, the Wood Core, now renamed the Heart of All Souls, would be incomplete, as it represented the land, sea, and air domains.

These wild birds, not being plant-like at all, left Su Ping with a feeling of being underwhelmed.

Tasteless, what a waste.

At this very moment, as Su Ping rode the dragon and slowly descended towards the valley, he contemplated how to recruit this flock of birds while considering how to recruit the numerous birds. Underneath the forest before the valley, two shadowy figures stood, their bodies emitting a plant-like aura as if they were genuine plants.

Even the birds flying overhead didn't notice them.

"Big Bro, it's really here! Judging by this situation, it's not a small find!"

The voice, filled with excitement, came from a figure hidden within a tree trunk.

It was the younger brother, Zhang Wei.

The older brother, Zhang Wei, who was tall and robust, didn't share his brother's excitement. His eagle-like gaze fixed on the valley.

The brothers had discovered something unusual during their train journey home, using their ancestral secret technique.

They got off at the nearest city and spent half a month investigating, eventually finding something peculiar. They followed the clues and made their way here.

Zhang Wei asked curiously, "Big Bro, what level of mystic realm do you think this is? Could it be a Sage's realm?"

Zhang Wei sighed and shook his head, hidden behind the tree trunk. "No matter what kind of mystic realm it is, we need to be alive to enjoy it, little bro. This situation feels off to me!"

Zhang Wei was taken aback. Since taking up their ancestral craft, how many realms had they opened?

They had bought realms in the present world, and even found one in a place like this, a true Sage's realm. Although it was taken away by those bastards from the Heavenward Inspectorate.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Wei asked.

Indeed, the number of bird-type companion beasts in this valley was unusual.

But it was normal, perhaps this soon-to-appear realm had resources that attracted bird-type companion beasts. Moreover, the situation suggested that this thing was exceptionally valuable.

Zhang Wei ignored his brother's blind optimism.

Mystic realms were very special.

They were formed and condensed from the Beast Space of a Beastmaster after death.

No matter how weak the Beast Space was, it made no sense for it to attract so many bird-type companion beasts.

Yet, they clearly sensed the breath of an impending realm, a breath that was unmistakably real.

The reality of it made Zhang Wei feel a mix of excitement and fear.

His cautiousness and ability to sense danger, allowing him to survive countless realm openings, were the keys to his survival in these dangerous explorations.

"Bro, what should we do?"

Zhang Wei narrowed his eyes and exhaled. "Let's observe. No matter what, there's no Monarch Rank or higher presence yet. If a wild bird companion beast of that level appears, we'll retreat. If it remains like this, we'll wait until the realm's entrance appears."

No one was willing to give up.

After half a month of painstaking tracking, reaching this place, and finding this situation, they couldn't enter to investigate, a pain no ordinary person could imagine or understand.

Zhang Wei was reluctant to give up.

But his younger brother, Li Hua, breathed a sigh of relief.

The brothers had been here for a day.

There were some wild companion beasts in the distance, but few were of the Commander Rank, let alone Monarch Rank.

Li Hua chuckled, "Bro, do you want to stay and watch? Stop talking about high-level companion beasts. This is the inland, with Beastmaster Associations and Beastmaster Legions in various cities. Monarch Rank flying companion beasts aren't so easy to find. You might as well say if a dragon appears, we'll leave."

As soon as he finished speaking, a whistling wind blew past their heads.

Both brothers remained silent and hid.

However, what stunned them was the sound of a tremor coming from not far in front of them after the whistling wind settled.

They mustered their courage and looked ahead.

A coarse rock dragon scale, different from the spiral horns and deer horns of Western-style giant dragons, floated two meters above the ground, a narrow and long body.

It proved one thing.

A dragon had appeared before their eyes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end