Chapter 499: The Eastern Sea Border! Visitors from the Cherry Blossom Country

Chapter 499: The Eastern Sea Border! Visitors from the Cherry Blossom Country

Su Ping had experienced flying a plane before, and not just once.

However, this was his first time riding a 'yacht'.

Strictly speaking, the vessel beneath his feet shouldn't be called a yacht.

It was a mothership.

Standing on the deck at the bow, he gazed at the massive ship's head cutting through the waves, the deep blue sky merging with the equally azure sea.

Wavebreaker.

This was the vessel that Meng Yao acquired after advancing to the Holy Spirit Rank.

Unlike most Holy Spirit Rank Beast Tamers who preferred specialized aircraft, Meng Yao, being a master of the Water attribute, naturally chose a fortress in the water.

"Indeed, after leaving the mouth of the West Dragon Lake and entering the Eastern Sea, the speed of the Wavebreaker can reach over two hundred kilometers per hour! Truly remarkable."

Su Ping looked into the distance and couldn't help but sigh to the figure beside him.

This speed was impressive on land and in the sky, but for such a massive vessel to maintain it on water was extraordinary.

Meng Yao stood at the bow, giving Su Ping a sidelong glance. "My Wavebreaker isn't just fast. Your little Dragon Pride is so big that several of them could fit on the Wavebreaker. It's equipped with numerous mechanical weapons, making it a fortress at sea. Moreover, it can dive underwater as a submarine! It's incredibly versatile!"

Meng Yao sighed as he continued, "But even with all its uses, it's become your sightseeing tool."

His resentment was evident, directed not at Su Ping, but at Zhu Hong, who had assigned this challenging task to him and then left for the Imperial City.

Of course, if given the choice, accompanying Su Ping was preferable to arguing with the Holy Dragon over the phone.

Su Ping paid no heed to Meng Yao's thoughts.

At this moment, the little crow Yaya and the Divine Wind Sparrow stood on his shoulders, gazing at the vast Eastern Sea ahead.

The sparrow was still occasionally guiding the direction.

Indeed, after the Divine Wind Sparrow's reluctant words, how could Su Ping, who was feeling sleepy, refuse such a convenient pillow? As for Yaya's thoughts?

The little crow expressed indifference, ready to conquer all.

If not for Su Ping's restraint, this fellow would have already challenged Xiao Qing and Qian Yi, not fully understanding his own strength.

He wanted to challenge both of them! Although Su Ping believed Yaya was powerful, he wasn't sure if Yaya was truly a match for Qian Yi's full strength.

Both of these little ones were Su Ping's treasures, and Qian Yi was his contracted beast. If they were injured in an internal struggle rather than against an enemy, it would be a real pity.

Therefore, Su Ping decided without hesitation. After a night's rest, before dawn, he set out with Meng Yao, who was still immersed in the Dream Heart.

As for Zhu Hong, as Meng Yao had said, this professional breeder needed to return to the Imperial City immediately to report to the Breeder Association and the Holy Dragon.

There seemed to be other matters to attend to as well.

In short, he left in a hurry.

Su Ping didn't bother asking further.

His mind was solely focused on Yaya's abilities and the so-called clan of the Divine Wind Sparrow! Although his rationality told him otherwise.

Not to mention the rarity of a mature Divine Wind Sparrow forming a clan, a possibility of less than one percent.

And even if such a clan existed, it would undoubtedly include adult Imperial Rank Divine Wind Sparrows.

They possessed complete wisdom and were unyielding, even to the little flame.

Such mature birds could not be easily swayed.

They could even choose death over submission.

Freedom was the most important thing for bird-type beasts.

Nevertheless, Su Ping wanted to give it a try.

What if there was a beast charmed by the charisma of Su Ping the breeder? With this unrealistic fantasy in mind, Su Ping turned to the Divine Wind Sparrow:

"Little one, where is your clan? Have they arrived yet?"

"Chirp chirp!"

The Divine Wind Sparrow flapped its wings, indicating that they were close.

Su Ping turned to Meng Yao beside him:

"Senior Meng, how long have we been sailing since leaving the Wansheng Heart?"

Before dawn, they had departed from the Wansheng Heart, and now, judging by the sun, they had already traveled for a whole morning.

The distance was indeed considerable.

It was unclear how the Divine Wind Sparrow had found them.

Perhaps the evolution of the Phoenix Perching Pine had such a strong attraction. But upon reflection, the Divine Wind Sparrow's speed was incredible, and its usual foraging range could extend nearly a thousand kilometers in all directions.

The Eastern Sea was mostly ocean, so flying towards the continent made sense.

Meng Yao snapped his fingers, and a crisp mechanical voice sounded:

"Master, we are over five hundred kilometers beyond the West Dragon Lake and located in the southeast of Dragon Country, at the border of Dragon Country's territorial waters. Another hundred kilometers in this direction will bring us to the border of the Endless Sea, and four thousand seven hundred li ahead in the Endless Sea lies the Mermaid Country..."

Meng Yao nodded. "It's quite far."

After some thought, Meng Yao's expression turned serious. "Su Ping, if we don't arrive within thirty minutes, we'll stop, and I'll send a message to the adult. I'll request a couple more Holy Spirit Rank Beast Tamers to escort you."

Su Ping raised an eyebrow. "Is that necessary?"

Wasn't he just sightseeing? Was this level of precaution needed?

Meng Yao shook his head. "Your current identity is sensitive. You should know about the incident with Nie Chuan. Countries have never ceased their surveillance and assassination attempts on enemy nation's talented Beast Tamers.

You are the most outstanding breeder genius in many years. Even if I die, I can't let anything happen to you, and I won't take that risk."

Su Ping nodded.

He wasn't one to joke about his life either.

Although, this time, aside from Zhu Hong, no one knew about their departure.

However, after a moment's pause, Meng Yao continued, "But you don't need to be too afraid. I reckon that your current strength, compared to that of Nie Chuan back then, should be much stronger.

Not to mention your few pets and this little bird, I reckon that even if a Monarch Rank Beast Tamer came, they might not be able to handle them well."

As the two chatted, the Divine Wind Sparrow on Su Ping's shoulder suddenly chirped excitedly.

Then, it slowly flapped its wings and took to the air, pointing towards an island that was gradually coming into view in the distance.

It was jumping for joy.

They had arrived!

Su Ping's eyes lit up as well.

However, Meng Yao's eyebrows gradually furrowed.

With his Saint Rank strength, he was different from Su Ping and the Divine Wind Sparrow circling in the air beside him. At the same time, the entire sea, and even the entire area, was within his spiritual sense's reach.

This was the special feature of his meditation technique.

Because of this, in his perception, he suddenly realized that the island surrounded by the sea seemed a bit off.

"Po Lang, slow down, and launch the stealth probe camouflage fish."

He spoke softly.

Indeed, the huge warship beneath them slowed down significantly.

And in just a few minutes, Po Lang's voice transmitted a picture back.

This picture caused Su Ping and Meng Yao's eyebrows to furrow tightly.

The interior of the small island couldn't be seen, but on the other side of the island, a similarly large ship was docked at the shore.

Most importantly, on that ship, two flags were hoisted.

On the first flag, there was a strange pink petal standing on a pure white background.

Even Su Ping recognized this flag.

It was the flag of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom!

As for the second flag, it was entirely crimson with a red ghost head printed on it. The characters were in the language of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom, and even without Po Lang's real-time translation, Su Ping could understand some of it: 'Crimson Ghost'

Meng Yao's eyes narrowed, revealing a cold glint: "Po Lang, you go underwater, Su Ping, follow me, and we'll take a small boat to go take a look. Here, take this for protection."

He didn't leave Su Ping cautiously behind, and even turned back.

In Po Lang's transmitted picture, it was clear that this so-called Crimson Ghost ship wasn't even a mechanical pet, and its aura wasn't strong, indicating that it wasn't very powerful and wasn't targeting Su Ping.

Su Ping nodded, took the mechanical sensing protection ring that Meng Yao handed to him, and a trace of excitement that even he didn't notice appeared in his eyes: "Okay."

...

This was a very strange island.

The island wasn't big; in fact, its diameter was barely less than two kilometers.

However, the terrain on the island was extremely odd.

There was an even smaller valley, only a few hundred meters long and a few dozen meters high.

Calling it a valley seemed a bit of an exaggeration.

What was even stranger was that in the center of this valley, a thick mountain wall almost blocked the valley's gap in the middle.

However, in the middle of the mountain wall, there was a strange tunnel.

The tunnel was only a few meters wide but extended for over ten meters, connecting the entire valley.

Inside this valley, endless gusts of wind had even condensed into a tangible tornado, swirling within the cave.

This was a naturally formed eye of the storm.

The endless gusts of wind in this valley were compressed by this natural vortex, forming the purest wind element.

This was evident from the abundant wind element energy and the easily visible low-level wind resources scattered around this nameless island.

Moreover, around this vortex, in the small valley, wind element spirits were floating and circling, born under the nourishment of the vortex.

In addition, it seemed that there were also some wind-type pets dwelling here.

However, the place was no longer as peaceful and harmonious as it should have been.

Human footprints had brought some bloodshed to this place.

On the other side of the island, the wind raged, and the cries of ghosts and spirits echoed.

Two figures stood on the ground, looking up at the sky.

Meanwhile, some wind element spirits in the surroundings were being captured or directly eliminated by several pets.

These figures didn't pay attention to the equally precious wind elements around them; all their attention was on the pets in the sky.

In the sky, there were a total of ten pets fighting each other!

The numbers were not equal.

Among them, three Imperial Rank pets with the characteristics of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom—the Two-Headed Ghost Dove, the Great Heavenly Dog, and the Flying Head General—were in the highest sky, besieging a huge adult green Divine Wind Sparrow with wings spanning nearly three meters.

The howling gusts of wind, combined with the strange terrain of the island, were barely able to hold off the offensive.

However, the other two battlefields on the opposite side were clearly not as optimistic.

They were two of the same pets, named Split Wind Blue Eagles.

They were also wind-type flying pets, but the Split Wind Blue Eagle's racial limit was usually only the Monarch Rank peak.

However, one of these two Split Wind Blue Eagles, the larger one, had clearly surpassed the Monarch Rank and reached the Imperial Rank.

It was also because of this that this Split Wind Blue Eagle, facing two Imperial Rank and two Monarch Rank peak opponents, was still able to protect the smaller Split Wind Blue Eagle behind it.

However, from the several bloody wounds on its body and the blood constantly splattering in the sky, it was evident that neither this Split Wind Blue Eagle nor the Imperial Rank Divine Wind Sparrow could last much longer.

The figures below seemed quite satisfied with this scene.

Among them, a middle-aged man with a small beard nodded in satisfaction to a short, old man beside him:

"Yamamoto, your intelligence this time is crucial! These two Imperial Rank Divine Eagles will soon belong to our Crimson Ghost Group! The envoy will definitely be very pleased.

The short, elderly man flattered with a smile, "It's all thanks to your formidable power, Lord Crimson Ghost. Otherwise, even if someone knew the whereabouts of this Divine Wind Sparrow and Split Wind Lan Eagle, an ordinary person would never be able to slay them."

The middle-aged man with a small mustache smiled, feeling quite pleased with his subordinate's flattery.

As an Imperial Rank Beast Tamer with five Imperial Rank pets, even his Great Heavenly Dog was already at the advanced Imperial Rank level.

As one of the prominent families in the Cherry Blossom Kingdom, the heir of the Crimson Ghost Clan, his strength was indeed worthy of pride.

"Lord Qiong, the envoy who came from across the ocean this time, what brings him to our Cherry Blossom Kingdom?" The elderly man asked curiously.

The man glanced at him, "Yamamoto-kun, don't ask questions you shouldn't."

The short man quickly lowered his head, but the man still paused and said, "But this isn't a secret. The envoy is a high-ranking member and one of the founders of the Golden Heart. He's here to establish a special branch of the Golden Heart in our Cherry Blossom Kingdom.

In the future, our Cherry Blossom Kingdom will become the financial center of the East. All future members from the East who join the Golden Heart won't need to cross the ocean to go to the Eagle Kingdom; they can do so right here in our island nation!"

However, the location for the Golden Heart branch hasn't been decided yet. Currently, the various noble families controlling the cities are all vying for this opportunity.

The Divine Tree Family, our Crimson Ghost Clan, the Orange Sword Family, and even the Sakura Family, who has always controlled Kyoto, all want to seize this chance.

Through our family members across the ocean, I learned that this envoy comes from a noble family in the Eagle Kingdom. His favorite hobby is collecting specimens of eagle pets."

The middle-aged man smiled as he looked up at the sky, where the Divine Wind Sparrow and the Split Wind Lan Eagle were bleeding profusely, barely breathing.

"The Divine Wind Sparrow and the Split Wind Lan Eagle are unique pets of the East, rarely seen across the ocean. If I can turn these precious Imperial Rank pets into exquisite, lifelike, and even energy-preserving specimens, the envoy will surely be delighted.

Perhaps he'll even establish the Golden Heart branch directly in Nara City, which is under the control of my Crimson Ghost Clan. Then, not only will I be the next leader of the Crimson Ghost Clan, but I might also become the future chairman of the Crimson Ghost Group, and with the envoy's help, I might even surpass the Sakura Family and become the top family in the Cherry Blossom Kingdom!"

"I see! Lord Crimson Ghost has gone to great lengths for such an important matter! Truly a deep and far-sighted plan!" The elderly man quickly flattered him.

"Hmph, Yamamoto-kun, if it weren't for trying to keep the bodies intact, these two mere initial Imperial Rank beasts would have been devoured by my Great Heavenly Dog long ago. Why waste so much time?" said the man named Crimson Ghost Qiong disdainfully. But soon, he looked up at the sky and narrowed his eyes.

"This Divine Wind Sparrow has some skill, but this Split Wind Lan Eagle isn't worth mentioning. It must have relied on this unique place to break through the racial limit by chance, but its strength is quite ordinary. It's time to end this!"

As he spoke, the two Imperial Rank pets, the 'Crimson-Faced Sword Ghost' and the 'Flying Head General', took action. The former slashed through the air, and while the Split Wind Lan Eagle dodged, the latter's head suddenly emerged and bit into the Split Wind Lan Eagle's body.

Large chunks of flesh were torn off, and the Split Wind Lan Eagle fell from the sky with a loud bang, its fate uncertain.

"You fool! Shiva, I told you not to damage the specimen's body! Do you know how much effort it will take to restore this torn flesh?" The man was furious.

The so-called Shiva, the Flying Head General, looked a bit aggrieved. Annoyed, the man waved his hand, "Alright, alright, that Split Wind Lan Eagle isn't completely dead yet. Quickly swallow its soul. And help Yamamoto's two useless pets finish off that smaller Split Wind Lan Eagle. I don't want to linger in the waters near the Dragon Kingdom."

"Chirp, chirp!"

The Flying Head General rushed towards the Split Wind Lan Eagle on the ground, whose fate was still unknown.

The Divine Wind Sparrow in the sky witnessed this scene and desperately tried to break through the encirclement of the three pets, but all it got was a few more deep wounds.

"Chirp, chirp!"

The Divine Wind Sparrow's mournful cries rang out, filled with helplessness.

It could only watch as the ferocious Flying Head General, with its sharp teeth and claws, approached its mate to end the Split Wind Lan Eagle's life.

However, at this critical moment, a powerful bolt of lightning traveled several miles in just a fraction of a second and directly struck the Flying Head General.

The once-ferocious Flying Head General didn't even have time to scream before it turned into ashes, leaving only a pile of remains.

A lightning-based attack, the most ferocious and violent!

The man named Crimson Ghost Qiong's previously annoyed expression instantly vanished, and at this moment, he looked as if he had been struck by lightning himself, his face turning deathly pale, as if he might collapse at any moment.

The death of a contracted pet is a heavy blow to a Beast Tamer, even for an Imperial Rank Beast Tamer, it's an irreparable wound! However, at this moment, he didn't have the mind to think about who had arrived; without a second thought, he leaped onto the Great Heavenly Dog, with whom he shared a deep spiritual connection, and tried to escape.

Unfortunately, just as he took off, a wall of water surrounded the entire sky.

A Holy Spirit Rank water dragon, 'Shang Sheng', blocked his path.

At the same time, a faint child's voice sounded from a distance:

"As far as I know, this place is about thirty-seven kilometers outside the territorial waters of the Dragon Kingdom, right?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end