Chapter 887: Birai and the Cardmaster (Part 2)
Chapter 887: Birai and the Cardmaster (Part 2)
The Gentle Breeze Compass was aimed at Qingqing Ni... Qiao Sang's nerves instantly tightened, but she remained outwardly calm.
The man with black hair, holding the Gentle Breeze Compass, glanced over, squinting his eyes as he sized up the young girl and the unfamiliar familiars nearby. He then looked back at the Compass, stopped in his tracks, and gazed deeply at her.
The man with brown hair beside him also halted.
Both men appeared to be around thirty years old, though the brown-haired man had a naturally upturned mouth, making him look much gentler than the black-haired man.
The brown-haired man glanced at the Gentle Breeze Compass, his eyes brightening, then his gaze fell on Qiao Sang. He smiled and asked, "Little girl, are you here alone?"
As he spoke, he approached at a leisurely pace.
His voice was friendly, but his micro-expressions betrayed his excitement and agitation.
Although they had no visible familiars, this didn't mean they didn't have any. They were simply invisible to the naked eye. It would be simple to get rid of these two—either by using Spatial Shift to leave or by moving them away. Over the past twenty days, she had encountered many wild beast companions, but none had posed a significant threat, allowing her to fully demonstrate her strength. The time to exit the Hidden Realm was approaching, and if the next few days passed like a game of fighting minor monsters, Qingyun Re might think she was nothing special and refuse to let Qingqing Ni bond with her... Qiao Sang's mind raced as she sized up the two unexpected visitors.
These two had the Gentle Breeze Compass, indicating they were not to be underestimated. Before she met Qingqing Ni, she had entered the Hidden Realm solely to avoid wasting the Compass and to witness a Legendary Familiar.
However, most people with the Gentle Breeze Compass had entered with the intention of capturing or bonding with Qingqing Ni.
If they had that goal from the start, they would have been thoroughly prepared.
If she were to forcefully bond with Qingqing Ni, the first step would be to force it to appear.
The Gentle Breeze Compass could indicate Qingqing Ni's general direction but not its exact location. To trap and force Qingqing Ni to show itself, the Spatial Lockdown skill of the Treasure Seeker was a viable option... Qiao Sang's heart raced as she thought this, and without feigning any further, she shouted, "Move up!"
The Treasure Seeker's eyes glowed blue.
In the next second, Qiao Sang and Fangy appeared several hundred meters above the ground.
At the same time, a barrier that was about to form around a hundred meters from their original position paused and then dissipated.
The black-haired man glanced at the Gentle Breeze Compass in his hand, then at Qiao Sang in the sky, and said in a deep voice, "Qingqing Ni is with her."
"I know", the brown-haired man replied, then called out excitedly to Qiao Sang in the sky, "Your reaction was pretty quick!"
A Beastmaster with a 50% brain domain had acute hearing. When focused on a particular direction, they could hear specific words even from a kilometer away without the need for shouting.
If she could fight, she would show Qingyun Re a thing or two; if not, she would prioritize her safety and leave... Qiao Sang looked down without responding, raised her hand, and snapped her fingers.
"Ya!"
Fangy, hearing the familiar snap, looked up excitedly and opened his mouth.
A crimson energy orb, brimming with destructive energy, began to condense in his mouth.
Almost simultaneously, a familiar about two meters tall, mostly green, with a body resembling a human and a face like a masquerade mask, appeared about five meters above Fangy. It raised its claw and instantly condensed a similarly destructive white energy orb, preparing to strike downward.
Qiao Sang's pupils dilated, and she instinctively gave the command, "Move it!"
"Xunxun!"
The Treasure Seeker looked at the familiar with the masquerade mask, and his eyes glowed blue.
The familiar with the masquerade mask vanished.
The crimson energy orb successfully fired upward.
A blinding flame shot into the sky, exploding in a stunning display at a higher altitude.
The brown-haired man clicked his tongue and formed a seal with his hands.
A massive red star array lit up on the ground.
The familiar with the masquerade mask, which had disappeared in the sky, reappeared within the star array.
Flame rain descended.
The dense, destructive flame rain, like a meteor shower, fell with a scorching heat.
The surrounding temperature rose sharply, and the sky turned red, as did the snow below.
The brown-haired man's eyes finally lost their excitement, and his expression grew slightly more serious. "Do you think Qingqing Ni has already been bonded by her?"
"Unlikely", the black-haired man replied, his eyes turning red as he gazed at the Flame Rain above. "Anyone with even a bit of sense would know to store Qingqing Ni in their Beastmaster Codex after bonding it in this Hidden Realm, rather than waiting for someone with a Gentle Breeze Compass to show up."
"She must be using some method to control Qingqing Ni's movements."
The brown-haired man's expression relaxed. "That's a relief."
The Secret Realm opens once every 1630 years, and Qingqing Ni knows that humans are after it. It wouldn't approach humans on its own.
The person the Gentle Breeze Compass points to looks young, but if they were truly as young as they appear, they wouldn't be in this Hidden Realm, let alone alone.
All these factors suggest that Qingqing Ni is likely in her possession, which is why he was prepared to take action from the start.
He just didn't expect her to be so alert.
But this confirms that Qingqing Ni is indeed in her hands.
As the Flame Rain approached about five meters above the brown-haired and black-haired men, the black-haired man suddenly spoke: "Spatial Swap."
As soon as he finished, a four-meter-tall familiar resembling a clown, with many playing cards hanging from its head, appeared beside him.
The familiar looked up at the falling Flame Rain, and one of its playing cards began to glow.
Immediately, the two men swapped places with Qiao Sang and Fangy, who were high in the air.
Damn! Qiao Sang was startled, nearly screaming.
"Qing..."
Qingqing Ni, being young, let out a scream, but it was quickly muffled, cutting off mid-scream.
This half-scream caused Qiao Sang's expression to twist momentarily before he resumed his calm demeanor.
She can't scream; Qingyun Re is nearby... Stay calm, it's just a bit frightening visually. Fangy is right here, and the Mars Rain won't hit me... Qiao Sang maintained his composure, though his palms were sweating, and he clutched Fangy's fur tightly.
Spatial Swap is an Advanced Psychic-Type Skill that can swap the positions of the user and the target.
Typically, the number of targets swapped matches the number of users.
However, despite being hundreds of meters apart, the opponent managed to perform an instant Spatial Swap with an unequal number of targets, indicating that the familiar using this Skill has a high proficiency.
The Skill didn't affect Qiao Sang or his Beastmaster, but it was all under the familiar's control.
The opponent was likely betting that Fangy wouldn't react quickly enough.
After all, his previous position, without Fangy, was within the range of the Mars Rain.
There was no need to swap positions to face an attack...
"Fangy!"
Fangy bared his teeth, staring intently at the sky above.
Flames danced and splashed, but not a single flame touched Qiao Sang.
High in the air, the two were enveloped by a translucent barrier.
The Flame Rain continuously hit the barrier, causing it to ripple urgently.
"Bang!"
With a sound like an explosion, a large hole appeared in the translucent barrier, only to immediately repair itself.
The brown-haired man sensed the surrounding activity, his expression grave. He took out his Familiar Identifier and aimed it at the unfamiliar red familiar below.
Focusing, enlarging, and clarifying, the device identified the familiar.
Soon, a mechanical voice announced:
[Flame Kiru, a Psychic and Fire Dual-Type General-Class familiar. It enjoys running in the air, has a proud personality, and dislikes being touched by anyone other than its Beastmaster. The larger the Flame Wings on its sides, the more energy it has. Conversely, smaller Flame Wings indicate weakened energy and poor status.]
As the Familiar Identifier finished its report, another large hole appeared in the barrier, only to be restored immediately.
"A General-Class familiar, yet the Mars Rain it uses is so powerful", the brown-haired man said, lowering his Familiar Identifier with a look of surprise. "This Skill must be at Mastery Level."
After all, the barrier was being maintained by his King-level familiar, Birai.
The black-haired man looked down, not responding, and instead asked, "Why didn't she take the chance to escape? Her familiar can use Spatial Shift."
The brown-haired man pondered for a moment. "She might be thinking of dealing with us. As long as we're in this Hidden Realm, we pose a threat to her."
"Is that so." The black-haired man said, forming seals with his hands. "Let's attack together. We need to finish this quickly to avoid drawing others here."
"I was thinking the same thing." The brown-haired man's expression turned excited as he began forming seals with his hands.
Massive Crimson Star Arrays lit up around Qiao Sang.
One, two, three...
On the ground, in front, in the air, on both sides...
Seven Crimson Star Arrays lit up in various directions.
Almost simultaneously, a poker card on the familiar's head, which was adorned with many cards, glowed with white light.
The Flame Rain that had filled the sky was suddenly halted by an unknown force, freezing in mid-air.
Well, both of them are B-Class Beastmasters, and they used Psychic Power to control all the Mars Rain. It seems the one with the poker cards on its head is at least a King-level familiar... The enemy is strong, but this is also an opportunity. Once I deal with these two, Qingyun Re will see my true strength... Qiao Sang took a deep breath and called out:
"Lulu!"
"Ice Emperor!"
Lulu, who had been ready, called out sharply, her eyes fierce.
In an instant, the temperature dropped drastically, even colder than before the Mars Rain had started.
The frozen Flame Rain was coated with a layer of white frost, solidifying in the air.
At the same time, seven massive figures that had appeared above the Star Arrays instantly turned to ice, becoming ice sculptures.
In the sky, the black-haired man, whose expression rarely changed, had his pupils contract sharply, his calm demeanor replaced by shock.
The brown-haired man's face turned pale with shock.
Realizing that now was not the time for shock, he quickly prepared to issue orders, commanding the only familiar not yet frozen, Birai, to attack.
However, just as he opened his mouth, a bone-chilling cold swept over him, and he found himself unable to move.
The brown-haired man realized what was happening and, with his last bit of willpower, looked to the left.
He saw two ice sculptures.
His pupils contracted sharply, and then he turned completely to ice.
Qiao Sang, watching the four frozen figures in the sky, felt a sense of relief.
To be honest, if it came to a real fight, she might not be a match for the two B-Class Beastmasters. But fortunately, Lulu's Frost Haven provided a brief invincibility effect at her rank, creating a powerful impression.
Even though the confrontation was brief, this display should be enough to convince Qingyun Re of my strength... Lulu's Frost Haven can control such a large area, but I don't know how long it can last. We should leave quickly... Qiao Sang didn't dare to delay, and she said calmly:
"Let's go."
She paused and added:
"Far away."
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker immediately understood its Beastmaster's meaning, its eyes glowing blue.
At the same time, in the sky, the frozen familiar with many poker cards on its head had its eyes glow blue, looking down.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker sensed the gaze from above.
It looked up, still feeling a bit resentful about being Spatial Swapped down, its eyes turning purple before reverting to blue.
The clown-like familiar withdrew its gaze.
Then, all the poker cards on its head glowed white.
The white light, sharp like blades, cut through the surrounding ice.
A shadowy rift opened in the ice.
At the same moment, Qiao Sang and Fangy disappeared from their spot.
The ice shattered completely.
The ice shell that had encased the Flame Rain melted, allowing the Flame Rain to continue falling.
The seven familiars, each with different forms, let out cries of pain.
The two men, just unfrozen, waved their hands, summoning their familiars back into the Beastmaster Codex.
"What was that skill?" The brown-haired man asked, his face grim. "It managed to freeze all of us from such a distance, even inside the barrier."
"The barrier had a hole from the previous Mars Rain, which was only sealed afterward", the black-haired man said gravely.
Hearing this, the brown-haired man glared at Birai.
Birai glared back: What are you looking at? It's not like I planned it.
The brown-haired man withdrew his gaze, remembering the task at hand.
"Quick, take out the Gentle Breeze Compass. We might still be able to catch up."
"Paipai."
At that moment, the familiar with poker cards on its head called out.
The black-haired man smiled.
"No need. The Cardmaster has already marked the target's location."
The brown-haired man's face lit up with joy.
"Then we should hurry—"
His voice cut off abruptly.
An overwhelming intimidation came from above.
Both men instinctively looked up.
They saw a massive bird familiar, over 20 meters tall, with all its feathers made of ice, staring down at them coldly.
Shit!
An Icebird?!(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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