Beast Taming: Starting From Zero
Chapter 165: Three-Eyed Cicada (three chapters in one)
The Clone Demon Puppet was one level higher than the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost, so let’s set that aside for now.
Currently, only its four limbs appeared here, and all four limbs were fitted with imitation human prosthetics; the Clone Demon Puppet hadn’t even assembled itself completely.
Without sensory stimulation, three of the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost’s existing skills—Tongue Lick, Hypnosis, and Dream Eating—were rendered useless.
The remaining skills were only Barrier, Superpower, and Teleportation.
Besides Superpower, the other two were not offensive skills.
Moreover, if Superpower couldn’t control all four limbs simultaneously, but only individual ones, the remaining uncontrolled hands and feet might seize the opportunity to attack the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost.
After all, Teleportation and Superpower could not be used at the same time.
Difficult to handle…
Qiao Sang felt for the first time that the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost had too few skills.
However, if the goal wasn’t to defeat the Clone Demon Puppet but to shake it off, there wasn’t no way.
Qiao Sang made a decisive decision.
“Throw them in different directions!”
The Little Treasure Hunting Ghost was startled by the command, and while dodging, it looked disdainfully at the four limbs covered in red liquid.
It pouted, then its eyes became firm.
This was its Yu Beast Master’s command, there was nothing it could do; at worst, it would just rub itself clean on its Yu Beast Master’s head later.
“Xun!”
The Little Treasure Hunting Ghost accelerated the frequency of its Teleportation, constantly changing its position.
Seizing the opportunity, it teleported next to one of the legs that had fallen furthest behind, and while it was unprepared, it hoisted it onto its shoulder, then instantly performed a continuous Teleportation, disappearing from the Clone Demon Puppet’s line of sight.
The other two hands and one foot remained stunned in place, not reacting.
Rather than saying the hands and feet didn’t react, it was more accurate to say the head, hidden in the darkness, didn’t react.
The Clone Demon Puppet stared wide-eyed as the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost carried its leg and vanished just like that.
“Mo Mo!”
The Clone Demon Puppet was enraged; in the past, when others saw it, weren’t they all full of fear, their reactions amusing it greatly?
But today!
First, its face was kicked, and then its own hand was disliked!
The voice coming from the headset on its head had barely allowed it to restrain itself, but now that the sound in the headset was gone, it had no more qualms.
After all, its Yu Beast Master had said it only needed to listen to what was said in the headset.
“Mo Mo!”
The Clone Demon Puppet glared in the direction the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost had disappeared, completely forgetting the presence of others, and quickly summoned the hands and feet still remaining there, rushing to pursue.
Qiao Sang watched the head and remaining limbs appear out of thin air and rush towards the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost’s direction, yet she wasn’t anxious, as steady as an old dog.
She had already guessed that the Clone Demon Puppet’s head was here, so she wasn’t surprised at all.
Limb parts could not have independent thought; they were similar to clones but not true clones, as the limbs could not release any skills besides moving.
Moreover, the limbs’ movements had to be controlled by the Clone Demon Puppet itself.
If the limbs were clones, then the head was the main body; it was observing the whole situation from the shadows, otherwise the limbs wouldn’t have known which direction the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost teleported to with an omniscient perspective.
Sure enough, the head had come out now.
It wasn’t hard to figure out why the Clone Demon Puppet hadn’t assembled its limbs and head.
Because it was still missing a connecting body part.
The torso.
The Clone Demon Puppet placed different body parts in different checkpoints, and it was estimated that the torso was also separated and placed elsewhere.
“Qiao, Qiao Sang, will the Treasure Hunting Ghost be alright?” Fang Sisi came to Qiao Sang’s side and asked distractedly.
She had always known that Qiao Sang had been very powerful since her brain domain awakened, not only contracting a Fire Fang Dog but also winning the Bai Xin Competition with the Fire Fang Dog.
It wasn’t that the Fire Fang Dog wasn’t powerful, but winning the championship among a group of Yu Beast Masters several years older than them was a bit incredible.
After all, in the competition, some Yu Beast Masters’ two Pets had already evolved into Mid-level Pets, while the Fire Fang Dog was still only a Beginner Pet at that time.
Just when she thought Qiao Sang couldn’t summon the Yan Ling Dog back now and could only run around with her in the second secret room, it turned out that the second Pet she contracted, the Treasure Hunting Ghost, dealt with the Baby Shell in a few moves and even lured away the Clone Demon Puppet…
This feeling was so surreal…
It was like they had agreed to be academic failures together, but then you not only made a comeback but became a freak?
“It’ll be fine,” Qiao Sang said, looking in the direction where the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost had disappeared.
“Um, what was that skill the Treasure Hunting Ghost kept changing positions with just now?” Fang Sisi asked curiously, “Why does it feel so similar to Teleportation?”
“It’s called Teleportation,” Qiao Sang replied.
Fang Sisi: “?!”
“Say that again, what’s that skill called?!” Fang Sisi’s eyes widened, unable to believe her ears.
“Teleportation,” Qiao Sang answered again.
Fang Sisi stood stunned in place; although she was a poor student, she knew that Teleportation was a Superpower System Pet skill, but wasn’t the Treasure Hunting Ghost a Ghost-type Pet?!
Could it be, could it be that the Treasure Hunting Ghost…
“It’s exactly what you’re thinking,” Qiao Sang answered before Fang Sisi even had a chance to ask.
Fang Sisi fell silent.
After a while, she said, “Qiao Sang, do you remember the cheat sheets I wrote for you every year during the annual exams, risking being caught by the teacher? And when you were punished to run laps on the track, I stayed with you on the track, and I even accompanied you to the restroom every time back then, do you remember?”
Qiao Sang paused, then replied, “I remember, one time you changed a few multiple-choice questions so that your answers wouldn’t be exactly the same as mine, and as a result, I became fifth from the bottom of the class, and you dropped one spot to third from the bottom, and your mom even docked your allowance for a month.”
Fang Sisi’s mouth twitched.
Qiao Sang continued, “That time on the track, I was running, and you were eating an ice cream bar next to me, and then you saw your crush holding hands with a girl, and you ran to the restroom to cry before you even finished your ice cream.”
Fang Sisi: “…”
“As for the restroom…”
“Stop talking.” Fang Sisi directly interrupted what Qiao Sang was about to say next; she was afraid she would have a heart attack if she didn’t stop her.
“Are we friends?” Fang Sisi changed her question.
“Yes.” Qiao Sang nodded.
“It’s been so many years, I think it’s time our relationship took another step forward.” Fang Sisi cleared her throat and said seriously, “What do you think about me evolving my Cotton Section Worm into a Butterfly of Gloom, and then having it marry your Treasure Hunting Ghost to have a talented Pet baby?”
Qiao Sang: “…”
“You don’t have to worry about the ownership of the Pet baby; whether it’s a Cotton Section Worm or a Treasure Hunting Ghost, I’ll treat it well.”
“Get lost!”
“…”
In Yu Beast society, not only do Yu Beast Masters have an advantage in the marriage market, but Pets with good talent do as well.
Many Yu Beast Masters would seek out talented Pet partners for their own Pets, which had a bit of a pre-arranged marriage feel to it.
Pets weren’t only able to mate with those of the same species.
As long as they clicked, some Pets with different attributes and body types could also be together, and the Pet hatched from the resulting Pet egg would be one of their species.
“The Little Treasure Hunting Ghost and the Cotton Section Worm have different growth cycles; it’s only a little over a month old, don’t try to scheme against it,” Qiao Sang warned.
A little over a month old… Fang Sisi immediately dropped the idea.
A Ghost-type Pet that was a little over a month old was equivalent to a baby that could only drink milk; it couldn’t do anything.
By the time the Treasure Hunting Ghost grew up and became sensible, her Cotton Section Worm would already be old…
After Qiao Sang finished speaking, her thoughts returned to the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost.
She estimated that the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost should have gone far enough now, and just as she was about to form hand seals to summon it back, she realized she was still holding a Black Mud.
“Hold this for me.” Qiao Sang handed the Black Mud to Fang Sisi and began to form hand seals.
Throwing the limbs was merely a feint, intended to lure the Clone Demon Puppet away. As long as it reached a certain distance, she would summon the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost back; could the Clone Demon Puppet possibly continue to follow?
If a Pet was right next to them, a mere thought or a wave of the hand could return the Pet to the yu beast codex, but if the Pet was not within sight, then the corresponding summoning gesture had to be performed.
Qiao Sang quickly summoned the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost back after completing the hand seals.
“Xun!”
After returning, the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost happily floated to its exclusive spot and rubbed its claws against her hair, then floated to the side, no longer staying on its Yu Beast Master’s hair.
Qiao Sang didn’t notice anything unusual and turned to the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost, praising it, “Well done.”
“Xun~”
The Little Treasure Hunting Ghost curved its eyes; to it, this was as fun as playing a game.
“Let’s keep going.” Qiao Sang said, preparing to step forward.
Just as she took a step with her left foot, Fang Sisi pulled her back with a delighted exclamation, “Didn’t you notice you summoned the Treasure Hunting Ghost back?!”
Qiao Sang froze, realizing what she meant, her heart rate quickened, and she quickly made a summoning seal for Ya Bao.
It failed…
“You try it,” Qiao Sang said, turning her head.
“Okay.” Fang Sisi handed the Black Mud to Qiao Sang and then formed the seal.
Three seconds later.
A Cotton Section Worm, covered in red liquid, its appearance unclear, with only a pair of round eyes visible, appeared before them.
“Jie?”
The Cotton Section Worm tilted its head, curious as to why it had suddenly changed places.
“Mian Mian!” The moment she saw the Cotton Section Worm, Fang Sisi lunged forward, hugging it tightly and crying out with a choked voice:
“Wuwu… I, I thought I’d never see you again…”
“Jie Jie.”
The Cotton Section Worm looked bewildered, not knowing what had happened.
Qiao Sang stood by, frowning slightly, lost in thought.
Outside the secret room, everyone couldn’t summon their Pets, but inside the secret room, they could. It should be that the outer layer of the secret room had a problem, while the inside was fine.
But why couldn’t Ya Bao be summoned back?
Qiao Sang was anxious, and unconsciously tightened her grip.
Just then, the Black Mud slowly opened its eyes; it had been woken by the pain.
“Black Mud!”
The Black Mud turned into a mud stream, flowing down from Qiao Sang’s hand, and after restoring its original appearance, it looked over warily.
“Black Mud! Black Mud!”
Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up; it finally woke up! Carrying it for so long wasn’t in vain!
“I am the Yan Ling Dog’s Yu Beast Master, you just saw it, the Pet with white and red fur.” Qiao Sang asked, “Do you know where it went? What happened just now? Why did you faint?”
The Black Mud paused, as if it remembered something. Its mouth opened, its belly suddenly bulged, and from within, it spat out a Pet with some Black Mud on its body.
“It’s the Yan Ling Dog!” Fang Sisi, holding the Cotton Section Worm, looked over and exclaimed.
Qiao Sang froze for a long moment, looking at the Pet spat out onto the ground, dumbfounded.
Holy cow! Isn’t this Ya Bao!
She had imagined many scenarios, but she never thought Ya Bao would be inside the Black Mud’s belly!
So, she had been searching for so long, and Ya Bao had been implicitly carried by her all this time!
Ya Bao lay on the ground with its eyes closed, drool still hanging from its mouth.
Qiao Sang: “…”
She had been so anxious and worried looking for it for half a day, and it was just sleeping here?
Qiao Sang couldn’t hold back. She squatted down, pinched Ya Bao’s ear, and yelled beside it, “Wake up! Water Luyana is here again!”
“Ya!!!”
Ya baom opened its eyes, instantly stood up, and its fur bristled, entering a battle-ready state.
“Ya!”
“Ya!”
Ya Bao looked around, where, where! Where is Water Luyana!
Qiao Sang: “…”
Not bad, it seems it’s not injured, and its spirits are quite good…
…
Ten minutes later, Qiao Sang finally managed to understand the whole story.
Ya Bao caused a large fire in the first stage, so Black Mud activated Plan B for special situations, preparing to directly use its ability to take Ya Bao to the next stage, but as soon as it got Ya Bao into its body, it fainted for some unknown reason.
“Qiao Sang, I always feel like something is wrong here.” Fang Sisi, holding the still bewildered Cotton Section Worm, looked at Qiao Sang, asking for her opinion.
The Yu Beast Master society, in the end, is still about the strong prevailing.
If it were in the past, when Fang Sisi found the Cotton Section Worm, she would definitely decide whether to let it continue working in the secret room of the third stage or take it out, but now she subconsciously wanted to act according to Qiao Sang’s judgment.
“Let’s get out of here first,” Qiao Sang said.
There are too many strange things here; it’s understandable that Ya Bao couldn’t be summoned back while inside Black Mud’s stomach.
But other Yu Beast Masters outside the secret room also couldn’t summon their Pets back, and those Pets weren’t in Black Mud’s stomach, that’s one thing.
Secondly, Ya Bao’s state just now, drooling in its sleep, definitely meant it was asleep before entering Black Mud’s stomach, otherwise, if it were conscious when swallowed, it definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Moreover, not only Ya Bao, but also Black Mud, the female NPC under the stone slab, and the Masked Wandering Spirit at the passage entrance were all asleep.
And thirdly, where did the Staff in the secret room go?
Logically speaking, there are monitors inside, and she and Fang Sisi breaking in should have been seen immediately, but so far, no Staff has appeared.
Qiao Sang and Fang Sisi walked towards the direction they came from.
Just then, the ambient lights that illuminated the waterway flickered, and a Pet, entirely purple, with three pointed horns on its head, and a pair of blood-red eyes, appeared out of thin air in front of them.
At the same time, the surveillance cameras for the first and second stage rooms in the monitoring room restored their footage.
…
Hanggang City.
Public Security Bureau.
Many people were reporting work progress back and forth in front of an office desk.
“Team Leader Liu, Target No. 10 appeared at No. 99 Tongshang Road.”
“Team Leader Liu, Target No. 6 has been apprehended under Qianshan Bridge.”
“Team Leader Liu, No. 27 Kuantun Road reported that their child suddenly ate ten bowls of rice overnight; we suspect Target No. 12 is there.”
“Team Leader Liu, No. 231 Qinshe Road reported that their customers couldn’t summon their Pets back, and the Staff inside couldn’t be contacted; we suspect Target No. 2 has entered.”
The man who had been looking down at files suddenly looked up and asked, “Is Target No. 2 the Dreamless Doll?”
“Yes, Team Leader Liu.”
“Have the people from the patrol team been informed?” the man asked.
“We’ve already contacted the patrol team.”
The man lowered his head, flipped through the files, and said, “Among the Pets that emerged from the Secret Realm Rift this time, the most dangerous ones, besides the Three-Eyed Ghost Cicada, are the Dreamless Doll. Call more people over.”
“Understood, Team Leader Liu.”
“Wait,” the man suddenly called out. He stopped flipping through the files in his hand and looked at the person reporting, his expression grave. “When the Dreamless Doll came out, Qian Song from the Guardian Team fought with it and didn’t discover its ability to prevent people from summoning their Pets back.”
“What’s inside there might not be Target No. 2, the Dreamless Doll, but Target No. 1, the Three-Eyed Ghost Cicada. I’ll go with you.”
…
Secret Room.
Sewer.
Fang Sisi swallowed, looking at the Pet in front of her, then turned her head to nudge Qiao Sang’s arm, quietly asking, “This isn’t the NPC from inside the secret room. It looks like it’s here with ill intentions. How about it? Can we win?”
Qiao Sang glanced at her and said, “Dreamless Doll, Ghost-type High-level Pet. You try fighting it for me to see?”
Fang Sisi laughed awkwardly twice and said, “Actually, it might not necessarily be here with ill intentions. Maybe it was sent in by people outside to check the situation.”
Qiao Sang asked, “You’ve also been here for a few days. Do you know anyone who has contracted a Dreamless Doll?”
Fang Sisi shook her head in despair.
Qiao Sang sighed helplessly. This unlucky situation, it seems the strange events discovered in the secret room are likely caused by the Dreamless Doll in front of them.
“Black Mud!”
Just then, Black Mud stepped forward and barked at the Dreamless Doll.
Just as Qiao Sang thought the Dreamless Doll would at least communicate, she saw its already red eyes glow red, and the next second, Black Mud’s eyes closed.
It fell down.
Qiao Sang: “!!!”
It acts without talking, completely unlike the Pets she’s seen! Ya Bao used to at least strike a pose and give a defiant smile before fighting.
The Dreamless Doll just started attacking without any warning or reason.
“Little Treasure Hunting Ghost, sneak attack! Ya Bao! Frontal assault!” Qiao Sang decided immediately.
Fang Sisi stood rooted to the spot, terrified and dumbfounded. How did a fight suddenly break out?!
In the past, when she saw Pets fighting, it was either minor skirmishes or in an arena. She had never witnessed a situation where they started fighting without even knowing the opponent’s origin.
“Get behind me.” Qiao Sang pulled Fang Sisi behind her.
Fang Sisi and the Cotton Section Worm looked at Qiao Sang’s back with teary eyes. This damn sense of security!
The first to implement Qiao Sang’s command was the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost.
It instantly concealed its form, and after the Dreamless Doll’s red eyeballs rotated, it suddenly extended its right paw, condensed a black Shadow Ball, and blasted it towards the front right.
“Xun!”
The Little Treasure Hunting Ghost’s pupils constricted as it looked at the Shadow Ball just 0.01 centimeters away, momentarily forgetting to dodge.
Just as the Shadow Ball was about to hit the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost, it suddenly vanished from its spot.
“Meng.”
The Dreamless Doll paused, then turned its head to look at the pale-faced human in front of it.
Qiao Sang only felt her heart pounding. Yes, Ghost-type Pets can see invisible counterparts.
Just a little bit, just a little bit more and the Shadow Ball would have hit the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost. If it had been hit by a High-level Pet’s Shadow Ball, the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost would probably have fainted instantly.
Fortunately, she was quick-witted enough to summon the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost back into the yu beast codex.
Ultimately, the Dreamless Doll’s reaction speed was far superior to the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost’s.
Qiao Sang looked at Ya Bao, who was bristling all over and staring intently at the Dreamless Doll. Although the previous exchange lasted only a few seconds, according to Ya Bao’s usual attack speed, it shouldn’t still be waiting to attack.
Sure enough, was it still affected by the Ghost-type Pet…?
Qiao Sang formed hand seals and summoned the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost again.
“Xun!”
The Little Treasure Hunting Ghost no longer had its playful demeanor.
“Meng.”
Just then, the Dreamless Doll’s eyes suddenly glowed red again, targeting Qiao Sang.
“Holy crap! This is a wild Ghost-type Pet!” Fang Sisi exclaimed from behind.
To determine if a Pet is wild, you look at whether it actively attacks humans for no reason. If it does, it’s highly likely to be a wild Pet.
Qiao Sang was subconsciously drawn to those red eyes.
But her vision was suddenly blocked by a red and white figure.
Qiao Sang’s expression changed drastically, and she shouted, “Ya Bao, close your eyes!”
Three seconds later, Ya Bao did not fall down.
Qiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ya!”
After the incident where its Yu Beast Master was almost attacked, Ya Bao reopened its eyes, no longer feeling fear towards the Ghost-type Pet in front of it, only anger.
It raised its head slightly, and a crimson Energy Ball slowly began to gather.
The Dreamless Doll was startled upon seeing this, as if it had thought of something, and its eyes glowed red again.
The difference was that this time, a beam of light mixed with various colors shot out from its eyes, directly assaulting Ya Bao, who was still condensing its Energy Ball.
“Quick, dodge!” Qiao Sang’s eyelids twitched as she shouted.
Left with no choice, Ya Bao interrupted the condensation of its Energy Ball and flashed to the side.
The light landed on Ya Bao’s original position but did not cause any damage to the ground.
Qiao Sang’s expression was grave. This was the strange light unique to Ghost-type Pets, capable of causing confusion to opponents. If it landed on Ya Bao, not only would its skills be interrupted, but it would also fall into a state of confusion.
“Use clones to surround and attack.”
Hearing its Yu Beast Master’s words, Ya Bao’s internal energy stirred, and along with its main body, 16 Yan Ling Dogs surrounded the Dreamless Doll.
The next second, all 16 Yan Ling Dogs simultaneously spewed out crimson flames the size of basketballs from their mouths.
The Spark, which had reached the Profound Meaning peak, burned intensely as if imbued with life.
“Meng.”
The Dreamless Doll looked around at the incoming fireballs, its heart skipped a beat, feeling a sense of crisis.
Just as it tried to move, an invisible force paused its movements for a second.
“Boom!!!”
16 fireballs, enveloped in immense energy, shot in the same direction, colliding with each other and emitting a deafening roar that drowned out the Dreamless Doll’s cries of pain.
The explosive fire wave’s impact instantly swept through the entire sewer.
Qiao Sang squinted her eyes, stung by the fire wave in front of her.
“Did it succeed?” Fang Sisi’s trembling voice sounded from behind.
Qiao Sang pursed her lips and did not answer.
“Xun.” The blue light on the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost dissipated.
Although it only controlled it for an instant with psychic power.
But after all, there were two levels difference with the Dreamless Doll, and the energy gap was huge, so the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost still felt very strained.
In the smoke generated by the collision of flames, a purple figure mixed with black slowly became visible.
The Dreamless Doll did not fall. It was panting, but Ya Bao did not give it a chance to rest. Several Sparks, perfected to the Profound Meaning peak, once again shot towards it.
“Xun!”
Just then, the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost suddenly looked behind its Yu Beast Master, its eyes widening, and instinctively teleported over.
Qiao Sang’s mouth felt dry, as if she realized something.
She stiffly turned her head and looked up, seeing a cicada-like Pet with transparent wings, a gray body, and three squinting eyes, along with the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost.
“Xun!”
The next second, the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost cried out and fell from mid-air.
Qiao Sang reached out to catch it, and upon seeing it, the Little Treasure Hunting Ghost had already fainted. She looked up again and found that this Pet was also looking at her, and a black Energy Ball had already condensed in its mouth.
She recognized this Pet.
Three-Eyed Ghost Cicada, a High-level Pet, is a Ghost-type extraordinary creature that likes to absorb life energy.
I was wrong, it seems this plot will only be finished tomorrow…