Chapter 861: Water barrier

There weren’t many King-level Pets in the C-level secret realm, so as long as they weren’t particularly unlucky or specifically looking for them, they generally wouldn’t encounter any.

With Steel Treasure scouting ahead, the journey was relatively smooth.

Even if a wild Pet suddenly appeared, Xiao Xunbao quickly dealt with it.

After about an hour, the group arrived in front of a giant tree that seemed to reach straight into the clouds.

Its trunk was so thick that even dozens of people holding hands couldn’t encircle it.

Yuan Jiewen slowly raised his head, and even at a 90-degree angle, he couldn’t see the giant tree’s crown.

He swallowed, exclaiming, “What a big tree…”

“Qu Qu.”

The Qu Jian Frog called out expressionlessly.

“Ya Ya.”

Xiao Xunbao translated.

Qiao Sang was silent for a moment: “You’re saying Liu Bo is down here?”

The Qu Jian Frog opened its mouth, looking as if it was about to answer, but at that moment, its eyes suddenly became clear.

“Qu Qu!”

The Qu Jian Frog shrieked.

However, the next second, Xiao Xunbao appeared in front of it, its eyes glowing with purple light.

The Qu Jian Frog quieted down, its eyes becoming dull again.

“Is he down there?” Qiao Sang asked.

“Qu Qu.”

The Qu Jian Frog nodded.

Is there sewage inside this tree? I don’t understand, but it feels very dangerous… Qiao Sang quietly became alert, preparing to walk around the giant tree.

Just as she took two steps, a rustling sound came from above.

Before Qiao Sang could look up, a snake-like Pet, nearly seven meters long and covered in goose-yellow scales, suddenly descended from above, flicking its tongue at the group.

Qiao Sang and Yuan Jiewen’s expressions changed drastically, and they jumped back a large step.

Mi Jiala retreated in coordination, secretly alert in her heart, sensing the difficulty of the situation.

She could sense many Pet auras nearby, including dozens of General-level Pets, but she wasn’t panicked.

Dozens of General-level Pets were still easy to deal with; at most, it would expose her identity.

This secret realm trip seemed like it would provide excellent training for her student, and that was the most important thing.

“Ya!”

Xiao Xunbao bared its fangs and raised its paw.

However, before it could condense flames on its paw, the yellow snake-like Pet looked at the Qu Jian Frog, then swiftly retreated back into the dense tree canopy, disappearing without a trace.

“Ya Ya…”

Xiao Xunbao lowered its paw, its expression puzzled.

“Why didn’t it attack us?” Yuan Jiewen asked with a solemn expression while continuing to move closer to Qiao Sang.

Nothing here had ever been mentioned on the forum, which made his sense of danger skyrocket; he only felt a little safe when next to the expert.

You ask me, how would I know? I haven’t even recognized the species of this Pet yet… Qiao Sang inwardly complained, but on the surface, she calmly speculated:

“Maybe it thought we were brought by the Qu Jian Frog, or…”

It felt it couldn’t defeat us alone and went to call more companions.

Before she could finish the second half of her sentence, water-like ripples suddenly appeared on the thick tree trunk in front of them.

Qiao Sang’s voice stopped abruptly.

“Expert, I think you were right; it really seems to think we were brought by the Qu Jian Frog…” Looking at the scene before him, Yuan Jiewen’s expression changed slightly again, and he said uneasily, “But do we really have to go in? Or should we go tell the Judge who issued this quest that Liu Bo is at this location and let them send other people?”

Water Barrier, a Water-type High Level skill; with water as a barrier, once proficiency reaches the perfect level, the barrier can be hidden… No wonder this tree just looked big before and had nothing to do with sewage; it turns out there was a barrier set up, hiding the entrance… Qiao Sang recognized the skill on the tree trunk in front of her, pondered for a few seconds, and said:

“My mission is to bring back Liu Bo, even if it’s his corpse.”

The water-ripple barrier was beautiful yet eerie, as if connected to an abyss.

Yuan Jiewen glanced at the barrier, his fear intensifying, and he subconsciously took a step back, saying timidly:

“How about Lin Shi and I wait outside for you?”

Mi Jiala gave him a faint look: “No, I’m going in.”

Yuan Jiewen immediately looked over in surprise, thinking, ‘Aren’t you scared!’

He realized that even though this person was weak, her courage was truly great!

“Since you don’t want to go in, I won’t force you. You can wait here for us to come back.” Qiao Sang said, walking towards the Water Barrier.

Mi Jiala followed closely.

A gust of wind blew, and the branches and leaves rustled.

Yuan Jiewen felt his skin crawl, as if countless eyes were staring at him.

He quickly walked towards the barrier, calling out timidly again:

“Expert, wait for me! I was just joking!”

The Water Barrier rippled like water, then returned to calm.

Immediately after, rustling sounds began, and pairs of Pet eyes of different colors appeared from the layered tree canopy.

They looked at each other and let out mocking laughter.

…

Qiao Sang’s vision went black.

The next moment, a strong sense of weightlessness came, accompanied by the intense sound of wind in her ears, and Xiao Xunbao’s scream.

Qiao Sang tensed her whole body, shouting:

“Xiao Xunbao!”

“Ya!”

A reassuring cry came, and a flash of fire passed.

Then, Qiao Sang felt a softness beneath her and sat on Xiao Xunbao’s back.

Soon, Xiao Xunbao caught Xiao Xunbao, them, and the big client and Ning Ming Frog one by one.

Qiao Sang let out a huge sigh of relief.

Then she thought of something and couldn’t help but look at the still-scared Xiao Xunbao, saying speechlessly: “Aren’t you able to float?”

“Xiao Xunbao…”

Xiao Xunbao’s wiping motion paused.

Oh right…

Qiao Sang: “…”

It was pitch black in front of them, and as Xiao Xunbao continued to run downwards, the unbearable stench grew stronger.

Mi Jiala silently put on the gas mask she had taken off earlier.

It’s too stinky… Qiao Sang covered her nose and mouth, just about to speak.

At this moment, a scream of “Ah…” came from behind.

Qiao Sang turned her head and saw an orange-yellow star array light up out of thin air.

An orange-yellow bird-like Pet, about four meters in size, appeared with it.

Then, the orange-yellow bird-like Pet caught two familiar figures.

Qiao Sang turned back because, at this moment, Xiao Xunbao had landed on the ground.

She looked at the scene before her, covering her nose and mouth, feeling only a double assault on her sight and smell, uncontrollably feeling nauseous.

Before her flowed a river that seemed to stretch endlessly.

This river was as black as ink, emitting waves of foul odor, more terrifying than the poisonous gas of ordinary Poison-type Pets.

Suddenly, Qiao Sang felt some movement and looked in the direction of the sound.

With just one glance, her scalp instantly tingled.

Several figures, seemingly human, were sprawled by the river, mouths open, drinking the ink-like river water, as if they didn’t feel the stench at all.

Mi Jiala followed Qiao Sang’s gaze, her expression slightly solemn.

“Expert, finally caught up to you…” As Yuan Jiewen spoke, he also saw the scene not far away.

In an instant, his hair stood on end.

“Liu Bo…” (End of chapter)