Chapter 891: Bilayi and Card Master (two in one)

“The Qingfeng Compass is pointing towards Qingqingni…” Qiao Sang’s nerves instantly tensed, but she remained outwardly calm.

The black-haired man held the Qingfeng Compass, his gaze sweeping over. He narrowed his eyes, assessing the young girl and the few unfamiliar Pets not far away, then looked at the Qingfeng Compass again. He stopped in place, his gaze deep as he watched them.

The brown-haired man beside him also stopped.

Both men appeared to be around thirty years old, but the brown-haired man had a natural upward curve to his lips, making him seem much more amiable than the black-haired man from his appearance alone.

The brown-haired man glanced at the Qingfeng Compass, his eyes brightening. Then his gaze fell on Qiao Sang, and he smiled, asking,

“Little sister, are you here all by yourself?”

As he spoke, he approached unhurriedly.

His voice was friendly, but his micro-expressions betrayed an undisguised excitement and eagerness.

There were no Pets visible beside them, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have Pets; they were simply invisible to the naked eye. Shaking off these two would be simple: either Space Movement away herself, or directly move them away. However, in the past twenty days, she had encountered many wild Pets, but no truly major crises had occurred, preventing her from fully demonstrating her strength. The time to leave the Secret Realm was approaching. If she spent the remaining time fighting small fry like in a game, would Qingfeng Yunren think she was nothing special and refuse to let Qingqingni form a contract with her? Qiao Sang’s mind raced as she scrutinized the two uninvited guests.

These two had a Qingfeng Compass, so their strength shouldn’t be simple. Before I met Qingqingni, I purely entered with the mindset of not wasting the Qingfeng Compass and experiencing a legendary Pet.

However, the vast majority of people with a Qingfeng Compass definitely enter the Secret Realm with the purpose of capturing or contracting Qingqingni.

If one enters with that purpose from the start, they would certainly be fully prepared.

Assuming I intended to forcibly contract Qingqingni, after finding it, the first thing I would do is force it to appear.

The Qingfeng Compass could indicate Qingqingni’s general direction, but not its exact location. To trap Qingqingni and force it to appear, Xiao Xunbao’s Space Lockdown would be an option… Qiao Sang’s heart tightened at this thought, and without bothering to act, she shouted:

“Move up!”

Xiao Xunbao’s eyes glowed blue.

The next second, Qiao Sang, Yabao, and the others appeared hundreds of meters high in the sky.

At the same time, the barrier that was about to form and cover a hundred-meter radius, centered on their original standing spot, paused and then dissipated.

The black-haired man looked at the Qingfeng Compass in his hand, then at Qiao Sang in the sky, and said in a deep voice,

“Qingqingni is with her.”

“I know.” The brown-haired man finished speaking, then excitedly called out to the sky, “Your reaction is quite fast!”

Yu Beast Masters whose brain regions reach 50% have sensitive hearing. When focusing on sounds from a specific direction, even if a thousand meters away, they can hear clear words without the other party having to shout.

If I can win, I’ll show Qingfeng Yunren what I can do. If not, I’ll leave first; safety is paramount… Qiao Sang looked down, ignoring the other party. Instead, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

“Ya!”

Yabao, hearing the long-awaited sound, looked up excitedly and opened its mouth.

A crimson Energy Ball, imbued with destructive aura, instantly condensed within its mouth.

Almost simultaneously with Yabao condensing the Energy Ball, a Pet, about two meters tall, mostly green, with a body resembling a human torso and a face like a masquerade mask, appeared out of thin air about five meters above Yabao. It raised a claw and instantly condensed a white Energy Ball, also carrying a destructive aura, preparing to strike downwards.

Qiao Sang’s pupils constricted, and she instinctively gave the command:

“Move it!”

“Xiao Xunbao!”

Xiao Xunbao looked at the Pet wearing a masquerade mask, its eyes glowing blue.

The Pet wearing a masquerade mask disappeared.

The crimson Energy Ball successfully launched upwards.

A dazzling burst of fire shot into the sky, blinding and startling, exploding in the higher reaches of the firmament.

The brown-haired man clicked his tongue at the sight and formed hand seals.

A massive red star array lit up on the ground.

The Pet with the masquerade mask that had disappeared in the sky reappeared within the star array.

Mars Rain fell.

The dense, fiery rain was beautiful yet filled with a destructive, scorching aura, falling like a shower of stars.

The surrounding temperature sharply rose, and the sky seemed to be dyed red, as did the ice and snow below.

The brown-haired man’s expression finally lost its excitement, becoming slightly more serious: “Do you think Qingqingni has already been contracted by her?”

“Probably not.” The black-haired man looked at the Mars Rain above, his pupils seemingly turning red at that moment: “Anyone with even a little sense who contracted Qingqingni in this Secret Realm would know to put it into their yu beast codex, not wait for someone with a Qingfeng Compass to come knocking.”

“She must have used some means to control Qingqingni’s movements.”

The brown-haired man’s expression relaxed slightly: “That puts my mind at ease.”

The 16th Secret Realm opens once every 30 years. Qingqingni knows humans come for it, so it shouldn’t approach humans voluntarily.

Although the person the Qingfeng Compass points to looks very young, if she were truly as young as she appears, she wouldn’t be in this Secret Realm, much less alone.

All these factors indicated a high probability that Qingqingni was in her hands, which was why he had been prepared to act from the start.

He just hadn’t expected the other party to be so alert.

But this precisely confirmed that Qingqingni was in her possession.

As the Mars Rain fell to about five meters above the brown-haired man and the black-haired man, the black-haired man suddenly spoke:

“Swap.”

As soon as the words fell, a Pet about four meters tall, resembling a clown with many playing cards hanging from its head, appeared out of thin air beside him.

The Pet looked up at the falling Mars Rain, and one of the playing cards glowed faintly.

Immediately after, the two men swapped places with Qiao Sang and Yabao high in the sky.

Holy crap! Qiao Sang jumped in surprise, caught off guard, and almost screamed.

“Qing…”

Qingqingni, being young after all, shrieked in fright. Fortunately, it only let out half a shriek before seeming to be muffled by something, and its voice died down.

Just that half-shriek made Qiao Sang’s expression twist and change for a moment, before she composed herself back into the calm, unperturbed demeanor of a powerful figure.

Can’t scream, Qingfeng Yunren is still nearby… Calm down, it’s just visually a bit scary. Yabao is right next to me, Mars Rain won’t hit me… Qiao Sang remained outwardly calm, but in reality, her palms were sweating, and she clutched Yabao’s fur tightly.

Space Swap, a high-level Superpower System skill, allows the user to switch positions with a target.

Generally speaking, the number of targets swapped will be equal to the number of allies.

However, I was hundreds of meters high in the sky, yet the opponent was able to instantly swap positions despite the unequal numbers. Clearly, the Pet performing this skill had very high proficiency.

The skills unleashed by a Pet do not affect itself or its Yu Beast Master, but this is all under the Pet’s control.

The opponent must be gambling that Yabao wouldn’t react that quickly.

After all, my previous position, without Yabao, was also within the attack range of Mars Rain.

There’s no need for them to switch places to take the attack…

“Ya ya…”

Yabao bared its fangs, staring intently upwards.

Tongues of flame danced, and fire splattered, but it did not affect Qiao Sang in the slightest.

High in the sky, the two men were enveloped by a translucent barrier.

The Mars Rain continuously fell upon the barrier, creating rapid ripples.

“Bang!”

With an explosive sound, the translucent barrier suddenly cracked open with a large hole.

Then it immediately repaired itself.

The brown-haired man felt the movements around him, his expression grave. He took out a Pet Identifier and aimed it at the unfamiliar red Pet below.

Focus, enlarge, clarify, identify.

Soon, a mechanical voice sounded:

【Flame Qilu, a General-level Pet with dual Superpower System and Fire System attributes. It enjoys running in the air, has an arrogant personality, and dislikes contact with anyone other than its own Yu Beast Master. The larger the flame wings on its sides, the more abundant its internal energy. Conversely, if the flame wings shrink, it indicates reduced internal energy and poor condition.】

As the Pet Identifier finished broadcasting, the barrier was broken through with another large hole.

Then, the barrier returned to its original state.

“A General-level Pet, yet the Mars Rain it unleashes is so powerful.” The brown-haired man put down the Pet Identifier, his face full of surprise. “This skill couldn’t have reached the Profound Meaning peak level, could it?”

One must know, the one casting this barrier was his King-level Pet, Birai.

The black-haired man looked down, not answering, but instead asked,

“Why didn’t she take the opportunity to escape? Her Pet clearly knows Space Movement.”

The brown-haired man pondered for a moment, then said, “Perhaps she intends to deal with us. After all, as long as we’re in this Secret Realm, we pose a threat to her.”

“Is that so.” The black-haired man said, forming hand seals, “Let’s go together. Let’s finish this quickly, lest we attract others.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” The brown-haired man’s expression grew excited upon hearing this, and he began to form hand seals.

Massive crimson star arrays lit up successively around Qiao Sang.

One, two, three…

Ground, front, mid-air, sides…

A total of seven crimson star arrays appeared out of thin air in various directions.

Almost simultaneously with the star arrays lighting up, one of the many playing cards on the head of the Pet high in the sky glowed brightly with white light.

The sky full of Mars Rain was instantly controlled by an unknown force, freezing and still in the air.

Good heavens, both are B-level Beast Tamers, directly using their Superpower to control all the Mars Rain. It seems that the one with all the playing cards on its head is at least a King-level Pet… Although the enemy is strong, this is also an opportunity. After dealing with these two guys, Qingfeng Yunren should be able to see my strength… Qiao Sang took a deep breath and said:

“Lulu!”

“Ice Emperor!”

Lulu, who had long been poised for action, let out a sharp cry, her eyes fierce.

In an instant, the temperature plummeted, becoming even colder than before the Mars Rain fell.

The frozen Mars Rain condensed with a layer of white frost, freezing in mid-air.

At the same time, seven massive figures that had just appeared on the star arrays were instantly frozen into ice sculptures.

High in the sky, the black-haired man, whose expression usually showed little change, had his pupils contract violently, his composure replaced by astonishment.

The brown-haired man’s face changed drastically, filled with shock.

He then realized it wasn’t the time for shock and immediately prepared to issue a command, telling Birai, the only one of his Pets not yet frozen, to attack.

However, just as he opened his mouth, a biting chill assailed him, and then he found himself unable to move.

The brown-haired man immediately realized something and, with his last bit of willpower, looked to his left.

What met his gaze were two ice sculptures.

His pupils constricted, then completely turned to ice.

Qiao Sang looked at the four frozen figures high in the sky, her heart settling.

To be honest, if it came to a real fight, she might not be a match for two B-level Beast Tamers, but fortunately, Lulu’s Ice Heaven Domain had a temporary invincible effect among those of the same rank, allowing her to create a very impressive situation for herself.

Although it was only a brief exchange, by revealing this much, Qingfeng Yunren should believe in my strength… I don’t know how long Lulu’s Ice Heaven Domain can maintain control over such a large area, so it’s better to leave quickly… Qiao Sang dared not delay, and said calmly:

“Let’s go.”

After a pause, she added:

“Go far away.”

“Xiao Xunbao~”

Xiao Xunbao immediately understood its Yu Beast Master’s meaning, its eyes glowing blue.

At the same time, high in the sky, the frozen Pet with many playing cards on its head had its eyes glow blue, looking downwards.

“Xiao Xunbao…”

Xiao Xunbao keenly sensed the gaze from above.

It looked up, feeling a bit upset about being swapped downwards just now, so its eyes turned purple, meeting the gaze, before changing back to blue.

The clown-like Pet retracted its gaze.

Immediately, all the playing cards on its head lit up with white light.

The white light, like sharp blades, cut into the surrounding ice surface.

The ice surface faintly cracked.

At the same time, Qiao Sang, Yabao, and the others disappeared from their original spot.

The ice surface completely shattered.

The ice shell encasing the Mars Rain melted, causing the Mars Rain to continue falling.

Seven Pets of various forms let out cries of agony.

The two recently unfrozen men waved their hands, recalling their Pets into their yu beast codex.

“What skill was that just now?” The brown-haired man asked with a grim expression, “It could freeze us, even inside the barrier, from such a distance.”

“The barrier happened to be smashed open by the earlier Mars Rain, and that was patched up later.” The black-haired man said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the brown-haired man glared at Birai.

Birai glared back: What are you looking at? It wasn’t its fault.

The brown-haired man retracted his gaze, remembering the important matter, and said,

“Quickly take out the Qingfeng Compass. We might still be able to catch up.”

“Card.”

At this moment, the Pet with its head covered in playing cards let out a cry.

The black-haired man smiled:

“No need. Card Master has already marked her with a location tag.”

The brown-haired man was overjoyed:

“Then what are we waiting for…”

His voice abruptly stopped.

An unimaginably powerful pressure emanated from above.

The two men’s hearts tightened, and they instinctively looked up.

They saw a gigantic bird-like Pet, over 20 meters tall, with all its blue feathers made of ice, that had appeared high above at some unknown point, looking down at them with a cold expression.

Damn it!

Ice Snow Bird?! (End of chapter)