Chapter 1122: 850: The Missing Place

Chapter 1122: Chapter 850: The Missing Place

There are so many wild pet beasts here… Qiao Sang cursed inwardly, “What the hell,” but kept her expression calm.

She understood that she was now essentially the backbone of the team. If she showed even a trace of panic, it could unsettle everyone’s mindset.

However, when she saw a leaf on Yaobao’s back suddenly spread its wings and transform into a moth-like pet beast flying away, her eyelid couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

Too careless. She hadn’t even noticed these pet beasts earlier…

“It’s… taken care of?” Yuan Jiewen looked at the Tightvine Tree Monster, which was now lying motionless on the ground, completely unconscious. Then he glanced up at that slender figure high in the sky, a sudden surge of safety washing over him.

Despite her youthful appearance, this “big shot” was composed, powerful, and seemed to regard any wild pet beast as insignificant.

With other teams venturing into the Secret Realm, encountering a Tightvine Tree Monster would surely result in at least one person getting injured as a price.

Someone injured…

Injured…

Yuan Jiewen abruptly thought of something, glanced at Qiao Sang’s backpack hesitantly, and, after a brief inner struggle, refrained from pretending to stumble deliberately.

Forget it. That earlier entanglement wasn’t that serious. Plus, that pet beast—whatever it was called—used Healing Light on so many targets just now. Its energy must have been significantly depleted.

They had only just entered the danger zone. There would surely be more instances requiring healing ahead. Better not to recklessly waste energy now.

“Are you okay?” Qiao Sang asked Yuan Jiewen, her gaze sweeping over him.

Yuan Jiewen shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Then, from the heart, he added, “It’s all thanks to your swift intervention, big shot.”

“The first one to act was Shell Blade Master,” Qiao Sang clarified.

“Shell Blade!”

Shell Blade Master crossed its claws over its chest, wearing an expression that said, “It was the right thing to do.”

Yuan Jiewen: “…”

That “rescue” of yours earlier almost got me strangled to death by the Tightvine Tree Monster.

With the big shot and another person up ahead, he decided to let Shell Blade Master save face and didn’t voice his grievance.

“Big shot, how did you recognize that was a Tightvine Tree Monster just now?” Yuan Jiewen asked curiously.

The Tightvine Tree Monster stands still when camouflaging, already looking quite like a tree. Inside Secret Realm #88, these monsters were even larger, making it impossible to discern their full form by sight. Hidden in the dense forest, they were notoriously hard to identify.

Many who entered Secret Realm #88 had fallen victim to the Tightvine Tree Monster’s ambush.

“My pet beast told me,” Qiao Sang replied.

Earlier, the information that this giant tree was a pet beast had been transmitted to her telepathically by Gangbao while flying in the air.

Combining this with the guides she had studied beforehand, she was able to immediately recognize it as a Tightvine Tree Monster.

Your pet beast told you? Yuan Jiewen immediately thought of something. Tilting his head, he looked up at Yaobao, a dawning yet sheepish expression forming on his face.

Earlier, he had actually thought that this pet beast had lost control and was about to attack him. Who would have guessed it had discovered the Tightvine Tree Monster and resolved the threat all on its own?

As they conversed, Yaobao landed on the ground.

Qiao Sang leaped off Yaobao’s back.

Before Lin Shi could move, Yaobao turned its head, its eyes glowing blue. Using Telekinesis, it forcibly helped Lin Shi off its back.

“Thank you,” Lin Shi said to Yaobao, expressing gratitude.

Uh, it just doesn’t want you to stay on its back for too long… Qiao Sang maintained a serious expression as she said, “Let’s move. This place is dangerous; we can’t linger.”

“Wait a moment,” Lin Shi interjected, moving to the unconscious Tightvine Tree Monster and plucking a few dark green leaves from its body. Then he added:

“These dark green leaves from the Tightvine Tree Monster can be added to the Human Growth Potion to accelerate pet beast growth.”

Mikaela hadn’t forgotten her role as someone on a material-gathering mission.

“You’re a pharmacist?” Yuan Jiewen asked curiously.

“No,” Mikaela shook her head. “I’m a breeder.”

Compared to pharmaceuticals, she was much more proficient in breeding.

No wonder she needed protection. But during earlier dangers, Ningming Frog hadn’t acted at all. How on earth was it bred? Yuan Jiewen silently cast a doubtful glance at Ningming Frog.

Ningming Frog kept its eyes trained on its own nose, nose to its heart, ignoring everything else.

Once Lin Shi had finished collecting materials, the group set off further into the depths of the Secret Realm.

As they progressed, the surrounding trees grew ever taller.

Soon enough, the towering trees reached unimaginable heights, their trunks thick enough to require dozens of people to encircle.

Having learned from her earlier experiences, Qiao Sang grew increasingly vigilant, meticulously observing her surroundings.

She discovered that a fallen leaf was a pet beast, a dry branch she accidentally stepped on was a pet beast, the droplet trickling down from the leaves above was a pet beast’s saliva, and even the fine sand blown by the wind was a pet beast’s feces, designed to mask the repugnant scent of intruders.

When Qiao Sang realized this, her entire body went numb.

“When these brownish, darker ‘grains of sand’ land on your face, don’t block them,” Yuan Jiewen said. “Although it’s Sand-leading Ant feces, it serves to mask our scent. The more that sticks to us, the safer we’ll be as we advance.”

Qiao Sang’s face paled slightly; her lips clamped shut as she deliberately slowed her breathing, terrified of accidentally inhaling any of this “sand.”

Lin Shi, unfazed, pressed ahead, occasionally gathering materials along the way.

“Ya Ya…”

Yaobao craned its neck left and right, searching for the Sand-leading Ants.

“Xun Xun~”

Little Treasure Hunter caught on quickly. It floated over to a patch of darker brown “grains of sand,” grabbed a handful, and smeared it onto itself.

Just then, it seemed to remember something. With its tiny paws holding a handful of the “sand,” it floated over to Qiao Sang and offered it to her as if presenting a treasure.

Qiao Sang’s lips twitched slightly as she tactfully declined, “You can use it yourself.”

“Xun Xun…”

Little Treasure Hunter rolled its eyes upward, its gaze landing on Gangbao.

The next second, it teleported next to Gangbao and handed over the darker brown “sand.”

“Gangzhan.”

Gangbao looked down at the “sand,” nodded approvingly, and indicated it was fine.

“Xun Xun~”

Little Treasure Hunter quickly smeared the “sand” all over Gangbao.

After all, this was its only little subordinate; it had to protect it well.

Once Yaobao had finished dealing with a sudden snake-like pet beast, Qiao Sang stepped out of the woods.

The view ahead suddenly opened up.

A crystal-clear green water pond came into view. Surrounding it were short fruit trees, their branches heavy with ripe fruit.

From the water pond, Water-type Pet Beasts occasionally leapt out.

This picturesque scene didn’t seem to relax Yuan Jiewen. Instead, his expression turned heavy as he said:

“This is where Liu Bo disappeared.”

So this is the place… Qiao Sang scanned the area, her gaze falling on several fruit-laden trees near the water pond. She asked:

“Why haven’t these fruits been picked?”

Beast Tamers entering a Secret Realm typically had only a few objectives: completing quests, honing their skills, capturing pet beasts unavailable at the Pet Beast Base, or collecting materials, among others.

The fruit in front of them was Water Leap Fruit. When consumed by Water-type Pet Beasts, it could restore energy and lift their spirits. On the market, each one sold for 1,000 Alliance Currency.

With so many Water Leap Fruits here, untouched, something was definitely off.