Chapter 917: Corpse Imps and Tungsten Corpse Crystals

Qiao Sang watched the Iron-Sphere Ant jump down and thought to herself: It’s surprisingly obedient and self-aware.

Guo Ruiqi scanned the area below, his voice filled with awe and admiration.

“Senior Qiao, you actually took down that many Iron-Sphere Ants in one go!”

The truth was, it had more to do with her escape skills being top-tier. Otherwise, even with a Flying-type pet, if those Iron-Sphere Ants had all burrowed out at once, anyone a bit slower would've been covered head to toe by them…

“This is only the first day.” Qiao Sang said calmly.

At her words, Guo Ruiqi’s face, which had just regained color, paled again.

If the first day was already this terrifying… wouldn’t the following days only get worse? They hadn’t even found the Big Lele yet, and no one knew how long they’d have to stay in this secret realm.

Thinking that made his heart heavy, and even the joy of meeting Qingqing Ni in person dimmed a little.

“Qing qing…”

Qingbao floated over, panting softly.

“Xun xun~”

Little Treasure took off his ring and handed her a bottle of milk to help replenish energy.

“Qing qing~”

Qingbao’s eyes curved in delight as she took the bottle, popped it open, and began sipping with both tiny paws.

Guo Ruiqi’s eyes couldn’t help but follow her again.

Watching her drink, he suddenly thought: Even though this secret realm was dangerous, getting to spend time with Qingqing Ni every day almost made it all worth it…

Mikayla suddenly spoke.

“It’s not that I didn’t help, it’s that you wouldn’t let me.”

How could I waste precious points by letting you act…?

Qiao Sang replied evenly, “That situation just now was within my ability. You should save your energy. There’ll be more than enough chances for you to step in later.”

Then, something occurred to her.

“When you were feeding your Sleep Bird those energy pills, why didn’t I see your other beasts? Don’t they need to eat too?”

Mikayla’s expression froze for a second before she recovered her usual composure and said coldly, “They’re in my Beast Codex. They don’t get hungry.”

Qiao Sang didn’t press the matter.

When a Beast Tamer’s mental domain developed to 50%, their beasts could stay in the Codex for long periods, slowly recovering energy and stamina. The energy absorbed there kept them from feeling hunger for quite a while.

Collecting her thoughts, Qiao Sang patted Yabao’s back.

Yabao stirred, flexed his limbs, and started running across the ground again.

After tidying up briefly, the three continued forward.

Four hours later, dusk settled in, and the air turned sharply cold.

Guo Ruiqi shivered uncontrollably.

Qiao Sang noticed.

“Little Treasure, get his clothes out.”

“Xun xun~”

Little Treasure removed his ring and took out the travel bag they had packed before entering the secret realm.

“Thank you.” Guo Ruiqi said gratefully as he accepted the bag and began pulling out winter clothes to layer on.

“Xun xun…”

Little Treasure watched him for a bit, then took out his tamer’s black down jacket and a matching cloak for himself.

As Qiao Sang shrugged on her coat, she glanced at Mikayla.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Mikayla stood proudly in the wind.

“No.”

I’m not that cold either… so this must be what a B-rank Beast Tamer’s constitution is like.

Qiao Sang finished zipping up her coat.

A gust of wind rustled through the trees. Beneath the rustle of the leaves came a faint, eerie “jié jié jié” laugh.

A Ghost-type pet beast…

Qiao Sang’s instincts sharpened immediately.

Guo Ruiqi heard it too and jumped, reflexively hiding behind her for safety.

In his mind, both seniors were powerful, but Senior Qiao was clearly the stronger one, the safest to stick close to.

“Yap!”

Yabao growled warily.

Little Treasure’s eyes darted downward. He reached toward the travel bag, and in his paw suddenly appeared a thirty-centimeter-tall beast, purple-bodied, with two spiral horns.

“Shi shi!”

The little creature thrashed wildly.

But Little Treasure, small as he was, was far stronger. The horned beast couldn’t break free.

“Corpse Imp!” Guo Ruiqi gasped, eyes widening.

Corpse Imp? Qiao Sang wanted to ask.

She’d studied Hollow Region beasts recently, but with thousands of species, she hadn’t learned them all.

Mikayla, still disguised as Xu Gehung, spoke up.

“Corpse Imp. A Beginner-level Ghost-type beast. They say they only appear near corpses.”

Guo Ruiqi trembled harder, his voice quivering.

“S-so there’s a dead person nearby?”

Qiao Sang had seen her share of vengeful spirits on Chaosu Star and wasn’t easily shaken. She pondered for a few seconds.

“This area hasn’t been fully developed but that doesn’t mean no one’s been here before. It just means… no one ever made it out.”

Meaning, everyone who came before likely died here.

Guo Ruiqi nearly wet himself.

Mikayla’s voice was calm.

“Corpse Imps are drawn to the scent of corpses, but that doesn’t mean they only exist where corpses are. They have their own habitats. This is a secret realm, after all, it’s normal to find them here.”

Basically: Don’t panic.

“Senior Xu is right…” Guo Ruiqi sighed in relief.

“Either way.”

Qiao Sang said gravely, “we should leave this area quickly.”

“I agree!” Guo Ruiqi raised his hand immediately.

“I have no objection.” Mikayla said.

Little Treasure loosened his paw and released the Corpse Imp.

“Shi shi…”

The little thing glared at him once before vanishing into invisibility.

“Xun xun?”

Little Treasure tilted his head, expression saying, Did you just glare at me?

The invisible Corpse Imp jolted in fear and fled at once.

The group moved on.

Once their figures disappeared, the Corpse Imp reappeared, pointing pitifully toward their direction and whining, “Shi shi…”

The wind rustled again.

Then, one after another, more Corpse Imps appeared.

“Mu mu.”

From beneath the ground, a massive, ten-meter-long beast emerged, deep purple in color, its head hollow except for two glowing, diamond-shaped red eyes.

“Shi shi…”

The original Corpse Imp whimpered pitifully.

“Mu mu.”

The hollow-headed creature gave a low, resonant call.

“Shi shi!”𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The Corpse Imp’s eyes brightened as it disappeared again.

Moments later, all the Corpse Imps faded into invisibility and began drifting in the direction Qiao Sang’s group had gone.

---

Deep within the forest.

“Any readings?” Qiao Sang asked.

“None.” Guo Ruiqi said, disappointed.

“Let’s rest here for the night.” Qiao Sang decided after scanning their surroundings.

Guo Ruiqi, already exhausted, didn’t hesitate. He pulled out his sleeping bag and was snoring within minutes.

“You should rest too.” Mikayla said.

“I’ll take the first watch.”

“No need.” Qiao Sang replied, shaking her head.

“I’m not used to sleeping in secret realms. You rest.”

Not sleeping in a secret realm? Unless… she’s using Healing Light again.

Mikayla swallowed her question and said indifferently, “Fine. Call me when you’re tired.”

She lay down and pretended to sleep.

A faint blue glow shimmered nearby.

So she is using Healing Light… Mikayla’s mouth twitched, though she kept her back turned.

“You all rest. Little Treasure and I will stand watch.” Qiao Sang whispered.

“Xun xun~”

Little Treasure puffed his chest and nodded energetically, as if to say, Leave it to me!

Yabao, Lubao, and Gangbao trusted him, settling down to rest.

“You’re not sleeping?” Qiao Sang asked Qingbao.

“Qing qing.”

Qingbao shook her head, she wasn’t tired.

Qiao Sang didn’t insist.

After about ten minutes, the sound of steady breathing filled the area.

Qingbao glanced at the sleeping Mikayla, then floated over to Qiao Sang and whispered softly, “Qing qing.”

Qiao Sang blinked.

“Are you sure?” She whispered back.

“Qing qing.”

Qingbao nodded.

Her wind senses could detect movements through the surrounding air currents.

So… there’s an invisible pet beast near Xu Gehong?

Even as teammates, she’s still hiding something like that? Doesn’t that show a lack of trust… or maybe she has another plan.

Qiao Sang frowned slightly and turned to Little Treasure.

“Did you see anything?”

“Xun xun…”

He shook his head.

Qingbao could sense it, but Little Treasure couldn’t see it, so it wasn’t a Ghost-type. Most likely a Psychic-type…

Qiao Sang thought it over, then said gently, “I understand. You can rest now.”

“Qing qing.”

Qingbao nodded and finally drifted to sleep.

Qiao Sang leaned against a nearby tree, alert.

Little Treasure floated about, keeping watch with professional focus.

Time passed.

By the latter half of the night, Qiao Sang had relaxed a bit, gazing at the faint moonlight through the branches, thinking about their search for the Joy Seed.

Searching the entire secret realm like this felt hopeless. The realm’s size was unknown, and there were areas untouched by explorers. Even if they managed to search everywhere, the Lele Seed wasn’t stationary, it could move.

If they left an area it wasn’t in, but it later wandered there, what then?

The more she thought, the more impossible this mission seemed.

“Xun xun?”

Little Treasure’s sudden confused noise pulled her from her thoughts.

She turned and saw a Corpse Imp in his paw.

“Jié jié jié.”

Unlike last time, the creature didn’t struggle, only grinned eerily.

“Xun xun.”

Little Treasure smacked its head with his paw.

Quit pretending.

The Corpse Imp froze, then shrieked angrily.

“Shi shi!”

That cry… Qiao Sang instantly recalled the Iron-Sphere Ants from before.

Those ants had also called out once, then dozens had appeared.

Normally, low-tier beasts avoided those stronger than them. But when surrounded by their kind, even low-level beasts grew bold enough to challenge ones far above their rank.

Just like now.

“Xun xun!”

Little Treasure’s eyes widened.

Mikayla shot up instantly.

“What’s going-” Guo Ruiqi yawned groggily.

“Move!” Qiao Sang ordered, face darkening.

Little Treasure’s eyes flashed blue.

The next instant, they were all in midair.

But so were a dozen Corpse Imps.

“Shi shi!”

“Shi shi!”

The little monsters looked around in confusion, startled by the sudden shift.

Down below, more of them floated upward after a brief pause.

Oh, crap!

Guo Ruiqi’s sleepiness vanished in terror.

Qiao Sang’s expression hardened.

Because their positions were too spread out, Little Treasure’s teleportation had included some of the Corpse Imps tangled among them.

Still, these ones weren’t that hard to handle. Once Little Treasure teleported them far enough away, the rest below would be left behind, cutting their numbers by at least three-quarters.

Then dealing with this dozen or so would be easy.

But they couldn’t teleport yet.

Their route was planned carefully; a large spatial jump could mess up navigation, or worse, take them in circles.

Better to eliminate them all here.

“Meteor Rain!” Qiao Sang commanded.

“Yap…”

Yabao snored peacefully in midair.

Still that heavy a sleeper, huh… Qiao Sang’s lips twitched.

“Then, Rain Prayer!”

“Lu Di!”

Lubao leapt onto Qiao Sang’s head and howled toward the sky.

Instantly, heavy rain began to pour.

“Shi shi!”

The Corpse Imp caught in Little Treasure’s paw shrieked.

The others finally reacted, their purple eyes glowing as they drifted closer.

Everyone but Guo Ruiqi resisted the hypnotic waves.

His eyelids drooped, and he began to doze off, again.

Luckily, the Sleep Bird had already enlarged mid-teleport, catching him before he fell.

“Qing qing~”

Qingbao countered fast, fluttering her lashes at the Corpse Imp that had targeted her. A pink heart-shaped beam shot forth.

The attack landed perfectly.

The Corpse Imp’s purple eyes faded, replaced by hearts as it floated dreamily in place.

The others looked at each other, baffled why their hypnosis hadn’t worked.

Before they could react further, a wave of frost exploded outward, freezing everything it touched.

In an instant, every raindrop turned to ice.

The downpour became a storm of frozen bullets.

The sharp ice slammed into the Corpse Imps, sending them screaming and tumbling down. Even those still hidden howled in pain as they were forced visible.

Mikayla glanced down at the mass of over a hundred Corpse Imps and said casually,

“I recall… places with this many Corpse Imps often have Tungsten Corpse Crystals.”

Qiao Sang blinked in surprise.

Tungsten Corpse Crystals, a key evolution material for the Night Ring King.

And the Night Ring King…was Little Treasure’s next evolution form.

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T/n: Oh, I suddenly feel like I can relate to those who feel burnout at their jobs🫠