Monster Pet Evolution

by Stayrr

Three years ago, the animals and plants on Earth underwent crazy and unexplainable changes that included transformations, reversions, and the addition of otherworldly species. And it was the start of a brand-new type of profession in the new generation of humanity – Monster Trainers, people who specialized in taming monsters. On his 18th birthday, the protagonist of the story, Gao

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Read Monster Pet Evolution Chapter 321 - An Invitation from Yang Cheng online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 321: An Invitation from Yang Cheng

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"It only needs to keep eating fresh meat in order to improve its strength," Gao Peng said to Uncle Liu. "Of course, if it could train, the effects would be more obvious."

Uncle Liu took each and every word that Gao Peng said to heart.

"It's currently at the Excellent grade right now, but I have a few ideas on how to evolve it to the Perfect grade," Gao Peng continued.

Uncle Liu nodded emotionally. "You're concerned. Excellent grade is fine at the moment. As long as it doesn't have any problems, it'll be able to have breakthroughs constantly."

Gao Peng nodded. However, at the same time, he had some doubts. The book said that it needed to be at the Perfect grade in order for it to move up to another tier, but the Blood Eye Bearded Vulture had broken this magical curse.

Perhaps what was written in the book wasn't accurate. Books were, after all, written by people. It was normal for them to have errors.

Gao Peng looked up the material required for the Blood Eye Bearded Vulture's next evolution—Frost Breaths. Frost Breaths only appeared in areas with extremely cold temperatures. The other respective Breaths also only existed in their respective extreme climates. That meant they would be scattered all over. Another important fact was that these materials were hard to conserve, which meant that they needed to be used in the area in which they were found.

Gao Peng was now very experienced in conducting experiments, no longer the newbie that he once was.

Perhaps the requirement for the Blood Eye Bearded Vulture to be at the Perfect grade was for its stomach to be stronger?

The process of the Blood Eye Bearded Vulture's evolution was for it to constantly consume all sorts of Breaths, then consume nourishing materials that would nurse and warm its stomach.

It was similar to how the Blood Eye Bearded Vulture trained every day. It would go through a series of exercises that would damage its muscles, then heal itself through its self-healing ability. Once its muscles were healed, they would be stronger than before.

It was the same principle for its stomach. However, this wasn't a method that most creatures would be able to mimic.

Gao Peng directly told Uncle Liu his method. This would include how to use these materials to nurse the stomach. The methods weren't difficult, but looking up different types of Breaths could be time-consuming, and Uncle Liu would be required to do it himself. Luckily, it only required the Blood Eye Bearded Vulture to swallow these Breaths, followed by the nourishing ingredients for the stomach.

This was something that needed to be done constantly over a long period of time.

To complete the evolution of the Blood Eye Bearded Vulture would be to settle one of Gao Peng's worries. Initially, Uncle Liu had been kind to him, and Gao Peng had always wanted to repay his kindness. It was a shame that he couldn't complete the collection of materials for the Blood Eye Bearded Vulture, but he couldn't possibly conjure the materials out of nowhere.

Gao Peng suddenly remembered something. During his return, he had been so focused on the materials needed for the Blood Eye Bearded Vultures evolution that he didn't notice that Goldie was sitting on the custom-made sofa that he himself had ordered.

Now that he remembered, Gao Peng's expression suddenly changed.

He rushed back to the villa. When he pushed opened the door, he could hear the sound of the television. "There's only one Haonan in Causeway Bay, and that Haonan is I, Chen Haonan!"

As if Goldie had heard the door opening, sounds of someone frantically fumbling came from the living room. The sound from the television suddenly changed. "First, never act hastily. Second, never turn a blind eye to evil. Third, I, the beautiful Robot Judge who always upholds absolute justice, the captain Praying Mantis, is here to see you!"

Gao Peng smirked. He changed into sandals and calmly walked down the hallway to the living room.

Seated on the sofa, Goldie was staring at the television seriously without blinking its eyes. Its body was stiff and hard, with its back as straight as ever.

When Goldie saw Gao Peng walk in, its eyes didn't even move. Gao Peng laughed coldly. This fella is quite the actor. If it weren't for the fact that I also used to pretend to study in front of my parents while I was playing computer games, I would've believed it.

Standing beside Goldie, Gao Peng patted the sofa so that it sunk under his hands. "So, isn't this sofa quite comfortable?"

Goldie was stunned. Oh no! I forgot about that.

"Stand up."

Goldie obeyed and stood up.

The cushion on the sofa sunk deeply with many wrinkles on the sides. Gao Peng's face twitched. There used to be an elasticity to this sofa…

"Didn't I warn you not to sit on my sofa?" Gao Peng said with a dark expression on his face. "Take out your pocket money. You're going to buy me another one."

Goldie turned around and pretended that it hadn't heard him. After Gao Peng repeated himself a few times, Goldie angrily took out a few crumpled notes from its sling shoulder bag and threw them on the sofa. It held on to its small bag, not willing to throw even one cent more.

The number of people who can take money from me in this world has been reduced.

The same sentence that Goldie had uttered not long before reverberated in its mind.

Goldie's eyes reddened. It tilted its head up 45 degrees, trying very hard to stop the tears from rolling out of its eyes.

Leaving the bungalow, Goldie found a deserted place and opened its bag secretively, then it took out the rest of the money and counted it a few times.

Finally, it rolled the paper money into a stack and put the stack in its bag. Rolling the stack didn't carry any significance; its size would simply make it look like there were more bills.

Gao Peng took the money Goldie gave him and placed it into an iron box that was full of old and crumpled up notes. Gao Peng placed the iron box back under his bed and headed downstairs.

When he came back, he brought along the King Centipede Skeleton. Although it was a Normal-grade monster, it was still a Lord-tier monster. It was sufficient for the present environment, or at least enough to scare most people.

There was also the Winged Thunder Monkey Skeleton and Wood Peacock Skeleton. Dumby had so far brought three skeleton Lord-tier familiars to life. Its terrifying ability was starting to show its strength.

Given enough time, Dumby could bring about a terrible, deadly catastrophe.

Being at the Legendary grade meant that it had an imposing presence to produce a magnificent reputation for itself, whereby its name would be sung and praised for generations to come. People who encountered it would spread the word around, making it a living legend. This was what being at the Legendary grade meant.

Dumby's current default grade was the Legendary grade. However, its growth in level had caused it to be downgraded to Epic. As long as it consumed enough Ghoul-type treasures, it would be able to get back to the Legendary grade.

If Dumby had been a wild monster, by its power alone, it would have been able to set off a terrible and deadly natural disaster. Given enough time, it would be able to summon a ghoul army and easily destroy a base city.

But that was only if…

Gao Peng looked over to the treehouse by the lake. Dumby was sitting there with elegant posture, patiently studying with its daughter.

Crazy. Gao Peng shook his head.

Gao Peng wouldn't permit Dumby to let his ghouls roam around freely. He decided that he would build a special area for them in the mountains behind the villa. That way, if there were guests, they wouldn't be frightened by the ghouls.

"Master Gao, the Yang Cheng broadcast station is asking you to attend one of their events as a guest of honor," Huang Ya said to Gao Peng on the phone.

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Chapter 322: Understanding Monsters Class

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"I'm not interested." Gao Peng had zero interest in participating in this kind of television show. He also didn't like the feeling of being exposed after he became a celebrity.

"Yang Cheng's broadcasting station is willing to give out a Lei Yinluo as a reward," Huang Ya whispered.

Gao Peng, who was stroking Da Zi, was silent for two seconds, then said reluctantly, "Okay then. When does their show start?"

"It will start recording in Yang Cheng next Monday."

There are still four days left. It's not very urgent. Gao Peng nodded in agreement.

Lei Yinluo was just a name called that these people used. Actually, Gao Peng once saw a picture of Lei Yinluo through his data frame. Its original name was Stone of Thor, and this Stone of Thor was the material needed for the Thunder Shell Lord to evolve to the Epic grade. To evolve, the Thunder Shell Lord would need two materials, and one of them was the Stone of Thor, while the other was 30 tons of Yu Spirit Water.

A spirit lake on Sky Mountain was filled with Yu Spirit Water, but Yu Spirit Water couldn't be kept for very long. After being away from the Spirit Lake for a long time, it would lose its spiritual essence. But now, with the Stone of Thor in hand, the Thunder Shell Lord could proceed with its evolution.

Gao Peng found out that the materials that the Lord and Emperor-tier familiars needed to evolve were becoming harder to find. They were basically the best materials currently circulating the market of human society, and for most of them, there was only demand without sufficient supply.

If the level of demand continued to rise, one could only head into unexplored forbidden zones on Earth to gather materials of a higher grade, or perhaps… head to the other worlds through Spatial Rifts.

Gao Peng had already heard of someone who was lucky enough to travel to another world, then brought back treasures and familiars that belonged to that world.

But it was just through a temporary Spatial Rift, and it had disappeared after a few days.

Spatial Rifts that appeared on Earth mostly had time limits, so Spatial Rifts that were permanent were incredibly rare. Currently, the number of permanent Spatial Rifts that had been discovered on Earth was only three.

"Pa!" Da Zi patted Gao Peng's leg angrily.

This guy isn't even focused while he's stroking me. Just what is he thinking? Which familiar is he thinking about?

Gao Peng was speechless, but after seeing that Da Zi was angry again, he continued to stroke its two tentacles.

Da Zi closed its eyes, satisfied, and made happy snoring sounds from its throat.

After stroking for a while, Da Zi felt sleepy. Gao Peng put it on the bed carefully, then got up and left the room, closing the door quietly.

One minute after Gao Peng left, Da Zi opened its eyes cautiously. It crept down from the bed, then went to the window to personally see Gao Peng climbing in a car before leaving.

Since Da Zi felt suspicious, it climbed up the window. As soon as its wings spread, it turned into a flash of purple-golden lightning and flew into the sky.

Gao Peng was going to the Tiange Academy. After all, he was the principal of this school… Except besides the first day, he hadn't gone to the school even once.

At the school gate, two security guards were dragging the body of a monster over the ground with great familiarity.

Another person was washing away blood stains with a mop and a bucket.

They slowed down when they saw a car coming towards them.

"Principal."

"Principal Gao."

They put down their work and quickly greeted Gao Peng.

"Just keep doing your thing. There's no need to worry about me." Gao Peng smiled and waved. After he saw the monster's body, he couldn't help but say, "Looks like there's more for tonight's dinner."

"Hehe."

The group of people couldn't contain their laughter. The rule that stated any edible monster killed by Teacher Guan would be provided as extra food for the faculty and student body had actually been suggested by Principal Gao.

"I'll stay here tonight to have a taste of our school chef's skills. Truth be told, I haven't tasted the food yet," Gao Peng said.

"It tastes really good!" The security guard gave a thumbs up. "Principal, you'll see once you've tried it. Well, we should get going."

"Go ahead." Gao Peng nodded.

After the security guards returned to their work, Gao Peng walked to the Guan Yu statue in front of the school's entrance.

"Teacher Guan, you've worked hard," said Gao Peng as he bowed a little.

The statue didn't move at all. Its eyes were half open and half closed, but it didn't bother to pay attention to this shameless human.

Gao Peng wasn't angry. He took three sticks of incense from the platform, then put them into the copper bowl after he lit it.

The smoke of the incense rose, whirling around the bronze Guan Yu statue.

Gao Peng suddenly stopped his footsteps. The Guan Yu statue had secretly leveled up to Level 42.

When Gao Peng told all of the students to light incense for Teacher Guan, thousands of students in the school had done exactly as they were instructed according to their class schedule. It was impossible to know whether the increase in level was a result of the incense.

In the requirements for grade improvement, Gao Peng had seen something about incense, which was how he came up with the idea. Now, it seemed like it had probably had a certain degree of effect.

To the current Gao Peng, a simple Lord-tier Normal-grade monster no longer interested him.

With Dumby's ability, Ghoul-type monsters that were at the Lord-tier could be mass produced.

If I'm lucky, maybe one day, a student in this school will sign a Blood Contract with the Guan Yu statue? That would be like ascending to the heavens in a single step.

Looking up at the academy, Gao Peng lamented, Ah, dear children, this is the treasure that I, Principal Gao, will leave for you all. Let's see which lucky child will become the one to be protected by the Goddess of Luck.

Ding ding ding.

The recess bell rang, and the quiet building gradually became noisier. The sound of children running and playing in the corridors could be heard.

Some students who had physical education and Understanding Monsters classes came out of the building and went to the field.

A small figure walked out of the building. He suddenly saw Gao Peng standing not far away, but hesitated a while before walking towards him.

"Big brother." A boy wearing a sophomore uniform came and looked up at Gao Peng.

Gao Peng thought the boy looked familiar, then he thought for a while and remembered his name.

"Li Junzong, I remember! Are you used to school life?"

After hearing that Gao Peng remembered his name, Li Junzong's face turned red. He seemed excited.

"I like it very much. Me and the few friends I have all like it here." Li Junzong nodded nonstop.

The statuses of everyone there were nearly the same. The children of the Southern Sky Group employees and orphans were divided into separate classes. The status of every student in a given class was exactly the same, so no one could look down on anyone else.

Moreover, because they had the same experiences, these students became friends more easily.

At the same time, the school had strict regulations. They were strictly forbidden from insulting other students. There may have been competing in the school, but it had to be justified and benevolent. For good results in various subjects, they competed in practice competitions!

This school was similar to a semi-closed state, so in terms of management, it met Gao Peng's standards.

"Okay. That's good. Are you going to physical education now or Understanding Monsters class?"

"It's Understanding Monsters," Li Junzong said honestly.

From afar, it was still okay, but now that he was in close contact with his big brother, Li Junzong felt a strong pressure coming from Principal Gao, who was in front of him, just like the Commander-tier monster he had seen in the last Understanding Monsters class.

"I'll go and listen in for a while." Gao Peng thought that since he had already come to the school, he should go and listen to a class.

The physical education class was to train students' physical fitness and at the same time, to teach combat and outdoor survival skills.

Gao Peng built a simulated wild area in the school that contained a small number of Level 1 monsters. Moreover, the claws and teeth of these monsters were removed, and teachers and school security guards were also supervising from the side.

It mainly trained students' survival skills in the wild; it wasn't meant to cultivate greenhouse flowers.

The Understanding Monsters class was held to bring in living or dead monsters to explain the monsters' weaknesses and fighting habits.

After all, the things that could be learned from a book were separated by a piece of paper. In the end, what could be seen in real life was more informative, and the memory would be more profound.

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Chapter 323: Principal Gao's Lecture

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Understanding Monsters was an uncommon class. It was rare to find such a class, even in the entire Huaxia Region.

The main reason was that such a class required a lot of human resources, as well as financial capital.

The bodies of dead monsters were still relatively easy to get. However, it was hard to acquire a variety of monsters that were still alive. Only the best public universities were able to offer such classes.

A private high school offering such a class would be considered a luxury.

In a spacious field, there were iron cages that were covered with black cloths. The angry growls of monsters were coming out from some of the iron cages.

Three classes were taking the class together, as Understanding Monsters was a major subject. Many of the students were sitting on their benches quietly, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

A middle-aged man wearing spectacles, a blue down jacket, and black trousers walked over from the field. He was carrying a thermos cup in his hands.

When he saw Gao Peng, he waved his hands and smiled. "Class has already started, student. Please go and take a seat."

The security guards who were walking with the middle-aged man recognized Gao Peng and immediately shouted out, "Greetings Principal Gao!"

The middle-aged man was a foreign teacher. He had heard of Gao Peng, but he had never seen him personally. When he heard the guards calling Gao Peng "principal," he pushed up his glasses and took another look at him. This principal is way too young!

He thought that Gao Peng was a senior.

The middle-aged teacher smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, Principal Gao. I didn't recognize you just now."

"It's fine. It's normal to misunderstand. I know I look young." Gao Peng laughed.

The middle-aged teacher nodded and prepared to begin the class. Gao Peng suddenly had an idea. "How about I take over for this period of the class?"

The middle-aged teacher was taken aback. He thought that maybe he might've offended the principal just now. The reason he had come here as a teacher was because his wife had just given birth to a pair of fraternal twins. He had left his job at a university to come here. At that moment, he couldn't help but feel anxious. If he lost this job, too…

"I'm not such a petty person that I would do that. It's just because these students remind me of my own time in school, and I suddenly feel inspired. Don't worry. After this lesson, you'll still be teaching them," Gao Peng comforted the teacher.

The teacher let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. In that case, I'll head back first."

Gao Peng went on stage and clapped his hands, gaining the attention of the children.

Li Junzong recognized Gao Peng. Isn't this Teacher Wang's class?

"Teacher Wang has some business to attend to at home. I'll be substituting for him today."

The students started to discuss among themselves. Some of them had forgotten what Gao Peng looked like, while others recognized him. After a while, all of them knew that the person who was standing on stage was Principal Gao.

All of the students were grateful for what Gao Peng had done for them, so they all respected him.

"This is the first time I'm teaching Understanding Monsters. Please forgive me if my lecture is lacking in any way."

The students were very accommodating and gave him a big round of applause.

Gao Peng nodded happily and smiled kindly. He took the black cloth off the farthest iron cage on the left. The sudden light from the sun shocked the white Red Spiked Claw Boar inside the cage. It bent its hooves and knelt on the floor, making all sorts of whining noises.

"Students, what do we have here?" Gao Peng pointed towards the monster inside the cage and said, "We've discovered a gentle Red Spiked Claw Boar. It's even one of the rare white species."

As he spoke, he opened the cage.

The students immediately screamed. Those sitting in the first row even got up and ran to the back. Li Junzong, who was sitting in the first row, also wanted to get up and run, but his trust in Gao Peng convinced him to suppress his fear and stay put.

The guards nearby were so terrified that they almost went crazy. Principal Gao's familiars weren't there. They couldn't let anything happen to Principal Gao, otherwise, it would be disastrous!

The guards' familiars roared and rushed to the stage.

The previously tame Red Spiked Claw Boar suddenly extended the sharp spikes on its body when it became startled by the familiars' roars. Its spikes pricked up as it rushed towards Gao Peng like a giant hedgehog.

"Remember students, a Red Spiked Claw Boar will extend its steel spikes when startled, just like a hedgehog." Gao Peng extended his hands and used two fingers to grab the boar's nostrils, then lifted up forcefully.

"Ahh!" The Red Spiked Claw Boar squealed pitifully. Its legs softened as it fell down where Gao Peng pushed it.

"The nostrils are its weakness. Everyone should pay attention to this. As long as its nostrils can be attacked, aim and hit them directly." Gao Peng turned his head around as he spoke.

The guards' familiars had just made it onstage. Gao Peng looked at them and shouted, "Get down!"

The familiars all went down the stage obediently.

"Mother of God!" The guards were in disbelief. The Red Spiked Claw Boar was an Elite-tier monster. It was very strong and stout, so the force generated from its tackle would be more than a few tons. However, Principal Gao had been able to deal with it using one hand, like an adult bullying a child.

Stunned, the group of students looked at the slender figure on the stage as if they were watching a myth.

The "iron law" that humans weren't able to fight against monsters and win was something that everyone knew.

Of course, Lord-tier monster trainers could depend on the strength that they gained from the Feedback from their familiars to subdue Normal-tier monsters. However, these were exceptions and certainly weren't common. Most Lord-tier monster trainers wouldn't go around showing off that they were able to defeat a Normal-tier monster with their own hands…

"Has… has Principal Gao been swapped with a monster?" a student said, frightened.

Once that sentence was uttered, there was a commotion among the students!

Clang! Gao Peng knocked on the iron cage. The iron cage railing was dented by his punch. "I'm a human, not a monster! Pay attention to the lesson and go back to your seats!" Gao Peng pointed to a female student as he said, "You, girl, let go of that boy. You're suffocating him."

The girl blushed and let go of the boy, then quickly went back to her seat.

"Okay. We'll continue with our lesson." Gao Peng became calm again. He used his left hand to pull a spike out of the Red Spiked Claw Boar forcefully.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow—" the Red Spiked Claw Boar let out a mournful cry.

Some students couldn't bear to watch. This was the first time they were seeing a monster in such a pitiful state. The whole scene felt very surreal.

"The Red Spiked Claw Boar's weaknesses are here, here, and here…" The room was filled with echoes of the boar on the ground that kept crying out in pain.

After 20 minutes, Gao Peng returned the worn out Red Spiked Claw Boar to the iron cage. He then covered the cage with the black cloth and lifted the black cloth of the iron cage next to it. In the corner of the cage, a Blue-tailed Double-headed Wolf was trembling…

The class ended after two hours with Gao Peng feeling extremely satisfied.

Gao Peng ate dinner at the school canteen. He felt that the school's cook wasn't as good as Grandpa, so he left the school with a tinge of regret.

After that day, all sorts of rumors about Principal Gao circulated throughout the school. Some said that he was a god, others said he was a human-shaped familiar, and some even said he was a human and familiar hybrid.

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Chapter 324: Any Eye for Talent

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

As Gao Peng left the school, he saw a faint purple trace in the sky, flashing away.

Why does that seem so familiar… Maybe I'm just imagining things.

He shook his head and drove his car down the mountain and back to the villa.

There were two yellow figures sparring and challenging each other by the side of the lake at the villa.

On the left was a yellow shadow, and on the right was a golden-yellow phantom.

The sounds of flesh being punched could be heard constantly.

"Master Gao," Xu Heti greeted Gao Peng as he got out of his car.

"Uncle Xu." Gao Peng nodded. Xu Heti was always busy with work so he didn't come to the villa often. After all, working for the Southern Sky Group's security department wasn't a leisurely job.

The security department at the Southern Sky Group in Yuzhou always had to be responsible for matters that needed to be done every day. Thus, Xu Heti was always busy. Basically, he got home late into the night. Xu Qingzhi mentioned this to Gao Peng when they chatted.

"You brought your Golden Dazzling Light Boxing Champion Kangaroo to spar with Goldie. How long have they been sparring?" Gao Peng looked over to the two shadows by the lakeside.

"Just ten minute." Xu Heti looked at the eight-foot-tall giant duck on the left and couldn't help but laugh wryly. "Master Gao, this familiar of yours is just too abnormal. There's no way to beat it."

Although both Goldie and the Golden Dazzling Light Boxing Champion Kangaroo were both Level 41 Lord-tier familiars, in reality, Goldie was two grades above the Boxing Champion Kangaroo.

Punches from the Golden Dazzling Light Boxing Champion Kangaroo didn't affect Goldie at all. In fact, they accidentally triggered Goldie's ability to develop and grow bigger.

Though they were supposed to be sparring, Goldie was actually playing with the Kangaroo.

When Goldie saw that Gao Peng had returned, its eyes lit up. It didn't want to waste time on the kangaroo anymore, so it threw an accurate and fast punch directly.

Bang!

The punch landed precisely on the Golden Dazzling Light Boxing Champion Kangaroo's nose. Its eyes turned red, with tears coming out.

The nose was a sensitive organ for kangaroos and also a fragile spot for most monsters.

This punch almost knocked out the kangaroo. It covered its nose as it looked at the merciless Goldie with resentment.

Goldie was relentless. Turning around, it sped 300 yards per seconds to where Gao Peng stood. Throwing itself in front of him onto the ground, it started doing push-ups.

While doing its push-ups, it lifted up its head and said, "Gao Peng. I've already done 3,966 push-ups today. Aren't I great?"

Gao Peng nodded and encouraged Goldie.

"Then can I get a raise for next month's allowance?" Goldie looked at Gao Peng expectantly.

"It'll go up by 50." Gao Peng held up five fingers.

Goldie's eyes lit up, and it did its push-ups even more vigorously.

The Golden Dazzling Light Boxing Champion Kangaroo got up, feeling a bit lost. It would rather do push-ups than challenge me… The Golden Dazzling Light Boxing Champion Kangaroo felt a great sense of loss.

Is it trying to test my will?! The idea dawned on the Golden Dazzling Light Boxing Champion Kangaroo. Then it rushed to Goldie's front and started doing push-ups as well.

Goldie who was working on its push-ups, looked at the Boxing Champion Kangaroo mockingly, as if it was crazy.

"Sorry, Uncle Xu. Goldie doesn't really know what's important," Gao Peng said apologetically.

"Never mind. Goldie has spent much time playing with my house's kangaroo. They're actually very far apart in strength," Xu Heti expressed his understandings. From what he had seen just then, it was clear that his Golden Dazzling Light Boxing Champion Kangaroo had taken the initiative to attack, while conversely, Goldie hadn't really retaliated much. They were in completely different leagues.

Xu Heti was there to report company affairs to Grandpa. After he went in and talked with Grandpa for a while, he took the kangaroo and left.

When the kangaroo was leaving, It jumped on its toes, raised its eyebrows, and left.

At night, the mountains outside the windows seemed to have been swallowed by darkness. Only the foot of the mountain had a street light to illuminate a small area.

For the past few days, Flamy had been flying out early in the morning and coming back late at night. Gao Peng didn't know what it was doing.

Most of the time, it was optimistic and cheerful, but it had seemed a bit depressed lately. While going to the toilet, Gao Peng saw it perching on the branches, looking far into the distance.

Gao Peng flushed the toilet, pulled up his pants, opened the door, and went to the lawn. Flamy heard Gao Peng and turned around. "Gao Peng?"

"Yes. Is something bothering you lately?" Gao Peng sat beneath the tree. Flamy flew down from the tree, tilted its head, and looked at Gao Peng, then turned its gaze back to the lake blankly without answering.

"Are you worried that you're not losing weight?" Gao Peng couldn't help but laugh.

Flamy shot Gao Peng a look and then angrily pecked at his arm. "Gao Peng, I'm going to bite you to death!"

Gao Peng pinched Flamy's beak to stop it from moving further.

Gao Peng suddenly thought of Flamy's background. He gently patted Flamy's back and said, "After we come back from Yang Cheng, I'll bring you back to your birthplace."

Flamy suddenly stopped pecking. Its eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really. I don't lie." Gao Peng smiled.

Flamy nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"All right. It's getting late; you should return to the tree to rest," Gao Peng patted Flamy's head.

"Mr. Gao, you're here." There was someone there to greet Gao Peng when he got off the private plane.

The back of the private plane started to open, and Gao Peng's familiars came out.

After all, Yang Cheng wasn't part of the Southern Sky Group's turf. Although the Southern Sky Group had a branch there, it had no dominance over the city. For the sake of safety, Gao Peng decided to bring all of his familiars except Stripey.

Having four Lord-tier familiars around him gave him a sense of security.

If it weren't for the fact that the plane wasn't very big, he might've even brought the Wood Peacock Skeleton and other ghouls with him.

"My name is Wang Muzi, and I'm the assistant program director for 'An Eye for Talent.' You can just call me Old Wang." A 40-year-old middle-aged man with a black hat and goatee walked over and shook Gao Peng's hand enthusiastically. "We've already prepared a car for you. We'll send you to your hotel first."

"That isn't necessary. I have a villa here in Yang Cheng. Just send me there directly," Gao Peng declined.

In the car, Wang Muzi took the initiative to talk to Gao Peng enthusiastically. "We've invited a total of four guests. You're the youngest among them."

"Our program is different from other, previous programs. It's something new that we've never done before. Actually, we heard that you were the youngest mid-level Monster Breeder in Chang'an City. The present program is definitely related to Monster Breeders. I'm sure you already know that we're the official television channel of Yang Cheng, so we've gathered a lot of materials and monsters, most of which are unfamiliar to the public; there are also some species that are completely new and have never been seen by anyone before.

"Our selling point for this program is that we'll be identifying the attributes and characteristics of the materials and monsters. It'll be both entertaining and educational. This type of show is very popular. Of course, for all the materials used, we've invited high-end laboratories to examine their attributes beforehand. You guys only need to perform according to the scripts."

Gao Peng nodded thoughtfully.

Chapter 325: Yin Yang Calendula

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Wang Muzi sent the show's script to Gao Peng that night through the Penguin messaging app.

Gao Peng opened the message, and inside was a list of names. On the list were the pictures of the materials and their attributes.

He looked at the photos, and rows of data appeared in his vision. He compared the data in his vision with what was listed. Most of the data on the monsters and materials were correct, but some were wrong. The attributes written on the list were very rough.

When he saw one of the photos on the list, he suddenly paused.

The photo was of a dandelion that was only four inches tall. The fuzzy fur on top was as white as a snow lotus on the Tianshan Mountain. It was so white that it hurt his eyes, and beneath it was a black stalk.

It was categorized as a material: Dalingshan Dandelion. Effects: Its fur has healing effects. Attention: A new species.

However, the data that was shown in Gao Peng's vision was different.

[Monster Name: Yin Yang Calendula

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Level: Level 3

[Monster Attribute: Radiant/Dark

[Monster State: Healthy (Trembling)

[Monster Introduction: It's a brave and fearless Plant-type monster that likes to explore. It has the ability to heal and weaken the abilities of other monsters. As it's still at a low level right now, it can only use the seeds on its head to make soup. This may be a good choice for it to make right now.

Brave? Trembling?

Gao Peng was in deep thought for two seconds. Things weren't as clear cut as they seemed.

Gao Peng flipped to the back of the script. There was nothing fresh about it. It was similar to most of the popular entertainment shows on the market. The lines they had given were all very awkward and had been seen a million times. Reading it almost gave him cancer from the awkwardness.

However, he decided to just ignore it for the sake of Lei Yinluo.

Forget it. It's just an entertainment program. Gao Peng wasn't interested in calling out their mistakes and making himself look good. He would just go through the whole thing honestly, go home, and continue to promote the Thunder Shell Lord's grade.

Gao Peng thought for a while and decided to give Wang Muzi a call.

"Old Wang, do all of the materials and monsters on the show belong to you?"

Old Wang was slightly taken aback. "Well, I wouldn't say they belong to us. The money we used came from the higher-ups, after all. All of the expenses were accounted for… but if anything catches your eyes, I can throw in a word or two…"

Old Wang was very perceptive. He understood that Gao Peng hadn't called him this late at night to chat with a middle-aged man about his life story.

Gao Peng didn't feel embarrassed and spoke frankly. "I've looked through the information you sent me. There's one particular material that I really like. The Dalingshan Dandelion. I like its color and style. Moreover, I think it isn't as simple as it looks. Just name a price."

Wang Muzi was dumbfounded. Since Gao Peng had already asked so directly, he wouldn't be able to reject him. Although the Dalingshan Dandelion was one of a kind, it didn't have much medicinal value. The results from the laboratory also stated that it was just an average medicinal ingredient.

Under such circumstances, he naturally couldn't really reject Gao Peng. However, he was just an assistant director. He still needed to run things through the main director in a situation like this.

"It should be no problem. I'll inform the main director and producer. As for the payment, for such a small amount, forget it," Wang Muzi said hurriedly. Gao Peng wasn't just a Lord-tier monster trainer or mid-level monster breeder. More importantly, he was the grandson of the chairman of the Southern Sky Group, the beloved grandson of the White Dragon, Ji Hanwu.

The two latter identities were the most important factor in Wang Muzi's decision.

Wang Muzi usually wouldn't have the chance to interact with someone of Gao Peng's stature. Now that he had the chance, he wouldn't let it go so easily.

Gao Peng didn't reject him. People needed to have relationships with other people. Not taking their money was a favor that he did for them. If he took their money, they could start to worry.

The dandelion, packaged in a golden wooden box, was quickly sent over to Gao Peng. The box looked very antique, the carvings on it exquisite. It was obvious that the carvings had been done by hand.

He opened the box. Red silk covered the bottom of it. There was a layer of velvet on the bottom. On top of it was a foot-long dandelion. Its stem, which was black, took up two-thirds of the length. Only the petals at the top were pure white.

Gao Peng lifted up the Yin Yang Calendula. It looked like any normal plant.

Gao Peng blew at it. If it had just been a normal dandelion, the petals would have been blown away by his breath. However, the petals swayed and struggled to stay put when Gao Peng blew on them. Not one of the petals was blown away.

Gao Peng flicked it with his finger. Nothing happened.

He threw it against the wall. There was still no reaction.

No wonder those people had only regarded it like a normal plant and not a Plant-type monster.

What Gao Peng found interesting was that as he played with it, its status kept changing. It changed from trembling to fearful and anxious.

Gao Peng thought for a while and took out a Radiant-type monster's core crystal from Silly's portable space. He placed it on top of the Yin Yang Calendula petals.

It was rather strange. The Radiant-type monster core crystal wasn't light compared to the Yin Yang Calendula. However, when it was placed on top of the petals, it didn't move at all. It was as if it had been glued on.

He extended his fingers to lift the core crystal, but he could feel that the Yin Yang Calendula didn't want to let go. Gao Peng found this quite funny.

It was like when children stared angrily at adults who took away their candy.

Gao Peng took away the core crystal and then took a Commander-tier dark type monster core crystal from Silly's portable space. He placed it on the petals.

Immediately, a very pleased mood spread out from the Yin Yang Calendula's body.

Such an easy creature to please.

Gao Peng took out a disposable blood collection device to draw some blood. However, when the needle pricked his finger, it was as if it was pushing against a rhino's skin.

Gao Peng had not only gained strength from the Feedback but also an all-around improvement to his physical attributes. In order to withstand such a huge amount of power, his bones, skin, and internal organs all needed corresponding strength.

Gao Peng asked Flamy to help him create a wound on his finger, then he placed his bloodied finger on the Yin Yang Calendula's petals.

Fresh blood dyed the white petals red. The Yin Yang Calendula trembled a bit.

Just then, a weak soul connected to Gao Peng through his consciousness.

It was like a flower that swayed in a storm, sensitive and strong.

Gao Peng patiently encouraged it to come to him. He made threats and promises. He was like a perverted man trying to lure a child with candy.

The simple Yin Yang Calendula didn't have the ability to discern right from wrong. In the end, it was in the clutches of a certain Mr. Gao.

This was Gao Peng's first Plant-type familiar. Compared to Silly's lackluster healing ability, this Yin Yang Calendula was much more professional.

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Chapter 326: End of The Program

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The dandelion was listed in Ancient Herbs and Where To Find Them as the Golden Calendula.

How a flower as white as snow came to be known as the Golden Calendula was beyond Gao Peng's comprehension.

After signing the Blood Contract, the Yin Yang Calendula was noticeably warmer towards Gao Peng. Even though it was still kind of aloof, at least it had stopped ignoring Gao Peng by pretending to be an inanimate object.

It was just about to nestle into Gao Peng's hair when Silly smacked it on the head with a tentacle. That was a no-fly zone.

Trembling lightly, the Calendula found another spot right on top of Dumby's shiny bald head.

They created a hilarious figure. A white dandelion on a scary, cloaked figure with enormous spikes jutting out of its shoulder blades and white Soul Flames burning in the depths of the hood where eyes should have been.

He felt bad for laughing and tried to stop himself.

"Dumby, I'm leaving Xiao Hua to you."

That was the nickname that Gao Peng had given the Calendula.

He had actually asked the Calendula if it liked the nickname. "If you don't say anything, I'm going to assume you like it," said Gao Peng. That elicited the barest twitch of its leaves. "I guess you do like it, then."

Deep in the night, towering waves crashed upon a nameless shore in explosive bursts of spray 50 miles away from Yang Cheng. The mesmerizing ebb and flow of the inky black water did little to hint at the horrors that lurked within.

The ocean was the one place that mankind had yet to fully explore, pre or post-Cataclysm.

As the tides receded, a large amount of strange, white fluid was left on the beach. It was dripping out of a number of snow white eggs.

As the sun rose, its dazzling rays seemed to coat the eggs in liquid gold. The sun's warmth seemed to have triggered some kind of reaction within the eggs.

There was a small, nameless village not too far from this beach. Ever since one of their own had sold a gem he had picked up on the beach and found himself a wife, the villagers loved combing the beach for treasure on their leisurely strolls. Even though his wife came with a kid, it was still good that he had someone to carry on his family name. Some of the more unkind villagers would make fun of him, though, by yelling "buy one get one free" and similar insults.

The few remaining unmarried men would gaze at the beach wistfully every day, as though hoping that a good wife would walk right out of the ocean and into their arms.

Needless to say, the beach was a popular hangout spot for the villagers.

"Eggs, eggs! There's a ton of eggs on the beach…" The excited chatter of the kids echoed throughout the poor village.

After a night of rest, Gao Peng went back to the recording studio at around two that afternoon. There were already quite a few people backstage by the time he got there. Even though he had left quite early, there had still been some traffic on the way there.

A wave of noise washed over him as he navigated the crowd. Tools were scattered all over the floor, which made his route all the more treacherous.

Wang Mu Zi was clutching on to a battered white document as he paced frenetically around.

"Light guy, I need you to adjust the stage lights.

"The group in charge of props, are y'all ready? Y'all look like you have time to kill. Go and practice again. There can't be any mistakes later!

"Audio, something is wrong with the system there. Can't hear it clearly from the backstage storage area."

As soon as he saw Gao Peng, he tossed the document aside and went to greet him.

"You seem busy." Gao Peng nodded in greeting.

Wang Muzi smiled gingerly. That was a gross oversimplification if anything. Even though he was only an assistant director, the fact that the director was a pampered, well-connected young hotshot meant that he was the one doing most of the grunt work.

He really had no choice in the matter. If he wasn't in the director's good books, funding for this program would dry up in the blink of an eye.

Gao Peng could tell that Muzi wasn't really happy with his current situation, so he didn't say much. "Could you point me to the waiting area? You do your thing, and I'll head there first."

"I'll take you there." Wang Muzi grinned affably.

It was a lot nicer back there. The well-lit room was comfortably spacious and had air-conditioning to boot. Some light refreshments had already been laid out in a corner.

There were already two people sitting in the room. There was an old man with a shock of white hair and piercing blue eyes. He had a strong presence and seemed to be sizing up everyone who walked in.

After exchanging some pleasantries with Gao Peng, he nodded approvingly.

"I heard about an impressive lad in Chang'an. The future of monster breeding, some people say. I thought Chen Xuehe was just full of it, but it seems like he wasn't lying to me after all."

Gao Peng was stunned. When had word of his exploits gotten out? And how had it spread all the way to Yang Cheng?

After a beat, the old man's expression relaxed. Smiling, he waved Gao peng over. "Sit."

Gao Peng acquiesced. Chuckling loudly, the old man said, "That was just a line the assistant director had me say. Don't worry about it."

He pointed to the cameras in the room. "It'll all be edited in a bit."

Gao Peng remained blank. He didn't know how to feel. This was showbusiness, he guessed.

After a while, the final VIP arrived.

Wang Muzi then went around the room introducing them to each other. He introduced Gao Peng as a Lord-tier trainer and a genius breeder.

A few of them immediately connected the dots. One of them became noticeably warmer towards Gao Peng once he realized.

The rest of them played it cool, with no discernible changes in the way they spoke to him. Anyone who could make it into this room was no fool. Even if they didn't like one another, nobody wanted to make enemies here.

The recording was done in two and a half hours. Gao Peng had to stifle a yawn.

Halfway through the show, he had realized that some of the numbers were off. There was that really embarrassing line. Too… For the sake of Lei Yinluo and the Yin Yang Calendula, he gritted his teeth and toughed his way through the whole thing.

As he left the stage, he went back for his belongings. Flipping through his phone, he was quite surprised to see more than ten missed calls.

His brows furrowed.

There was Grandfather and Xu Hedi, but there were also a couple of unknown numbers.

His phone lit up—it was Lao Ji.

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His grandfather's voice rang loud and clear. "You're still in Yang Cheng?"

"I just finished shooting the program. What's up?"

"Southern Sky has just been attacked. Our communications are down. Go down there and handle it the best that you can. I'll be there as soon as possible."

Gao Peng chuckled lightly. "Don't worry. I'll have it all taken care of before you get here."

Hanging up the phone, Gao Peng quickly assessed the situation. There were probably a couple of Lord-tier monsters in the wave, but no Emperor-tier ones. He knew that if there had actually been an Emperor-tier monster, the branch would have been long finished by then.

Why wasn't the Yang Cheng military doing anything though? They should have been on top of the situation.

Gao Peng was rather puzzled.

The military should have stepped in… unless the wave of monsters was hitting several spots at once.

The Southern Sky Group's branch in Yang Cheng was located in the outskirts. In fact, every Southern Sky Group branch was located on the outskirts of whatever city they were in. Unfortunately, as cheap as it was to build and expand, being in the outskirts also meant that there was a higher risk of being overrun by waves of monsters.

As he mused about it, he made his way to where his car was in the basement and released his familiars.

"Let's go to the southeastern area. Flamy, take Goldie with you. We're going on ahead. Dumby and Da Zi, meet us there."

The Southern Sky Group was located in the southern part of Yang Cheng's new area.

Right now, the new area was a hodge-podge collection of branch offices, similar to the Southern Sky Group, and a couple of grimy, old factories. It was rather sparsely populated, so it was only served by a single police station with less than 100 officers. Because it was home to enormous groups like the Southern Sky Group, who already owned pretty formidable security forces on their own, these police officers rarely had anything to do besides patrol and taking care of the occasional wild monster.

The police station was completely trashed. The door swung creakily on its hinges. Blood and gore were splattered all over the floor. The shattered windows rattled eerily in the wind. Even in bright daylight, a sense of foreboding permeated the place.

Boom!

An ear-splitting noise could be heard throughout the entire area.

The sounds of footsteps slapping against the concrete could be heard as someone or something drew closer to the station's exit.

Bang!

The half-closed door flew open to reveal a dripping wet silhouette that brimmed with malice and venom. The figure fixed its gaze in the direction of the loud noise before licking its ruby-red lips in anticipation.

"Roar!"

It was off in a flash!

The front gate of the Southern Sky's branch office was in shambles. A horde of monsters was straining and scrabbling against the concrete walls trying to get in. Roaring in fury and frustration, they were a fearsome sight to behold.

Some of the monsters tried scaling the walls, leaving deep gouges as they went. Unfortunately, they were greeted by an electrified fence at the top that sent them tumbling down in violent convulsions.

"Roar!" A giant, humanoid monster with jet-black skin and seaweed-like hair who looked eight months pregnant bellowed ferociously. Black mist started rolling into the streets out of nowhere. In the depths of the mist, countless pairs of demonic scarlet eyes could be seen.

In the black mist, the tiny monsters seemed even quicker and more agile than before.

"Don't be afraid. The cavalry will be here soon. We can't let them through even if we have to die trying. Our families are back there, for God's sake!" A security officer roared.

Whoosh! Some of the black mist solidified into a deadly arrow and hurtled towards the officer at a blinding speed.

A crimson barrier materialized in front of him to deflect the arrow. The barrier then engulfed the arrow in a blaze of flames and absorbed it. Zheng Tiezhuang's right eye twitched nervously. That had been much too close for comfort.

A sleek, scarlet fox emerged silently from behind him. Its crimson fur resembled dancing flames, and its eyes glittered like rubies. It's three bushy tails swished through the air lazily, shooting off colorful sparks at random intervals.

"Hold on. Only another ten more minutes!" Zheng Tiezhuang roared.

"Another ten minutes? We've been waiting for almost two hours," a security officer said despondently.

Upon hearing this, morale dropped visibly. The winds had clearly been taken out of their sails.

"God damn it!" Zheng Tiezhuang swore. "Three-tails, give them hell!"

The Three-tailed Firefox leaped into the air in a blur of movement, leaving a trail of flames in its wake. Baring its jaws, it launched a devastating stream of fireballs at the hostile creatures.

Boom!!

The monsters at the front couldn't dodge the fiery deluge in time and were instantly vaporized.

"Believe me. I'm serious…"

"Roar!" Black shadows flew out of the mist like a hail of arrows.

Countless black creatures landed on the Three-tailed Firefox and started ripping away chunks of flesh with their powerful jaws.

The Three-tailed Firefox let out a heart-rending cry of agony. Those little buggers had extremely sharp fangs, like serrated saws.

Shrapnels of bone and tiny chunks of flesh flew, leaving a bloody mess on the ground!

Snarling loudly, a burst of flame erupted from the firefox, incinerating the black creatures that were latched onto it into ash.

Before it even had the chance to catch its breath, a four-armed kelpie thundered out of the mist, fists whirling.

Its fist coated in blue energy, the kelpie easily broke through the firefox's defenses with a flurry of punches. The firefox was thrown back several feet and landed on the ground with a sickening thud.

Blood streamed from its mouth and nostrils.

"Three-tails!" Zheng Tiezhuang was furious.

Powered by an initial burst of adrenaline and courage, the officers leading the charge started to falter. Some of them even turned to flee.

"It's too strong…" someone sobbed.

The four-armed kelpie grinned wickedly. As quick as lightning, it charged at the retreating trainers and their familiars.

Bang!

A spray of blood spewed out.

The four-armed kelpie staggered a few steps before crumpling to the ground in a heap, a gaping hole where its brains should have been.

Behind it stood an emotionless Goldie, arms akimbo.

"You cowards!" yelled Gao Peng. Wreathed in flames, Flamy circled the crowd from high above, with Gao Peng watching them alertly from the side.

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Chapter 328: A Negative Attitude

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Some people's expressions darkened. It was clear that those words had hit a sore spot.

Some merely looked up, expressionless, and others balled their fists.

"What else are you all, if not spineless weaklings? Or should I be praising your courage? You were protected by a stronghold, had several hundred Elite-tier familiars and a considerable number of Commander-tier familiars, were equipped with guns and grenades and the very best electronic gadgets; you had the geographical advantage, and I wasn't even asking for that much. All I asked was for you to hold down the fort for two hours, and what did you do?" Gao Peng mocked.

"I actually thought there were Lord-tier monsters in the horde, instead of a mere handful of Elites and the single Commander-tier monster it turned out to be.

Gao Peng shot a contemptuous glance at the monsters' attributes. "Actually, all things considered, calling you cowards might be too high a praise; useless scum would be more appropriate.

"The organization has four gates in all four directions, and you lost the most territory at the eastern gate." He continued calmly, "Based on the company headquarters' allocations, the branch's defenses should've held out against a horde without a Lord-tier monster for ten hours, yet you barely withstood it for two hours…"

The organization had four gates in total, so Gao Peng had only rushed to the eastern gate to give aid because the situation there had been the most precarious.

On the empty factory grounds behind the great door lay a motley group of familiars—some were covered in wounds, their eyes gleaming with aggression, while others were immaculate, with barely a lick of dust on their hides. Even their claws were clean. The contrast between the two was startling.

Gao Peng leaped from Flamy's back and landed steadily. "Of course, I'm not saying every single one of you is at fault. I'm just referring to those who were slacking. Those who fought valiantly shall be rewarded, and those who didn't will be punished. I'm very particular when it comes to fairness."

"Go take care of the monsters at the other gates. Goldie and I will take it from here," Gao Peng said to Flamy.

Flamy nodded and flew away. Soon, its assault on the turrets could be heard in the distance.

Goldie moved forward and placed the Three-tailed Firefox on the steps behind it. Just then, the monsters near the gate seized their chance and rushed forward, squeezing themselves through the opening. The water monsters trailed moisture across the cement behind them, as black mist spewed inwards with the intent to spread out.

Goldie turned, blank-faced, then stomped fiercely on the ground and sprinted towards the drowned monsters explosively.

Boom. Its punches were like cracks of thunder, shocking the evil spirits. Each fist and sweep of its feet were lightning incarnate that pierced the heavens. It raged on, fierce and relentless.

Goldie's Lord-tier fists were without mercy, and none of the water monsters could stand before it.

With a single punch, those who were closest to it and took a direct hit were ripped apart instantly, while the others behind them were sent flying.

Meanwhile, a few of them began attacking Goldie from the side by gnawing on its sturdy legs.

Goldie didn't even try to avoid their attacks at all; like a tank, it bulldozed through the horde, each punch and kick bursting with terrifying power.

Somewhere behind this horde of monsters, a giant, swollen one leveled a venomous glare at Goldie, opened its mouth with its belly expanding outwards, and exploded in an instant!

Boom!

A thick rain of tiny black dots showered Goldie, which, at a closer look, turned out to be dozens of miniature scrawny, black monsters. With their blood red eyes and skin stretched across bony frames, they proceeded to attack Goldie's hide with their sharp fangs.

But no matter how hard they chewed, Goldie's skin wouldn't give an inch, for it was as tough as old boots.

However, Goldie's body was inflating under the attacks of dozens of ghosts. As mauve light twinkled and began to gather, Goldie ballooned.

Its great wings unfolded and swept across the battlefield! As they passed through, entire swathes of monsters fell like plants before a scythe, emptying the battlefield in a single sweep. The black mist that suffused the air melted like snow in the springtime sun wherever it touched Goldie's body.

There were, of course, a small handful of monsters that hadn't ganged up on Goldie, but chose to attack from the flanks instead.

Meanwhile, Gao Peng didn't lift a finger, even though he had more than enough strength from Stripey to dispose of the horde of monsters. If his subordinates couldn't even do this by themselves, then he would really have to seriously consider replacing the entire Security Department in the Southern Sky's branch in Yang Cheng.

After all, money didn't grow on trees, and this held true for him as well. And Gao Peng had never liked to talk about things such as honor and ideals; perhaps he had grown cynical during the time of his parents' deaths. Whatever the case was, Gao Peng deeply subscribed to the concept of equivalent exchange: if one was going to accept the payment, one had better follow through with his or her actions. He didn't ask that they give their all for the organization, but at the very least, they were expected to do what was within their power.

If the security was paid only to hide behind the scenes whenever someone caused trouble… well, surely no boss would be at ease with that.

But if that was the case, why should he empty his pockets to keep them? He would be better off raising a bunch of dogs instead; at least dogs wouldn't hesitate to bite on command when fed well.

Now, Gao Peng could say in good conscience that of all the companies in the industry, Southern Sky had the highest standards in terms of pay and how they treated their workers. Even the military didn't treat their soldiers as well.

Gao Peng took out his phone and placed a call. "Grandfather, you don't need to come over; there's not even a single Lord-tier monster here. Yes, I know. I'll be careful. Don't worry. Okay. I'll take care of the business here in your name."

Once he hung up, he took a deep breath. With his back to everyone, he found himself unwilling to turn around and reveal his surly expression, for Gao Peng was forever greeting everything with a smile as if he didn't have a care in the world. But then again, no one had ever tested his limits before.

If they had caught onto this situation earlier, it would've been a simple matter to deal with. The employer could've simply fired the offending workers, but now… now that it involved the familiars, that was out of the question, because familiars couldn't simply change hands like a gun or baton.

No, familiars and their owners were bonded by a Blood Contract, to thrive together in glory or perish together in shame.

Most importantly, the familiars of these security guards had been provided for and trained by the company. That was what irked Gao Peng the most: these familiars had been distributed by the company to protect the company, not to be treated as personal property. In fact, this was specifically stated in the contracts that all new employees signed after being hired.

But when things came down to it, when they really needed the familiars for protection, some people chose to slack off instead. It was obvious that they'd started viewing the company's familiars as their own possessions, and hence become unwilling to send them into battle.

If only the familiars could be transferred to new owners. Gao Peng would have absolutely no problem replacing the irresponsible employees if the familiars could be transferred.

In any case, this work culture couldn't be allowed to spread at any cost; it had to be nipped in the bud!

It was all because of this that Gao Peng had descended into a fit of annoyance. Compared to this issue, the horde of monsters attacking from outside was merely a trifle, not even worth mentioning.

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Chapter 329: Wings of Thunder

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Needless to say, he couldn't just do away with these people. Humans had never been a particularly durable species; all it would take was a wound the size of a plate, yet the consequences of taking a human life and the resulting chain reaction would be far too severe.

In the end, these people were just his employees, not his personal slaves.

In the time it took Gao Peng to think, Da Zi and Dumby had arrived and, under his orders, gone off to provide aid at the last two gates.

Unlike the eastern gate, with its horde of water monsters, the western gate was plagued by a host of monsters that resembled six-legged turtles, with polished black shells that were covered in antler-like horns. Their tough, round craniums sported three eyes—one on each side of the head and one dead center between the eyebrows.

Every single one of these antlered six-legged turtles was as big as a dinner table, their gaping maws filled with teeth. Even their tongues were covered in teeth, giving them an especially fearsome appearance.

"All members of the third unit, replace the second unit! Don't let these creatures in! Their brains are nothing but mush. There's no need to be afraid!" yelled the large, tan man in charge of protecting the western gate as he fired off a round of bullets.

The bullets hit a turtle shell with a metallic clang.

Even though there were many antlered six-legged turtles, these monsters didn't seem to be highly intelligent, for they rushed towards the western gate as one after being attracted by the noise. As the western gate was only so big, only a handful of monsters could attack it at the same time.

At the forefront stood thirty Crimson Bloodlust Apes, their mighty figures covered from head to toe in armor, each nearing ten feet tall.

In each ape's left hand was a high-energy ballistic shield; in their right hands, they bore a trident forged from the purest steel. To other apes, they appeared to be savage and courageous warriors.

An antlered six-legged turtle reared its head, intending to cut an ape into pieces, but was met with a great strike from a ballistic shield, followed by a fierce, lightning-quick stab of a trident straight through its skull. So tremendous was the blow that three sizable holes bloomed in the creature's skull in an instant.

"Ho ho ho!"

The ape laughed in satisfaction.

Even though most of the antlered six-legged turtles were barred from entering, accidents happened. One of them slipped under the ballistic shields and took a huge bite out of one of the ape's feet, separating a chunk of flesh and skin, causing blood to spurt everywhere and bare the tendons to the air. Had the ape not pulled his foot back the instant the turtle struck, it wouldn't have been merely a flesh wound—his foot would've been crunched to the bone.

A low rumble began to sound from above. A flash of purple lightning streaked through the darkening sky, leaving a trail of light that lingered.

As purple light soared through the sky, a gigantic Thunder Worm descended from the heavens. With a crackle, as if numerous purple whips were being wielded by a thunder god, a series of booms was released—

The sounds of explosions merged into one as the Thunder Worm cried out continuously, creating a web of electricity.

The web of purple electricity crackled and exploded non-stop as bolts of lightning struck the onyx-antlered shells of the six-legged turtles, causing the antlers to crumble into shards. A bolt of lightning struck one of the turtle's shells, creating a crack as wide as a man's thumb from which a burnt odor emerged.

Da Zi's control of its powers had much improved; such a move would've been impossible for it in the past. Before, it would've just opened its jaws and let loose a streak of lightning as wide as a bowl, not lacking in power, but wasteful in its excess.

All the antlered six-legged turtles within a thousand feet of the gate were destroyed by the web of electricity; a good half of them lost the will to fight immediately.

Da Zi dove downwards in the next instant, propelled by golden wings as thin as a cicada's and as sharp as knives.

With the slightest stir of its wings, small ripples appeared in the air, cleaving the antlered six-legged turtles at the forefront into two. One shocked turtle fell to the side, causing another, with its shell broken open like a lidless gourd, to spill its pale innards on the floor.

However, these antlered six-legged turtles proved to be ferocious, as they didn't run after being attacked. They merely glared at Da Zi and dashed towards it.

But a turtle couldn't jump high, no matter how hard it tried. They could only hop a couple feet off the ground. With their necks stretched as far as possible, like springs, they could only snap their teeth at thin air.

Behind this horde of turtles lay an unusually enormous turtle. It looked like an enlarged version of the other turtles, albeit with some differences in the details.

For example, there weren't antlers that riddled its shell, but coiled bull horns the color of ink.

Even lying down, it was ten feet tall; the cracks in its enormous shell were engraved with white markings. With each breath, it blew out white steam; its moss-green eyes were centered with slitted pupils.

After it spotted Da Zi swooping down, the giant turtle quickly retreated within its tough shell.

The wings on Da Zi's back pressed downwards, hard, as it puffed out his chest, forcibly turning its body in a corkscrew motion up into the sky. A ball of viscous purple lightning gathered noiselessly at the tip of its tail, then was thrown as hard as a baseball pitch!

Fwoop!

An arc of purple electricity pierced the sky and seeped through the cracks in the giant turtle's shell. A tremor ran through the giant turtle as its tail popped out from its shell.

Although the defenses of the turtle's shell were high, beneath the cracks, it was mere flesh and blood. Even though it could retreat into a hole, the hole itself wouldn't vanish.

In the following moment, Da Zi leaped into the sky, the wings on its back thrumming madly, tuning into a certain frequency.

Hummm— His wings thrummed madly, ceaselessly humming…

Da Zi's special ability, "Wings of Thunder," allowed Da Zi to ride the thunder.

The low, relentless rumbles of the thunder cut through. Its main target, the giant turtle, was unable to bear the noise and showed itself, yet the thunder echoed within the chambers of its shell!

"Caw!" A shriek of fury left Da Zi's throat.

The ball of saturated purple lightning beneath Da Zi's body exploded and dispersed rapidly in all directions.

Outside the halo of light, frenzied, menacing, deep purple threads of lightning spawned haphazardly, forming a ring of lightning spikes at the outermost circle of the halo. The resulting Lord-tier aura, with its awe-inducing power, instantly suppressed all the monsters.

Most of the antlered six-legged turtles began running around in a daze on the spot; some even turned their aggression upon their own comrades.

At this sight, the security guards at the western gate were shocked into speechlessness.

The horde of antlered six-legged turtles outside had descended into chaos. Some of the turtles at the periphery were even turning to run away.

"It's a Lord-tier beast, the Southern Sky's Lord-tier beast!"

The employees at the western gate began to whoop and holler in celebration. Some even screamed to the sky, as if releasing all their pent-up fear.

And it wasn't only at the western gate. At the northern and southern gates, too, one could hear the cheers of the Southern Sky's men. It was the fierce joy of survival that overtook them.

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Chapter 330: A New Beginning

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The eastern gate was looking a little worse for wear. The battered iron door hanging loosely by its hinges had clearly seen better days.

The floor was sticky with a layer of dried blood. The evening sun cast a golden hue over an enormous 30-foot-tall duck.

An epic battle had just taken place here. The road leading up to the gates was completely ripped up and slick with a layer of blood that filled the air with a metallic tang.

Without mercy, Goldie casually trampled a couple of water monsters into a fine mince under its foot. There were a couple of huge rocks in its way. With a single kick, Goldie sent them flying miles away.

Every line and curve of its muscular stature was pristinely defined, as though it had been carved out of marble. The tattoos on its chest rippled as it breathed, like waves gleaming brightly in the midday sun.

There were more water monsters out there, but they were all looking fearfully at Goldie.

Some of them even fell trembling to their knees when Goldie caught their eye.

More and more people were showing up at the eastern gate, and the shock was slowly wearing off. They had been around the block enough, especially with the Cataclysm, to be surprised for too long.

While they weren't exactly living by the law of the jungle yet, these people knew strength when they saw it. Goldie had that. There really were no other words to describe Goldie but "raw power."

Goldie was surrounded by thousands of monsters, yet the more it fought, the larger it grew. Now, there wasn't a single monster on the battlefield foolish enough to challenge it.

From a distance, Gao Peng saw a huge cloud of dust out of the corner of his eye. He could also hear the accompanying cacophony of rumbling cars and thundering familiars. Upon closer inspection, he could see a few cars heading towards them surrounded by a veritable army of familiars.

There were silver rats the size of leopards, a 30-foot-long Giant Stick Insect with spear-like forelimbs, a 23-foot-tall, two-headed, four-armed Golden Haired Giant Ape, and Bladed Grasshoppers that could clear a block in a single leap.

In the gigantic dust cloud were even more unidentified creatures…

There was a banner flying proudly in the front showing a ring in the middle of a white flag. It was the banner of the Alliance.

"It looks like the Yang Cheng military," someone said as he craned his neck to look.

"Seems like it. Those Yang Cheng military goons sure have good timing, don't they? Arriving just after the battle ended?" someone else said mockingly.

The cars pulled up quite a distance away from the factory. Two men got out of the car in front.

The man on the left was dressed in a garish Hawaiian T-shirt. He had a brown leather belt cinched around his waist and black combat boots on. At his hip was a dagger sheathed in a black sharkskin scabbard. His brow furrowed. "Looks like we were too late."

"The monsters already broke through?" To his right was a slightly younger man who looked surprised. "No way. I don't recall there being so many monsters near this new an area."

"I'm telling you that the monsters have already been taken care of," the man in the Hawaiian shirt said lightly. One glance at Goldie and the mountain of corpses littered around it told him all he needed to know. He waved at his partner. "We're no longer needed here. Let's move on to the factory next door."

The two of them got back into the car and sped off. Their party of familiars left with them as well.

Gao Peng could see a total of five off-road vehicles. Each of them could fit around five to seven people, which meant that there were probably around 25 to 35 trainers in this squad.

As he saw them leave, Gao Peng was pensive. Maybe the Southern Sky had to form a crack combat squad like that, too. That way, the security personnel could really focus on security, and the fighting would be handled by professionals.

To carry it out would be a different beast altogether. Maybe he could promote some of the ones who had proven themselves in the battle just now.

Something didn't feel right about the attack. Monsters didn't just attack humans for no reason. He would have to get to the bottom of this once the dust settled.

"You're Zheng Tiezhuang?" Gao Peng read off the tag on the man's chest.

"Yup, that's me," he replied a beat later.

"Grab a few men and follow me. Bring the ones who did well in battle just now."

He knew a good opportunity when he saw one, so he nodded his head and went about it. With a clap of his hands, he had around ten people behind him ready to go.

They were the ten best performers from before.

"Where are your familiars?" Gao Peng asked.

From the gaggle of familiars, 20 or so came hobbling out. Some were still riddled with fresh, gaping wounds. Others had already been wounded for a time; their fur was matted with dried blood, old sweat, and dusty grime all mixed together in an unsightly mess.

There was one that stood out among them. A Yellow-Toothed Direwolf was soaked in blood, some parts of its body hacked open to the bone. It was missing an eye and half a tail. There was also a very noticeable limp as it dragged its right paw awkwardly across the ground.

It wasn't even the worst off, as one was lying dead on the floor.

Gao Peng stroked its head tenderly.

"This is a true warrior." Gao Peng murmured softly.

"Warriors should be rewarded for their bravery. Every scar on this body is a testament of such bravery." His voice rang clear.

"After the battle, every one of you will be rewarded and punished accordingly. " Gao Peng swept the room with his gaze. "I'll be fair. But… there's a chance for those of you that screwed up before to make amends." Gao Peng pointed at the terrified water monsters outside.

"Every monster you catch alive is worth a point. Everything will be recorded." Gao Peng pointed at the cameras on the building and the streets.

Those that hadn't fought earlier and those who hadn't contributed much hesitated for a bit before leaving with their familiars.

Some of them didn't care. They had already signed the Blood Contract, so they wanted to see Gao Peng try to fire them.

Everyone made mistakes. Gao Peng didn't mind giving them a chance as long as they actually took it.

But for those that refused to change… Gao Peng's eyes narrowed.

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Read Monster Pet Evolution Chapter 331 - The Coastal Algae Kelpie online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 331: The Coastal Algae Kelpie

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It took at least three hours to tidy up the whole place. The monster corpses lying on the floor were piled up according to species and then put inside the freezer. Some of the heavily wounded monsters were immediately put out of their misery, then their body parts were harvested and kept in storage.

Those who had sustained minor to moderate injuries were locked away, either in cages or the Enclosed Chamber.

These monsters had completely lost the will to fight.

Gao Peng had a feeling that these monsters, including the kelpies, Six-Legged Antlered Tortoises, and Golden-Pincered Spotted Prawns, would dominate every store belonging to the Southern Sky Group in Yang Cheng City in a matter of days.

"We'll make up for our losses this time by having the monsters pay for it!" Gao Peng said to the Yang Cheng branch manager, Hou Mu.

"Young master, these monsters don't really fetch high prices. It's true that people are selling them on the market, but there's not much demand for them," said Hou Mu. "Most people would probably be put off by their appearances."

This was true. These monsters weren't attractive in the conventional sense of the word. The kelpie was a sickly-looking thing, like a shriveled-up monkey. It looked even more malnourished with its unkempt hair. Only those with unconventional tastes would even consider buying it. Other than its agile movements, sharp claws, and ability to move more nimbly in water than on dry land, the kelpie simply had nothing else going for it.

In truth, the kelpie's 'unique' traits could be found in any other monster currently being sold on the market, most of which were more visually pleasing than the kelpie.

Gao Peng frowned. He walked towards a silver cage, which the pale-looking kelpie sat in.

Sensing Gao Peng's approach, the demon began scraping its claws against the floor, ready to lash out at Gao Peng as soon as he came close enough.

When Gao Peng's palm came within biting distance, the kelpie leaped into action, its fangs aimed straight at him.

Gao Peng didn't pull his hand back. Instead, he stuck it into the cage and gave the kelpie a karate chop to the head.

The kelpie staggered, feeling as if its head was about to split open at any moment.

Holding its head in its hands, the kelpie retreated to the back of the cage, its eyes never leaving Gao Peng. When they made eye contact with each other, the kelpie edged even further away from him.

[Monster Name: Coastal Algae Kelpie

[Monster Grade: Normal

[Monster Level: Level 14

[Monster Attribute: Water/Dark type

[Monster Status: Light injuries, legs injured (Cautious)

[Possible Routes for Promotion to Excellent Grade: 1. Deep Sea Algae Kelpie (Water Evolution) 2. Gloomy Algae Kelpie (Gloomy Evolution) 3. Terrifying Algae Kelpie (Terror Evolution) 4. Shadow Algae Kelpie (Shadow Evolution) 5. …

[Description: It lives near the coast and likes to drown weaker creatures in the water, then feast on their flesh.

The kelpie's Excellent-grade evolutionary routes were presented before Gao Peng in great detail.

Gao Peng frowned at this. For some reason, his statistic-analyzing ability seemed to have been upgraded.

The kelpie had six evolutionary routes in total. After thoroughly examining every one of them, Gao Peng looked at the kelpie. "Sell the dead kelpies for parts. Those that are still alive can stay," said Gao Peng to Hou Mu.

Hou Mu nodded.

Gao Peng then ordered everyone else not to sell the live kelpies straight away before he proceeded to the next cage.

A Six-Legged Antlered Tortoise sat in the next cage. The antlers on its shell were all but broken off. The stubs that remained on its back looked rough and jagged. The tortoise gazed at Gao Peng indifferently as he walked by.

[Monster Name: Six-Legged Antlered Tortoise

[Monster Grade: Normal

[Monster Level: Level 18

[Monster Attribute:Earth/Wood

[Monster Status: Moderate injuries, internal bleeding (Indifferent)

[Possible Routes for Promotion to Excellent Grade: 1. Greenwood Antlered Tortoise (Wood evolution) 2. Six-Legged Bullhorned Tortoise (Earth evolution) 3. …

[Description: It lives most of its life in the ocean. Every year, in the middle of winter, it will come ashore to lay its eggs. Not only do the antlers on its shell help it regulate body temperature, blood flow, and other body fluids, they are also a source of nourishment.

The tortoise's possible Excellent-grade evolution routes were presented before Gao Peng as well. What impressed him most was the number of uses the tortoise's antlers seemed to have.

Gao Peng looked at the tortoise and saw that some of the antlers on its shell were already growing back.

"Start raising these tortoises. Make sure their antlers are harvested regularly." Gao Peng picked a broken piece of the tortoise's antler up from the ground. It was completely blackened and didn't seem remarkable in any way. It felt vaguely furry in his hands.

Finally, Gao Peng came to the Golden-Pincered Spotted Prawn's cage. The prawn was seven feet long, including its long pincers.

Golden spots the size of bottle caps covered its brown shell. At a glance, Gao Peng could tell that the prawn was the violent and aggressive type.

"Prepare these prawns for experimentation… No, wait. Forget it. Let's put this on hold for now. Go gather everyone in mid-level management and above," said Gao Peng. After pausing for a moment, he continued, "Meet me at the company's meeting room in an hour.

"Also, contact the hospital. The Southern Sky Group will cover the medical expenses of everyone who was injured. All injured workers will also receive a small compensation," he added.

"Understood."

Gao Peng then made his way to the great hall on the ground floor, which was supported by huge wooden pillars. A red carpet was rolled out across the room, stretching all the way to the base of a platform.

Rows of spotlights shone above the platform.

Gao Peng climbed onto the platform in a clean white suit, his black hair swept back neatly. "Everyone here probably knows who I am… even if you've only seen my pictures."

"The Southern Sky Group's security division played a huge role in fending off the onslaught of monsters," said Gao Peng, motioning to the people sitting on the east side of the room with his right hand.

All of them were clad in black uniforms, with sleeves that seemed to sport red markings. Their faces were solemn. It was as if the battle before had completely changed them.

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Chapter 332: Mercy and Austerity

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

There were 32 people in total in the security division's middle and upper management. Thirty of them were present in the hall at that moment. The two who couldn't make it had been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. Most of those present in the hall also seemed to be injured in some way.

Of course, a few of them had dressed up for the occasion, as if they hadn't recently experienced a terrible war.

Eyes flickered towards the members of the security division when Gao Peng began praising them.

Some of the audience squirmed in their seats as if they were sitting on pincushions.

"I've already said this before. Those who have contributed the most will be rewarded, while those who have erred will be punished," said Gao Peng, a faint smile playing on his face.

"Let's start with your reward."

As soon as he finished his sentence, a gray-suited Hou Mu climbed up the platform and briskly strode towards Gao Peng. He handed a stack of papers to the latter.

"Young master, here are the documents that you wanted," said Hou Mu in a low voice.

Gao Peng took the documents from Hou Mu and nodded at him.

"I'm now going to reassign some of the security division's manpower to two new divisions: the combat and reconnaissance divisions," he said flatly.

"The combat division will be handling combat operations and other emergencies on the field, while the reconnaissance division will be in charge of reconnaissance missions in the wild. The security division will still be in charge of security matters in the company," continued Gao Peng.

Combat and reconnaissance missions were originally part of the security division's responsibilities. Now, Gao Peng had decided to assign two new divisions to both aspects of fieldwork.

"I'll reassign existing personnel to both divisions. Zheng Tiezhuang will now be head of the combat division, while Liu Changhao will be in charge of the reconnaissance division," said Gao Peng firmly.

Zheng Tiezhuang and Liu Changhao were originally high-ranking members of the security division. Both had made stellar contributions on the battlefield, which had attracted Gao Peng's attention. Also, during his conversation with both men, Gao Peng had sensed a certain closeness between them.

While Zheng Tiezhuang had a ruthless way of doing things, Liu Changhao was more methodical and had a talent for leadership roles. Under his leadership, the surge of monsters from the southern gate was kept at bay without fail.

Under Liu Changhao's leadership, even the Golden-Pincered Spotted Prawns hadn't had a chance to make a move back then.

Members of the security division would receive a promotion in accordance with their contribution on the battlefield.

This was also an acknowledgment of their bravery on the field.

Employees in other divisions would also be given a raise according to how well they had handled the urgency of the situation.

As there were currently no high-level positions available in the Southern Sky Group's Yang Cheng branch, said employees would have to make do with a nice bonus instead of a promotion.

After listing out all the bonuses he would be giving out, Gao Peng suddenly stopped in the middle of his speech.

He flipped his script to another page and frowned, his eyelids slanted downward like a pair of guillotine shears.

"Zhang Yue, Han Fu, Chen Zhang, Li Jiaxian," said Gao Peng. "These men are high-ranking members of the security division. They're also currently among us right now."

Upon hearing Gao Peng say their names, all four men stiffened in their seats and looked up at Gao Peng.

Their hearts were now thumping hard against their chests.

"All four have been found guilty of desertion on the eve of battle," said Gao Peng calmly. "Your actions severely affected the troops' morale back then. As none of you have shown any signs of remorse for your actions, your familiars will be locked away in the basement laboratory, and all four of you will be relieved of your positions in the Southern Sky Group, effective immediately."

"I don't care if you fire me, but you can't take away my familiars. You have no right to lock them away," shouted Li Jiaxian. "The Allied Government has clearly stated that a familiar is one's personal property and belongs to no one else!"

He then looked around and saw that everyone else was looking at him with a bemused expression. The other three who had been called out by Gao Peng simply sat there without a word, their faces pale.

"Why aren't you three saying anything? Get up! He's going to take away our familiars. He has no right to do that to us!" said Li Jiaxian angrily, grabbing Han Fu by the collar.

Han Fu's pale face grew red as a clearly agitated Li Jiaxian shook him around. He pushed Li Jiaxian away and said, "Enough."

"God damn it. Man up, you—" Before Li Jiaxian could finish his sentence, Zheng Tiezhuang came up from behind him and lifted him up by the neck with his right hand, then threw Li JIaxian to the ground!

Li Jiaxian fell to the ground with a bang. The impact nearly rendered him unconscious.

Without waiting for him to recover, Zheng Tiezhuang went up to Li Jiaxian, his bushy-browed, dark-skinned face filling his line of vision.

"Shut. Your. God. Damn. Mouth." Zheng Tiezhuang growled each word through gritted teeth.

One of Zheng Tiezhuang's childhood friends had lost a leg in the aftermath of the battle and was now receiving treatment in the hospital. Even if he completed his treatment, there would be no way to reattach his leg, as it was currently sitting in the stomach of a kelpie.

Right now, Zheng Tiezhuang had no qualms over beating up the piece of garbage named Li Jiaxian to within an inch of his life.

"Your familiars were issued to you by the company in the first place. Your actions have violated the terms of your contracts. That gives us the right to take back your familiars," said Gao Peng, gazing at Li Jiaxian's pitiful form impassively.

"Also, you'll be fined a hefty sum for violating our code of conduct. You will receive a letter shortly from the company's lawyer.

"Wang Liang," said Gao Peng. A middle-aged man suddenly stood up and answered his call.

"Present."

"Have human resources spread the word about the decisions I've made around the company later."

"Understood," said Wang Liang.

Gao Peng closed his eyes. He still needed to handle some of the employees whose performances hadn't been up to his standard. However, he wouldn't punish them the same way he had Li Jiaxian and the others.

Moderation in all things, he thought. Punishment is only a means to an end, not the other way around.

Inappropriately punishing someone for what seemed like a minor offense would only serve to demoralize everyone else. Gao Peng only needed to look back in history to learn that nothing good had ever come from excessively punishing one's subordinates. Mercy and restraint was the right way to go.

"Those who didn't perform well on the battlefield this time will receive a pay cut for three months. This will be put on your personal records," announced Gao Peng solemnly. "Those who were injured on the battlefield will receive half a year's salary in advance. As for the three who lost their lives in battle… Their families will be taken care of by the company. Their family members will be offered positions in the company, and their children's education and accommodation costs will also be covered by the company."

When he was finished, Gao Peng closed his file. "Meeting adjourned. That will be all."

Everyone began walking out of the meeting hall. Only Zhang Yue, Han Fu, Chen Zhang, and Li Jiaxian remained seated in the room, ashen-faced.

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Chapter 333: The Shrimp

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Mr. Liu, congratulations on your promotion," said a young man wearing a pair of silver-rimmed glasses as soon as everyone came out of the meeting room.

Zheng Tiezhuang and Liu Changhao stopped talking at the same time and turned to face the young man behind them.

With a strained smile, Liu Changwu said, "Mr. Han, the decision's already been made by the young Chairman Gao. There's nothing we can do."

Han Xing shook his head. "No, you misunderstand. I'm not here to change the young chairman's decision. In fact, I do think that my brother should be punished for his actions."

Liu Changhao's face relaxed somewhat. "I see. So, is there something we can help you with?"

"I was wondering if you two would like to join me for dinner? I've already made a reservation," said Han Xing.

Zheng Tiezhuang shook his head. "No, thanks. My daughter-in-law's making beef stew tonight. I'll probably have an earful if I miss dinner again."

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I won't feel comfortable going by myself without old Zheng here," said Liu Changhao apologetically.

Han Xing sighed and waved his hand. "No worries. Another time, perhaps."

A day passed. The matters with the suburban area were finally settled.

The Allied Government had just announced that the region was now on red alert. In truth, rumors about what was going on were already making the rounds among the people. They simply hadn't gained official recognition from the government until now.

A couple of neighboring cities were already aware of the situation at hand.

Some of the coastal cities had recently been hit by monster onslaughts of varying degrees, including Pengcheng City, which wasn't too far away from Yangcheng City.

"Young master, both Yangcheng and Pengcheng have already sent a team to investigate the coastal waters," said Hou Mu as he entered Gao Peng's office. He found the latter reading a book by the window.

Gao Peng closed his book, then stood up and looked out of the window into the distance. A dark blue sky stretched out before him into the horizon.

"Have they found out where the monsters are coming from?"

"From Nanhe Village."

"Nanhe Village?" repeated Gao Peng, frowning.

"Yes. Nanhe Village isn't far from here. Two of our employees are from there. It's a coastal village, and they even have sentries with their own familiars patrolling the place, which apparently wasn't enough to ensure everyone's safety when disaster struck."

Gao Peng let out a deep breath. He then narrowed his eyes as he looked back out into the distance. "Call Liu Changhao in. Let's start bringing all our factories back into operation. We'll pay everyone the overtime rate for the next few days."

"Understood," said Hou Mu before walking out of the office and closing the door behind him.

A few minutes later, Liu Changhao entered the room. Gao Peng turned to him and said, "Take the investigative division with you to patrol our surroundings. Let me know if you find any signs of an imminent monster attack in the area."

"Don't worry, sir. I won't let you down," said Liu Chanhao confidently. He paused for a moment, then said, "Before I forget, Han Xing from the sales division wanted to know if he could be transferred to the investigative division."

Han Xing? Gao Peng frowned. The name sounded familiar. He had just skimmed through the company's personnel files not too long ago.

If he remembered correctly, Han Xing was the younger brother of Han Fu, one of the security division members who had been punished the day before. He had specially marked Han Fu's profile in the personnel files. However, Gao Peng was a reasonable man. He knew that Han Xing wasn't his brother and shouldn't be held responsible for his brother's mistakes.

After a moment's thought, Gao Peng said flatly, "What grade are his familiars?"

"Commander-tier, sir," said Liu Changwu, eyeing Gao Peng warily.

"Give him elite member status in the investigative division. We'll see how he fares later on," said Gao Peng.

Later, Gao Peng exited his office and called Flamy and Da Zi over. He decided to leave Dumby and Goldie there in the Southern Sky building. Both Flamy and Da Zi were well-equipped to take on huge packs of monsters. However, Flamy was the only familiar whom Gao Peng could fly on comfortably. Da Zi's wings tended to make a lot of noise as they beat in the air. Riding the winged centipede was like riding an extremely noisy motorcycle through the air.

Gao Peng flew south on Flamy. The suburban roads rushed past beneath him. He could also see a couple of utility poles and lampposts on both sides of the road that had fallen to the ground.

Five minutes later, they could see the outlines of a few buildings in the distance.

The buildings seemed somewhat small, scattered in a helter-skelter fashion behind a hill. There was a main road that ran through the village. However, it didn't seem as if anyone was living there right now.

Gao Peng gave Flamy a pat on the back, and it slowly began its descent to the ground.

Da Zi was the first to land on the ground. As soon as its feet touched the ground, it immediately took off into the village's alleys.

"Da Zi!" shouted Gao Peng through his Blood Contract.

Da Zi stopped in its tracks. It was now clinging to a wall like a huge gecko.

Its dark purple exoskeleton and golden wings stood in stark contrast to the dull grey wall. It had scraped layers of dust off the wall in its wake. Its 20-foot-long body covered more than half of the wall.

Not a soul stirred in the village. Fresh blood stains still glistened on the ground.

Gao Peng hadn't been able to tell how bad the situation was from the air. However, as soon as they landed, they could see that most of the buildings were reduced to rubble. Their walls had collapsed, revealing all the ruined furniture inside the buildings. There were even pieces of what used to be a thermos scattered across the ground in one of them.

The village had been completely ravaged by the monsters.

This was like a nightmarish walk down memory lane. The same thing had happened to Gao Peng four years earlier. He still remembered hiding behind a curtain and peeking out at the people fleeing from the mutant creatures that were chasing after them on the street.

One was usually reminded of just how powerless he or she was when confronted by a more powerful presence…

Suddenly, Gao Peng's ears pricked to the sound of something being dropped to the ground in the distance. It resounded awfully loudly in the silence of the village.

Da Zi quickly rushed towards the source of the sound, its wings a purple shimmer in the air.

Gao Peng could see a translucent figure flitting through the rubble in one of the collapsed buildings in the distance.

Boom! A purple figure crashed through what remained of the building's wall. Pieces of brick showered over Da Zi as it made a beeline towards the translucent shrimp-like creature and caught it in its pincer.

Da Zi brought the shrimp back to Gao Peng, who estimated that the shrimp was approximately two feet long based on Da Zi's size. In truth, the shrimp was at least a foot long and had quite a lot of meat to it, at least for a shrimp.

The shrimp wiggled its feelers about in the air and waved its pincers at Gao Peng aggressively.

[Monster Name: Land Camoshrimp (Multilegged variant)

[Monster Level: Level 8

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Attribute: Wind

[Monster Status: Healthy (Aggressive on the outside, timid on the inside)

Realizing that Gao Peng was looking at it, the Land Camoshrimp snapped its pincers threateningly at him.

This elicited only a bored look from its captors.

Flamy yawned. This thing doesn't look filling at all.

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Chapter 334: The Gloaming Oceanic Manta Ray

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Most Commander-tier monsters had the intelligence of an adolescent human being, while Lord-tier monsters were usually as intelligent as an adult human being.

"Let it go," said Gao Peng to Da Zi.

Da Zi loosened its mandibles around its captive. For a moment, the Land Camoshrimp didn't understand what was going on. It lay prone on the ground, warily looking at the monsters before it.

A few moments later, the feelers on its head swished gently, its gleaming black eyes swiveling in their sockets.

The Land Camoshrimp then proceeded to take a few steps forward and lazily stretch. As it stretched, its eyes were fixed firmly on Gao Peng and the others to see if they had noticed what it was doing.

Seeing that the three monsters didn't seem to notice what it just had, the Land Camoshrimp's little heart skipped a beat. It stealthily took two more steps forward.

Flamy suddenly threw a glance at it. Startled, the Land Camoshrimp's body went limp as if it was pretending to be dead.

There was a bored look on Flamy's face. It wouldn't have deigned to even look at the puny little shrimp if Gao Peng hadn't ordered it to do so.

Only proper Elite-tier meat would be fitting for a crane such as itself!

Flamy spread its wings out and took off into the sky with Gao Peng on its back. On the other hand, Da Zi slunk into the depths of the jungle on the other side of the run-down village.

The Land Camoshrimp still couldn't wrap its little crustacean mind around what had just happened. Why was it suddenly being held hostage by a huge centipede? Why didn't they just eat it? After working its brain for 100 nanoseconds, the shrimp finally gave up and staggered back towards the sea.

In the air, Flamy's eyes were locked on the Land Shrimp as it flew circles around it.

The Land Camoshrimp was completely oblivious to the black dot in the sky that was Flamy and Gao Peng.

It scuttled towards the sea at top speed, leaving a trail of disturbed grass in its wake, then it crawled around a hill up ahead and slipped into the water behind the hill.

Flamy continued soaring across the sky in pursuit of the faint presence that it could still feel beneath the waves.

When the Land Camoshrimp had crawled at least 18 miles across the seabed, dry land had become nothing more than a black bulge on the horizon behind Gao Peng.

Flamy blinked. It had suddenly lost track of the Land Camoshrimp's presence.

It was as if someone, or something, had simply snuffed it out like a candle.

The undercurrents roiled violently beneath the waves.

The Land Camoshrimp had been crushed by extremely high water pressure. The last flicker of light in its transparent shell was extinguished in the depths of the ocean.

"Idiot. It must have walked straight into an enemy's trap…" muttered Gao Peng.

The ocean surface was calm like a mirror. A breeze blew gentle ripples across it at that moment.

"Gao Peng, the scent that I left on the shrimp is gone," said Flamy, sounding troubled.

"It's all right. A Commander-tier monster must have picked up your scent on the shrimp's body. Whoever or whatever is behind this probably isn't far away. They could very well be hiding beneath us," said Gao Peng, gazing down at the calm stretch of water beneath them.

Flamy began lowering its altitude in order to get a better look of the ocean below it.

For some reason, Gao Peng suddenly had a bad feeling about this as the ocean slowly came up towards them. He quickly patted Flamy's head. "Stop flying any lower. Go back up a bit."

Flamy obediently nodded and began flying upward.

Boom! Suddenly, the water beneath them exploded.

A huge, ravenous mouth pierced through the calm surface of the ocean and rose into the air. Rows of densely packed teeth lined the mouth's interior.

The monster opened its mouth, revealing the dark, bottomless pit that was its throat.

It spread its huge black and white wings on both sides and whipped a powerful gust of wind across the ocean's surface. At that moment, waves rose and met with each other to form water pillars that danced across the behemoth's body like watery dragons.

Whoosh~

Flamy could feel a powerful suction pulling on it, causing it to come to a halt in the air. The huge mouth was getting closer and closer towards them… Flamy began flapping its wings in a panic. Flames now swirled around it and Gao Peng in the air. Gao Peng looked down at the gaping mouth beneath them. Why are you trying to attack it with your fire? There's no way you could make such a thick-skinned monster feel anything…

Gao Peng wrinkled his nose in disgust. A blast of putrid stench had hit him from the depths of the monster's mouth.

"Motherf—!"

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere, one that sounded oddly like a speeding motorcycle…

Da Zi was wreathed in a violent display of electricity. The centipede had transformed into a bolt of lightning in the truest sense of the word. It left a long purple arc in its wake as it hurtled across the ocean's surface towards its master's assailant.

Da Zi viciously collided with the huge sea monster.

The sea monster staggered for a moment. Da Zi's attack had ripped a huge chunk of its thick scales off its body, revealing an even thicker layer of flesh beneath them…

The sea monster let out a deafening roar, scaring away the birds that were flying too close to its mouth.

Its huge mouth had barely grazed past Gao Peng and Flamy.

The sea monster's wings only allowed it to temporarily suspend itself in the air and reduce resistance from the water in the ocean. It couldn't actually fly like Flamy or Da Zi.

"How dare you try to eat Gao Peng?! I'll electrocute you, you b*stard!" shouted Da Zi. There was a vicious gleam in its eyes. It was now madly slashing at the sea monster's exposed flesh, carving long red lines across it. The centipede's electricity pierced through the sea monster's wounds, electrocuting it internally. The flesh around the creature's wounds was scorched black.

The sea monster reluctantly let itself fall back into the water and swung the water pillars around its body at Da Zi, hoping to bring the centipede down with it. However, Da Zi's electricity easily tore through the water pillars, allowing it to escape unscathed.

Whoosh~

The sea monster fell into the ocean like a single massive drop of water. It didn't even make a huge splash when it hit the water like Gao Peng had thought it would.

Da Zi flew up towards Flamy and spat, "The nerve of some people, trying to eat my Gao Peng… Don't let me catch you again, or I swear I'll really let you have it!"

Gao Peng, who just had a close brush with death, looked at Da Zi tenderly and patted its head. "Thank you."

Da Zi raised its head and puffed its chest up triumphantly. "Hmph!"

Gao Peng then turned his attention towards Flamy. "Next time, don't just flap your wings without looking at where you're going. Some monsters may not be able to fly, but they can still jump high enough to catch you in the air."

Flamy nodded apologetically.

Gao Peng gazed back down at the calm ocean. A worried look crossed his face.

[Monster Name: Gloaming Oceanic Manta Ray

[Monster Level: Level 46 (Lord-tier)

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Attribute: Water

[Monster Ability: Water Mastery Level 3, Hardened Skin Level 2, Stealth Skin Level 1, Strengthened Lungs Level 1

[Monster Status: Mild Injury (Enraged)

[Description: Its wingspan can reach up to 160 feet. Despite its size, it can move nimbly in the water. It can swallow its prey up with its pocket-like mouth.

An oceanic manta ray! Gao Peng now realized why the monster looked so familiar.

Even before the Cataclysm, the oceanic manta ray had been known for its huge size. An adult's wingspan could reach at least 26 feet. It resembled a huge disk with a pair of wings on both sides and a slender tail attached to its back. In front of the disk was a mouth that could split open like a coin purse.

The ocean truly is a mysterious place. Guess I shouldn't be too surprised to have seen a Lord-tier monster out here so soon, thought Gao Peng.

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Chapter 335: The Sound Beneath The Waves

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"No, fish, don't go…" said Silly while sobbing. Drops of water trickled down its tentacles.

Gao Peng wiped the tears off its face. "Stop crying, you silly jellyfish."

Silly felt a twinge of anger when it heard what he said. I'm okay with you naming me Silly, but you've crossed a line by calling me silly, it thought.

It lifted its tentacles up, ready to strike at Gao Peng. However, when it thought of a future where Gao Peng decided to withdraw its fruit juice privileges for lashing out at him, its tentacles slackened and flopped against its cheeks weakly. "I hate you!"

"Flamy, try to shoot a ball of fire at the ocean's surface."

Flamy, who had barely escaped the Gloaming Oceanic Manta Ray's jaws not too long ago, tried to still its heart, which was still beating rapidly. Using all the hate it had in its heart for underwater monsters, the crane spat a huge fireball at the ocean.

Boom!

It was as if someone had stabbed a water-filled balloon with a needle.

There was a resounding explosion, and the spray rose 13 feet in the air. A white ring-shaped wave spread out in all four directions. The fireball's explosion left a crater twice its size on the ocean's surface. Steam rose up from the blast zone and dissipated in the air.

All of this seemed impressive. However, to the wide and boundless ocean below them, it was nothing more than the tip of the iceberg.

The rest of the ocean remained unperturbed, save for a small ripple here and there.

It was as if the entire ocean was a huge fish lying flat on its side that had rolled its eye and casually spat a huge bubble at Gao Peng in its aquarium.

Flamy's fireball had attracted the attention of many underwater lifeforms. The other side of the surface darkened as fishy silhouettes began swimming towards the blast site. However, they quickly dispersed and turned around in a hurry, as if something in the area had spooked them. Gao Peng could see the underwater silhouettes swerving around and swimming away in a panic.

[Monster Name: Pink Bullet Dolphin

[Monster Level: Level 20

[Monster Grade: Normal

[Monster Attribute: Light

[Monster Ability: Charge Level 1

[Monster Status: Healthy (Excited)

[Description: The Pink Bullet Dolphin is a direct descendant of the bottlenose dolphin. They are quite fond of swimming at top speed in the water.

Gao Peng could clearly see what the silhouettes beneath the water were: a school of dolphins.

"Gao Peng, Gao Peng, those pink fishies look so cute," said Flamy, slobbering.

Silly nearly burst into tears when it heard what Flamy said. You always bring all kinds of dead birds back home. Now you want to bring fish home? You must really despise me for loving fruit juice so much.

"Cute?" said Gao Peng, frowning.

He gazed at the princely creatures swimming elegantly in the water without a word. Most people were so easily taken in by their adorable appearances, but Gao Peng knew for a fact that they were nature's most notorious rapists. This fact had been widely observed among dolphins by researchers worldwide.

Gao Peng had read a study once that stated that male dolphins generally had 40 times the libido of a bonobo. (Anyone interested in finding out more about the countless crimes dolphins had committed against other species could look it up themselves on the internet.) Gao Peng had no idea why such an abhorrent species was so beloved by many. Perhaps the dolphins thought that their cute and bubbly appearances automatically absolved them of their despicable actions.

As if it had just heard Gao Peng's thoughts, a pink dolphin in the distance leaped up into the air and dove back into the water with a huge splash.

"Eh," said Gao Peng, unimpressed.

Gao Peng didn't care what others thought of him for holding such beliefs. He would never sign a Blood Contract with the likes of a dolphin, which could easily turn the tables on him if he wasn't careful enough…

"Can I even eat something that cute?" said Flamy, its eyes lighting up.

"Probably…" muttered Gao Peng.

Even though the ocean beneath them seemed calm, Gao Peng had a feeling that there was something dangerous lurking in the waters. He could feel its malevolent eyes following their every move.

Gao Peng narrowed his eyes at the ocean. Suddenly, the dark blue water beneath them began to roil. In the next second, a pale-colored object a few hundred miles wide emerged from the waves, as if the ocean had given birth to an entire island.

When Gao Peng realized what was going on, he shouted to the others, "Go!" Driven by an overwhelming sense of danger, both Flamy and Da Zi quickly fled the scene.

When Gao Peng and the others left, the huge creature that had been lurking beneath them all this time stopped its ascent and silently watched as a pair of red and purple streaks flew away from it.

Gao Peng had no idea if the behemoth was disappointed or angry at him for leaving so soon.

"He's gone, but he'll bring more humans back here. This place has been compromised," rumbled a resounding voice in the ocean, which was filled with countless chittering voices layered on top of each other.

Huge underwater monsters moved silently across the sea like submarines, whipping up turbulent undercurrents in their wake. A mere glimpse of a scaly claw beneath the waves would have caused anyone's heart to leap out of their chests. The depths of the ocean were indeed the stuff of nightmares.

In the distance, Gao Peng let out a deep breath. There was now a permanent frown on his face. The ocean's way too mysterious for my taste. There aren't many places to hide on dry land. At least on the ground, I can see who I'm fighting, but the ocean's a different story. With the water blocking my view, there's no way I can accurately assess any monster living down there.

However, Gao Peng pulled himself together. Well, it wasn't a complete loss. At least now I know that whatever's behind the attacks is lurking in this area, he thought.

Back in the Southern Sky headquarters, Gao Peng reported what he had seen and heard to Yang Cheng City's army division.

In an office in Yang Cheng City's army division, Jiang Shuangze sat in his office with a bored look on his face. Everyone else in the other divisions had been sent out on missions. He was the only one stuck on desk duty.

"I'm so bored," he moaned. He lay across his desk, staring at the ceiling fan spinning above him with a glazed look in his eyes.

The only thing keeping him busy these days was training and more training. The missions he had actually been on since joining the army were few and far between.

Ringgg—

Suddenly, the phone on his desk rang.

Jiang Shuangze picked up the receiver and held it to his ear. "Who's this? Oh, er, sir—" He quickly stood up straight behind his desk. "Yes, I'm free! I'm always ready for combat, sir!"

The army had reacted far more quickly than Gao Peng had anticipated. He shouldn't have been too surprised to receive such a reaction, seeing as how all of this had been putting the army under a lot of pressure lately.

Almost immediately after hearing Gao Peng's findings, the army division sent a couple of investigators to the coordinates that he had sent them. Not only did they find out that there was something strange about the place, but they also discovered via sonar that a huge number of aquatic monsters were converging on Gao Peng's coordinates from all directions.

Something big was brewing beneath the calm ocean surface!

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Chapter 336: Weakness

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Peach Bay—this was the territory of the Gloaming Oceanic Manta Ray that Gao Peng had encountered.

A wharf was supposed to have been built here during the last century, but because the project plans were altered, the land was left as it was.

Of course, to even be considered for a wharf in the first place meant the waters here were deep. Not only was the surface area of the sea greater than that of the land, but it also possessed the natural advantage of being vertically expansive.

Because of this, the number of monsters in the sea was many times that of those on the land, causing the competition among the monster population to be particularly fierce.

Beneath the calm surface of the sea, all the monsters in the surroundings suddenly felt an inexplicable pull to gather together. What was strange was that they didn't fight or quarrel among themselves, but remained surprisingly agreeable with each other.

Sonar images of the deep-sea monsters beneath them were projected onto a screen. Even though their actual appearance couldn't be seen, it was still possible to make educated guesses on the sizes, forms, and characteristics of these monsters based on the images. From there, they could then calculate a portion of the monsters' types through a comparison of the monsters' forms and characteristics with the database.

After a careful screening of the data, based on comparisons of average sizes for each monster type, they were basically able to analyze the monsters' level and abilities.

Even though the data generated was only for a portion of the monsters, the little that was garnered was already enough to cause quite a few headaches in the military.

"Why are these monsters not fighting each other despite being gathered in one place? This is most unusual." The bespectacled researcher adjusted his glasses confusedly as he raked through his hair with his hands.

"There's only one possibility," said the commander-in-chief of Yang Cheng's military, Wang Ze, calmly. "There's a monster out there whose tier is high enough to suppress them all, causing them to remain docile in close quarters."

Upon hearing these words, a heavy silence settled over the room.

At the time, there were only two confirmed Lord-tier monsters. The fact that these two Lord-tier monsters passed by each other without the slightest sign of conflict…

One of these was the Gloaming Oceanic Manta Ray from the information Gao Peng had provided. The other was a Sand Shadow Carpet Shark, its body exceeding 100 feet long. For a Sand Shadow Carpet Shark of this size, it had most likely achieved Lord-tier ranking, unless it had a rare mutation that made it giant.

Suddenly, the wind seemed to have been knocked out of the small room they were in.

All those sitting before the screen felt shivers run up their backs, dozens of tiny goosebumps crawling across their skin.

On the screen, what originally appeared to be a small swarm of light green creatures of various sizes had rapidly dispersed in all directions within seconds.

It happened in the blink of an eye. The entire screen turned a light, leafy green. It was such a beautiful color and yet those who saw it felt as if their hearts were in their mouths.

Now, the sonar equipment was of an improved model. Because all living things had their own magnetic field, the light waves emitted by the equipment would be reflected back upon encountering them, and from there project the corresponding imagery onto the screen. To have the entire screen turn light green…

"Increase the altitude of the drones." Wang Ze ordered calmly.

The drones sped into the sky and stopped several thousand yards above sea level. Finally, the screen wasn't covered in light green in its entirety, but showed some sort of outline, as if it were reflecting irregularly shaped island.

In terms of surface area, it was approximately a whopping million square feet and seemed to be highly irregular in form.

However, this was no inanimate object, but an unknown living monster.

This creature, with its fearsome million-square-foot girth, appeared a dusty light green on the screen, and in its light, all the expressions of the people in the room were reserved and solemn.

"This is a sonar image taken by a military drone from above. You can't eat it!" Whap! Gao Peng smacked Da Zi's head. "So close your mouth."

"No, I want to eat it!" Da Zi became upset. "If you don't let me eat it, you're not the real Gao Peng."

"This, this is a sonar image, How on earth are you supposed to eat it?!" Gao Peng could feel a headache coming on.

"No, it's obviously a mooncake that's had two bites taken out of it, and we don't even know who ate it!" Incensed, Da Zi started jabbing furiously at the light green image.

Flamy began to dance and hop from foot to foot on the sidelines. It appeared that these two gluttons had come to an agreement.

Gao Peng pulled out a piece of spiced, sweet dried meat from Silly's pocket dimension and flung it far away. Da Zi swiveled his head, following the arc of the projectile, and sped towards it in a flash of lightning, snatching it from the air. Pleased with itself, it began to chew on the meat in a corner. If one didn't look too closely at it, it could almost be mistaken for a corgi—especially since his legs were just as short.

Gao Peng then proceeded to take a salted fish out of Silly's pocket dimension. Flamy's eyes lit up at the sight; its neck stretched out to follow Gao Peng's every move. He drooled almost incessantly.

Gao Peng popped the salted fish into his own mouth and chewed on it. It was a little dry, so he took a large gulp of juice to help swallow it down.

"The military has requested that we work with them to eliminate these monsters," Gao Peng told his beasts. "You guys have anything to add?"

Da Zi was too busy feasting upon the sweet spiced meat in his corner to answer.

Flamy was still angry from having been tricked by Gao Peng. Who did Gao Peng think it was—an idiot like Da Zi?

Goldie narrowed his eyes. As someone who couldn't swim, it had no opinion on the subject.

Dumby merely stood silently, his eyes smoldering with passion. Whatever Master said, it would follow.

Silly smacked Gao Peng's ear angrily. If stupid Gao Peng drank its juice again; it was definitely put its foot down.

"Squeak." Gao Peng grabbed Silly with one arm and began to squish his face as if kneading a ball of dough while holding him. "Hey, don't you go throwing a tantrum now."

Silly was kneaded into all sorts of shapes by Gao Peng. His face took on the shapes of a bun, tang yuan, man tou…

"So, you see, it's not that I don't accept your request, but my beasts are unwilling to fight beside me. They tire of conflict and battle, and only wish to rest for the time being," Gao Peng said apologetically to the table full of uniformed men.

The men's lips pursed. They were rendered speechless and unable to offer a rebuttal.

"The Southern Sky Group has always been a small company that never ventures too far outside its comfort zone, and I myself obey the law; I always pay my taxes on time. It wouldn't be a stretch to call myself a good citizen of the alliance." Gao Peng said seriously. "However, I am but a feeble boy without my beasts, too weak to even truss a chicken."

The uniformed men took two deep breaths. Despite knowing that Gao Peng was talking nonsense, they weren't in positions to lose their tempers. "The threats near the Qing Jiao Settlement have always been the military's responsibility, as they should be. However, this time, the monsters are particularly hard to deal with. I'm sure you've read the information we've given you, and as the saying goes, there are no unharmed eggs beneath an overturned nest—more so when the distance between here and Peach Bay isn't so far as the crow flies. We'll be recruiting the best monster hunters from countries with significant Chinese populations, as well as all over the world, to help rid the earth of these creatures, and you're a Lord-tier trainer, Mr Gao. We hope that you're willing to contribute to the cause—be it for your company or the people of Yang Cheng."

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Chapter 337: War

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The giant beast hidden beneath the sea was more than a million square feet in size. Although no one knew what the monster was, they were all but certain that it was a living creature.

Having such a huge beast lurking offshore so close to Yang Cheng, anyone in Yang Cheng would be frantic with worry.

Furthermore, according to the results of an earlier investigation, this mysterious beast was constantly summoning nearby marine monsters, and it wasn't just for fun. Given the previous wave of monster attacks, the citizens of Yang Cheng could tell that a full-on war was just around the corner.

An atmosphere of tension suffused the whole city. The ocean was a special environment that limited most of mankind's existing scientific and technological weapons. Therefore, trainers would be the main force in the fight against monsters. This time, in order to invite the best trainers, the Yang Cheng and Peng Cheng militaries combined their resources and spent it all to recruit the best.

After all, fighting monsters was dangerous. Trainers wouldn't risk their lives for just anything.

"Did the one in Southern Sky agree to come?" The mayor of Yang Cheng Base City pinched the bridge of his nose wearily.

"That guy has no heart. Everyone else has agreed to come, but he chose to sit this one out!" said a man in his forties next to the mayor rather nastily. Everything about the man's face was sharp, from his jawline to his eyebrows.

"Chief Di, that's not exactly true. After all, he did help us out with the situation at Peach Bay." A portly man next to them laughed gently.

Di Nei sulked. "Peach Bay was so close to his company! Of course he would tell us what he found! He's just using us to get rid of a threat to him. This guy won't do anything that doesn't benefit him in some way. I'm calling bullsh*t on his excuse. 'Too weak' my *ss."

The mayor shook his head when he heard this. "All right. Stop arguing. Our cake is only so big. If we control ourselves a little bit, we can make an even bigger cake and have as many pieces as we want. Don't forget how Yang Cheng developed in the early days. Tell him that Southern Sky will be tax-exempt for the first three years, and they'll be taxed at 50% for the two years after. We've already shown him our sincerity, now let's see what he can do."

As the head of commerce, Di Nei felt an acute sense of loss. Southern Sky would have been a great source of tax revenue.

"Don't look so upset. Lower taxes means that they'll have more money to spend, which they'll most likely reinvest in our local economy. It might seem like we're getting the short end here, but it'll work out in the long run. Trust me," the portly man explained calmly.

Di Nei rolled his eyes. Of course, he already knew that. He just didn't like the brat's attitude.

"Don't get too chummy with them. I know your brother works there, but remember where your loyalty lies." Di Nei shot him a cold look.

"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way." The portly man seemed unflappable. He had a kind smile on his face as he tried to explain himself.

Even though Yang Cheng had spent a king's ransom on bringing in familiars from all over the world, most of the strongest ones were still from the Huaxia region.

There were more flights than usual coming into Yang Cheng that day since trainers from all over the world were flying in.

The Ming Zhu Building was the newest landmark in Yang Cheng. At 780 feet tall, it looked like a giant torch from afar.

There was a huge swimming pool on the rooftop, but Gao Peng had converted it into a pond of sorts, breeding a couple of dozen fish-type creatures. There were even lily pads and reeds, giving it the appearance of an extremely well-kept fishing pond.

Lounging on a beach chair, Gao Peng cast his line in a perfect arc that landed in the pond with a soft plop.

Moments later, he felt a tug on his line. Whatever fish was on the hook wasn't going down without a fight, putting up a titanic struggle that stretched the line all the way to the other side of the pond.

Gao Peng held onto the pole with an iron grip, barely seeming flustered. "Not too shabby, right?" he said to Flamy.

Flamy stood crouched by him, nodding enthusiastically. "That was amazing, Gao Peng!"

With a satisfied smile on his face and a light flick of his arm, he reeled in a 7-foot-long Green-tailed Phoenix Fish that landed on the deck with a loud slap.

Flamy gulped.

"You can't eat it though. We're going to let it go and continue fishing," Gao Peng said slowly.

Flamy was mad. What the hell was the point of it sitting there all this time then?

"Master Gao, there's someone outside the gates who wishes to challenge you," said a guard while entering the room.

"Again?" Gao Peng was at a loss for words. These people sure were persistent. How many nights in a row had it been? This wasn't a movie, for crying out loud. One didn't win based on effort alone.

He was just about to turn them down when he changed his mind. He wasn't super busy anyway, and it would be nice to make some quick cash.

"Go hang a sign by the gates. Let everyone know that I'm open to friendly challenges. Two thousand credits per challenge. This is non-negotiable."

The guard was just about to relay the message when Gao Peng stopped him. "Hold up. Make sure the contestants know that if they pay an extra 3,000 credits, I'll throw the fight. Be subtle about it."

"Ah?" The guard couldn't believe his ears.

"You heard me. What are you still standing around for?" Gao Peng waved his hand in front of him.

As he watched the guard descend the stairs, he shook his head. "Silly man."

When he turned around, the fish was half gone, it's pearly bones clearly visible.

Flamy was wiping the corners of its mouth with a single wing, its eyes looking about shiftily when it made eye contact with Gao Peng. Its wing froze in the air mid-wipe.

Did Gao Peng see me?

What do I do?

Chapter 338: Ambush!

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Flamy let out a timely belch. A couple of fish bones dropped out of its mouth as it did so.

"You might not believe this, but I dozed off, and when I woke up, the fish was already in my belly," Flamy said innocently.

"Eat slowly. Be careful not to choke." Gao Peng reeled in his line and put away his rod.

Flamy tapped its own head quizzically. What's wrong with Gao Peng? Why is he being so nice?

It nibbled on the fish while keeping a close eye on Gao Peng. At the first sign of anger, it would hightail it out of there.

Gao Peng didn't have time for these games. He slowly put his fishing rod on the rack.

The guard poked his head in to holler at Gao Peng. "Master Gao, that man is willing to pay 2,000 credits to challenge you!" He had actually agreed to it!

Gao Peng was intrigued. Honestly, it wasn't a small sum of money.

A Commander-tier creature's core crystal was worth only a few hundred credits. With the kind of money the challenger was bringing in, he'd be better off buying a couple of Commander-tier core crystals.

Each Commander-tier creature could only produce a single core crystal.

This wasn't a game. Monster hunting was a treacherous livelihood, especially when it came to Commander-tier creatures. Even if one was leading the hunt with one's own Commander-tier familiar, it wasn't easy.

Two thousand credit points might not have sounded like much, but it was at least 20,000 Alliance dollars.

Who was Gao Peng to say no to free money?

Gao Peng turned towards Flamy. Sensing trouble, Flamy immediately spread his wings and rocketed into the air.

"Get down here." Gao Peng gestured at him. "We have a fight. There's a delicious bluefin tuna in it for you if you win."

Blue. Fin. Tuna!

Flamy's eyes sparkled in anticipation.

That was the most delicious thing it had ever eaten in its entire life. The plump, juicy flesh was melt-in-your-mouth tender and so fresh it had practically been able to taste the sea in its mouth.

Its mouth started watering involuntarily…

A huge, modified truck was parked outside the gates, towing what appeared to be a large, mobile caravan. A couple of people were milling about, chatting and laughing easily. They were grouped around a red-haired girl who appeared to be their leader from her demeanor.

She had a smooth, chiseled jawline and creamy, alabaster skin. Long, wavy hair the color of fire fell to the small of her back. Even as she was laughing, there was a coldness that never quite reached her feline eyes. Her tight denim jeans accentuated the generous curve of her hips and her long, slim legs. She had a glass of wine in hand as she leaned lazily against the truck.

"Miss, why are we spending so much to challenge this loser?" A bald, tattooed man spoke up. "Why should I be the one challenging him when we're so much older than him?"

"Can you beat him then?" She shot him a quick glance.

The bald man stood rooted to the spot. "Why do we have to compete this way?"

"How else? Are you going to see who has more money? You and the young master of the Southern Sky Group?" The red-haired girl smiled teasingly, finishing her red wine in a single swig.

"It's all a game to him. A folly of the rich." She sighed. "I only hope he'll acknowledge us. That would save us a lot of trouble."

"What a pansy!" the bald man spat in disgust. He had barely finished his sentence when a shadow flew off the top of the building to land in front of them, kicking up a mini dust storm in the process.

He didn't know if it was just him, but the air around them seemed to get noticeably hotter.

For all his bluster before, the majestic sight of Flamy in front of him shut him up real quick. He had seen bigger creatures before but none with a presence like this.

Flamy bent down to peer at the man curiously. His scarlet eyes seemed to gleam even brighter than usual. His feathers glowed faintly in the dark, casting a dim glow on everyone present.

The bald man opened and closed his mouth several times, like a fish out of water. Hoping that Gao Peng hadn't heard his tirade from before, he smiled sheepishly. "Young master Gao, your familiar certainly seems to be in good health."

Gao Peng smiled thinly as he hopped off of Flamy. "You want to challenge me? Show me the money first."

The red-haired girl smiled. She went into the caravan and took out a small, silken pouch, then tossed it as Gao Peng. "Five Commander-tier core crystals. That's more than enough, right?"

Gao Peng loosened the drawstrings of the pouch and peered inside. Everything seemed to be in order. Core crystals were a good medium of transaction because they held their value well.

"It's my familiar that wishes to challenge a familiar of yours." The red-haired girl rapped on the back of the truck.

Boom!

A vivid emerald cobra slithered up to the girl noiselessly. This was a Level 40 Commander-tier Winged Cobra. Its Elite grade was the only thing holding it back from evolving into a Lord-tier familiar. Having personally worked with the Blood Eye Bearded Vulture, Gao Peng could tell that this wasn't the only reason behind the Winged Cobra's failure to evolve. There was a startling lack of drive on its part as well…

"Wait a minute. Can I ask why you want to challenge me?" Gao Peng asked suddenly. He couldn't figure out for the life of him what these people actually wanted.

"It was the only way to meet you." She bit her lip shyly.

"To meet me?"

"I want to join the Southern Sky Group. I knew that if I merely asked for it, I'd be laughed out the door. So I thought that I'd improve my chances by showing you what I can do instead." The red-haired girl looked intently at Gao Peng. "You might not know this, but there are a lot of people out there who want to join you. After all, you own the only two Emperor-tier familiars in the Huaxia region, maybe even the world.

"The nuclear core in the Central Region can take care of Commander-tier monsters and below, but Emperor-tier monsters are a different story—if we can't handle Emperor-tier monsters, it will be the end of humanity as we know it. Right now, Southern Sky has the greatest potential to solve this problem, so I'd like to lend you my strength."

Gao Peng didn't answer her. Instead, he tapped Flamy gently on the leg. "Let's see what this Winged Cobra is made of."

Flamy immediately launched itself into the air to battle with the Winged Cobra, flames dancing around it like spirits.

It didn't take long until the Winged Cobra was riddled with scorch marks and bloody, gaping wounds.

Just as he was focusing on the battle, he heard the thunderous crack of a gunshot from somewhere behind him. The next thing he knew, he felt a sharp sting on his forehead. It didn't hurt, but the velocity of the foreign projectile propelled him several feet backward.

Thud.

Gao Peng fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had just been cut.

Opposite him, a wisp of white smoke could be seen curling lazily from the barrel of a sniper that was poking out of the truck's window…

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Chapter 339: Captured Alive

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Is he dead?" The smile on the red-haired girl curled into a sneer. "Simple-minded fool. Killing him will throw the Huaxia region into chaos. You didn't miss, did you?"

"Believe me, there's no way I'd miss a head that big. At this range, I could even take down an Elite-tier monster without a problem, not to mention a human." The man rubbed his aching shoulder. The recoil from his sniper sure packed a punch.

Still battling in the sky, Flamy paused momentarily before resuming its fight with the Winged Cobra. Its attacks were unbelievably faster and stronger than before. A long, keening wail escaped Flamy, anguish written clear across its face. This rampage seemed to be its way of avenging its fallen master.

"Let's get out of here quickly. Even with the racket those two familiars are causing, someone in Southern Sky might have heard the gunshot."

"Yeah. Let's go while these creatures are occupied." The red-haired girl nodded.

The bald, tattooed man eyed the people around him before quickly heading over to where Gao Peng was. "Let's not waste the core crystal. I'll go get it and we can split it in half."

A bulky, golden-haired man wearing a brightly colored singlet hopped out. Wielding a rifle in one hand, he gently tapped the side of the truck. Out leaped a strange familiar that looked like a Light Albatross with two pairs of wings instead of one.

The albatross was already outfitted with saddles and was obviously ready for travel. The blonde man, the red-haired girl, and the other mustached guy were about to get on when the blonde man did a double take. Staring after the bald man, the blonde man had a strange look on his face. Something didn't feel right.

All of a sudden, the blonde man slapped his forehead in dismay. He remembered something odd. When the bullet hit Gao Peng, there had been no sign of blood.

At such a close range, there should have been a freaking crater in his head.

No blood?!

His facial expression changed. He immediately leaped on the Four-winged Light Albatross. "Let's go!"

"But Gou Bang isn't back yet," said the mustached man.

"We're not waiting for that idiot," the blonde man said icily.

At that very moment, the bald man rummaging through Gao Peng's clothing for the pouch of core crystals nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone grab his arm.

His face paled as he turned to look. Gao Peng was staring right back at him with eyes wide open.

What sorcery was this?

Chills ran down his spine and goosebumps rippled across his arms. What do you want from me? I didn't kill you! he thought.

"Don't go around touching people like that. It's rather impolite, you know?" Gao Peng fixed him with an angry glare.

Before the bald man could say anything, Gao Peng grinned wryly and crushed the bald man's shoulder bone into dust.

"Argh!" A blood-curdling scream ripped through the quiet night sky.

As the people on the Four-winged Light Albatross saw the ground grow smaller and smaller until it was nearly out of sight, they heaved sighs of relief.

There was no way Gao Peng could have pulled off a switch. There simply wasn't enough time. The only logical explanation was that Gao Peng was still alive.

If even a semi-automatic rifle at such a close range couldn't finish off Gao Peng, it meant that conventional weapons were practically useless against him. Only a special kind of "bullet" could do the trick.

"Let's go. There's no way we're going to be able to kill him in the Huaxia region now," the red-haired girl said grudgingly.

All of a sudden, the Four-Winged Light Albatross let out a shriek of pure terror before coming to a sudden halt.

A few hundred yards in front of it, a skeletal Wooden Peacock had appeared out of nowhere. Flaring its skeletal wings, it wouldn't let them pass. The Soul Flames burning eerily in its eye sockets seemed to be tracking them intently.

The red-haired girl stared intently at the Wooden Peacock. It looked familiar.

"It's only a skeleton. Smash right through it!" The blond-haired man was the picture of calm and tranquility. This wasn't his first time dealing with an undead creature like this. Even though they looked scary, their bodies were actually brittle and weak. Most of them only had a fraction of their power left from when they had been alive.

A ring of white light formed under the Wooden Peacock, illuminating the ghastly fear on their faces.

The Wooden Peacock let out an ungodly shriek that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Its bones rattled and rattled, aiming themselves at the group like swords.

The albatross was just about to charge when it sensed the murderous intent emanating from the Wooden Peacock. Without hesitation, it turned the other way and tried to flee.

Whoosh—

Their field of vision was entirely consumed by the skeletal Wooden Peacock. All they could see was darkness. Then they were engulfed by a nauseating wave of decay, followed by a raging wind.

Crash!

The bony claws of the peacock ripped the wings of the albatross and into shreds. One wing was ripped cleaned out of its socket with a shocking explosion of blood.

The three people astride the Four-winged Light Albatross were tossed off its back. Hurtling towards the ground, their stomachs churned as they were struck by a wave of vertigo.

The 23 of them felt as though their hearts were going to leap right out of their chests. Right as they were about to hit the ground, they jerked to a sudden halt.

The Wooden Peacock plucked them out of the air and dropped them off at the gates of the Southern Sky Group none too gently.

Gao Peng was casually splayed across his sofa. With a delicately embroidered handkerchief, Gao Peng meticulously wiped down his hands, taking extra care to reach the spaces between his fingers.

"Not bad. It stung a little." Gao Peng pointed at his temple. "Good accuracy. You got me right in the temple."

The blonde man stared intensely at Gao Peng's temple, as though trying to will a gunshot wound into existence. Alas, there was nary a bruise to be seen. "You actually own more than one Lord-tier familiar." The blonde almost sounded indignant. There had been nothing in the files about the Wooden Peacock, after all.

"Young master Gao." Zheng Tiezhuang was beside himself with rage. To have this happen on his watch as Head of Combat was an insult to his honor and to the honor of his team.

"Take turns interrogating them. I don't care what methods you use as long as you find out where they came from and who sent them to kill me," Gao Peng said lightly.

"Leave it to me, Master Gao. I'll have them singing like birds in no time!"

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Chapter 340: Gao Peng's Certificate

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After the offenders were brought down, Gao Peng casually propped an old rocking chair right in front of his gates. He wanted to see if there were any stragglers with ill intentions still out there.

It was actually pretty exhilarating, even more so than some extreme sports; nothing quite beat a headshot from a rifle to the temple.

Now that he actually thought about it, a shower of bullets actually sounded like a fun idea.

Before taking a seat, he hung small signs on himself, Flamy, Goldie, Da Zi, and Dumby.

The wooden sign hung around Da Zi's neck said "3,500." The one hung around Flamy's neck said "2,800," and the sign hung around Goldie's neck said "2,000."

Maybe it was because Da Zi was lying on the floor, but the sign lay flat on its head, almost as though it was wearing a helmet.

Within moments, Da Zi was bouncing off to Goldie, peering at its sign. Its math skills were elementary at best, so it could only do some simple addition.

The sign on Da Zi's head read "35=8"; Goldie only had a "2."

"Poor Goldie only has two." Da Zi chuckled with pity. "Looks like I'm still Gao Peng's favorite."

Satisfied, Da Zi went over to look at Flamy's sign and paled immediately.

Two… Eight…

Da Zi quickly did the math with its recently acquired skills.

Two plus eight equaled 10.

Boom!

Da Zi was thunderstruck.

Flamy lowered his head to look at the stunned Da Zi. It could tell that Da Zi was on one of its whimsical trips again. Not today. Flamy merely shook its head and flapped away.

"The Southern Sky Group is just ahead. Do you see the Pearl Tower? That's Southern Sky's landmark new building in the new downtown area." Someone pointed vaguely in the direction of the tower.

"Brother, are you really going to challenge Gao Peng?"

"Of course. He's the best in the Huaxia region. I've actually seen his fights in person before, and he's definitely as good as they say he is. However, I now have a Holy-type Lord-tier familiar that matches really well with his Ghoul-type. If I can beat him, I'll be famous!" The brown-haired teen in the lead had a cocky smile on his face.

The sky darkened slightly as they drew closer to the main entrance. They couldn't see clearly if it was Gao Peng inside; they thought it might just have been a security guard.

"Hello. We're from the Da Ying district. I'm here to challenge the strongest trainer in the Huaxia region—Gao Peng," said the brown-haired teen in halting Chinese.

For some reason, there was a weird tension in the room after he said that.

"Sure!" Gao Peng slowly put down his tablet. "You brought a rifle with you?"

"…" The brown-haired teen was puzzled. What the hell was a Barrett?

After giving the teen a quick once-over and determining that he wasn't a threat, the expression on Gao Peng's face grew kinder. "You want to challenge me, boy? Why don't we discuss that over a hot meal?"

The brown-haired teen had to pinch himself to make sure that he was actually talking to the Gao Peng. He followed Gao Peng rather submissively into the adjacent room, where they had a long, animated chat.

Thirty minutes later, the brown-haired teen stumbled out of the room in a daze. Without a word, he left Southern Sky with his brother, clutching what appeared to be a certificate.

"Brother, who won? What is that?" His younger brother took the certificate from him.

The certificate was bright red and had golden letters across it that read "Certificate of Achievement." Beneath it were a few tiny rows of English words.

These teens weren't really familiar with Chinese culture, so they were rather taken aback. Back home, certificates were usually nothing more than a sheet of paper. This was actually the size of a brick…

As he flipped through the certificate, he saw a half-page picture of Dumby on the left and a short paragraph written in English on the right.

Contestant Abigail,

On March 10th in the 4th year of the New Federation, you have successfully defeated the Skeletal Tyrant. Let this certificate honor your achievement.

Awarded by: Gao Peng.

At the very bottom was Gao Peng's signature, both in Chinese and pinyin. Right next to it was a QR code.

"Brother." Abigail's brother's face fell. This…

"Who's going to believe this? There's no evidence but this lousy certificate." Abigail's brother didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had thought his brother was way sharper than this.

"Have you seen the QR code?"

"I saw it."

"Try scanning it."

Abigail's brother did just that. It led him to a battle video that featured his brother's familiar—the Sacred Unicorn was dueling with Gao Peng's Skeletal Tyrant. It was an ugly fight that left both familiars battered and bruise, but the Sacred Unicorn eventually triumphed.

His mouth was a large "O" as he stared in confusion.

It seemed fine, but something felt off!

"Gao Peng is the strongest trainer I've come across! Aside from the Skeletal Tyrant, he has six other Lord-tier familiars. He told me that I could come and challenge him any time I wanted. I'm going to do it! I'm going to get all seven certificates from him!" Abigail's eyes brimmed with competitive fire.

The golden-haired blonde's jaw dropped.

"By the way, Claw, do you have any change on you? Can you lend me some?" Abigail tapped his brother on the shoulder.

"Master Gao, there's a situation. I found out that these men are from the Golden Hands," Zheng Tie reported.

Hand of White Gold…

It looked like they were old acquaintances after all. He should have taken care of them when he had the chance.

He really wanted to just let it all go, but it seemed like his foes didn't feel the same way.

"Got it. Take care of these men here and make sure not to leave any loose ends. When you're done, take a few men with you and follow me to Peach Bay."

Peach Bay was a buzz of activity, what with the military setting up a compound and all. They had to set up trenches, bunkers, barricades, and more.

"The moment those creatures from the water come ashore, they'll be closest to this area. Even though this area is very shallow, and it'll be very easy for them to come onto land, it's surrounded by impenetrable cliffs. We don't need to build anything else because that's our best line of defense."

As they watched the construction take place in front of them, the other trainers were familiarizing their familiars with the terrain.

This was a war for Yang Cheng, a war between men and beasts. Since it was going to be war, picking the right location was paramount.

Fighting the marine creatures in the sea would be the pinnacle of foolishness. Fighting them on land would be a different story entirely.

"The question is, will they take the bait? Will they actually fight us on land?" a man in a black jacket asked loudly.

Behind the man prowled an enormous Crimson Saber-toothed Tiger. The tiger's tail and ears were like wisps of scarlet flames. The jet-black markings on its forehead and the razor-sharp ridges on its back struck fear into anyone foolish enough to cross it. It was licking its chops in anticipation of what would be a bloody conflict.

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Read Monster Pet Evolution Chapter 341 - Certificate online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 341: Certificate

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Tiger King, you can relax. Since we're building defensive facilities here, it's a given that we have countermeasures," the military personnel told the man quickly.

The man in the black jacket nodded and added, "Nevermind, the scenery of the beach is quite nice, too. I'll just treat it like a holiday." After he said that, he laughed.

"Master Gao, that person is the Northeast Tiger King, a famous World Hunter," said Zheng Tiezhuang quietly. "The Northeast Tiger King is warm-hearted, and he likes to help others too, but his temper isn't very good. He's a warm-hearted person with a bad temper."

Gao Peng nodded and looked at the huge red tiger standing behind the man. The tiger's main color was white, but its body's surface was covered with red stripes as if flames were going to leap out from under the skin.

[Monster Name: Savage Sabertooth Tiger

[Monster Level: Level 43 (Lord-tier)

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Attribute: Fire

[Monster Skills: Sharp Sawtooth Level 3; Raging Strength Level 2; Flame Mastery Level 2

[Monster description: A tiger that mutated after it awakened its Sabertooth Tiger blood and consumed Fire-type treasures. Controls fire, is naturally aggressive, and loves combat.

Gao Peng nodded, then walked straight towards the Tiger King.

"Hey, Master Gao, isn't the Tiger King's temper…" the words stopped because he saw Gao Peng greeting the Northeast Tiger King warmly.

"It's been a long time since we last met, Tiger King."

"What do you mean? It was just a night ago," the Tiger King responded.

Zheng Tiezhuang noticed Master Gao start talking with a number of monster trainers. It looked as if they were on good terms.

The monster trainers and Master Gao were talking quite far away from him, so Zheng Tiezhuang couldn't clearly hear what they were talking about.

After a while, Gao Peng gladly led Zheng Tiezhuang and some of the monster trainers from the military department to a place that was further away to observe the terrain.

After Gao Peng had been gone for some time, the monster trainers gathered to talk.

Maybe it was because they had just talked with Gao Peng, but they were more familiar with each other.

"Haha, I'm not afraid to be laughed at. Although I'm already over forty, I still can't let go of fame and wealth." The Northeast Tiger King laughed out loud heartily.

"Hey, who could ever let this chance go? A person's life goal is either to be famous or wealthy." Southern Xinjiang Insect King sighed.

Abigail, who had just successfully challenged Gao Peng recently, stood in place, smiled shyly, and didn't say anything.

"Yesterday afternoon, I went to the Pearl Tower to challenge Gao Peng. What a promising and amazing youth. I succeeded only after I had put in a lot of effort. You see, he even awarded me a certificate of honor." The Northeast Tiger King laughed heartily, pretending to carelessly pull a small red book out of his clothes.

Abigail's expression changed slightly as he subconsciously gripped his pocket and felt the touch of the hard shell of the certificate on his fingertips. Abigail was very confused.

"Oh, what a coincidence. I also have a certificate of honor." The Southern Xinjiang Insect King was surprised and took an identical certificate of honor out of his pocket.

"What? I have one too," shouted another monster trainer beside them.

Abigail's eyes twitched. This last fellow seems to have only one Commander-tier familiar. How did he beat Gao Peng?

"Eh, you guys don't believe me? I'll show you. It's this, right?" As he said this, the monster trainer that didn't look very old took a red certificate out from his bag. Abigail felt that this red color was an eyesore.

Both the Northeast Tiger King and the Southern Xinjiang Insect King were shocked. The three of them compared their booklets and found they were almost identical, except for some slight details, like the name and the familiar.

The Northeast Tiger King had beaten Goldie, the Southern Xinjiang Insect King had beaten Flamy, and this young monster trainer had beaten the Winged Thunder Monkey Skeleton…

"Although my familiar is now only at the peak of the Commander tier, it's very talented. It can fight enemies that are a tier higher. Even normal Lord-tiers aren't its rival," boasted the young man proudly as he pointed at a familiar that stood not far behind him.

About 65 feet away from him, a secluded blue Tibetan Mastiff was staring at them. It looked very handsome, and no one could actually identify its breed.

"What a coincidence." The Northeast Tiger King patted his forehead and said happily, "Let's compete and see who the first one who can gather all seven of them is."

The Southern Xinjiang Insect King's thoughts were more complicated than the Northeast Tiger King, who was straightforward, so he rolled his eyes and kept quiet. He was speechless deep in his heart, for this was the first time he saw someone develop being challenged into an industry.

When he initiated his challenge, he had spent thousands of credits… At that time, he bought a discount package that guaranteed victory, otherwise, his Thousand Feet Red Newt, which had just advanced to the Lord tier, wouldn't really have been an opponent to that one-legged crane.

The challenge fee was a few thousand credits, plus the challenge fees from the boy. Moreover, he suspected that the teenager may have bought the same package he had bought. If he had bought it too… Then within these few days, Gao Peng would have earned tens of thousands of credits.

This way of making money seemed too easy. To be honest, the Southern Xinjiang Insect King was a little jealous.

After they had left, Abigail took out the certificate of honor from his pocket silently; for a moment, he was at a loss for words. Just why did the certificate lose its value?

"Hey, you have that too?" Beside him came an irritating voice.

Abigail kept his certificate, turned around, and saw the young man who had been chatting just now smirking and looking at him.

Abigail's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

"Hey, brother, let's be honest. Did you buy this certificate like I did?" The young man winked.

Abigail didn't want to pay attention to him, but the young man kept pushing. "Hey, come on. I know, since you look as old as me, your familiar should only be at the Commander tier, really. The certificate that I bought was definitely worth the value. Just by adding an extra 3,000 credits, he would let you win, and the acting was great." The young man gave a thumbs up.

"In two days, I'll use the pocket money from my parents to buy the other six certificates, then I'll be able to brag. And all of Mo Du will know that I, Sun Maocai, am a genius monster trainer!" The young man fell into daydreaming.

"Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Is there any difference between you and the false certificate? This is cheating. I thought that Gao Peng was a top genius, but it turns out that he's just a liar!" Abigail finally couldn't stand it anymore.

Sun Maocai looked at him strangely and shook his head, laughing. "Then how did you get yours? Never mind, I won't ask you how you got it. I gave him the money and he cooperated with me, so there's nothing to do with deceiving people. Moreover, I think he's an extremely smart person. Just wait until news about the challenge starts spreading, then the number of people who want to challenge him will be far fewer."

As they were chatting, a few missiles flew through the sky, leaving long trails of flame across the horizon before dropping into the sea.

Boom!!!

Chapter 342: Huge Waves

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Missiles rained down on the ocean like battle axes. The savage weapons crashed into the sea. Bang! The waves went up dozens of feet.

Large amounts of specially premixed drugs dropped down and spread along the seabed with the exploded missiles. Every part of the ocean's depths was dyed a deep dark red color.

Some of the fish frantically swam away when they detected the odor. There were also some Fish-type monsters that went berserk when they inhaled it. An Albino Grouper with two bulging eyes as big as light bulbs was leisurely swimming forward. The red mist diffusing in the sea inadvertently flowed to where it was and into its respiratory tract.

"Achoo!" It sneezed loudly, then quickly twirled its tail and escaped as far away as possible.

In between the explosions, a huge black shadow burst through from a black crack on the side with lightning speed. The turbulent undercurrent was still present at the bottom of the sea. There was also some debris.

The Albino Grouper had already disappeared…

A low, hoarse voice, accompanied by a crisp chewing sound, rang out at the bottom of the sea. "The smell is unpleasant. Some shrimps have been scared away."

Soundwaves kept echoing throughout, one layer overlapping another. "The sea monsters nearby that have been called are already here. It's time for humans to taste our wrath."

"But why do we have to attack the humans? Aren't fish tasty enough? Or is there not enough food?" another muscular voice protested. "I hate the dry feeling on land."

"I was bitten by a damn sand worm that had wings. I'll eat it this time," a sharp irritable voice boomed. The Gloaming Oceanic Manta Ray's giant body created a strong undercurrent that was as black as the dark clouds under the sea.

"That wasn't a sand worm. Sand worms live in the sea. It was a centipede," said the creature with the muscular voice mockingly.

"Shut up, you long worm! Don't think I won't devour you!" the Gloaming Oceanic Manta Ray's eyes glowed green, like a pair of lanterns.

"Come at me, you ugly bat." Its words were accompanied by a rustling sound. A huge, bloated, slippery, long, narrow behemoth slipped out of the gap. Blue and purple electric patterns flashed on the dense scales on its surface. It gently wandered at the bottom of the sea looking leisurely and calm. The fine white sand at the bottom of the sea was illuminated by the electricity.

"Stop quarrelling. If you guys are so talented, then go and compete to find out which of you can eat the most humans." An overpowering sound resonated through the seabed.

The seabed became quiet again…

"It's coming. Everyone, get ready."

From a distance, a white line on the sea level was constantly approaching.

The sound of the tide grew nearer and louder. Gao Peng could see the scales of the sea creatures protruding out from the waves.

Almost all of the sea monsters possessed the ability to control water. If a lot of them gathered together, they could create a disaster, a tsunami.

"We can't let the tide rise further. Otherwise, the fortifications will be destroyed in a second." The commander-in-chief of the Yang Cheng military region, Yang Ku, made a prompt decision. "Everyone here who has long-range attack tactics will attack the distant tides. Artillery and missile vehicles, get ready to attack the area at the center of the wave!"

Gao Peng squinted his eyes. Beside him were Da Zi and Flamy. They were each very eager to try, their eyes indicating their desire for battle.

Gao Peng patted Flamy's butt and said, "Go with the other familiars to attack the tide."

He thought for a while and also patted Da Zi's butt. Two tail needles poked his palm, causing him some pain. "Go with Flamy. Team up with it and don't simply go wherever you like."

Da Zi nodded repeatedly and flew to the sky with Flamy.

Goldie tilted its head and looked at Gao Peng for a while, then it staggered over to Gao Peng and lifted up his butt.

It waited for quite a while, and still, Gao Peng didn't take any action. It turned its head around with dissatisfaction. "Gua!"

"You made the wrong sound again. It's 'quack.'" Gao Peng patted Goldie's butt. Satisfied, Goldie got up and left.

Goldie moved its hand and touched the string of sandalwood beads on its neck. With compassion, Goldie looked at the sea monsters that were moving closer. It cracked its neck, making crisp cracking sounds.

Thousands of familiars flew in the sky. Most of the familiars that could attack from afar were at the Commanders tier or above. Almost all of the familiars from Pengcheng, Yan Cheng, and other regions were gathered there. Among them were five Lord-tier familiars flying in the air. They were the only Lord-tier familiars that could fly. The ones that couldn't fly would defend from land.

Gao Peng discovered that most of the Lord-tier familiars had only broken through and moved on to the Lord tier in the past half year. He found out that most of their familiars were stuck at Level 40. They couldn't reach their next breakthrough because they were limited by their grade.

A monster's potential was determined by its grade. A tyrannosaurus rex and a tiger were an example. If both of them were at Level ten, the tyrannosaurus rex had the potential to get to the Perfect grade, while the tiger had the potential to get to the Normal grade.

When the tiger reached Level 10, it would have hit its limit because it had reached the peak state of its species, unless it had the fortune to mutate or evolve to get past the threshold of Level ten.

The tyrannosaurus rex would at least break through to the Commander tier. After reaching the Commander level, the grade of the tyrannosaurus rex would be dropped from Perfect to Excellent. If it wasn't fortunate enough to evolve, just as the tiger, it would retain its level and not continue to breakthrough.

Oh… if an Excellent grade monster trained like its life depended on it, it might have the chance to reach the next tier. However, for a Normal tier familiar, no matter how hard it trains, it won't be able to continue to break through, Gao Peng thought. He was making an inference from his knowledge.

It had only been about four years since the Cataclysm. It was too unreliable to consider knowledge found in books as truth. Perhaps these so-called truths would be completely overthrown by new theories after a few decades.

In the ocean, a pair of small sinister eyes was staring at Da Zi, who was flying above its head. It then slowly sank down, hiding among the crowd of sea monsters.

Da Zi trembled like it had been caught in the act of stealing Gao Peng's snacks. It shook its head and gave the boisterous sea monsters beneath its feet a deathly stare. Someone had definitely targeted the smart Da Zi!

Da Zi quietly flew a little higher. A ball of electricity had condensed on its wings and formed short spears that shot towards the sea monsters with exposed backs.

As long spears would consume a lot more energy, Da Zi created short spears instead of long spears.

The double attacks from both land and air had their effects. The number of sea monsters rushing forward on the waves had reduced their speed greatly. There were sea monsters being blown to smithereens by the missiles. Some were also badly bruised by all the elemental attacks. Their corpses looked strange.

Some of the sea monsters had blisters on their skin, with blood congealed in the blisters. These blisters turned yellowish when they were soaked in cold sea water.

There were also sea monsters that were cut by the sharp weapons. Their wounds were smooth and clean with blood flowing continuously.

The rest had wounds that had been burnt to charcoal black, and their flesh could be clearly seen.

The sea was rising, and the waves were surging. The 20-feet-high waves seemed like walls made of water forcing their way in. As the water level rose, the sea seemed to tilt. Large numbers of sea monsters seemed to be stirring the wind and ferociously making waves.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Chapter 343: King Eel

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The tsunami hit the embankment like a wall, and everyone felt the terrible tremor of the shaking ground! It was just like two enormous continental plates were knocking against each other, slowly yet firmly.

Goldie stomped down with its left leg, which sunk deeply into the cement ground like a nail that had been pounded into the ground.

Goldie held its hands together, firmly protecting Gao Peng behind it with its tattooed ten-foot-tall body, which was bursting with powerful and radiant light.

Carried along by the the raging waves, a large number of sea monsters washed ashore.

An Adamantine Nautilidae that was like a smashing steel chariot rushed to where Goldie stood. Goldie's hands didn't move, and clenching the tip of its left wing, it smashed its wing at the cephalopod!

The violent wind collided with the sea waves, the Adamantine Nautilidae halted abruptly, and in the next moment, it exploded into pieces.

"Quack!" Goldie stretched out both of its left and right arms. With both wings and arms out, it was like the reincarnation of the Four-armed Golden Buddha.

A 25-foot-long giant green crab waved a pair of claws and slammed towards Goldie fiercely. Goldie's right arm blasted through the gap between the double claws. The next moment, it punched the face of the green giant crab forcefully.

Its eyeballs, nostrils, and auxiliary limbs were all mashed into minced meat after this punch. Its other spare arm took the humongous claws of the Giant Scorpion and used them as a handle, like it was holding an oversized pan, then it smashed the rest of the sea monsters!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

In terms of size, Goldie wasn't that big, but it was full of horrible power. From the perspective of volume, it was like a tabby cat grabbing an elementary school student's arm single-handedly and then using him to hit another group of primary school students.

The scene was both ridiculous and unreal.

An Iron Gun Shrimp swam through the waves like a diving athlete who spun 720 degrees from an angle that Goldie couldn't reach, aiming to stab at Gao Peng.

Dumby, who had been standing quietly behind Gao Peng, casually stretched out his left arm and pierced through the head of the Iron Gun Shrimp directly. It was like a hot knife slicing through butter, and with a gentle swing, the corpse was dropped to the ground, its tail twitching occasionally.

Putting his left arm back to its original position, as if what he had just done was a trivial matter, Dumby bent his head down and remained silent.

Almost simultaneously, a 20-foot wave, the same height as a two story building, appeared. The dim sunlight passed through the water and reflected shimmering light on Gao Peng's face.

Goldie's eyes brightened, like two stars shining brightly—it was his Secret Power, Secret Patterns and Elemental Vacuum Field.

The blue pattern was activated in a split second, radiating bright and radiant lights!

A few drops of water swirled from the tip of the wave according to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.

In a single moment, in the blink of an eye, water droplets halted suddenly, as if they were being pulled by an invisible force. The gravity and repelling force converged together, and the complicated and contradictory force caused even the water droplets to become confused.

So, they didn't hesitate and exploded into fog, which was then wrapped up in the rejection field and turned upside down to blend into the spray of waves behind them.

Immediately, the wave retreated, the inertia of the remaining waves colliding with the force of exclusion in the Anti-Magic Field, and time seemed to stand still.

But this was just the quiet before the storm.

Boom, boom!

Huge waves rose to the sky, and all the elements in the vacuum field within 30 feet of Goldie were rejected.

The sea water was being manipulated by sea monsters through water control and was heavily infested with water elements. The water had basically become a water element.

The water mist rose up in the shape of a wave, and the Water-type sea monsters instantly lost control over the elements in the area. Two opposing forces tore and collided; some of the weaker sea monsters were dazzled by the force immediately.

When a huge head emerged from the water, the Anti-Magic Field could isolate the elemental force, but not withstand pure physical strength.

The big black head rushed towards Goldie like a train out of control.

Boom.

Like the sound of a heartbeat, the sound of the roaring waves that pierced through the waves dropped right onto the bottom of this giant beast's heart.

Dumby looked at it, wearing no expression. However, his monstrous bloody heart beat vigorously!

The giant monster suddenly halted, its muscles tightened, its blood flow slowed down, and the momentum of the destruction also decreased.

Goldie used its two arms to block this monster's head, however, it was dragged to stagger backward by the great force, causing the soil beside it to wallow.

[Monster Name: King Eel

[Monster Level: Level 43 (Lord-tier)

[Monster Grade: Normal

[Monster Attribute: Water/Electric

[Monster Skills: Water Mastery Level 2; Electric Mastery Level 3; Slick Skin Level 1

[Monster Status: Healthy (Heart Colic) (Confused)

[Monster Description: Evolved from a deep-sea electric eel, likes to live among the coral, has a body length about 32 feet long, and can release electricity.

[Requirement for Promotions to Excellent Grade: 1. Thunder Evolution (Electric Devil Bone Eel) 2. Ocean Evolution (Ancient Ocean Giant Eel)

This King Eel's body was black, and its body was covered with cyan blue stripes. The anal fin was large and well-developed, connected to the pelvic fin, and undulated to the tail. The streak pattern was similar to the pattern of electricity.

But now, the first half, 30 feet from its head, had no traces of lightning. However, the other 30 feet section of its body that was hidden in the sea released lightning and illuminated a large area of the sea.

It still seemed puzzled as to why suddenly half of its body could release electricity but the other half couldn't.

Dumby jumped fiercely from Gao Peng's back and pulled out the Tail Bone Sword with its right hand! Holding the head of the King Eel with its left hand, it gripped the top of the head with its five fingers like steel hooks to prevent them from slipping, then, with his right hand, swung the sword that pierced into the head!

Splat! Half of the long sword went straight in. The gap between the tailbone section was a natural blood trough, with blood spilling everywhere!

In great pain, the King Eel twirled its tail and struggled to escape. Although it didn't have the ability to strengthen its body, its massive size was a clear indication of its enormous strength.

Dumby shook its head in pain and rushed two steps forward.

Unknowingly, Goldie was standing opposite Dumby, punching roughly at the King Eel's head.

Every fist pummeled into the flesh, causing the King Eel to suffer from great pain. It couldn't move its head to the left, nor to the right.

Behind its tail, several thunderbolts converged before they fell from the sky and headed towards Goldie and Dumby, but the moment they came within 30 feet of Goldie, they were completely repelled.

Having lost its control over elemental power, the King Eel was just a sea monster with a huge body and not one that was good at brawling.

Two Epic-grade Lord-tier familiars had beat a Normal-grade Lord-tier monster to their hearts' desires.

Gao Peng sneezed, then lowered his head to rub at his uncomfortable nose. By the time he looked up again, this Normal-grade Lord-tier electric eel had already died.

The sea's surface was calming down. A real tsunami included huge waves of uninterrupted madness that destroyed everything on land. To be precise, this wasn't a complete version of a tsunami, but a single attack.

But… This single huge wave had changed the terrain below as well.

Gao Peng lowered his head and looked at the sea water that covered his knees. Although it wasn't completely a suitable environment for sea monsters to fight in, it had also offset the geographical advantage of his turf… The previously constructed fortifications were basically ruined.

On the surface of the calm sea, a huge black shadow was slowly rising from the depths…

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Chapter 344: Spa of the Ocean

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was as if a behemoth that had been buried deep in the sea for hundreds of millions of years had finally been unsealed and was now descending on mankind.

The giant sea monster buried in the depths trembled gradually. It brought with it a terrifying aura and earth-shattering waves that rumbled and rolled.

Rumble.

The waves rolled. Large sheets of seawater shot down from the black rock surface of the vertical and horizontal edges like a waterfall.

Light yellow, dark green, and pinkish white colors were interwoven with the still light gray color to form a vast, colorful scene.

The moment the creature emerged from the water, a buzzing sound could be heard. Some of the normal humans covered their ears and stumbled to the ground. It was as if hundreds of thousands of bees were buzzing around their ears.

The sea water fluctuated, causing undulating waves. There was an endless violent trembling. Waves kept splashing on the surface of the sea.

At first glance, it looked as if thousands of fish were tumbling and jumping on the surface.

"What is this…" someone muttered in horror.

"This thing can't be a monster, right?"

Gao Peng took a deep breath and stared intensely at the actual body of the behemoth that had just emerged from the sea.

A row of data quickly came into Gao Peng's vision.

[Monster Name: King Coral Monster

[Monster Level: Level 51 (King-tier)

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Attribute: Water/Earth

[Monster Skills: Enhanced Reproduction Level 3, Accelerated Regeneration Level 2, Hard Body Level 3, Enhanced Spirit Level 4, Water Mastery Level 3, Earth Mastery Level 3

[Special Characteristics: Coral Waters (The King Coral Monster's body is made up of living and dead coral. Each mutated coral has a special physiological structure. They can create an environment that is slightly beneficial to aquatic organisms around them.

Effect One (Passive): Numerous marine organisms gathers together to form a super large area that exists around the body of the King Coral Monster. All recognized water type monsters within its boundary experience positive effects like gradual recovery from wounds and diseases, and at the same time, they also obtain a happy and comfortable status.

Effect Two (Active): Can initiate to consume some of the organisms around it and provide enhanced healing to a specified target. However, the target must be near the King Coral Monster.

[Monster Weakness: 1. It cannot go on land. Once it leaves a water environment, it will wither gradually and lose its vitality, then eventually fall into a deep slumber. 2. It isn't very slow, but it isn't agile. 3. It lacks the ability to accurately attack and harm a target.

[Monster Description: Coral reefs are made up of countless corals, and the dead bodies of organisms become coral reefs. The parasitic actinozoa on the coral reefs eject a large number of young bodies at intervals. These young life forms rapidly evolve into new coral polyps in the water and then build new communities on the edges of coral reefs to form a new reef, expanding their boundaries. This process happens countless times, year after year, layer after layer. The new generation of actinozoa will keep expanding on the previous generation, eventually growing into a behemoth. One day, this behemoth will suddenly become an intelligent sentient creature with consciousness. The constant pollution humans pour into the sea has caused the King Coral Monster to hate humans.

It was just as Gao Peng had predicted. Such a large creature had probably evolved from a collection of sentient creatures or from a non-sentient object.

If a living organism possessed such a huge body mass, then its real strength could probably reach a terrifying level.

If that were the case, he, Da Zi, and the others wouldn't be able to return to shore alive.

Such a large creature would only need to stand up and they could be smacked to death like mosquitos.

The King Coral Monster's strength wasn't attacking. A King-tier monster that was only at Level three in elementary mastery ability wasn't even a match for Lord-tier monsters that had a better mastery of the elements.

What made it scary was its reproductive capabilities and communicative abilities. It was akin to being a very good support to the monsters on the front lines.

If someone could conquer this monster, they could build a headquarters directly on its back that could be compared to an island. They could recruit large numbers of flying and marine monsters, and they would then be able to move unhindered across the entire ocean… probably.

To put it more accurately, it was basically an aircraft carrier.

By itself, it didn't have any fighting capabilities, but it could act as a mobile fortress of war and a form of support for rest, training, and backup.

Gao Peng was a bit jealous. The amount of soul power one needed to sign a Blood Contract with a King-tier monster was enormous.

It was a pity that this monster had a strong prejudice against humans. The energy needed to get it to sign the Blood Contract was too great. With that effort, I could train an Emperor-tier familiar that's already loyal to me. I don't need it at all, Gao Peng thought wistfully.

"What the hell is this? An island?" one of the military personnel was stunned.

"No. I think it's a coral reef."

"A coral reef? Are you telling me that this coral reef mountain has become sentient?"

"Even the things inside the Yungang Grottoes could become sentient. What's so strange about coral reefs becoming sentient?!" an old scholar in white coat refuted, his neck thick and red.

"What you said sounds reasonable."

"But a coral reef becoming sentient… What are its powers? With its size, it must be something terrifying, right?!"

"Not necessarily." Nobody knew when Gao Peng had arrived beside the person who had just spoken. "Size doesn't necessarily mean that it's powerful. If it were really that powerful, why would it need such a large number of the nearby sea monsters to attack us? It would've rushed onto land and exterminated us a long time ago. With its size, it would be able to do anything it wanted on land. So why doesn't it come ashore? It means that it isn't able to go on land or that it would need to pay a hefty price."

When the Yan Cheng military officials heard what Gao Peng said, they became silent. Some of them started to think.

"It probably has the ability to control or charm the sea monsters!" Yang Ku's eyes lit up. Then he frowned. "If it has such an ability, it wouldn't need to float to the surface and expose itself. It could've just hidden somewhere safe. It probably has offensive abilities, but probably not as strong as we thought."

In a short period of time, Yang Ku had already made such a detailed analysis. A person who was able to become the commander-in-chief of the Yangcheng Military Region was definitely no fool. He was definitely the best of the best among his peers.

"Coral reefs have been called the spas of the ocean. Many carnivorous fish go to coral reefs to get all kind of massages. It's also called the father of the ocean," Gao Peng said with a serious expression on his face.

Yang Ku nodded thoughtfully.

"My familiar killed a Lord-tier electric eel just now. Eels are a type of fish that like to stay in coral reefs. Stingrays are another kind of fish that like to get massages at coral reefs. Fish like the Nurse Holacanthus Venustus and Doctor Butterfly Fishes both depend on coral reefs for survival. The fish I encountered the other day was a giant oceanic manta ray, so my guess is that the monster coral reef has the ability to manipulate all these kinds of fish."

Yang Ku heard what Gao Peng said and lifted his head. He saw a duck behind Gao Peng who was working very hard to get a 65-foot-long electric eel on shore. It walked two steps, got tired, took a breath, and then continued carrying it.

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Chapter 345: Skeleton King

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Yang Ku seemed to have thought of something, his expression changing slightly. "Retreat! Everyone, leave the beach… keep a distance of 1,600 feet!"

Earlier on, when King Coral Monster had first emerged from the sea, some people had already retreated quietly.

When they heard the command, they ran away immediately.

The King Coral Monster didn't even hide its presence, which was like the scorching sun shining brightly on Earth.

The monsters at the side of the King Coral Monster were excited, splashing out of the sea and letting out ear-piercing shrieks.

When Goldie saw that everyone had retreated and none of them were waiting for it, it became panicked.

It stumbled while pulling the King Eel, not letting go of it and desperately dragging it.

Gao Peng had said that if it dragged this eel back, it would be given 500 credits.

That was 500! Its pocket money every month was only 375 credits, so this would be worth more than a month's income.

Goldie panicked. It raised its head and saw Flamy flying above it. "Gua, fat crane. Fat crane, quick, hit me."

"Damn baldie!" Upon hearing this, Flamy grew angry, opened its mouth, and spit flames onto Goldie. Burn, you damned bald duck. I'll burn you into a sauce-roasted duck!

While being burned, Goldie squinted its eyes, letting comfortable groans out of its throat.

The continuous burning damage of the flame was calculated every second. Although the flame extinguished gradually after eight seconds, Goldie's size had increased eight times over, and its length, width, and height were doubled. It was now a burly 23-foot-tall duck.

When it dragged the monster again, it was a lot easier. Goldie felt like its waist had straightened, its back wasn't bent, and it wasn't even panting. It dragged it a few hundred yards in one breath.

Yang Ku looked at Goldie again.

"Hm?"

He rubbed his eyes. "This duck…" Clearly, it hadn't been this big before, so was it that this duck could become either big or small according to its will?

Yang Ku only glanced at Goldie out of curiosity, when actually, he didn't care about such a trivial matter.

A large number of scimitar fins on the surface of the sea cut across the water and quickly approached the shoreline like an assault submarine.

"Those can't be sharks, can they?" someone said.

"They're a little similar, but this fin is golden. A shark's fin isn't this color."

"Then what kind of fish is that?"

"Everyone, be careful, these aren't sharks. They're called Golden Moorish Idols. Although they aren't sharks, they aren't less dangerous than them!" Yang Ku's face was serious, as he had read a lot about monsters before that coincidentally, included the Golden Moorish Idol's attributes.

[Monster Name: Golden Moorish Idol

[Monster Level: Level 11-20 (Elite-tier)

[Monster Grade: Normal (Excellent) (Perfect)

[Monster Skills: Sharp Fin Level 1

[Monster Attribute: Metal

[Monster Weakness: 1. Gills on two sides.

[Monster Description: Evolved from Moorish Idols, they inherited the characteristics of living in groups and like to live in the lush areas of the reefs and feed on the sponges and seaweed there. Because they devour a lot of sponge seaweed from the King Coral Monster, they rely on it and have grown attached to it.

"Retreat quickly! Leave this place immediately!" someone shouted from behind.

Most people evacuated from the shallow water on the beach, but a few people didn't retreat in time. The giant wave left a lot of monsters' corpses on the beach. In the rush, no one removed the corpses, but a few people took them, thinking that they could make a fortune.

The Golden Moorish Idol had already got there, their sharp golden sickle cutting through the water as if it was being cut by rows of golden scimitars.

The monster trainers who were picking up the corpses reacted only after they heard the shouts from people behind them. They quickly stood up and ran backward, but how could their speed compare to sea monsters that had mutated?

Some were rather clever. Even if they stayed in the shallow areas, they were close to the rear. Though there were fewer corpses, if they reacted quickly enough, they could still run up the shore.

But there was someone who went further, so when he noticed the scimitar fins from behind, he panicked. "Save me, Da Hei, save me!"

"Woof!" The Adamantine German Shepherd that was carrying a few sea monster's corpses behind him growled, shook its body, and the monsters' corpses were all dropped off into the sea. Stretching its limbs, it rushed towards its owner in a frenzy.

It leaped 30 feet before it put down its paw forcefully!

A Golden Moorish Idol that was ten feet away from the owner was pawed aside and swirled in a circle in the water, dazed.

But they weren't out of danger yet; this was just one of the Golden Moorish Idols that was near them. Behind them, there were seven or eight of them coming from all directions, like a group of cunning wolves!

The monster trainer finally realized the danger, and hurriedly, he climbed on the Adamantine German Shepherd's back, tightening his legs and hugging its neck tightly. "Da Hei, quick, let's go."

The Adamantine German Shepherd looked at the Golden Moorish Idols that were approaching seriously and frowned. As it stepped out, its body tilted, and its right leg limped.

At this time, the burning pain moved from the wounds to the nerves. Although its hit just now had sent the Golden Moorish Idol flying, its sharp fins, which were sharper than a steel knife, had cut a long wound along the sole of its foot.

It looked around, eyes fierce and serious. Its canine tooth slowly appeared as its lips moved and it growled a low warning from its throat. At the same time, it slowly retreated, the soles of its feet stepping on the water surface making a crisp "pa" noise, its body limping.

The Golden Moorish Idols that were circling them kept turning around, not in a hurry to attack.

"Hurry up and go. They're waiting for their companions." With a slight change of expression, the monster trainer who was on the Adamantine German Shepherd's back spoke softly and anxiously.

The Adamantine German Shepherd ran towards the shore without hesitation, but its injured foot affected its running. Upon seeing that the Adamantine German Shepherd was trying to escape, the Golden Moorish Idols that were swimming around rushed at it like an arrow immediately!

"Woof, woof!" The Adamantine German Shepherd was barking and running, its hard as steel fur was cut off by the Golden Moorish Idols. A group of Golden Moorish Idols didn't need to leap from the water, they could easily cut its belly by just swimming around it.

The speed of the Golden Moorish Idols in the water was much faster. They dashed around it, back and forth.

Blood dyed the sea around the Adamantine German Shepherd red.

"Save me. Please help me… No, please help Da Hei. I should die, but Da Hei shouldn't." The man who was on the Adamantine German Shepherd's back cried and shouted at the people on shore.

Some people looked cold and had no expressions. They were used to the reality of life and death. When people became greedy, they reaped what they sowed.

Some were also hesitant, since they suspected that this person was putting up a show deliberately.

The Adamantine German Shepherd lowered its head suddenly and bit one of the Golden Moorish Idols, its lips covered with blood. The corner of its lip was cut by the sharp sickle, exposing the pinkish muscles within.

But the Golden Moorish Idol in its mouth had also been bitten through. It was trying to struggle in the mouth of the Adamantine German Shepherd.

Gao Peng looked at the person on the Adamantine German Shepherd. Seeing that the status of this person was [Guilty, Gao Peng squinted, then he patted Flamy's leg beside him. "Flamy, go get some snacks."

Flamy turned into a ball of flames and flew out, the burning flames pulling a long tail flame behind it and swept across the sea in an instant. Flamy just dipped at the sea, and a lively Golden Moorish Idol that was struggling was already in its mouth.

The sickle of the Golden Moorish Idol that could cut up the Adamantine German Shepherd's fur hit Flamy's beak, making a crisp sound, yet it seemed weak.

With a gentle pull, the eyeballs of the Golden Moorish Idol were almost coming out, like it was being squeezed to death by chopsticks, then it was being swallowed through Flamy's throat, into its stomach.

Flamy pouted. The taste wasn't very good—it was a bit dry and also a little salty.

But sometimes, changing tastes wasn't bad, so it went and quickly transformed into a sharp sword that descended from the sky to the sea's surface. The heads of the Golden Moorish Idols were poked out by its beak, then swallowed one by one.

"Flamy, finish it quickly. That big manta ray is coming again." Gao Peng saw a black shadow not far away that wasn't coming near, so he warned Flamy.

When Flamy heard that, it raised its tail, its exuberant fur blowing up, "Sooner or later… sooner or later…" After repeating these words fiercely, it finally ejected a large flame into the ocean behind the Adamantine German Shepherd's back, boiling the seawater. As a result, the Golden Moorish Idols all moved away to escape it.

With Flamy's help in causing the delay, the Adamantine German Shepherd and the man on its back finally reached the shore. His black T-shirt was thoroughly soaked, and his wet hair was stuck to his ear and eyebrows.

With the protection of the Adamantine German Shepherd, this monster trainer hadn't suffered any injuries and was just shocked. But the Adamantine German Shepherd that was 13 feet long collapsed and sunk onto the beach, with a large amount of blood oozing from its abdomen and limbs.

A group of spectators gathered, and some sighed. "You were too careless. Look at your familiar that was badly injured trying to save you."

"At that time, Commander Yang had already ordered us to retreat, yet you didn't. Now, your familiar is paying for your greed."

Some who loved familiars started to criticize him.

The monster trainer knelt down, trying his best to cover his German Shepherd's wounds, but compared to the wound, his hands were too small, and blood was still flowing out nonstop.

There were also some intellectuals who stood by and watched. Since it was none of their business, they loftily gave him quick glances and left.

Nevertheless, someone comforted him, "It's fortunate that you still have your life. The military should have a place to treat familiars, so you can go to them."

The Adamantine German Shepherd stuck out its tongue and licked its owner. Its eyes were calm, full of dependence and trust in its master.

Xia Youxi knelt on the ground, eyes brimming with tears.

His heart was full of self-blame and guilt. He had only wanted to sell the body of the sea monster that Da Hei had just killed, then buy materials from the proceeds for Da Hei to have the opportunity to continue to evolve, but who would have thought…

"Step aside, if you don't want your familiar to die." Gao Peng patted his shoulder. The status of the Adamantine German Shepherd had dropped down to [severe injury] and was progressing towards [fatal injury].

Xia Youxi saw Flamy, who was standing behind Gao Peng, and recognized the familiar that had just rescued him. He squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying. "Thank you just now for—"

"Let it be." Gao Peng lifted him up and pushed him aside. If he kept delaying, this familiar would die.

Seeing that its owner had been thrown aside, the Adamantine German Shepherd struggled to sit up in an attempt to bark at Gao Peng.

Gao Peng pressed it down on the beach, "The owner doesn't seem to have realized this, but this familiar is quite loyal. Silly, use your ability to save it."

After a few seconds, there wasn't any response, so Gao Peng continued to call, "Silly, Silly!"

"Puji puji?" Silly had been dozing off when Gao Peng called it. It hurriedly flew down from Gao Peng's shoulder and circled around Gao Peng with a confused look.

"Quick, use your healing skills and save this dog."

Silly was stunned…

Healing skills? Do I have healing skills?

Upon seeing its dumb look, Gao Peng almost spit out blood. "Have you forgotten that you have such a skill since you haven't used it in so long?"

You're at least at Level 35. Although the Wood-type is just your sub-attribute, healing a Level 20 Elite shouldn't be a problem. Gao Peng didn't expect this dumb jellyfish to make this stupid joke.

Fortunately, I have a spare tire… No, fortunately, I have an alternative option!

Gao Peng let Dumby squat down and picked a few white fluffs from a dandelion off his head.

He crumbled the fluff, then put them on the Adamantine German Shepherd's wound. The fluff melted when it touched the wound. Exuding white light, the bloody wound quickly stopped bleeding, though the wound wasn't yet completely healed.

The Yin Yang Calendula was only at Level seven, so its healing ability was limited.

Silly finally remembered how it could use its ability after a while.

After making a sound, more than ten tentacles crammed into the wound messily. Then, the tentacles seemed to light up like small light bulbs, radiating a clear, transparent green light.

The wound that was caused by the cut was gradually healing, and the breathing of the Adamantine German Shepherd also stabilized.

"Thank you, thank you!" Xia Youxi knelt down and bowed to Gao Peng.

Gao Peng yawned, then walked away slowly. "I just helped you because of the loyalty of your familiar. Don't think about it too much."

Silly went back to Gao Peng's shoulder and took credit along with Gao Peng. "Gao Peng, I'm the best! Aren't I super smart?"

"That's right, that's right, Silly is the smartest."

"We heard that someone was injured here. Where is he?" A senior officer from the Yang Cheng Military Region rushed over with a few soldiers and familiars.

"He's been healed by the Skeleton King's familiar already." Someone pointed at Gao Peng, who was playing with his familiars in the distance.

The senior officer looked at Gao Peng, who was far away, and recognized him. "So the Skeleton King is in this area."

Because the familiar of Gao Peng's that had brought him fame was the Skeleton Tyrant, Dumby, and also the Wood Peacock Skeleton and the King Centipede Skeleton, followed by the Winged Thunder Monkey Skeleton, to outsiders, half of the familiars around Gao Peng were skeletons.

So at Yang Cheng, someone had nicknamed Gao Peng the Skeleton King.

If no accidents happened, after this war ended, Gao Peng's title, the Skeleton King, would start to be spread by these monster trainers who came from different regions across the world.

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Chapter 346: A Cunning Duck

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"I don't think the fish should be that cheap," said Goldie, who was sitting on the King Eel's head.

"Five hundred dollars still isn't enough for you?! Da Zi and the others only earn ten bucks per month, and I'm already offering you 50 months' salaries for it. Are you trying to make me bankrupt?" said Gao Peng, raising his voice to a half-shout.

Da Zi simply hugged its 50 dollars' worth of beef jerky in a corner without a word. It licked one of them.

Goldie frowned and inclined its head to one side as if deep in thought.

"I feel like I can still make more," said Goldie. "You've always been a crafty human, Gao Peng."

"No, I'm resourceful," corrected Gao Peng.

"Five hundred dollars for one fish, you say?" the duck said.

"Yes, 500."

"Then I have three fish here! You'll have to give me 1,500 Alliance Dollars!" said Goldie. A cunning twinkle crossed its dull eyes as it pulled two Golden Moorish Idols out of its bottom and threw them to the ground. The two fish corpses stared at Gao Peng lifelessly, their eyes nearly popping out from their sides.

One fish costs 500 Alliance Dollars. There are three fish here. That's 1,500 Alliance Dollars.

Goldie looked smugly at Gao Peng. Its only regret was that it hadn't thought of this sooner. It could have gotten a lot more from Tyrant Gao by catching a few more fish back then.

Oh, Gao Peng, in spite of all your machinations, you were still outsmarted by me, a mere duck. Why am I such a crafty… no, a resourceful little duckie?

Goldie puffed up its chest, evidently proud of itself.

Gao Peng looked at the Golden Moorish Idols on the ground and then looked at Goldie.

No matter how hard Goldie tried to suppress its feelings, the corners of its mouth curved upward into an awkward grin. It even failed to hide the excitement in its eyes. It wagged its tailfeather excitedly like a dog.

Gao Peng remained silent for a moment.

Then he stepped forward and patted Goldie's thigh. "I've underestimated you. You're quite a cunning little duck."

After hearing Gao Peng's praise, Goldie could no longer contain its excitement. It began leaping up and down on the spot.

Oh yeah, that's right! In your face!

"Quack, quack, quack!!!" The duck's excited quacking echoed far and wide. I've finally made money off of Tyrant Gao!

Gao Peng took out his wallet and gave 1,500 Alliance dollars to Goldie. He then said to Da Zi, "Stay here and look after the King Eel. Don't let anyone or anything else take a nibble out of it."

Da Zi nodded obediently.

Gao Peng picked up the two Golden Moorish Idols by their tails and calmly walked towards a group of trainers not too far away. "We have some freshly caught Elite-tier Golden Moorish Idols and a couple of monster core crystals here, come and get them while they're still fresh. Twenty Alliance credits for two, get them while they're still fresh!"

Some of the trainers came forward, looking to buy Gao Peng's fish. An Elite-tier monster carcass was usually in the neighborhood of ten or so Alliance credits. One Alliance credit was worth 10,000 Alliance dollars.

Silly duck, thought Gao Peng as he looked at Goldie doing a gleeful little dance in the distance, a bemused look on his face. He transferred all 198,500 Alliance dollars that he had earned to another account, which was named "Goldie's Trust Fund." Its balance was currently sitting at 3,215,456 Alliance dollars.

The line of defense around the Peach Bay area stretched as far as three to four miles.

The things that had happened there were usually reduced to material merely for after-dinner conversations among the monster trainers in the area.

"Sir, we leave the defense of the beach area in your capable hands. We won't interfere with your upcoming battle. We'll back you up by concentrating our cover on the long-range monsters out in the sea," said a bushy-browed man.

Both his legs snapped shut as he gave Gao Peng a standard military salute.

"At ease. As long as I'm here, this line of defense won't crumble. This I promise you," said Gao Peng cheerily. "Now go back and tell your superior officer what I told you."

"Understood!"

The roars of familiars and wild aquatic monsters could be heard in the distance.

"Gao Peng, the fight's already started," said Flamy through its Blood Contract. It was currently flying high in the air. "That's a lot of fish and so many huge prawns… Are those blue-finned tunas?!" said Flamy, its voice cracking somewhat from all the excitement it was feeling right then.

Flamy was about to rush over there and steal a bite in the midst of the confusion when Gao Peng's voice sounded in its head.

"Don't leave your post. I'll treat you to Lord-tier meat when all this is over."

He had already given his word to defend this part of the beach. He couldn't simply abandon his position. He had a strict code of keeping promises that he had made to others.

Gao Peng rummaged around in Silly's portable space for a moment. After a while, he pulled out a bag of melon seeds and a camp chair.

He then cracked open a seed and casually flicked it into its mouth.

Goldie looked at him, impressed by how cool Gao Peng looked every time he cracked a seed and flicked it into his mouth.

What a cool way of eating seeds. As a cool duck myself, I have to master this as well.

After mulling over it for a while, Goldie pulled out a bill from the stack of money that Gao Peng had given him and placed it before him on the sand.

"I want to buy some seeds from you."

Gao Peng rolled his eyes and said, "These melon seeds will be ground into dust like sesame seeds in your wings. If you really want to buy some, just go buy some monster sunflower seeds and plant them in the backyard."

Goldie lowered its head, looking somewhat disappointed.

The sea monsters came out of the sea without any signs of stopping. Most of them seemed to be amphibious in nature. At times, a couple of saltwater fish could be seen leaping out onto the beach Their mouths opened and closed, gnashing their teeth noisily at anything that got a bit too close to them.

Flamy flew around in the air, spewing flames at the aquatic invaders like an airborne flamethrower.

Most of the beach had been turned into a sea of fire.

Even though the fire was weak against water, these aquatic creatures still made for a delicious meal after being roasted alive.

Suddenly, the sea began to roil. In the next second, a huge wave surged forth, making a sound like thunder in the air.

It was as if a giant living being in the depths of the ocean had suddenly lashed out in anger.

The huge wave came down on the sea of fire like a wall of water.

Psssh…

The flames were mercilessly extinguished. The ground shook violently when the huge wave came crashing down on the beach. Seawater seeped into the soil, causing it to turn soft and soggy.

The burnt soil was completely turned into a black, unrecognizable mess.

Endless troops of aquatic monsters marched out of the sea, baring their teeth and fangs at anything that moved on the beach.

The trainers on the front lines seemed to be on the verge of being overwhelmed by the interminable onslaught of monsters.

While these creatures might not have been as good in one-on-one combat as these trainers' familiars, even ants could subdue an elephant through sheer numbers.

"Pull back." Gao Peng's calm voice echoed across the battlefield.

Suddenly, a black streak flew towards Gao Peng from behind.

Gao Peng barely caught a glimpse of a hint of gray mingled with the black streak.

A Golden-Shelled Magic-Clawed Crab suddenly stopped in its tracks. Without warning, its body exploded into pieces.

Dumby stood hunched over, its body still in combat stance. It stuck its left hand through its own ribcage and grabbed its Heart of the Bloodseeker.

Boom!

Fragments of the crab exploded around Dumby in all directions.

Water droplets flew up into the air from the ground and struck all the monsters in the vicinity like bullets.

"Mass Resurrection!"

Dumby fell to the ground on one knee, with one hand propping itself up.

At that moment, a shapeless force flitted across a ten-mile radius of the battlefield.

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Death was never the end, but rather a new beginning for some.

Yang Ku saw a fallen familiar trembling uncontrollably on the ground as if it was having a seizure. Blood began seeping out of the cracks on its peeling skin, then bones burrowed out of the carcass through its wounds one after another, with tendons still firmly stuck on them.

The familiar's bones began stacking themselves up on top of one another into the shape it had originally assumed when it was still alive.

The skeletal creature's teeth glistened like pearls. Flames burned brightly in its empty eye sockets. It let out a heavy snort through its nostrils.

A sea of bones now stretched before Yang Ku as far as the eye could see.

"What's going on?" someone asked, trembling.

Skeletons now emerged from the ground and bared their fangs and claws at the aquatic invaders.

One of the trainers had just witnessed the death of his familiar and was still mourning it when suddenly, his familiar sprang back to life and lunged at one of the sea monsters without any care for its own wellbeing, slashing at it with its fangs and claws.

All the familiars that had fallen on the battlefield were granted a new lease on life as part of an undead army of monsters. Most of the sea monsters were caught off guard and pinned to the ground by the undead monsters before they could even react.

The battlefield was filled with the sickening crunching sounds of flesh and bone being chewed on by the undead army. The skeletons' inscrutable faces were splattered with blood as they feasted on their aquatic assailants.

Yang Ku, who was in charge of the entire operation, gazed at the skeletons and said to one of his men, "I want a record of these monster's current stats. Compare them to their original stats when they were still alive."

"Understood," said his aide.

"How did these creatures come back to life?" asked one of the high-ranking officers. At first, most of the soldiers were a bit apprehensive about the undead monsters, but when they saw that they were all targeting the sea monsters, they let out a collective sigh of relief. They didn't really care how it had come about. The only important thing was that the skeletons were on their side.

"This must be the Skeleton Tyrant's doing," muttered Yang Ku solemnly.

"You mean Gao Peng's skeleton?"

Most of them had been wondering if Gao Peng's skeleton familiar possessed the ability to bring the dead back to life. Now, they were more than sure that the Skeleton Tyrant had to be pulling the strings behind the undead army. It would also seem that its ability didn't have a time limit…

Gao Peng had anticipated that Dumby's abilities would become the talk of the town, with everyone wondering if they were just as inhumane as its appearance. However, he wasn't too bothered by it. There was no way he could keep Dumby's abilities a secret forever. He had to reveal them eventually. Incidentally, this was the perfect chance to do so.

This was a battle between humans and monsters. Fortunately, Gao Peng and his familiars were fighting on the same side as the humans.

It was no secret that the resurrection of the dead had always been a taboo in most societies.

Gao Peng decided to just get it over with before anyone started writing slanderous articles about Dumby.

"General, should we call in an airstrike on the coral monster?"

"No, that's too risky," said Yang Ku, waving his hand. A bomb's explosion would be mitigated considerably out in the ocean. It wouldn't have much effect on the creatures there.

If a bomb was dropped amid the chaos of the war between the sea monsters and their familiars, there would most certainly be casualties on both sides.

Yang Ku wouldn't resort to deploying any weapons of mass destruction unless it was absolutely necessary.

The humans were slowly gaining the upper hand on the battlefield with the aid of the undead army.

A huge yellow creature began turning around in the water. Waves sloshed around its body until it disappeared into the ocean without a trace.

On a huge rock near the shore, a huge sabertooth tiger spewed flames at the water, setting it on fire. This had absolutely no effect on the yellow creature.

Suddenly, a tail collided with the Savage Sabertooth Tiger, smacking it into the water. The tiger tried to swipe at the yellow creature with its claws, but the creature nimbly evaded the attack and slammed its massive body against the tiger, causing it to spin about uncontrollably in the water.

The Savage Sabertooth Tiger tried to regain its balance. It madly flailed its limbs about, hoping to swim back to the shore before its assailant struck again.

The sea was where the yellow creature reigned supreme. The Savage Sabertooth Tiger thrashed helplessly in the water. When it had already paddled some distance towards the shore, a huge wave pushed it even further away. The tiger's desperate yelping could be heard in the confusion of the waves.

In the next second, the Savage Sabertooth Tiger was pulled into the sea by its attacker.

A 16-foot-tall black tortoise leaped into the water upon seeing what had just happened. It belonged to a famous Southeast Asian trainer named the Black Saint.

This was his and his familiar's codename.

The Sandshadow Carpet Shark had sunk its fangs into the Savage Sabertooth Tiger's leg and was now dragging it down into the ocean's depths.

This is such an effective way of dealing with landlubbers, thought the Sandshadow Carpet Shark gleefully.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pang of pain on its tail, as if something had stung it. Its tail hurt a few more times…

Turning around, it could see a strange-looking creature behind it, all white from tip to toe. It looked like an octopus, but there was a strange spectral flame burning in its eye sockets. Its tentacles lashed out at the carpet shark like whips.

At first, the Sandshadow Carpet Shark didn't wish to engage it. However, its tail was now hurting so badly that it couldn't help but release the Savage Sabertooth Tiger's leg from its jaws. Upon feeling the carpet shark's jaws loosen around its leg, the tiger quickly turned around and rammed into its assailant.

The tortoise named Black Saint reached the tiger at that moment. Even in its domain, there was no way the Sandshadow Carpet Shark would be able to take on two Lord-tier monsters on its own.

Reluctantly, it turned around and swam back into the ocean.

It decided not to waste any more of its time fighting such difficult prey.

The Lord-tier sea monsters began to pull back. In contrast with other lower-tiered monsters, their relationship with the King Coral Monster wasn't unlike that between an aircraft carrier and a cruiser.

While capable of working in tandem, both parties weren't symbiotically dependent on each other to survive.

A Lord-tier sea monster rarely had any concept of sacrificing oneself for the "greater good." When threatened, they would run away faster than any Commander-tier monster.

With the Lord-tier monsters pulling back, the rest of the Commander and Elite-tier monsters had no choice but to retreat as well, knowing that they wouldn't be able to keep up the offense on their own.

They were now entering the final stages of the battle. Soon, it was time for the humans to reap the fruits of their victory.

"It's finally over," breathed some of the trainers.

"That island-looking monster is swimming away!"

Some were pointing at the King Coral Monster, which was gradually sinking beneath the waves in the distance.

"Take the King Eel's carcass back. That will be all," said Gao Peng. Someone had invited him to a victory feast, which he politely declined.

The King Eel's carcass was the only thing that had any value. Everything else was simply not worth Gao Peng's attention. However, the real prize was the three-year tax exemption policy that the Yangcheng government had promised them.

Goldie didn't follow Gao Peng back home. Instead, it decided to stay behind and pick up all the fish carcasses left behind on the battlefield. It was using a pair of tweezers to facilitate the process.

"Five hundred, one thousand, fifteen hundred, two thousand…" counted Goldie happily as it gathered up all the fish lying on the ground.

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Chapter 348: Promotion to Mythical Grade

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Gao Peng, Gao Peng, Goldie's gathering up all the dead fish on the beach. How silly is that?" said Da Zi.

"Oh? Why is that?" asked Gao Peng, patting Da Zi's head.

Most of his familiars had long outgrown receiving headpats from him. For instance, no matter how high he jumped, he could no longer reach Stripey's head.

Thank god he still had Da Zi, who now stood a mere one and a half feet tall.

Da Zi's feet clacked noisily against the ground as it moved forward alongside Gao Peng, not at all aware that the latter was silently assessing its height.

"Of course it's silly." Da Zi began flexing all 32 of his claws. "Why work so hard when Gao Peng is already taking care of all our needs? Goldie has gone bald from overworking itself, the poor thing."

"It's already bald!" interjected Flamy, who still remembered the time that Goldie had made fun of it for going bald. It was still nursing a grudge over that.

"It would go bald even if it didn't overwork itself," added Flamy. "Bloody baldie."

"Goldie's doing the right thing, you know," said Gao Peng solemnly.

"Uhm?" Da Zi looked at Gao Peng curiously.

"That duck knows I'm rewarding it for its labor. It's not silly at all," said Gao Peng. "The only silly thing here is you thinking that I'm going to take care of you for the rest of your life."

Da Zi tried to whistle as it continued walking forward, pretending not to have heard what Gao Peng had just said.

Achoo! Goldie let out a sneeze and scratched its bald head quizzically. Then it shook its head and continued picking up all the dead fish on the beach.

A lot of people had stayed behind to scavenge the dead monster carcasses on the beach. They would turn a huge profit by harvesting and selling their parts at the market. Most of them didn't care who had been responsible for killing them. As a rule, the remains of any sea monster higher than Commander-tier automatically went to those responsible for slaying them. No one in their right mind would dare claim them as their own. On the other hand, the remains of any sea monster below Commander-tier were free game for everyone else on the beach.

Just then, someone laid their hands on a crab's pincers at the same time as Goldie.

Both of them made eye contact with each other for two seconds of uncomfortable silence.

Then the man loosened his grip and slowly backed away.

Goldie stuffed the three-foot-long crab into its pouch.

"That's also a fish, a crab fish. Another 500 bucks in my pocket…" Goldie had draped fish of all sizes over its body, holding them all in place by bunching up its muscles to pinch them like clothespins.

Goldie had become more diligent after spending all those weeks honing its muscles.

It waddled along the beach, picking up any sea monster carcass it could find on the ground.

Some of the scavengers recognized Goldie. Even those who didn't eventually learned from the surrounding chatter that it was Gao Peng's familiar. Despite the duck's absent-mindedness, all of the scavengers had the good sense to stay out of its way.

Also, most of the fish that Goldie had picked up were of the worthless variety, making it all the easier for everyone to avoid it.

When Gao Peng and company arrived at the Southern Sky headquarters, they were greeted by the sounds of gongs and firecrackers. Golden leaves sparkled all around them.

In front of the entrance, a crowd of Southern Sky employees were holding a horizontal scroll in their hands, on which was written, "Welcome home, heroes of the Southern Sky."

Behind Gao Peng, Zheng Tiezhuang and the others laughed out loud.

As this was its first time coming home to such fanfare, a Blood Raging Kong hurriedly hid itself among the group of monsters in a corner. When the firecrackers rang out, it curled up and let out a terrified screech.

Gao Peng was speechless. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Hou Mu was behind all of this.

When Gao Peng walked past the threshold, Hou Mu wriggled out of the crowd of people and approached him.

"I won't be staying long in Yang Cheng City," said Gao Peng to Hou Mu.

Hou Mu quickly said, "I was hoping that you would stay here for just a bit longer…"

Gao Peng waved a hand at him. "Grandfather was the one who gave you your promotion. I trust his judgement," said Gao Peng flatly. "You've been the general manager of Southern Sky's Yang Cheng branch for seven years."

Hou Mu had no idea where Gao Peng was going with this. He simply nodded and said, "Okay…"

"Seven years… You were able to keep the Yang Cheng branch together when my grandfather went missing, and even after he came back. That speaks volumes of your abilities. Zheng Tiezhuang and Liu Changhan are still learning the ropes of their new positions. They still need further guidance from you, Manager Hou."

"Very well. If that's what you wish, I won't argue with you about it anymore," said the portly Hou Mu, who humbly bowed his head and smiled warmly at Gao Peng.

"Before I forget, Young Master Gao, I need to speak to you about the thing you told me to keep an eye out for…"

"Oh? Did you find the materials I asked for?" asked Gao Peng. He had asked Hou Mu to look for the materials Da Zi and the others needed to evolve. He would be more than happy to accept whatever Hou Mu had gotten his hands on.

"Not exactly. However, I have received a report saying that someone spotted an unusual phenomenon that you asked me to keep an eye out for."

Gao Peng stopped in his tracks. "What unusual phenomenon?"

"Ghostly soldiers walking the earth and building their own bases on the mortal plane."

Gao Peng's widened his eyes. Most of the materials necessary for Dumby's evolution could be found in places where said ghostly apparitions had been spotted.

If what Hou Mu said was true, he would soon be able to gather more than half of Dumby's evolutionary materials.

Every time Gao Peng heard the word "Mythical," a strange feeling bubbled up inside him.

Would a familiar transform into the mythical creatures that the ancient legends spoke of when it finally reached the Mythical grade? Most people usually imagined Epic and Legendary-grade monsters as beings that stood on top of the world. Would a Mythical-grade monster completely transcend the boundaries of this world?

Gao Peng still had a hard time believing that this world was now capable of producing Mythical-grade materials.

"Where did this happen?" asked Gao Peng.

"Bingzhou, Gao Ping City, Chang Ping Village."

"Chang Ping…" muttered Gao Peng.

Then he nodded. "All right. Thanks for telling me this."

"Young master Gao, I've already prepared all the materials you've asked for on the second basement of your laboratory."

Gao Peng nodded, then told Da Zi and the others to wait outside before leading Dumby to the second basement.

Blood Red Tearstone, the feathers of a white heron, the venom gland of a Black Hateful Scorpion…

Every one of these materials was of the highest quality. Gao Peng could see that Hou Mu had put a lot of effort into collecting them for him.

"All of you step out for a moment. I'll handle this on my own," said Gao Peng. He put a mask over his mouth, slipped on a white lab robe, and finally, put a pair of sterilized gloves over his hands.

"Please excuse us," said a high-ranking researcher in the laboratory before he led his assistant out of the room.

Dumby stood in a corner with a black-and-white dandelion trembling on top of its head.

Gao Peng climbed up Dumby's shoulders and took the Yin Yang Calendula off of it to set it aside on the laboratory countertop.

The Yin Yang Calendula stirred for a moment on the countertop. Its white crown of petals looked like a cat's fur standing on end. There was a naked patch of skin on it, making it look like a half-eaten cake with no frosting on some parts. Gao Peng had used some of its fur to treat the German Shepherd on the battlefield before.

The Yin Yan Calendula didn't seem to notice him as it slowly stretched its leaves out.

Gao Peng looked at it in amusement. It looked like a cute little girl smiling a toothless smile at him.

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Chapter 349: Perfect Grade

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The number of drugs Gao Peng had concocted by hand numbered in the thousands. Concocting a Normal-tier drug wouldn't take much of his effort.

His hands moved with expert precision. If Gao Peng had prioritized quantity over quality, they would probably have moved much faster.

Eleven minutes and fifty-five seconds passed. The drug preparation process was finally completed.

Gao Peng looked at the gray reagent in his hand. The color of its contents was evenly spread out; it was perfect.

When Gao Peng lightly shook it, a faint fragrance wafted from the vial.

Gao Peng strained his eyes at the reagent, assessing its viscosity. The liquid swirled at the bottom of its vial, its surface glistening like a mirror.

Gao Peng then filled a syringe up with the reagent and beckoned at the dazed Yin Yang Calendula on the cold countertop. "Time for your injection."

The flower didn't even need to be told twice. It shuffled its leaves across the countertop's surface towards Gao Peng, following the sweet scent that was coming from the vial in his hand.

It entwined its tendrils around Gao Peng's hand and lightly rubbed them against him.

Tch—

Gao Peng stabbed the syringe into its stem. The injection process took at least twelve seconds.

Gao Peng didn't even need to look at the clock on the wall to tell how long it took.

He realized that his memory was improving considerably as his Soul Power grew stronger. He could now count the seconds down just as accurately as any wall clock.

After the injection, lethargy seemed to overtake the Yin Yang Calendula. Its white crown drooped slightly, while its leaves coiled up into a lifeless bunch.

Evolution wasn't instantaneous, but rather a long and arduous process.

Gao Peng inserted the tiny plant creature into a glass case and took it with him. The Yin Yang Calendula was originally named Xiao Hua. However, that was also the name of Dumby's daughter. Gao Peng had made quite a blunder in this respect. Since Dumby's daughter was named Xiao Hua first, he had no choice but to give the calendula another name: Xiao Cao.

When he exited the laboratory, he saw a few laboratory assistants scooping out squid eggs from a wok. They stared at him, stunned. "Er… you hungry, sir? We just cooked up some squid eggs."

"No thanks. I'm done with my experiment. You guys can go back in now," said Gao Peng with a faint smile. He entered the elevator.

"He was only in there for ten minutes…" said one of the assistants while looking at the bowl of squid eggs in his hands.

Cooking squid eggs required at least ten minutes, not counting the time needed to collect other ingredients from the fridge and boil the water.

In the ten minutes they had spent cooking squid eggs, Gao Peng had already completed an experiment on his own.

The younger laboratory assistants looked despondently at each other.

Back on the first floor, Gao Peng was greeted by the sight of Goldie sitting on a pile of dead fish carcasses at the building's main entrance. The duck's fishy loot had blocked the entrance, making it somewhat difficult to go through it.

The guards at the entrance looked helplessly at the scene before them. When they saw Gao Peng exiting from the elevator, they hurried over to him and looked as if they had something to say to him, but couldn't get the words out.

"Go back to your posts. I'll handle this," said Gao Peng reassuringly.

"You really worked hard…" he then said to Goldie, unsure whether to laugh or cry about the matter.

Goldie nodded, apparently pleased with itself. "Five hundred bucks for each of them," it said.

Gao Peng nodded back. "All right then. Five hundred a piece."

He squatted at the main entrance and began counting the pile of fish beside Goldie like a fish vendor counting their merchandise in the market. Gao Peng even rolled up his sleeves like one.

The pile of fish carcasses was giving off a pungent, fishy smell. However, Gao Peng didn't mind it at all.

"Fifteen hundred, two thousand, twenty-five hundred…"

Gao Peng suddenly stopped and picked up a three-foot-long gray crab. When he rapped his knuckles against its shell, it gave out a hollow clanking sound.

"Is this even a fish?"

"How is this not a fish?" said Goldie, flustered. "It's a crab fish! I've eaten it before!"

Bam!

In its excitement, Goldie slammed its wing against the thorax of the "crab fish," smashing it into pieces.

The guards at the main entrance flinched when they saw what Goldie did to the crab's shell.

"How many times have I told you? We're all civilized individuals here, capable of self-restraint," said Gao Peng patiently. "Violence is never the answer. We should always reason with others, not smack them around like common thugs!"

"All right. I'll take your crab fish this time. That's 3,000 dollars, right?" said Gao Peng.

Goldie had brought back thirteen "fish" in total.

Gao Peng didn't make any fuss about the ridiculous names Goldie had given some of the fish it had collected, such as "shell fish" or "lobster fish."

He then paid Goldie 6,500 Alliance dollars. When the duck left the building, Gao Peng ordered someone to take the pile of "fish" to be cleaned and cooked as part of the employees' dinner buffet that night.

The price that Gao Peng had paid for Goldie's loot was much higher than the cost of the beef and mutton that were already prepared in the company's cafeteria.

Half an hour later, the Yin Yang Calendula slowly woke up and gazed at Gao Peng from its glass prison.

Gao Peng opened the glass case. The Yin Yang Calendula coiled its tendrils around his arm and began climbing up towards Gao Peng's neck.

Silly extended a meaty tentacle in front of the Yin Yang Calendula, then shook its tentacle warningly at the plant creature.

The Yin Yang Calendula dejectedly slithered to the ground, then climbed up Dumby's body and planted its roots into its skull.

[Monster Name: Yin Yang Calendula

[Monster Grade: Perfect

It didn't evolve into its other evolutionary variant. Its monster grade had simply gone up a level. It now had the potential to advance to Commander-tier.

Gao Peng wasn't in a hurry to increase the calendula's monster tier. Only after he had promoted it to Epic-grade would he begin focusing on its tier.

He had more or less settled his business in Yang Cheng City. The combat and reconnaissance divisions were the results of his first attempt at corporate reorganization. If the results were satisfactory, he would consider enacting these changes in the company's other branches.

"Young Master Gao, we won't let you down," shouted Zheng Tiezhuang.

Liu Changhao had a steely gaze in his eyes. Being ex-military, he was a no-nonsense man of few words.

"Don't do it for me, but for the company," said Gao Peng with a laugh. He waved a hand at them before taking his leave.

A huge truck rumbled along the road towards the airport, leaving a smoky trail behind it.

Gao Peng's finally reached Yuzhou. As soon as he cleared customs, Gao Peng immediately made his way to the headquarters.

The King Eel's skeleton had been brought back to life via Dumby's powers. However, it wasn't as powerful as it had been before when it was still flesh and blood. This was the weakest Lord-tier creature Gao Peng had ever seen.

The King Eel's skeleton wasn't terribly endowed with physical strength. It wasn't specialized in close quarters combat even when it was still alive. Gao Peng also noticed that the skeleton that Dumby had resurrected had been stripped of its elemental powers. This was truly regrettable.

However, it was still a Lord-tier monster, albeit a somewhat weak one. It was at least 65 feet long, which was enough to intimidate others. The only good thing about its current state was the fact that the King Eel could now live on dry land without any consequences.

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Chapter 350: Baiye District

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

As there wasn't much space in the truck, only some of the familiars were allowed to ride in it. The other familiars, which were much larger than the rest, were forced to run or fly alongside the truck outside.

There was a section of the road specially reserved for familiars. The King Eel Skeleton slithered on this part of the road like a bullet train. Other familiars quickly moved out of its way.

Clouds of dust were kicked up in its wake. The ground shook and rattled as it slithered by.

"What is that?" A couple of pedestrians had caught sight of the King Eel Skeleton. Its bones were making odd scraping sounds against the asphalt. The wind howled as it passed by.

Behind it was the King Centipede Skeleton, its legs rattling endlessly against the ground…

In the Southern Sky group, seeing that their young master had returned, the guards quickly opened the gates. As soon as the electronic gates were open enough, a group of familiars and undead skeletons stampeded through.

The group of familiars came to a stop by the lake in front of the manor. The place was instantly filled with life and noise.

"Roar!" An irritated roar sounded from the lake.

Everyone immediately fell silent. Peace and quiet returned to the lake.

The Primitive Jade Armored Crocodile seemed to be in the middle of a weird yoga stance in its little puddle by the lake. It had flopped its body over and was now pressing its head and tail against the ground while holding its belly up in mid-air, its eyes staring off into the distance. After a while, it quietly slunk back into the water, then opened its mouth wide, releasing the excess heat from its body into the air.

Not far away from it was a set of training equipment designed to store electricity. The Thunder Shell Lord was lying flat on it, quietly engaged in its training routine.

Blue electricity was dancing across the Thunder Shell Lord's body. The grass around it had been scorched black.

When his grandfather returned, Gao Peng gave the Stone of Thor to him and then told him how to use it.

The steps required to evolve the Thunder Shell Lord weren't that complicated. One might even have said they were a bit too easy. All he needed to do was have the Thunder Shell Lord swallow the Stone of Thor and then soak itself in a pool of Yu Spirit Water for a certain length of time.

Ji Hanwu opened the jade box that his grandson had given him. A transparent, hexadecagonal purple stone sat quietly in it. There was a purple-red blemish at the center of the stone. If he hadn't been observing the stone so closely, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.

As his fingers slid across the stone's surface, he suddenly felt a numb sensation growing in his fingertips.

Ji Hanwu smiled, then put the stone back into the box and nodded. "All right. I'll bring the White Dragon and the Thunder Shell Lord to Tianchi Lake tomorrow for a soak. You go get some rest now."

"Stay safe," said Gao Peng, even though he knew that danger rarely reared its ugly head as long as his grandfather had the White Dragon by his side.

"Well, the Tianchi Snake King of the Paekdu Mountain formed a ritualistic agreement with the local government not too long ago. I'm just going to go there and ask for a bit of Yu Spirit Water from the Snake King. There won't be any trouble," said Ji Hanwu, waving a hand at him.

As there needed to be someone holding down the fort in the Southern Sky headquarters, Gao Peng would have to wait for his grandfather's return before he could ask him about going to Changping Village. Also, he was exhausted from his travels. He decided to take this opportunity to get some much-needed rest here in Yuzhou.

The next day, his grandfather left for the Paekdu Mountain alongside the White Dragon and the Thunder Shell Lord. It would take him at least a week to make a round trip to and from the mountain, not including the time for the Thunder Shell Lord to complete its evolution.

"Don't worry. Once Grandpa gets back, I'll definitely bring you back to your place of birth," Gao Peng reassured Flamy.

Flamy, which was patiently preening itself, suddenly stopped. It seemed to have forgotten about this. After a moment of silence, it resumed its preening.

"Okay."

Yuzhou City, Baiye District.

There was a dark abandoned building in the district with floors that were littered with rubbish. Three oil drums were sitting in a corner of the building with dusty wooden planks placed on top of them.

As its previous owner hadn't kept up with its final payments, the place had simply fallen into disuse.

It soon became a gathering spot for vagabonds.

The building's steel beams, which were completely covered with rust, stuck out from the walls like shrivelled fingers. A tangle of electrical wires hung down from the steel beams, serving as a makeshift clothes rack for the building's current occupants. Their tattered clothes and underwear were left to hang on them.

Yellowing newspaper pages were plastered across the walls. On the left was a pin-up poster of an attractive lady, whose chest had been punctured to reveal the layer of newspapers beneath it.

A human-shaped figure could be seen huddled behind the oil drums, its unkempt hair sticking out above the drum lids. One could only guess how long this man had gone without taking a proper shower.

The afternoon sun was still shining in the sky. However, for some reason, the building had turned depressingly dark inside as a faint black mist permeated the air…

"Achoo!" The homeless man who was sleeping behind the oil drums suddenly sneezed. He opened his eyes blearily and rubbed the gunk out of his eyes.

Is the sun going down? He yawned hugely. Evening was the best time to scrounge for food.

He crawled out of his blanket and rummaged around in his pillow. After a while, he managed to produce a few shiny coins and a couple of wrinkled bank notes, which he carefully inserted in his pocket. These were the only valuable things he had left in this world. There was no way he was going to leave them lying around unsupervised.

Then he realized something. Why is the coin so cold? The man frowned and touched the concrete floor, which was just as cold. He shivered. The floor had never felt as cold to the touch before. Was there a leak somewhere in the building?

It was then that he realized that something was wrong. He quickly bolted out of the building.

Before he could even take too steps, a black shape flashed across his eyes. Then, everything went dark.

"Chief, three homeless men were found dead in an abandoned building," said Han Rui as he handed the documents in his hands over to his superior.

"I see," said the chief, nodding. He flipped through the documents. The murdered victims were all homeless men. It wasn't a case that warranted his attention.

"All three men died at around the same time. Their bodies showed signs of rigor mortis. However, their blood was also frozen solid… There were no electrical appliances in the building, and it wasn't even raining that day. I think it must have been the work of a monster or a familiar," continued Han Rui.

The chief stopped flipping through the documents and frowned.

If it was a run-of-the-mill murder case, he would have let one of his subordinates handle it. However, the possibility of a familiar or monster being involved here instantly made this case worthy of his attention.

"Go investigate it. Bring Special Cases with you…" said the chief with a sigh.

The Baiye District had always been plagued with crime. There were reports of unusual deaths coming in every day. In a place like this, the battle between good and evil had become a permanent fixture in the citizens' daily lives.

After locking down the building, the Baiye District's police officers entered the place to carry out their investigation. However, they couldn't find anything.

There were no footprints left by the culprit in the building aside from those left behind by the three dead men. There were also no signs of struggle on the walls.

Later, the case was kept under wraps by the police department, and the abandoned building was kept on lockdown. No unauthorized personnel were allowed to enter the place.

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Read Monster Pet Evolution Chapter 351 - Thunder Shell God online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 351: Thunder Shell God

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In the meantime, Gao Peng decided to drop by his school for a visit. All the students were visibly hard at work in their classrooms. When it came to one's studies, attitude was far more important than talent. At the junior high level, no matter how gifted a student was, as long as they were willing to put in the effort, acing all their classes would be a piece of cake.

A student's effort was naturally reflected in their results.

Most of these children were exceptionally diligent in their studies, perhaps due to the fact that they had experienced true hardship in the past. Having been given a chance to improve their own lives, they would only be doing their benefactors a disservice if they didn't give their all in their studies.

Gao Peng glanced through the students' monthly test results. Most of them had done quite well. Some of them had even managed to make it to the top of their classes.

"While exams are important, simply keeping these students buried in their books and shutting them off from the outside world will do them more harm than good," said Gao Peng. "I think we should start making connections with other schools to see where we stand now."

The dean hurriedly pointed out, "Principal, I remember Yuzhou Middle Schools No. 1, No. 3, No. 8, Shuba Middle School, and three other elite schools have organized a joint exam that's held every semester in Yuzhou. The students are then ranked based on their results. I've been thinking about letting our students participate in their exam, but the entrance threshold is just way too high. It's impossible for ordinary schools like ours to be a part of this inner circle of elite schools…"

Gao Peng waved a hand. "Don't worry. I'll send someone over to make contact with some of these schools and maybe donate a library to each one as a sign of good will."

"But sir, Middle Schools No. 1, No. 3, and No. 8 already have their own libraries. I don't think they need more…"

"Then we'll give them two more school buildings."

Two years. A school needed at least two years to establish itself and attract enough talent to become staff.

Gao Peng was fortunate to have been alive to see the world adapt to the Cataclysm's effects for four and a half years. In just two years, he was able to raise his own combat power to a respectable level.

Gao Peng intended to speed up Tiange Academy's expansion for the next two years and fill up talent gaps in the school's faculty by nurturing talent among his students if necessary.

When he finally stepped out of the school gates, he turned around and gazed at the school buildings sprawled across the mountain range like a sleeping dragon.

This is where my future lies, thought Gao Peng, smiling.

Night had fallen over the Baiye District.

Strips of yellow tape were stretched out in front of the abandoned building's entrance. The chalk outlines of the corpses that had been discovered inside the building were still fresh on the concrete floor.

The stretch of road in front of the building had become emptier since the incident. Only a brazen few dared walk directly in front of the building's entrance. Anyone walking past it would feel a sudden chill as if a cold wind was blowing from somewhere in the building.

The streetlamps near the abandoned building were old and dim, their lights flickering over a foul-smelling drain by the street.

A black mist was flowing out of the abandoned building like sand flowing out of someone's fist, permeating the empty space in front of the building.

The only movement In the darkness of the night was that of a shirtless drunkard stumbling down the street as if he was stepping on sand.

Bang!

A noise like an empty barrel falling on the ground came from within the abandoned building.

The drunkard's ears pricked up. Puffing up his chest, he turned towards the abandoned building, his eyes bulging out of his sockets like a pair of light bulbs.

"Trying to scare me, eh?" mumbled the drunkard. He hiccuped.

Taking a deep breath, he turned away from the building and resumed his journey back home.

Bang!

Another sound came from the abandoned building.

The drunkard angrily shouted back, "Hey, cut it out!" Then he ran as fast as he could, grinning like a madman.

At that moment, with the wind slapping against his face, he felt like he was the freest man in the world, running beneath the silver moonlight without a care in the world.

Thud.

The drunkard suddenly slipped on a pile of dog feces.

He clambered back to his feet. The impact had more or less knocked him back to his senses. When he looked up, the first thing he saw was the yellow tape around the abandoned building.

"Uhm, isn't this the way back home?" said the drunkard, looking at the yellow police tape in confusion.

He was now surrounded by the black mist. It was then that he saw a pair of red lights bearing down on him through the mist.

The drunkard rubbed his eyes. What the…

"Argh!!"

His scream pierced the night air.

A week later, Ji Hanwu finally returned from Paekdu Mountain's Tianchi Lake.

The White Dragon descended from the sky before slipping gracefully into the lake. Since its promotion to King-tier, the White Dragon didn't seem to enjoy wasting its energy by moving about willy-nilly. It spent most of its days resting in its lake.

Upon receiving news of his grandfather's return, Gao Peng hurried back home, only to find that his familiars had clumped up together by the lake.

Gao Peng could see that the familiars had huddled around what appeared to be a dark purple shell.

The Thunder Shell Lord had transformed into an entirely new species.

Its spiral-shaped shell was made of multiple layers. Gao Peng could see a couple of sharp protrusions shaped like cow horns on the shell's topmost layer. These protrusions seemed smaller than the shell as a whole.

Electricity was stored in the Thunder Shell God's shell. From time to time, a brilliant light would flash across it.

Da Zi was looking at the Thunder Shell God enviously. It's definitely gotten stronger.

The Thunder Shell God was a good-natured creature. Not only did it not show the slightest hint of irritation when it was accosted by the group of familiars, but it was also amicably chittering with them by the lake.

[Monster Name: Thunder Shell God

[Monster Level: Level 45

[Monster Grade: Legendary

[Monster Attribute: Electric

[Monster Status: Healthy (Happy)

[Monster Ability: Thunder Mastery Level 5, Harden Shell Level 4

[Special Characteristics: Thunder Shell (A mysterious shell with equally mysterious properties. It is also supposedly the source of the Thunder Shell God's electrical affinity.

Passive Effect 1: Thunder Mastery level 1

Active Effect 1: The Thunder Shell God summons a calamitous storm within a certain area by releasing all the electricity stored in its shell.)

Electrogland (A special gland in the Thunder Shell God's body, that allows it to summon and control the clouds.

Active Effect 1: With it, the Thunder Shell God is capable of gathering all the clouds in the sky into a stormcloud and then drawing power from it.)

[Mythical Evolutionary Route: 1. Calamitous evolution (Calamitous Thunder Shell God) 2. Electric evolution (Cloud-Devourer Thunderbeast)

The Thunder Shell's bonus Thunder Mastery level boost hadn't been taken into account in the calculation of the Thunder Shell God's Thunder Mastery level as shown in the Monster Ability section, meaning that the Thunder Shell God's actual Thunder Mastery level was Level 6. Gao Peng had never seen such high-level elemental mastery in a familiar before. Even the White Dragon's Water Control and Cloud Control abilities were both a mere Level 5. Of course, the White Dragon wasn't a specialist in elemental manipulation. Rather, its fighting style resembled that of a close-combat spellcaster.

Gao Peng noticed that the Thunder Shell God had lost its water attribute and was now a purely Electric-type familiar.

If the White Dragon was a close-combat spellcaster, then the Thunder Shell God could best be described as a tank spellcaster—a heavily armored Electric-type spellcaster.

"Grandpa, Uncle Liu told me that it was you who brought Flamy back home. Do you still remember the place where you picked it up?" asked Gao Peng.

Ji Hanwu nodded. He was busy making dinner for the two of them in the kitchen at that moment. "Yes, it was a year ago. Let me see…"

"I think it was in a swamp to the west of the Jiangnan base city. I don't recall the exact coordinates, as the place was off-limits back then and still untouched by civilization. I have an acquaintance there: Brother He. I was summoned to resolve a problem in the area. That's where I found your one-legged crane. I'll give Brother He a call later and see if he remembers anything. Remember to give him a call when you get there," said Ji Hanwu over the sizzle of the frying pan.

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Chapter 352: The Base City of Jiangnan

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

A familiar only needed to be fed huge quantities of elemental stones of the same element in order to return to a certain grade that it had fallen from after reaching a new tier.

The Thunder Shell Lord was Epic-grade when it was still a Commander-tier familiar. When it reached Lord-tier, it had fallen back to Perfect-grade. In the past few months, it had been gobbling up Electric-type elemental stones in order to return to Epic-grade. With the Stone of Thor, it was able to make the leap to Legendary-grade.

"When I used the Stone of Thor on the Thunder Shell Lord, it instantly became Legendary-grade," said Ji Hanwu when he set the dishes on the table.

Then he sighed as he looked at his grandson admiringly. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it.

He patted Gao Peng's shoulder and said, "Walk this path well, Gao Peng. I know you can go far on it."

In truth, his grandson had given him quite a surprise.

As far as he knew, Gao Peng already had some of his familiars in the Legendary grade. To top it all off, he had even helped his Thunder Shell Lord reach Legendary-grade as well.

Raising a familiar that reached Legendary-grade was a highly improbable task, and still, Gao Peng had achieved the impossible.

Ji Hanwu had a sneaking suspicion that Gao Peng had surpassed even him. However, he didn't ask his grandson how he had done it.

Everyone had their own secrets. There was no need to pry.

"Grandpa, do you still remember the Golden Hands I told you about?" asked Gao Peng.

"Is something wrong? Are they still giving you trouble?" said Ji Hanwu, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, they came to see me when I was in Yang Cheng City," said Gao Peng with a smile. "One of them even shot me in the head with a Barrett sniper rifle. It hurt like hell."

Ji Hanwu closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He remained silent for a long while. "Where is he now?"

"I sent him to meet his maker."

"Lucky him. Go take a rest and try not to think about any of this."

"No can do. The Golden Hands were kind enough to come all the way to see me. I can't let such kindness go unrewarded," said Gao Peng while shaking his head.

"Hmm…" Ji Hanwu simply nodded. "Just go rest."

"I'll be spending the night with Stripey. I won't be sleeping at home tonight," said Gao Peng. He then took a tent from the storage room and rushed out the door, but not before waving goodbye to his grandfather.

After hearing the door shut behind him, Ji Hanwu wiped his fingers with a wet wipe and moved to the sofa, where he looked out of the window and gazed at the night sky.

Bloodlust was brewing inside of him…

Gao Peng began walking up a small mountain path behind the manor. When he finally reached the peak, he could see a slightly smaller mountain not too far away.

The earth began shaking beneath his feet. Then the smaller mountain began to rise before him.

Stripey excitedly approached Gao Peng.

"Gao Peng, Gao Peng, you came to see me," it gushed.

Gao Peng felt a pang of guilt seeing Stripey all by itself due to how big it had grown.

"Yes, I've come to see you again. I'm going to spend the night here with you," said Gao Peng, smiling.

"That's great," said Stripey. He hadn't felt that happy in such a long time.

It laid on the ground and looked at Gao Peng until he finally went to sleep. It stayed by his side until the early morning light hit the mountain peak.

"Do you still remember the story 'Journey to the West'?"

"Yes, I remember," replied Stripey, blinking its huge red eyes innocently.

"Do you remember those monsters in the story that are capable of changing their sizes as they please? As long as you continue on your evolutionary path, there will come a day when you'll be able to shrink yourself down. When that happens, you'll be able to travel alongside me once more," said Gao Peng.

Stripey's eyes lit up.

When Gao Peng left, Stripey assumed a stance and extended its earthy-colored feelers into the ground, where it began madly sucking up all the energy in the ground.

I, Stripey, will continue leveling myself up! Once I attain the ability to shrink myself, I'll be able to play with Gao Peng every day! swore Stripey silently.

A private airplane from Yuzhou landed in Jiangnan's airport.

The plane's rear door opened. Dumby bent forward slightly and stepped out of it. A prayer beaded Goldie, Flamy, and Da Zi came out after it.

As soon as Gao Peng stepped out of the plane, the first thing he noticed was how different Jiangnan's airport seemed from the one in Yuzhou.

Jiangnan's airport seemed far more exquisite, at least in terms of architecture.

When they exited the airport, Gao Peng led Da Zi and the others to the Southern Sky Group's Jiangnan branch.

Basically, the Southern Sky Group had a branch in all the major southern base cities, including Jiangnan.

After resting for a while, Gao Peng tapped into the Jiangnan branch's information network in order to get a better handle of the state of the swamp on the western side of the city.

It took two days to gather all the information that Gao Peng requested from his subordinates.

He Wei was the name of Jiangnan's mayor. Compared to the mayors of other base cities, he was still quite young, no older than 40 years old.

As of now, there were twelve Lord-tier trainers in Jiangnan: three working in an official capacity, two in the army, five from the top four families (Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li) in the region, and the remaining two, who were independent trainers.

Even though the base city of Jiangnan had more Lord-tier trainers than any other city in the entire Huaxia region, only the base cities of Di Du and Mo Du surpassed it in that respect.

This was because the base city of Jiangnan had been the Huaxia region's economic center even before the Cataclysm. It boasted a large population and fast-paced development. The wetlands and forests around it were practically stripped clean by the city's inhabitants.

A wide variety of animals and plantlife thrived in the Jiangnan region's tropical environment. The fact that the Jiangnan base city was one of the few cities who had suffered little damage during the Cataclysm had also contributed to the base city's further development.

The three official Lord-tier trainers in Jiangnan were Mayor He Wei, Finance Minister Bai Liuguang and Treasurer Li Changmin. The city's smaller companies were constantly kept on their toes by these three.

Among the four major families in the city, two Lord-tier trainers were from the Qian family.

One of the remaining two independent trainers had joined the Monster Trainer League, while the other had formed their own monster trainer guild that allowed its members to help each other out in their training routines and such.

In other words, no Lord-tier trainer in Jiangnan was truly alone. Each of them were influential in their own way. Even a trainer without any influence could slowly build it from the ground up. Instead of training by themselves, these trainers could become even stronger at a faster rate with the help of others.

The information that Gao Peng had requested concerned native crane-type monsters, crocodile-type monsters, and the swamp in general.

There were a number of crane-type monsters living in the region. However, judging from the pictures he had seen, Gao Peng could tell that they weren't from the same species as Flamy. He had even asked Flamy for confirmation.

Could it be that Flamy's entire species had been annihilated by the attack last year?

Gao Peng frowned. It seemed almost impossible.

One of them must have survived the tragedy. The thought of a flightless species driving a species that could fly to extinction was just preposterous.

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Chapter 353: Swamp of the Crocodile Spirit

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Gao Peng flipped to the last page of the document. On it, a map of the swamp was printed.

Flamy began crowing excitedly.

"I've been there before!"

"Is this where you were born?" asked Gao Peng, somewhat surprised.

"No, but I've been there before," said Flamy, its eyes glued to the map. "It's not too far from where I was born." Flamy's eyes began to redden.

"Chen Qi, would you come here please," said Gao Peng, beckoning at a man standing silently in the corner.

The man named Chen Qi strode briskly towards him. "What are your orders, Young Master?"

"Do you know this place?" asked Gao Peng, showing the map of the swamp to Chen Qi.

Chen Qi glanced at it for a moment, then frowned, as if wondering whether he should answer Gao Peng's question.

"This is the Swamp of the Crocodile Spirit. It's the Qian family's territory."

"The Qian family's territory?" repeated Gao Peng incredulously. "In the middle of the wilderness? Is that even legal?"

"The Swamp of the Crocodile Spirit was bought and paid for by the Qian family. Everyone in Jiangnan knows that," replied Chen Qi, chuckling slightly.

Gao Peng nodded thoughtfully.

"So, are there a lot of crocodile-type monsters in that place?"

"Indeed. The Swamp of the Crocodile Spirit has a lot of Red-Eyed Crocodiles living in it. However, they wouldn't attack the swamp's human inhabitants unprovoked. All kinds of monsters reside in the swamp. Anyone could enter that place and hunt them. They simply need to pay an entrance fee and sign a release of liability form. Also, due to the presence of the Red-Eyed Crocodiles, there aren't that many dangerous monsters in the swamp. Most of the monsters there are quite low-level."

Gao Peng was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. He looked at Chen Qi and said, "Have you been there before?"

"No, but my kid's school organized a field trip to that place last year," said Chen Qi, closely observing Gao Peng's face.

"Help me check if there are any crane-type monsters living in the swamp," ordered Gao Peng.

Chen Qi quickly turned around and walked out of the room to carry out his orders, but not before throwing a surreptitious glance at Flamy, who shifted slightly behind Gao Peng.

On the first floor, Chen Qi sent someone to gather the information that Gao Peng had requested. Then he called his son on the phone.

Chen Mingliang was surprised to receive a call from his father in class. The latter rarely ever called him, especially when he was still in school. Something must have come up. Chen Minglian snuck out of his classroom and answered the call.

"Liang, remember last year when you went on that field trip to the Swamp of the Crocodile Spirit?" asked his father.

Chen Mingliang raised a brow in surprise. "Yeah, I remember. Is something wrong, Dad?"

"Did you happen to see any one-legged crane-type monsters in the swamp back then?" asked Chen Qi seriously.

Chen Mingliang mulled over his father's question for a moment, then he shook his head and said, "No, I don't think so."

"Are you sure?" asked Chen Qi.

"I really didn't see any cranes there," said Chen Mingliang. This was getting ridiculous. "I would have remembered seeing something as absurd as a one-legged crane back then. I do remember seeing some two-legged cranes, though. Does that help?"

This had his father's full attention.

Chen Qi said to his son, "Did you take a picture of them? If not, can you ask for some from your friends? See if one of them took a picture of the cranes back then."

While Chen Qi had no idea what Gao Peng needed this information for, the fact that Gao Peng hadn't ordered him to go straight to the Qian family for answers spoke volumes about the nature of his problem. Chen Qi was quite adept at reading his employer's thoughts. This was the reason why he had been made the manager of the Southern Sky Group's Jiangnan branch during Ji Hanwu's reign.

Chen Mingliang didn't have any pictures of the cranes in the swamp. However, some of his friends did, and Chen Mingliang usually had a good rapport with them in class. Within minutes, he was able to get a hold of a couple of pictures from his friends and send them to his father.

Chen Qi tried to compare Flamy's current appearance to the cranes in the pictures. However, Flamy had changed so much since its evolution that Cheng Qi couldn't find any similarities between it and the cranes in question.

Chen Qi then anxiously knocked on Gao Peng's door and entered the room. "Young master, these are pictures that were taken during my son's school trip to the Swamp of the Crocodile Spirit. Do take a look at them…" Chen Qi stole another glance at Flamy, who was now craning its head behind Gao Peng, trying to take a peek at the pictures.

When Flamy saw the pictures in Gao Peng's hands, it froze.

"Is this one of your kind?" asked Gao Peng.

"Yes! It's one of them!" it said, flapping its wings excitedly. The room was getting hotter and hotter as sparks leaped out of its feathers.

The room cooled down as soon as Gao Peng calmed Flamy down.

"Always keep your feelings in check. You don't want to roast everyone here alive, do you?"

Cheng Qi, who was standing in front of them, wiped the sweat off his forehead. "It's all right, Young Master."

"Which trainer in the Qian family has a Lord-tier Red-Eyed Crocodile as their familiar?" asked Gao Peng. Chen Qi was a Jiangnan native. He should know this.

"The second oldest member of the Qian family, Qian Wuliang, does. This is pretty common knowledge in Jiangnan."

"I see," muttered Gao Peng, nodding. It seemed that the key to resolving his current problem rested on the Qian family.

"Send a written challenge to Qian Wuliang. Have him meet me on the northern outskirts of the city in three days," said Gao Peng.

"Er… of course." Despite already being mentally prepared to hear this from Gao Peng, Chen Qi was still somewhat taken aback to hear him say it out loud.

To the Qian family, their two Lord-tier trainers were presences that could be described as pillars holding up the heavens. Challenging any one of them meant declaring war on the entire Qian family. As tenuous as the four families' alliance might have seemed, this was also akin to declaring war on the Zhao, Sun, and Li families.

Even Jiangnan's government couldn't fully keep all of them in check. All four families were the economic lifeblood of the Jiangnan region, after all.

"Also, I'm holding a banquet for the Zhao, Sun, and Li families. Would you mind sending invitations to them?"

The only reason an alliance existed between the four families was to protect their own interests from the local government. This didn't mean that they were on good terms with each other.

"We'll kick the Qian family out of their territory. It's time for the Southern Sky Group to step in," said Gao Peng, coughing slightly. "It's not like there's a player count restriction in this game, anyway."

Chen Qi sent out Gao Peng's written challenge as ordered, then he sent someone to invite the other three families to his boss's banquet.

Gao Peng went to visit Jiangnan's mayor He Wei. No one had any clue as to what happened in the mayor's office…

The Qian family soon caught wind of Gao Peng's challenge.

"Did someone offend the Southern Sky Group? Why are they challenging Qian Wuliang?" A somber silence fell over the room where the Qian family's high-ranking members had gathered.

"Chief, we just received word that the Southern Sky Group sent invitations to a banquet to the other three families. The other families have accepted the invitation," said one of them.

A shiver ran down everyone's spine at that moment.

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Chapter 354: The Red-Eyed Crocodile King

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"But we're the top four families in Jiangnan… How can they do this…" stammered a young-looking Qian family member.

"We could just decline the challenge. It's just a written challenge, anyway," suggested someone else.

"Yeah, we don't have to accept it." said another family member, letting out a sigh of relief. Thank god for loopholes.

It wasn't a question of whether they could beat Gao Peng in combat or not. It just so happened that Gao Peng had an influential grandfather behind him. Even if they were able to win the duel, they weren't at all sure they could survive his grandfather's wrath.

Some of the Qian family members had the same idea.

"We can't decline the challenge," said the Qian family mistress, Qian Qingyuan, with a sigh. She was also against accepting Gao Peng's challenge. However, sometimes, bad things tended to happen in life for no reason at all.

She was puzzled over how they had even managed to offend Gao Peng in the first place.

Could it be that he's targeting the family fortune? Qian Qingyuan mulled over this for a few seconds, then dismissed it. The Southern Sky Group was a highly successful enterprise. They already had more than enough money in their pockets.

"All right. That's enough, just accept his challenge. Hmph. I, Qian Wuliang, fear no man or monster. If you really want to avoid any retaliation from his grandfather, I'll just beat his familiars into submission without outright killing them!" shouted Qian Wuliang while slamming his hand on the table.

Qian Wuliang was a tall, gangly man with a wispy mustache on his upper lip and a goatee on his chin. He was wearing a gray Chinese tunic suit, making him look like a middle-aged scholar from the last century.

His personality and sense of fashion were equally old-fashioned.

In truth, he didn't think much of Gao Peng, the main reason being the latter's relatively young age.

You can't trust a boy to do a man's work, he thought. To him, young people were a reckless sort who gave into their own impulses.

Hmph, the Undead Catastrophe… Young people are all talk and no show. Even the name is pretentious as hell, thought Qian Wuliang, stroking his goatee absently.

There's no way a brat like him could beat me in a fight!

Qian Wuliang held a high-ranking position in the Qian family. The only person higher than him was his own sister, Qian Qingyuan. Even so, he didn't think she was someone worth listening to.

"Spread the word. I, Qian Wuliang, have accepted Gao Peng's challenge. However, the place of our duel will not be in the northern outskirts of the city. It will be in the west! If he's going to challenge me, he should at least let me decide the place of our duel," said Qian Wuliang. He then flicked his sleeves to his sides and left the room. Everyone simply stared after him, mouths slightly agape.

There were a total of two Lord-tier trainers in the Qian family. One of them was Qian Wuliang. The other was Qian Qingyuan's eldest son, Qian Shaoyu.

Despite both being Lord-tier trainers, Qian Wuliang also tended not to take Qian Shaoyu seriously, on grounds of the latter being younger than himself.

Qian Qingyuan's brows furrowed. She picked up the tea-filled porcelain cup in front of her and drained it. "Since he's already made his decision, the only thing we can do now is see this through with him."

As soon as everyone else left the room, Qian Qingyuan glanced meaningfully at Qian Shaoyu, beckoning for him to come over. They walked along a corridor from their penthouse to a quiet backyard.

The sky had darkened considerably. Dragonflies danced about the lotus leaves floating on the pond's surface.

"Your uncle has always been an arrogant man. He listened only to your grandfather when he was still alive. However, ever since he passed away, there's just no one left to keep your uncle in check. He doesn't even listen to me sometimes," said Qian Qingyuan with a sigh. "I fear he might do something stupid."

Qian Shaoyu quietly walked after his mother. Upon hearing what she said, he said, "If you're worried that uncle might hurt Gao Peng, I assure you, that won't happen. Gao Peng is much stronger than him."

While his uncle, a stickler for the old ways, was quick to dismiss Gao Peng's reputation, Qian Shaoyu, who usually took his monster hunting group out on annual hunting trips, knew better than most that one's reputation was carved out from his or her accomplishments. He had done a background check on Gao Peng. The latter's Lord-tier familiar was most definitely Perfect-grade. There was no way it had only just entered Lord-tier. Also, Gao Peng didn't have only one Lord-tier familiar. His potential was not to be underestimated.

If they were to fight it out, his uncle would definitely lose.

Of course, Qian Shaoyu hadn't told anyone about his findings. He was a man of few words, after all.

"I'm not worried that your uncle will hurt Gao Peng. I'm worried that he might not take the loss well," said Qian Qingyuan quietly. "Shaoyu, I want you to watch over your uncle's duel. Make sure he doesn't do anything rash."

"If worst comes to worst, just drag your uncle out of there," she continued. "Don't engage Gao Peng. Shaoyu, you've always been a good boy. You're the only one I can trust with this matter."

"I understand," said Qian Shaoyu, bowing slightly.

Qian Wuliang stepped out of the Qian family manor's side door. There was a slight frown on his face.

He might have been old-fashioned, but he was no fool.

In truth, he was aware of the rumors surrounding Gao Peng's deeds. While his grandfather had been the main reason behind his fame, Gao Peng had also accomplished much with his own two hands to make a name for himself.

Qian Wuliang suddenly recalled the time he had seen Ji Hanwu's white dragon descending from the heavens in the Swamp of the Crocodile Spirit.

It had been a terrifying scene to behold.

It was also thanks to Ji Hanwu that he had been able to sign a Blood Contract with the Red-Eyed Crocodile King. Back then, it had fought a fierce battle with a Lord-tier Fire-type crane. The latter had died on the spot, whereas the Red-Eyed Crocodile King had sustained severe injuries and was somewhat unnerved by the white dragon's presence. This had made it easy for him to sign a Blood Contract with it.

And now, Ji Hanwu had sent his grandson to collect what was his.

"Is Ji Hanwu trying to take back the Red-Eyed Crocodile King?" muttered Qian Wuliang, his heart racing.

He drove to the Swamp of the Crocodile Spirit on the western outskirts of the city.

Weeds grew thick and lush in the swamp. The monster trees that had taken root in the water slowly let their branches droop over the water's surface. A moss-covered wooden plank suddenly floated up from the depths of the water before him…

Qian Wuliang stepped on it, and the wooden plank carried him across the water all the way to the center of the swamp.

There, a massive creature was basking in the sun on what looked like an island in the middle of the swamp.

It was at least 120 feet long, its dark green leather skin crisscrossed with scars. Its massive feet were stained with gray mud. The crocodile before Qian Wuliang was lazily lounging in the sun.

It lay motionless on the ground like a solemn statue, letting the sun warm its body.

It didn't even move a muscle to acknowledge Qian Wuliang's arrival.

"Someone wants to challenge you," said Qian Wuliang.

The Red-Eyed Crocodile King remained motionless on the ground. Qian Wuliang's words simply didn't interest it as much as the comfort the sun seemed to bring it.

Qian Wuliang frowned in annoyance. On the surface, he acted as if everything was beneath him. However, he had tried to hide the fact that his own familiar didn't even respect him as a trainer…

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Chapter 355: Group Photo

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Would you please listen to me? I'm still your trainer, you know…" pleaded Qian Wuliang through gritted teeth. He knew that forcing a Blood Contract on the crocodile in its injured state back then had been an unseemly thing to do, but he had done more than enough to make up for it since.

"Someone has come to challenge you. Do you still remember the white dragon you saw last year? The one who came to challenge you is the grandson of the white dragon's trainer."

The Red-Eyed Crocodile King, who had been basking in the sun all this time, finally cracked open an eye, revealing a black slit behind its eyelid. It gazed coldly at Qian Wuliang.

A low rumble filled his head through their Blood Contract.

"Has the white dragon come to challenge me?"

"No, probably a walking skeleton."

"Oh." The Red-Eyed Crocodile King closed its eye once more.

"What did that white dragon do when it came here last time? It didn't even take the crane's corpse with it." Qian Wuliang asked the question that had been burning inside him for a long time.

"It took a featherless newborn crane with it," said the Red-Eyed Crocodile King casually.

A wrinkly-looking newborn crane hadn't been worth its time or attention. What was there to fear from a mere baby whose mother it had just killed?

Qian Wuliang's heart skipped a beat, as he had just thought of something. He remembered that Gao Peng had a crane-like monster as a familiar.

Qian Wuliang told the Red-Eyed Crocodile King everything that he knew about the upcoming duel. "Try not to kill his familiars. You just need to beat them into submission."

Qian Wuliang was still a bit worried that the Red-Eyed Crocodile King would disregard everything he had said and slaughter Gao Peng's familiars outright.

He shuddered at the thought of what would happen after that.

There was still one day left until the duel. After hearing Chen Qi mention Lake Tai, Gao Peng suddenly had the urge to go there.

It would be a waste of a trip if he didn't visit there at least once.

The lake's clear water shimmered beneath the sun. Not a cloud could be seen in the sky. Lake Tai was a must-see tourist spot for anyone visiting the base city of Jiangnan for the first time.

It was a mysterious place, rife with history and legends of old.

Since ancient times, Jiangnan had covered a huge area of land. Ever since the Cataclysm, Gusu District, where Lake Tai was located, and a few other large-scale cities in the vicinity had merged to form the base city of Jiangnan.

Lake Tai, which was joined with the Jiangnan base city, was the fourth largest lake and the third largest freshwater lake in the Huaxia region.

Since the Cataclysm, the lake had grown much wider, practically turning into an ocean. Some had even nicknamed it the Tai Ocean. The buffer zone joining Lake Tai and the Jiangnan base city had turned into a huge swamp in the southwest. The Swamp of the Crocodile Spirit was located in the westernmost part of this huge swamp.

Gao Peng arrived at a dam that was between the Jiangnan base city and Lake Tai.

The dam had been built at least 100 feet above water level. A commercial district was established near the dam, which had enjoyed a steady flow of visitors since its conception.

"Why isn't anyone selling noodlefishes anymore? I thought they were a Lake Tai specialty," asked Gao Peng.

The reason behind the noodlefishes' popularity as a local specialty was their delicious taste.

Their bodies packed a lot of meat and nutrition. They were also scaleless and didn't give off the same stench as other fish.

"Noodlefish fishing is now prohibited in Lake Tai," said a nearby guide.

"That's a shame…" said Gao Peng.

"A Noodlefish Prince has appeared in Lake Tai and practically scared all the other monsters living in the lake into not attacking the Jiangnan base city. We're only allowed to fish for monsters that aren't noodlefishes."

Gao Peng nodded, somewhat impressed by this. By letting the humans fish out the other monsters living in the lake, the Noodlefish Prince was able to create a conducive environment for the noodlefishes to grow in.

Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the lake. A 13-foot-long meaty-looking fish emerged from the lake's surface and blew a couple of bubbles at Gao Peng.

The guide produced some fish food from his pocket and scattered it into the water. The huge fish gobbled it up greedily, twisting its body around in the lake like a fat white mealworm.

Gao Peng was taken aback by the sight of the huge white fish in the water. A few seconds later, he said, "That's a noodlefish?"

"That's right. Most of these noodlefishes love to come up to the surface and beg for food from tourists, as they know we won't hurt them," said the guide, smiling.

Gao Peng fell silent.

Aren't they supposed to be called noodlefishes for their noodle-like slenderness? What is that thing in the water supposed to be?

Gao Peng had already taken a look at its stats in the data frame. His eyes began to water as he continued looking at the rolling, writhing thing in the water…

He suddenly realized what a slender thing Flamy was…

"Are all noodlefishes this big?" said Gao Peng, pointing a finger at the noodlefish in the water.

"No, just this little guy… Most of us here recognize it," said the guide, chuckling. "The other noodlefishes only come to the surface for food sometimes. This fellow here spends 24 hours a day close to the shore. As soon as it sees anyone come by, it swims towards the shore looking for food."

The fish food that the guide had scattered into the water was completely cleaned up by the huge noodlefish. It looked at Gao Peng from the water with saucer-like eyes, its huge head thicker than its waist. Its bloated body made Gao Peng think of a water bucket. Its tail was only as wide as the palm of a human hand. It looked somewhat dimwitted.

[Monster Name: Lake Tai Noodlefish (overweight)

[Monster Level: Level 11

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Attribute: Ice

[Monster Status: Suboptimal health (Glutton)

[Evolutionary Route: 1. Ice-type evolution (Lake Tai Noodlefish King) 2. Fire-type evolution (Ice-fire Coral Reef Fish) 3. Dragonblood evolution (Noodlefish Dragon)

These were the stats of the Lake Tai Noodlefish. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. If anything, it seemed a bit underwhelming. Gao Peng had no idea what kind of creature could possibly scare off that huge noodlefish.

After strolling along the lake for a while, Gao Peng took out his phone and gave it to the guide, asking him to take a couple of pictures of him and his familiars.

Goldie patted the guide on the shoulder and nodded at him meaningfully.

The guide gave it a thumbs-up. "Got it. I'll be sure to get your good side!"

Goldie grinned at the guide and slapped him on the butt.

The guide stared at it, speechless.

Gao Peng stood at the front of the group, while Silly sulkily slid down to his shoulder.

Dumby stood behind Gao Peng, arms crossed before its chest. Its black robe billowed around its knees, and it stared at the camera impassively. A dandelion had taken root on its head, its petals fluttering in the wind.

Goldie stood on tiptoe beside Dumby, with the mischievous Da Zi wrapped around their shoulders and hanging between them.

At the back of the group stood Flamy, who stretched its neck high up in the air and gazed haughtily down at the camera.

Kacha—

The picture was taken and saved in Gao Peng's phone.

(What will happen after this? Will Gao Peng kill the Red-Eyed Crocodile King to prove that he's better than Qian Wuliang? Will Qian Wuliang, in a fit of anger, send someone to retaliate against Gao Peng? Will Gao Peng be forced to demolish the Qian family as a result?)

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Chapter 356: The Killing Tactics

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In a blink of an eye, the day of the promised fight had come.

Gao Peng had agreed with Qian Wuliang's suggestion of choosing a place for the fight's location. He understood that the purpose of Qian's choice was simply to choose a location conducive to his familiar beasts.

Crocodiles were naturally good at fighting in shallow-water environments such as shoals, marshes, or deep-sea rivers.

Although crocodiles were amphibious monsters, land alone wouldn't allow them to unleash their full potential.

However, the red-crowned crane itself lived in areas which would be like a crocodile's habitat, including swamps, shoals, and other environments. More importantly, Flamy would be able to fly, and therefore, it wouldn't suffer from being restrained because it could just fly away if it felt like it was getting beat up.

Unexpectedly, Qian Wuliang chose a swampy land with abundant water and grass, as well as a large number of shallow shoals.

There were plenty of people watching the fight at the venue. Most of them were representatives of the four big families and notaries of the alliance government who had been invited.

Gao Peng had been reluctant to publicize this matter. The Qian family had also intended to restrain the influence, so their interests coincided.

Therefore, it would be impossible for the majority of people to know about it. Only some people came to watch the fight. This battle was deemed a private one.

On the other side of the swamp laid a huge creature almost the same size as the Primitive Jade Armored Crocodile. However, its appearance was quite different from it.

The King of the Red-Eyed Crocodile in the Greenwood Swamp was longer in size, and the crevices on its back were covered with green moss. The tough skin of its back was dark green, while the color of its limbs gradually became pale. Its toes were snow white in color, and the scales on the top were thick and hard.

There were red shadows surrounding its eyes which made the Greenwood Swamp Red-Eyed Crocodile King's eyes look full of bloody cruelty.

Of course, its eyes were as cold as two sharp knives that had been inserted into Flamy's heart.

Flamy's emotions became extremely unstable from the first second it saw the crocodile.

Goldie looked worriedly at Flamy. "Do you need my help to beat it up?"

"No. I'll do it myself!" Flamy's tone was full of hatred.

The Red-Eyed Crocodile King looked at Flamy doubtfully, because the crane gave him a strange feeling as if he had seen it somewhere before, but he was sure that he had never seen the one-legged crane before…

Suddenly, the Red-Eyed Crocodile King thought of something. Its eyelids lowered slightly as the eyes narrowed into slits.

Qian Wuliang looked at Gao Peng in his neat and tidy outfit, and then said loudly to Gao Peng, "This will be the first time we meet each other."

"It's our first meeting." Gao Peng nodded.

"Actually, I think this battle can be avoided," said Qian Wuliang sincerely.

"It's not up to me." Gao Peng shook his head. "It's up to my familiar," said Gao Peng while pointing to Flamy.

"But you're the monster trainer, and the monster trainer is in charge of taking care of its familiars…" Qian Wuliang, who was in a disadvantaged position with the Red-Eyed Crocodile couldn't manage to say anything more convincing.

"But I still hope we can set aside our hatred." Even now, Qian Wuliang was unwilling to raise any conflict with Gao Peng.

"Its parents were killed, and you demanded with great righteousness that it set aside its hatred and forgive its enemies." Gao Peng lost his laughter. "You can probably do that, but it can't."

Qian Wuliang stopped talking. He murmured in his heart, I can't do that.

Gao Peng touched Flamy's soft feathers and said, "I won't intervene in this battle. It's their own issue."

Qian Wuliang was stunned upon hearing this.

The four big families and the alliance government were stunned.

Wasn't it the time for the Skeletal Tyrant to show up?

Gao Peng's most famous familiar was the Skeletal Tyrant. In addition, it was thanks to the Skeletal Tyrant's help that he was allowed to successfully acquire the nickname of the "Natural Disaster of the Undead."

This made everyone think that Gao Peng would definitely summon his strongest familiar since after all, it was a one-on-one competition.

Qian Wuliang was the most surprised of them all. If his assumption was correct, Flamy was the young crane that had been taken away. Although there were some minor changes in its appearance, he could still roughly identify two or three similarities to it.

But the question was, this crane was only a year old. Had he just gone crazy?

"Hoot!" A crane snapped through the sky.

Fiery flames gushed in all directions, and violent flames devoured everything in the area. Water plants were instantly covered in flames and burned into ash in the blink of an eye.

Even the surface of the water was ignited by the flame. The string of fire started to burn around the swamp, and the twisted fire made crackling noises.

The red Lord-tier aura was blooming under Flamy's feet. Fine lines were clearly distributed on the aura. The aura shone into everyone's eyes.

"A Lord… Lord-tier familiar!" someone screamed before shutting his mouth.

Lord-tier familiars were rare, but they weren't worth the surprise. This was mainly because they hadn't realized that Gao Peng had a Lord-tier familiar besides the Skeletal Tyrant and the duck.

This is his third Lord-tier familiar!

"This… this…" Someone's face showed envy and jealousy.

Jealousy had separated him from the rest.

Qian Wuliang didn't realize that the crane had turned into a Lord-tier familiar. He had predicted that, at most, it would be a top leader. However, he found that things were out of his control. His heart couldn't help but to start beating faster. He then turned around and looked at the Red-Eyed Crocodile King.

The King Crocodile seemed to find something interesting. It stood up, opened its mouth, and stepped into the water with one foot, then it started to splash the water and slipped on the ground as if it was on a surfboard, heading towards Flamy. At the same time, the water surrounding them rose from the swamp and landed around the King Crocodile's body, turning into a high-speed rotating water shield to protect its skin.

Boom! Without any extra motivation, the King Crocodile charged directly to the front and swept out with its giant tail. The strong, giant tail created a huge force, causing trees to be pulled out of the ground without any resistance. Soil was flying, and water splashed in waves. Its strong forelimbs were like two fixed rods firmly grasping the earth underneath its feet. With such inertia, its giant tail pulled its body back and swept out!

Just as it was pulling its giant tail back, the King Crocodile raised its head and opened its mouth, sucking towards Flamy, who was flying above it.

The giant dark mouth was like a black hole. The violent suction force pulled everything downward crazily. The surrounding air was also pulled towards its throat, causing Flamy's ascent to slow down rapidly!

The giant tail slammed straight toward Flamy, just like a perfect home run.

A massive flame rotated and condensed at high speed right in front of Flamy. The next moment, it burst out.

Boom!!

The flames of the explosion hit the incoming giant tail. The collision between the two sides caused a bright red light and a violent flame to erupt.

With this backlash, Flamy retreated to avoid the approaching tail, moving his wings in mid-air to fly higher and keep a safe distance of over 300 feet from the King Crocodile.

"What an incredible combo." Even Gao Peng, his opponent, marveled at the King Crocodile's brutal combo.

If Flamy had responded even a second slower, the battle would have ended then and there.

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Chapter 357: Crane vs. Crocodile

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"I just remembered. You were the little fellow who cowered behind the tree," theRed-Eyed King Crocodile jeered.

It rolled over the mud with its huge body, causing a mess everywhere.

Its scratched the ground with its sharp claws. Dark brown soil was exposed as it crushed the grass in patches.

Flamy became even more angry after hearing what the Red-Eyed King Crocodile had said. It spat a few fireballs from its mouth. Those red flames caused ripples when they smashed on the surface of the King Crocodile.

The King Crocodile continued to conduct the water flow along its body surface to avoid being hit. The swamp it was standing in was its greatest source of water.

It didn't fear of being burned by the flames since it was in the swamp.

In fact, water elements were meant to prevail over fire elements, not to mention that they were surrounded by water. The King Crocodile felt relaxed.

It bent down to suck in a mouthful of water and spat it towards Flamy in the sky. However, Flamy managed to dodge the attack.

[Monster Name: Red-Eyed King Crocodile

[Monster Level: Level 45

[Monster Tier: Normal

[Monster Attribute: Water/Wind

[Monster Ability: Hardened Skin Level 3, Sharp Fangs Level 2, Water Element Mastery Level 3, Wind Element Mastery Level 2

[Monster Condition: Healthy (Calm)

[Monster Introduction: A giant crocodile who lives in the swamp region. Arrogant yet powerful, it has strong attacks and lives in a group.

"It has wind element abilities. You need to be careful. Don't get hit by its wind element attack," Gao Peng said to Flamy through their Blood Contract.

Meanwhile, Qian Wuliang was communicating with the King Crocodile through their Blood Contract. "The crane is a Fire-type animal that can fly. You need to watch out, and also—"

"Stop nagging!" said the Red-Eyed King Crocodile coldly.

Qian Wuliang paused.

Fortunately, he had already grown used to it. Being shouted at by the monster was his daily routine.

"You need to bear in mind that I'm not afraid of you. I'm just too lazy to argue with you since you're my familiar," Qian Wuliang disputed. The relationship between the monster trainer and monster was permanent for better or worse.

When a familiar died, its monster trainer would suffer from a headache, and their body condition would be weak for a long period of time. The more important the familiar was to them, the more serious the consequences suffered by the monster trainers were.

Likewise, the death of the monster trainer would bring permanent damage to the familiar. Moreover, once the familiar had the subjective consciousness to kill its own monster trainer, they would suffer an even more serious punishment.

Therefore, even if they had agreed and signed a Blood Contract, the monster trainer had to consider his or her attitude towards the familiar. They couldn't be treated like a servant.

After all, this was a Blood Contract, not a master and servant contract.

Generally, the familiar would obey the rules of the contract. Most of the familiars' minds weren't complicated. Thus, with a little technique, the familiar would fight and go on an adventure along with its monster trainer.

Of course, there were also a minority of delicate relationships between monster trainers and familiars, so nothing was absolute.

The flame transformed into several chains and then whipped the King Crocodile. Sparks were flying in all directions. The King Crocodile seemed to be surrounded by countless snakes of fire.

"Roar!" The King Crocodile gave out a deep roar. When it realised that the enemy wasn't coming down, it pulled itself back and laid in deeper water. A steady flow of water from its surroundings had transformed into a water shield to defend against the flames.

"Do you think you can block my flames with water?" Flamy's eyes flashed with anger.

"Well then! I'll burn your skin down and dry out every drop of water inside you!"

As it flapped its wings, the giant light red wings looked as if they were creating a tremendous fire. Several light red feathers were dancing in the flames.

Boom, boom, boom—

Flames dropped from the sky.

The flame started to burn down the surroundings. Everything within a few hundred yards was shrouded in the sea of flames. The flame had rose up to 30 feet high. One wouldn't be able to see such an incredible scene from the outside.

Although Gao Peng was hundreds of feet away from the fire, he could still feel the heat crashing into his cheeks.

The green grass beneath their feet wilted at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.

"That was amazing!" One of the ladies from the Zhao family was stunned, with her eyes and mouth wide open. She didn't even blink her eyes.

"I never thought that a battle between Lord-tier monsters could be so terrifying." A young man from the Sun Family felt his eyes grow drier as he continued to watch the battle with his eyes squinted.

Although their family also owned a Lord-tier monster, they had never seen two Lord-tier monsters battle against each other. This level of battle was completely different from a Commander-tier battle.

A scientist had once done an investigation proving that the damage dealt by a Normal-tier monster was equivalent to a giant pre-Cataclysm beast. An Elite-tier monster would have to be well-prepared beforehand and fully armed with special weapons in order to kill it without taking severe damage.

Starting from Lord-tier, there was a great leap in the difference between powers. The Commander-tier was one of the tiers with the greatest span in strength.

Once they reached the Commander tier, the aftermath of their battle could destroy the entire street. Most of the common weapons used by humans would be unable to harm them.

Before that, he had still had no idea how a battle's aftermath could destroy an entire street. Well now, he had finally acquired the chance to see it himself.

He was quite excited at the same time, as his own Lord-tier familiar was also powerful.

Bang, bang, bang.

Along with the heavy footsteps, a giant shadow trodded out from the sea of flames.

Its enormous tail and thick skin were burning with fire. The moss that had grown on its skin had burnt into ashes and kept on dropping off while it was running.

"Roar!" The Red-Eyed King Crocodile opened its mouth, white smoke blowing out from its throat. It was releasing the overwhelming heat from its body.

The giant crocodile was like a chimney as white smoke kept on coming out from its mouth.

Flamy's eyes flashed with anger, and it flapped both wings again. Over ten feathers had fallen and transformed into flames. Traces of fire flew out from its wings, dragging out long strings of fire in the air.

In the next second, these fire strings fell down like meteors. The fire was growing stronger and stronger, and eventually, it crushed into the ground and burnt with the fire elements in the air.

The flames were getting worse. Lots of feathers kept falling off of Flamy's body, adding to the sea of fire.

Gao Peng had already stepped hundreds of feet back so that he wouldn't be affected by the battle's aftermath.

The entire field had been burnt into ashes. The water in the swamp had boiled. Fishes and prawns were dead, their bodies floating on the water's surface.

Some areas were now exposing dry land; the water in the puddles had completely evaporated.

The water from the other swamp was flowing in slowly. However, it wasn't as fast as the speed it was evaporating.

The King Crocodile roared insanely. However, Flamy, who was up in the sky, didn't try to come down. It continued to burn the King Crocodile with its flames.

The King Crocodile felt that it was losing too much water from its body. Therefore, it demanded water.

The scales on its body's surface had been burnt to red, shining with a black-red radiance. Its skin had cracked and some parts had even been split, exposing the burnt flesh underneath.

"Roar!" The Red-Eyed King Crocodile turned and ran away, escaping to the deeper part of the swamp immediately.

Thump, thump, thump—

The hellish sound was gone.

The people present almost dropped their jaws when the King Crocodile was running away from the battle.

They would never have thought that the Red-Eyed King Crocodile would run away. This was completely unexpected.

"You…" Qian Wuliang was confused, and he felt ashamed when the people watching looked at him at the same time.

How could it have run away so suddenly?

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Chapter 358: The Aftermath

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

There wasn't much water here, and that was why the King Crocodile ran towards the deep swamp. As the water level was higher, it would be harder for Flamy to find him, which would be a tactical advantage.

Flamy elicited a lengthy call before running in pursuit.

Gao Peng turned away when he saw the two monsters running towards the west.

This fellow…

The King Crocodile's attributes weren't that good, not even beating the ability of a Level 4. This Red-Eyed King Crocodile belonged to the weaker troop of this level.

In fact, Flamy's initial attributes hadn't been good either. Even if it had been promoted to Lord-tier, it would only become a Normal-grade Lord-tier. It was Gao Peng's continuous nurturing that had broadened the gap in Flamy and King Crocodile's skill level.

Whoosh!

The King Crocodile, who was still running, raised its head all of a sudden and spat out an Aqua Blade Whip that was as long as the moon from its mouth! The Aqua Blade was spinning rapidly, emitting a strong initial velocity, while the wind elements in the air that combined with it made the Aqua Blade's spinning speed even faster.

The wind was drawn out by the whip, making a high-pitched sound as a blue arc streaked over the empty sky!

Flamy jumped, trying to avoid clashing with the Aqua Blade. However, as it was trying to dodge, the Aqua Blade changed direction and as a result, left a long wound on Flamy's wing.

Warm blood was dripping out of the wound.

Flamy staggered and almost fell from the sky.

However, as a lesson, Flamy became more aware of the King Crocodile's attacks. It managed to successfully avoid the King Crocodile's Aqua Blade after that point.

"Don't worry about me, Gao Peng. I'll never fall for the same trick twice!" declared Flamy through the Blood Contract.

Flamy felt mature, like an old father reassuring his son.

Oh, don't worry about me. You don't need to, Gao Peng.

"I'll beat this crocodile! If it wasn't for it, my mother wouldn't have died while protecting me. I never make the same mistake twice! I'll burn it down to avenge my mother!"

The King Crocodile, who was running toward the deep swamp, stopped abruptly.

The fireballs Flamy threw were hitting the King Crocodile non-stop. The severe pain was pounding through its back until it could no longer feel that it was part of its body. The pain was burning until it started to feel numb.

The swamp wasn't very deep. At its deepest point, it didn't exceed ten to fifteen feet, which wasn't enough to cover the King Crocodile's huge figure.

The King Crocodile made a few rolls in the swamp. However, before it could even take a breath to rest, the crackling sound of the flame came rushing to its ear once again.

Anger flushed through the King Crocodile's eyes, and it suddenly remembered something. Upon turning around, it immediately charged in the direction it had come from.

"King Crocodile, what are you trying to do?" Qian Wu Liang had witnessed the King Crocodile's actions, ominous premonition rising in his heart.

Wait a minute… Don't tell me…

Just as he was about to speak, it was already too late.

The King Crocodile pounced like dark clouds enveloping the sky, its eyes fixed on Flamy, who was right above it.

If you dare to descend, then I'll throw myself at you! This time, you will never escape!

A strong, stinky smell came out from its mouth, making Gao Peng pinch his nose.

"No! King Crocodile, you must be careful. There are still other Lord-tier familiars around him! Don't attack!" Qian Wu Liang's face changed. He certainly hadn't been expecting the King Crocodile to take on Gao Peng, and this sudden action frightened him.

The Qian family, who were witnessing the act, turned pale, and Qian Shao Yu knitted his brows together, hesitant about whether to stop the fight or not.

Moreover, this familiar that Uncle has bred is a little bit… excessive.

It should have been a fair one-on-one match, but attacking the monster trainer was too much.

Qian Shao Yu disliked this kind of tactic.

Having received Qian Wu Liang's reminder, the pouncing King Crocodile promptly took a step back. However, its eyes were fixed on the familiars next to Gao Peng.

At the exact same time, Dumby snorted and changed its form like it was drawing a sword out of its sheath.

Its left leg knelt while its right leg aimed for the target. It struck the King Crocodile fiercely!

The King Crocodile was trying to dash, but the hit caused it to fail. The King Crocodile absorbed the force and left decisively.

The King Crocodile's initial plan had been to attack the monster trainer to lure the crane above its head down. However, he didn't realize that it had this many attributes.

After being taken advantage of, the King Crocodile made up its mind to leave.

Flamy was still chasing after it. After all, it had sworn not to come back if it didn't kill the crocodile.

It had been defeated.

The winner and the loser of the battle that had come this far were clear.

This crocodile was quick to act and had great strength. It has potential, thought Gao Peng while looking at Flamy's shadow, which was already far ahead. He shook his head.

Qian Shao Yu made his way towards Qian Wu Liang's back. "Uncle."

Qian Wu Liang turned around to look at his nephew. He frowned, then relaxed again. "It's okay. A defeat is a defeat." Upon finishing the sentence, Qian Wu Liang felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his mind. And so he turned around and left.

Regarding the Red-Eyed King Crocodile from Greenwood Swamp who had escaped, he had given up the thought of chasing after it.

His uncle was much more cooperative than he had originally thought, and Qian Shao Yu found this job was resolved easier than he expected.

Besides, those people from Uncle's side started to follow Mother's orders in the past few days. Though the Qian family suffered some setbacks, at least they're more united now, Qian Shao Yu thought silently.

Upon reaching his home, Qian Wu Liang suddenly fell by the small garden and started spitting blood from his mouth. His face was pale, and eventually, he lost his consciousness.

After realizing his uncle's condition, Qian Shao Yu understood that in the future, there might no longer be a King Crocodile in the base city of Jiangnan.

"Mr. Chairman, this is something for you from the Qian family. Please take a look," said Chen Qi as he passed the letter to Gao Peng respectfully.

The result of the battle had leaked to the market, with different versions spreading.

However, there was one thing in common, which was the one who came out on top, Gao Peng's single-legged crane.

In the base city of Jiangnan, Gao Peng's reputation had sky-rocketed.

Gao Peng took the letter from Chen Qi. The paper on top was an apology from the landlord of the Qian family, Qian Qing Yuan. He apologized sincerely and expressed his lack of understanding regarding the tense relationship between the King Crocodile and Gao Peng's familiars. In addition, he was willing to hand over Crocodile Spirit Swamp to the Southern Sky Group, including those of Flamy's former clan who lived in the swamp. He also promised a huge lump sum as compensation.

At the end of the letter, the landlord even indirectly asked for Gao Peng's opinion. If Gao Peng ever needed anything… they were willing to hand Qian Wu Liang over. Of course, they were only seeking an opinion. They were more willing to give up money rather than their own people because Qian Wu Liang was part of the most important management board in the Qian family. Even if his position descended after losing a Lord-tier familiar, he was still a core member of the Qian family.

As the saying went, no matter how much he disappointed the family or became a pain in the back, the Qian family's blood would still be flowing in his body.

After accepting this letter, Gao Peng wrote a letter in turn for Chen Qi to send back.

In fact, there weren't any disputes between him and the Qian family. The only thing in dispute was the personal vendetta between the two familiars. Now that their dispute was resolved, Gao Peng would no longer care about it.

Gao Peng accepted Crocodile Spirit Swamp, but he would be paying the Qian family for it. As for the compensation, Gao Peng didn't accept it and returned the full amount back to the Qian family instead.

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Chapter 359: The Mystical Mirror Diviner Turtle

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Gao Peng was someone who respected the rules, and he definitely wasn't one to break them recklessly. The aforementioned rules didn't refer to those that governed the outside world, but rather the values he abided to that were deeply engraved in his soul.

An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

The Red-Eyed Crocodile King of Greenwood Swamp was burned alive by Flamy in settlement of the personal vendetta between them. Gao Peng would give his all to support Flamy in seeking revenge, going as far as to decide that even if Flamy lost, at the cost of tarnishing his pride and honor, he would still have allowed Dumby and Goldie to attack the Crocodile King immediately.

Fortunately, Flamy had been victorious in the end. It was truly a familiar worthy of being brought up by Gao Peng himself.

On the grasslands, after fulfilling its life-consuming quest for revenge, Flamy stood there in a daze, its eyes staring at something far away, gaze dark with melancholy.

Goldie waddled its way to Flamy and started to sniff it all over.

It even reached out to pluck the feathers on Flamy's back, staring at them with its big round eyes.

"Stop messing around," muttered Flamy as it whacked the back of Goldie's hand with a wing. Can't you see I'm brooding in peace.

Goldie jumped and stared at Flamy for a few seconds before declaring, "I think you're bald."

The silence that fell after that declaration was worse than death.

A fireball smashed into Goldie's face. "GO AWAY!"

Goldie brushed off some of the sparks that were still smoldering on its face and left while shaking its head in bemusement. "Such a bad temper."

That night, Gao Peng called a meeting of the heads of the three remaining major families, successfully signing a partnership agreement with them. While there was that, they also agreed to let the local division of the Southern Sky Group take control of the Crocodile Spirit Swamp, at the same time, established a branch of the Explorer's Union there to fix up the swamp as the next project for their members.

Unfortunately, under Gao Peng's assessment, it seemed that the Crocodile Spirit Swamp didn't really measure up to the standards of the Mountain Spirit Station. The level of safety there was also fairly lacking in comparison.

The Mountain Spirit Station had numerous Chief Mountain Spirits as guardians, leading to a guaranteed level of safety. In contrast, after the death of the Crocodile King, no one could say how safe the swamp would be.

It wasn't like no one had considered this, but the 'safe zone' that would be created in this particular area would create serious concerns regarding how safe it would actually be.

"Mr. Chairman, the group has fulfilled your request to send relevant personnel to check on the Flaming Phoenixes' living conditions at regular intervals."

Gao Peng nodded. He was already aware of this, as it was a decision that he had made after gaining Flamy's approval.

Flamy didn't return to visit its ex-tribe. "Gao Peng, you being able to assist me in my revenge has already made me happier than ever. I cannot be too selfish, as they, too, have their own way of life. Without my intervention, it's possible that one day, they'll evolve into their own unique colors. I can aid them for now, but I wouldn't be able to support them for life. Their paths to evolution can only be forged by themselves."

Upon hearing that, Gao Peng decided to respect Flamy's opinion and didn't send anyone to intervene.

However, what Gao Peng didn't expect was that… after the news of this battle spread to the outside world, the phoenixes that lived in the Crocodile Spirit Swamp became an overnight internet sensation in the base city of Jiangnan. At the start, there were people who were afraid that they would attract Gao Peng's wrath, thus they tried to capture them as discreetly as possible. After realizing that Gao Peng wasn't stopping them, people practically stampeded over each other to capture the Flaming Phoenixes.

When the number of phoenixes captured went overboard, Gao Peng had no choice but to allocate some manpower to that area to protect and maintain the balance of the phoenix population.

Many people labeled these phoenixes Lord-tier familiars, as they were a species capable of evolving into Lord-tiers, causing their popularity to skyrocket among the masses.

After several days, Gao Peng received word that the Qian family had gradually moved away from the base city of Jiangnan, relocating to the base city of Yuhang, which was on the southern side.

The Qian family already owned property in the base city of Yuhang, so they were just transferring their remaining property that was in Jiangnan to Yuhang.

After resolving Flamy's issues, Gao Peng wasn't in a hurry to return to Yuzhou. After all, the flight home would take quite a few hours, and since they were already there, they decided to call it a vacation and tour Jiangnan for a couple of days. The scenery at Taihu Lake was breathtaking, unlike the ocean that resembled a volatile little girl. Taihu Lake was like a graceful, gentle Jiangnan maiden whose breathing breezed warmly by their ears.

"Taihu lake must have increased in depth since the Cataclysm," mused Gao Peng as he leaned on the fence encircling the lake, admiring the serene expanse of water near his feet. Gao Peng recalled that Taihu Lake hadn't been as deep pre-Cataclysm, as the deepest area was thirteen feet at most, and the average depth was eight feet… With such a wide expanse and so little depth, it did give off a pretty adorable impression.

"Might be several times deeper than before," answered the tour guide, the same one as before. Today, he was wearing a high-collared blue sweater. "No one specifically went and measured the depth of Taihu Lake, but it's definitely a lot deeper than it was," he said with a laugh.

Splash! A jet of water hit Goldie, who ended up with a faceful of water.

Looking down, there was a gigantic white-silvery fish that had floated to the surface of the water, giving the whole entourage an unimpressed stare. It seemed pretty pissed off.

After seeing that Goldie had noticed it, the fish took a deep breath and started to flip around in the water, its wide puffy eyes locked onto them unblinkingly.

The tour guide hastily withdrew a fistful of fish food from a hip pouch and tossed it into the water.

The fish immediately chased after the food.

Goldie touched its damp face, glaring irritatedly at the fat fish in the lake.

How dare it spray me with water!

Goldie destroyed the stone fence with a single kick and dove into the water.

The fat fish avoided Goldie with a mere sweep of its gigantic tail.

Goldie splashed into the water, its wings flailing frantically. It started to sink like a rock, straight to the bottom of the lake…

"Flamy, please rescue this hopeless beast that can't swim to save its life." Gao Peng facepalmed.

A distance away, the calm surface of the lake was disturbed by a series of waves. It was like an invisible hand was guiding the water. The next moment, the water surged upwards, increasing the size and ferocity of the waves.

The concentrated sound of rushing water flowed towards them from far away. A line of silver started to close the distance between them, a ray of silverish light gleaming among the waves.

It resembled a silver nugget zooming through the water.

As it approached, Gao Peng started to make out how the monster looked. Its appearance would remind people of a silver mirror. As it came even closer, Gao Peng finally saw it clearly—it was a silvery white turtle.

It was about the size of a house, rising and sinking with the waves, its silver shell shimmering hazily and reflecting the sun's rays.

"A spirit turtle," breathed the tour guide, not at all afraid. His eyes were shining with admiration.

"The spirit turtle is a majestic beast of this great lake. Every year in the spring, Taihu Lake becomes terribly foggy, so there are many monster trainers that get lost along the surface of the lake. The spirit turtle often guides them to their destinations safely."

As the enormous turtle loomed before them, Gao Peng could finally identify its attributes.

[Monster Name: Mystical Mirror Diviner Turtle

[Monster Level: Level 46

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Attribute: Mystic

[Monster Ability: Reflective Mirror Armor Level 4 Jade Skeleton Level 3 Water Manipulation Level 3

[Special Characteristics: Mystical Shell Armor (An extraordinary shell that developed over the years and may be used to divine prosperity or misfortune.

Passive Ability: Has a strong sense of danger and will avoid once any is detected. It also has a sense for good fortune, which it will then approach.)

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Chapter 360: Ambergris Jade

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Gao Peng's first reaction was to assume that the turtle had come to him since it was attracted by his own excellence.

This was what Gao Peng's first instincts told him—that the turtle had good judgment of character. Then Gao Peng contemplated whether he should accept it, as this was his second encounter with a mystic creature.

His first encounter with a mystic creature had been the Treasure Sniffing Rodent.

Oh… Gao Peng was suddenly reminded of something that he had forgotten!

He had left the Treasure Sniffing Rodent in the lab, forgotten and locked up in the office. He smacked his forehead lightly and promptly took out his phone.

Meanwhile, in the lab, Xu Qingzhi, who was dressed in a white lab coat, was putting food into a bowl. A light golden rodent the size of a fully grown cat was lying in front of her.

"Seriously, I can't believe boss left you in the lab again. You would have starved for another couple days if I hadn't come to clean the office," said Xu Qingzhi as she complained about how forgetful Gao Peng was. This had happened countless times before.

Ding! Xu Qingzhi's cell phone alerted her.

Xu Qingzhi withdrew her phone from her pocket. A message notification popped up from the messaging software, Penguin Communications. "Sister Xu, please help me water the plants in my office. Thanks (･ω･)ﾉ"

Xu Qingzhi sighed deeply. Then she turned around as her eyes fell upon the potted cactus sitting innocently on the office desk.

The spirit turtle climbed onto the embankment when it reached the shore. As the turtle surfaced from the water, its shell was exposed to the air, and not a single drop of water was on it. The shell was smooth and gleaming under the sun. It looked like a piece of transparent crystal, magnificently beautiful.

As the Mystical Mirror Diviner Turtle approached, the moisture in the air seemed to increase. A pair of pure blue eyes stared motionlessly at Gao Peng.

Buzzzz… A low vibration sound could be heard. It was made through a special vibration technique from the mouth and sounded like the whistle of a train.

The spirit turtle and Gao Peng looked at one another before the creature retreated into its shell, leaving a gaping dark hole.

After a couple of seconds, the turtle extended its neck from the shell holding a crystal clear piece of jade in its mouth.

The Mystical Mirror Diviner Turtle placed the jade in front of Gao Peng, then turned around and dove into the lake, then slowly drifted away.

"Wow, the spirit turtle has granted you a spiritual blessing," said the tour guide, astonished.

"You're incredibly lucky. I've been working here for a few years now, and I've only heard of that spirit turtle blessing others with gifts once," continued the tour guide as he stared at Gao Peng in admiration.

"Really? Who was it?" asked Gao Peng. He had decided to ask the tour guide because he was still in a daze and didn't understand why the spirit turtle had left so suddenly.

"A long time ago, there was a girl whose father had blood cancer and needed money for treatment. Therefore, she would often work at the lotus root farm to pay off her father's medical bills. Later on, the spirit turtle gave her a precious gemstone, and she sold it for about a million."

"What happened next? Was her father cured of his sickness?" Gao Peng asked. He thought that it was a very touching story. The girl, the spirit turtle, the gift, and treating diseases seemed to foreshadow a happy ending, so it sparked Gao Peng's curiosity to find out the ending of the story.

The tour guide merely shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, she ran off with the money and went to another city. Her father passed away after three months in the house. His body was discovered by the neighbors after several days due to the stench of the corpse."

"Then why did the spirit turtle decide to gift her the stone? It brought harm to her instead." Gao Peng furrowed his eyebrows as he started to get lost in thought. The gemstone had been a high-end material that was very costly. It could have valued from hundreds of thousands to billions or more depending on the amount.

"Maybe the spirit turtle cannot sense the intentions of humans," said the tour guide as he chuckled.

Greed and wealth could affect the human heart into committing unimaginable things.

As Gao Peng picked up the white jade the turtle had gifted him, it felt smooth and delicate to the touch. A slight warmth still lingered on the jade.

Name of material: Ambergris Jade

Function: A material made out of the condensation of various dragon species. It can store the dragons' languages and information about them.

Why did you give me this jade? Gao Peng thought.

He lowered his head to study the palm-sized piece of jade as he sunk deep in his own thoughts. He had initially thought that the spirit turtle had sensed his extraordinariness, hence it wanted to form a connection with him. Unfortunately, it had merely given him a piece of jade and left.

Gao Peng was speechless.

Gao Peng suddenly thought of the White Dragon and the Silver Dragon Prince from Taihu Lake. Had the big turtle been sent by the Silver Dragon Prince?

Gao Peng stayed by Taihu Lake for some time. During his stay, the Mystical Mirror Diviner Turtle would visit the lake on a daily basis. He would always gift Gao Peng treasures and even the corpses of rare monsters on certain occasions.

He asked the Mystical Mirror Diviner Turtle if it was willing to become his familiar. Gao Peng promised that it would live a comfortable life if it agreed.

The Mystical Mirror Diviner Turtle stared at Gao Peng for a few seconds, then it shook its head, eyes crinkling into twin lines before it turned to leave.

Gao Peng had regrets that he couldn't own the Mystical Mirror Diviner Turtle. The creature had a high level, so even if he decided to keep it as a pet by force, it was possible he wouldn't succeed. It wouldn't be as easy as the Treasure Sniffing Rodent.

Gao Peng took a plane back to Yuzhou after staying in the base city of Jiangnan for three days.

The atmosphere seemed very tense and serious when he arrived in Yuzhou. The pedestrians on the streets were walking hurriedly as if they were all rushing somewhere.

After walking past five streets, he ran into three squads of patrolling officers and two road blockades.

Something was fishy, and nothing was as simple as it seemed.

Patrol guards had never done rounds so often in the past, and even if there was an incoming monster wave, the city wouldn't be in such a tense state.

Therefore, it seemed like something must have happened while Gao Peng was out of town. Grandfather must have kept this news from me since he was afraid that it would affect me while I was away.

Gao Peng searched up the latest news regarding Yuzhou on the internet but found nothing. The news must have been censored from the public.

He furrowed his brows, as a bad feeling started to take root in his mind.

Usually, if a situation was under control, it would definitely be announced to the public to reassure the people. Unfortunately, keeping the situation from the public would only accentuate the severity of the circumstances.

Back in the Southern Sky Group, the employees showed up for work as usual. Even in the park, not much nervousness or uneasiness could be felt. The employees of the Southern Sky Group seemed to be the most unflappable and carefree people in the world.

Sadly, his grandfather wasn't present there, so he had to be somewhere else.

The only thing that made Gao Peng slightly less worried was the fact that the White Dragon was still within Southern Sky territory. That proved that the situation wasn't out of hand, hence it was probably not too serious. Otherwise, the White Dragon wouldn't have stayed there.

"White Dragon!" Gao Peng shouted at the lake.

The lake water bubbled, and soon enough, a huge dragon head with a mustache surfaced from the lake. The dragon stared at Gao Peng intently.

"I have something that I was asked to hand over to you," said Gao Peng as he presented the Ambergris Jade.

The dragon seemed to have picked up the scent of the Ambergris Jade, and it reacted in a rather humane manner. Its eyes showed traces of confusion. A grunting sound echoed as Gao Peng tossed the jade towards the dragon. It caught the jade with its mouth and closed its eyes.

The White Dragon suddenly opened its eyes and let out several intelligible grunts, then it retreated into the lake and wouldn't resurface no matter how much Gao Peng called for it.

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