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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Chapter 401: Holy-Winged Ivory Minister

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

Up ahead, Gao Peng could hear the sounds of human activity. Along the way, Stripey's huge form had garnered stares from passers-by in black robes who hurried past them alongside their familiars.

Probably shouldn't have Stripey out in broad daylight. He stands out like a sore thumb, thought Gao Peng. Stripey stood at least 200 feet tall, which was almost as tall as a high-rise building.

Worried that Stripey might give away their positions to the Golden Hands, Gao Peng said, "I'm sorry, Stripey, but I'm afraid you're going to have to stick to the less crowded areas for a bit."

Stripey nodded. "All right. Whatever you say, Gao Peng," it said cheerily. Gao Peng felt a twinge of guilt as he watched Stripey lumber away.

For convenience's sake, Gao Peng decided to bring only Goldie, Da Zi, Desolion, and the White Steel Bladed Beast along to the next human settlement that was marked on the map. He had his other familiars on standby on Stripey's back for the time being.

After walking approximately 20 miles, they finally reached a small town that was encircled by a metal fence. As they drew closer, they could see that a strange plant had entwined itself around the fence. It had thick, dark green leaves and fine white spines across its stem. It also had blue flowers growing out of certain places.

Gao Peng instantly recognized what it was: a Blue-flowered White Ground Vine. It wasn't a Plant-type monster, but rather an ordinary plant that was known to flourish in colder climates. The white spines on its stem, which contained a type of paralytic toxin, were sharp enough to pierce through leather.

Most of the buildings in the town were of the short and stunted variety. Their roofs were gabled, as heavy snowfalls weren't uncommon there in the winter. Flat roofs weren't suitable for such weather conditions, as the accumulation of snow could cause the roofs to cave in.

The streets were presently bustling with people. Stalls were set up on the roadside, selling all kinds of roasted fruits and meats of questionable origin.

Every chunk of meat was caked in all kinds of seasoning and sauce. An intoxicating aroma wafted from the stalls.

"Monkey brains, get your monkey brains here while they're still hot for just 2,000 Desert dollars! Five hundred Desert dollars if you want seconds!" shouted one of the vendors who was wearing a black-bottomed floral cap.

"Today's specialty: the roasted paw of a mountain bear that I just caught in the mountains, covered with a thick layer of honey sesame sauce. Come get it while it's still hot!"

"Freshly-caught Red-clawed Ghost Vines here. You won't find prices like mine anywhere else!"

The place was in an uproar. People thronged the streets. The vendors' street cries filled the air.

Unlike the markets Gao Peng had visited in the past, which sold all kinds of daily necessities, from clothing to medicine, all kinds of monsters and other resources seemed to be sold here. The town's denizens relied on the monsters that lived in the region for their survival.

"Mister, mister, I'm hungry. Have some sympathy for me, please. Could you spare me some change?" said a boy in dirty rags as he pulled on Gao Peng's sleeve.

Gao Peng looked at the boy impassively. "Sorry, I don't have any money on me."

The boy pouted.

"Nor do I have any sympathy for you, boy."

The boy widened his eyes.

"Scram," Gao Peng growled menacingly.

The boy staggered back, his eyes widened in horror. He then ran off without giving Gao Peng a second look.

Gao Peng grinned. He was aware that most of these street urchins usually had a "caretaker" to answer to.

In the middle of the town stood a slightly tall building. Its walls were painted red. A few people could be seen going in and out of it, though it seemed less busy compared to the stalls around it.

The building housed the town's administration offices. A dark-skinned man in sandals was squatting by the entrance, hungrily gobbling down something from his bowl.

The place rarely saw any activity, as only those who wished to open a stall would come here in order to fill out the requisite forms. The administrative employees were tasked with collecting rent from the vendors in town.

"Good day, may I know who the highest-ranking official here is?" asked Gao Peng.

The man by the entrance stopped what he was doing and looked up at Gao Peng with a grin, revealing a piece of vegetable stuck between his teeth. "You a newcomer? Well then, you're looking at him."

While saying this, the man patted his butt and turned towards the building's entrance. "I've never seen you around here before. You must be here to rent a stall. Come along then, we've got prices so cheap you won't believe your eyes. We have a nice spot near the Hondana boundary. The monsters there are quite low-level. We also have a couple of trainers visiting there sometimes. We just need you to—" The man began feverishly reciting the lines he had rehearsed God knew how many times.

"I'm not here to rent a stall," interrupted Gao Peng.

"What?" The man stopped speaking and turned to look at Gao Peng. His expression quickly turned to one of boredom. "Then what are you here for?" he said, scowling. The warmth in his voice had disappeared.

"I would like to meet with one of your higher-ups… Or just someone you can get in touch with," said Gao Peng seriously.

"…Are you pulling my leg?" said the man. "You're not from around here, are you? Your accent sounds… off."

"I have important business to discuss with your superiors. I really have no time to waste." Beside Gao Peng, the Desolate Frost Lion flashed its bluish Lord-tier aura at the man.

The man's jaw fell. Was that a Lord-tier aura? Must be the heat playing tricks on my mind again…

"All right, calm your horses. I'll see what I can do. Just so you know, the highest-ranking official I can get in touch with is the chief administrative officer of the nearby Dahran base city. Anyone higher up than that is simply above my paygrade…"

"Noted. Thank you," said Gao Peng, before producing an Elite-grade monster core crystal from his pocket and handing it over to the dark-skinned man. It was noteworthy that here, core crystals were a currency of far greater value than ordinary money.

"The name's Ahrafat, by the way. Pleasure doing business with you. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to hit me up."

Through Ahrafat's chief administrative officer, Gao Peng was able to get in touch with one of the Jinsha region's most influential political figures, the Holy-Winged Ivory Minister, Jafar. He was a fervent Holy Lotian adherent, as well as a Lord-tier trainer.

He was always seen wearing pristine white robes, his eyes were sharp, and he usually maintained a neat set of whiskers.

"Greetings! As Jinsha's representative, I welcome you, Huaxia's Undead Catastrophe, to our humble land!"

Behind Jafar stood his familiar, a 40-foot-tall white elephant with a pair of huge wings and blue-white stripes on its body. It looked like a statue carved out of white jade, sturdy and majestic-looking.

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Chapter 402: Shaji Town

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

"I've already been thinking about taking care of those Golden Hands degenerates. They're like maggots infesting all of Lotian," said Jafar coldly, his eyes full of hate at the mention of the Golden Hands. "Their ways go against our religious doctrines. They are nothing more than a bunch of heathens.

"But I must ask, how on earth did the Golden Hands even manage to incur the wrath of a Lord-tier trainer such as yourself?" he asked curiously.

Gao Peng hadn't told him his true identity. He had only revealed that he was a Lord-tier trainer who wished to have an audience with him. Even though the number of Lord-tier trainers worldwide had increased somewhat, they were still considered a minority.

Any of them could easily attain a high-ranking governmental position at the provincial level if they wanted to. Gao Peng had also revealed to Jafar that he had two Lord-tier familiars with him, which was a lot more than the average Lord-tier trainer would have.

It just so happened that Jafar was a man who had a lot of respect for skilled and talented trainers.

"It's nothing, really, save for the fact that these people tried to assassinate me several times in the past," said Gao Peng casually.

Jafar smiled faintly. "Assassination has always been the way of those cowards."

"So you wish to have your revenge on them, then? Perhaps I can be of assistance. I happen to know the locations of some of their branches. May your wrath bring them painful deaths," continued Jafar. One of Lotian's religious tenets dictated that those who had brought one harm in the past weren't worthy of mercy, and that the only thing one needed to concern oneself with was defending one's honor by any means necessary.

"I don't need the coordinates of their branches. I just need to know where their headquarters are," said Gao Peng, shaking his head.

He didn't think that there would be any meaning in demolishing any of the Golden Hands' branches. He could easily locate any one of them with his own resources if he wanted to.

The only reason he wanted to make contact with the higher-ups of the Jinsha region in the first place was to get his hands on information regarding the locations of the Golden Hands' headquarters, or maybe some of their more important bases of operations.

He believed that the people in the Allied Government's Jinsha branch knew much more about the goings-on in the region than any outsider. One could never underestimate the government's information-gathering capabilities.

However, opinions on the question of how the government should handle the Golden Hands were extremely polarized. Some were in favor of outright destroying them, some were of the opinion that they should just let them be, and then there were those who suspected that the Golden Hands were simply the fangs and claws of someone in the upper echelons of their organization…

Jafar frowned at Gao Peng for a moment. Then he said, "Give me a minute." He turned around to make a few phone calls.

"You might be able to find a couple of people in the government who know where the Golden Hands' major bases of operations are right now. However, as luck would have it, you've come to the right person," said Jafar with a knowing smile.

"I know where the Golden Hands' headquarters are," he said. "However, I must advise you against going there yourself. It wouldn't be the wisest choice for you to make," he continued, shaking his head. "Would you like to know why? Despite being pressured on all sides by the Jinsha region's government, the Golden Hands is still a large-scale organization. There's a strong possibility that they have more than one Lord-tier trainer on their side."

"Don't worry about me," said Gao Peng confidently.

Jafar's lips wriggled, as if he wanted to say something to change his mind. However, seeing that Gao Peng was clearly a man of conviction, Jafar pressed his lips together and simply smiled.

"All right then. I will respect your decision," said Jafar. "I'll be praying for your success in wiping the Golden Hands' blight off the face of this planet."

"I will," said Gao Peng, nodding. After receiving the coordinates of the Golden Hands' headquarters from Jafar, he bid farewell to his host and left the place. He was confident that Jafar wasn't an ally of the Golden Hands. This was because 13 years before, when Jafar was still a mere local police chief, his wife and daughter had been killed in a suicide bombing incident, and the mastermind behind this act of terror was later discovered to be none other than the Golden Hands.

Over all these years, Jafar had been the vanguard leading the government's fight against the Golden Hands. Looking at Gao Peng's shrinking figure, his face grew troubled. These were uncertain times. All high-level combatants in the government were strictly forbidden at the moment from engaging their enemies, including the Golden Hands, without proper authorization.

The Golden Hands' headquarters were located in a small town named Shaji. One would be hard-pressed to find it on any map. Shaji was a small town formed deep in the Golden Sand Desert after the Cataclysm.

Only those who frequented the deeper parts of the desert would know that such a place existed. Travelers sometimes stopped by to replenish their supplies. The townsfolk also seemed like a friendly bunch.

The town was situated near an oasis deep in the desert. It was approximately ten square miles. Not too far away was a lake, around which stood buildings of all shapes and sizes. In every corner of the town, men clad in robes as yellow as the sand around them stood alert to their surroundings.

At times, yellow-winged dragons could be seen flying through the swirling sand in the air before coming down to land in the middle of the town. A couple of the townsfolk could also be seen venturing deeper into the desert with their sandworm familiars.

A group of figures had climbed up to the top of a sand dune. There, their gazes fell on the small desert town in the distance.

To the north of the town was a patch of green plants. The town was built around the lake in a crescent shape. A couple of palm trees were planted on the banks of the lake. They could also see human shapes flitting through the buildings.

Gao Peng took a deep breath and said, "Looks like we're here." He looked down at the map in his hand.

"Yes, this is the place. Sure is a difficult place to look for in the desert… Let's go," said Gao Peng. All of them began walking towards the town in the distance, with Gao Peng leading the way.

Dumby followed close behind, clad in a billowing black robe. Beside it were the White Steel Bladed Beast, the Desolate Frost Lion, and Flamy, all of them silent as they mentally braced themselves for the upcoming battle.

Flamy had been given the role of providing aerial support, taking down airborne enemies, and chasing down fleeing enemies on the ground.

The White Steel Bladed Beast was in charge of the group's frontal assault.

The Desolate Frost Lion's Ice-type abilities could provide crowd control. One of its advantages was its small stature, allowing it to be easily carried around in battle.

Gao Peng also believed that piles of corpses had been buried beneath the sand for years since the town's inception. The easiest way to handle a dead body was to bury it. The desert's loose sand made this all the easier.

"Someone's coming," muttered one of the patrolmen who had spotted Gao Peng in the distance into a hidden microphone.

"Copy that," said a voice in his earpiece.

When he was 500 steps away from the town's entrance, Gao Peng stopped. This should have been far enough.

Dumby raised its head. Its ivory Soul Flames began to burn beneath its robe. It then spread out its fingers and let the flames engulf both its arms. "Awaken, my fellow undead."

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Shaji Town.

Four men sat in silence in a room. A patterned goatskin sheet was spread out before them.

"Are we nowhere near subduing the Desert Wings? After spending half a year and most of our manpower and resources looking for the legendary Desert Wings, as described in the Lotian scriptures, we've finally found it, and still, we're forced to hide from it every day out here in the desert… I've had enough of this! I'm sick of this accursed desert! When will the Desert Wings be ours?" grumbled a wizened old man in a blue robe.

"Patience. According to the information I've received, the Desert Wings seems to have finally let down their guard. They're now coming to take a look at us."

"What for?" said the old man in the blue robe, frowning.

"To decide on a worthy trainer," said a golden-robed young man sitting on the left. "If there's one among us who thinks it's worthy of being their trainer, it just might come down here today to announce its decision."

"Heh, 'worthy'… Can the word of a monster even be trusted?" said the blue-robed old man with a sneer.

Fifty miles out in the desert, a huge monster could be seen slowly approaching the settlement. A couple of human figures could also be seen trudging along around it.

The sand behemoth stood at least 160 feet tall. Its wings were spread out like a sandstorm behind it, completely blocking out the sky.

A terrible wind blew across the desert, sending sand particles swirling in the air. A trail of disturbed sand lay in its wake, like a peacock's tail plumage. The monster left a deep impression on the sand as it lumbered by. Endless streams of sand flowed into its body from the desert.

It would at times stop to scoop up a handful of sand and then stuff it into its mouth. Its lower jaw was always rising and falling, forever masticating the sand in its mouth as if it was eating porridge.

The monster's pace was brisk. Due to its massive size, it was able to cover at least 65 feet across the sand with each step. It looked out serenely into the distance as it smashed through the sand dunes in its path.

Shouts were coming from outside the settlement. The four men in the room looked out the window with only one thing on their minds: is the Desert Wings here?

There was a panicked knocking on the door at that moment. "Apostles, the corpses buried outside have come alive and are now attacking us!"

Corpses? Alive?

All four men in the room looked at each other, clearly troubled. They could hear the sounds of an explosion coming from outside.

A reanimated Desert Winged Dragon corpse roared as it flew through the air. It then came down, smashing through one of the buildings below it.

Beneath the sun's scorching glare, skeletons of all shapes and sizes dragged themselves out of the sand. The townsfolk would simply bury the remains of the monsters that they had captured in the sand in the desert after they were done relieving the monsters' bodies of their meat and organs.

"Damn it. Whose bright idea was it to bury monster corpses so close to town?" shouted a Golden Hands combatant. These resurrected skeletons weren't as strong as before, and they no longer possessed the arcane abilities that they wielded when they were still flesh and blood. However, there were just too many of them!

One of the more underhanded tactics employed by Ghoul-type monsters in combat was overwhelming their opponent with the sheer number of their undead minions, which they couldn't be short of, considering that they could easily convert their fallen foes into allies. If there was one word that could describe such a tactic, it would be "disgusting."

Absolutely disgusting.

"My fellow undead, our time of glory is upon us!" roared Dumby, the Soul Flames in its eye sockets burning fiercely.

It spread out its arms, letting its black robe billow in the wind. An ocean of skeletons that had clambered madly out of their sandy graves lay in front of it. At that moment, Dumby looked like a warlord proudly looking out over its undead army on top of a sand dune.

Dunes began rising from the desert like huge gravestones, from which sand flowed down like waterfalls.

A set of massive, ivory bones began pulling themselves out of the sand and putting themselves together. The newly resurrected skeleton then viciously plunged its legs into the sand. In its skull burned Soul Flames. Swishing its tail behind it, the skeleton glared at the settlement before it with much fury and hatred towards the living. The massive skeleton let out a roar, whipping up a small sandstorm with another swish of its tail.

"It's the Giant Horned Lizard we just killed last month," someone said.

It had taken most of the townsfolk to take down this Lord-tier brute a month before. When they finally managed to put it down, they carved out its scaly hide and even extracted a Lord-tier monster core crystal from its body.

And now they had to do it all over again!

The Giant Horned Lizard charged through the town's familiar defense line like it was nothing, sending the defending familiars flying.

Aaaoooh!!!

A resounding cry sounded from the settlement. In the next second, a blue streak collided against the Giant Horned Lizard. A sound like thunder erupted when the two figures collided against each other.

Boom! The sound was dull and resounding, like a gong that had exploded from the depths of everyone's souls.

The blue streak gradually settled into a more corporeal form. It was somewhat smaller than the 32-foot-long Giant Horned Lizard. However, standing at approximately 16 feet tall, it was still a head taller than the latter.

On the outside, it looked like a monkey. However, instead of fur, its body was covered with blue scales. It had four arms and a fierce look on its face.

[Monter Name: Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape

[Monster Level: Level 44

[Monster Attribute: Water

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Ability: Fortified Scales Level 2, Water Mastery Level 2, Explosive Power Level 1

[Weaknesses: 1. Wood 2. It lacks lower body strength. It cannot bring out its full power when in midair.

[Description: A monster that likes listening to light music. It prefers life by the lake or any other bodies of water. It likes eating Striped Prawns. It detests loud noises.

The Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape's trainer was nowhere to be seen. They must have been hiding somewhere.

"Found the source of our troubles. The one who's summoning all these skeletons must be that… that guy over there, standing on one of the dunes to the east," said one of the technicians behind a bank of screens, all of which were connected to every surveillance camera in town.

Behind him stood the apostles. To his right, a red-robed old man said in a low voice, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get it before things go out of control!"

"Shouldn't we try to capture it alive? Incredible as it may be, its reanimation ability might have a time limit to it. We could bring it in for interrogation, ask it about its limits."

"They must be at least Lord-tier to be able to resurrect another Lord-tier monster. Red Apostle, I don't think it would be safe for you to go out there alone. I'll come with you and try to capture this creature alive if possible. If not… I guess we'll just have to kill it."

Gao Peng had no idea there would be so many monster corpses buried in the sand. Dumby's mass-resurrection ability alone was enough to make everyone in the Golden Hands' headquarters run around like a bunch of headless chickens.

However, he still needed more than Dumby's undead powers to completely bury the Golden Hands. After all, there was a chance that the Golden Hands might have had more than one Lord-tier familiar at their disposal.

Just as Gao Peng was about to let the White Steel Bladed Beast help Dumby, a piercing shriek sounded overhead.

Two black figures were approaching Gao Peng at breakneck speed in the air. Both of them were flying straight at him, side by side!

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Chapter 404: Silver-Winged Mirage Butterfly

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

Through the high-tech modified camera sitting on top of the highest tower in the small town, they could see the pictures captured from ten kilometers away clearly on the screen.

Young Gao Peng was spotted too, together with a few Familiars alongside him.

An older apostle in red and another in blue were quite amazed at how young Gao Peng was. While a younger apostle dressed in gold and another in silver beside them were quite envious of Gao Peng's handsomeness.

"But I'm even more curious about why this fellow is seeking for his death by provoking us with Golden Hands. What has he got against us?"

As an apostle with Golden Hands, Mazato had a clear understanding of his own Golden Hands. In other words, he knew his own limits. He probably had once offended someone during an operation.

"Found it. He is called Gao Peng, originated from Huaxia Region, leader of the Undead Catastrophe, and at the same time, the president of Southern Sky Group.

"So it's him!"

A few of the apostles have heard of Gao Peng, but they have never seen him in person before. When they heard the name Gao Peng and the Undead Catastrophe and also the Southern Sky Group, they understood all of it instantly. They have come across Gao Peng's profile before, it was just that they have never met him in person.

Their hatred from the past and present accumulated together. They have tried assassinating Gao Peng, but Gao Peng had sabotaged their actions.

There was not much to say. He was no doubt the enemy.

"This little one has great potential. We couldn't handle him back in Huaxia Region, but he has a lot of nerve to actually show up at our doorstep."

"Which Familiar do you think he will die in the hands of? Is it red apostle's Saprophytic Earth Dragon or silver apostle's Silver Mirage Butterfly?" the apostle in gold said with ease and contentment.

To him, Gao Peng was already a meat on a chopping board. It was just the matter of waiting for his time to come.

Two Lord Tier Monsters attacking him at the same time, how would this little one escape?

"Do not say too soon, this matter has yet to be confirmed. Who knows, the little one just might get away." The apostle in red looked quite calm, in fact, a smile was forming on his lips.

"Haha, the few famous Familiars of his are not with him, especially that uncanny duck. He only has that one-legged crane, which brings little treat." The apostle in gold laughed.

"But with the help of silver apostle's Silver Mirage Butterfly, it could completely captivate that one-legged crane."

With all the staring and talking, it looked as if the battle had a foregone conclusion.

As he lifted his head and was greeted by two charging Familiars, Gao Peng's first reaction was to wonder how on earth did two Familiars sneaked their way over here, and they only exposed themselves when they were 50 meters away from him.

The silver-winged butterfly on the left had wings as long as three meters. It looked extremely beautiful, as if pure silver was poured onto its wings, coating its surface.

On the right was a long lizard-like monster with wings. There was a strong overwhelming stench coming from it, and its thick dark purple tongue was swirling wildly inside its wide opened mouth as its body was covered with coarse skin.

[Monster name: Silver-Winged Mirage Butterfly (Variant type)

[Monster level: Level 42

[Monster grade: Perfect grade

[Monster attribute: Mirage/Light

[Monster skills: Sharp Mouthparts Lv3, Light and Shadow Mastery Lv2

[Special characteristic: Mirage Scales (Effect Passive Effect: It could turn completely invisible in the atmosphere by forming a special optical mirage on its body surface

Effect Active Effect: Using the replenishable scale powder on its wings to form a mirage in the atmosphere for a certain period of time.)

[Monster weakness: 1. Fire type 2. Electric type

[Monster description: A variant form of a Mirage Butterfly, a rare type of variant form; has the ability to turn light and shadow into a mirage; likes using mirage to confuse preys and then devouring the brains of prey using their sharp mouthparts.

[Monster name: Saprophytic Earth Dragon

[Monster level: Level 45

[Monster grade: Excellent grade

[Monster attribute: Earth/Shadow

[Monster skills: Malicious Decay Lv2 Earth Mastery Lv2 Shadow Mastery Lv2

[Monster weakness: Holy type

[Monster description: lives in dark and damp places; dislikes hunting; likes decayed bodies as food; most favourite thing to do is to snatch away the preys of other monsters who worked hard to hunt. When they couldn't find any decayed bodies, they would make their own.

So it was the mirage that obscured our perception, even Flamy and the others did not see this coming… its illusion ability is quite strong.

The White Steel Bladed Beast that has been lying beside Gao Peng's feet finally moved…

As it straightened its body, two white silvery weapons popped up from its limbs.

Then a green light flashed, and it disappeared into thin air.

Storm Cross Kill!

The wind whistled as it showcased an extremely long afterimage of two silvery white lines through the body of the silver-winged butterfly.

The face of the apostle dressed in silver in the house turned pale, it was as if he was about to spurt a mouthful of blood. A splitting headache hit him, and he almost passed out.

"Huh, what's wrong?" the room was chaotic, the apostle in silver's strange behaviour was making them suspicious of whether or not there were any monsters that sneaked into the room.

"God!" exclaimed the technician in charge of modulating the lens, attracting the attention of the three apostles.

"All the shouting and yelling, what is this… Ugh."

The apostle in gold at the back had nothing more to say.

On the screen, the two silvery white lines that formed a cross lingered in the air on the searing hot ocean of sand, the Silver-Winged Mirage Butterfly that was originally flying in the air was torn to pieces!

Green blood rained down from the skies as pieces of silver wings followed behind.

Behind it, a silver wide-eyed monster with outstretched wings slowly fell from the sky, its arms crossed in front it. Its movement was soft and gentle, the complete opposite of the strong formation it had a moment ago.

Executed!

The Silver-Winged Mirage Butterfly of the apostle dressed in silver had actually been executed!

It was a Lord Tier Familiar, not some random amateur picked up from the streets. But even a Lord Tier Familiar could be executed. They didn't dare to think about other possibilities.

Everyone was staring at the screen, dumfounded and bewildered, as a surge of feelings rushed through them.

Among the three apostles, the one in red was the first one to snap out of it, his complexion changed. The Silver-Winged Mirage Butterfly has been executed, his own Familiar…

"It's dangerous! Quickly return, Earth Dragon." The apostle in red warned his dragon through Blood Contract.

The moment it saw its partner being executed, the dragon felt a chill ran down its tail.

There was no need for a reminder from its master, it immediately turned and ran.

Down below, the Desolate Frost Lion that was napping on Gao Peng's shoulder opened its eyes, the cold air in the atmosphere condensed.

The Desolate Frost Lion muttered, "I really hate these kinds of environments like in deserts, the ice in the atmosphere is just too thin."

As the lion spoke, the air surrounding the Saprophytic Earth Dragon started to condense, forming an ice cage. The dragon that was retreating rammed into the ice cage, knocking off big chunks of icicles, but the icicles quickly reformed to form new ones.

There were sounds of cracking and shuffling as the dragon in the air was caught in the cage made of crisscrossing icicles in the end. With a thud, the ice cage fell onto the sand dune and rolled over several times.

"Flamy, fly up to the sky and keep an eye on it, don't let it get away." Gao Peng ordered flatly.

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Chapter 405: Guilty

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

The Saprophytic Earth Dragon cried in anger, its brown skin started shedding a lot of black liquid that formed into various shapes, hoping it would corrode the ice cage that was trapping it.

The hard ice started to shrink inward, and the black liquid that sticked onto the icicles made a sizzling sound.

Oh, it seems to be effective and can corrode the ice.

The saprophytic dragon which was struggling suddenly stopped moving, and tried to sneak out of the ice cage. It quietly lay in place, pretending to be innocent and weak.

Snap.

A white lion with small paws sat on top of the ice cage, lowering its face.

The ice stopped melting and started to hardened, sealing the entire cage.

The saprophytic dragon was stunned for two seconds, then it kept screaming and struggling…

The skeletal tyrant Dumby strode towards the town, and the undead who had not joined the fight in the periphery stopped in their tracks and watched, then followed behind Dumby and transformed into a sea of skeletons.

"Boom!" the Lord Tier giant lizard's skull was split open, and its empty skull was exposed to the open air.

Two blue arms held the skull, another blue arm roughly held the Flame of the Undead upside down, holding it like a piece of beef tendon, as it licked its lips!

"Aoo." The Lord Tier undead giant lizard let out a scream and lost his life.

"You have no fear of the dead." Dumby appeared next to the dead giant lizard, kneeling down and gently touching the lifeless giant lizard. The Flame of the Undead flew out of dead lizard's brain and disappeared into the Dumby's body.

After Dumby had breathed in the flame, he seemed to have grown stronger.

"Death is the home of all the living." Dumby rubbed his throat up and down, making a hoarse voice from the throat.

"But you, have no fear of the dead." The dull black palm of Dumby was lightly pressed against the chest of the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape, and its chest instantly sunk, blue scales exploded like a burning charcoal.

Boom!

The chest of the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape flew out from behind, rolling several times on the ground.

With an outstretched palm, Dumby rushed forward on his toes.

The Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape on the ground was ready to pick itself up. Suddenly, it heard a dull heartbeat in its ear, the next moment its heart contracted inwardly, and it plopped onto the ground, with its two arms on the ground and the other two over its chest.

Dumby jumped and landed in front of the ape. Its right hand was like draping, its dark palm burned with a strong dark red flame, as it fell on the head of the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape, making a sizzling sound, like the sound of roasting meat on an iron plate.

The Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape screamed as the dark red flame surrounded its skull and blew out its head!

In a flash, the head of the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape turned into a torch, which was particularly noticeable in the dark.

The attribute of the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape was water. It was reasonable to say that its resistance to fire attack was not weak, but in the face of the dark red flame, it had no resistance at all, and at this moment its fire resistance had lost its effect.

Blue waves illuminated the sky, dying it in deep blue within a radius of ten meters from the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape like a giant ball of water, wrapping around it and Dumby.

The blue ball of water started spinning wildly, and the black robe worn by Dumby flew violently. The black robe was torn and in the blink of an eye it completely shattered, exposing its pure black bone.

Blood vessels like silk red threads were growing inside Dumby's body. In its chest, there sat a bright red heart. The eyes of the Flame of the Undead was burning, and the dark red flame on the left and right arms lingered on the palm of Dumby.

Dumby had gotten his dark flames from the energy of white jade bones. After inheriting it, the dark flame had been growing together with Dumby. Gao Peng recalled back when Dumby had first gotten it, it was only Lv2, now it was already Lv3.

There was a dark handprint on the head of the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape where Dumby had came in contact with, and the scales there were completely burnt. The dark handprint on its smooth, bald blue scale head was particularly eye-catching.

The Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape looked at Dumby in fear. Realising that he stood no chance against it, it hurriedly scrambled onto its feet to escape.

Dumby chased after him. The Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape which was running away turned back suddenly, its face ferocious as it lifted its muscles high up in the cold air, its sharp nails slashing in the direction of Dumby!

Dumby stopped in his tracks and turned sideways, swinging its tail like a sword, all in one go.

Pff!

The bone sword sliced through its chest, penetrating the heart. At the same time the punches of the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape landed on Dumby's body, knocking it over.

With the sword still in its chest, the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape glared at Dumby. Without pulling the bone sword out, it turned and ran away.

Dumby pushed himself up from the ground and touched his buttocks, his tail was gone…

Losing the Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape, the remaining subordinates with Golden Hands could no longer deal with it. They accepted defeat and fled to a small town.

However, this was the last struggle, because the town was surrounded by the tides of skeletons in all directions, it was impossible to escape.

"Let's go, there is another way, let these people help buy some time for us," said the apostle in green.

Judging from the three persons, the face of the apostle in gold fell; the Lord Tier Familiar of the one in silver had been murdered; the apostle in red's Familiar was trapped, while the Familiar of the apostle dressed in blue had also suffered much injuries.

Even though the Golden Hand's power was not weak before, but there were three other people who have the same amount of power, which now seemed like a very good opportunity…

The apostle in gold was jogging his mind, but in the next moment, his mood changed subtly as he turned his head, "What is the meaning of this?"

Behind him, the apostle dressed in his blue robe retrieved a gun from his pocket and pointed straight at the head of the apostle in gold.

The one in red beside him also took out a pocket pistol and pointed at him.

At the same time the Demon Spider Lady was hanging upside down on the window, its back had two claws that was sharp like spears, pointing towards the apostle in gold.

"Our Familiars are either injured or dead, only yours remain in perfect condition… and yet we were afraid of what schemes you might have been planning." The apostle in red laughed.

Even though his Familiar, the Saprophytic Earth Dragon was trapped, but with its rough and thick skin, it temporarily protected it from death, hence it did not receive any slightest damage.

"What do you guys plan to do?" the apostle in gold spoke calmly.

"Let your Lord Tier Familiar stall some time, then we can all leave here using the tunnel together."

"That's right, your Lord Tier Familiar mustn't leave with us, if not, no one will be leaving today."

As an apostle, they were the ones who knew best about the temperament of their former colleagues, not one of them were good people.

They would still maintain their composure even though everyone was at their peaks, but as soon as someone showed a sign of fatigue, everyone else would be gobbling each other up like hungry wolves.

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Chapter 406: The Destruction of the Golden Hands

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

"Do you people really not trust me?" said the golden-robed apostle, sounding a bit exasperated.

"Yeah."

"Now that you know we don't trust you, just save your breath and do as we say."

"…" The golden-robed apostle nodded with an inscrutable expression on his face.

Just then, the ceiling caved in. A beam of golden light fell through like a waterfall. The Demon Spider Lady standing in the corner was reduced to a bloody puddle almost instantly.

The three apostles managed to conjure elemental barriers of various colors over themselves before the beam of light hit them.

The silver-robed apostle's flame elemental barrier was disintegrated in an instant. Having lost his Lord-tier familiar, he was left with two Commander-tier familiars. The paper-thin barrier that his Commander-tier familiars were able to muster didn't stand a chance against the golden beam of light.

An earth elemental barrier shimmered across the red-robed apostle's body. Compared to the other elements, the earth element was capable of providing the strongest defense.

Even though his familiar, the Saprophytic Earth Dragon, was confined within an ice prison, it was still able to erect a barrier over its trainer using a small portion of its earth elemental power.

Fragments of blue light glinted across the blue-robed apostle.

The Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape stumbled as it hurried towards its trainer. Despite the terrible injury it had sustained, it still managed to erect an elemental barrier over its master using a portion of its water elemental energy. The river ape pressed one hand against its chest as it limped towards where the blue-robed apostle was, its eyes fixed fiercely in his direction!

The golden-robed apostle held out what looked like a golden rug in his right hand. The arcane markings on it began to swim and swirl until they converged into the shape of an eye.

The golden rug fluttered in the windless room, then expanded into a cape before wrapping itself around the golden-robed apostle. He now looked like some great Persian king gazing at the two surviving apostles with an aloof expression.

"You left me no choice. When I'm done with the two of you, I'll be the one to lead the Golden Hands to glory," said the golden-robed apostle humbly.

He looked at the blue-robed apostle, whose elemental barrier seemed flimsier and dimmer than the others. Better to amputate an infected limb than let it infect the rest of the body.

Even though such a saying didn't exist in the Jinsha region's vernacular, its meaning could still be comprehended by anyone outside the Huaxia region.

The golden rug slithered across the golden-robed apostle's arm before lunging out at the blue-robed apostle. It coiled itself around its prey like a python.

The blue-robed apostle's fingers and legs that were left exposed outside the golden rug stiffened. His body spasmed for a while. Then, with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.

The Blue-Scaled Four-Armed River Ape, who was running like mad through the streets, fell to the ground at the same time.

An intense pain gripped its entire body. It was as if it had been struck by lightning. Try as it might, the river ape could no longer get back to its feet.

"Next," said the golden-robed apostle with a faint smile as he turned towards the red-robed apostle.

Boom! The sounds of battle were drawing closer outside the window. Looking out the window, the golden-robed apostle sighed. "Pity. Well then, I won't waste any more time on foreplay."

He then pointed a finger at the red-robed apostle. The golden rug flew out and wrapped itself around its victim. Suddenly, the golden rug fell to the ground with a plop.

The red-robed apostle had disappeared inside it.

"Slippery old devil. Looks like he's got quite a number of tricks up his sleeve that none of us knew about."

He called back his familiar with a gesture and walked out of the room without looking back at the fallen bodies of his former compatriots.

Suddenly, he stopped. At the entrance of the stairwell, a huge, black figure was barring his way.

"Found you," growled Dumby. It was holding a bloody bone sword in its right hand with its blade facing backward. It lightly caressed the wall with its left hand. In an instant, the wall collapsed, filling the air with dust and smoke.

The air rippled before the Desolate Frost Lion, who simply yawned and conjured an ice prison over the disturbance.

When the red-robed apostle opened his eyes, he found himself trapped inside the ice prison. The look of relief on his face disappeared almost as soon as it had appeared.

Gao Peng beamed at him. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

The red-robed apostle had obtained this fail-safe ability when the Saprophytic Earth Dragon reached Lord-tier. With this ability, he could teleport himself to the side of his strongest familiar before an enemy could inflict fatal damage upon him.

The range of this ability was limited by his spiritual strength. However, its minimum range was at least a few hundred miles.

The red-robed apostle despondently sat down on the ground in his ice prison. He had lost all will to fight.

Half an hour later, Dumby came back with a ragged golden rug in one hand and a man completely covered in his own blood in the other.

"Master, I've captured the guy who tried to escape. This is his familiar." Dumby casually threw the golden-robed apostle to the ground. He was still holding the golden rug in his hand.

Despair crept into the red-robed apostle's heart when he saw the golden-robed apostle lying unconscious on the ground. Guess he didn't make it out of there in time, he thought.

He couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness wash over him at the sight of his former compatriot's unconscious form.

"I hear there are four apostles in the Golden Hands. I only see two here," said Gao Peng, frowning. Did the other two escape? "Where are the others?" Gao Peng asked the red-robed apostle.

"They're no longer here," replied the red-robed apostle with a sigh. "The other two were killed by him."

His eyes were fixated on the golden-robed apostle lying on the ground. Who knew the Golden Hands would end up this way just because of one person?

A troubled look floated across the red-robed apostle's face. He looked as if he was about to say something, but then he bit his lip and decided against it.

He leaned back on the wall of his ice prison without saying another word.

The cries of anguish from the streets began to die down. The White Steel Bladed Beast had made quick work of most of the enemy familiars, the strongest among them being Commander-tier. Even the Lord-tier Silver-Winged Mirage Butterfly stood no chance against it.

"I can't believe the Golden Hands' headquarters was decimated just like that." The Jinsha region's Alliance government was now in a furor. Everyone had been watching what was happening there through the government's satellite feed. Even though none of them were directly participating in the ongoing battle, they had been paying close attention to it.

The walking skeleton's mass resurrection ability and the tiny, white-colored creature who was able to take out the Silver-Winged Mirage Butterfly in an instant were nothing short of extraordinary.

On the other hand, even though Flamy and the Desolate Frost Lion hadn't done too bad themselves, they didn't stand out that much on the battlefield and so didn't receive as much attention from anyone in the Alliance government.

"Incredible, the Golden Hands group was wiped out just like that," muttered a lady in a yellow uniform. She was looking at Gao Peng on the screen with her arms folded across her chest. The look on her face was one of awe and respect for Gao Peng's strength as a monster trainer.

"This Gao Peng has at least five Lord-tier familiars with him!" said a general in the room solemnly.

Silence instantly fell over the room.

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Chapter 407: A Way to Break a Blood Contract

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

A dead silence had fallen over the war room. Only the ticking sounds of a clock could be heard in a corner.

"Remind me again, what were the Jinsha military's chances of taking down the Golden Hands when we were running our tactical simulations?" someone asked.

"I think it was around 60 percent," replied one general.

The air in the room had turned icy cold. Even if they'd had a 60-percent chance of coming out victorious, there was no way they would be able to take down such a large-scale organization so easily.

Of course, the simulations had only taken into account the Jinsha military's overall strength. More often than not, the region's government and military were viewed as separate entities. While the military could improve their chances of success by recruiting trainers from the government, as well as those from the outside, the cost and manpower necessary to pull this off would be beyond the military's resources. Also, a recruitment drive on this scale would definitely have tipped off the Golden Hands.

More importantly, this would go against everything the region stood for.

"Give the order. We'll launch a coordinated raid on every existing Golden Hands branch this instant," said a high-ranking general commandingly, slapping the table with his hand. They had been watching the Golden Hands for too long. Now was the time for action.

"Gao… Peng," muttered a good-looking young man with sunken eyes and a high nose bridge. That name was now deeply embedded in his mind.

He was hailed as one of the young rising stars in the Jinsha region, the genius trainer in the military who had already raised a couple of Lord-tier familiars at such a young age. After watching the satellite feed today, the young man couldn't help but feel frustrated at himself.

He took a deep breath. He only had five Lord-tier familiars with him. I too already have a Lord-tier familiar and three Commander-tier familiars at my disposal. There's not much of a gap between us!

I, Suo Lun, will never give up. I will surpass him someday! This I swear! He had set Gao Peng as a standard that he had to surpass no matter what.

The only reason Gao Peng had been able to take down the Golden Hands was that they had completely underestimated him.

The Golden Hands would have definitely run for the hills as soon as they caught a whiff of the slightest movement from the military. Who would have thought that it would only take one person to bring about their downfall?

It was something that could only happen in their wildest dreams. This wasn't some fairy tale, where a hero could just save a damsel in distress from the hands of a demon king by stabbing him in the heart with his legendary sword.

"We lost. Worse still, we were defeated by a 21-year-old boy," muttered the red-robed apostle despondently in his ice prison.

"What? I'm only 20!" retorted Gao Peng, frowning.

"But I've read your file. Wasn't yesterday your 21st birthday? Oh… maybe you Huaxia people follow a different calendar?"

"We're using the lunar and solar calendars like everyone else," said Gao Peng stiffly. He then looked at the creature that resembled a carpet lying in the corner.

[Monster Name: Gold-Threaded Rug Monster

[Monster Level: Level 43

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Attribute: Metal

[Monster Ability: Sturdy Golden Threads Level 2

[Weaknesses: Fire

[Description: Originally a gold-threaded rug passed down for 3,000 years. It came to life after the Cataclysm and subsequently evolved into the Gold-Threaded Monster. It has a gentle disposition. Other rugs and carpets are its main source of food. It hates fire.

A rug that was magically brought to life!

Gao Peng was stunned. This was the second non-living thing he had seen that had evolved into a living monster, the first being the living stone statues like the Guan Yu stone statue.

Curious indeed… I would really like to study it closely. If only we were at home right now…

It would be troublesome to bring a Lord-tier familiar that still belonged to someone else back home. Gao Peng would also have to keep it restrained at all times.

Gao Peng sighed.

There was another way—have the Jinsha government keep it for the time being. However, Gao Peng didn't trust anyone there.

If I were to hand it over to them, there's no guarantee that they would give it back to me. I've already killed so many people in the Golden Hands. What do I have to fear from a mere rug? thought Gao Peng.

He narrowed his eyes at the Gold-Threaded Rug Monster.

"Are you seriously thinking about taming this creature?" asked the Desolate Frost Lion through its Blood Contract with Gao Peng.

Gao Peng paused, then shook his head. "No, I just want to study it for a bit."

Da Zi let out a sigh. He, too, thought that Gao Peng was going to add another monster to his collection. Its feelers wiggled about happily as it gave the Desolate Frost Lion a determined look.

"If it was a monster without a trainer, I could still let any of my subordinates keep it, but its contract with its trainer is still intact. There's no way I can break it at this point," muttered Gao Peng.

The Desolate Frost Lion looked at Gao Peng curiously, then asked, "So what if it still has a trainer? Just break its Blood Contract."

Gao Peng widened his eyes at the Desolate Frost Lion. "What did you just say? A Blood Contract can be broken?"

The Desolate Frost Lion's brows furrowed, then relaxed when he remembered that these people were country bumpkins and probably didn't know that a Blood Contract could be broken.

"Yeah. However, there are three conditions that need to be fulfilled in order to break a Blood Contract."

Gao Peng hesitated. He had never heard about this. However, this knowledge was akin to Pandora's box. If Gao Peng didn't open it now, someone else might do it sooner or later. The only thing that mattered right now was Gao Peng's curiosity…

"What are these three conditions?"

"First, you must chant the incantation that's supposed to break a Blood Contract. Next, you must have the other trainer willingly break his or her connection with the familiar. For this to work, he or she must be in a normal state of mind. If he or she is somehow bewitched or under any form of mind control, you won't be able to meet this condition. Last but not least, you must have the familiar willingly break its Blood Contract with its trainer. Again, like its trainer, its mind must not be affected in any way."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Gao Peng fell silent. These three conditions seemed simple enough. However, there wasn't much he could do to meet the last two conditions.

Who would be willing to break a Blood Contract with their own familiars? Still, the fact remained that he would need the consent of both parties in order to make this work.

A peaceful separation was how Gao Peng would describe breaking a Blood Contract between trainer and familiar.

"It's still someone else's familiar…" muttered Gao Peng to himself. There was no telling if he could get anyone to willingly break their Blood Contract with their familiar, let alone an enemy of his.

The golden-robed apostle's finger suddenly twitched. He was now breathing heavily through his nostrils.

"Help me, please, I beg you, save me." said the golden-robed apostle in a low voice. Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. His face had turned as white as a sheet.

He was more than aware of his current condition. Only a Healing-type familiar could pull him back from the doors of death at this point.

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Chapter 408: Surrender

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

Gao Peng darted a few looks at the golden-robed apostle without saying anything. After a while, he ordered Xiao Cao to pull the man back from the brink of death.

Gradually, the golden-robed apostle's face regained its color. The bleeding at the corner of his mouth stopped, and he was now breathing more steadily.

The man was overjoyed. He had never felt this great. It was as if he had been given a new lease on life.

"I would like to study your familiar," said Gao Peng, squatting down beside him.

The golden-robed apostle paused for a moment, unsure if he had heard Gao Peng correctly. Then, he nodded furiously. "All right. It's all yours." He suddenly felt a pang of pain at the prospect of handing over his familiar to Gao Peng. However, as long as he was still alive, he could always turn the tables on those who had wronged him…

"I will also need you to break your Blood Contract with your familiar."

The golden-robed apostle blinked at him. What?

"I'm not trying to force you. I don't really like the idea of coercing people into doing something they don't want to do. I just want to talk things out with you before you come to a decision yourself. If you break your Blood Contract with your familiar, not only will I complete your healing, I'll also let you out of here," said Gao Peng patiently.

The golden-robed apostle silently turned to the Gold-Threaded Rug Monster, which was lying limp and ragged on the ground. Its wounds had barely healed. Some of them were still bleeding profusely.

The golden-robed apostle felt a jolt of sympathy at the sight of the Gold-Threaded Rug Monster's fallen form. He could still remember the day when the Cataclysm had happened and all hell had broken loose as strange monsters began attacking everyone on the streets. Five years ago, he had just been an ordinary museum curator.

Fortunately, the museum's defenses were sturdy enough to hold off the rampaging monsters. With the heavy metal doors shut, the museum became his own personal fortress.

As he was looking for food in a room, he accidentally knocked down something from the wall. It was an ancient gold-threaded rug that had been hanging on the wall. He bent over to pick it up when suddenly, the rug had twitched in his hand…

He had never imagined that he would live to see inanimate objects coming to life. The rug slowly unfurled before him, its golden threads glistening beneath the room's fluorescent light. He could still remember the way the reanimated rug had looked at him.

"Are you here to protect me?" he had asked. Excitement had been rising in him.

This 3,000-year-old rug had come alive just as monsters were rampaging through the streets. However, it didn't seem capable of doing much. Soon, the museum's food reserves were exhausted. The rug monster had also exhausted the supply of rugs and carpets in the museum. Most of the rugs and carpets there were priceless artifacts, but it seemed that only one had come to life. It was then that the golden-robed apostle found out about the rug monster's diet, which mainly consisted of other textile products like rugs and carpets.

Later, he had decided to leave the museum in search of food in a nearby supermarket. It hadn't taken long for a pack of Hairless Bloodhounds to pick up his scent. The golden-robed apostle remembered running for his life through the streets with the Hairless Bloodhounds on his tail.

By some miracle, his frantic running had caught the attention of a few people from the Golden Hands, who had proceeded to save him from his monstrous pursuers. Later on, he was inducted into the Golden Hands. Gradually, he climbed his way up the rungs of the organization until he finally made a name for himself as one of the four apostles of the Golden Hands. Though he had achieved much through his own effort, he knew that he wouldn't have made it this far without the Gold-Threaded Rug Monster's help.

He couldn't stand the idea of cutting ties with a partner who had stayed with him through thick and thin for so long. The rug monster was one of the main reasons behind his success.

Without it, he definitely wouldn't have become a Golden Hands apostle. Only a Lord-tier trainer would have had any chance of earning that title.

However, if he refused to do what Gao Peng had asked, he would most likely be killed. There was nothing to be gained from death. Between his own life and the relationship he had cultivated with the Gold-Threaded Rug Monster all these years, there was no doubt in his mind what the better option was.

"All right! As thanks for healing me, I'll give you my familiar. I also promise that I won't come after you in retaliation once I leave this place," said the golden-robed apostle resolutely.

Upon hearing this, the Gold-Threaded Rug Monster shivered on the ground.

"I feel like the villain here…" muttered Gao Peng. He couldn't but feel sorry for the Gold-Threaded Rug Monster.

Half an hour later, the golden-robed apostle stood back up and left the place. Behind him lay the Gold-Threaded Rug Monster, whose Blood Contract had been broken. After seeing Gao Peng walk over to it, the rug-like creature began shaking like a leaf.

[Monster Name: Gold-Threaded Rug Monster

[Perfect-Grade Evolutionary Routes: 1. Golden Light Rug Monster (Light-type evolution) 2. Bloody Golden Rug Monster (Bloody evolution)

The Gold-Threaded Rug Monster only had two possible evolutionary routes. Also, it had an extremely limited set of abilities. It just wasn't Gao Peng's type. He then decided to give it to Huang Ya.

Huang Ya had always been loyal to him. Half a year before, Gao Peng had appointed him Head of the Harvesting Department in the Southern Sky headquarters.

The Harvesting Department was in charge of harvesting all kinds of plants and materials in the wilderness. It was a dangerous job. Anyone working in this department was a trainer of formidable strength. Only those with at least one Commander-tier familiar were qualified to work there.

Huang Ya's position was becoming more precarious with the influx of trainers in the department. He was still able to stifle the discontent people were feeling about his place in the department, but he could only hold off his detractors for so long with the reputation he had built up for himself.

Gao Peng figured that he could solve this problem once and for all by giving Huang Ya a Lord-tier familiar.

Gao Peng then looked at the red-robed apostle.

Without waiting to hear Gao Peng's proposition, the red-robed apostle said, "I, too, would like to offer you my familiar in exchange for my life. I also happen to know the Golden Hands' secret vaults. I'll give you their combinations if you promise to let me leave this place alive."

Unlike the golden-robed apostle, he was a veteran in the Golden Hands. Gao Peng had promised the golden-robed apostle that he wouldn't kill him. He hadn't said anything about keeping him safe from the government.

The red-robed apostle knew that the government already had the place surrounded outside. No harm would come to Gao Peng. However, a villain like himself would definitely be shot down the moment he stepped out of this place.

Having lived for so long, he had seen enough in his life to be able to take into account all eventualities of any situation.

Two minutes later…

The red-robed apostle's face had turned red like a tomato, as if he was trying to lay an egg. It wouldn't be far-fetched at this point to describe a Blood Contract as a patch of dead skin stubbornly clinging to the Mental Sea that was shared by both trainer and familiar.

"Are you done?" asked Gao Peng, raising an eyebrow.

"Almost. Just give me a bit more time…"

Ten minutes later, the red-robed apostle gave up. "My familiar doesn't want to break its Blood Contract with me."

The Saprophytic Earth Dragon who was still trapped inside the ice prison furiously looked at its trainer. How dare you try to give me up!

"Let's just break our Blood Contract. That way, you'll be able to find a new trainer who will take even better care of you…"

The Saprophytic Earth Dragon shook its head furiously. Sometimes, familiars were a more stubborn lot than humans. They took their connections with their trainers seriously, sometimes even more so than their Blood Contracts.

"Ah, forget it… Kill me if you must," said the red-robed apostle with a bitter laugh. He suddenly remembered all that he had been through alongside the Saprophytic Earth Dragon.

He had signed a Blood Contract with it at the age of 58, a time when he no longer had the vigor of youth in him.

Old people generally had a harder time showing affection for their familiars. However, the Saprophytic Earth Dragon had been a ray of light in his life.

He still remembered what a tiny thing the Saprophytic Earth Dragon had been when he signed a blood contract with it. Since then, it had grown into a 30-foot-long monstrosity.

Well, I've lived a long enough life.

Even though he had braced himself for Gao Peng's killing blow, the red-robed apostle tried one last time to convince his young captor to spare his life. "I've already tried to break my Blood Contract with my familiar. I have no wish to die here. I want to live on. I can tell you where the Golden Hands' secret vaults are, as well as the locations of our bases outside the region. I can also help you round up any surviving members of the Golden Hands. I am at your mercy. Use me as you please." The red-robed apostle let his head hang in despair.

Then, there was silence.

Chapter 409: The Desert Pillar Monster

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

"Master, a strong monster is coming this way." Stripey's voice echoed in Gao Peng's head.

"Strong? Are you sure about that?" asked Gao Peng.

Stripey was a King-tier familiar. To it, most Lord-tier familiars were nothing more than ants to be stepped on. A shiver ran down Gao Peng's spine. Whatever was coming their way must have been pretty strong.

"It's here," said Stripey.

All of a sudden, the sky went dark.

Sand had blocked out the sky in the distance. There was a palpable tension in the air. From the top of the sand dune, Gao Peng could see a towering figure speeding towards them from the horizon and whipping up a mighty sandstorm in its wake.

The raging sandstorm was drawing closer and closer to them. At that moment, Gao Peng had a strange feeling that the desert had come alive.

He strained his eyes at the approaching figure.

[Monster Name: Desert Pillar Monster

[Monster Level: Level 52 (King-tier)

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Attribute: Sand

[Monster Ability: Sand Mastery Level 5

[Special Characteristics: Desert Wings (It was endowed by the desert with a pair of wings that allow it to traverse distances across the desert at top speed.

Passive Effect 1: While the Desert Pillar Monster is equipped with an enhanced regeneration ability, it's hampered by its innate sluggishness, which is remedied by an agility boost from its Desert Wings. However, this effect can only be activated in a desert environment.

Passive Effect 2: As it was blessed with a pair of Desert Wings by the desert, its Sand Mastery ability automatically receives a 1 level boost in any desert environment.

Active Effect 3: The Desert Pillar Monster is capable of whipping up a sandstorm with its Desert Wings.)

[Monster Weakness: Ice

[Description: The Desert Pillar Monster is a creature that usually lives in the deeper regions of the desert. While their numbers are small, they are a species blessed by the desert itself. Different types of Desert Pillar Monsters exist, each of them endowed with a unique ability by the desert. Thanks to its Desert Wings, this particular Desert Pillar Monster is bestowed with increased agility and enhanced regeneration ability, as long as it remains within the confines of a desert.

Another King-tier monster. Gao Peng's face darkened. This was the third King-tier monster he had encountered.

The other King-tier monsters he had come across in the past were the mutant coral monster back in Yang Cheng and the mutant aquatic dragon he had seen on the television.

Unlike the other two King-tier monsters, he was about to have a direct confrontation with the Desert Pillar Monster.

Gao Peng's face remained calm. He reached up and absently stroked Silly's slippery surface.

"Be careful, that's a King-tier monster. It was only with the Desert Pillar Monster's blessing that the Golden Hands were allowed to build a base out here in the desert," shouted the red-robed apostle.

"Got it," said Gao Peng, glancing at him. He turned towards the incoming Desert Pillar Monster.

Back in the military base, people were gaping at this strange creature. Even though none of them had seen or heard anything about it before, its towering shape was enough to strike fear into all their hearts. "What is this strange creature? Why hasn't anyone heard of it before?"

"I don't know, but… doesn't it resemble the Desert Wings from the Lotian mythology codex?" said a young general. The Lotian mythology codex was filled with illustrations of mythical creatures of all shapes and sizes, which were portrayed according to their descriptions in the book.

The young general had been obsessed with mythology when he was a boy. A sense of familiarity came over him when saw the Desert Pillar Monster's hulking form in the distance.

After hearing what he said, everyone in the room looked at the Desert Pillar Monster with some degree of recognition. Everyone in the Jinsha region followed the Lotian religion with varying degrees of fervor.

"It was born from the heart of the desert with an innate ability to control sand. Its wings can stretch across an entire desert. When it's happy, the sun shines upon the sand unobstructed; when it's down, the sky darkens over the desert. It's the guardian and avatar of the desert," a young Lotian follower recited the passage describing the Desert Pillar Monster from the mythology codex.

"Great memory, kiddo," said someone, clapping him on the shoulder.

The Lotian follower smiled bashfully.

The red-robed apostle looked at Gao Peng's back in bewilderment. That's a King-tier monster before you. How can you be this confident? Do you really think you stand a chance against it by yourself?

"Stripey," said Gao Peng solemnly.

A deafening boom sounded behind him. Then the sand dune exploded. A black mountain-like shape slowly emerged from the sand.

At that moment, the red-robed apostle could feel the huge black shape's aura weighing down on him. The air had suddenly become thin. Soon, he found himself gasping slightly for air.

In spite of all his schemes and machinations, the red-robed apostle could only sit there, powerless in the face of the behemoth that had emerged from the desert.

Though he didn't know what Stripey's level was, its overwhelming aura spoke volumes. He was 100 percent sure that it was a King-tier familiar!

He didn't see that coming! So this is Gao Peng's trump card, thought the red-robed apostle.

An assortment of feelings was swirling in him: jealousy, discontent, and admiration, all of which threatened to overwhelm him.

He now knew where he stood in this situation. His topmost priority now was survival.

This Gao Peng is still young, and young people are a compassionate lot most of the time. He'll probably show me mercy if I just do as he says. Who knows, he might even make me his subordinate. After all, I am still of some use to him. He definitely wouldn't kill me straight away.

Gao Peng pulled the red-robed apostle to his feet and looked him dead in the eye. "Where are the Golden Hands' secret vaults?" he asked.

The red-robed apostle's face remained impassive. However, he was rejoicing on the inside. "Patience, my lord. Let me refresh my memory first."

"Do you know how to subdue the Desert Pillar Monster, then?"

Subdue it? The red-robed apostle smirked inwardly. You already have a King-tier familiar. If I let you add another King-tier monster to your collection, there will be no one left in this world that could stop you…

"I don't know. Subduing King-tier monsters isn't exactly my forte…"

"If you're not giving me any answers, what use are you to me, then?" said Gao Peng. He tightened his grip around the man's neck.

With a sickening crack, he snapped the red-robed apostle's neck. Gao Peng was still nursing a grudge against the Golden Hands for trying to kill him.

The Golden Hands had been branded as a terrorist organization even before the Cataclysm. Gao Peng had never had a clear idea of what these people were thinking half the time. Even if the red-robed apostle had really surrendered, he wasn't sure if it would have been a good idea to keep him alive.

Gao Peng had planned on killing the red-robed apostle as soon as his Blood Contract with his familiar was broken. Since he was unable to do so…

"Dig in, Stripey," said Gao Peng, pointing at the Saprophytic Earth Dragon.

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Chapter 410: Repulse

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

The Saprophytic Earth Dragon's screams were cut short as it was being swallowed whole by Stripey.

Puffs of black smoke issued from Stripey's nostrils. It coughed a few times, as if its snack didn't quite agree with it. The black smoke from its nostrils gradually merged with the dark ominous clouds over Stripey's head.

Gao Peng absently stroked Silly as he watched the enormous spider devour its meal.

He sometimes hated this ability of his. With it, he could tell what someone was thinking just by analyzing their facial expressions. This ability to pick up on every seemingly trivial detail in his surroundings had been both a blessing and a curse to him.

This was why Gao Peng rarely used it when interacting with others.

"You aren't welcome here!" roared the Desert Pillar Monster. It was now livid. Not only was this human ignoring it, but he was also letting his familiar devour another monster before it.

"Leave this place… Now!" it roared again, causing a small sand dune to explode, sending tiny sand particles flying towards Gao Peng and Stripey.

The Desolate Frost Lion's body gleamed. In the next instant, the sand particles were all frozen in a sturdy web of ice around the Desolate Frost Lion.

"Wow, it sure talks a lot, doesn't it?" muttered Gao Peng. "Its breath stinks, too."

"Stripey, tell it we aren't leaving this place any time soon. We're all exhausted, and we're going to stay here for the night," he ordered.

Hearing what Gao Peng had said, the Desert Pillar Monster grew angrier. Who does this human think he is? No one has ever disobeyed a direct order from me before! I will not stand such disrespect in my own domain. The nerve of this human to disregard my authority here!

In front of it stood a strange, black creature that was just as big as it. At that moment, the Desert Pillar Monster couldn't help but feel that there was something off about this creature's power, that it wasn't an opponent to be treated lightly.

This was one of the reasons why the Desert Pillar Monster wanted Gao Peng and company out of its domain.

Despite not being part of the five main elements, sand was still an element derived from the earth element. If anyone or anything dared to defy its wishes, the Desert Pillar Monster would simply slap them to kingdom come.

However, this human was different. The Desert Pillar Monster sensed a vague feeling of threat that the human and this strange, black familiar of his were giving off.

Irritation began to mount in it. "Human, you dare defy me?" rumbled the Desert Pillar Monster.

"Oh? So what if I do?" said Gao Peng, smiling coldly at it.

The Desert Pillar Monster felt even more troubled by such a brash response. However, it was a stubborn creature, not one to back down so easily. "Watch your tongue, boy. You've drawn my full attention," said the Desert Pillar Monster menacingly. In an attempt to intimidate Gao Peng, it easily slapped away a sand dune beneath it.

Suddenly, Gao Peng had an idea. "Wait… you're attracted to me?"

Sorry, mate, I'm not into that kind of stuff, thought Gao Peng.

"I meant that you've incurred my wrath!" shouted the Desert Pillar Monster. It was now enraged. It had never seen such impudence in its life!

Its anger had reached the bursting point. It could no longer hold it in. The Desert Pillar Monster rushed at Gao Peng, raising a sand tsunami with its huge arms, its Desert Wings spread out behind it. In an instant, the sky went dark. A raging sandstorm had completely surrounded the Desert Pillar Monster.

Gao Peng silently took three steps back. Da Zi and Flamy also followed suit, leaving Stripey to deal with the Desert Pillar Monster.

Stripey took two steps forward, shielding Gao Peng and the others from the sandstorm like an impenetrable wall.

"Don't be scared, Gao Peng, Da Zi! I'll protect you!"

"I'm not scared! I'm just making a tactical retreat, that's all!" retorted Da Zi.

"All right, all right, we all know you're the bravest one here," said Gao Peng, pressing an agitated Da Zi back with one hand.

"You always say that you're making a tactical retreat whenever things get violent. I just picked that up from you," added Da Zi.

"Brat!" said Gao Peng, striking Da Zi in the head. "I never taught you to say these things!"

As Gao Peng was arguing with Da Zi, he was also keeping an eye on what was going on between Stripey and the Desert Pillar Monster. In terms of their special characteristics, both of them had the same level of mastery over their respective elements.

However, they were now in the middle of a desert. Gao Peng feared that Stripey might be out of its depth. In the chaos of the sandstorm, the Desert Pillar Monster's harsh sand elemental energy collided against Stripey's massive form.

Thankfully, Stripey's body was covered with a layer of rock. This layer of rock was the result of it concentrating its earth elemental energy into an earthen armor over itself.

The sand rattled noisily against Stripey's earthen armor. The rustling sound of sand flowing down from Stripey's body echoed across the dunes. Stripey remain unmoved, like a mountain. The Desert Pillar Monster couldn't even put a dent on its earthen armor with its sandstorm attack.

Even though they were in the middle of a desert, they were still essentially on land. The desert, hills, mountains, and plains all belonged to the land. The land held all of them on its surface, just as it held all life living on it.

Seeing that its sandstorm attack had absolutely no effect on the black mountainous creature, the Desert Pillar Monster's eyes glinted with a fierce light. Without warning, it pounced on Stripey and began driving its fists into Stripey's back.

Boom!

Its arms went numb from the impact. A dull thud reverberated across the desert.

The Desert Pillar Monster looked up, sensing that something had gone wrong. Then, it felt itself soaring through the air… The ground was sinking further and further away from it.

Sprawled across Stripey's mountainous back, the Desert Pillar Monster looked around in confusion. It began to sense its connection with the desert weakening as the desert gradually fell away beneath it.

What is this? What's going on?

Boom!

The sand dunes swayed as an explosion shook the desert a few hundred miles away. What appeared to be a living mountain shook itself as the yellow light around its body slowly faded away. The swirling sand in the air began to slow down.

The Desert Pillar Monster lay defeated on the sand. Slowly, its body began to disintegrate, letting the sand that made up its body trickle back into the desert.

The sky was now filled with the sulfurous clouds that were coming out of Stripey's head. Huge comets rained down from it, covering the desert in lava for miles. In an instant, the place was transformed into a hellish, lava-filled landscape.

Stripey, who now towered over Gao Peng and the others like a mountain, rumbled, "Gao Pen, I don't think it's dead. I think it escaped."

"Hmm." Gao Peng nodded. The Desert Pillar Monster's attack had managed to dispel the Guise Fruit's size-altering effects. As a result, Stripey was brought back to its normal size, allowing it to use its full power against the Desert Pillar Monster.

Gao Peng hadn't seen this coming. The fight between a Disaster Mountain Spider and a Desert Pillar Monster had been completely one-sided.

Throughout the fight, the Desert Pillar Monster thought that its high endurance would allow it to whittle down the Disaster Mountain Spider's defenses. However, Stripey had simply expanded outward at the right moment and sent its opponent flying away. Knowing that it was severely outmatched, the vanquished Desert Pillar Monster had disintegrated its body and slipped away into the depths of the desert before the spider could finish it off.

Gao Peng noticed that in a desert environment, the sulfurous clouds above Stripey's head seemed more active than usual, probably due to the heat stored beneath the desert's surface.

"Yeah, it must have escaped," said Gao Peng. He didn't see the Desert Pillar Monster's corpse anywhere. However, he wasn't worried. It couldn't hide from him for long.

Unlike other types of monsters, the Desert Pillar Monster could only bring out its full potential in a desert environment. There was no way it would abandon its home.

Its weakness was ice. However, Gao Peng didn't let the Desolate Frost Lion take on the Desert Pillar Monster. Only when the lion cub reached King-tier would he let it help him capture the Desert Pillar Monster.

"It must be seriously injured. It will need at least a few months to recuperate and heal its injuries. It should consider itself lucky if it still has access to its full power at the end of its recuperation period," said the Desolate Frost Lion solemnly. "By then, I'll be able to kick its butt with my eyes closed!"

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Read Monster Pet Evolution Chapter 411 - Little Green Centipede online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 411: Little Green Centipede

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

Under a small sand dune in the desert in the distance, the Desert Pillar Monster recondensed its body, except that this time, it changed from 160 feet to 16 feet tall.

It was at its weakest condition.

Some looked in the direction they escaped from fearfully. The roars from the mouth of Desert Pillar Monster sounded angry and frustrated. It paced back and forth, but was afraid that the loud sound might be heard by Gao Peng, so it suddenly stopped its roar abruptly.

"Roa… Er…" This funny guy was annoyed that it would be scared of a human being, so while still feeling angry, it knocked its head against the sand dune continuously.

It knocked once, twice, thrice…

"Let's go first." Since this Desert Pillar Monster whose brain was rather dumb had been chased away, Gao Peng naturally didn't want to rest for the night in a small town where a lot of people had just died recently.

This Desert Pillar Monster was rather dumb. The cuties under my care are much more clever than it. In due time after I've caught it, I can pass it on to Grandpa. The White Dragon should be able to suppress this dumb*ss, Gao Peng quietly thought.

After rejecting a dinner invitation from the Jinsha District Alliance Government, Gao Peng rushed through the night and continued westward. Unfortunately, Stripey was just too heavy and couldn't be taken on a plane. Otherwise, it would have been possible to go by plane directly.

However, there was a special flavor in the wild. Gao Peng was taking the road from before the Cataclysm, which was a highway running through the whole mountain. It was just that this road was practically unmanned after the Cataclysm and had become extremely dangerous.

One could see large tree roots penetrating the road, and the once smooth highway was fragmented. Occasionally, small beasts could be seen in the woods.

Stripey rampaged through the woods, its huge body smashing tree after tree along the way, and the trunk that rolled to the foot of the mountain was crushed and milled flat mercilessly.

Places that Stripey had passed through became broad and flat.

A few miles behind Stripey, there were some people mapping and recording on a map.

"It's just incredible. Is this going to open a road between the Jinsha District and the Yellow Desert Region?" said a surveyor with a worker's hat excitedly.

There was an assistant busy running around, carrying a measuring instrument in his hand and running continuously to measure the distance.

"Gao Peng, it's irritating that those people behind us have been with us all the way," Stripey muttered. Anyone walking in front with a group of people following tightly behind wouldn't be comfortable.

"It's all right. If they can really follow us the whole time, it'll be their achievement." Gao Peng smiled lightly.

Gao Peng took out some printed material from the portable space and looked through the material again. The information had recorded some messages and photos of the temples there.

One temple was pure white, the white door tightly closed, the surface of the wooden door as bright and new as if someone was always dusting and cleaning. There weren't any fallen leaves in the garden.

Two rows of tall birch trees were planted outside the temple, and there was a vivid sculpture at the top of the temple. This was a black human figure with arms folded around his chest, his head lowered. The statue was completely dark; even the eyes were pure black.

Gao Peng narrowed his eyes, and familiar data emerged.

[Monster name: Stone Statue of the Convicted

[Monster Level: Level 40 (Commander)

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Attribute: Dark

[Monster Weakness: Radiant

[Monster Skills: Enhanced Speed Level 1; Strengthened Stone Skin Level 1

[Monster Description: The stone sculpture at the top of the temple was also affected by the Cataclysm. It loves listening to others read scriptures before it and dislikes others blaspheming the temple.

Once, it was a temple built by the Holy Light Religion. The Holy Light Religion advocated for the color white, so all buildings were covered in white, with white walls, white roofs, white windows.

However, the statue above had become black. Was it because all the black items in the temple were polluted before mutating? Gao Peng's mind was blown.

"There are treasures, treasures." The Treasure Sniffing Rodent stood on its two hind legs on the ground, its two front claws hanging in front of its chest and covering it, just like a mole staring wide-eyed at the woods beside it.

Gao Peng put down the information in his hands and asked solemnly, "Are you sure that it's a treasure that really, really, really attracts you?"

In order not to waste time on the messy treasures of this Treasure Sniffing Rodent, Gao Peng gave it a firm command. Unless it was truly a treasure that touched its heart, not just an ordinary attraction, it shouldn't interrupt and call him.

"Really, if you don't believe me, take a look!" The Treasure Sniffing Rodent released its claws covering its chest. In front of its chest, a heart-shaped item was protruding and beating all the way.

"Now, I'm fainting." When it had finished speaking, the Treasure Sniffing Rodent collapsed on Stripey's back. Its eyes turned into two lines as saliva dripped from the corner of its mouth.

"…All right, then go and have a look. First, press your heart back," said Gao Peng.

Stripey, who was moving straight westward, suddenly turned around and rumbled to the north.

The few people following behind looked at each other and asked among themselves, "Why the detour? Didn't the Secretary say that they had a King tier familiar?" As long as they followed closely, they could safely map out the road.

"Boss, did they discover us, so they're taking a detour and wish to shake us off?" The surveyor shook his head doubtfully, feeling that things weren't that simple.

"What kind of treasure is this? It looks like something I have planted at my house," Gao Peng said, surprised.

"Yes, yes, this belongs to our family." Da Zi nodded continuously.

"No wonder this looks so familiar. It actually is something from our house." Goldie reacted much later.

"Since it's something that belongs to us, let me take it back." Goldie nodded firmly.

After speaking, Goldie stepped forward. Two blue tattoos spread from the oblique side of its cheek to the underside of its eyelids. It gently rubbed its bald head and the chain that it was carrying rang.

With a slide of its palm, it grabbed the ax. Goldie rushed forward with both its axes.

In front of it was a boulder protruding from the jungle with a red mushroom growing on it. On the surface of the mushroom was a strange pattern that looked like a sly demon smiling.

Next to the boulder was a black hole, from which a green centipede crawled out. The centipede's body was covered with white fluff, its claws were red, and it looked very poisonous.

Upon seeing Goldie come forward, the first few green centipedes were panicky and turned back to the hole quickly, squealing loudly. Then, more and more green centipedes crawled out continuously, and they huddled together into a group.

Goldie snorted coldly and released its Lord-tier aura.

The green centipedes that had huddled into a group scattered and escaped in a panic, disappearing instantly, leaving behind the so-called guarded treasure that they had supposedly been protecting.

With arrogance, Goldie went up and took the stone directly with the mushroom. After Goldie was far away, the green centipedes crawled back helplessly, circling around the potholes left by the previous boulder.

A group of sneaky figures came from the same direction as Gao Peng… after he had been gone for some time.

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Chapter 412: Darkness Ignited

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

These people made a turn and saw the group of helpless green centipedes wandering in the same spot. Nearest to these people was a green centipede with blue tentacles on its head that swayed and detected an unusual smell in the air. Turning around, it saw this group of surveyors and several helpers gathered behind Gao Peng.

These centipedes which were still mad and had no way to vent had just found an outlet. They looked at each other and came to a mutual understanding. Suddenly, a group of centipedes climbed towards these people…

"Gao Peng, what is this treasure?" Standing next to the boulder, Da Zi looked to its left, then turned to the right and touched it with its claws, but at the same time, was afraid to spoil it.

[Material Name: Flame Face Mushroom

[Material Effect: Contains rich fire-based nutrients, grows extremely rapidly in hot and humid environments, and contains traces of fire poison.

"This material can be used for Flamy's evolution." Gao Peng's face showed a smile. It was really a coincidence, as planning for it hadn't occurred. His subordinates took a long time to search for the evolutionary materials for Flamy but couldn't find one, and yet, in the end, one type was found here.

Throughout the rest of the journey, as long as Treasure Sniffling Rodent came across a treasure that touched its heart, Gao Peng would turn around and pick it up. Through this method, a lot of spiritual materials were collected.

After five leisurely days, he successfully traversed across no man's land and reached the temple near the Yellow Desert Region. Compared to the Jinsha District, the desertification of the Yellow Desert Region was more serious.

The golden sand desert spread across two main regions. On the map, it was an oval with many holes. The tail was located in the Jinsha District, while the head was located in the Yellow Desert Region.

The location of the temple was far from the desert; one was in the north of the Yellow Desert, and the other was in the south of the Yellow Desert.

There were a few people near the temple, and since the temple had changed, the number of monster trainers had dwindled in the area. Due to the fact that monster trainers always disappeared mysteriously there, people were reluctant to come to this area.

It was very quiet outside the temple. The paint on the white fence was mottled and outdated, with yellow stains on top. Two rows of straight and tall birch trees stood outside the fence. The height of the birch trees was neat and standard. They looked as if they were from the same mold. Every single birch tree looked alike, including the order and location of the leaves.

They said that there weren't any flowers that looked exactly alike in the world, but Gao Peng had seen a lot of trees that were exactly the same. Therefore… these trees must not have been grown naturally. Gao Peng focused his eyes.

[Monster name: White Birch Tree Demon

[Monster Level: Level 35

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Skills: Stout Body Level 1

[Special Characteristics: United in a row (When the number of birch trees demons exceeds ten, and they are gathered together, they will gain more power.

Effect 1: Physical fitness enhancement, affected by the number of survivors.

Effect 2: Recovery speed increase, affected by the number of survivors.)

[Monster Weakness: 1. Fire 2. Thunder

[Monster description: The Birch Tree Demons, which mutated after being affected by an unknown force, have a spiritual connection with each other, and they aren't afraid of pain.

There were ten in a row on the left and ten in a row on the right, making a total of twenty.

Gao Peng looked at the top of the temple at the Stone Statue of the Convicted. The Stone Statue of the Convicted was shining with a weird black light, the neck was bent, and both eyes stared at Gao Peng.

[Monster name: Stone Statue of the Convicted

[Monster Level: Level 41 (Lord)

[Monster Grade: Normal

Gao Peng stopped his footsteps. In the photo, this statue had only been level 40, but in the end, it went up a tier from Commander to Lord. The photo had been taken three months ago. For a monster to improve in three months' time was normal.

This was only the main gate, as there was a wider inner court inside the gate.

Just the gatekeeper is a Lord-tier?

At the bottom of his heart, Gao Peng was solemn. This temple was rather terrifying. Nevertheless, Gao Peng had to get the things inside.

"White Steel Bladed Beast, kill that stone statue, Flamy, I leave these Birch Trees Demons to you."

The White Steel Bladed Beast moved forward, bent its body, and opened the wings on its back slightly.

Taking a deep breath, the White Steel Bladed Beast squinted its eyes, causing wind to gather and surround the surface of its body quietly. The grassroots on the ground entangled, rippling.

Whoosh!

Invisible waves smashed all the grass within 30 feet, breaking it into pieces, and the crushed grass flying in the air suddenly stopped before it was blown all around.

A black shadow flew through the grass pieces to the rooftop of the temple. The Stone Statue of the Convicted swayed slightly. Its arms sunk down, and the heavy left fist swung forward, but it only hit empty air.

Bang!

The Stone Statue of the Convicted felt pain in its abdomen, then its waist and abdomen flew backward and rolled down from the roof. The White Steel Bladed Beast flew high above its head.

Its abdomen had two crisscross cracks that almost cut it in half, and the broken wound was also made of dark stone.

The wounded Stone Statue of the Convicted wanted to get up from the ground, but it was attacked again just halfway through and rolled on the ground a few times.

The entangled wind blade turned into a long arc of cyan that extended from the arm of the White Steel Bladed Beast and hit the back of the Stone Statue of the Convicted.

Pieces of chipped stones flew from the back of the Stone Statue of the Convicted. Though it was hurt, it looked strong and even more energetic than before, despite the wind whip attack of the White Steel Bladed Beast.

The thick black light spread out from under its feet. The earth shook, black as ink. "The convicted shall sink into a dark hell!"

Its palm touched the ground, and a thick black tentacle emerged from the shadow.

The White Steel Bladed Beast sensed the dark shadow encapsulating the soles of its feet and flew up into the air on time. No matter how acute the angle of the attacks of the black tentacles under its feet was, the attacks were all avoided.

However, that was only the beginning. A huge amount of black light spread from its feet to its head, and the thick dark power had enveloped the whole area.

The White Birch Tree Demons at the side that had been miserably burnt by Flamy were covered in Black Light, too.

Two of those White Birch Tree Demons that were still burning from head to toe like lit torches and still covered by black light suddenly stopped wailing. The fire died down gradually. The bark burned by the flames was blackened from their trunks and fell off, exposing the brown of the trunk. The trunk had a strip-like texture, like the texture of muscles.

The exposed trunk gradually blackened and became shiny. A laugh! A black flame burned at the top of the trunk.

The leaves were withered, the branches became sharp, and the roots were lifted and pulled out with mud. The roots that were pulled out of the soil shrunk in midair and finally resembled a nerve.

"Roar!!"

[Monster name: White Birch Tree Demons (Darkness ignited)

[Monster Level: Level 351

[Monster Weakness: 1. Fire (Resistance enhancement) 2. Thunder

Gao Peng looked at the White Birch Tee Demon variation. Not only did their state change, but there was also a temporary increase in level.

Flamy had driven the fire dragon to burn these tree demons. This time, the damage dealt on these tree demons wasn't as high as before. After the darkness was ignited, their resistance to the flames increased by a lot.

"Retreat Flamy. Let Da Zi take over," Gao Peng laughed lightly.

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Chapter 413: Crystal of the Undying Heart

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

"Thunder Net Storm." Da Zi displayed the power of the thunder wholeheartedly. Horrible thunder reverberated, and the deafening sounds kept on echoing in the void.

Rumble.

At this point in time, when the Desolate Frost Lion had nothing left to do, it trained Da Zi to control its power.

It was the most basic to simply release the power of various elements. The more advanced level was to arrange the elements according to certain proportions and then release them.

The same elements in different orders could exert ten times more power. The simplest example was the ability of carbon atoms to form diamonds and charcoal with different structural arrangements. The hardness of the two was vastly different.

The experience of the Desolate Frost Lion in this respect was, naturally, not comparable to that of Da Zi. Even when it came to thunder, the depth of research in this aspect for Da Zi was far less than it had been for the Desolate Frost Lion.

Lightning as thick as the mouth of a bowl was like a giant ax smashing at the void, piercing from top to bottom aggressively.

"Roar!" Immune to pain, the White Birch Tree Demons rushed toward Gao Peng. In the process of rushing, they were shredded to pieces by the lightning, their arms broken and chests pierced, and they stopped their heavy steps to fall to the ground with a thud.

In a flash, four white birch tree demons fell, and the remaining 16 that had suffered injuries were also hurt.

The White Steel Bladed Beast that had been trying to take the Stone Statue of the Convicted for a long time, yet hadn't succeeded, was rather anxious. I still haven't taken this guy down after so long. Will Gao Peng think that I'm useless?

With great anxiety, the White Steel Bladed Beast was infested by a force of darkness, and a black spot the size of a large soybean appeared on the surface of its steel helmet. The black spot flashed with a demonic black brightness. It needed to consume the wind element in its body to prevent the dark spots from spreading.

The White Steel Bladed Beast was angry, as angry as the day a monster had wanted to take away the fruit that could make it grow bigger.

"Three Thousand Slashes of the Endless Hurricane!" The White Steel Bladed Beast completely disappeared from its place, and only the sound of the wind being cut through could prove its existence.

Bang, bang, bang!! The ultra-high-speed collision sound echoed in the air, lasting for a full minute before stopping.

Stiffly, the Stone Statue of the Convicted stayed put, motionless. It was smashed to pieces only when White Birch Tree Demon knocked against it accidentally. The broken pieces were neat and uniform. They were all rectangles the size of one's thumb.

A slashed black core crystal stood out in the pile of debris. It sparkled with a demonic black light.

The White Steel Bladed Beast was like a proud, victorious general. It stood tall and pushed its chest out, both of its bladed arms covered with slashes that were about the width of green beans.

"Idiot, you smashed the Core Crystal." Gao Peng knocked it on the head. The White Steel Bladed Beast covered its head and turned away angrily.

"Go and pick up the core crystal."

The White Steel Bladed Beast went to pick up the core crystal. To it, this dark core crystal wasn't attractive at all.

However, Xiao Cao, who was on top of Dumby's head, was so excited that it couldn't control itself. It yelled, "Iya, Iya," as two small leaves swayed like it was having convulsive seizures.

After eating this Lord-tier monster core crystal, the Yin Yang Calendula fell into a deep slumber. It curled up on top of Dumby's head with its crown glowing a faint white.

On the other end, after Da Zi's thunder purgatory, these White Birch Tree Demons withered completely. Having already been affected by the igniting darkness, they were already black, and after being purged by the thunder, they were even darker. Certain areas hit by the thunder even showed traces of white and green.

After digging the core crystals out of the twenty White Birch Tree Demons, Gao Peng let Dumby knock on the door. Surprisingly, the main door opened with a slight push.

In a trance, Gao Peng saw the white holy light flying from the temple to shine on the earth, like white spring snow falling on blossoming flowers.

He blinked his eyes and looked at the opened gate. It was an ordinary gate.

After the gate was opened, there were three steps of vertical stone ladders. Two white flower pots were placed on the left and right sides of the gate. The flower pots were large, and an agave tree was planted in each pot.

Gao Peng glanced twice at the agave, which was just an ordinary plant, not a mutant monster in disguise.

Walking into the yard, there was a large white sculpture in the center. The sculpture, which was 16 feet tall, had a pool in front of it. The pool was sparkling gently, and light reflected on the water was gentle and smooth.

Behind this sculpture was a long and straight corridor that led to the back.

Gao Peng realized that the floor under his feet wasn't flat. Instead, it was slightly inclined. Although the angle wasn't steep, Gao Peng could still clearly feel the slight inclination of the ground.

[Monster name: Penalty Sculpture

[Monster Level: Level 43

[Monster Grade: Normal

[Monster Attributes: Dark

"The disguise is really good." Gao Peng assessed the sculpture. "Goldie, go and chop it up." It was also time to give Goldie a few layers of passive skills.

Goldie took its double axes and walked over aggressively. The motionless pure white sculpture suddenly trembled. The white paint on its surface suddenly melted, like melting white wax to reveal a dark body.

Three minutes later, the floor was littered with disintegrated slags.

Goldie picked up the dark monster core crystal and handed it over to Gao Peng. Gao Peng took this dark Lord-tier core crystal and put it in front of Xiao Cao, who was in a deep slumber. Xiao Cao's body moved towards Gao Peng instinctively, and when he lifted the core crystal higher, the curled-up Xiao Cao stretched its body.

Finally, Gao Peng put the core crystal on its leaves. The leaves curled up, then it hugged itself into a ball.

Xiao Cao's level was still slightly lower, but it would be able to play more roles after it was promoted to the Lord tier.

The way to promote a monster's level quickly was to absorb a monster core crystal of the same attribute. In theory, as long as there were enough Lord-tier monster core crystals, it was possible to promote familiars that fulfilled the grade requirements to the Lord-tier in the shortest amount of time.

Xiao Cao was now Level 36. If the two core crystals were absorbed, it would be able to break through to the Lord tier. Gao Peng instructed Dumby to take good care of Xiao Cao, who was sitting on top of its head, and continued walking deeper into the temple.

For the rest of the journey, they didn't come across any other monsters. The atmosphere just became more and more uncomfortable. Unknowingly, the surrounding walls had turned black. The black walls on the inside were full of omens.

From outside, the temple didn't seem very big, but when one walked inside, one could feel its spaciousness. The dark walls and rooftop had no light at all, so they now depended on Flamy for light.

Logically, one should have walked out of the temple, but they were still walking onward. It could have been that they had already gone underground.

"Stop." Gao Peng stopped his footsteps, and looking around, he realized that in front of them was a spacious open area with half-translucent white crystals floating in the air.

[Item name: Crystal of the Undying Heart

[Item Description: A crystal that naturally condensed around the Essence of the Undying Heart. It is formed by the various types of incomplete Soul Power absorbed from the air through the Essence of the Undying Heart.

"Flamy, increase the light."

Flamy nodded, increased the flame in size by three times, and immediately, the flame lit up the entire hall. Everything was clearly exposed in their field of vision.

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Chapter 414: [Mythical] Skeleton Dominator

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

The overlapping shadows were standing in the hall as if it were countless transparent shadows, the gray body was superimposed into countless layers.

Gao Peng looked over to see. None of them actually have any attributes?

Gao Peng frowned, there was nothing that had no attributes, even if it were a stone, one could tell what its attributes were.

In the middle of these shadows, there was a ball of darkness. Initially, Gao Peng overlooked it, it was only after glancing over a few times that he could see its real body.

It was similar to a black round ball that stuck to the earth, as it vibrated, the surrounding translucent shadows seemed to breathe.

[Item name: Soul of the Undying Heart

[Item Description: A unique condensed item that is produced from the devout faith to death. It can purify remnant Soul Power in the void.

Gao Peng could see that a steady stream of remnant souls was attracted and drawn to the location from all sides, and the remnant souls without will were pulled and absorbed into the Soul of the Undying Heart.

Just like a funnel, it completely removed the impurities in the soul, leaving only a clean and pure soul.

Then, those impurities……

A group of dark and rich things were extracted from the Soul of the Undying Heart and then discharged on the walls and the ground.

They were black things just like dark, polluted items which looked disgusting and terrible.

Most soul powers were absorbed by the Soul of the Undying Heart, and the impurities were also expelled as much as possible, but there was always a small part of the soul power that could not be completely absorbed. The number of these soul power was small, but the accumulation from small soon became large. They condensed into flashing white stars in the air before slowly floating outward, floating in the surrounding, just like the asteroid belt that surrounded big planets.

So, the original contaminated thing was transmitted from here. Moreover, could it be that such a treasure actually has no guardian? Gao Peng felt incredible. He thought that he would encounter a King tier monster or a dozen or so Lord tier monsters, and he would have to work hard and experience hardships along the way before obtaining these treasures.

Gao Peng felt a bit bored.

But on the way before coming here, he had already encountered two Lord tier monsters. In other words, the undying heart was guarded by two Lord tier monsters and 20 senior Commander tier monsters. This power was not considered weak. Even general Lord tier monsters would not have dared to invade.

"Dumby, bring that Undying Heart over."

Gao Peng would not overlook the kind of treasure that was related to spiritual power, so he let Dumby took it.

Dumby walked over and stretched out his right hand, with a light grab, the treasure was directly taken out.

The big black round ball pounded in Dumby's palm, with the dazzling Crystal of the Undying Heart slowly swirling around, Dumby felt as if he was holding a planet.

"Great!" Goldie touched its bald head, expressing its appreciation of Dumby's appearance.

After getting the treasures, Gao Peng didn't waste any time; instead, he directly relied on this temple to configure matters related to Dumby's evolution.

Gao Peng always carried with him the other materials needed for the evolution of Dumby. After getting the Undying heart, Gao Peng could carry out its evolution directly.

However, in order to be safe, Gao Peng still inspected the entire temple several times, confirming that there was no threat, Gao Peng began to prepare the medicine.

A pothole was drilled in the ground so that Stripey could reinforce the soil system. Then the next step was to configure the bones and the materials of the 37 yin, dark, and undead systems in special proportion. The 37 materials were modulated and completed back at the Southern Sky Group a long time ago, Gao Peng only needed to put the bones into the prepared medicine.

After adding the bones, the sound of bubbling bubbles was formed, a large amount of white powder floated on the surface of the solid bone and melted into the water, generating a large number of bubbles.

After 15 minutes, Gao Peng put the Flames of Darkness into the pit. Like a lighted cocktail, the liquid was ignited in a flash, and the air was filled with a thick smell.

The puddle was burning with a flirtatious purple flame.

Dumby's left hand was holding the Soul of the Undying Heart, and holding a specially treated Thousand-year Heart of Darkness with its right hand.

Putting the former before his eyes, the latter in front of his chest then arms around the chest, he walked into the pit step by step until he was completely engulfed by the flame.

"Is it painful, Dumby? "Stripey asked, rather anxiously.

"No, Dumby will become very powerful after the evolution," Gao Peng had much confidence in Dumby.

In the distance, a team was rushing to the temple as its destination.

"The two rows of trees at the entrance of the temple were mutated and have become rare plant monsters. Plant monsters are mostly tenacious and extremely difficult to deal with, but this time we have invited Master Hassan, who has a Six-clawed Fiery Eagle and those plant monsters at the door are definitely not its opponents."

"Low-profile!" Master Hassan was calm. "As you have said, there is a Commander tier monster defending the gate, those monsters inside are definitely more powerful. So, we must be alert and not lower our guard. When it is necessary for the familiar to attack, I will let them do it, but if I were not their opponent, I would just leave." Master Hassan made himself clear beforehand that although these people were offsprings of senior government officials, he really wasn't scared of their parents.

This time, he agreed to come not just because these juniors asked him to, but because he would get a good sum of money by clearing the temple.

"This is close enough, so all of you just stay here. Give me the information that your government has investigated. You guys are trying to complete your graduation thesis, right?… I will bring the camera and help you shoot the photo."

"We know and understand, thank you, Master Hassan." These young people quickly thanked him. They didn't insist that they must go over with him, they were rather aware of their ability.

Most of the Lord tier monsters stayed deep in the mountains, the area was spacious, and it was hard to trace their location.

But there were also a few places where Lord tier monsters existed and could be easily found, such as the Holy Light Memorial Church, which had a long history and was easy to find.

This temple was about 200 kilometers away from St. Jelem, it was neither too close nor too far.

For St. Jelum to continue developing, dangerous places like this temple must be cleared. By clearing this temple, one could get a handsome bonus sum, in addition to the harvest of killing the monsters. Actually, several groups of monsters' trainers had tried coming to clear this temple.

He rode on the back of another Skylark, followed by his Lord-tier familiar, the Six-clawed Fiery Eagle.

The Six-clawed Fiery Eagle with a wingspan approaching ten meters was in flames, and the fluffy red feathers were like raging flames. Six sharp eagle claws stuck out from the abdomen, and the beak was in dark colors like black iron.

"Hong!"

Suddenly, black smoke rose up to the sky, breaking the clouds above the head to form a vast vortex, via the Blood Contract, Hassan perceived the Six-clawed Fiery Eagle's fear!

"Hey! Hey!" The Six-clawed Fiery Eagle was reluctant to continue flying forward. It seemed that there was something in front that caused it to feel fearful.

Hasan's face was gloomy, the direction of the black column seemed to be the location of the temple.

Curiosity prompted him to want to go and have a look, but logic told him to stay away from danger.

Gritting his teeth, Hassan closed his eyes. "Go, let's go back!"

Though he might be laughed at, but compared to safety, Hassan chose to believe in logical reasoning.

The flames in the pothole had been completely extinguished, and a short figure was silently standing in the depths of the pothole. Dark and horrible black mists were constantly coming out from its body, and the massive black mist had formed a dark column straight through the sky.

This scene was too epic.

Gao Peng looked resigned and didn't know if it would attract any powerful monsters.

But what Gao Peng didn't know was that at the first instance of sensing this horrible aura, some monsters nearby that had spiritual awareness had turned around to escape……

A row of data was flashed in front of Gao Peng's eyes!

[Monster name: Skeleton Dominator

[Monster Grade: Level 47 (Lord)

[Monster Grade: Mythical

[Monster Attribute: Undead/ Yin

[Monster Skill: Yin Skeleton of Death Lv5; Control of the Undead Lv4; Dark Flame Mastery Lv3; Strengthen Soul Lv3

[Special Characteristics: Heart of the Yin Soul (Effect One. Passive effect: Consumes a certain amount of the power of the undead to condense the Heart of the Yin Soul, when the Heart of the Yin Soul exists, it greatly enhances the all-round physical quality of the Skeleton Dominator, and only the soul type attacks can destroy the Heart of the Yin Soul.

Effect Two: Activate the Heart of the Yin Soul to transform the host into the Yin Soul Dominator. Highly immune to physical attacks, and has soul type attacks.

Flame of the Undead (Effect One. Active effect: Putting the Flame of the Undead into the complete skeleton of a corpse can revitalize the corpse and transform it into a bone type undead or a soul type undead. Its power is related to the strength of the corpse prior to death, but the resurrected undead cannot exceed the level of the Skeleton Dominator.

Effect Two: The undead revived by the Flame of the Undead can continue to grow, but it must not exceed the maximum level of the Skeleton Dominator. The Skeleton Dominator can absorb the resurgence of the undead for their own growth.

Effect Three: Control of the Undead Ability 1)

Extreme Yin Soul (Effect One. Passive effect: The soul can be strengthened by permanently absorbing parts of the soul from the lifeform killed by the Skeleton Dominator.)

[Monster Weakness: The Tainted Soul God Stone can weaken the Skeleton Dominator to a certain extent.

[Advancement Route to Eternal Grade: Insufficient soul strength, cannot view

Gao Peng squinted his eyes, this was the first time he knew how to improve this ability of his, and it was to improve his soul strength.

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Chapter 415: The Power of the Mythical Grade

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

The growth of Dumby's strength could not be said to be insignificant as a Lv5 skill appeared directly.

At least until now, Gao Peng had never seen a level five skill in a monster below the King tier. Dumby was the first.

That was to say that Dumby's ability in certain aspects was no less inferior to the King tier.

If the Flame of the Undead for Dumby were added, Dumby would have two level five skills. Adding its talent of being able to permanently add Soul Power, in a certain sense, Dumby had unlimited possibilities.

The only things were the proportion of the Soul Power provided to Dumby by taking a life, and whether the lives taken by the Undead subordinates summoned by Dumby's resurrection skill would provide Dumby with Soul Power. Those still needed to be tested.

On the other end, Hassan, who was scared away by the black mist column, jumped down from the back of the Six-clawed Flame Eagle with a shocked expression, still feeling shaky.

"Master Hassan, what was the black plume just now?" A girl in a white silk robe with bright eyes and shawls asked curiously.

Master Hassan looked awkward. What should he say? Could he say that he escaped after seeing the black column halfway?

After a moment of silence, Master Hassan's eyes narrowed. "That is something extremely frightening."

"Ah, what is that?" Someone was scared, his face turned pale, and he was too young. This kind of thing that sounded terrible was not something he should bear at this age.

"Could it be that a horrible demon is going to be born?"

"Is there a monster advancing to become a King tier?"

"Master, what is that?" The group of people was chattering, like those curious small sparrows enquiring the clever old cuckoo.

Looking at the group of young people who couldn't stand the excitement, well-prepared Master Hassan was not flustered, he calmly and steadily, cleared his throat, maintaining his stature perfectly.

"Don't rush, though it is very dangerous, to us, it is not a threat to us for the time being….."

Just when he finished speaking, the ground under their feet suddenly blew up, and the outward bulge was like a tomb.

Immediately, a white head pierced through the soil, the head of the skull was expressionless, the sharp teeth were covered with serrations, and there was a gap in the left eyelid, just like a scar running through the eyelid, and there was a white soul flame floating in the depths of the skull.

The sharp bones on its spine were dense as a cold light flashed.

With his own eyes, Master Hassan saw a ferocious white bone undead hedgehog crawling out less than a meter away from his feet.

Master Hassan didn't dare to act rashly, not for just a single reason, within his sight, these kinds of tombs were rising continuously, and heads of white boned undead were crawling out.

These white bone undead didn't take the initiative to attack them, Hassan did not dare to simply break this "Hornet's Nest."

A few of the youngsters turned to look at Master Hasan, "Master, what did you say just now?"

Karen Chen was a little disappointed. People from Yellow Desert Region can't be depended on after all.

I don't know what had happened here. The number of monsters that appeared is increasing. The best plan right now is to escape from here.

Karen Chen scanned her surroundings, gathered her own familiars closer to herself quietly, and prepared to look for an opportunity to escape at the soonest.

"Look, the undead didn't attack us, right?" Though Master Hasan was slapped on the face, being stubborn, he never admitted defeat. "Look, these undead are very close to us, but they didn't attack us, this explains clearly that they are controlled by a strong existence, and their own instincts are suppressed."

In the wild, killings were happening all the time. Not only humans and beasts attacked monsters, but there were also disputes between different monster groups. Hunters and prey, resources for survival, being displeased with someone else's appearance, all these were reasons for fighting and killing between monsters.

Therefore the number of corpses buried under this piece of land was definitely not a small number.

This was still a conscious selection by Dumby, choosing only to resurrect corpses above the Excellent Grade; otherwise, the number of resurrected undead would increase by several folds.

The resurrected undead crawled out of the ground and shook their bodies. They shook off the soil stuck in the gaps of the bones and the surface of the body, then turned their heads to look in a certain direction before walking straight toward the same target as if their king whom they believed in wholeheartedly was there at that spot.

"That position looks to be the direction of the black column just now." Karen Chen thought about it and narrowed her neck. She was just an exchange student. She only wanted to graduate, get a diploma quietly, and then return to Huaxia District to depend on her distant cousin.

Under the conscious control of Dumby, two trembling Commander tier monsters were captured alive and brought in front of him.

Dumby moved forward gradually, Dumby's outer appearance after his evolution was drastically different from before the evolution.

His height had further decreased, from five meters to four meters.

The original dark bones had now turned dark gold, the chest ribs had become thicker, and there were fine and subtle carvings on it, like he had donned on a dark golden armor.

Dark golden horns that appeared on both its shoulders pointed backward and hovered in the air, turning into a crown shape behind Dumby's head.

Inside his awe-inspiring eyes burned the blood crimson Flame of the Undead, and gray mist flowed into Dumby's meridian passages as a thicker ball of gray mist was on his chest.

With a gentle touch using his dark golden bone fingers, like a hot knife cutting through butter, it directly pierced through in between the eyebrows.

Dumby's lower jaw opened as he took a deep breath, and a blurry gray afterimage was sucked into Dumby's mouth from the dead monster's body.

The Flame of the Undead flashed slightly and then calmed down.

"Master, I think I have absorbed one fifth." The self-taught Dumby had mastery of the 99-time multiplication table, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division within one hundred, and he gave Gao Peng a rough answer.

Next, stepping from behind Dumby was a resurrected Commander tier undead. It was a skinny old wolf. It was a grayish white, even its eyes were white. Its ribs propped up the fur, its wolf claws were battered, and one wolf claw was broken into two pieces.

The undead wolf, which was floating half a meter from the ground, was the most powerful undead among all the undead resurrected by Dumby this time.

For some reason, the sculpture of the sinner who was killed in the temple before could not be resurrected.

Perhaps the monsters like the Animated Sculptures could not be resurrected as undead.

The undead old wolf's gaze swept over the Commander tier monsters in front of it before opening its mouth to release a grayish frosty ice breath to freeze its head into ice.

Ten minutes later. The frozen monster breathed its last breath.

A faint remnant of the soul made a circle in the air, and then it slowly flew towards the undead old wolf.

The undead old wolf absorbed a small portion of the soul as the remaining portion was passed over to Dumby through the connection made by the Flame of the Undead.

This time, Dumby closed his eyes and carefully thought for a long time before slowly saying, "Probably increased by one-tenth. This undead absorbed the same amount of soul power as I did."

Gao Peng's eyes narrowed. Dumby's ability isn't actually just limited to Dumby! The undead that was resurrected by Dumby could also absorb a small portion of the soul power. Although it could only absorb one tenth, it could accumulate. Moreover, this ability of Dumby was not exactly a route to create elite soldiers. The undead had always destroyed and crushed their armies through a sea of undead.

A troop storming method paired with the characteristics of unlimited growth potential, the horrors of the Mythical Grade had started to reveal its strength.

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Chapter 416: Dumby's Heading

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

"In this case…" Gao Peng muttered. Dumby's ability could resurrect ghouls, forming a Ghoul Legion. Under its command, the Ghoul Legion could easily harvest the enemies; souls collected would contribute to its strength.

If Dumby was not mine to own but was only another monster in the wild, perhaps it would create havoc just by summoning a body of ghouls.

If only it was smarter and knew how to keep to itself – developing its powers without attracting attention from the others; borrowing the characteristics from extreme yin soul which could permanently strengthen its Soul Power, the strength of Dumby would grow to a terrifying degree… Gao Peng did not dare to imagine what Dumby would become of.

The ability of Dumby was too wasteful if it simply just stayed with me, not to mention that I was actually restricting its powers. Gao Peng fell silent for a moment and suddenly spoke up, "Dumby, when we return, bring your henchmen back to Black Fog World for expansion."

Dumby cocked its head to look at its master, "Master, are you… deserting me?"

"No, how could I have the heart to abandon you all? It's just that I would be too selfish to hog you by my side. Your potential should not be wasted here." Gao Peng felt intricated.

Dumby has endless potential. I often travel around Southern Sky Group and Black Fog World, sometimes to collect Familiar's evolutionary materials. It seems that I'm always on the run.

Dumby could always follow me but how about its Ghoul Legion?

Sensibility made Gao Peng reluctant to go forward with his decision, but after thinking rationally, he knew that it was best to let Dumby go.

There was a long moment of silence.

Dumby bowed and as it reached out its five bony fingers, its dark gold palm shone brightly as light rays from the setting sun reflected on it.

"I understand… don't worry master, I will become stronger until no one can stop us from being together."

Dumby knelt down on one knee, right hand placed on its heart; the crown made of dark gold slightly drooped down.

The moment when Dumby bowed, countless ghouls that were standing on the hill, plain and basin followed their leader and knelt simultaneously.

"Huh?" Flamy felt confuse. How could it just pack up and leave after all this.

Flamy was much disappointed as it lowered its wings and bounced towards Dumby, lifting its head to look into its eyes, "I like the color on you now that you have evolved. It's much better than the original black colour."

Gao Peng heart sank. Stripey left because of its large size, as it was quite inconvenient to carry it around; as for Dumby, it was just for it to fully embrace its special ability, which could only be done if its freed.

Nevertheless, they were partners who had followed me for almost two years now. Would my Familiars have to face the hassle of travelling around with me as they grow stronger later? How do other advanced Monster Trainers deal with this kind of problem?

Gao Peng believed that not only him was facing this problem, there must be a solution.

Say Stripey had the strongest physical defense. In soul defence, Stripey was still the greatest King Tier. But looking at Dumby's potential now, it might actually stand a chance to surpass Stripey in soul attributes.

Gao Peng achieved the trainer ability of Soul Chain when he first adopted a King Tier Monster. He could form a bond using his own soul together with the monster's – they would share the same injury when receiving a soul attack.

Gao Peng had created a bond with Stripey, and when a Soul Chain was made it could not be undone within the first month.

When Gao Peng released the Soul Chain with Stripey, it lay innocently on the ground, staring blankly at Gao Peng.

Gao Peng smiled apologetically and appeased Stripey.

Then Gao Peng turned towards Dumby and held its gaze. He cast a Soul Chain and formed a bond with Dumby.

Gao Peng could see a translucent chain emerging out from his body and eventually it disappeared into Dumby's eyes.

There was a sudden shock in Gao Peng's mental sea followed by a cold sensation that circulated his entire head. He closed his eyes, perceiving that a thin scarlet flame had shrouded his entire mental sea.

"Alright, the mission that we had when we first took off has been accomplished perfectly. Let's go back." Gao Peng said.

Gao Peng was not bothered by the route taken when coming, he just went with the flow and dealt with whatever that came his way.

There wasn't even a need to consider about this problem when heading back.

The Undead Catastrophe legion swept the forest clean, all the way to the end, like locust celebrating its harvest fest, what was left was only a piece of empty land.

The bones buried along the way were constantly resurrected and accumulated until it formed a larger group. Although the level of monsters were not as high but the amount was extremely huge and that alone upgraded the level of Dumby to level 49.

Gao Peng could feel the feedback of Soul Power from Dumby.

"Oh right, you mentioned that you could absorb a whole lot of Frost Power from the spiritual frost treasures to fasten your growth?" Gao Peng asked the little lion that sat on his shoulder.

"Yea, you don't happen to know where we could find those, do you? Hate to break it to you, but if the amount does not fulfill my needs then it wouldn't work, so make sure there's enough." The Lonely Lion of the Frost shook its head as it replied.

"It shouldn't be less." Gao Peng did not dare promise him, but… the place with the most spiritual frost treasures on Earth Star was only at the North and South Pole.

Geographically, North Pole was the most convenient for them. All they had to do was just head north and they would reach there in no time.

When they were 500 kilometers away from the base of Yuzhou City, with a wave of its right hand, Dumby ceased its huge Ghoul Legion in their steps.

Scanning through, it was just a sea of ghoul skeletons, there was no way they could be counted.

"There are too many of you, plus in the Black Fog World… Commander tiers are just cannon fodders." Gao Peng shook his head. This would definitely cause a terrible panic if they were to enter Yuzhou City with such a large group of ghouls.

"Ghouls who are Level 40 and above can remain, you can just absorb the rest of them."

The moment Dumby made up his mind, more than 99% of ghouls disintegrated. Skeletal ghouls turned to ashes; spiritual ghouls dissipated in the void like a punctuated balloon.

Countless flames of ghoul turned white as they floated in the void, each instantly returning to Dumby. Dumby was slowly engulfed by the flames from the ghouls, turning into a beaming white torch!

It took exactly three minutes before everything dissipated. There was no change in Dumby's appearance but its level was again raised from 49 to 50.

Although more than 99% of the ghouls were gone, but the remaining were still considered quite a lot.

More than 50 of level 40 Commander tier ghouls and two Lord tier ones were standing quietly by Dumby.

They would die without any hesitation with just a single order.

This upgrade speed seemed to be quite cheating…

Gao Peng was watching how Dumby escalated its level from 47 to 50 in just one week's time. Comparing to its previous growth rate, Dumby could only manage to raise three levels in three month's time, which was already considered quite fast. But now it had shortened to a period of only one week.

Now Dumby was just one step away from King tier, if it upgraded then it would be the second King tier monster owned by Gao Peng.

Back in Yuzhou, Wood Peacock Skeleton, Winged Thunder Monkey Skeleton and King Centipede Skeleton were all entrusted onto Dumby. Then Gao Peng tried negotiating with the military to allow Dumby to bring along 45 level 40 peak Commander tier ghouls and five Lord tier monsters to enter the other side of the Spatial Rift.

The soldiers guarding the Spatial Rift were dumfolded as the dangerous looking ghouls walked past them one by one.

Gao Peng still felt uneasy, so he let Dumby resurrect eight of the well-preserved bodies of labyrinth watchers in the maze, turning them into robust Lord tier skeletal ghouls.

There will come a day when the children would finally grow up. Gao Peng was like a laborious old father, standing in front of the large gate to the maze, watching reluctantly as his sons take off to fend for themselves.

Earth Star was still advancing, so it was not a suitable environment for the development of skeletons as they could only get stronger by killing.

It was different with Black Fog World. There were countless bodies buried in the depths of this land. As long as Dumby's level was high enough, it could turn them all into its own minions.

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Chapter 417: Teacher Guan had gradually adapted to his new identity

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

After sending Dumby away, Gao Peng brought his familiars back to the Southern Sky Group.

Xiao Cao, which had just got down from Dumby's head felt shy and appeared very nervous because it had got no idea where would be suitable for it to stay.

Throughout a week of time, Xiao Cao had finally consumed 2 crystal cores and had successfully advanced in becoming a level 41 Lord tier monster. .

After achieving the Lord tier, its white dandelion crown turned to black and white colour, whereby half of the crown was white in colour and the other half was black in color.

Xiao Cao rolled over on the ground for several times and its light dandelion started to float in the air with two parachutes-like leaves. The leaves flew across Gao Peng's dense hair and away under Silly's shrewd glance.

The leaves then continued to fly in the sky and above Flamy's head with denser hair.

Xiao Cao looked around and felt disappointed. It flew away upon turning his head.

The Desolate Frost Lion looked intelligent with its furry little head but its brain was small. Its body was only as big as the size of two palms and it was not even taller than Xiao Cao. The White Steel Bladed Beast was staring at Xiao Cao indifferently.

Da Zi was covering its head because it was telling itself that a good-looking centipede like itself would not allow anyone to plant a grass on its head.

It would make itself a joke in front of everyone.

"How could I, the impressive Da Zi be willing to become a joke to others."

Stripey was looking forward for it. However, Xiao Cao did not like Stripey's burning back. The rock was too thick like an armor.

Goldie wiped its bald head and showed no expression.

The coward Xiao Cao started to approach Goldie slowly.

However, it immediately stopped when it saw Goldie staring at itself.

Goldie retracted his sight while Xiao Cao quietly stopped on its head and rooted immediately.

Xiao Cao did not root deep enough into soil as compared to other plants. It was just fixing itself onto a specific part on Goldie's head in the form of package to prevent itself from falling off.

"Oh yeah. Your younger female cousin will be coming back from the outskirt in 2 days. You are the older brother, and therefore you would need to take care of her", said Grandpa to Gao Peng while having dinner together.

Gao Peng was considering in his mind. He seldom visit his grandpa and therefore, he was not quite familiar with the relatives over here….

Everytime during Chinese New Year festival, those relatives would definitely come for the gathering. Moreover, everything would be different from the past with the development of the age and therefore, the relationship between relatives would get closer.

There would always be an reincarnation of era. During ancient times, the world was the home for everyone and later on more and more families were formed from various clans.

With the development of the age, the relationship between families was going down. The world development had seemingly enhanced the connection between people, but in the reality, it had drifted apart the connection in relationship between relatives.

The rise of monster trainers had allowed the revival of the family system. After all, the connections between bloodlines were unbreakable. Nepotism definitely had its own meaning here.

Gao Peng did not come back for a visit during last Chinese New Year festival and therefore, he did not get to meet the relatives on his grandpa's side.

However, Gao Peng managed to recall a figure in his mind when grandpa was talking about his younger female cousin.

A pretty and fair lady with a chubby look.

Her face was in oval-shape with a pair of pretty eyes. She was wearing a small red cotton-padded jacket, which made her to look like a bloated princess.

During the old times, the elders would have dinner together while the juniors would play around in a circle.

Those children who were slightly older would have something more interesting to play with. They did not prefer to play with those who were studying in primary school or kindergarten.

Although Gao Peng's mother was expelled from her house by grandpa in the past. However, everyone knew that it was some words coming from a stubborn old man. Moreover, she was his own daughter. Therefore, his attitude towards Gao Peng and his family was still harmonious and they had never been given a cold shoulder by those harsh relatives.

After all, those uncles had left a kind impression in Gao Peng's heart according to what he could recall. They used to talk to him with gentle and soft tone.

If the impression left by those uncles, older male and female cousins were gentle and kind, then the personalities of the little chubby lady would probably similar to theirs.

Gao Peng seemed to have recalled some awful memories. He then nodded quietly and put in a few mouthfuls of rice.

"It had been a long while since the cataclysm happened. Why is she still out there at the outskirt? It would not be anywhere safer than Huaxia Region." Gao Peng twisted his eyebrows. He could recall that his younger female cousin was 2 days younger than him.

It was extremely dangerous for a 21 years old lady to stay at the outskirt.

According to your aunty, Karen was studying abroad. Few days ago, she had received her graduation certificate and she is coming back. She is most probably on her way home now. You do not have to worry about her safety aspects because she is a lucky girl. She have even acquired the cub of a Lord tier familiar in Jinsha region. As long as she does not run around, she would be just fine."

"Erm." Gao Peng nodded calmly. He would get triggered if it was a Lord tier monster, but however, if it was a lord tier baby familiar…

Gao Peng was calm.

"I've heard that Karen had once travelled to the Golden Sea Desert few years back and she met with a camel which was getting swallowed by quicksand. Eventually, she managed to rescued the camel from the quicksand with the help of her team."

During that time, it was the male camel which was being swallowed by the quicksand. However, there was a female camel standing right next to it.

After that, the female camel had became a Lord tier monster. She handed over a calf to Karen the next time they met with each other."

This time, Gao Peng was listening with keen pleasure because he felt like he was listening to a drama.

Sometimes, life could be more dramatic than movies.

As long as they received kindness from anyone, they would never forget to repay the favor. The mindset of these monsters was simple and they would insist to repay anyone for the kindness they owed.

After having dinner, Gao Peng went to his room to take a rest. The next morning, Gao Peng took a ride to Tiange Academy for a survey after taking a shower. He had never forgotten his own identity. Other than his position as the director of the Southern Sky Group, he had got an additional identity, which would be the Principal of Tiange Academy.

When Gao Peng arrived at the academy, he found out that there were two strong and masculine statues placed on both side of the gate. They were Guan Yu Statue and Qin Qiong Statue and they were increased in size since the last time they met.

There were two copper tripods in front of the two statues. The incense was booming in the tripods and green smoke was slowly rising up to the sky. However, the statues which were affected by the green smoke appeared to be clean and untouched.

There was a Guan Yu Statue with a red strip attached to its left arm, and even with a bowtie?

"What is this?" Gao Peng was speechless.

Several executives from Tiange Academy rushed by and immediately answered, "Mr. Principal! Half a month ago during weekend, there was a fierce Lord-tier monster trying to ambush students after school. During that time, a female student was closed to being attacked by the monster but all thanks to the quick response from Teacher Guan, she managed to cut the monster into half and saved the female student's life! The female student's family was preparing to give a silk banner to her as a gift but however, we felt that it would bring negative influence and therefore, we did not allow them to do that. However, they insisted to give Teacher Guan a red scarf eventually."

It had finally showed its initiative to save the student. The Guan Yu statue had started to recognise its own identity…. Gao Peng smiled

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Chapter 418: The Golden Sand Dune Camel

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

A dismissive expression was shown on his face. However, he was performing better than anybody else.

"Teacher Guan is shortlisted in the Excellent Teachers' Review for this year," Gao Peng told the Deputy Principal. He assumed that he would forget when he was busy and so he reminded the Deputy Principal in advance.

The Deputy Principal nodded without asking why, for he would just executed the task according to the decision of the Principal.

Seemingly noticed Gao Peng, Guan Yu Statue lowered his head while taking a glance at Gao Peng. It then return back to the previous position.

The Guan Yu statue was carrying a weapon called,the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and it looked exclusive.

Walking into the school, there were a lots of green plants all around the campus. Echoes of orotund readings could be heard.

"How was the result of the last test?"

"Sir, this is the results of last monthly test. The rankings were undesirable, but the students had studied hard. They hope to show improvements in the next monthly test and to avenge the failures." The Deputy Principal quickly handed over an A4 form, as if he had been expecting this question.

The exam paper showed a table at the top.

The number of students with different scores were recorded.

The examination rankings were displayed at the bottom. This time the results of his school was placed last among other schools, which was expected by Gao Peng.

After all, the school was recently established. Many students had not acquired adequate knowledge base, and there were some who did not have any prior knowledge. Vigorous efforts were displayed by the students, however, they required more time.

"Well, as long as they tried their best and showed significant improvements, this would be our biggest gain." Gao Peng commented.

"Sir, you're right."

"Sir, you're wise!"

"Understood! You've spoken the truth Sir!"

The teachers presented their sincere wishes.

Gao Peng was speechless. He shook his head and said, "Don't give them too much pressure."

After a moment of silence, Gao Peng continued and said, "In fact, allowing you to join the Examination Alliance is in the hope that you could learn the teaching experience of those schools and the way to stimulate students' eagerness to learn. It's not to say first place is a must to achieve. I hope to cultivate professional talents instead of not comprehensive talents."

The original objective of the establishment of the Tiange Academy was to cultivate a steady stream of fresh blood to become reserved talents in the treasure trove of Southern Sky Group.

Gao Peng admitted that he had self-serving intentions. After inspecting the school, Gao Peng left through the gate in the afternoon.

Upon passing through the gate, Gao Peng saw a girl who was wearing a white plaid shirt and jeans. She was placing a few incense sticks into the copper tripod, while whispering to the Guan Yu Statue.

"That's the girl who was saved by Teacher Guan," Gao Peng narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. How did you know, Sir?"

"I guess so." Gao Peng seemed to have seen something funny. He smiled and turned away.

Several black people were walking with talks and laughters in the ruins of the Black Fog World city where the Lusaka chrono rift was located.

They were followed by their own familiars.

The city's remnants were almost fully explored, except for a few.

However, even if there were omissions, there would not be any valuable stuff. These people came to explore with the mind and hope of treasure hunting.

"This new room was found in the dungeon. It didn't have anything worthwhile, but the defensive facility was solid and it took a lot of effort to open the room."

"Haha. Boss, could there be any valuable treasures inside?" said the black man who was shorter.

Upon walking into the room, they realized it was as big as the room in the dungeon.

They got no idea which kind of wood the fence was made of. The wood was still remained firm and there were no trace of damage done by worms.

These people started searching over here and there in the room, one drawer after another.

There were nothing useful inside, except for some sundries and daily necessities.

There was this black iron door that stood out from a group of wooden door.

A bloody red colored "X" was painted with a red brush on the iron door. It could probably be a warning to stop people from opening it.

The black guy who was the first to see that nodded honestly. Since it was showing a "danger" sign, let us not touch it then!

After a while, the black guy who led the way also noticed the iron door.

"Boss, this should be a sign of warning. We have to retreat …" The words were unfinished when their leader turned his head and gave them an angry stare. "This city has been abandoned for so long. Even if there was a devil, it would have already starved to death!"

He immediately pushed the iron door upon finishing his words.

The iron door was slammed harshly upon being pushed open.

In the dark claustrophobic room, there was a cold giant Black Python lying there queitly. It was winding itself and it had dark and cold scales. Its flesh shrivelled as if a layer of scales was left lying on the ground, with a hard skull holding its head high.

They had no idea how big was the room, but the Black Python was completely shrouded in the shadows. A stream of thin light was projected from outside into the house.

"…" Several black guy opened their mouths and then closed silently, for fear of molesting the monster inside.

They closed the iron gate carefully and crept away from the basement.

They raised their feet carefully to avoid from touching the empty cans placed on the floor as well as the wooden chair which was blocking their way out. One of the black guy accidentally hung his sweater on the nails which made him to turn around and unwind the threads without making a sound.

The next day, a news spreaded throughout the entire Lucasa City.

Someone found a monster in the basement of Lucasa City!

Gao Peng's original plan was to take the Desolate Lion all the way to the north after taking a rest and then to quickly enhance its tier.

However, the arrival of his cousin disrupted his own plan, which led to the latter's decision of going to the North Pole at least after seeing his cousin first. Anyway, it would take only another two days of time.

Two days later, Gao Peng went to the airport to pick up his distant female cousin, Chen Kailun.

The name somewhat sounded like a man, but she was truly a lady. However, her characteristics resembled that of a man sometimes.

Chen Kailun was followed by a two-meter-tall golden camel. The camel was timid as it was following closely behind its owner's.

Goldie was displaying a disdainful look at this human which it thought was too weak while walking behind Gao Peng. Goldie's face was full of arrogance as it spitted on the ground.

Chen Kailun's facial expression changed when she saw Goldie splitting as if she was trying to stop it but she was too late.

The golden camel behind Chen Kailun was fearful at first. However, upon seeing someone spitting directly in front of it, it was pissed off all of a sudden.

How could someone put such precious water to waste!

The golden camel stretched its neck, glimpsed its eyes and groaned its throat. The next second, it opened its mouth and it started to flutter its saliva immensely towards Goldie. Even Gao Peng was included within the attack range.

[Monster Name: Golden Sand Dune Camel

[Monster Level: 32 (Commander)

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Attributes: Sand / Earth

[Monster summary: An animal which lives in desert, gentle, strong endurance, cherishes water source. In the eyes of the Golden Sand Dune Camel, water is a very precious resource, and those who wasted water will receive condemnation. When the Golden Sand Dune Camel got angry, it will spit at its despised creatures.

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Chapter 419: The Bloody Golden Carpet Monster

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

Gao Peng had long known that when camels got angry, they would spit on others. This was the way they expressed their anger. However, Gao Peng had still not expected that this golden camel would be so stubborn.

Perhaps one would consider giving it a nickname—Little Iron Head Vajra.

Upon noticing it spitting, Goldie stared at the little camel angrily. It roared to the sky with its powerful pecs pumping in madness.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The strong wind that came from Goldie's mouth had turned into a hurricane, reversing all the saliva in the air, which eventually smashed back towards Chen Kailun and the camel…

Chen Kailun was a little disorientated. She looked in front of her while wiping the saliva off of her face. Her eyes were resentful. "Cousin…"

Gao Peng laughed and patted Goldie's buttocks. "Little brother, can't you just be kind to others?"

Goldie's expression was cool, as usual. Its poker face was well trained, impervious to even swords or spears.

After gently touching its behind, Goldie stepped forward and patted the hump of the Golden Sand Dume Camel.

"Little brother, you were the one that wasn't being kind at first, weren't you?"

"This… this is Uncle Kui?" Behind Chen Kailun, there was a plump teenage boy wearing glasses. He was so excited that he was blushing.

There was a blue tattoo on Goldie's bald head and two big chains crossing through its chest. There were two huge tomahawks on its back, too. The fatty's eyes were brimming with excitement! As a veteran cosplay enthusiast, various monsters had his heroes after the Cataclysm.

Gao Peng nodded, calm. He directed his eyes towards Chen Kailun, making the latter feel intimidated.

"Are you going to continue your studies at university?" Gao Peng frowned and cleared his throat. "It's still necessary to continue studying. Even in this era, mastering as much knowledge as possible is imperative—"

"I've applied to study at Yuzhou University. I'll be able to enroll at the beginning of next year and become your junior." Chen Kailun interrupted Gao Peng in a slightly gloomy tone.

"The way you spoke sounded just like my father."

"Yuzhou University?" Gao Peng was overwhelmed because it had been a long while since he last went to school. He couldn't help but start sinking into deep thoughts. The initial objective of studying at university had been to fulfill his dreams, which was also the last wish of his parents.

Now that he couldn't learn much at school, the number of times he went to school was less than five times a year. Therefore, maintaining his slot in the school would be unnecessary. He should have applied for graduation in advance.

"I'll apply for early graduation soon. My junior, all the best to you." Gao Peng shot an encouraging look at his cousin.

"…" Chen Kailun was speechless.

The female cousin who had come to the house was showing great curiosity towards everything, including Goldie, Da Zi, Flamy, and the rest of the team. However, it was a pity that she didn't get to see the Skeleton Tyrant, which was the familiar signature to Gao Peng's success.

"Bro, did you hide your tyrant?" Chen Kailun was saddened by the fact that in the Huangmo and Jinsha regions, they were hostile to the Ghoul-type monsters because their religious intentions were originally resentful to the deceased.

Therefore, in these two regions, she could barely see ghoul monsters or familiars. They would be immediately eliminated by the locals after appearing.

The person along with Chen Kailun was her younger male cousin, Ai Jueyi, the fatty following behind her that day.

He would be seventeen years old this year… What a sad age. He could only watch others training their familiars day after day. He had been anxiously waiting for five years in total.

Various manuals of monsters and familiars manuals were at his fingertips. He was even more well-versed in the familiars' origins than their actual masters. He had a wide array of collections at home with regards to all rare monsters.

It was a pity that he didn't even own a familiar, however weak. In order to prevent this kid from being tempted to steal to buy a familiar, his family was strictly controlling his expenditures.

During this period of time, Gao Peng's grandfather was running around the Black Fog World to lead the Thunder Lord and the Primitive Jade Armored Crocodile in opening up a business road, hence he wouldn't be home for several days.

Therefore, Gao Peng decided to stay at home for the time being to accompany his two younger cousins.

"Young Master Gao, were you looking for me?" Huang Ya stepped in with a brave look. There was a red spiritual horse following him. This was Huang Ya's Lord-tier familiar, the Fire-Wind Crimson Hot-Blooded War Horse. It possessed attributes of wind and fire and was an extraordinarily familiar.

"Well, you've been putting in so much effort all this while." Gao Peng nodded. Since Gao Peng had transferred Huang Ya to the Resource Exploration Department, Huang Ya had been working hard on all the tasks assigned to him. Therefore, Huang Ya had gained Gao Peng's trust, and he now regarded him as his right-hand man.

"I'll do my best for Master Gao." Huang Ya lowered down his head with a respectful face.

"Yes." Gao Peng nodded and smiled. "I don't usually reward you. The group has an internal system set up so if one was to execute his or her job well, the group would reward him. However, since you're usually working for me, you'll receive my personal rewards."

After he finished talking, Gao Peng clapped. Goldie, which was standing behind Gao Peng, bent over and picked up a golden rug from the ground. The rug was around 25 square feet, and it was covered with blood-red patterns. The red patterns gathered together, resembling a red eye.

"This is…" Huang Ya was a bit dumbfounded.

"This is your familiar. Take a look for yourself." Gao Peng asked Goldie to hand over the Bloody Golden Carpet to Huang Ya.

Huang Ya took the Bloody Golden Carpet and lowered his palm to it. The Bloody Golden Carpet dropped from his hand and rolled on the ground. It then flipped up and stared at Huang Ya with its crimson red eyeball patterns.

Huang Ya looked at the carpet for two seconds and raised his head calmly.

"This is a Lord-tier monster. If you like it, make a Blood Contract with it." Gao Peng nodded.

Stuttering, Huang Ya's pupils dilated. "This is a Lord-tier Monster?"

"Shao Dong couldn't have lied to me."

The calmness on Huang Ya's face suddenly disappeared without a trace. After a moment of silence, Huang Ya's voice went hoarse. "Thank you Shao Dong!"

It hadn't been too difficult to make the Bloody Golden Carpet monster work for Gao Peng. He was just being coercive to achieve his motive easily. Almost no monsters could escape Goldie's fist and its desire to enhance its tier.

Ai Jueyi, who was watching TV next to them, was stunned. "Is it a trend now to send off familiars as gifts?"

"They even gave away a Lord-tier monster as a gift?"

"Is this the way high-end players play?"

The heads of 10,000 Alpacas ran wildly inside Ai Jueyi's mind. At this moment, he only wanted to hug his cousin's strong, thick, golden thigh.

After three days of rest, Gao Peng could no longer sit idly and do nothing. It wasn't his style to waste time at home. After speaking to his cousins, he finally brought the Desolate Frost Lion, the White Steel Bladed Beast, Silly, Flamy, and Xiao Cao to embark on a new journey to the north.

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Chapter 420: The Ice Demon Knight

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

It was very cold traveling to the North Pole this time. Therefore, Gao Peng brought Flamy with him to keep him warm with its flames. Moreover, Flamy was capable of flying, and that alone would be convenient.

In order to ease the load to carry, Gao Peng only brought a few of his lighter familiars.

The White Steel Bladed Beast was less than three feet tall. The Desolate Frost Lion was as big as the size of two human hands. Xiao Cao's body weight was light, and Silly was even lighter. They were the lightest candidates.

"If there weren't any materials that could meet your requirements in the Arctic, then they'll probably be located at the South Pole," Gao Peng touched the little head of the Desolate Frost Lion while telling them his thoughts.

"We'll fly to the farthest north Black Dragon Base City first, then continue to fly to the north. Let's not waste any time. We'll depart earlier and come back sooner," said Gao Peng.

The Arctic wasn't a fun place to visit. While cold weather and endless snow may have been beautiful for the eyes at first, as time passed by, one would grow bored.

The plane landed in the Black Dragon Base City ten hours later. The Black Dragon Base City was the northernmost base city in the Huaxia Region.

Looking with the bird's eye view from the window on the plane, they realized that there was a majestic but dark river which ran through the mountains in the shape of a dragon. There was a big city divided into two by the river at the bottom of the mountain.

The densely populated wooden houses and various buildings floated on the river, like huge nails that had been put into the earth under the giant black river.

The turbulent river became more peaceful after being blocked by numerous buildings and obstacles stuck under the river.

"Spectacular." Gao Peng was amazed. It looked like a brave familiar trainer had managed to tame the tyrannical Black Dragon in the mountains.

The plane landed slowly. When Gao Peng came out of the plane, he immediately took a breath of the cold air coming towards his face. "The weather is really cool here…"

Gao Peng, who was riding on Flamy's back, retrieved a windproof jacket from Silly's backpack, then proceeded to put a mask on his face and a pair of gloves on his hands. After that, he gently patted Flamy's head and said, "Let's go!"

Flamy soared straight into the sky with a long cry.

The snow in the sky had become heavier and heavier, and the cold wind started displaying its rage. Gao Peng and the other familiars were fine, but Xiao Cao had already huddled itself into a ball while shivering.

The Desolate Frost Lion took a glance at Xiao Cao and then gently patted its head. A layer of blue light started to condense around Xiao Cao and formed a barrier that isolated the coldness in the air from the outside. All of the incoming coldness was fully absorbed by the blue light barrier.

After flying for about half a month, a vast expanse of whiteness appeared all around them. It was a snowfield below them. Gao Peng took out a map and realized that they were already in the Arctic.

"Let's go down." Now that they had reached the Arctic, all they had to do was take their time and find the treasures.

Gao Peng had no idea how to locate the treasures. He could only rely on the senses of the Desolate Frost Lion.

The Desolate Frost Lion was struggling to jump down from Gao Peng's arms, but eventually, it made it. After that, it started to sniff closely on the ground while swinging its tail happily. The intense ice elements that were filling the air allowed the Desolate Frost Lion to become more active.

Apparently, there were many treasures in the Arctic. The Desolate Frost Lion spread its claws on the glacier wall, digging. Its two little claws weren't big enough, but its speed of shaving the ice was indeed fast. In only ten minutes, a hole a few feet deep was made, as if it had been dug by an excavator.

Half an hour later, the Desolate Frost Lion crawled out from the hole with a piece of pure blue mystical ice in its mouth.

"There! There!" The Desolate Frost Lion had found several materials along the way, but unfortunately, these materials were either in too little amount or at best, they could only help it advance to Lord-tier before losing their effects completely.

The Desolate Frost Lion was somewhat disappointed. It was holding its face in its small claws with a helpless look.

"Don't worry. The Arctic is so big that we'll definitely get what we want. Let's continue to look in the central area," comforted Gao Peng.

The endless snowfield coupled with the winding glacier-covered coastline led to a magnificent aurora in the sky when dusk approached. The dark shadows on the horizon from afar and the aurora in the sky overlapped with each other, reflecting the marvelous scenery. The fading blue aurora hanging over the starry universe had painted an extremely beautiful picture.

After moving closer, Gao Peng discovered a majestic palace, a frosty palace made of glacier ice. Unlike the little palace where the Desolate Frost Lion was previously found, this was a majestic palace with towering corners, and the blue frost there was particularly eye-catching.

Silvery trees were all over the surroundings of the palace. They turned into silver trees with golden flowers. The main entrance of the palace was closed, which made it seem like there could be something hidden inside.

"This doesn't look like a palace that we could build," Gao Peng said in a low voice.

"Such a big palace, and it's fully made of polar ice. Average monsters would never be able to build it," Gao Peng muttered to himself.

"Human beings are unable to make carvings in front of such a big palace with the machines and equipment they have in modern society." Gao Peng was fairly certain of this because the polar ice was extremely hard and cold.

Creak…

The palace gate was slowly opened up by someone. Gao Peng grew serious while looking at it.

A palace that appeared out of nowhere in an uninhabited snowfield was a strange phenomenon, not to mention that there would probably be living things in the palace.

Pat… Pat… Pat…

The clear footsteps from the palace echoed in the field.

Pat. The final footstep stopped another two steps away from the gate.

Through the white sunshine, Gao Peng saw a silver-white figure standing in the palace against the sun, and it was looking at him.

Behind the silvery figure, there seemed to be a blue cloak dancing in the wind. Its silver spear was like a sharp slender cone, and its sharp blade looked as smooth as water.

[Monster Name: Ice Demon Knight (Sealed)

[Monster Level: Level 51 (King-tier)

[Monster Grade: Epic

[Monster Attributes: Ice

[Monster Ability: Aurora Blade Level 5, Hard armor, Level 4 Ice element mastery Level 4

[Monster Features: Frozen Blade (the powerful ice force is attached to the weapon and it could deal incredible destruction.

Passive Effect 1: Increases the destructive impact of attacks and damage.

Passive Effect 2: Enemies who are hit by the Frozen Blade will fall into Frozen Destructive effect. All damage taken during this duration will increase.

Ice-sealed Heart (the tranquil heart will remain fearless and calm) Effect 1: Ignore the ability of mind control, causing it to be unaffected by charm, take over, confusion, fear and so on. Effect 2: Any mental/soul damage taken will be weakened.

[Monster Profile: The Ice Demon Knight under the sealed state is a monster with strong fighting capability. They are brave, fearless, and loyal.

"Leave, human." The Ice Demon Knight's head was shrouded in a thick ice helmet, with only a stream of blue light glancing at the outside world.

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Read Monster Pet Evolution Chapter 421 - She online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 421: She

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

"Gao Peng, there's something good inside," said the Desolate Frost Lion, salivating as it gazed intently inside the temple.

Gao Peng rubbed the lion's head. "Hush now."

While the Desolate Frost Lion couldn't see the stats of whatever awaited them up ahead, Gao Peng could see them clearly. It was a King-tier monster.

Well, crap. Dumby and Stripey aren't with me right now.

The strongest familiar he had brought along with him was his Level-50 White Steel Bladed Beast. No matter how ruthless its attacks might have been, the fact that it was only one level away from reaching King-tier didn't change the fact that it was still a Lord-tier familiar.

To make matters worse, this was the North pole. They were in the Frozen Asura Knight's domain.

"Leave this place, human," said the Frozen Asura Knight in a deep voice.

Gao Peng stared at it in surprise. None of his familiars were translating its words psychically in his head. The Frozen Asura Knight was speaking directly to him in his tongue!

"You can speak my language?"

"Leave here now, human!" roared the Frozen Asura Knight, hostility rising in its voice. Despite the rising anger in its voice, it still hadn't taken a step out of the palace.

Its ability to speak the human tongue meant that it wasn't a wild monster. It must have come into regular contact with human civilization. It might have even been someone else's familiar.

Ridiculous as it might have sounded, the fact that his grandfather had been able to raise the White Dragon himself was enough proof that there were other trainers just as gifted and lucky as he was out there in the world. They would also be capable of raising their own King-tier familiars.

"We're not going to break into the palace. We're just taking a look around. Is that all right with you?" asked Gao Peng, trying as best as he could to show that he carried no ill will.

The Frozen Asura Knight looked as if it was about to say something else, then, glancing at Gao Peng, it turned around and went inside. "Your words, not mine," it said flatly, letting its voice echo in the wind.

Only after it had stepped back into the palace did Gao Peng realize just how big the palace was. Its blue-white walls loomed high. Nothing but a sheet of white snow surrounded the palace.

Without waiting for Gao Peng to come over, the Desolate Frost Lion broke into a small jog towards a bluish frozen lake not too far away from the palace. The lake's surface was as smooth as a mirror.

With a splash, it leaped into the lake and disappeared beneath its surface.

Inside the palace, suddenly sensing something, the Frozen Asura Knight who had returned inside scanned the walls to its left before turning away.

A huge frozen room had been built in the innermost parts of the palace. If the cold outside was a one, the temperature inside the room was a freezing ten. An ice fog hung in the air, with spindly frozen tendrils branching out from the walls.

In the middle of the room lay a frozen casket. The casket was six feet long and three feet wide, adorned with exquisite floral patterns. The Frozen Asura Knight walked solemnly towards the frozen casket before dropping to a half-kneel in front of it.

"Mistress, what are your orders?" The Frozen Asura Knight's markings began to flow into the ground, making it seem as if it was now firmly rooted in the ground, as if it had become one with the palace itself.

Suddenly, a dainty white hand stretched out from the casket. Its skin was so white that one could see the blue-green veins bulging slightly on its extremities. It gently waved at the knight, its middle and ring fingers touching each other.

The knight took this to mean, "State your business if you have any. If not, leave. I do not like to be bothered."

After a moment's silence, the Frozen Asura Knight slowly lowered its head. "Understood," it said solemnly.

Half an hour later, the Desolate Frost Lion crawled out of the frozen lake. As a result of soaking inside the frozen lake for that period of time, it had risen from Level 41 to Level 43.

"All of you, come with me." The Frozen Asura Knight had appeared out of nowhere behind Gao Peng. The frozen spear in its hand dangled over the ground. It was a tall and gangly thing, its frozen blue armor hugging its skin tightly. Behind it trailed its shadow, solitary like a tower.

It then turned around and began walking back towards the palace.

Gao Peng looked at it strangely. Then, beckoning his familiars towards himself, he began following it back to the palace.

Upon entering the building, the Frozen Asura Knight melted into a nearby wall. Gao Peng and his familiars stared silently at the empty wall.

They had entered the palace via a side entrance. The white floor didn't sparkle as much as the rest of the building, plus Gao Peng and the others didn't come across a single living being in the palace as they walked through its corridors; it was as if the Frozen Asura Knight had been living there on its own all this time.

In what appeared to be the backyard, a frozen dome hung above their heads. The auroral spectacle in the heavens shone through the dome, staining it an assortment of colors.

In the middle of the backyard was a well. It was six feet wide, and the water inside was boiling. White steam rose out from the mouth of the well.

Wait, it's boiling? was Gao Peng's first thought. Is it a Pure Yin Frozen Spring?

The Desolate Frost Lion lowered its body, ready to leap into the well. Before it could do so, Gao Peng pulled its mane back, causing it to flail its front limbs futilely in the air.

"Ow, ow!" The Desolate Frost Lion whined in pain. "Unhand me, you fiend! Keep your hands off me, you filthy animal!" it shouted.

"We're in someone else's backyard. Try to be on your best behavior now," said Gao Peng patiently. I wouldn't have cared too much if this place didn't have a master. But he or she could be watching us as we speak. Jumping into strange wells on someone else's property without their express permission is just downright disrespectful!

More importantly, we're currently not in any position to take on the Frozen Asura Knight… It may be on its own here, but we probably wouldn't stand a chance against it even with our powers combined.

"You've grown weak. This could help you recover a portion of your power," said the Frozen Asura Knight out of nowhere.

Giving Gao Peng a small nod, it turned to leave the backyard.

The Desolate Frost Lion stared after it, stunned. It then looked at Gao Peng. "Gao Peng, how did it know I lost my power?"

Gao Peng affectionately rubbed the lion's head. "Don't worry, just keep on training and you'll become stronger than you ever were before."

The Desolate Frost Lion simply gazed at him, speechless. In the end, Gao Peng let the Desolate Frost Lion jump into the well, though it still didn't sit right with him.

He lowered a bucket that seemed to be made of some unknown material into the well and scooped out some water. He emptied two buckets of water into a nearby tank. The water had been transparent when it was inside the well. However, when it left the well, it turned a shade of pure black.

It was no longer steaming once it was poured into the tank. Inside the tank, the black water's temperature dropped drastically. Desolion cautiously dipped its paws into the tank.

Crickkkk—

The Desolate Frost Lion was instantly frozen into a lion popsicle inside the tank. It sank to the bottom like a rock…

Gao Peng and the others watched over the Desolate Frost Lion as it slept in its frozen state at the bottom of the tank. He didn't dare make himself too comfortable inside the palace without the master's permission. He still hadn't forgotten his manners.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard behind Gao Peng, as soft as a petal falling onto the surface of a pond.

Gao Peng turned around and was greeted by the sight of a white figure hugging close to the palace's ice walls. The long train of her white gown trailed behind her. The Frozen Asura Knight was walking the white figure over to Gao Peng and company, carefully holding her hand in its own.

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Chapter 422: Bei Qing Yan

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

Gao Peng made eye contact with the white-robed maiden. Her eyes were cold and clear, like the frozen lake outside.

As looking straight into a lady's eyes was the most impolite thing a gentleman could do, Gao Peng quickly lowered his gaze. She had a red lotus impressed between her brows. How curious… Wait, why am I paying attention to such details?

As Gao Peng tried to keep his head clear of any improper thoughts, the white-robed maiden suddenly asked, "What time is it?"

Gao Peng quickly took out his phone. "It's 7:30 in the evening."

The white-robed maiden frowned as she ruminated on this in silence. Then she nodded wordlessly at Gao Peng.

"It's been a while since I've had guests," she said. "I could feel the elemental energies returning to the planet. How long has it been since the planet's elemental revitalization?"

"Five years," said Gao Peng matter-of-factly. He saw no reason to lie to her. She could simply walk out of the palace and ask any joe on the street for an answer.

"Huh, so it's only been five years…" The white-robed maiden looked at Gao Peng. "Thank you."

Her eyes then fell on Gao Peng's familiars. The look on her face was one of admiration. "To be able to raise a couple of Lord-tier familiars in just five years is no small feat. Also, your little lion is quite something. Its previous tier must have been quite high."

"Forgive me for asking, but are you not from the Huaxia region?" asked Gao Peng. He could tell that there was something off about her. He already had a few pretty wild ideas about her identity.

"I'm not of this era," said the white-robed maiden casually, a smile spreading across her face. She then blinked a few times at Gao Peng. "Would you like to taste my cooking? I assure you, my grilled fish is to die for."

"No need to trouble yourself… I've brought some canned food with me," said Gao Peng, shaking his head. Incidentally, it was now dinnertime. At the mention of grilled fish, Gao Peng's stomach began to growl.

"Canned food? What's canned food?" asked the white-robed maiden curiously.

"It's something really delicious," said Gao Peng. He beckoned Silly over. From its portable space, he pulled out at least ten aluminum cans, each stuffed with different kinds of food.

The white-robed maiden curiously looked at the aluminum cans before she opened one of them. A white substance could be seen floating on the surface of the can's soupy contents, with oily brown chunks of meat settling at the bottom. Dark blobs of oil wobbled as the can shifted slightly in the white-robed maiden's hands.

She took a deep whiff of the aroma wafting from the can. Suddenly, the Frozen Asura Knight stepped forward and said, "Wait, Mistress." It held out its left index finger and fired a small fragment of ice through the can. The blue-white ice fragments turned murky as they came out of the other end of the can.

The knight then proceeded to do the same thing to the rest of Gao Peng's aluminum cans. Finally, it turned to the white-robed maiden and reported, "Mistress, while this so-called canned food is edible, I strongly advise against eating it. It doesn't seem healthy—"

Before it could finish its sentence, the white-robed maiden waved a dismissive hand at it. "All right, I get it." She then stabbed her fork into a huge chunk of meat from the can that she had opened.

While this canned food might have seemed unappetizing, she had to admit that it had a rather exotic taste.

Gao Peng saw the white-robed maiden's eyes lighting up. She seemed to like what she was eating. Soon, she emptied ten of the cans that Gao Peng had brought with him.

Half an hour later, just when it seemed like she still hadn't had her fill, she set her fork down and puckered her lips contentedly. "I'm stuffed. You can eat now."

Her gaze still hadn't left what was supposed to be Gao Peng's dinner. At that moment, she looked like a hungry little deer still wanting to eat until her little heart exploded.

"It's all right. I still have plenty," said Gao Peng. While saying this, he took out ten more cans of food from Silly's portable space, while 'accidentally' taking out a juice box in the process.

Ten soft tentacles entwined themselves around Gao Peng's wrist, stopping him from committing this most heinous of crimes. Silly said seriously to Gao Peng, "That's not yours! It's mine!" It then flicked Gao Peng's fingers away with one of its tentacles before cautiously cradling the juice box in its remaining tentacles.

Hmph, cunning Silly has once again foiled Gao Peng's plot to take away its juice boxes! I'm such a cunning jellyfish. I should let myself drink one more juice box as a reward!

It began sipping happily on the juice box that it had just rescued from Gao Peng's clutches.

"That's really not necessary," said the white-robed maiden while chewing a particularly huge chunk of meat in her mouth.

"I have a canned food factory back home. A canned food factory is a place where canned foods like the ones you just ate are mass-produced and then sold to the public," explained Gao Peng. He seemed to have discovered one of her likes. He was ready to go back home and buy a canned food factory just to impress her. She was, after all, the owner of a familiar which, despite being in a sealed state, was still a King-tier entity.

To his surprise, the white-robed maiden shook her head. She said, "No, I have to be ready for their return."

'They'? Who's 'they'?

She then apologetically put down the canned food in her hands. Glancing at Gao Peng, she pushed the canned food back towards him. "I can't eat any more of this…"

Gao Peng broke into laughter. "It's all right. You've done me a great service. A couple of cans won't be enough to express how thankful I am for your help. Don't worry, I have plenty of things back home that are more delicious than canned food. I promise that I'll send them over to you when I get back."

The white-robed maiden was touched by this. "You're a really good man, you!" she said.

Gao Peng felt somewhat uncomfortable about being described as a good man.

"Oh yeah, how old are you?" he asked in an attempt to alleviate the awkwardness he was feeling right then.

"I'm 26," she replied.

Noticing Gao Peng's look of disbelief, she continued, "I've spent most of my time in the Casket of Eternal Winter. My body can't age while in cryogenic stasis."

Even though Gao Peng's social skills were subpar at best, he still had enough common sense to know that age was a subject best avoided during conversations with ladies. Gao Peng decided not to start a debate with her as to whether or not the human body was indeed incapable of aging while in cryogenic stasis.

He started chatting with the white-robed maiden for a bit. She grew more enthusiastic as they chatted, as if she hadn't had someone to talk to for a long time.

Bei Qing Yan was her name. According to her, everyone in her tribe had the Bei surname.

Tribe… Gao Peng was a bit taken aback by this. He had heard of ancient tribes that had existed on the planet millennia ago. Back then, these primitive human beings farmed the land and hunted for a living. Many relics were unearthed as proof of their existence. However, these ancient tribes were wiped out overnight by a mysterious catastrophe.

Atlantis was said to be one of these primitive civilizations. Some scholars believed that Atlantis was simply a civilized 'tribe' that had existed in ancient times, and that there had been more of them in those days. Unfortunately, this theory wasn't widely accepted by mainstream academia.

"Have you heard of Atlantis?" asked Gao Peng.

"Atlantis?"

Bei Qing Yan looked at Gao Peng. Then she nodded. "I've heard of the Atlantean tribe from my father. It's quite far from the Arctic tribe here, which is the reason why we rarely came into contact with them."

A day passed, and the Desolate Frost Lion crawled out of the tank. Blue steam swirled around it. It twitched its nose. Then, without warning, it let out a huge sneeze!

"Achoo!"

Even though he had been expecting this for a whole day, Gao Peng was still thrilled to see that the lion had finally reached King-tier.

"Awoo!" The King-tier Desolate Frost Lion swaggered towards Gao Peng.

"For now, King-tier is the highest tier a monster can reach. Monsters higher than King-tier can't enter this world while its limits are still in place. It's like the planet's own defense mechanism, keeping out monsters that are far too powerful for its inhabitants to handle presently," said Bei Qing Yan.

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Chapter 423: Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins

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

The Desolate Frost Lion had been an Emperor-tier monster back when it was at its peak. Right now, it had barely returned to King-tier. As Gao Peng already had King-tier Stripey and Mythical-grade Dumby, he wasn't particularly ecstatic about the Desolate Frost Lion finally reaching King-tier.

Upon reaching King-tier, the Desolate Frost Lion's size had increased considerably. It could now reach Gao Peng's knees. It was also at least three feet long.

Naturally, the White Bladed Beast was happy about this. However, fearing that the lion might be offended by any overt displays of happiness, the White Bladed Beast decided to just settle on tapping its claws against the ground excitedly.

Sensing the White Bladed Beast's eyes on it, the Desolate Frost Lion threw a suspicious glance at it. The White Bladed Beast looked away, pretending that it wasn't trying to celebrate its comrade-in-arms' rise in monster tier.

Gao Peng then continued chatting with Bei Qing Yan. As he stopped to drink some water, he looked at the time. It was already noon.

Time sure flies when you're having fun. He had no idea why the day had gone by so quickly. "It's getting late. The reason I came here was to help my familiar level up…" His voice trailed off, as he had no idea how to finish that sentence.

"Uhm…" Bei Qing Yan simply nodded.

Both of them looked at each other in silence. The atmosphere in the room was an awkward one.

"Then, I guess this is where I take my leave. Thank you for your hospitality. I'll show you around Yuzhou if you're ever in the neighborhood," said Gao Peng as he kneaded Silly, which was in his hands, into all kinds of shapes.

"I'll be sure to visit Yuzhou as soon as my people return to me," said Bei Qing Yan, smiling. Her eyes glowed beautifully, like a pair of crescent moons.

"Don't get my hopes up now," said Gao Peng, chuckling.

"I'm sorry, what hopes?" asked Bei Qing Yan quizzically. Gao Peng really had a penchant for cryptic expressions.

"Uhm, well…" Gao Peng shrugged with futility. He had no idea how to dig himself out of that hole.

"Wait here," said Bei Qing Yan before returning to her chambers. A moment later, she came back with a crystal vial that was as big as a palm. Inside it was a metal bead.

Uhm? That's not a bead. Gao Peng strained his eyes at it. A row of numbers and letters appeared before him.

[Monster Name: Male Magnetic Beast

[Monster Tier: Level 5

[Monster Grade: Normal

[Monster Attribute: Metal

[Monster Description: Magnetic Beasts come in male and female pairs. When both genders are within a certain distance from each other, they immediately sense the other and are inexorably drawn to each other. The closer they are to each other, the stronger the attraction they feel to each other.

It was only then that Gao Peng noticed that the Male Magnetic Beast was pressed up against the glass as if it was currently being drawn somewhere.

"This Male Magnetic Beast can feel the presence of a Female Magnetic Beast. She's inside the palace. With the Male Magnetic Beast, you won't get lost while trying to find my place," explained Bei Qing Yan.

Gao Peng had a sneaking suspicion that she only wanted to ensure a constant source of good food from him.

Yep, that's probably it…

Later, Gao Peng left the palace alongside his familiars. Along the way, he passed through a frozen valley.

The way back home was quite nonchalant, as opposed to the first time he had made his way up to the North Pole.

He decided to linger around for a bit before heading back to Yuzhou. His journey to the North Pole had been an arduous one. It wouldn't feel right to leave without at least bringing something back as a souvenir.

Only a few people were aware of the real reason behind his trip to the North Pole. Those left in the dark probably assumed that he was goofing off in his manor, playing video games all day.

Before him lay a basin, in which stretched a black-and-white ocean. There was a hint of yellow in the water.

When Gao Peng came close enough, he could see the shapes of these creatures, which stood at least six feet tall and seemed quite rotund. They looked like… penguins.

Their beaks were yellow, wide and thick. They had fierce looks in their eyes, and their hair danced about wildly in the wind. From Gao Peng's point of view, they looked like a bunch of hooligans trying to revive punk.

Gao Peng had read about these creatures in various monster compendiums. Before the Cataclysm, they were called rockhopper penguins. They were the punk rockers of penguins.

Upon evolving into Yellow-browed Monster Penguins, they now seemed to have embraced their punk side even more so than before.

[Monster Name: Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins

[Monster Tier: Level 18

[Monster Grade: Normal

[Monster Attribute: Water

[Monster Description: In comparison to other penguin-typed monsters of the same monster tier, the Yellow-browed Monster Penguin has proven itself to be the strongest. It has a rowdy personality, always making sure that everyone knows that it's the coolest penguin in town.

A group of these penguins was just standing around like a bunch of thugs. Necks… None of them had any.

They stretched out their dumpy little heads. The yellow hair on their scalps suddenly stood up, sharp like spears. Their gaits were flamboyant. Gao Peng thought he was looking at Desolion's shadow.

The Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins waddled up to Gao Peng and company like a bunch of confused teenagers, surrounding them completely. The Yellow-Browed Monster Penguin leading the group had hair that was almost touching Gao Peng's face. Its head was slightly slanted, its eyes staring straight at Gao Peng. There was a wild look on its face. All that was missing was the customary sleeve-rolling and growling, "I'm going to beat you up today, you prissy-looking b*stard," at Gao Peng. With this, the penguin would have completed the stereotypical street thug image.

The White Steel Bladed Beast tensed. It furtively unsheathed its bladed appendages…

Gao Peng pressed a hand against its head, indicating that there was no need to start a fight. Yet. In truth, even without his familiars, thanks to his current physical condition, he could probably beat up these Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins on his own.

Seeing that Gao Peng wasn't the least bit intimidated by them and that he still remained quite calm, the penguin at the front of the group narrowed its eyes at them. Then… it silently backed away.

Its bulky body merged into the mass of penguins behind it, where it continued observing Gao Peng and his familiars.

In a corner, one of the Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins couldn't take it any longer. This was their turf. Every monster in the area knew this, and still, this bipedal weirdo decided to just barge in like he owned the bloody place. I'm going to put the fear of God into this man if it's the last thing I do!

It came at Gao Peng and swung out its wing, which was intercepted by Flamy. The penguins let out an outraged noise when they saw a monster of the same species as them, but of a much higher level, defend the bipedal outsider.

"Traitor!"

"Enemy of all penguins!"

"The eighties called, they want their red feathers back!"

"We have a traitor in our midst!"

The Yellow-Browed Penguins began screeching nonstop.

Flamy's face darkened. Who the hell are you calling a penguin?

It then opened its beak and let loose a ball of fire that struck some of the penguins closest to it. They began squawking and running around in circles while trying to put out their burning backsides with their wings. I'm Gao Peng's skinniest familiar! That's what he told me personally, so it must be true! thought Flamy.

It flapped its wings powerfully, whipping up a gust of wind that sent fragments of ice on the ground twirling chaotically in the air.

In the face of such a spectacle, the Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins didn't show a trace of fear on their faces. They began huddling up before surging towards Flamy as one single body.

A ring of fire spread out from Flamy's body as it flapped its wings once more. The flames then exploded into a million fiery fragments.

Boom!

Flamy's ring of fire exploded across the North Pole's frozen ground.

The resulting blast wave sent the penguins closest to Flamy flying away, while also causing their bodies to catch fire.

Upon seeing this, the Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins at the back halted their advance. Then, looking at each other, they bolted in the opposite direction as quickly as their stumpy little legs could carry them.

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Chapter 424: A Mutant Appears! The Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin

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

Watching the penguins flee, Flamy muttered, "If Gao Peng hadn't asked me to show mercy, I would have burned you all to a crisp."

When the Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins finally left the place, Gao Peng noticed that there was a dark form beneath where the penguins were standing. It glinted with a curious light beneath the sunlight.

Walking over, Gao Peng realized that there was what appeared to be a grounded ship beneath the ice. A portion of the ship was frozen in the glacier, while the rest of it was sticking out of the ice.

The ship had a blue-white flag, in the middle of which a picture of a brown bear was plastered. Gao Peng recognized it immediately: this was the flag of the Arctic region.

This was one of the Arctic region's battleships. Gao Peng could see the ship's cannon barrels, radar, and other apparatus one would normally find on board a battleship. However, most of these had been destroyed and frozen solid by the Arctic cold.

Noticing that some of the Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins had dove into a cave that was carved into the face of an ice cliff, Gao Peng decided to check it out. Hearing his footsteps, the Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins that had gone underground began panicking. They stumbled over each other, trying to put even more distance between themselves and Gao Peng by burrowing deeper into the cave.

Gao Peng narrowed his eyes as he observed the interior of the cave. It looked like a laboratory that had long been abandoned there for some inexplicable reason.

Coordination was a rare thing among monsters, let along these penguins. Gao Peng was now able to put two and two together after seeing the grounded battleship and the abandoned laboratory.

These penguins must have been captured to be experimented on as guinea pigs, then something must have gone wrong during their experiments. A monster attack seemed like the most likely reason behind the laboratory's current abandoned state. Whatever the reason might have been, the penguins had managed to escape from captivity. As few monsters could live in a place as harsh as the North Pole, these penguins were able to proliferate like rabbits without meeting any competition…

This must be how these penguins came to be here in the North Pole! thought Gao Peng.

Even though the laboratory had been left in disrepair, there were no signs of human corpses. They must have been taken away when the laboratory's discontinuation was announced…

However, Gao Peng's brows furrowed at the thought of the stranded battleship. An absence of human corpses didn't necessarily mean that everyone had managed to escape whatever catastrophe befell the laboratory. There was also the possibility that they had been left to digest in a monster's belly ever since.

Deciding to leave these seemingly harmless Yellow-Browed Monster Penguins be, Gao Peng exited the cave.

In the distance, some of the Yellow-Browed Penguins who had managed to leave Gao Peng far behind were now standing atop a snowy hill, warily observing his every move. From time to time, they would turn around to squawk at something behind them.

The Yellow-Browed Monster Penguin standing at the peak of the hill lowered its head and let out a shrill squawk! It slid down the snowy hill like a lackey leading the way for its head honcho.

A massive figure slowly rose up behind the hill… Said creature's yellow eyebrows drooped down from both its eyelids like waterfalls, effectively covering most of its eyes.

The huge figure slowly clambered up the hill, causing it to shake violently. The latter wobbled precariously, as if on the verge of crumbling down. A towering shadow fell upon Gao Peng as the figure stood on the peak of the hill.

[Monster Name: Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin (Mutant)

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Grade: Level 45

[Monster Attribute: Ice

[Monster Ability: Elemental Ice Mastery Level 3, Improved Strength Level 3

[Monster Traits: Frozen Crown (A formation brought about as a result of the crystallization of a rare royal blood type on top of the penguin's head.

Passive Effect 1: Elemental Ice Mastery 1

Active Effect 2: Expends the energy contained within the Frozen Crown to erect a frozen hellscape around itself.)

[Monster Description: Originally a rockhopper penguin injected with the blood of an emperor penguin, it later mutated into a Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin. It has an irritable temperament and absolutely hates all human beings.

Its eyes were fixed on Gao Peng. They were filled with nothing but hatred and rage. "Argh!"

Another human! Does this one intend to bring me back for further experiments?

It was immediately reminded of the time that its family had been captured and imprisoned in that dark, cold laboratory to be experimented upon. It had been the only survivor, and it had grown a lot stronger as a result of that ordeal.

As soon as it realized the power it had gained, the first thing it had done was send every human being in the laboratory to the depths of its belly. But that wasn't enough! It would never be enough!

It had developed a taste for human flesh since that fateful day. The laboratory staff was nothing more than the hors d'oeuvre. It wanted more! It wanted to devour human flesh, drink human blood, and crush human bones between its teeth.

However, the North Pole had always been an uninhabited wasteland. Few humans had been brave enough to venture this far out to the north since the Cataclysm.

After being deprived of its favorite food for so long, the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin couldn't help but leap forward and slide on its belly like a gigantic snowboard across the snow towards this human being that now stood before it!

As it sped across the snowy landscape, it kicked up a lot of snow around its body, making itself look like an avalanche that was now roaring down towards Gao Peng. Down the snowy hill it went, freezing everything in its path solid. In its wake lay a frozen trench that led down to the base of the snowy hill.

As Goldie wasn't present to intercept the penguin's charge, Gao Peng decided that his safest course of action was to simply avoid the attack. Also, the familiars that he had brought with him were at a disadvantage in this wintry wasteland.

However, before he could move, he realized that three tall and nigh-impenetrable ice walls had appeared on both his flanks and behind him. An ice barrier was also forming fast above him. In a blink of an eye, thanks to its momentum and ice powers, the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin was almost upon him. It was sliding down with such speed that it appeared only as a black blur to Gao Peng.

Instinctively, Flamy launched itself into the air in order to avoid the penguin's massive body. However, seeing Gao Peng about to be crushed by the penguin, it hesitated for a moment in the air.

Its hesitation cost it its only chance of escape.

The White-Steel Bladed Beast's face was grim. It specialized only in taking down its enemies in one hit. In the face of an unstoppable object that was now on a collision course with Gao Peng and the others, it was powerless to do anything.

There was a high chance it would be sent flying in the opposite direction if it tried to stand in the penguin's way… Still, despite every fiber of its being telling it that there was nothing it could do, the White-Steel Bladed Beast bravely stepped in front of Gao Peng, ready to protect him at all costs.

"Whoo…" Gao Peng exhaled deeply as he braced himself for the rather painful experience of being thrown into the air like a human ragdoll.

Suddenly, the Desolate Frost Lion took four steps forward, then rushed straight towards the incoming Yellow-Browed Emperor Penguin!

"Desolion!" shouted Gao Peng.

At that moment, the Desolate Frost Lion let out a low roar that gradually grew louder… "Rawr!!"

In mid-leap, the lion's body expanded outward in an instant! Its pristine white mane exploded from its neck, its eyes as cold as the ice around it. Its muscles tightened into solid blocks of granite. Its body grew outward until it was a thousand times its original size. Its length, width, and height had increased tenfold. It was now at least 32 feet long.

While it was still shorter than the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin by a head, it was now almost as big as the latter.

Bang!

Both monsters collided with each another. The Desolate Frost Lion was able to stop the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin's massive body with its bare claws.

Its razor-sharp claws were deeply embedded in the penguin's flesh. A violent rush of icy energy converged into its claws, threatening to freeze the Yellow-Browed Emperor Penguin from the inside out!

Crack, crack… The Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin, which was already an Ice-type monster, began to feel its body slowly freezing over. A layer of frost was now forming on its yellow brows. Cold air began gathering around it. Its movements were becoming slower and slower…

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Chapter 425: A New Market

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

At that moment, the only thing the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin could feel was a sharp biting cold penetrating its entire body. As an Ice-type monster, it had never known what 'cold' felt like for as long as it had lived, the first time it came into this world as a baby penguin notwithstanding.

So this is what 'cold' feels like… The Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin's eyes were glazed. Its consciousness was slowly fading away…

Suddenly, dazzling light flashed out from the icy blue crown on its head.

In the next instant, its eyes regained focus, then it let out a roar. A rush of energy surged through its body. Cracks began snaking across the layer of frost that was holding it in place.

"Icy Hell!" The enraged Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin activated its monster ability, causing both earth and sky to tremble around it. A cold wind howled across the land. Ice spikes surged out from the ground at a frightening speed.

In the span of a mere second, more ice spikes exploded from the ground before converging into a single icy pillar that pierced both heaven and earth. Fog spread through the gaps between the ice spikes. With a resounding crack, the fog solidified around the spikes into an icy chain that wrapped the whole thing up like a bow.

"What a cool ability," exclaimed Gao Peng as he marveled at the scene before him.

"Nothing I haven't seen before; this is the North Pole, after all. I would be quite impressed if the penguin was able to pull this off in Yuzhou." The Desolate Frost Lion's voice echoed in Gao Peng's head.

After saying this, it began glancing warily at its surroundings. Even though its tone implied that it didn't think much of this Lord-tier emperor penguin, the lion still had its eyes fixed on the penguin's every move, in case the latter had any more tricks up its sleeve.

The Desolate Frost Lion grimaced at the icy hellscape that had formed around the penguin. A savage look appeared on its face.

The lion opened its mouth wide. Copious amounts of icy blue fog began issuing from the ice pillar before rushing into the lion's maw. As it swallowed more of the icy fog, the icy hellscape around it began crumbling. It was gradually losing its ethereal luster…

With one last deep breath, the Desolate Frost Lion brought the whole thing down. The ice pillar too had collapsed, along with the ice chain around it. Upon seeing this, the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin immediately turned around and fled the place.

Not one to show mercy, the Desolate Frost Lion lunged forth with a roar, striking the back of the penguin's head with a claw. Bang—

The penguin's body shook for a moment. Then it fell to the ground, devoid of all life.

When the deed was finally done, the Desolate Frost Lion licked its claws clean of the penguin's blood. Narrowing its eyes, it shook its mane free of dust and frost and walked back to Gao Peng, its gait pompous. Its body began shrinking with each step until finally, it returned to the smallest size possible.

This was the new ability that the Desolate Frost Lion had gained after returning to King-tier. This ability had only appeared to Gao Peng as a bunch of question marks when he first met the lion, implying that it had yet to be awakened.

[Monster Traits: Frost Consumption (Born by the frost, die by the frost. The Desolate Frost Lion is capable of absorbing and converting external ice energy into its own power.

Active Effect 1: All the ice energy that the Desolate Frost Lion has absorbed will be stored in its abdomen. Caution: absorbing too much ice energy from its environment could have a negative effect on its body.

Active Effect 2: It can release all the ice energy that it has absorbed as its own attack.)

This was an extremely situational ability. However, its effect served to counter Ice-type monsters in particular. This was one of the reasons why Gao Peng wasn't worried at all about Desolion's confrontation with the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin.

Not only was the lion's level higher than its opponent, it now had the ability to weaken any Ice-type monster considerably.

While Silly still couldn't hold anything with a pulse in its portable space, monster corpses weren't a problem for it. Gao Peng proceeded to drag the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin into Silly's portable space.

This monster must have mutated after the experiments it had gone through. Gao Peng figured that its body could still be dissected for research purposes. The fusion of genes from two completely different monsters must have been what the Arctic region was working on.

Before the regions of the world came together to form the World Allied Government, the larger regions were the world's powerhouses, constantly pushing around the smaller regions.

Even after the formation of the World Allied Government, wars still persisted between the founding members of the government, be they on the surface or behind closed doors.

The Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin was the result of the Arctic region's research.

"There's a downside to this method of combining the genes of two monsters," said the Desolate Frost Lion, shaking its head.

"What downside?" asked Gao Peng, raising an eyebrow.

"No idea. It could probably cause the monster being experimented on to lose one of its innate abilities or simply perish in the worst case scenario," said the lion, somewhat annoyed by Gao Peng's cluelessness. I'm not a human being; how the hell would I know what's supposed to happen every time you sick b*stards play God?

To the Desolate Frost Lion, what these humans had done to the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin was nothing short of blasphemous.

"Awww…" The White-Steel Bladed Beast lay splayed across the ground, gazing at Desolion with eyes full of hatred.

Deceiver! You're already so big; why do you still feel the need to pretend that you're small and weak? I've never seen a more deceitful lion in my life! The White-Steel Bladed Beast would remember this act of treachery for as long as it lived.

Once they were done with the Yellow-Browed Emperor Monster Penguin, Gao Peng continued heading south. Along the way, they encountered various kinds of monsters native to the northern wilderness, such as the Icefall Bear, the Auroric Polar Wolf, the Blue Spirit Narwhal, and the Black-Blooded Albatross.

Most of these monsters had ice, water, and Yin attributes. Creatures of other elemental attributes would find it difficult to live in the North Pole's extreme conditions. This didn't mean that no other types of monsters existed here, only that they probably wouldn't last longer than a day or two in this frozen wasteland.

As these creatures were less suited to finding food and shelter in the North Pole's harsh conditions, they were gradually eliminated from the competition here in favor of ice, water, and Yin-type monsters.

The same thing could be observed in other ecosystems. Nature was impartial to all the lifeforms it had given birth to. However, it was also a harsh and cruel mistress that wouldn't hesitate to weed out those it deemed unfit to live on as a species.

Those who lost the struggle for survival had two options: either leave the region or become food for other monsters. The general rule among trainers and monster hunters was that if one wanted to hunt for monsters of a certain elemental attribute, one should do so in a place that was rich in said element.

As they continued flying south, Gao Peng tried to get a glimpse of the familiars used in the Arctic region's military. He noticed something.

Some of these familiars possessed traits that belonged to two completely different monsters. A number of military and government officials even owned familiars that had unmistakable signs of genetic tampering.

For instance, Gao Peng saw an Icefall Bear that was wearing a thick steel helmet on its head. There were a couple of sharp horns on said helmet. The rest of its body was equipped with an equally thick armor, which glinted with a cold light, looking positively intimidating.

Most of the familiars passing through the streets seemed to be equipped with man-made accessories. Gao Peng thought the whole thing looked like something out of a movie set of the future.

Equipping familiars with all kinds of weapons and armor seemed to be the Arctic region's way of life. However, this didn't mean that the people of the Arctic region loved conflict. These were nothing more than status symbols.

This could very well be a new market for our company to expand into…

Inspiration dawned on Gao Peng at that moment. He could make a killing by selling familiars here to the people of the Arctic region, as long as said familiars were strong enough to entice them!

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After finding a phone booth in the Arctic region, Gao Peng called his grandfather's number.

The phone's automated voice stated that the number he was trying to call was out of range. His grandfather must have been overseeing the construction of the trade route in the Black Fog World. Gao Peng put down the receiver with a frown. Seems like Grandpa is out of reach at the moment… However, he wasn't completely out of options. Since his grandfather was unavailable, he would have to figure out something himself.

"Young Master Gao," said Huang Ya, who was entrusted with capturing monsters in the wild. Siding with Gao Peng was the best decision he had ever made. He was now at the height of his career, with three Lord-tier familiars at his disposal.

His reputation was also at an all-time high in the Southern Sky Group. However, the group's staff was currently split into two factions. One of them was comprised of Ji Hanwu's loyalists, with Xu Heti at the helm, while the other included those who were loyal to Gao Peng. This didn't mean that they had stopped being loyal to Ji Hanwu; they simply thought that once Gao Peng succeeded his grandfather as director of the Southern Sky Group, by proving their loyalty towards him now, they would be able to secure better positions and privileges in the group.

Division among the staff was unavoidable. Short of wiping everyone's mind and turning all of them into mindless robots. there was nothing Gao Peng and his grandfather could do to reconcile both sides.

Their only option was to go with the flow. Under the guidance of Gao Peng and his grandfather, the conflict between both factions soon turned into a healthy competition among the group's staff.

"Young Master Gao, were you looking for me?" asked Huang Ya. He was overseeing his subordinates shove the monsters they had captured into their cages when Gao Peng rang him up.

"Yes, I understand… I'll bring a couple of men and familiars over to the Arctic region," said Huang Ya.

On the other side of the Black Fog World, where the Lusaka Spacial Rift was located.

The room containing the black anaconda had been sealed shut, with layers of cautionary tape surrounding it completely. A number of heavily armed soldiers were posted outside the room with their familiars, nervously looking around at their surroundings.

A couple of white-uniformed researchers were coming in and out of the room like busy bees.

"So what did you find? What grade is this monster?" asked a general in a Kokang military uniform.

"We've designated the anaconda as Black Jormungandr. Judging by the skin we've collected from it, we have determined that it may be above King-tier," said one of the researchers nervously.

Above King-tier?! Dembili narrowed his eyes. An uneasy feeling had crept into his heart. His chest was now rising and falling rapidly.

"Are you sure it's dead?" He was more than aware of what made a King-tier monster so terrifying. In terms of power level, a gaping chasm existed between a King-tier monster and a Lord-tier monster.

This anaconda was above King-tier, which meant that it was probably much more powerful than any King-tier monster that existed today while it had still been alive.

What a horrifying thought! This might have been the greatest discovery to have been made since the Cataclysm!

The core crystal of a monster above King-tier would probably be able to promote any other monster to King-tier. Its organs, flesh, and even bones would also serve as valuable ingredients.

With a King-tier monster at his disposal, Kokang's authority in the entire African region would grow exponentially. The general would also go down in history as the greatest trainer in the Kokang region. Such a discovery would automatically propel the Kokang region to greater heights of glory.

A smile surfaced on Dembili's face. He was a man proud of his own race and nation. His biggest wish was to see his own country become more powerful.

Even though this new world had united under the front of an Alliance government, in truth, discrimination still existed against smaller regions like Kokang.

He hoped that his country would one day become a more powerful version of itself. This was the reason why he had joined the military in the first place.

"It's definitely dead. We've checked for any signs of life in its body using various instruments, and we found none," said the researcher. This giant anaconda had attracted the attention of many scholars, professors, and researchers worldwide.

Those who were allowed to study the anaconda's corpse were the best of the best in their respective fields of research. After conducting various procedures to checkthe anaconda's vitals, they were now certain that it was bereft of all life.

"Keep up the good work," said Dembili. He was unable to suppress the grin on his face. He wanted to deliver this good news to the region's council as soon as possible.

Suddenly, he felt a tremor beneath his feet. Dembili staggered and nearly fell. On the other hand, the researcher who was standing before him fell flat on his face.

"Sir, look out!"

Suddenly, the window exploded into a million pieces. A yellow-maned lion burst through the window and picked Dembili up by the collar before leaping back out.

Dembili, who was now dangling from the lion's mouth, had no idea what was going on. When he turned around, he saw that the giant anaconda had burst through the roof of the building. Its head was raised high up in the air. Black fumes issued from its black scales. The walls instantly aged and crumbled as soon as they came into contact with the black mist.

A couple of winged monsters tried to flee from the area. Unfortunately, the black fumes had already gotten to them. Their bodies withered into dried-out sacks of meat and bone, their feathers hanging loosely from their skin. Their trainers, who were sitting on their backs, were also reduced to skeletons almost instantly.

The black mist gradually spread out from the snake, causing everything in the area to wither at a frightening speed.

The snake hissed menacingly at the sky.

Dembili's face darkened as his body shook uncontrollably. "We're doomed. The whole city is doomed…"

Half a day later, an announcement was made by the Lusaka base city: the Lusaka Spacial Rift would be closed indefinitely until further notice.

In the Tomsk base city of the Arctic region, Gao Peng had rented a villa to use. It would take some time for Huang Ya's team to get there. He had also asked Huang Ya to bring Da Zi, Goldie, and the others with him. Gao Peng wasn't used to being away from Da Zi for such a long period of time.

Despite all of Da Zi's shortcomings, Gao Peng still found it adorable.

He planned on training his familiars here and maybe taking them out on a hunting trip. He also wanted to take this opportunity to get to know some of the locals in the Arctic region.

"Mr. Gao, we've just received news that the Lusaka base city has closed off their Spacial Rift," shouted a blonde Russian man wearing a camouflage singlet outside the villa.

"Keep your voice down," hissed Gao Peng. After fiddling with the bottle of reagent in his hand, he stuffed it inside a box in a corner.

After being promoted to King-tier, the Desolate Frost Lion's grade had dropped to Excellent-grade. This was an after-effect of it making such a huge leap in tier in such a short span of time. Fortunately, Gao Peng was now in the Arctic region, which wasn't lacking in Ice-type ingredients.

He handed the reagent bottle to the Desolate Frost Lion, who expertly opened the bottle with its claws. It then began taking careful sips of the reagent from the bottle.

"The Lusaka Spacial Rift is closed off?" said Gao Peng, frowning. "Why?"

"Word is they found a monster supposedly above King-tier in deep hibernation in the Black Fog World. Thinking it was dead, some idiot thought that it would be a good idea to open up its brain and take out its core crystal. This woke the monster up, and now the area on the other side of the Spacial Rift has gone under lockdown… What a shame. I still haven't visited the Spacial Rift there."

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Chapter 427: Fine, I'll Eat It!

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

The Russian man seemed disappointed. He had originally planned on going to the Lusaka Spacial Rift later that year to experience what it felt like to be in another dimension.

He had been to the Spacial Rift in Dubai once for tactical response training. However, while the Spacial Rift in Dubai was a permanent one, the Lusaka Spacial Rift was a portal to another dimension.

Going into another dimension would be a more exciting experience than visiting another country.

An above-King-tier monster. Gao Peng's heart sank. His grandfather must have been in the Black Fog World just then.

No, I still don't know if he's aware of what's going on right now. If he's going in blind, he's going to get himself killed.

Also, the Desolate Labyrinth might not have been safe. If the above-King-tier monster had remained in deep hibernation, Gao Peng wouldn't have to worry about its safety. Now that it had woken up, there was no telling when it would turn its attention towards the labyrinth.

The labyrinth is only 600 miles away from the Lusaka Spacial Rift, which probably won't take long for a monster like that to reach.

Gao Peng knew that there were two other tiers above King-tier: Emperor and Overlord. Unfortunately, he had no idea which tier the huge black snake terrorizing the Black Fog World belonged to. If it was an Emperor-tier monster, he might still be able to handle it. However, if it was an Overlord-tier monster…

The Russian man, whose name was Bunshaft, boomed, "Oh yeah, Gao, didn't you guys in the Huaxia region discover a permanent Spacial Rift not too long ago?"

"That's right. It's just right outside my doorstep," said Gao Peng with a smile.

"Oh…" Bunshaft's eyes lit up. "Well, I would like to pay it a visit someday if the chance ever comes up."

"Of course. I would be happy to show you around."

Bunshaft was the second son of a well-known local household. He had an older brother named Bauersach, who was tasked with handling the family's affairs. However, Bunshaft wasn't interested in that sort of thing. He would rather spend his days training his familiars.

His family was quite supportive of him on that front. Bunshaft had become quite renowned in the Tomsk trainer community thanks to his family's influence and his own hard work.

"Oh yeah, I've already set up a store for you in the middle of the city. It's quite big. I'll be there to liven up the place on your big opening day," said Bunshaft cheerily.

"Thanks. I'll hold you to that. You can also bring your friends along. The Southern Sky Group's familiars will definitely not disappoint you," said Gao Peng, smiling.

Speaking to an Arctic local didn't require much wit. A straightforward attitude was all one would need to earn their admiration.

The next day, Gao Peng received a call from Ji Hanwu, who had called him from the company.

"I'm back."

"Thank god," said Gao Peng, relieved to hear those two words from his grandfather.

"Well, you don't have to worry about me. Your grandfather always has a few tricks up his sleeve to get himself out of any tricky situation. It's good that you're trying to break into the Arctic market. I always wanted to do that myself, but unfortunately, I'm not the young man I used to be."

Gao Peng didn't think the store needed any fancy furnishings. The only things it needed were a simple counter, toilet, and maybe a few stone cages to store their merchandise.

A week later, Huang Ya arrived at the Arctic region alongside his subordinates and familiars. They had flown there all the way from Yuzhou.

Most of them had never been to the Arctic region before, so they were visibly excited by this change of scenery.

"Young Master Gao." Huang Ya respectfully stepped forward with three of his Lord-tier familiars behind him.

"Good work. You must be exhausted."

"Not at all, sir."

The next day, the newly furnished Southern Sky Group retail store in Tomsk was officially open for business.

This was Gao Peng's first foray into the Arctic market. If he was able to obtain a good response from the locals, he would proceed to expand his business across the entire Arctic region. He would then use the Arctic region as a springboard to propel his business across the Asia-Pacific and European regions.

This newly opened store attracted curious gazes from the Arctic locals in the street. Most of them had heard that it was run by a Huaxia local and were drawn to things that they didn't understand, like moths to a flame. The Arctic locals weren't an exception to this rule.

"What kind of store is it?"

"I heard that it's a familiar store."

"Ooh, sounds fascinating. Are the familiars from the Huaxia region just as pretentious as their trainers?"

"I hear they have King-tier familiars from the Huaxia region."

"True, King-tier familiars are indeed awesome, but there's just no way the shop owner has one. If he really does have a King-tier familiar, I'll clean my familiar's droppings with my own tongue!"

"Hahaha!" A group of Arctic locals burst out laughing.

Huang Ya came out of the store with the Horrifying Violent Female Spider behind him. The spider had been uncomfortably curled up within the confines of the store all this time. Now that it was out in the open, it seemed much more relaxed than before.

It stretched its huge body and flexed the cold, cruel instruments of murder that were its appendages. Everyone stiffened at the sight of the Horrifying Violent Female Spider. A hush had fallen over the place. Every onlooker in the street was now staring dumbly at the spider.

The animals in the Arctic region were naturally huge. Still, an animal as big as the Horrifying Violent Spider was a rare sight, even in the Arctic region.

A cold white Lord-tier aura spread out from it. Those caught within its range, be they familiar or human, instantly felt an overwhelming feeling weighing down on them. Only familiars and trainers who were Lord-tier or above were immune to another Lord-tier familiar's aura. On the other hand, those beneath Lord-tier weren't so lucky. They would immediately be affected by it.

Monsters who were too weak to resist a Lord-tier aura would be completely immobilized.

While Gao Peng made pushing around a couple of Lord-tier monsters look easy, when in truth, Lord-tier monsters and familiars only made up a small percentage of the day's world population.

A trainer who possessed a Lord-tier familiar still stood on top of the food chain in any base city. However, a further hierarchy had gradually taken shape among the Lord-tier familiars as their numbers increased.

There were now strong and weak Lord-tier familiars, and naturally, the weaker ones were preyed upon by the strong. Still, even the weakest Lord-tier familiar would seem incredibly powerful to these people.

"There's a Lord-tier trainer working in there… I take back everything I said. This store might be worth checking out after all."

"People of the Arctic region, this is the Southern Sky Group's first retail store in the Arctic region. Since today's our first day of business, we'll be offering a five-percent discount on all purchases until nine o' clock!" shouted Huang Ya.

"I'm sure most of you here aren't familiar with the Southern Sky Group, so allow me the honor today to give you all a proper introduction of our organization." Huang Ya's chest puffed up proudly at the mention of the Southern Sky Group. "We're the only organization in the Huaxia region to own two King-tier familiars!"

The man who had been ribbing the Southern Sky Group's retail store flushed furiously. Waving a fist at everyone around him, he spat out, "Fine, I'll eat my familiar's droppings, you sick b*stards!"

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Chapter 428: The Six-Horned Dreadwolf

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

"No one's calling your bluff, friend," said Gao Peng as he approached the man from behind and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"What the hell are you talking about? Don't think for a second that I'm afraid of eating my own familiar's sh*t!" said the man angrily.

Gao Peng simply chuckled. He was impressed by the man's stubbornness.

"There will be no sh*t-eating today. Besides, it's quite inauspicious to do such a thing on our first day of business," said Gao Peng reassuringly. "If you're interested, do stop by our store for a bit. All our familiars are big and strong. I'm sure we have something to your liking."

Hearing that he didn't have to go through the odious ordeal of eating his familiar's feces, the man sighed in relief. He had only said the things he said out of pride.

On the subject of owning a familiar, as a familiar was a companion for life. One always had to carefully consider one's options before coming to a decision.

"I understand that some of you may have your doubts about the quality of our familiars, especially in terms of combat power, but rest assured, you will not be disappointed by our selection," said Huang Ya, who dragged two monsters out of a cage.

One of them was an Icefall Bear, which was a common sight in the Arctic region. An adult Icefall Bear could reach between 16 to 22 feet tall. A calm and collected creature, it wasn't given to violent outbursts. It was also an above-average familiar in terms of offense and defense. One might even say that the Icefall Bear was the most representative creature of the Arctic region.

At least 30 out of 100 people outside the store had an Icefall Bear as a familiar. It was a familiar that could be found almost anywhere in the Arctic region. Its popularity in the Arctic region also meant that its strength was widely acknowledged among the locals.

The Icefall Bear that was dragged out of the cage was equipped with various Arctic accessories. In order to bolster its defense, the Icefall Bear was fitted with an alloy helmet, claws, and a chest plate. All of this screamed virility, a trait usually sought out by the men of the Arctic region.

However, what made the Arctic locals frown was the fact that this powerfully-built 22-feet-tall Icefall Bear seemed like a timid schoolgirl that was too afraid to stray too far away from its cage.

Beside it was a grayish humanoid creature. It vaguely resembled the werewolves of western legends. Its hind legs seemed bent, giving one the impression that it was an incredible jumper. Its claws were sharp and fine, while there were six horns growing out of its head. Its eyes were yellow and cold like the night.

[Monster Name: Six-Horned Dreadwolf

[Monster Level: Level 30 (Commander-tier)

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Attribute: Blood

[Monster Ability: Bloodlust Level 1, Sharp Claws Level 1

[Description: It may look like a fearsome creature on the outside, but in reality, it has a heart of gold. Six-Horned Dreadwolves are said to help those lost in a blizzard find their way back home, and what better place to keep these lost souls from freezing to death in the cold than in their warm bellies? On another note, these creatures have a habit of guiding lost travelers to places they aren't supposed to be taking people.

Huang Ya had brought with him a selection of Commander-tier creatures capable of withstanding the Arctic region's harsh climate.

Only the sale of Commander-tier monsters would guarantee a steady flow of income for their store. They had come all the way from Yuzhou. Selling Normal and Excellent-tier monsters would most definitely not be able to cover their travel expenses.

"This is our store's main attraction. It's a Six-Horned Dreadwolf, a versatile familiar specialized in skirmishes and tracking. But why take my word for it? A simple introduction from me wouldn't do this magnificent specimen justice, which is why I'm going to let it speak for itself," said Huang Ya. A couple of Arctic onlookers nodded, ready to be dazzled by the Six-Horned Dreadwolf.

"Gao, is this the monster you're going to sell here? It looks strong, but is it a match for the Icefall Bear?" asked Bunshaft skeptically. Not only had he brought along a couple of friends to liven up the place, as promised, he had also called a few major TV stations and reporters over to report the whole event.

"See for yourself," said Gao Peng confidently. He was more than aware of the combat power of all the familiars that he had raised himself. If it wasn't for the fact that he was trying to break into the Arctic familiar market, he wouldn't even be out here advertising the Six-Horned Dreadwolf to the Arctic public.

As a monster raised personally by Gao Peng, the Six-Horned Dreadwolf ranked 17th among all the Commander-tier monsters in the Southern Sky Group's supply chain.

The Southern Sky Group's familiar supply chain ranking was carried out in accordance with a monster's score, which was given by Gao Peng based on the versatility of its abilities. These monsters were ranked not only in terms of combat power, but by their overall value as well.

For instance, a monster might not be specialized in one-on-one combat, but its proficiency in other areas such as stealth and reconnaissance would still be able to add a few more points to its score.

A ranking system based on a monster's strengths and abilities would be pointless, as it could bring about the awkward situation of a monster ranked number one being beaten by another monster ranked at number ten due to the former's elemental attribute being weaker against the latter's.

Not only was the Six-Horned Dreadwolf proficient in one-on-one combat, but it was also capable of healing itself by drinking the blood of others. It also had an extraordinary sense of smell. It was especially sensitive to fresh blood, making it the perfect hunting companion for tracking down prey in the wild. A trainer wouldn't have to worry about losing their quarry in the vast wilderness of the Arctic region with the Six-Horned Dreadwolf by their side

Roar!!! The Six-Horned Dreadwolf was now exchanging blows with the Icefall Bear. It deftly avoided a swipe from the bear. Thanks to its slender shape, it was able to form a couple of slashes on the Icefall Bear's body with its terrible claws.

Its claws tore through the bear's helmet. Its armor proved useless in the face of the Six-Horned Dreadwolf's relentless onslaught. Frenzied by the smell of fresh blood hanging in the air, the Six-Horned Dreadwolf was now moving and attacking the Icefall Bear even faster than before. Finally, it leaped forward and sank its claws into the Icefall Bear, which fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Look at how sharp its claws are. I saw them slice through the bear's alloy armor like it was made of paper."

"Its movements are incredibly agile, as well. The Icefall Bear couldn't even land a direct hit on its opponent. The aftershock of its Ice-type attacks barely touched it."

Everyone was impressed by the show that the Six-Horned Dreadwolf had put on. Standing among the crowd of spectators outside Gao Peng's familiar shop were a couple of scouts from the base city's major monster hunter associations.

They had all been invited by Bunshaft. Of course, said associations had sent their lower-ranking members to check out the store out of respect for Bunshaft.

These scouts had trained their senses to be keener than the average trainer.

Bunshaft's companions were members of the elite households in the region. They were just as impressed by the Six-Horned Dreadwolf as everyone else. "Bunshaft, I hear you're good friends with this Gao person here. Could you introduce us to him later?"

"Gao may be a bit busy today. Why don't we check in on him later, when his schedule frees up a bit?" said Bunshaft, smiling. He then turned to look at Gao Peng.

Bunshaft was no fool. Even though his brother was the one who handled the family's affairs, this didn't mean that he was ignorant of everything else outside of familiar training.

Everyone seemed to have vastly different opinions about the Six-Horned Dreadwolf. However, this didn't concern Gao Peng.

He only knew that the Six-Horned Dreadwolf could be brought to its full potential in the Arctic region. The only thing left to do was to gauge the Arctic public's reception of the Six-Horned Dreadwolf. If demand for it far surpassed its supply in the next few days, this would mean that his business venture in the Arctic region was a success. At that point, Gao Peng no longer needed to oversee the subsequent steps of his business strategy. His men were more than capable of taking things from there.

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Chapter 429: Sale

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

Some of the Arctic locals still found it hard to believe that the Icefall Bear had actually lost. It's not someone in a bear suit, is it?

Some eventually dismissed the thought. Who could possibly be desperate enough to play such a demanding role? Then again, there was no way a wild monster would abide by a human being's orders so obediently.

A couple of trainers, still unable to accept the Icefall Bear's loss, sent out their familiars to test the Six-Horned Dreadwolf. Naturally, Huang Ya accepted all their challenges.

A total of three trainers had stepped forth to challenge the Six-Horned Dreadwolf. Two of them had earned a bit of reputation for themselves in the region. However, the Six-Horned Dreadwolf defeated all three of them rather easily.

After the opening ceremony, the store was officially opened to the Arctic public. The threshold was nearly stomped to pieces as the people stormed in. Some were just checking the place out of curiosity, while there were others who were genuinely interested in buying a familiar.

"Fanny, tomorrow's your eighteenth birthday. What kind of familiar do you want to buy?" said a huge Arctic man, stroking his stubbled chin.

"Dad, I want that one! It looks really cool!" said a blonde-haired girl, her eyes twinkling as she pointed at a huge blue-grayish centipede in a cage.

"Oh… oh my. Wouldn't you rather have something else?" said her father, his eye twitching slightly. He was, in every sense of the word, a manly man who thought that lions, tigers, and bears looked adorable. Before the Cataclysm, his family had even had a brown bear as a pet.

However, creepy-crawlies were the one thing he couldn't stand. He was fine with just looking at these multi-legged freaks of nature from a distance, but if his daughter was going to bring one home… Living under the same roof with a centipede that size would definitely be a challenge.

"My dear daughter, why don't you find another one? How does that sound?" asked Wolfgang with a strained smile.

"No, didn't you say I can pick whatever familiar I want? Do you think all centipedes look ugly? Do you hate them that much?" Fanny was looking at her father intensely.

"Er… Of course not, my dear."

Wait… am I seeing things? Wolfgang rubbed his eyes. He could have sworn that a huge purple centipede was glaring at him contemptuously from a wall.

Is that hatred in its eyes? he thought, his heart racing in his chest.

Hmph, how dare you call all centipedes ugly. Da Zi narrowed its eyes at the ugly blonde-haired man.

As these meaty Arctic locals were more used to raising furry warm-blooded monsters as their familiars, monsters like the blue-grayish centipede weren't advertised as the store's main merchandise.

On the other hand, people from the Huaxia and Southeast regions loved scorpions, centipedes, and the like. They simply couldn't get enough of these twitchy little critters.

The blue-grayish centipede was a Glacial Bone Centipede, a type of Commander-tier monster. However, it was still a newborn. As soon as it entered adulthood, it would naturally reach Commander-tier.

Trainers all around the world now had a much higher expectation for familiars. This new generation of trainers wouldn't give Normal-tier familiars the time of day unless they happened to have extraordinarily high grades. As a result, Excellent-tier familiars had become the hottest products on the market.

As soon as these young people thought they had the slightest qualification to become monster trainers, they would automatically choose Commander-tier monster newborns as their first familiars.

However, Lord-tier monster newborns were still beyond the reach of most people.

"All right then, if you insist. Let's buy this centipede." Wolfgang finally gave in to his daughter's demands. He just couldn't say no to his little princess.

"Dad, when I grow up, I want to buy a Glacial Bone Centipede just like big sis!" said nine-year-old Tommie excitedly.

Wolfgang ruffled his son's hair lovingly.

"Son, if you do, I'll have to break your centipede's legs."

Tommie pouted. Why didn't you say that to big sis just now?

When Wolfgang returned home with his son and daughter, Wolfgang's wife came out to embrace him.

"Is this the familiar you bought for our daughter?" asked his wife, looking curiously at the 10-foot-long blue-grayish centipede.

"She insisted on buying it. I couldn't change her mind," said Wolfgang, shaking his head.

"Yes, Mama. Look at how cute it is," said Fanny. She then produced a small, polished gray stone from her pocket and set it on the ground.

Smelling the gray stone, the Glacial Bone Centipede crawled over to it, then devoured the stone without leaving a crumb on the floor.

"All right, I'm not going to say anything about your decision… But I must know, what use does a centipede have? It's your first familiar. You really should think carefully about this sort of thing before making such an important decision, you know."

"It has a high defense. See for yourself." Fanny rushed to her father's storage room. When she came back, she was holding a rubber band gun in her hand. She took aim at the Glacial Bone Centipede and shot at it.

Sparks flew as the gun's pellet struck the centipede's sturdy exoskeleton, letting out a hollow clang.

There wasn't a dent on the centipede's blue-grayish body. It still looked brand new.

"It just reached Excellent-grade. When it grows into a Commander-tier familiar, its defenses will become even better," boasted Fanny to her parents.

The familiars that these people had bought from Gao Peng's store would naturally pique the interest of their friends and family. Once word of his familiar store got out, the store would be guaranteed to receive a steady flow of customers for the next few days.

The day finally ended. Huang Ya did an inventory of the store's stock. They had sold a total of 78 monsters, 18 of them being adult monsters and the remaining 60 being monster newborns.

That day's income alone was enough to cover their travel expenses and the expenditure required to raise their monster stock. The rest of their monsters would bring them a considerable profit in the next few days.

However…

"Young Master Gao, the monsters' freight expenses are just too expensive," said Huang Ya with a bitter smile.

The freight expenses that incurred during the transportation of all these Commander-tier monsters had reached an astronomical figure. Huang Ya feared that they might not be earning enough to pay it off.

"Don't worry. Have headquarters send over 300 more monsters. We'll just pay out of the company's pocket for now. We could also hunt for monsters with potential in the Arctic wilderness and raise them in a specially built monster training facility here. I'll need someone I can trust to oversee our operations here, someone who can really command everyone's attention," muttered Gao Peng. He glanced at Huang Ya. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

Huang Ya fell silent as he raked his mind for someone that fit such a description. Finally, he said, "If Young Master Gao thinks I'm trustworthy enough, then allow me to shoulder such a burden! I promise I won't disappoint…"

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to remain in the Southern Sky headquarters. If you leave, I won't have anyone trustworthy enough looking after the place for me," said Gao Peng patiently. "I'm not looking for someone high-ranking. For now, I only want someone who is loyal, not afraid of taking risks, and of course, intelligent enough to carry out this task."

With Gao Peng's incredible talent for raising familiars in mind, Huang Ya suddenly thought of the perfect candidate for the job. "Ji Changming. He's one of the up-and-coming newbies in the reconnaissance division. He has a decisive way of doing things and great judgment to boot. He's also an intelligent man who knows his place in the company."

"I see," said Gao Peng, nodding. "Could you have this Ji Changming come to my place later? You can go now."

"Thank you."

Chapter 430: Undead Catastrophe

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

Huang Ya had retired to his room when the day's excitement finally simmered down. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. After receiving Huang Ya's permission to enter, two hulking figures quietly stepped into the room.

"Both of you did well today. Here's your reward, as promised," said Huang Ya, smiling as he gave each of them a black case.

After inspecting the contents of their cases, the two Arctic men grinned widely at Huang Ya. "Thank you kindly, good sir!"

Gao Peng had never believed in the prospect of loyalty. Only those with absolute power were able to command the respect and obedience of the masses. Truly loyal people like Dian Wei, Fan Kuai, and Guan Yu were few and far between. One had to be thankful to the powers that be that only one Gao Peng existed in this world.

Gao Peng believed that most people were intelligent enough to know right from wrong. Such people tended to make the most of their lot in life without stepping out of line.

Most humans were born with an innate desire to want more. However, only the intelligent ones were capable of restraint. Most of them would never blunder into a situation without having all the facts in hand. Of course, Gao Peng wasn't so benevolent as to provide such a luxury for his subordinates.

When night came, Ji Changming came to Gao Peng's compound alone.

Gao Peng was surrounded by his familiars, who were hungrily looking at a barbecue grill in the middle of the compound. A skinned body was slowly cooking on it.

Why does this creature look so familiar? thought Ji Changming.

Gao Peng called him over, chuckling. "After doing an inspection of the monsters in our store, we discovered that the Six-Horned Dreadwolf was pregnant. Our store's policy dictates that our merchandise should never engage in intercourse, lest their viability as familiars be affected. So I decided to put it out of its misery and cook it for dinner."

"I see…"

"You're right, Gao Peng!"

"There is wisdom in your words, Master."

His familiars nodded in agreement with Gao Peng's every word.

Ji Changming's gaze fell on the wolf's tail, which was standing upright on the grill. He quickly pulled his gaze away from it.

If the boss says it's pregnant, then it must be pregnant. Though I wonder how a male wolf could possibly get itself knocked up…

"Do you know how to work the grill?"

"Kind of."

"Great. Come give me a hand then. There's something I need to do." Gao Peng rose to his feet and rubbed the oil off his hands against his apron.

On the other side of the compound was a wooden table, on which bottles of various shapes and sizes were placed. Ji Changming didn't dare look at what Gao Peng was doing. After throwing a glance at the table, he quickly turned his attention back to the grill.

Thanks to his time in the wild, he knew how to cook any kind of meat on a barbecue grill. Ten minutes later, the Six-Horned Dreadwolf was finally cooked. The air was now filled with a delicious aroma of cinnamon, black pepper, and paprika.

The wolf's meat was a crispy yellow shade. Oil droplets oozed out of it and sizzled as it dripped onto the flickering embers in the pile of firewood beneath the grill. The mouth-watering smell wafted even further beyond the compound's confines.

"Give this to your familiar. This drug will allow your Wind-type Sharp-clawed Phoenix Hawk to evolve. However, it'll only evolve into a Wind-water type monster. If that's not what you want, you can always give it back to me." While saying this, Gao Peng took out a small knife and began cutting the wolf's meat with it.

Ji Changming looked at the drug in amazement. He had heard that the young chairman of the Southern Sky Group was a first-rate monster breeder, that most of the group's familiar powerhouses had been raised by him personally. He had never had the chance to witness such talent firsthand until today…

Wait, did he just brew up a familiar-evolving drug while I was working the grill? What's more, he knows exactly what type of creature his concoction will evolve my familiar into. This is just unheard of… A wind-water dual type…

Ji Changming frowned. Gao Peng definitely wouldn't have added an additional elemental attribute to his familiar without reason, and he most certainly hadn't invited him to his place just to have him cook dinner for his familiars.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Lowering his head, he said in a deferential tone, "I am ready to accept whatever task you have in mind for me."

Half a month later, Gao Peng left the Arctic region behind him and flew back to Yuzhou.

In the Black Fog World, walking skeletons of all shapes and sizes roamed the Land of 1,000 Streams. Skeletal behemoths splashed about in the water, occasionally letting out spine-chilling roars into the sky, while huge horned skeletons ran wild across the land as if they owned the place.

Bones wriggled out of the muddy streambed and swam about in the water like strange-looking worms. All the other fish swam away hurriedly, as if they had just seen a ghost.

An unsettling atmosphere of death and decay had fallen upon the place. The commotion raised by the rampaging skeletons had woken up the Ancient Dragonfish, who had been sleeping soundly in the depths of the Land of 1,000 Streams. It emerged from one of the more turbulent streams in the area, its two eyes peeking out of the surface of the water like a pair of oversized light bulbs.

Sensing that its territory had been intruded upon, a creature as territorial as the Ancient Dragonfish's first instinct was to seek out and eliminate the trespasser, or in this case, trespassers.

The water began to swirl around the Ancient Dragonfish until it settled into the shape of a water dragon. In this form, the Ancient Dragonfish rushed towards one of the undead in the distance before scooping it up in its mouth and grinding its bones into fine dust between its teeth.

The Ancient Dragonfish's whiskers suddenly stiffened. Whatever it had put in its mouth, it didn't taste good. Not only did it feel hard and dry in its mouth, but it also smelled like death.

Dumby was standing on the head of a 30-foot-tall undead creature, impassively looking down at everything beneath it. The Skeleton Tyrant's benevolence and loyalty were reserved only for its master. Everything else served no purpose.

The Ancient Dragonfish was now being assaulted by the corpses of monsters that had lain in undisturbed slumber for years in the depths of the Land of 1,000 Streams.

Dumby stared at the Ancient Dragonfish as it fiercely fought for its life. If it was able to resurrect such a fierce creature into a part of its undead army, it would be unstoppable.

Suddenly, Dumby frowned. It had sensed a powerful aura that wasn't too different from that of the Ancient Dragonfish from the ground beneath its feet.

A permanent reanimation would be impossible to pull off on such a powerful creature… it thought. However, I might be able to bring it back to life at least temporarily.

Since its promotion to Legendary-grade, Dumby had sensed that its Flame of the Undead had improved greatly, allowing it to exercise even more control over the undead than before.

Gao Peng's data frame rarely presented to him such trivial details. Only in actual combat could he witness the true extent of his familiars' powers.

Stretching out its bony hands, Dumby released a pillar of fire into the ground beneath it. The Flame of the Undead in Dumby's eye sockets now seemed dimmer than before.

At the same time, the King-tier Ancient Dragonfish was letting its aura fly from its body, crushing its undead assailants into pieces. None of the undead could stand up to the Ancient Dragonfish's overwhelming aura.

Croak…

Suddenly, a deep, thunderous croak echoed from deep beneath the ground. Then, a green, sticky fluid began oozing out of the ground.

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Chapter 431: New Owner of The Land of 1,000 Streams

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

A huge area of 3,200 square feet had become a rotten and smelly swamp area. Inside the swamp, a large number of broken bones, stones, and wooden roots emerged from the swamp, and the center of the pothole recessed downwards into a vortex.

When the Ancient Dragonfish saw this scene, its heart sank. This ability felt extremely familiar. This was the special ability of the Blue Water Sky Toad, the previous overlord of the Land of 1,000 Streams, who could turn any area within half a mile into a boiling swamp that could devour all its enemies.

"Croak…" A gigantic Blue Water Sky Toad Dark Spirit emerged from the swamp gradually like two faint pillars of fire that resembled lanterns hanging high in the sky at night.

The boiling swamp was swirling more and more vigorously. A carp-like fish that rolled out of the swamp rotted directly into a set of white bones.

The Blue Water Sky Toad Dark Spirit that was even bigger than a house floated over from the swamp. It looked almost identical to when it had still been alive; the only difference was that it had turned black, white, and gray, three simple colors.

Its lifeless eyes were brimming with a terrifying gray-white flame that was dense, horrible, and devilish. A strong feeling of jealousy appeared in its soul. Though it was dead, it still remembered the enemy who had killed it when it was alive.

"If I can kill you once, naturally, I can kill you twice!" The Ancient Dragonfish wasn't afraid of the Blue Water Sky Toad. It just felt that at this crucial moment, its appearance could make things more troublesome.

If it didn't stop these chaotic undead creatures, the Land of 1,000 Streams could become barren soon, and then what was the purpose of being the overlord of it? Eating small fishes and prawns every day?

"Gaaarrhhhh!" The Ancient Dragonfish let out a long howl, the sound close to that of a dragon.

It slammed its tail downward, its body flying out and its fins flat, like sharp daggers that pierced through the empty sky.

Clang!

The Ancient Dragonfish went past the Blue Water Sky Toad directly, a silver moon crescent-like fish fin piercing through the body of the Blue Water Sky Toad.

Spirits were extremely immune to physical attacks, so the Blue Water Sky Toad's body shook and easily dispelled the fish fin attack of the Ancient Dragonfish, but the water element attached to its fin had definitely caused some damage.

Rumble…

The Ancient Dragonfish rushed forward mightily like a giant mountain crashing down. The streams and small rivers in the area were dragged floating towards the sky and transformed into a thick and heavy giant water knife that slashed downward.

Bang!!

The Blue Water Sky Toad Spirit was cut. Its body shook vigorously, its color becoming even darker.

The aggression of the Ancient Dragonfish was awakened. It opened its giant mouth wide, and layers of heavy waves transformed into intense shockwaves that spread in all directions. A huge number of undead skeletons were shattered into pieces, while the Blue Water Sky Toad was also knocked far away by the Ancient Dragonfish.

The real power of the resurrected undead spirits would be lower than their original power before death, which was different from the bone undead creatures. Spirit-type undead creatures inherited the elemental power of their lives before death, but since they were just spirits, when they encountered elemental damage, they could get hurt very easily.

Undead creatures were continuously resurrected, and these resurrected creatures murdered all the living beings in the Land of 1,000 Streams. At the same time, a large number of undead creatures that were left behind attacked the Ancient Dragonfish crazily.

Although the Blue Water Sky Toad wasn't an opponent for the Ancient Dragonfish, since it still possessed a King-tier's strength, it could definitely restrain the Ancient Dragonfish.

The Ancient Dragonfish took a deep breath, and the next moment, a powerful breath of blood mixed with strong water element rose from within its body to the top of its head, transforming into a blue dragon tooth.

The shape of the dragon tooth was irregular, being thirty-seven feet and six inches in length, with a chip at the end. Meanwhile, there was gaseous icy blue mist circling the dragon tooth. For an instant, the air seemed to freeze the moment this dragon tooth was formed.

"Water Dragon Tooth."

Whoosh…

The Water Dragon Tooth in the sky left a long trail. The air crackled and a piercing shriek sounded as the blue blur dragged and left a long rainbow in its wake.

Boom!

A massive pothole appeared in the Blue Water Sky Toad's back, just like a lump of clay with a crater that occupied a third of the area of its back.

The wounded Blue Water Sky Toad brightened and dimmed alternately, as if it would extinguish at any time.

"Useless thing." Dumby sounded disappointed. It stretched out its left hand, then aimed it at the Blue Water Sky Toad before pulling vigorously. The soul was wailing. The next moment, the Blue Water Sky Toad's spirit twisted into mere gray light and was absorbed into Dumby's palm.

Taking a deep breath, Dumby's breaths became even heavier. Dumby's accumulation had actually reached its peak. Just one more step and it would break through to the King tier.

To other familiars, the bottleneck theory might still have been applicable, but to Dumby who was at the Mythical grade… What was a bottleneck?

It was just a matter of the right timing. After absorbing the soul of the Blue Water Sky Toad, it had a breakthrough. The dark golden bones became even darker, and its five fingers clasped together.

Bang!

There was a loud noise on the ground… Dumby had disappeared from its original position.

"Dang!" The Ancient Dragonfish was pressed into the ground by a single one of Dumby's palms.

Strong, obscure gray chains extended downward through Dumby's palm. Its entire arm was penetrated by the gray chains that displayed earth-shattering power. The Ancient Dragonfish, which was comparable in size to a house, could easily smash a skyscraper, but it was forced to the ground, immobile.

With its black robe swaying in the wind, Dumby bent its body slightly, with its five claws digging deeply into the Ancient Dragonfish's skull.

Dark traces of the Flames of the Undead began spreading from Dumby's five fingers until they covered the Ancient Dragonfish's head before spreading into its skull.

"Roar!" The Ancient Dragonfish struggled vigorously in great pain, swaying its tail from left to right, but its head was stiff and motionless.

"Overlord of the Land of 1,000 Streams?" Dumby rubbed its jaw while speaking in a hoarse voice. Finally, after speaking, it started laughing. "This is it, after all."

The next moment, a white flame emerging from Dumby's body began spreading explosively in all directions. In a flash, both the Ancient Dragonfish and Dumby were shrouded together in it.

The white flame burned crazily. The Ancient Dragonfish could feel its soul burning, causing it to scream in agony, letting out tortured moans and wails.

The flames shot into the sky, burning the ground a pale white. After burning for a complete half hour, the Flame of Undead receded, although the Ancient Dragonfish remained motionless under Dumby.

Dumby knocked its back lightly.

Crack…

Burnt fish scales scattered all over instantly, with thick black smoke flowing out from the gaps between the pure white bones. There was no sight of any internal organs left.

The huge dragonfish skeleton lay across the spacious ground. Dumby gradually rose in its black robe. With it at the center, the undead creatures around the area began to kneel to him.

"Starting from today, I am the master of the Land of 1,000 Streams!" The flames in Dumby's eyes flickered, the breath from its body becoming even more obscure.

Dumby looked in the direction of the Black Phoenix Mountain Range. On top of this mountain range, a thick and ominous dark red cloud could be seen covering the entire area.

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Chapter 432: The Promises of Black Ba

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

In Chang'an Base City, it had been eight days since anyone had seen the blue sky and white clouds. A mist spread across the sky as yellow-brown sand floated over the city.

To the world after the Cataclysm, this was something unimaginable. The damage to the polluted environment caused by human beings had already disappeared completely after the Cataclysm. The citizens of Chang'an City hadn't come across this type of environment in many years.

"Therefore, this is absolutely abnormal." Chen Xuehe shook his head, lightly shaking the glass bottle in his hand that held a pale yellow granular gas.

"After my testing, all this is just normal… sand." Chen Xuehe frowned.

"All this is normal… sand?" The officer standing in front of Chen Xuehe was completely taken aback.

"But, but there shouldn't be any sandstorms in this present environment." Another military research officer standing beside him didn't agree with Chen Xuehe's opinion. "There's definitely something that hasn't been detected yet."

"All right. If you don't believe me, then you can test it one more time." Chen Xuehe was calm, not angry at all.

The research officer stared at Chen Xuehe directly for a while and snorted from his nose. "How can I not believe Professor Chen? Who else in the military hasn't heard of Professor Chen's name?" The research worker seemed to laugh and yet, he wasn't laughing.

Chen Xuehe lifted his eyelids, his face calm. Then suddenly, he grabbed the research officer's hair with his hand and pressed him to the ground.

"Stop being funny!"

After that came a beating full of punches and kicks. "I've already tolerated you for a long time, so you think that I wouldn't dare to beat you up?"

"Oh, Chen Xuehe, you must be crazy! You wouldn't dare to beat me…"

The officers standing by the side averted their eyes and pretended that they didn't see anything. There was one slightly younger soldier who felt that this wasn't very appropriate, and he wanted to step forward to stop it, but an elder soldier held his arm, lowered his voice, and said, "Don't act rashly."

Then from the surrounding wall, the ceiling, and underneath the desk, numerous iron-teethed golden-backed millipedes crawled out from every corner. Glancing at them, there were at least ten of them, all of which were Commander-tier familiars.

Ten minutes had passed. The research officer who was lying on the floor was bruised and swollen, his spectacles thrown off and his nose bleeding. He was muttering, "Don't you know who my uncle is…."

"Professor Chen, you're being impulsive. His uncle is also the vice commanding officer of the military, which is also in charge of the laboratory," said the officer while he sighed. "Nevertheless, there's also a way to solve this problem. Commander Liu is always energetic when it comes to matters like this—"

"No, it's unnecessary," Chen Xuehe interrupted him.

In the Dark Ember Forest, it was another boring day. Deep in the jungle, a gigantic black ape monster was lazing on the rough branch, looking at the sky.

Ever since that old man had died, Black Ba felt that every day was boring and lonesome.

Its furry lower jaw was full of gray fur. From its outer appearance, it was a Black Raging Kong that had been enlarged exponentially. Black Ba sighed. Irritated, its big hands tried to grasp something from the air, but in the end, it caught nothing.

How disgusting. Black Ba sneezed. The choking smell in the air made it rather impatient.

When it stood up from the branch, this tree, which was 650 feet tall, shook vigorously, causing its leaves to drop. Maybe it was because it had been sat on regularly, but the leaves of this huge tree were rather thin… There was the sense that it was balding.

That fellow from the west is here again. Black Ba could smell the obvious choking scent even if they were over a dozen miles apart. Starting from a week ago, this fellow had snuck in and appeared outside the Dark Ember Forest, then spread large amounts of yellow powder into the air.

Although it didn't sense any danger… smelling it still wasn't comfortable.

Black Ba's face was gloomy. Its burly body, like a statue of Black King Kong, was emitting a dangerous aura.

Making a loud rumble, it jumped down from the branch and strode deep into the jungle.

This was the forbidden zone of the Dark Ember Forest; being the core area of the Lord of the Dark Ember, other monsters were prohibited from entering.

Anyone that entered was murdered. In time, no other monster dared to enter.

In the middle of the jungle was a wooden house. The height of this house wasn't even up to Black Ba's navel. The pattern of the wooden walls was ancient and covered in moss, the upper section was damaged due to the rain, and the top was covered by a broad leaf.

This wooden house had belonged to the guardian of the forest in the last century. A rusty ax was still hanging on the wall outside; obviously, this house had shown no traces of life for a long time, so no one could tell how long it had been abandoned.

Black Ba just sat beside this wooden house and looked at it dumbly, its fierce look gradually becoming peaceful.

This familiar surrounding scene made it feel as if it had gone 20 years back in time.

At that time, it had been just a one-year-old monkey. In the jungle, its arm had been shot by a poacher, and it hadn't been able to escape. Lying in the bushes, it had looked at the reflection of the poacher that gradually became bigger in its eyes.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

The guardian of the forest rushed from the other end of the forest with his mountain dog to chase away the poacher. He was an old man with graying hair, energetic and firm in his steps, like the wisest old king of the monkeys.

The old guardian of the forest took the creature back to the wooden house and cared for it carefully. He made herbs and wrapped up its wound with gauze. Sometimes, the monkey felt that living like this for the rest of its life would be rather nice.

Later, it was returned to the monkey gang. After it returned to the gang, it would sometimes sneak out and play with the old guardian of the forest. The old guardian of the forest was also very happy. Every time it came over, he would dig out some delicious peanuts from his pocket. From there, they became good friends.

After that, thirteen winters flew by, and the monkey had changed from a young monkey to the king of the monkey gang.

But one morning when it came over, it didn't see the old man dressed to patrol the mountain, it saw people carrying a stretcher that transported the old guardian away. The monkey realized then that the old guardian of the forest had grown too old, and he could not patrol the mountain anymore.

After that, one day, probably after a long time, people carried a coffin from the foothills to the mountain top and buried it just next to the small wooden house.

The monkey could smell the scent of the old guardian of the forest.

These people left hurriedly after burying the coffin and burning some stacks of papers. The scenario was similar to the time when the old guardian had been carried away on a stretcher; they were both done very hurriedly.

When everyone had left, the monkey stood before the grave and stared at the tomb. It seemed to remember something, then it crawled into the wooden house through the window. In a room, it found a roll of yellowish gauze and some dry herbs.

When I was hurt back then, you used this to heal me. Now, can I use it to heal you?

The monkey was very happy, laughing like an idiot.

"Aoo, aoo, aoo…." The low and helpless cries of the ape echoed in the forest.

Black Ba blinked its eyelashes, feeling dazed. It opened its eyes, shaking its slightly blurred head; it had fallen asleep accidentally.

Next to the wooden house was a small raised mound, covered in shrubs that flourished. They were just like the old man when he was alive, full of energy.

Thump, thump, thump.

Black Ba hammered its chest with its fist. This is the forest you wanted to protect. Though you're gone, I'll help you to protect it forever. This is Black Ba's promise!

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Chapter 433: Taklamakan

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

Having achieved speedy enlightenment, Black Ba got up. Above its head was a large amount of yellow mist floating in the sky.

This wretched yellow mist! That monster is equally wretched!

Black Ba got up angrily and strode to the western side of the forest in big strides. On its way, it pulled an iron tree out of the ground, and the dark brown iron tree made a sharp, ear-piercing sound as it scratched the ground.

At the westernmost region of the Dark Ember Forest, a lizard beast that seemed to be made up of sand was crawling on the ground. Its thick tail was swaying gently, drawing a deep trail on the ground. "Roar."

A bunch of thick black shadows burst out of the forest, and the whistling gas cloud left behind a thick white trail in the sky.

Pang!

An unstoppable head-on blow that was as powerful as thunder created a piercing shriek in the air. When Black Ba jumped and landed, the whole earth roared and trembled.

Instantly, the head of the Giant Sand Lizard exploded, and the sand that was floating in the sky across the land fell down towards the ground.

Breathing heavily, a giant black ape with a hunched back turned its head gradually, its eyes filled with cruel brutality, like a giant savage beast from the wild, steaming with black mist and bloody crimson eyes.

"This forest is under my control! If you trouble me again, I will kill you!"

Its head exploded, the now headless giant lizard retreated backward. The sand that was scattered on the ground flew up to recondense into a head. A layer of dark red tongue was scraped off the ground. With eyes full of hatred, the lizard glanced at the Lord of the Dark Ember wistfully, then it turned and escaped. Its flexible body leaped a few times on the ground before leaving and disappearing among the hills.

Gao Peng received a call from Chen Xuehe.

"Cough, is that Gao Peng?"

"So you wish to join us in the Southern Sky?" Gao Peng was rather stunned. "Isn't the pay in the military much better than that of a private enterprise like mine?"

Gao Peng laughed as he declined Chen Xuehe. Chen Xuehe belonged to the military, so even if he were someone Gao Peng knew, he couldn't randomly be put into the group.

Chen Xuehe explained the situation to Gao Peng. He didn't have any other reasons except for simply being unwilling to stay in the military. It wasn't because there was someone in the military who targeted him, but just the general environment of the military, which made it difficult for him to do anything exceptional… including some practical experiments that required a number of approvals every single time. The bureaucratic system was too troublesome, and it was unbearable.

Therefore, finally, Chen Xuehe chose to leave the military and chose a platform where he could act with more freedom.

Gao Peng didn't refuse again. After some thought, he let Chen Xuehe come over. "You stay in the laboratory for a while, if you can get used to it, then you can stay here. If you don't like our environment here, then we can part ways in good faith."

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed, and there was a group of unexpected guests in the Dark Ember Forest.

The yellow sandstorm that covered the sky blackened and blew among the hills. Yellow monsters that resembled lizards wandered among the sandhills, some squatting and some standing. They were in different conditions—some showed cruelty in their eyes, while others looked cold and cunning.

The branches in the forest shook violently as a huge black shadow moved across the forest and stood on the edge, overlooking this group of lizards. "So you know you need to get help? You think calling for help is going to save you?" The Lord of the Dark Ember had gloomy eyes, opening its mouth and baring its blinding teeth in the air.

The strong chest muscles slowly rose and fell as it breathed. The muscles on its thick neck were harder than granite, and its steel mane that seemed like it was made out of needles was standing on end. "Roar!"

Its roar was thunderous. The brutal airwaves flattened the grass to the ground. When the Lord of Dark Ember stepped forward, the mountains and earth just shook and swayed. With a single punch, the demonic black light that condensed on its fist was like a falling comet.

The power of darkness thoroughly enwrapped within the fist, with a single punch, the sky seemed to darken.

Bang!!! Like a missile that dropped from the sky, it blew up a giant lizard beast in front of it immediately. This giant beast that exploded became heaps of sand. As a result, the remnants piled up on the hills.

This move had thoroughly angered the rest of the giant lizard beasts. Accompanied by their own hissing and roaring, they swayed their tails and pounced at the Lord of the Dark Ember.

The misty brown sand rained from the sky, in a flash, the wind blew violently, the forest behind The Lord of the Dark Ember rumbling and roaring, causing the enormous amount of sand to accumulate on the trees, turning all the leaves yellow.

But this was its limit.

This vast forest was just like the Lord of the Dark Ember, guarding the city of Chang'an firmly, working without any complaint.

"Roar!"

Bang!

With a muffled sound, the interlocked fists of the Lord of the Dark Ember slammed the ground under its feet, and an invisible black shock wave spread around in a ring shape. With this slam, the power of darkness spread.

The lizards that had pounced on the Lord of the Dark Ember were smashed. The dark power eroded their flesh crazily; they just collapsed in layers halfway in the air, with no chance at recovering at all.

In the distance, a school official who was observing the scene with a telescope shivered. "The Lord of the Dark Ember has definitely hidden its real strength!"

He remembered he and the others had once wondered if they should have gotten rid of the Lord of the Dark Ember, but at that moment, he was grateful that they hadn't done it back then.

The main reason was that this monkey had a good temper. Unless a human initiated an attack, it had never taken the initiative to attack any human. So, to the officials in Chang'an, the threat imposed by Lord of the Dark Ember wasn't as serious as that of the Desert Ruler. Therefore, the Desert Ruler was the first monster they considered getting rid of.

In their first evaluation, the threat from the Desert Ruler was five-star, and the Lord of the Dark Ember was only four-star… How was it only four stars? The Lord of the Dark Ember was absolutely at least a five-star threat, if not higher. Though he was so far away, he could also sense the fatal threat, as if someone was putting a knife over his head and his scalp was turning numb.

After getting rid of the lizards, the irritation in the eyes of the Lord of the Dark Ember lessened. Then it turned its head around and looked at the person who was peeping at it from afar before moving its gaze.

The elbows of the official who was holding the telescope stiffened. Finally, he put down his arms gradually. At that moment, his heart beat wildly. His undershirt was completely drenched in sweat in that short moment.

The threat beyond the Dark Ember Forest had been solved by the Lord of the Dark Ember. Gao Peng, who was staying in Chang'an Base City, also thought that the haze in the city would dissipate after that. On the contrary, it went from bad to worse. Just like an elderly person who was sick, the situation only worsened.

"The source of the haze wasn't taken care of!" The senior officials of Chang'an City were angry. A huge number of drones and familiars were sent to the base city to continue investigating.

Information was received after two days. In the north, thousands of giant sand lizards were advancing towards Chang'an City with haste. Furthermore, this was just the vanguard—there were endless lizards following behind this group.

After measuring their path through the sky satellite, the final destination the target would pass through was the Taklamakan Desert, which was also the largest desert in the Huaxia Region.

Ever since the Cataclysm, the area had been engulfed in sandstorms regularly. The sky above the desert was covered by an unknown yellow substance that made it impossible to observe the things happening inside the desert.

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"Taklamakan…"

The name caused anyone who knew what it was to make a face of despair.

Ever since the Cataclysm, locations such as the five great mountains and the famous Daze Mountain were occupied by powerful monsters. They were like the main demons in legends and folklore, and they could understand human language, while some of the more talented ones could even speak the human language. It was a celestial phenomenon.

Apart from the famous Daze Mountain, some places that were already famous for being weird and dangerous even before the Cataclysm became even worse.

Dangerous zones were called dangerous zones because people didn't know much about the things inside.

The characteristics of these places were that they often produced a unique natural environment that encapsulated the area. Moreover, dangerous monsters existed within them, and in situations where explored and known places hadn't been fully occupied yet, no one would go inside to provoke the dangerous beings within them because there was no need.

"This is troublesome. We aren't sure what's in the Taklamakan Desert. Even if we kill these lizards, if we don't deal with the root problem, things will just keep getting more troublesome," someone complained.

"It's impossible for us to solve this problem by just relying on us, the Chang'an Base City…" added another person.

"That's right. What was the conclusion of the meeting with the Lord of the Dark Ember? Is it willing to become our ally?"

"Mayor, the Lord of the Dark Ember declined," an assistant dutifully reported.

"I know." The mayor, who was wearing a gray suit, sighed.

"What is this monkey thinking…? It helped us killed that lizard before, but now it's implying that it isn't willing to work with us. Unless…"

"Unless what?" asked the mayor.

"Unless it's just being prideful?" said someone else in a solemn tone.

The mayor paused.

Previously, Gao Peng had succeeded in passing the exam and obtaining the position of World Hunter at the branch of the Monster Trainer League in Yuzhou Base City.

One of the most important criteria in the World Hunter exam was strength. Only when one had the strength would one be able to survive longer in the wild. The second criteria was experience from living in the wild and one's knowledge in identifying different monsters.

The latter two points were no longer important to Gao Peng, because when one was too strong, one could easily dominate others, and survival experience didn't really matter anymore.

"Can't return to the Black Fog World in the short term. There's a King-tier monster plundering on the other side of the Spacial Rift in Lusaka. That place isn't too far away from the Desolate Labyrinth." Gao Peng paused and continued, "If we encounter the monster whose strength is unknown, it could get dangerous."

"Monster." The Desolate Frost Lion was stunned. "What monster?"

"I don't know. There's no photo, but it's a giant black snake. It was disturbed and woken up from a deep slumber…" Gao Peng shook his head. If he'd had a photo, he would have been able to directly check the stats and attributes of the giant snake directly through the photo. However, whether it was an Emperor-tier or an Overlord-tier monster, they weren't beings that he could mess with at the moment. To be safe, it was better to slowly grow and wait until he could defeat that monster before heading to the Black Fog World.

This is definitely not cowardly. It's just mature and stable, keeping the big picture in mind.

"Waking up a monster from deep slumber?" The Desolate Frost Lion was shocked. Why are these people so gutsy? Even humans get up on the wrong side of the bed sometimes, not to mention a monster who's often subject to mood swings.

Oh, right, I'm also a really big lion who can be moody. It pouted cutely. Oh, oh. Gao Peng, try and hit my head if you have what it takes!

"But at most, this monster should only be at the Emperor tier or the peak of the Emperor tier. There's no way it's at the Overlord tier." The Desolate Frost Lion was certain.

"You're that sure?" Gao Peng was a bit surprised.

"Heh, how dumb. How could there be another Overlord-tier monster sleeping so soundly so close to another Overlord-tier monster? Is it tired of living?" The Desolate Frost Lion laughed coldly.

"Speak properly." Gao Peng hit its head.

The Desolate Frost Lion was extremely exasperated. I'm telling you, I'm a big, moody lion. You can't simply hit my head.

"Even if it were Emperor-tier, we can't deal with it at the moment."

"Wait until my strength is fully recovered, then I'll beat it up," said the Desolate Frost Lion as it laughed coldly.

"I'm rooting for you. After you recover your strength and get to the Overlord tier, you'll dominate the entire Black Fog World and reach the peak of your life," said Gao Peng encouragingly.

"Let's go, Gao Peng. Let us take all the treasures all over the world. Then, I'll be able to breakthrough faster." The Desolate Frost Lion couldn't wait anymore.

Lying on its side, Da Zi's eyes brightened. Treasure? Ours?

That night, at the dinner table inside the villa, Grandpa said, "Something happened in Chang'an again."

Another… Chang'an sure has a lot of disasters.

"What happened this time?" Gao Peng picked up a piece of meat from the table with his chopsticks and heard the sound of drooling beside his ear.

Da Zi was looking at Gao Peng under the table with its head raised. Its tail was shaking happily just like a Shiba Inu. Normal familiars weren't allowed inside restaurants, but Da Zi had tiny special privileges.

As Gao Peng threw a piece of bone on the floor, hundreds of Da Zi's short feet leaped as it landed on the bone. It gnawed at the bone.

"Monster intrusion. From within the Taklamakan."

The Taklamakan, huh? Gao Peng had heard of the place, since it was in the northwest and wasn't that far away from Chang'an.

After the Cataclysm, it had been covered in sand, and it was also covered in sandstorms year-round. The Dali Desert was child's play in front of the Taklamakan Desert.

Of course, the Taklamakan Desert was different from the Golden Sand Desert. The sand in the Taklamakan was a shifting sand desert. As the name suggested, the sand in shifting sand deserts moved based on the direction of the wind, and the desert would continue to move due to the wind. This meant that it was a desert that moved.

The Taklamakan Desert was the largest desert in the Huaxia Region, and it was the second largest shifting sand desert in the world.

"The newest information is that the Taklamakan Desert is closing in on Chang'an Base City. Based on current estimations, in approximately ten years, the desert will devour the entirety of Chang'an."

Gao Peng put down his bowl and chopsticks. The people of Chang'an… sure do have a lot of disasters.

Although ten years might have seemed like a long time, in fact, it wasn't long at all. If they really couldn't prevent the movement of the Taklamakan Desert, the Chang'an Base City would have to prepare to move.

"Could this desert be alive?" Gao Peng muttered. Having witnessed animated sculptures, mountain spirits, and coral monsters, Gao Peng had already had his mind blown several times, so he couldn't help but wonder if the Taklamakan Desert had produced another monster with consciousness.

If it really created another inanimate object with consciousness, then that huge area…

Before the Cataclysm, the Taklamakan Desert had been around 620 miles from the east to the west, and around 250 miles from south to north. The total area was around 205,000 square miles. After the Cataclysm, it became bigger, and if a desert as big as that became a monster, then who knew just how frightening it could be.

After Grandpa finished his dinner, he used a napkin to wipe his mouth. "I'll go check it out tomorrow."

"No, don't go. I'll go instead." Gao Peng remembered that almost all of the Sand-type monsters were weak against ice, and he had the Desolate Frost Lion, so he was more capable of dealing with them.

Ji Hanwu thought for a moment, but he was still somewhat worried. "Let's go together. I'll bring the White Dragon along tomorrow. Don't bring too many familiars. We'll just check it out."

I only just reached a total of three familiars, and my grandson already has ten. Ji Hanwu was quite speechless as well.

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Chapter 435: New Name

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

After dinner, Gao Peng went to the school, as he still cared about the academic situation of the students. Moreover, it would be the new year in half a month. The festive atmosphere in cities and towns all across the entire Huaxia Region, small and large alike, was getting more prominent, and Yuzhou City was no exemption.

The students in the school also needed to consider their travel arrangements. Naturally, the sons and daughters of employees would return home to celebrate the new year, but around half the students in Tiange Academy were orphans.

As he was thinking, Gao Peng reached Tiange Academy. The holiday starts tomorrow, and these students still need to be taken care of, regardless.

It was a rest period after dinner, and groups of students were gathered around the sports stadium. The sounds of horseplay could also be heard from the halls, and students strolled in pairs or trios in the square, while others spoke softly to each other on the sides of the flowerbed.

So this is youth. Gao Peng sighed. I sure do miss these days.

As he reached the grove, a couple holding hands were whispering to each other.

Gao Peng's face turned black as he saw that. How can they be dating at such a young age?! This is a place for learning and studying!

"Ehem." Gao Peng cleared his throat. The sound was particularly crisp and clear in the grove.

Da Zi, who was following Gao Peng very closely, like a dog, also acted as if it had authority and tapped its maxillipeds on a tree bark while making the sound, "Tsk, tsk, tsk." The antennae on its head shook in joy, like a pair of small electric-powered motors.

The startled boy and girl turned around and saw Gao Peng. It was already quite dark then, so they couldn't clearly see Gao Peng's face. They probably only saw a stylish young man standing on the other side of the grove with a short centipede on the ground beside him. It seemed like his familiar.

Naturally, with someone around, the atmosphere was ruined, so the boy and girl left the grove in a hurry.

Gao Peng also didn't pursue them to take them to the moral education department. It would just be treating symptoms and not the underlying root problem. The students were at an age where their hormones peaked, and it was normal for them to feel something towards the opposite sex. The right plan would be to provide them with proper guidance.

As for bringing them to the moral education department, it was unnecessary unless the situation was very severe. Otherwise, it would only incite the rebellious spirit of adolescents during their rebellious age.

What were those two doing?! Da Zi sniffed in suspicion. It detected a strange odor that still hadn't yet dispersed from the air.

"Gao Peng, were they mating?" Da Zi asked curiously.

"Mind your own business!"

"Gao Peng, have you never mated before?"

"None of your business!"

"Are you one of those alone forever people they mention on the internet?"

Gao Peng left the school and called the vice principal. "Principal Zhang, regarding the students who will be staying back, have you made any preparations or arrangements?"

"Principal, we've prepared to distribute a ceremonial porridge dish to all the students during the new year. At the same time, we'll teach them how to make rice cakes and organize a dance… The main issue is that since there are so many students, some of the smaller-scale activities aren't suitable."

Gao Peng sounded his acknowledgment and said, "Okay, all those activities remain unchanged. One thing though: I'll be staying at the school to celebrate the new year with the students, I'll leave the preparations to you."

"Ah." Vice Principal Zhang was surprised, but he recovered very quickly. "All right, no problem. I'll notify them tomorrow."

Gao Peng rested for the night after he returned to his villa. The next day at dawn, Gao Peng and Ji Hanwu were already on the grass lawn with their clothes on.

The White Dragon crawled out of the lake as its clear blue eyes glowed. Gao Peng noticed that the horns on top of the White Dragon's head had shown signs of branching out. On the top of each of the horns, a tiny branch emerged towards the back, slanted.

The White Dragon's level had increased to Level 53. Levels increased more slowly after the King tier, and the difference between each level also increased.

For something like this to happen just as the new year approaches… Looks like the higher ups in Chang'an will be worrying throughout the new year. Gao Peng scanned his group of familiars and wondered who he should bring with him.

Ji Hanwu patted the White Dragon's head and rubbed it soothingly. "They don't have it easy. We're living for ourselves while they have to take care of the population of an entire city."

In an era where it was already quite difficult to survive alone, someone who would stand up to protect other people, regardless of the person's private morality, showed public morality, so they weren't usually spoken rashly about.

"Yes." Gao Peng nodded. On this, he agreed with his grandpa. "Desolate Lion, Da Zi, Goldie, the three of you are with me."

"Zhi, zhi, zhi." The Treasure Sniffing Rodent crawled out from somewhere and hugged Gao Peng's leg as it looked at him with sad puppy eyes.

Gao Peng frowned and said, "What's the use in you going? You're so weak, I would be distracted taking care of you."

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent felt as if it had been stabbed in the heart. It stared in disbelief as its crying grew even worse.

"Gao Peng, take it along," said the Desolate Frost Lion suddenly. "I heard about what happened in the desert. The more hazardous the place, the higher the chances of there being treasure there. Although this rodent is weak as sh*t, when it comes to looking for treasure, it's still quite useful."

"Okay. Then… you'll also join us." Gao Peng finally gave in.

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent looked at the Desolate Frost Lion in gratitude with teary eyes.

Da Zi started to say, "Gao Peng, why don't we give the Treasure Sniffing Rodent and the White Steel Bladed Beast names? Everyone else has names, but they don't—"

"Right. What Da Zi said makes sense," Goldie interrupted.

Wisdom glowed in Goldie's eyes. All the names Gao Peng made are absolute rubbish. It can't just be us who have these ugly names!

Gao Peng didn't decline. He glanced at the Treasure Sniffing Rodent and was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Then we'll call you Moneymaker, since you make money and find treasure. The White Steel Bladed Beast will be called Flowing Light, since I hope that one day it will move faster than light."

What!? Goldie's body trembled as it looked at Gao Peng in disbelief.

…You've changed.

"We can come back early if we go early. We'll go there earlier, and we'll be back for the new year once we've settled things!" said Grandpa loudly.

Ever since the Cataclysm, the festive mood of the new year became thicker every year. The new year was a time for everyone in the family to gather together and become closer to each other.

Fundamentally, it was to gather and stay warm. Surviving hadn't been easy since ancient times, making it difficult just to live. Therefore, people from the same clans would maintain close relationships because they also hoped that if an accident were to happen to them, someone would at least come if they screamed for help.

As the quality of life increased for modern people, the festive mood of the new year also became lighter. People also became more independent, but after the Cataclysm came, the world returned to its initial status.

In Yuzhou University, the atmosphere was loud after school. It was a holiday, and the students and cars filled the school's entrance. The sound of cars honking and familiars roaring, mixed in with the sound of students talking, was so loud that they dispersed the clouds in the sky.

Most cars were directed to park on the street outside, as they couldn't enter the school. Only a handful of cars could enter.

Students with Flying-type familiars installed flight chairs manufactured by the Southern Sky Group on their familiars as they rode stylishly on their familiars to avoid the traffic congestion. As they flew past people, they also glanced at the people below them as smiles appeared on their faces. This was the benefit of choosing a Flying-type familiar!

The flight chair was actually just a small fixed chair installed on the backs of Flying-type familiars. It also came with a helmet and a jacket, and it could effectively avoid sad situations where monster trainers shivered after being hit by the cold and chilly wind high up in the air.

Gao Peng had even specially hired the guy who had held onto his Volcanic Vulture with snot dripping from his nose back during the National Youth Trainer Championship as a brand ambassador.

However, perhaps due to the clear before and after difference, the sales of the product were quite decent. It had the potential to become popular throughout the Huaxia market, but recently, many copycat products had been coming out. So, at that time, there was competition in terms of branding and product quality.

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Chapter 436: Lack of Judgement

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

Jun Moyi appeared calm and said coolly, "I'm going back to Chang'an over the holidays."

"Let's just go together. I'm going back to Chang'an for the holidays, too." A man who was dressed like a male peacock approached her in a courteous manner.

Another man, who was dressed up even more colorfully, gave a faint smile, gently ran his hand through his pink colored hair, and walked towards Jun Moyi. He whispered in her ears slowly in a deep and charming voice…

Bang.

A snowy white fist punched him in the nose, causing an excessive nosebleed. "You were too close to me." Jun Moyi wiped the back of her hand off with loathing.

What seemed to be a third-rate sales team was dragging a banner with them while shouting out loud, "Event promotion, event promotion! There's a newly launched super strong battle familiar from the top-notch Jin Peng Lab of the Southern Sky Group. This is the most ruthless cold-blooded killing machine, capable of mass murder!"

The person standing at the front was holding a white loudspeaker and shouting while waving his hand. Who knew how far his spit was flying.

"This is our latest familiar product—the Azrael Skybeast! Even the invincible royal Muscular Adamantine Duck crowned by the Undead Catastrophe agreed that it was strong!" announced the trader, who was wearing a white cap, delightedly. His peers behind him raised the banner at the same time. On the banner was a photo of Goldie showing off its muscular body, naked, while raising its middle finger with a cold look in its eyes.

It wasn't clear what angle the photo had been taken from, but it seemed more like a commercial photo deliberately taken by Goldie. Below the photo, there were a few words in purple—the Azrael Skybeast, choose it if you're a man!

"Pfft, where did these frauds come from? They even went so far as to come to Yuzhou University. They might as well go cheat the fellows from Yuzhou Normal University next door." Some students from Yuzhou University burst into laughter, not mentioning the power of the Southern Sky Group.

The shops of the Southern Sky Group were all operated legally. Even if they were to organize an event, it would most probably be conducted in the shop, so it would be impossible for them to peddle in front of Yuzhou University like street vendors.

"Next, let us present to you our strongest killing machine from the Southern Sky Group—the Azrael Skybeast!" said the vendor loudly as he lifted the black cloth covering the cage.

Howl!

The crimson scales of the familiar were lifelike. A pair of bat-like wings grew out of its back, and a demonic horn sprouted from the head, surrounded by a flame of ghost fire. It's only weakness was its tiny body size, as it was only about five feet tall.

"Don't look down on its tiny size. It's still a baby in its infancy. It's quite normal for a baby to have such small size!" the vendor responded to the surrounding doubts.

The voices of the people who had doubted at first started to trail off gradually after seeing the familiar.

"Psst… I can't believe that this is real."

"Seems like it is. Could it really be an… Azrael Skybeast?"

"Don't tell me it really is a familiar that was produced by the mysterious Jin Peng Lab of the Southern Sky Group?"

"Excuse me, make way." A few muscular men in black pushed the onlookers away and slowly made their way into the crowd.

When they were about fifteen feet away from the vendors, they suddenly pounced on them and pinned them to the ground. "Behave yourselves!"

"Don't move!"

"Police on duty. These people are the suspected swindlers. We're taking them into custody now."

One of the muscular men in black took out his police ID from his chest and said in a serious tone, "You are hereby under arrest due to suspicion of fraud."

Another muscular man walked near the cage. He was impressed by the monster in the cage, but then he took out his pistol, aimed at the monster, and fired a shot.

Bang.

"Aooow!" The figure of the monster in the cage howled in pain and flickered, exposing its real features in the next moment. It was a furless, pink, white-eyed monster that was five feet tall. There was a small wound on its chest where the bullet had gone through, and fresh blood was oozing out of it.

"Sure enough, this is the monster. Bring it back!" The muscular man in black waved his hand, giving the order to move the traders and the monster in the cage to an SUV parked by the roadside. After that, he stepped on the gas and drove off.

It seemed like the students from Yuzhou University had just witnessed a good show. There were many unethical traders like these ones. Some would dye the white fur of a monster to pink just to sell it off as a mutated species; others would cut two horns off monsters with three, turning them into the rare monster with only one horn.

Such tricks weren't uncommon, for there would always be traders who would go to such unethical lengths just for personal gain. However, a monster changing into such form was rarely seen.

"Perhaps it was lack of judgment that made the traders do such a thing," joked one student. It was unique to have a monster with various forms.

At that moment, the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. Several police cars were parked at the side of the road, and a few that were in uniform came out from the car. "We received a report just now saying that someone was trading an undocumented monster here."

"Er, where are they?"

"…They were taken away by our police staff?"

This was the first time Gao Peng had ridden on a dragon. The mane on the White Dragon's neck was long and thin. It felt good when Gao Peng grabbed onto it, like a tough, coarse beast's tendon.

The White Dragon was hovering high up in the sky. The wind and clouds converged, shrouding the surroundings with thick white clouds. Looking up at the sky, one could see a white cloud flying north at tremendous speed.

Da Zi was slightly shocked that Little Bai could fly this fast!

After that, Da Zi started to wonder whether it could surpass Little Bai. The more it thought about it, the more dignified Da Zi felt…

"This is a dragon? Feels like I've seen it somewhere before… but it wasn't this color." The Desolate Frost Lion was stomping on the head of the White Dragon curiously. No matter how fast the dragon flew, it wouldn't affect it.

"Wasn't it pretty normal to see dragons in the Black Fog World?" asked Gao Peng.

"Of course there were dragons. It's just that the dragons in Black Fog World were different from this one. The dragons from there had wings, and they weren't slender like this. I've seen such slender ones before, but just a few."

Goldie was hugging itself with its gaze down. It looked like a Buddha statue. The wind blowing on it seemed to have frozen it, as it didn't have any hair.

The White Dragon's speed was fast. Gao Peng could already see Chang'an City coming into view below him after flying for three hours. The White Dragon didn't stop and continued heading to the north.

Clang. The Golden Deity was looking up at the sky from a tall metal viaduct in the military area. It had its sharp eyes locked on a fast-moving cloud overhead. It sensed a vast air full of threats from inside this cloud.

"Taklamakan Desert is located to the northwest part of Chang'an City. Initially, it was to the southwest of the western region, but it's constantly been moving around. Now, it has moved a couple hundred miles towards Chang'an City."

Its speed shouldn't have been that fast at the beginning, thought Gao Peng.

"Well, based on my calculations, Taklamakan has been consciously moving towards Chang'an since the beginning of the Catastrophy."

"Or there might have been something attracting them in Chang'an." Gao Peng frowned.

After continuously flying for two hours, a golden desert came into view right below their feet.

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Chapter 437: One Single Punch

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

Overlooking from 16,000 feet above the ground, they saw a huge desert spanning across the earth with smoke signals rising to the sky. The yellow desert looked like a giant dragon laying flat on the ground. At the end of their sights, light yellow dust was rapidly rising from the desert.

"No." Gao Peng looked at the desert underneath his feet. However, he sighed in relief after failing to detect any attributes there. This would have made his plan tougher.

At least the Taklamakan Desert hadn't mutated into a monster. However, it would definitely require great effort to find out what was causing all this in such a big desert, which for sure couldn't be done within ten days or even half a year.

Looking down from the sky, the edge of the desert was like lake water during high tide, penetrating outwards slowly and soaking the sand, then engulfing it completely.

"The desert isn't moving… It's devouring," said Gao Peng. "Taklamakan is devouring the soil from the outside world to make itself stronger."

It was hard to believe that this was being done by Taklamakan. It was engulfing the surrounding soil and eroding it into small grains to continue adding to its volume.

The thick dunes were like rolling hills on the back of a giant monster. Its size was gigantic.

"The typical dunes wouldn't be at this height." Gao Peng furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the height of the pyramidal dunes in the desert, which were almost a few hundred feet high. Moreover, such pyramidal dunes of this height could be found anywhere there.

"If we fail to stop it, ten years from now, they would be reaching Chang'an City and swallowing up the entire city." Grandpa was frowning with tension in his eyes.

"White Dragon!" Grandpa shouted out loud.

The White Dragon was hanging its head, then slightly pressed on its dragon claws. The next moment, the entire sky was shrouded by dark clouds, and the desert rustled under a strong wind.

Bang.

With a heavy sound, rich dark purple lightning splashed out from the dark cloud above their heads. Thunder and lightning raged in the sky, followed by a flash of purple lightning sweeping across the sky.

The White Dragon cried into the air and trembled the entire sky, which was overcast with dark clouds. Along with its shocking cries, groups of dark clouds were broken through by an earth-shatteringly huge dragon claw.

Poof—

The surrounding air sounded like it was being torn apart.

Bang!!

The dunes were splashing with numerous waves of sand, and the endless sand waves were lifted up layer by layer, eventually sputtering out in all directions.

A shockingly powerful boom of thunder rose from the center of the desert. Countless overlapping sand shadows were teeming with the remains of the thunder arc and dark clouds inside. The wind had blown away the dust, and the sky had transformed into a sunny day again.

A giant pit that was hundreds of yards deep was left at the center of the desert. The smell of thunder and water vapor was left in the air. There was also a deathly stillness in the air. Apart from the ear-splitting noise, there was only the subtle sound of sand slowly filling up the sand pit.

Finally, Gao Peng had realized that something had gone wrong. It was strange because there was no monster appearing in the vast desert of Taklamakan. On paper, there must have been living creatures in the desert, even if it was an impoverished land.

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent suddenly stood up while grabbing onto the mane of the White Dragon with its two tiny claws. It then popped out its head and stared down while yelling, "There's treasure."

It might have jumped off the White Dragon's back if it hadn't been too high. However, it still appeared to be extremely excited while waving its claws continuously.

"This should be its hyperactive state." Da Zi nodded its head while making this assumption.

"White Dragon. Was there any discovery?" Ji Hanwu asked in a low voice.

The White Dragon, which was flying through the sky, looked at the desert in confusion. As soon as it came up with an idea, massive water droplets started to condense in the sky and turned into a giant blue net in a flash of an eye.

The giant net suddenly shook. The next second, it already covered half of the center of the desert. The moment the water net touched the desert, it instantly dissipated into an ocean of water droplets and eventually permeated into the bottom of the dunes.

Through its perception towards the water droplets, the White Dragon could smell the things underneath its feet.

The White Dragon suddenly opened its eyes. It was there—

"Found it!" The White Dragon spoke from its throat in a low and fierce voice. It showed a fierce look in its eyes, and the next moment, it turned into a white shadow and charged down.

Bang—

The dune that was a few hundred yards high was crushed and broken into pieces within a second. Massive piles of sand started to collapse.

Underneath the dune, there were countless cramped tunnels that looked like an ant farm. One part of the tunnels was torn down, revealing its hollow structure. The interior of the tunnels was covered with roots.

The gray-brown root was covered with tumors the size of fists that were beating together along to the tempo of its breathing.

There were many red dots on the surface of the lumps. The attack just now had destroyed a part of the tumors, causing yellowish fluid to flow out from the broken lumps. Several embryos that were yet to be fully-grown could be seen in the broken tumors.

[Monster Name: Parasitic Sand Bit Beetle (Not fully-grown) (Dead)

[Monster Level: 0

[Monster description: A type of monster that lives as a parasite. They must feed on the Sand Demon Tree to survive.

Gao Peng looked at those broken roots,

[Material Name: Sand Demon Tree's Root

[Material Description: Sand Demon Tree's Root can be consumed as medicine. It tastes like a yam, and long-term use can strengthen one's kidneys. Contains certain elemental power.

The roots were extracted from the wall after being hurt, leaving numerous holes on the inside of the wall. "The treasure that you mentioned was these roots that could strengthen our kidneys?" Gao Peng was left speechless.

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent shook its head continuously and yelled, "No! No!"

"How could it be such a worthless thing!" Gao Peng was disappointed.

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent was pissed. "How could you doubt my evaluation capacity!"

"Haha. Your reputation is at a whole new level," Gao Peng laughed.

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent looked to the north. "It's in our sight, right to the north."

Grandpa wanted to search for the source of the disaster from these roots. "If you're trying to look for the treasure, please go ahead. I want to check out this area here. Please be careful to keep in mind that you have to find your way back."

"Don't worry." Gao Peng nodded his head.

After jumping off of the back of the White Dragon, Gao Peng headed north along with his familiars he had brought.

Lucky, the dog species familiar was sniffing on the ground. Although it was small in size, its speed was above average. It could run about 100 feet in less than ten minutes.

Gao Peng had been watching his steps all this time, as he was aware that there might have been monsters underneath them. However, the dunes below his feet were peaceful, and he had yet to be attacked by anything.

"It's here, it's here." The Treasure Sniffing Rodent finally stopped and stepped on one of the dunes.

"Fast! Start digging at this spot, quickly!" The Treasure Sniffing Rodent couldn't wait to urge its master.

"Why don't you dig the hole? I thought rodents were very good at digging holes," said Gao Peng, joking.

"…" The Treasure Sniffing Rodent was stunned for a while. After that, it stared at its feet and showed a cunning look with a sly smile on its face.

"Desolion, Goldie. Do me a favor and break this for me." Gao Peng turned his head to give an order to his familiars.

The Desolate Frost Lion patted the surface of the dune with its claws. Suddenly, the entire area was covered with a layer of dazzling gleam. As soon as the cold gleam was gone, the desert below their feet had already turned into a freeze-dried land.

Goldie stepped forward with a hard expression. It gently swung its arm like a hammer and punched it the next moment.

Bang!!!

The entire desert was turned upside down. The frozen desert collapsed after taking this punch!

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Chapter 438: The Brain of Growth

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

The tectonic plate shifted, and the exposed ragged edges were rapidly moving upwards. A large area of the collapsed hole was exposed at the center of it.

There was a gigantic brain growing in the center of the exposed burrow, a milky white brain that was tinged with blood. The brain twitched slightly as if it was feeling flustered after being exposed to the air. Droplets of transparent liquid were squeezed out from the curves of the brain.

Bang, bang, bang.

Several long milky white whips pierced through the sand and rose up to the sky. There were yellow-brown beetles crawling on the whips. These beetles were the size of a human's palm, and all of them looked ferocious.

The white whips slapped Goldie's feet with a fierce look and dropped a few teeth as white as snow before running away.

[Monster name: The Brain of Growth

[Monster tier: Level 51 (King-tier)

[Monster grade: Perfect

[Monster attribute: Psychic

[Monster skill: Mind Power Level 5 Extraordinary brain Level 3 Spiritual Space Level 3

[Monster Specialty: The Chord of Thought (Changing the world with pure mind power is the limit of the mind. Without a body to live in, it stays alive with only a brain. However, it would gain more abilities with a body.)

Active Effect 1: Seizure of Mind (its powerful soul allows it to seize the body of any non-living object, thus gaining the ability to move.)

Active Effect 2: Extraordinary Flexibility (the seized object will go through a mutation, gaining all kinds of extraordinary attributes.)

(P.S.: Current seizing object—Taklamakan Desert, controllability 60%)

[Monster profile: A bizarre creature with no body, but a brain. It can seize non-living objects and turn them into its own body. It has extreme desire for the brains of intelligent living creatures, which could also allow them to grow rapidly.

"So you were the one that was messing around," Gao Peng realized.

After being found, the Brain of Growth panicked. It seemed to be very nervous and started to move the surrounding sand inwards to allow itself to sink even deeper into the burrow.

Goldie snorted. "You ugly fish with only a brain. Do you think you can escape from me?"

It immediately stepped forward and chopped off the extended milky white whip beside it. Loads of milky white liquid flowed out of the fractured whip.

Buzz—

As the Brain of Growth realized that Goldie was approaching, it suddenly drew back into the burrow! The next moment, countless invisible ripples started to spread all over it.

Goldie covered its head and took two steps backward. In the previous moment, he had felt as if his head was being crushed by a three-hundred-yard-long truck, causing its mind to turn blank all of a sudden.

Not just Goldie, but the others in the periphery, including Gao Peng, the Desolate Lion, Da Zi, and the Treasure Sniffing Rodent were all under attack.

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent had suffered the worst damage. It went through increased blood flow, its corneas filling with blood and even blood flowing out of its nostrils. The blood from its nose flowed down and dropped onto the sand, dying the sand a red color.

When Goldie finally regained consciousness, it realized that the environment of its surroundings had changed.

The yellow desert had turned red. There were blazing flames burning on the top of the sand dunes in the distance. The sand under its feet was flush with flames, and the air was burned and twisted by flames as if it had transformed into a volcano in the flash of an eye.

"Hmm?" Goldie's twisted its eyebrows, wondering what was going on.

When Goldie turned its head, Gao Peng and the others had disappeared. "Gao Peng doesn't want me anymore?!" Goldie panicked.

As Goldie was justifying its assumption, Gao Peng's figure suddenly appeared at the end of the horizon. He was wearing purple clothes with a pair of horns on his head. His eyes were narrowed in a line, showing a catlike look.

"Goldie, just go. I don't want you anymore."

Gao Peng's placed his hands behind his back, and his voice turned cold. "I can't afford to raise you anymore. Each of you requires five hundred dollars of expenses. However, you've been using too much of my money. I simply can't afford such a diligent duckling like you."

Goldie started making assumptions in its mind. "Was demanding five hundred bucks per monster too much?"

And thinking about how it had deceived Gao Peng's money with fake monsters that weren't fish, Gao Peng had suffered great losses.

Goldie became more and more unwell as it tried to think about its wrongdoings. It had honestly taken a huge amount of Gao Peng's money, therefore Gao Peng couldn't afford to raise it anymore.

Such a thought made Goldie feel terrible, causing it to laugh out loud to release the tension.

On the other side, Gao Peng had a headache and suddenly felt an inexplicable force rushing to the depths of his mental sea. The burning lilac flame outside of his mental sea lit up suddenly, and Gao Peng recovered his vision after blinking a few times.

After that, Gao Peng saw Goldie standing alone in front of him, starting to mumble to itself, with an occasional excited look on its face as it constantly flapped its wings.

"This stupid duck must have been bewitched by psychic power." The Desolate Frost Lion licked its paws while explaining its opinion.

"Gao Peng, I'm never going to steal your food again." Da Zi laid and shivered on Gao Peng's feet. "I won't spit in your cup, either. Please don't hit meeee."

Gao Peng's face darkened. He stopped the Desolate Lion, which was about to grab the Brain of Growth.

"Don't do it yet. I'd like to see what it did behind my back."

Da Zi's held its head with its tiny paws while wagging its tail high. "I'll confess, I'll confess. Actually, I was the one who gnawed and destroyed your couch, but that wasn't my intention. The couch was the one that started first!"

On the other side, the Brain of Growth had already gone back into the depths of the desert, trying to escape.

Gao Peng coldly snorted, "I'm going to teach you a lesson when we get back. Go seize that huge brain for me, Desolate Lion."

The abilities of this huge brain seemed pretty good, and this was the first time Gao Peng had met a monster with Psychic attributes. He hadn't expected it to have such supernatural abilities. If he could capture it, it would definitely save him some trouble.

The Desolate Frost Lion nodded. It leaped forward and clapped with its tiny paws. The next moment, a heavy gust of cold air started to condense in the air. A few icicles emerged appeared out of thin air in the desert, connected by a series of frozen locks. The icicles immediately trapped the Brain of Growth with the connected frozen locks.

After being trapped, the Brain of Growth started going mad, and this triggered its mind power. The strong mind power nearly evolved into a substance in the air, sending layers of sound waves to its surroundings.

Goldie frowned while covering its ears.

Da Zi's head had completely drilled into the sand, and its exposed tail was wagging quickly in the air.

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent had completely fainted. Its eyes were rolled back, and it was foaming at its mouth. Gao Peng immediately picked up the Treasure Sniffing Rodent and ran in the opposite direction to protect the mouse from being killed by the shockwaves coming from the Mind Power.

In the Black Fog World, Dumby felt as if someone was pushing on its head. However, there was nothing around. It scratched its head in confusion and then continued to instruct the ghouls to surround the prey. There were countless ghouls surrounding a golden two-headed lion in front of Dumby. The lion roared loudly, but it was on the losing side under the siege of the ghoul army…

It didn't have too much impact on the Desolate Frost Lion. The capabilities of the Brain of Growth weren't meant for fighting head-to-head. Therefore, it wouldn't do as much effective damage to the Desolate Frost Lion, which was at the same level, but one grade higher.

When Ji Hanwu arrived, Gao Peng had already captured the Brain of Growth alive. The white brain the size of a house was constantly wriggling on top of the sand dune. Right in front of the brain, there was a dark cave.

From time to time, the dark cave would spew out colored mist, and various magical images could be seen in it.

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Chapter 439: Infuriated Goldie

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

The Desolate Frost Lion took a glance at Moneymaker, who was being carried away by Gao Peng, and withdrew its gaze. When the Psychic monster had attacked just now, it had partially blocked the shock wave from reaching the rodent. Otherwise, Gao Peng would have been sad if it died.

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent was dying and clutching its tiny beating heart. Squeak, squeak, squeak.

Aggrieved, pathetic, helpless, weak, and fond of treasure.

"This is the first time I've ever seen this." Ji Hanwu found it interesting. He had never seen this new breed of monster before.

A bare brain was exposed in the air but with no signs of dehydration. It seemed extremely novel and eccentric. Interesting.

"This is called the Growing Brain. It's a Psychic monster that can manipulate the dead. It was the one manipulating the Taklamakan. Grandpa, are you interested in raising one?" Gao Peng asked with a smile.

Grandpa looked at Gao Peng and shook his head. "This old man doesn't have enough Soul Power to sign a contract with it. It's at least a King-tier. I could perhaps try if it was in the Lord tier."

To be able to manipulate such a large desert would be impossible for a Lord-tier monster. It was very likely that it would be a King-tier monster.

"Grandpa, since you don't want it, it would be impolite for me to decline." Gao Peng would surely not miss this chance, because it was hard to meet a rare Psychic monster with such a high level.

Gao Peng approached the giant white brain that was swaying slightly in the middle of the desert. Numerous drops of sticky and transparent liquid were squeezed out of its crevices and permeated outward. From a distance, it seemed like there were dense beads of water hanging on the brain.

"Delicious brain!" Da Zi's eyes shone. It recalled the time when Gao Peng had offered it a small bowl of roasted brains at home. Ever since then, it couldn't forget the taste.

The brains had been fried until golden brown, with delicious green onions, cumin, and chili powder sprinkled on top. The memory of the tender and fragrant meat made Da Zi swallow its saliva and excitedly pat the sand.

I want to eat, I want to eat…

Goldie screamed crazily. Damn it, it was a hallucination just now! I, Huang Haonan, was actually fooled into believing a hallucination made by a monster that only has its brain left. How embarrassing.

After screaming, Goldie stole a peek at Gao Peng. Gao Peng didn't hear what I said, right? Um… If Gao Peng heard it, how am I going to swindle him in the future?

Looking at how Gao Peng's face was normal, as if he hadn't heard, Goldie was relieved. Luckily, he didn't hear it.

This is what I meant earlier. How can a wealthy bachelor like Gao Peng go bankrupt because of my swindling?! I clearly remember that Gao Peng had enough gold to fill up an entire warehouse. Sooner or later, all this gold will be under my name.

"Let it go! I want a fair one-on-one duel with it. I'm going to kill it today!" Goldie exclaimed with power.

"Let me go, please, let me go." A thought transmitted into Gao Peng's mind. The voice was crystal clear, like it belonged to a 5 or 6-year-old child, and it sounded pitiful.

"Tell me why you're going to Chang'an." Gao Peng demanded.

There were two seconds of silence. Then, its voice changed to a female one that was a little lethargic and hoarse, filled with glamour. "If I tell you… will you let me go?" The voice tried to tempt him.

Gao Peng was unmoved, "Depends on your performance."

The next moment, the voice changed into a mature male voice. "Hello, my name is Wang Zhang, and I'm from Chang'an. I'm a desert hiker, and I've hiked through seven large and small deserts a total of thirteen times. When the Cataclysm occurred five years ago, I was hiking through the Taklamakan Desert…

"After the disaster, there was a huge sandstorm in the desert… I tried my best, but I ended up dead in the sandstorm.

"My daughter's 3rd birthday was in another seven days. I wanted to go back to see her and sing her a birthday song… I only wanted to… return to see my daughter." The man choked up.

Gao Peng remained expressionless. "So this is why you wanted to bring the Taklamakan back to Chang'an?"

"My body became one with the desert. I can't leave the desert." The man said in a low voice, "I really just want to go back and see—"

"And eat more people along the way, isn't that right?" Gao Peng waved his hands. "All right. You don't have to say anymore. Just decide if you want to surrender. If you're willing to become my familiar, you can live, but if you don't… My familiar has been hungry for a while." Gao Peng pointed at Da Zi, who was drooling beside him.

The lower the level of the monsters, the lower their IQ. Hence, one had to understand their hearts and move them with emotion in order to catch them, because all of them were amiable to friendly persuasion, but not to compulsion.

But the higher the level of monsters, the higher their IQ, and the more things they would think about. The wisdom of a Psychic monster such as this mutated brain would definitely not be shallow. As long as it wasn't the unyielding and stubborn type, the chances of keeping it after defeating it wouldn't be low.

As Gao Peng finished, both the Desolate Frost Lion and the White Dragon stepped forward. Their eyes gleamed ferociously, waiting to kill if a wrong answer was given.

The Growing Brain said, "…I just want to go back and see—"

"Shut up. If you fool me again, I will eat you right now." Gao Peng sneered. You can't deal with these monsters in a nice tone, otherwise they'll think that you're easy to bully.

The Growing Brain froze, and the cerebral cortex of the brain turned bright red, as if it was working at a high speed to think.

Gao Peng's thoughts were clear. This monster probably had the ability to read memories after devouring brains, so Wang Zhang's story was real. If he was to investigate, he could likely locate this person.

But it would have had nothing to do with the monster in front of him.

Perhaps it had read about the existence of Chang'an in Wang Zhang's memory and found out that there were many people in Chang'an. Therefore, it wanted to go there, and the purpose of going to Chang'an was self-evident.

The Growing Brain was relieved after hearing that the person in front of it wasn't going to kill it, but rather, wanted to keep it. It sprayed out colored mist into the black cave, followed by faint smoke.

"It's not impossible for me to surrender to you," the voice of the Growing Brain changed from the male voice to the previous alluring female voice. "But what can I gain from you?"

"You can gain love from your grandpa Goldie!" Goldie was infuriated. Is this how you talk to my boss? The boss recruited you to be his familiar because he thinks highly of you. How dare you negotiate the conditions!

It slapped the Growing Brain's plasma hard, shocking the brain, which was like a jelly quivering around. The Growing Brain didn't dare to speak, for this duck was too rude. It became violent just because of a small conflict.

Throughout its five years of life, it had never seen such a violent duck. It cursed silently in its heart, As soon as I get through this, I'm going to eat duck brains every day.

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Chapter 440: Treasure

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

Originally, at birth, Growing Brain had never come across other living souls, but now most of its memories and knowledge came from the mummies and those monsters that died of dehydration in the desert.

Growing Brain knew what a Monster Trainer was, although it wasn't use to having an owner all of a sudden, but compared to life and death, it was still more important to stay alive.

Not to mention that this guy had a King Tier Familiar with him. It wouldn't be considered shameful if it was stuck with him.

As it reassured itself, Growing Brain heaved a sigh of relief, feeling much better in its heart.

But instantly a wave of bitterness surged in its heart, when did I end up like this.

Beggars can't be choosers, so Growing Brain lowered its pride.

From the memories that it absorbed from humans, it was rare to see such a thing. Most of the knowledge and experience absorbed by it came from human memories, but it itself existed not long ago, so most of its behaviours were affected by the memories it absorbed.

"I'm willing to oblige." The black cave-like hole on top of Growing Brain stopped emitting a colored fog. Gao Peng had a wrong impression when he looked at the cave.

Gao Peng came forward to sign the Blood Contract. With the two parties agreeing, the Blood Contract was successfully signed in a very short time.

Signing the Blood Contract wasn't complicated. After they were both connected by the contract, Gao Peng's space of awareness was connected to a new consciousness.

A fuzzy shadow appeared among that hazy piece of space.

Through these shadows, Gao Peng could perceive many memories, memories devoured by Growing Brain into its own brain. All of these memories were incomplete, and a few among them were flawed.

Gao Peng had become its Monster Trainer. After getting Growing Brain's permission, he could read through all its memories.

This was also one of the skills that Growing Brain had. After devouring the brains of other living souls, it could access and read through their memories. This was also its supernatural skill, an extension of its ability, just like when Flamy used its flame on a campfire to boil water.

Those memories were like a broken movie film that played intermittently, where part of it had been roughly torn, leaving only a mess of colorful blurry light spots, and even the audio was bad.

After attempting to hear a part of the broken film, Gao Peng felt his head swell, as if he had been trapped in a car for five long hours, feeling both carsick and horrified.

Gao Peng quickly pulled himself out and massaged his temples, then he changed to another clearer memory and started to read again.

This time, Gao Peng chose a section of a clear memory and read it from the first-person view.

There was no sense of touch nor smell, Gao Peng could only read other's experience through a special kind of sensory.

When the main character in the picture suffered pain, Gao Peng would not feel any empathy, but he would feel a peculiar perception – he was able to know when the scene showed states of 'pain' or 'hunger'.

The memories stored in Growing Brain's space of awareness were quite a few, but most of them were memories from low-leveled creatures with no wisdom. These memories were simply just hunting instincts, and did not contain much knowledge.

Those that were truly useful were just a few, where seven of them had belonged to humans, and most of them came from the cataclysm of the beginning of that disaster.

In front of Growing Brain was a large pitch dark hole, which was its eating channel and also its visual organ – but of course, a visual organ was no importance to Growing Brain, because the power of its mind could already replace most of its senses.

Something like memory fragments could be released from this eating channel, one of which was the colored fog that Gao Peng witnessed previously. The memory fragments could briefly increase the power of Growing Brain's mind.

However, releasing memory fragment consumed the memories that he devoured.

Memories were also a kind of matter. Although they could not be touched; colorless and invisible, but they were real, just in a different form of existence.

Under special conditions, memories could be shred and turned into fuel for an explosion of its powerful mind.

Gao Peng was amazed after briefly looking through Growing Brain's skills. It was a new type of monster, rich in skills and had distinctive features.

Gao Peng was very curious about the special power of its mind.

"Release your control over the Taklamakan Desert." Gao Peng ordered Growing Brain.

Growing Brain was astounded. It never mentioned that it could control a whole desert, not to mention that it had deleted all memories related to it, so how did he know that it had this kind of ability…

At that moment, Growing Brain felt uneasy; Gao Peng was suddenly a mystery in its eyes. In the end, it obediently released the control it had on the Taklamakan Desert, heartbroken. It was already able to control half of the desert all because of its hard work and the time that he had spent on it, and with just a single order, it was all gone now.

After releasing its control over the Taklamakan Desert, Growing Brain became weak, and its large brain had shrunk from the size of a whole house to 0.99 of its area.

Though the Taklamakan Desert was still just a shifting sand desert after being freed from the control of Growing Brain, but it consciously stopped heading toward the direction of Chang'an City.

"Gao Peng, don't tell me that this mouse is dead?" asked Goldie as it carried Moneymaker's tail, frowning.

It looked as if Moneymaker was quite dead as Goldie held its tail upside down in the air, its body swinging left and right.

"Not possible." Gao Peng took over Moneymaker's tail, then head toward the direction of the pothole made by Growing Brain.

The Treasure Sniffing Rodent's nose twitched as it swung back and forth in the air.

Its dazzled eyes opened slightly as it pedalled its limbs back and forth in the air, becoming alive again. "I can smell it. I can smell the treasure!"

"You actually survived." Goldie was in shock, this was too amazing!

Gao Peng loosened his grip on its tail, causing the Treasure Sniffling Rodent to plop onto the ground and dart into the pothole, then quickly came crawling back out after half a minute.

"Is there other monsters down there?" Gao Peng asked Growing Brain.

"There are a few parasitic beasts of mine," answered Growing Brain.

With a swift of its mind, the sand below their feet started to move, then a lot of beige roots that were covered in sarcomas came crawling out of the pit.

[Monster Name: Demonic Sand Tree

[Monster Level: Level 21 (Commander tier)

[Monster Grade: Normal Grade

[Monster Attribute: Wood

[Monster Description: A kind of parasitic beast that lives near Growing Brain. When Growing Brain is present at a certain place for long-term, the surrounding environment will be infected thus creating these kind of strange monsters.

Huh, this Demonic Sand Tree was a kind of parasitic monster, yet there were parasitic Shabit Beetles found on it that relied on the tree to stay alive.

Amazing. Round and round they grew, circling the tree.

With the control of Growing Brain, the monsters below stopped attacking the rodent, allowing it to smoothly retrieve the treasure from the bottom of the desert.

Gao Peng was amazed by the sight of the treasure – a piece of a smooth and white bone of two meters long.

Just before this, Gao Peng had come across something similar to a white jade bone in Dali Desert.

Both of these materials were almost exactly the same, as they had the same complex pattern on top of it, with a hint of scarlet red right where the jade broke.

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