Chapter 273 Dark Realm Passage
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"What's wrong?" Chen Xing asked Taotie.
Taotie had just sensed a relatively large water attribute fluctuation coming from a distant place to the east.
Moreover, it acutely sensed the familiar aura of a skill, one of its favorite skills to release—Great Flood.
It relayed what it had sensed to its master.
After hearing this, Chen Xing patted its head, "It's possible that wild monsters are fighting."
Taotie shook its head. Besides sensing the fluctuation of the water attribute skill, it also felt some other strange fluctuations, somewhat like the waves of Beast Tamer skills.
If this world were a vast ocean, then every being with extraordinary power would be a stone.
Each time a skill is released, it creates ripples in this world, the stronger the power, the clearer the fluctuating ripples.
Taotie could feel that the level of the skill was transcendent.
Hearing Taotie's explanation, a hint of surprise flashed in the depths of Chen Xing's eyes.
"You can feel the fluctuation of Beast Tamer skills from so far away? Your species talent is quite interesting."
Taotie's intelligent little eyes were filled with puzzlement, as if questioning whether this was difficult.
The little ability it awakened after evolving felt as natural as a racial instinct coming from deep within its bloodline, just like humans never find their ability to walk and climb miraculous, but to plants, it's an unattainable luxury.
Chen Xing looked towards Sìxiàng, who shook its head slightly; it was unable to do this.
Its most mystical aspect was its eyes, which, even when soaring tens of thousands of feet in the sky, could still survey the earth below for prey.
However, there could be no obstructions along the way.
Instead, the Shadow ensnaring Sìxiàng swayed slightly, countless threads coming together to form the shape of a mouth.
"I can sense specific auras, no matter the distance!"
Noticing Chen Xing's surprised expression, the Shadow seemed somewhat proud.
It had initially used this ability to sense Sìxiàng's aura in the Dark Realm, chasing after it tirelessly, although every time it managed to reach it, the aura would "disappear" on the spot.
"Is your sensing ability unlimited?" Chen Xing wondered curiously.
Being able to sense across any distance seemed a bit exaggerated.
"There is a limit, but I can only store one aura at a time," said the Shadow, somewhat disheartened. "If I want to store a new aura, I have to replace the previous one."
Chen Xing was surprised, "With this ability, why didn't you say so earlier?"
The Shadow was taken aback, as it hadn't thought that the ability was anything special...
Chen Xing did not dwell on this trifle. It didn't matter what had happened before; now that the Shadow had spoken up, that was enough.
He then turned his attention back to the matter Taotie had mentioned earlier.
According to it, if there were disturbances coming from over there, could it be that Old Master Qiu's people were sparring or fighting nearby?
"Master, someone is coming up," Taotie looked towards the mouth of the valley.
"You go back first," Chen Xing returned Taotie to the Beast Taming Space.
Chen Xing, accompanied by Sìxiàng, went outside the cave and saw Qiu Shangqing and the Azure Sea Emperor Crocodile approaching together.
Qiu Shangqing asked, "Young Chen, your Beast Taming transcendence went smoothly, right?"
Chen Xing shook his head, "Thanks for your concern, Old Qiu, the breakthrough went without a hitch, and I have transcended perfectly."
It wouldn't be appropriate to share the matter of the Golden Spear with Qiu Shangqing, not to mention it would be futile.
Qiu Shangqing was reassured to hear this, "It's good that you've transcended."
Chen Xing casually asked, "Old Qiu, do your people normally go out to hunt transcendent monsters near your habitat?"
Transcendent monsters?
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Qiu Shangqing shook his head, "Naturally, there can be no transcendent monsters nearby. In the eyes of the territorial monsters from the surrounding lands, this area is considered the territory of our species.
Unless a certain monster has significantly increased in strength and wishes to expand its territory, they generally won't invade other territories on a whim.
We refer to them all as monsters, but actually, within the monster community, there are various species groups—cattle, sheep, tigers, leopards, lions, elephants, eagles, sparrows. To them, humans are just one of the myriad species.
Humans are not special. These monsters won't band together intentionally to target us.
So as long as we clearly mark our territory, the dominant creatures of nearby territories won't invade arbitrarily."
Hearing this, Chen Xing understood. In fact, many people, like him, believed that all non-human species target the human race, not realizing that humans are also one of the myriad species.
Do mosquitoes suck only human blood and not the blood of other animals? If a tiger eats humans, does it stop eating other animals? A pack of starved wolves would dare to confront a sick tiger; humans are merely a part of the food chain.
"That was my misunderstanding," Chen Xing said.
Qiu Shangqing laughed, "Haha, many young people are like you, thinking that since we habitually refer to all extraordinary creatures as monsters, we assume all the monsters are in close alliance.
Isn't it the same within our country? Some people, when comparing, lump our nation with others as if outside of Great Xia, everything else forms a united front—I don't even know when hundreds of foreign countries became united as one.
By the way, are you experiencing any troubles managing that resource point? Do you want me to teach you a few tricks? Actually, dealing with wild monsters near a resource point does not require much effort. 'Borrowing the might of one to subdue another' and 'pit the tiger against the wolf' are quite effective tactics.
These brainless wild creatures are much easier to handle than humans."
Chen Xing said, "I have left it to others to manage; I collect Spirit Gold quarterly."
Qiu Shangqing said, "Oh, I had forgotten, look at my memory. You needn't worry about it, but if you have the intention of providing for future generations, you will eventually have to learn how to exploit and maintain a resource point yourself.
Moreover, when your resource points increase in size, you surely can't leave them all in the hands of others."
The final remark by Qiu Shangqing was pointed.
Chen Xing pondered for a moment, then nodded his head.
He, in fact, had plans of his own.
These Twin-fiend Dogs should evolve when he finds the time.
He would then arrange for them to be stationed at the new resource points.
With their full-value affection, only a contract was the difference between them and himself.
After all, for most Beast Tamers, the affection between them and their beasts might not even reach 100.
However, during this process, he also needed to start preparing new beasts for taming, to avoid a situation where he sends off the Twin-fiend Dogs and the affection of the new beasts is insufficient, affecting his acquisition of Skill Point Fragments.
"Boom!"
Just at that moment, a loud bang echoed in the void within the valley.
"Master, there is an aura from the Dark Realm spreading nearby," Sìxiàng's expression changed.
"Hmm?" Qiu Shangqing looked past Chen Xing toward the center of the valley behind.
In the empty area, a ripple-like fold of transparent undulations appeared. Through the folds, the scenery behind appeared distorted like a rippling wave.
One second, two seconds.
Crack!
A sound like that of a shattering mirror.
Space twisted; a narrow, distorted passageway, the height of a person and less than half a meter wide appeared.
On the other side of the spatial passage, it was as if a lifeless world formed of only black, white, and gray.
A cold, twisted aura was slowly emanating from within the passage...
...
"You traitor," Shui Hu