The sound was coming from less than a kilometer away.
Thanks to the superior physical conditioning of a Beast Tamer, they arrived on the scene in less than a minute.
Six or seven Alliance Members were directing their Pet Beasts in a skirmish, and from the looks on their faces, the fight wasn’t going easy. In the center of their encirclement was a towering Giant Beast, six or seven meters tall and over ten meters long. A pair of disproportionately small, fleshy wings sprouted from its mountain-like body. Its neck was as slender and agile as a snake, while its five pairs of pillar-like legs were thick and powerful, giving it an unshakeable, solid presence.
[Pet Beast: Earth-necked Dragon (Wild)
Attributes: Earth Element, Wind Element
Race: High Level Elite
Real-time Energy Value: 5231]
’A Two-star!’
Su Zhi raised an eyebrow, quickly making his assessment.
’This isn’t a battle Yu Bao and I can get involved in right now. We’re out in the wild, not in some arena. It’s better to play it safe when you have to.’
Yu Bao also sensed that something was amiss. His brow furrowed slightly, and he moved Diya in front of him.
’Don’t be scared, my good brother!’
’As long as you’re here, that big dragon will never get to me!’
"Saaa..."
Diya felt like something wasn’t quite right, but he was still deeply moved.
’Our bond is the real deal!’
"Captain Peng! What do we do? This dragon is too damn tough!" an Alliance Member complained bitterly.
"It’s no use, we can’t beat it with just our One-star Pet Beasts! Should we bring out the Two-stars?" someone suggested.
"What the hell are you all doing?!"
Peng Kai rubbed his temples, a headache blooming. "I told you all before we set out to avoid the protected animals. How did you end up in a fight with this one?"
An Alliance Member protested, "It wasn’t our fault, Captain Peng! It attacked us the second it appeared. There wasn’t even a chance to communicate..."
Peng Kai’s brow furrowed at the words.
Sure enough, a closer look revealed that it wasn’t the Alliance Members who had surrounded the Earth-necked Dragon. Rather, the Earth-necked Dragon was relentlessly attacking the surrounding Alliance Members and their Pet Beasts.
This wasn’t a defensive counterattack; this was pure, aggressive slaughter. Even when the Alliance Members intentionally left an opening in their circle, the Earth-necked Dragon made no attempt to leave, continuing its assault relentlessly!
This was what Su Zhi found so strange.
Earth-necked Dragons only existed within a Secret Realm called the Ancient Chalk Ruins. They shouldn’t be on Blue Star at all, let alone anywhere near Huai City.
Furthermore, they were a relatively docile and intelligent species of Exotic Beast that disliked conflict.
Because of their durability, they sometimes wouldn’t even deign to notice smaller predators that tried to attack them.
For one to be attacking so frenziedly was completely out of character.
Su Zhi was suddenly reminded of Leo, whom he’d encountered during his previous excursion into the wilds.
’Leo was also an abnormal Pet Beast... Could the two cases be related?’
"Captain Peng, what are your orders? Our Pet Beasts can’t hold out much longer!"
Another Cyan Feathered Falcon was swatted out of the air by the Earth-necked Dragon’s long neck, and a few Alliance Members cried out in alarm.
"...We can’t just kill the Earth-necked Dragon. First, we need to find a way to control it!"
Peng Kai’s mind raced. "Since we’re here for a training exercise, let’s treat this like one. Avoid using your Main Pets if you can!"
"Yes, sir!"
The battle was still precarious, but with a firm hand guiding them, the Alliance Members’ encirclement became more organized.
Pet Beasts known for their mobility used their speed to harry the Earth-necked Dragon; Strong Attack Type Pet Beasts sought out and struck non-lethal weak points; and aerial Pet Beasts provided support for those on the ground.
Diya and Yu Bao joined the battle as well.
Leveraging the speed and agility of a Nether Flame Spirit, Diya weaved between the Earth-necked Dragon’s legs, trying to bait it into lifting a foot to attack him. The hope was to make it lose its balance and create an opening for his allies.
However, the Earth-necked Dragon was a behemoth with five pairs of road wheels... no, five pairs of legs. Even if it had to lift two feet to deal with Diya, the remaining four pairs kept it perfectly stable.
As for Diya, his clever plan had backfired spectacularly. He was now running for his life as the beast tried to stomp on him, not daring to stop for even a second.
Yu Bao was also providing support—
Cyan Feathered Falcon: "CAW?"
Seeing the dog floating beside them, the other aerial Pet Beasts were completely dumbfounded.
’Why is this your way of joining the battle?’
’Aren’t you a dog??’
"Heh." Yu Bao wagged his tail and raised a paw, signaling his avian brethren to move aside.
’Make some room, I’m about to put on a show!’
The next moment, a vivid crimson light flared in Yu Bao’s eyes—the signature trait of a Yu Dian Farm Dog when controlling the Fire Attribute.
As Master Yu began to channel his power, the ground beneath the Earth-necked Dragon instantly transformed into a field of magma. The earth fissured, spewing scorching flames that mercilessly burned everything within range.
Earth Force Field·Purgatory Form!
"AWOOOO!"
The Earth-necked Dragon cried out in rage and pain. It stomped its five pairs of feet, clearly scalded by the heat. The effect was surprisingly much better than Diya’s attempt at a distraction.
Though the Earth-necked Dragon had thick, tough hide, the pads of its feet were surprisingly tender. Yu Bao’s move was a precision strike that hit it right where it hurt.
"Holy shit, what was that Skill?"
"Have I been living under a rock? I swear I just watched Su Zhi’s last match yesterday. How does Yu Bao have a new Skill already?!"
"Ahem, you just have to get used to it. That’s just Su Zhi’s style..."
The Alliance Members were baffled and utterly shocked.
"CAW~" "ROAR~" "CHIRP~"
The other Pet Beasts cheered him on.
Yu Bao scratched his head sheepishly.
Diya: "QAQ Saaa!"
’Easy for you to look cool, you bastard! The big dragon is trying to stomp me even faster now! I can’t keep dodging!’
"Woof," Yu Bao replied, which meant, ’That’s a you problem. Git gud.’
The Earth-necked Dragon suddenly raised its head, its eyes locking onto the dog in the sky.
The eyes of the dragon and the dog met.
The air fell silent. Yu Bao did his best to flash an innocent, harmless smile.