October 15th, Tuesday.
Sunny.
"Then we'll be going now."
Turning around, Chen Yuan waved at the Rockfall Horned Beast standing in place.
“Roar — — ! ! ”
“Awoo awoo!”
No matter who was calling, Cola would always join in, letting out a yell.
"Let's go," Chen Yuan patted the Rockfall Horned Beast cub's head and walked forward.
The little guys followed closely behind.
The Rockfall Horned Beast watched as the figures gradually departed, the clouds shifting endlessly, scattering and gathering again, finally concealing its massive form.
The summit of Aoshan Mountain returned to its usual tranquility.
The Rockfall Horned Beast no longer had to search for food for the little cub every day, no longer had to worry about its safety.
On the way down the mountain, Chen Yuan did not ride the Rockfall Horned Beast.
Firstly, it was still in its developmental stage and had not yet grown to the most suitable riding size.
Secondly, the path down the mountain was full of rugged rocks and crisscrossing ravines, and he currently had more faith in his own legs.
“Roar.”
This seemed to be the Rockfall Horned Beast's first time down the mountain, looking left and right, its eyes filled with intense curiosity.
"After arriving at the farm, you don't need to do anything else, just eat as much as you can and grow up quickly."
"When you grow up, I'll take you to competitions."
If the Qinling Riding Competition could really be held, Chen Yuan would definitely be the first to sign up.
He was familiar with the terrain here, understood the pet beasts here, and it would be inexcusable not to win the championship.
“Roar!”
Hearing these words, the Rockfall Horned Beast couldn't help but widen its eyes, its face filled with disbelief.
Could it really eat as much as it wanted?
“Awoo awoo awoo!”
Hearing Chen Yuan's words, Cola instantly felt sour.
It was clearly the first to arrive at the farm, so why didn't it get to participate in competitions with its master!
Chen Yuan glared: "Isn't the exhibition match a competition?"
"Doesn't the exhibition match champion count as a champion?"
Afterward, Chen Yuan looked at the two small bags on Cola's back and reminded, "Walk slower, don't lose the Skyclear Fruit."
When leaving, he picked up all the Skyclear Fruit cores on the ground, and then received three Skyclear Fruits gifted by the Rockfall Horned Beast.
Descending to the foot of the mountain and heading north, they finally reached the edge of the Mysterious Forest in the afternoon.
Staring at the Little Starmist Deer in front of him, Chen Yuan said in a deep voice, "You'll have to walk the rest of the way yourself."
“Yoo yoo!”
The Little Starmist Deer's gaze was firm and fearless.
Immediately, the Little Starmist Deer scanned Chen Yuan and the little guys one by one, lowered its head, and expressed its sincerest gratitude to them.
“Awoo ～”
If you can't find your pack, come back to the farm, awoo!
Chen Yuan glared at Cola and said unhappily, "How can you say that!"
“Zzt zzt ～”
If you encounter danger, find me…呸, find Big Sister to help!
“Yinyin ～”
The Twinflower Concubine tore off a petal and, with Chen Yuan's help, handed it to the Little Starmist Deer, then dragged her long skirt and nodded to the Little Starmist Deer, her jewel-like eyes shimmering, like a princess bidding farewell to a knight about to embark on a long journey.
The Little Starmist Deer held the petal in its mouth, took a deep look at the figures in front of it, then turned around and walked straight ahead.
This time, it didn't look back.
Chen Yuan didn't know if the Little Starmist Deer would successfully find its pack or if it would encounter danger in the Mysterious Forest, but he had helped this little guy as much as possible.
"I hope it has a smooth journey."
"It's time for us to go home too," Chen Yuan said.
He originally thought it would just be an ordinary autumn outing, but he didn't expect to encounter Little Peach's disappearance, which then involved the Snowcloud Wolves' and Starmist Deer's conflict, and finally, he unexpectedly obtained a mount pet beast.
Chen Yuan felt that a lot had happened in the past two days and hoped to go home and rest as soon as possible.
"Fortunately, we haven't encountered any battles in the past two days, otherwise I would have been exhausted," Chen Yuan sighed.
“Awoo!”
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Cola raise its head, its azure eyes fixed on the front left, its body tensed, striking a battle pose, and letting out a vigilant cry.
“Cheep!”
Spark spread its wings and flew high, its body radiating flames, its sharp gaze fixed on the direction Cola was looking at.
Seeing Cola and Spark's movements, the Zztfly Cat reacted quickly, violently flapping its yellow wings and flying behind a thick tree, using the trunk and branches to conceal its figure.
Chen Yuan's tactical requirement for the Zztfly Cat was: once an abnormal situation is discovered, quickly hide and look for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
The Zztfly Cat's frontal combat ability was questionable, but when it came to sneak attacks, it was definitely an expert.
“Roar？”
Only the Rockfall Horned Beast looked confused, looking at the little guys posing for battle for a while, and looking at Chen Yuan for a while, somewhat at a loss.
"Crap, I've become a jinx."
Seeing this situation, Chen Yuan's expression froze, but he also became vigilant, tensing his nerves, ready to use the Mental Protection Barrier at any time.
“Awoo ～”
The intermittent howls of wolves suddenly rang out in his ears, like a battle horn, and one Snowcloud Wolf after another emerged from all directions, surrounding Chen Yuan and the little guys.
Chen Yuan looked surprised: "The Little Starmist Deer has already left, and the Snowcloud Wolves have appeared?"
He had been wondering why he hadn't found the Starmist Deer herd and Snowcloud Wolf pack on this trip, but he didn't expect the Snowcloud Wolf pack to appear just as he was about to go down the mountain.
Chen Yuan glanced roughly, there were fifteen Snowcloud Wolves in this group, which could be considered a medium-sized pack.
“Awoo ～”
Accompanied by a dull roar, the wolf pack parted to the left and right, and the largest Snowcloud Wolf walked slowly, its sharp claws, gleaming with a chilling light, sinking into the soil, its snow-white fur fluttering in the wind, and its scarlet eyes staring at the small bag on Cola's back.
More precisely, it should be the Skyclear Fruit inside the bag.
This Snowcloud Wolf seemed a little familiar.
Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, carefully sizing up the Snowcloud Wolf leader in front of him, its figure gradually overlapping with the Snowcloud Wolf leader that attacked Old Xing in his memory.
"No, its appearance has changed a bit, and it's much bigger," Chen Yuan murmured softly.
"Cola, is it him?"
For this kind of thing, it's better to ask the more professional Cola.
Cola sniffed the scent and nodded repeatedly: "Awoo awoo awoo!"
It was the Snowcloud Wolf leader who ran away with its tail between its legs back then!
At the same time,
The Snowcloud Wolf leader withdrew its greedy gaze and then looked at the figures opposite, but as soon as it raised its eyes, it became furious and let out an angry howl: "Awoo!"
It remembered!
It remembered everything!
When it had just become the wolf pack leader and was preparing to make the pack bigger and stronger, it was taught a lesson by these hateful guys in front of it!
The ragtag group it led was vulnerable in front of them.
That was its first escape, and also its last!
Since then, the Snowcloud Wolf leader had worked hard, eliminating the timid and weak Snowcloud Wolves, and looking for bold and strong Snowcloud Wolves, gradually gaining a foothold in this area.
But it wasn't satisfied.
It wanted to become the king of the entire mountain range, it wanted to lead the wolf pack to become the number one wolf pack in Qinling!
Therefore, the area controlled by the Snowcloud Wolf leader became larger and larger, and it occupied more and more spiritual plants.
If any other pack dared to fight back, it would strike hard and drive the other packs away!
And that hateful Rockfall Horned Beast!
The other day, they drove away the Starmist Deer herd, but were stopped by that Rockfall Horned Beast.
Although that guy couldn't cause them too much damage, the Rockfall Horned Beast was thick-skinned and they couldn't cause substantial damage to it.
But that guy knew the terrain well and knocked a Snowcloud Wolf off a cliff, killing it.
The Snowcloud Wolf leader had to retreat temporarily and find another plan.
All sorts of thoughts flashed through its mind, and the Snowcloud Wolf leader stared intently at the figures in front of it, its eyes flashing with excitement.
The opportunity for revenge… had finally arrived!
“Awoo ! ! ! ”
The Snowcloud Wolf leader raised its head and roared, its howl resounding through the forest, its silver-white fur swaying in the wind.
The next moment, one Snowcloud Wolf after another launched an attack from all directions at the same time.
Fifteen Snowcloud Wolves, plus a Snowcloud Wolf leader, the wolf pack's overall strength was several levels higher than the last time.
But… Chen Yuan's side's overall strength had also made a qualitative leap.
Seeing that a fierce battle was unavoidable, Chen Yuan, who had long been on guard, waved his hand: "Spark, Cola, Combination Skill!"
“Awoo!”
“Cheep!”
Cola and Spark responded at the same time.
Cola stared at the approaching Snowcloud Wolves, and in an instant, it let out a low roar, and a gale suddenly rose around it, whistling from all directions, blowing the six Snowcloud Wolves closest to it off balance and trapping them in the very center.
Spark vigorously flapped its wings, its eyes flashing with bright flame, stirring up two scorching storms of fire to the left and right. Taking advantage of the gale's restraint on the snow cloud wolves, it fiercely swept them away!
In an instant, fire blazed, and the flame storms continuously burned the snow cloud wolves trapped by 【Wind Surge】, stirring up incessant wails of agony.
After a long while, the storm dissipated, and six snow cloud wolves with scorched fur collapsed to the ground, the voice of the Source Point continuously ringing out.
This was the combination skill that Chen Yuan had painstakingly conceived during this period.
He had carefully considered that his opportunities to face wild pet beasts far exceeded those of facing other Beast Masters, and he was likely to encounter large-scale wild pet beasts, just like that time with the Servant Bee swarm.
Could Spark and Cola cooperate to form a skill with large-scale destructive power?
Thus, the combination skill of 【Flame Storm】 plus 【Wind Surge】 came into being.
【Wind Surge】 is a control skill that can temporarily restrain the opponent; 【Flame Storm】, although powerful and wide-ranging, can easily miss.
But when the two are combined, they produce a wonderful chemical reaction.
The six snow cloud wolves that fell before him were the best proof.
"As expected, fighting alone is not advisable, teamwork is still necessary," Chen Yuan thought to himself.
After the six snow cloud wolves took the lead in falling, the wolf pack fell into a short period of commotion, and some snow cloud wolves even retreated silently.
"Awoo——!!!"
But accompanied by the long howl of the snow cloud wolf leader, this group of carefully selected snow cloud wolves endured their fear and maintained a certain degree of cooperation, rushing over one after another.
"Awoo."
At the same moment, the snow cloud wolf leader stepped out, its eyes fixed on Spark, who was flying in mid-air.
It was very clear that Spark was the biggest threat to the wolf pack and must be dealt with by itself.
"Awoo!"
However, halfway through its charge, a swift figure suddenly appeared, crashing towards it.
The snow cloud wolf leader was furious and collided with it.
In an instant, scarlet eyes and turquoise eyes met each other, claws constantly waving.
After a long while, the snow cloud wolf leader and Cola retreated at the same time, their limbs plowing traces on the ground, staring at each other.
"Awoo～"
Cola turned its head towards Spark in mid-air, its mouth splitting into a grin.
Big sister, leave this guy to me!
After advancing yesterday, Cola had long been looking forward to a hearty battle to prove its current strength!
Although it can't beat big sister for the time being, teaching other guys a lesson is more than enough!
"Awoo."
The snow cloud wolf leader looked angrily at Cola, who had suddenly appeared, three pentagram symbols appearing on its forehead, revealing sharp claws, and the Ice Crack Claw was unleashed!
Cola twisted its body to dodge, and wind blades gathered around it, whistling out!
For a time, they were engaged in a fierce battle.
Seeing Cola holding back the snow cloud wolf leader, Spark turned its gaze to another snow cloud wolf whose aura was only weaker than the snow cloud wolf leader's, which was also obviously a Tier 2.
But Spark had full confidence in its own strength. It not only fought fiercely with this Tier 2 snow cloud wolf, but also simultaneously provoked three Tier 1 snow cloud wolves.
In this way, it faced four snow cloud wolves alone.
"One clan, two Tier 2 pet beasts, no wonder they can defeat the Star Moon Deer herd."
"And how did the quality of the snow cloud wolf leader become a Dominator?" Chen Yuan frowned slightly, feeling incredible.
The snow cloud wolf leader was obviously not contracted by a Beast Master, so how did it advance?
Does it know the conditions for advancement?
That shouldn't be the case either.
At the same time,
"Roar!"
Although the Meteor Horn Beast's temperament was dull, it was obviously not afraid of battle. Seeing a snow cloud wolf charging towards it, it let out a muffled roar, and its proud and upright body launched a charge forward!
Rock-type skill, Rock Meteor Charge!
Bang!
As the Meteor Horn Beast knocked away a snow cloud wolf, another snow cloud wolf suddenly rushed out, its Ice Crack Claw striking the former, but it seemed to be striking a hard rock, unable to cause effective damage.
Always trust the defensive capabilities of Rock-type pet beasts.
"Roar!"
The ambushed Meteor Horn Beast was furious and kicked the snow cloud wolf away forcefully.
"Giggle～"
The remaining three snow cloud wolves rushed towards Chen Yuan in unison. The Twin Flower Concubine on the latter's shoulder stood up, puffing out her cheeks angrily, glaring at them.
No fighting!
No attacking "Mama"!
In the next moment, she waved her petal-shaped palms, her pink dress swaying gently, and a pink mist emerged, spreading rapidly.
A sweet fragrance surrounded the two snow cloud wolves in front, their charging momentum becoming slower and slower, and their bodies quickly became shaky, as if they were drunk.
After a long while, they fell one after another.
The last snow cloud wolf detoured to avoid the sweet fragrance. Chen Yuan's figure was getting closer and closer, its eyes becoming more and more excited, already able to imagine the scene of itself controlling this human and being praised by the leader.
But in the next second, it suddenly noticed something was wrong.
A inexplicable sense of paralysis came from its back, and its running speed became slower and slower.
Immediately afterwards, its body fell to the ground uncontrollably. The snow cloud wolf tried to raise its head, saw a dazzling electric light flash before its eyes, and a voice rang in its ears:
"Zzt!"
The little guys all performed very well, and Cola's fierce battle with the snow cloud wolf leader also entered a white-hot stage.
This snow cloud wolf leader, who didn't know why it advanced, was powerful. No wonder it could subdue so many snow cloud wolves and become the overlord of this area.
Seeing one snow cloud wolf after another falling, the snow cloud wolf leader became more and more anxious, its scarlet eyes staring straight at Cola, opening its mouth and spewing out a fierce cold breath!
"Awoo!"
Cola stirred up a gale, 【Wind Surge】 sweeping away all the cold breath.
However, at this moment, the snow cloud wolf leader raised its head and roared, the silver-white fur all over its body suddenly standing up, as if turning into sharp ice cones, rushing towards Cola!
Ice-type skill, Ice Cone Surprise Attack!
In an instant, a gust of breeze rose under Cola's feet, its speed greatly increased at this moment, its body agile, dodging one by one.
Along with the failure of the last ice cone, a snow-white figure suddenly broke into its line of sight, a chilling wolf howl resounding in its ears, and the extended, biting Ice Crack Claw swung towards Cola!
"Awoo!"
Cola stirred up a fierce gale around it, causing the snow cloud wolf leader's figure to stagnate, and then wind blades whistled out, hitting the snow cloud wolf leader with "bang bang bang" sounds!
Thump!
The snow cloud wolf leader fell to the ground, its figure in a mess, its fur disheveled, but it did not lose its combat ability. Instead, it gasped for breath and got up, quickly looking around—the snow cloud wolves were either lying on the ground, struggling, or hiding far behind.
"Awoo!"
The snow cloud wolf leader was furious!
Their actions had failed again!
However, at this moment, Spark and Cola had already locked onto the snow cloud wolf leader at the same time, and the battles of the other little guys had gradually ended, turning their attention here.
"Awoo..."
The snow cloud wolf leader tensed its body, feeling a strong threat.
Chen Yuan, protected by the little guys behind him, stared at the snow cloud wolf leader, whose strength had greatly increased, and said, "I let you escape last time, but not this time."
As a forest ranger, he was unwilling to interfere in the struggles between pet beast clans. Both sides were for their own interests, and there was no right or wrong.
It was just that the bold snow cloud wolf pack had chosen to attack him proactively.
Faced with this kind of wild pet beast that could potentially cause harm to humans, the current solution of the Beast Master Association was to pull it to a breeding base, lock it up separately, and carry out long-term, all-round transformation.
If the transformation was effective, it could be bred and even contracted by other Beast Masters; if the transformation was ineffective, further physical measures would be taken.
Chen Yuan decided to give this snow cloud wolf leader an opportunity with food and lodging, so that it could stay away from this area from now on and enter the bustling metropolis.
As for the rest of the snow cloud wolves, as long as they were not led by this ambitious snow cloud wolf leader, they would not become a threat and would not have an impact on the villages at the foot of the mountain.
"Awoo!"
Seeing Chen Yuan's unkind gaze, the snow cloud wolf leader suddenly felt something was wrong. While making a low growl full of vigilance, it slowly retreated.
The situation was a little wrong.
In order to become the leader of the Qinling's number one wolf pack, it could not have any accidents.
But several figures had already surrounded it, and the snow cloud wolf leader, who was determined to become the Qinling's number one wolf king, was about to die young.
