Chapter 532

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

The jungle was deep and secluded, with grass and trees taller than a person everywhere, and beast roars occasionally came from afar.

Shen Yao bent over and lay on Xiao Guai's back, letting Xiao Guai move forward all the way beneath her.

"Meow meow"

No more road ahead

The sudden emergency brake nearly threw Shen Yao to the ground; not caring about her disheveled state, Shen Yao hurriedly comforted Xiao Guai not to panic.

"Stop when we reach a place"

There was no road inside the dense forest; they had relied entirely on Xiao Guai's climbing instinct as a feline creature to get this far.

Xiao Guai obediently tensed its limbs, then chose a not-too-wide gap and leaped across; beside it were some prickly bushes, and all the tree roots sprouting below were violently destroyed by Xiao Guai.

Shen Yao flipped down, then immediately took out the formation disk she had prepared long ago.

This world had neither spiritual energy nor the ability to cultivate spiritual power; talisman paper and such could not be used. Fortunately, the space still had formations that relied on spirit stones to operate; otherwise, Shen Yao would never dare to venture alone into the depths of this crisis-filled secret realm.

Hah

A thin white mist like fog rose into the air and then vanished in an instant. Shen Yao raised her hand and patted her chest, then casually stroked Xiao Guai's fur blown into disarray. "You've worked hard."

"Meow"

Not hard

Xiao Guai wagged its furry tail, its whole body half-lying, half-sitting beside Shen Yao's hand.

There was still a little jerky left in the backpack. Shen Yao took it out and held it to Xiao Guai's mouth, letting Xiao Guai bury its head and eat nonstop with crunching sounds. Shen Yao took out the secret realm map she had saved, compared it with the route provided by the system, and constantly identified and confirmed.

"Continue forward for about half a day, and we can leave the dense forest."

"The waters where the Sea-Stepping Turtle resides are in a basin outside the dense forest."

Being able to clearly identify her position on the map, she had long since deviated from the center of the secret realm and no longer needed to worry about alarming that group of Gnawing Rats.

A smile appeared on her tense face. Shen Yao raised her hand and ruffled Xiao Guai's head. "We'll hunt around here for a while, stay one night, and set out tomorrow morning."

………

Because the entire dense forest was strip-shaped and tightly wrapped around the mining area of the Central Mountain Range, very few people ventured near the edges.

If she remembered correctly, the last official secret realm exploration organized by the authorities was ten years ago, so some changes occurring inside the secret realm were completely within the normal range.

Beside the lit bonfire, several Fat-Tailed Squirrels hunted by Xiao Guai were being roasted. Shen Yao paid attention to the size of the fire while confirming with the system the situation of the Sea-Stepping Turtle in the lake.

"Most likely evolved within ten years. It's not originally a breed living inland. Focus on the Mountain-Moving Turtle instead."

Shen Yao felt it was a pity. Although the Yellow Rank Mountain-Moving Turtle was also valuable, compared to the Xuan Rank Sea-Stepping Turtle, it was clearly small fry.

If she could really get the Sea-Stepping Turtle's egg, whether hatching or selling it, she could make a fortune. What compensation from Cui Hengxin? That bit of expense was nothing before a Xuan Rank Sea-Stepping Turtle.

"Mountain-Moving Turtles live in rock crevices of mountains near the lakeside. There are resources around that can make them evolve. The host can collect them while picking up turtle eggs." The system marked the relevant resource distribution points on the map and at the same time reminded the host to be careful when picking up turtle eggs and not to expose herself, otherwise over a hundred out-of-control Mountain-Moving Turtles going mad together would be something even a capable host could not withstand.

Shen Yao:...

"Rest assured, I'm not that reckless." Completely different from ordinary turtles, Mountain-Moving Turtles in the egg-hatching period have moods easily affected by the outside world. The slightest disturbance will make them actively attack everything around them (including turtle eggs).

So even if the Mountain-Moving Turtle clan lays many eggs, their price remains high among pet beasts, because this kind of pet beast is hard to obtain. A little carelessness results in losing both the wife and the troops.

Given the current situation, others wouldn't even think of the Sea-Stepping Turtle, and wouldn't dare covet even the Mountain-Moving Turtle.

The reason is simple. Mountain-Moving Turtles are very sensitive to their own and their clan's turtle eggs. Whoever dares to take them must be prepared to be hunted down by a group of Mountain-Moving Turtles.

Unless it's a Beast Tamer of Xuan Rank or above (even just entering Xuan Rank won't do; two fists can't fight four hands, and relying solely on single combat can't defeat a group of Mountain-Moving Turtles). But even if there really is a Beast Tamer of that rank, who would look down on the eggs of a Yellow Rank Mountain-Moving Turtle?

"Can the space really hold the Mountain-Moving Turtle's eggs without losing their vitality?"

Shen Yao confirmed with the system again and again. It was also because she had the space cheat; otherwise she wouldn't dare risk going to the Mountain-Moving Turtle's territory to steal their home.

"Turtle eggs are dead things before hatching and can be put into the space. But at the moment the host steals the turtle eggs, the Mountain-Moving Turtles will take action."

"The system suggests the host not be greedy. Go quickly and return quickly."

In short, never be blinded by greed and stuff all the turtle eggs into the space with a clatter. Otherwise they will most likely not be able to leave the secret realm.

Shen Yao rolled her eyes at the needlessly worried system, telling it to idle less and keep an eye on the lake situation, and also on Cui Hengxin and Cheng Dong's side. "The two have been entangled for so long; they must have met in the secret realm by now."

The people sent by Cui Hengxin had not returned for a long time. Even if Cui Hengxin was overconfident, he would be driven to collapse by Cheng Dong's cockroach-like behavior. It was only a matter of time before he personally took action.

"Mm, maybe two or three more days."

The system was listless and was not optimistic that Cui Hengxin could solve Cheng Dong.

"Don't rush. It will happen as you wish sooner or later." Since Cheng Dong would pose a huge threat in the future, a fatal blow had to be struck at the best time to solve him.

After all, he was a powerful enemy that could be foreseen in the future. Even with all her strength, she could not let him grow.

Shen Yao raised her hand and played with her hanging hair. The roasted Fat-Tailed Squirrels gave off a meaty fragrance and were being eaten by Xiao Guai bite by bite.

After a simple rest for one night, early the next morning, Shen Yao put away the placed formation disk, climbed back onto Xiao Guai's back and sat steady. One person and one beast continued forward.

The route had deviated somewhat, but with Shen Yao directing, Xiao Guai still quickly left this dense forest.

Beside her were branches and leaves flashing by; in the distance were increasingly clear mountain ranges.

When the view before her suddenly became open, Shen Yao finally shook off the clinging jungle and came to a lakeside with lush water plants and a pleasant atmosphere.

The lake water in the middle was green as washed. The waterline in the distance connected with the horizon. Yellowish turtle-type pet beasts two or three stories high lay or walked, occasionally making turtle-specific calls.

"Hiss hiss"

"Concern Concern"

"......"

The turtle's calls were rich and varied, related to their respective breeds or the actions they were about to perform.

Xiao Guai was still using the Concealment and Stealth Technique, so their sudden intrusion did not startle these big guys.

She quietly signaled Xiao Guai to retreat, and Shen Yao found a fairly secluded spot where her line of sight just happened to be able to see the Mountain-Moving Turtles' position, and once again set down the formation disk from her embrace.

As the spiritual energy from the spirit stones was extracted and circulated, Xiao Guai released her own skill, and the whole cat collapsed directly onto the soft ground from exhaustion.

Shen Yao took out jerky to feed as usual, while she herself, aided by the array's concealment, seriously observed these big guys' behavior.

There really are a lot of Mountain-Moving Turtles here, visible to the naked eye, all of them big guys.

Taking out her phone to cross-reference the Mountain-Moving Turtle's characteristics, Shen Yao input the information she had observed bit by bit, then summarized to find a loophole.

After all, she had not forgotten her purpose for coming here: to steal into their home and take eggs.

'... Sleep during the day, active at noon, eat and socialize in the evening, rest at night.'

Three days passed in a flash; Shen Yao summarized several Mountain-Moving Turtle action times, and although not one hundred percent accurate, the probability of successfully stealing in during a gap was still very high.

Tentatively set for this evening, most Mountain-Moving Turtles would go to the lake side to rest.

At that time, relying on Xiao Guai's Concealment and Stealth Technique, plus space's preservation method, after getting the turtle eggs they would immediately run back into the depths of the dense forest; Mountain-Moving Turtles dislike moving, unless it is a fight to the death (stealing a few eggs shouldn't cause that big a fuss, a Mountain-Moving Turtle nest has several dozen eggs).

She told Xiao Guai her plan, then fed all the remaining energy rations and jerky from her backpack into Xiao Guai's mouth; Shen Yao gently stroked Xiao Guai's cat head, quietly discussing how important this matter was, and that after smooth completion she would set about handling Xiao Guai's advancement matters.

"Meow meow"

Leave it to me

Xiao Guai buried her whole cat head in the energy rations and ate in big mouthfuls, even though her little belly ate until it was round and rolling.

This also counts as a pet beast's unique ability; as long as they eat several days' worth of food consumption in advance, they can go several consecutive days without needing to eat.

After all, in relatively dangerous secret realms, eating times are not fixed, plus various sudden situations frequently occur; many pet beasts eat one meal as several meals, all for the sake of better adapting to survival.

When the surrounding light gradually dimmed down, Shen Yao sat on Xiao Guai's back; person and beast stared seriously at the distant Mountain-Moving Turtles beginning to rise and move toward the lake side, silently counting down the seconds to charge out.

Roar—

A sudden beast roar interrupted their plan; Shen Yao's eyes widened, and Xiao Guai, just about to charge out, lay on the ground, her whole body trembling involuntarily.

"Xiao Guai!"

"Meow"

Scared, so scared, so terrifying...

Xiao Guai's eyes turned into a straight line; her gaze, originally fixed on the mountain range's rock crevices, turned toward the gurgling, continuously bubbling lake surface.

What is this? Is something about to come out of the lake water?

Shen Yao raised a hand to soothe Xiao Guai on one side, while frantically signaling the System to do its job on the other.

Plans cannot keep up with changes.

A perfectly good home-stealing was suddenly interrupted, and a trace of unease rose in Shen Yao's heart.

"Roar—"

A strange and mysterious sound once again transmitted from the lake, striking the ears of all creatures.

Shen Yao could not control her mind from trembling; even with utmost suppression she still felt fear.

Fear?

What pet beast is in the lake after all? Could it be the Sea-Stepping Turtle she once read about?

'It is the Sea-Stepping Turtle, it is coming out.'

The System spoke, both explaining and urging, 'It seems very anxious, some danger is approaching.'

Shen Yao abruptly looked toward the horizon; in the dim environment, a bright, dazzling light abruptly erupted there, and the light drew closer and closer.

'It is the Double-Winged Bird'

'The Double-Winged Bird has a Gnawing Rat in its beak'

The System's and Shen Yao's words appeared simultaneously; seeing the lake surface already churning up waves, the spray layer upon layer flipping and spiraling upward with force, Shen Yao sucked in a cold breath, hurriedly stretched out a hand to pat Xiao Guai, "Charge over!"

"Meow!"

Xiao Guai's voice was sharp and piercing; her four limbs straightened, then like an arrow leaving the bowstring, her target headed straight for the previously planned Mountain-Moving Turtle nest.

Mountain-Moving Turtles are land turtles, but they still have a certain need for water sources. Like the Sea-Stepping Turtle about to emerge from the lake, it evolved from the Mountain-Moving Turtle.

Xiao Guai's own skills fully activated; concealment and stealth proceeding simultaneously, causing the Mountain-Moving Turtle group to not discover the outside intruders at the first moment.

Shen Yao took advantage of this gap, quickly ran into the nest interior to select and collect turtle eggs. Not all turtle eggs can hatch, and not all turtle eggs can be taken.

Shen Yao has her own principles: one, not pick those with overly strong vitality; two, not select those with weak vitality; just take those that are middling and proper, quickly store them away, then signal Xiao Guai to run out.

One cannot say whether their luck was good or bad; upon coming out they actually ran straight into the Sea-Stepping Turtle emerging from the water.

A Yellow Rank pet beast's skill in the eyes of a Xuan Rank pet beast is just playing house.

"Roar—"

"Howl howl howl—"

Following the Sea-Stepping Turtle suspended high above the water surface giving an order, the surrounding Mountain-Moving Turtles began to stir restlessly in all directions.

Rumble rumble

The ground began to shake, kicking up dust that filled the sky; the person and beast's escape route deviated, forcing them to brake in time and change direction.

No time to retrieve the unused formation disk; Shen Yao could only endure the heartache and take out another magic artifact from space that could appropriately conceal them, still using spirit stones to activate it, buying them time to escape.

The noises and dangers beside them gradually weakened as they entered the dense forest; seeing this, Shen Yao continued to have Xiao Guai advance, until the light weaving through the dense forest disappeared, then they found a bush to hide in.

The magic artifact in her hand was quickly stowed away; appearing beside them was a new formation disk.

Looking at the spirit stone powder turned to gray ashes, Shen Yao felt heartache beyond measure, 'Truly not easy.'

Indeed it is not.

The described scene appears somewhat pale; their wretched escape is unwilling to be recalled.

The Mountain-Moving Turtles with thick limbs could flatten them with just a light step; Xiao Guai relied on her body's instinct paired with the barrier carried by the magic artifact to barely dodge a calamity.

Of course, the one most deserving thanks is still space; it did not let the turtle eggs leak out even a bit of aura, otherwise the two of them would only be even more miserable.

Speaking of space, Shen Yao finally had time to check the turtle eggs she had put in.

One, two, three... eight, eight in total, earthy yellow with white-edged patterns, one as big as a basketball.

Every turtle egg contained life force, but none were particularly strong or weak.

Beside these turtle eggs were also the resources Shen Yao had packed when she left, items from the nest; with time urgent, Shen Yao packed everything without thinking.

'Host, something happened!'

The system, which had been quiet for a while, suddenly opened its mouth and shouted.

Shen Yao's expression was languid, as if she had obtained a treasure she had long expected (almost), and she paid no attention to anything else.

'The Sea-Stepping Turtle and the Double-Winged Bird are fighting?'

'No, it's Cheng Dong and Cui Hengxin; they accidentally blew up the Gnawing Rat's mineral vein and are now being besieged by the rat swarm.'

Oh dear, Cui Hengxin's Explosion Rhinoceros is in trouble, Cheng Dong is about to run...'

The system muttered on its tongue, and since there was no image, Shen Yao could only imagine it in her mind.

'Rest assured, the Gnawing Rats won't take their lives, but once time is delayed too long, when the Double-Winged Birds fly back, it's hard to guarantee they won't get into trouble.'

What the Double-Winged Birds held in their mouths were Gnawing Rats; this bird fed on rats, and if the Sea-Stepping Turtle didn't stop them, the Double-Winged Bird flock would surely not miss this lively scene.