Chapter 23: The Guardian Beast – “Awoo!”

Ming Shuang felt a bit nervous. After returning to Xuzhi’s side, he knew he often needed to stay hidden.

His strength in his juvenile phase was still insufficient, and most beast tamers only had one magical beast by their side.

There was also the natural fear that magical beasts held toward the Dragon Clan… In short, to avoid trouble, it was best not to let outsiders detect his presence.

Xuzhi usually used metal magic to mask Ming Shuang’s aura. Over this time, only the Golden Crow had spotted him once by accident, and they’d been cautious ever since.

But just now, it seemed like one of his magical beasts had discovered him…

Was it a particularly powerful magical beast?

Xuzhi didn’t seem to notice the snow fox’s presence, and neither Coal Ball nor Tomato reacted.

So, was its master also very powerful…? Ming Shuang spotted the small tag around the snow fox’s neck.

Yet there were no humans accompanying the snow fox.

The Little Dragon hatchling agonized over it for a moment before quietly poking his head out again to take a look.

He’d already been spotted anyway, so he wanted to check out that magical beast…

Behind the bushes, the snow fox was still hiding there. When it saw the little dragon hatchling reappear, its eyes curved in what looked like a smile.

It appeared to be female, with a gentle and harmless demeanor. It was impossible to discern its magic type.

At that moment, Xuzhi keenly sensed something and glanced over.

The snow fox’s form flickered, and it vanished from the spot in an instant.

Huh? The Little Dragon hatchling’s eyes widened as he looked around frantically, trying to figure out where the snow fox had gone.

Xuzhi hadn’t caught sight of the snow fox. He scanned their surroundings warily before adjusting his coat.

In a corner on the other side, not far away, the air twisted and contracted. The snow fox appeared out of thin air.

It glanced left and right, confirming no one had spotted it, then continued observing the situation ahead.

Outside the earth array, the two dwarf hybrids moved first, working together to completely dismantle the remaining earth array.

Cracks split open in the ground, and the swirling sand above the array finally settled. The view through the forest cleared up.

Tomato watched with heartache, itching to charge over and beat the tar out of those people, but Xuzhi’s glare stopped it.

Now the earth array couldn’t be restarted. They had no choice but to blend in with the crowd.

Should they go? Xuzhi hesitated a little. This was a sudden development, not part of his immediate plans.

Ming Shuang had wanted to come here, and he’d agreed. He planned to earn more money in White Cloud City first, stock up on sufficient supplies, and only then proceed—otherwise, with the unknown conditions inside the ruins, he feared unexpected dangers.

But if this really was the Dragon Clan Ruins, it might be connected to Ming Shuang’s past.

As for treasures, Xuzhi never put much stock in such rumors.

Still, dangerous places often held opportunities, and he needed to boost his own strength.

The “Dragon Clan Ruins” intel had indeed drawn a crowd. The two dwarf hybrids who’d just broken the array were probably at least 7th Tier in strength.

Beyond them, Xuzhi spotted plenty of Tier 5 and Tier 6 beast tamers—the weakest were Tier 4. There were all sorts of magic types: offensive fire element, defensive metal element, healing wood element…

Xuzhi pondered for a moment before discreetly following the crowd forward.

There were too many beast tamers nearby, and with everyone deliberately grouping up, quite a few wild magical beasts retreated on their own.

A metal-type beast tamer teamed up with two wind-type beast tamers to drive off several giant poison spiders and clear away the lingering webs in midair.

Farther ahead, a band of pitch-black mist appeared before them.

The mist belt seemed alive, slowly flowing through the trees, with grayish-white particles flickering inside, forming a towering wall.

Someone approached to inspect it and said, “This is… an element river?”

But this was a dead element river. Its black hue indicated it had been devoured by miasma fog long ago, stripped of all its vital energy.

A living element river should have been a beautiful rainbow color, able to condense elemental rivers, signifying absolute purity and vibrant life in the area.

Things were different now. A dead element river… in a sense, symbolized ill fortune. Those grayish-white particles could trigger miasma fog at any moment.

One beast tamer hesitated visibly. “An element river here… No wonder no one ever got in before.”

His companion replied, “Or maybe they did, but no one came back out.”

Judging by the element river’s scale, it had probably enclosed the entire ruins inside. No one knew what lay on the other side.

For all they knew, it could be full of churning miasma fog.

The quick thinkers immediately pulled out medicine pills that resisted miasma fog corrosion and fed them to their magical beasts.

Though humans couldn’t be directly possessed by miasma fog, they would still suffer bodily discomfort. A small portion of people showed clear signs of backing off after seeing the element river.

Xuzhi glanced at Tomato, who was hiding nearby, his eyes questioning.

Tomato looked dumbfounded and shook its head to indicate it didn’t know.

It had never gone inside either…

High-tier magical beasts possessed intelligence and understood the danger of miasma fog, so they naturally steered clear.

Ming Shuang peered through the gap in Xuzhi’s coat, observing quietly.

The mist belt ahead carried a hazy, gray scent… Would freezing it with ice magic make it better?

Just then, a commotion erupted ahead.

Xuzhi looked closely and saw the two beast tamers who’d broken the array earlier activating a new earth array beneath everyone’s feet, shoving several people straight into the element river.

Someone shouted in shock and anger, “What are you doing!?”

The two looked like twins, and their magical beasts were identical—both earth magic types.

One of them laughed. “Why’s everyone just standing around? Go in and see for yourselves.”

The other kept channeling his magic, and yellow dust suddenly rose around them, blocking the view.

In the chaos, some tried to flee but lost their bearings. Others lashed out in fury, but the two beast tamers were prepared. Their forms shifted with the earth array, easily dodging.

Xuzhi’s hiding spot was also within the earth array’s range. In mere breaths, the distance to the element river shrank rapidly.

Realizing things were going south, he tried to retreat farther, but the two beast tamers spotted him.

“Hmm? There’s someone else here,” one snorted coldly. “Why hide? Come join the fun.”

Their strength was at least 7th Tier each, and their coordination was flawless. The earth array they cast together was even stronger than the one Tomato had set earlier—no wonder they’d broken through.

Xuzhi couldn’t evade it. Wind magic couldn’t halt the ground’s movement, and he was teleported right to the element river’s edge.

To shield the little dragon hatchling in his arms, Tomato hurriedly spread its wings to guard his side.

It whipped its head around and glared viciously at the two beast tamers, chirping sharply.

You can do earth arrays? So can I!

Tomato knew breaking their array would be tough, so it went with the flow. Just as they were about to cross the element river, it dragged the two dwarf hybrids in with them.

Sure enough, the pair hadn’t anticipated it, and their faces changed drastically.

Xuzhi shielded the little dragon hatchling in his arms as the world blurred before his eyes.

When the ground finally stopped moving, he tightened his coat and surveyed the surroundings.

Unexpectedly, the other side of the element river looked no different from an ordinary forest.

Sunlight streamed through, and dense vegetation filled his view. There were no wild magical beasts in sight.

Confirming no miasma fog lingered, the crowd who’d been forcibly teleported inside finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Some were still upset with the two earth-type beast tamers and grumbled harsh words at them.

“See? Nothing happened,” the pair said with cheeky grins. “And we were the ones who broke the previous earth array. Not even a thanks?”

Tomato rolled its eyes upon hearing that.

That was only because it had forgotten to renew the magic power. Otherwise, the array wouldn’t have fallen so quickly.

While no one was paying attention, Xuzhi slipped away with Tomato to a concealed corner.

A faint frost clung to both him and Tomato, melting away under the sunlight.

Ming Shuang hadn’t been able to resist using his magic while crossing the element river.

In another corner, the snow fox was still lurking.

It observed quietly, its purple eyes fixed on Xuzhi, lingering for a moment on his chest.

At the same time, Xiang Lun sat resting in a teahouse, his brows furrowing as he muttered to himself, “Where the heck did it run off to…”

~~~

In the jungle, the gathered crowd gradually dispersed.

The interior of the element river spanned a vast area. Impatient teams were eager to hunt for treasure and didn’t bother arguing further with the two earth-type beast tamers.

They were already inside successfully. From here on, it was every team for itself. Fighting now and getting injured would only benefit the others.

Xuzhi thought it over and headed off in one direction, with Tomato following close behind.

Fewer and fewer people remained in place, until only one team was left.

One member of the team was injured, and his companions were treating him.

The injured man grimaced. “Go easy…”

“Want some painkillers?” The healer was a pure-blooded elf. He held up a finger. “One pill, three silver coins.”

The injured man’s face twisted even more. “…You’re from the Elf King Clan, and all you talk about is money!”

The elf replied earnestly, “With miasma fog rampant and the Tree of Life half-dead, do you have any idea how poor the elf race is right now?”

The other companions urged them on. “Enough already. Once he’s healed, let’s get moving.”

The snow fox hid in the corner, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Compared to the other beast tamers who’d entered, this team was noticeably younger. Their movements revealed clothing beneath their outer robes, with Lobe Academy insignia embroidered on the cuffs.

The snow fox eyed them appraisingly, a hint of helplessness in its purple eyes. Then it gazed in the direction Xuzhi had gone.

It hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow and see. With a flicker, its form vanished from the spot.

Xuzhi pressed onward, deliberately avoiding the other beast tamers.

Tomato gradually grew excited, hopping onto trees from time to time to peer around, eager to spot the treasure’s location.

But as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but endless jungle.

Tomato thought to itself that since this place was called the Dragon Clan Ruins, there should at least be a castle or something like the home Ming Shuang had once lived in…

Coal Ball peeked out a pair of eyes from the backpack, sizing up the surroundings, while Ming Shuang couldn’t resist sticking his head out to observe as well.

Suddenly, a scream echoed from nearby.

Someone shouted in panic, “It’s the guardian beasts! Guardian beasts are here!”

Chaos broke out once more. Xuzhi darted behind a tree and saw several people fleeing toward the rear.

Soon enough, similar commotion arose from other directions.

The sounds of various magics being unleashed rang out one after another, mingled with human cries and the roars of magical beasts. From the sound of it, these were the beasts belonging to Beast Tamers, all coming under attack together.

Xuzhi raised his hand and released a Metal Magic barrier for defense, but he still couldn’t spot any of the so-called “guardian beasts.”

The ground shuddered several times, and out of nowhere, an entire tree—uprooted from the base—came flying through the air before crashing down heavily.

A light yellow Fluffy Ball landed right after, planting its feet steadily on the tree trunk.

It had an adorable appearance, but its movements were savage. It sprang up and lunged at a fleeing Beast Tamer, smashing effortlessly through the other’s defensive shield before delivering a brutal kick.

The Beast Tamer spewed blood and collapsed unconscious on the spot.

The Fluffy Ball lifted its head, its black eyes scanning the surroundings. It quickly zeroed in on the hiding spot of Xuzhi and Tomato.

Baring its sharp fangs, it leaped into the air with ferocious speed.

Tomato hurriedly threw up a magic barrier to block it, while Xuzhi unleashed a barrage of Wind Blades. But the Fluffy Ball dodged them all.

Coal Ball held back for the moment, waiting until no one was nearby before trying a burst of fire.

Yet the Fluffy Ball was undaunted, bulldozing straight through the flames and an Earth Array. It clenched its fist, poised to smash right into Tomato’s head.

Ice Magic arrived just in time, freezing the Fluffy Ball midair for a brief moment.

Tomato broke free and unfurled its wings, intending to let Xuzhi climb onto its back so they could fly away.

But in the next instant, a Flying Magic Beast crashed to the ground right in front of them with a loud bang. Two Fluffy Balls dangled from its hind legs, and the Beast Tamer riding it was already out cold.

Tomato trembled in fright and hastily tucked its own feet into the underbrush.

At that moment, the three Fluffy Balls banded together, fixing their stares on Xuzhi.

The one that had launched the initial attack, however, stayed unusually quiet. It tilted its head, eyeing the Little Dragon Hatchling cradled in Xuzhi’s arms.

Ming Shuang’s gaze remained vigilant, poised to unleash Ice Magic and Dragon Breath again at any second.

These “guardian beasts” looked tough to handle, but there were far too many humans swarming the area nearby…

Just then, one of the Fluffy Balls let out a cry: “Awoo!”

Ming Shuang froze.

This was… Dragon Language?

The Little Dragon Hatchling hesitated for a moment before tentatively replying, “…Awoo?”

The three Fluffy Balls snapped to attention in an instant, their black eyes gleaming with shock as they trembled with excitement.

The lead one then threw its head back and howled loudly, “Awoo!”

Responses immediately echoed from all corners of the jungle.

“Awoo?”

“Aoo!”

“Awoooo!”

Dragon God Lord!

The Dragon God Lord has returned!

Where is the Dragon God Lord?

Here! Here!

In a flash, over a dozen Fluffy Balls came rushing toward Ming Shuang’s position.

They resembled a horde of bouncing yellow dumplings—some plummeting from the sky, others scrambling up trees and leaping from branch to branch.

Ming Shuang was utterly stunned, having never witnessed anything like it. He instinctively shrank deeper into Xuzhi’s embrace.

Not far off, other Beast Tamers watched the scene, unable to mask the relief and astonishment in their voices. “Why are all these magical beasts heading that way?”

“Doesn’t matter,” one companion replied. “Let’s just get out of here!”

The group hurried away, deliberately hurling down a Storage Magic Array behind them to trap the Fluffy Balls on Xuzhi’s side.

As even more Fluffy Balls converged, Xuzhi raised his hand to deploy his own Magic Array and turned to flee.

~~~