Chapter 397 264: Hold It—Steady!

"Your deduction is correct."

Luo Sen continued, "But do you have a solution? What ability do you possess to keep that massive Golden Sand Flower stable?"

"I don't. But Yu Bao wants to try. He believes there must be some kind of connection between the Restriction and the Golden Sand Flower, and that we might be able to find a solution that way."

Su Zhi took a deep breath. "Besides, even if Hundred Rivers has a shell-like shock absorption system, and even if we evacuate to a relatively safe place, an earthquake of this magnitude would still cause immense destruction, wouldn't it? Otherwise, the Hundred Rivers earthquake a few months ago wouldn't have been so devastating."

"That's true. Even with the most thorough preparations, it would be difficult to guarantee your absolute safety. And Celestial Paradise is fated to suffer devastating losses at the epicenter."

Luo Sen's eyes narrowed slightly. "But you're willing to abandon what seems to be a safer path and bet on a minuscule possibility, just because of your Pet Beast's hunch?"

"A Beast Tamer should trust their Pet Beast, shouldn't they?"

"Is that so… I understand."

Luo Sen grinned, revealing two rows of red teeth.

"You have two minutes and forty seconds left."

"CHIRP!"

The moment Luo Sen finished speaking, a Golden Light flashed beside Su Zhi. Shan Bao had successfully transported Vice Alliance Leader Gou and returned, ready for its next command.

This transport had pushed its limits a bit; after all, Vice Alliance Leader Gou was a rather large piece of "luggage." Fortunately, the Flash Gold Flash Space had a dynamic capacity. As long as the total volume was within its limits, the shape didn't matter.

"There's no time to lose. Let's go now!"

Su Zhi recalled Yu Bao to his Beast Taming Space. Wu Bao used Doubling to shrink to its smallest size and leaped into Su Zhi's arms.

Shan Bao appeared with a shimmer, landing on Su Zhi's shoulder.

Amidst a flicker of Golden Light, Su Zhi and his Envoy's Pet vanished on the spot.

Flashes of Golden Light streaked continuously through the Luojin Mountain Range, far more frequently than when it had just moved Gou Yu and Shen Chuqing.

In fact, besides various tanking Skills, continuous use of Flash Gold Teleportation was also part of Shan Bao's daily training regimen.

Flash Gold Sparrows were originally Pet Beasts with a rather fragile Constitution. However, thanks to the Attribute Points Su Zhi had allocated, Shan Bao's capabilities had undergone a qualitative transformation. It would be no exaggeration to call the current Shan Bao a mobile fortress wall powered by a nuclear engine.

The one Flash Gold Teleportation per second mentioned earlier was just its cruising speed.

If it went all out, Shan Bao could execute at least five Flash Gold Teleportations in a single second!

Along the way, Shan Bao had been leaving feathers in its path, creating potential coordinates for Flash Gold Teleportation. In a moment this dire, this casual habit had become the key to their incredible speed.

In just two or three seconds, Su Zhi and his Envoy's Pet arrived at the Fuguang Lakefront.

"CHIRP!" Shan Bao released Su Zhi from its Flash Gold Flash Space, plopping onto the ground and panting lightly.

Even with her immense stamina, performing so many consecutive jumps had left her a little tired.

"Good work!" Su Zhi released Wu Bao from his embrace and rubbed the little guy's head.

At the same time, a pale blue Light Array flickered, and Yu Bao leaped out of it impatiently, gazing at the sparkling Fuguang Lake.

"A-WOOF!"

'And what are you even out here for, Wu Bao?'

Wu Bao: ...

Of the one human and three Pet Beasts present, only Wu Bao hadn't consumed a Vast Sea Condensed Pearl. Furthermore, Wu Bao hadn't officially contracted with Su Zhi yet, so it couldn't be stored in his Beast Taming Space... Right.

The dejected Wu Bao could only wave its front paw pitifully, as if saying goodbye, before returning to Shan Bao's Flash Gold Flash Space.

"A-woof~" Yu Bao gave Shan Bao a hug, promising her he would take good care of their master, and then happily slipped into the water.

Despite the brief moment of levity, Su Zhi and Yu Bao's pace didn't slow in the slightest.

A terrifying, mega-scale earthquake was imminent. Every second was precious; there was no room for delay. They were in a literal race against death.

"CHIRP!"

With two hundred meters left to the lakebed, Shan Bao activated Flash Gold Teleportation, bringing Su Zhi and Yu Bao right before the Golden Sand Flower.

'So bright! So this is what the bottom of the lake looks like…'

As Su Zhi marveled at the sight, he deftly pulled out his phone.

—After his trip to the Vast Sea Dragon Palace, Su Zhi had anticipated he might need to go underwater again and switched to a special phone for Beast Tamers, one that could function perfectly in deep water.

It wasn't available on the market; it was one of Luo Sen's own inventions.

"Reporting! We have successfully arrived above the massive Golden Sand Flower at the bottom of Fuguang Lake!" Su Zhi reported into the phone.

"Hurry. The seismic waves will arrive in one minute."

Luo Sen spoke rapidly. "The Golden Sand Flower is highly likely to slip through the tectonic fissure, which would cause an even stronger earthquake. If you see any sign of that happening, abandon your attempt immediately and mount the strongest defense you possibly can."

"Understood!"

Su Zhi looked to Yu Bao. "Can you do it, Yu Bao?"

"A-WOOF!"

Yu Bao stared, transfixed, at the massive Golden Sand Flower before it, its nerves stretched just as taut.

It had already sensed the seismic waves. Even though the earthquake hadn't struck yet, it could feel the deadly tremors rapidly approaching.

This was the intuition of an Earth and Gold Pet Beast—Yu Bao knew exactly what would happen when the seismic waves hit the Golden Sand Flower before it.

That would trigger a cataclysm on par with the end of the world… something far beyond a simple earthquake.

And what it wanted to attempt right now was to stop the Golden Sand Flower from being displaced by the approaching seismic waves.

It sounded like a fool's errand. How could a tiny Yu Dian Dog possibly hope to control a massive resource comparable in size to an asteroid?

But Yu Bao's subconscious told it: 'There has to be a way.'

'This Golden Sand Flower must be related to the Radiant Gold Pattern Restriction from the ruins. My Perception of Energy can't be wrong; the two things share the same origin.'

'Could it be… that this Golden Sand Flower is also part of the Restriction?'

The idea flashed through its mind. Yu Bao seized on the thought, its eyes slowly widening.

'If that's the case…'

Yu Bao immediately closed its eyes, concentrating on sending its own Energy into the Golden Sand Flower.

As an enormous Tier Six resource, the concentration of Earth and Gold Dual Element Energy within the Golden Sand Flower was so high it nearly back-flowed and overwhelmed Yu Bao.

Yu Bao focused intensely, struggling to filter out the interference from the chaotic Energy flow, and adjusted its own Energy to match the state it used to open the Restriction.

'It's working.'

The faint sense of affinity it had felt before suddenly became incredibly intense. The moment the chaotic streams of Energy inside the Golden Sand Flower touched Yu Bao's, they instantly became orderly.

It was as if something that had been lost for a very long time had just been found again!

"Thirty seconds until the seismic waves arrive! They're coming!" Su Zhi's voice was now laced with urgency.

"A-WOOF!"

Yu Bao mobilized all the Energy in its body, pouring it fiercely into the Golden Sand Flower.

In that instant, the Golden Sand Flower felt like an extension of its own body. The approaching seismic waves from below became clearer than ever—this was no longer Yu Bao's own Perception, but the Golden Sand Flower's reaction.

'Stay—STABLE!!!'

Yu Bao controlled the Energy within the Golden Sand Flower, sending out waves downward with a frequency that counteracted the seismic waves.

An incredible scene unfolded: under Yu Bao's control, the Golden Sand Flower whirred to life like an activated machine. The vast, previously dormant Gold Element Energy within it suddenly became more active than ever.

An immense flow of Energy continuously converted into potential energy at a specific frequency, releasing it downward to clash against the seismic waves.

[Assignable Attribute Points (Yu Bao): 0.10…0.20]

The Divine Strategy Alliance office was in an uproar.

"Report! Seismic waves detected near Fuguang Lake have been significantly weakened! Estimated magnitude has dropped to 7.0!"

"Latest feedback from the shell-like shock absorption system! The earthquake's propagation speed has suddenly slowed! The estimated time of impact for the Celestial Paradise City District will be delayed by one minute and twenty-four seconds!"

"Geological conditions at the bottom of Fuguang Lake are stable! Tectonic activity has remained at normal levels, with no large-scale tremors! Hundred Rivers… has been saved!"

"Ten seconds until the seismic waves reach the Fuguang Lakebed!"

"Five seconds!" Luo Sen grabbed his phone. "Evacuate now!"

"Yu Bao, let's go!"

"A-WOOF!"

In the final three seconds, Yu Bao used Desert Concealment to flash back to Su Zhi's side. The shimmering Golden Light of the Yellow Earth Wall activated, forming a moderately-sized cube that sealed Su Zhi, Shan Bao, and itself completely inside.

At almost the exact same instant, an immensely powerful tremor struck…

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