Chapter 403 267: Wandering into Wonderland (Part 2)

According to Yu Bao, the principle behind Thick Earth Blessing was to activate the Earth Element within the body. Thick Earth Golden Might, on the other hand, simultaneously activated both the Earth and Gold Elements.

This way, although the activation level of a single element was reduced, it was exchanged for the higher returns of dual-element activation.

For example: If the effect of Thick Earth Blessing was to activate the Earth Element to a level of 10, then Thick Earth Golden Might would activate both the Earth and Gold Elements to a level of 8.

Although there was a decrease for the Earth Element, the total return for both Earth and Gold was 8+8=16.

And in actual combat, the stacked effect of activating two Attributes was far greater than 1+1 > 2. Compared to the Earth Element, the activated Gold Element Energy possessed stronger physical Defense Power and even had powerful resistance to various forms of corrosive damage.

It was equivalent to Hardening-lite + Immortal True Gold.

Besides the leap in defense, the power of its Earth and Gold Element Skills had also increased dramatically. If the space weren't so cramped, Yu Bao would have definitely put on a hell of a show for Su Zhi.

Even a powerhouse like Shan Bao would have to give way before it now!

"Chirp..." Shan Bao looked on with an expression that seemed to say, 'Wow, you're amazing.'

Su Zhi crossed his arms. "But it has better stamina than you. You can't keep a skill like Thick Earth Golden Might active forever."

Yu Bao: "..."

Su Zhi continued, "Besides, its normal form is tough too. You wouldn't dare act so cocky without powering up first."

Yu Bao shot him a look.

'You're right, so shut up about it next time.'

'No, I can't wait. I have to get out of here right now and show off big time, just to open Su Zhi's eyes!'

"Woof woof!"

Eager to get out and show off its skills, Yu Bao got down to business. It activated its Earth Force Field, instantly bringing all the surrounding rubble and gravel under its control.

Under Yu Bao's control, the pile of rubble burying Su Zhi and his Pet Beasts began to loosen. The space slowly expanded, and Su Zhi was finally no longer being jabbed in the backside.

Seeing Yu Bao seeming to struggle, Su Zhi asked in surprise, "No good?"

"Woof..." Yu Bao used its Earth Force Field to perceive its surroundings for a moment, then shook its head.

Directly above, a few rocks had gotten jammed against each other, forming a locked structure. It couldn't be moved by just controlling it with the Earth Force Field; it would have to be pried open with a powerful external force.

'But where would they find a super-crowbar like that...'

Forcibly using an offensive skill to blast it open might work, but in such a confined space, that method could lead to friendly fire.

"Woof!"

Just as Yu Bao was stumped, Wu Bao, who had used Doubling to shrink itself to its smallest size, leaped out of the Flash Gold Space and landed in front of the locked rocks.

With a "CLACK," it drove its horn in.

Then, Wu Bao activated Doubling, instantly returning to its original size.

Its enlarging horn directly forced open the crack in the rocks, cleverly breaking the locked structure.

"Woof!" Yu Bao nodded.

The most difficult problem was solved. Now, all they had to do was move the rubble away step by step.

With masterful control of its Earth Force Field, Yu Bao methodically moved the stones piled up high to the sides. A passageway soon appeared, and faint light could be seen filtering down through the cracks in the rocks.

But Su Zhi suddenly felt a sense of doubt.

'Judging from the depth of the rubble above... were we buried at the bottom of the lake?'

'But why isn't there any water? It's not even damp. Something is clearly not right...'

Su Zhi subconsciously glanced at his phone again and was stunned to find that his call with Shao Ya had been disconnected.

He was certain he hadn't hung up. And it was impossible that Shao Ya had hung up; she wouldn't be so careless at a time like this.

Looking closer, he discovered that his phone's internet and data weren't working. It didn't even have a signal. However, all Beast Tamer-issued phones had global signal coverage; theoretically, something like this should be impossible.

'Is something wrong with the phone?'

As Su Zhi puzzled over this, he suddenly heard faint shouts from above.

"I think there's movement over there!"

"Oh my god, is someone trapped down there?"

"It's not an Exotic Beast, is it? Should we call for a Beastmaster..."

"I don't know, let's go take a look..."

"Woof!" Yu Bao's ears perked up, and it informed Su Zhi that several people were approaching.

'The rescue team must be here...' Su Zhi blinked and looked up.

There was a lot of rubble above, but under the control of Yu Bao's Earth Force Field, the rocks didn't collapse. Only the last few pieces of debris at the top hadn't been cleared away yet.

"CRACKLE..."

The last few pieces of rubble were moved aside.

The blinding midday sun shone down from the top, and Su Zhi instinctively covered his eyes.

"Young man, you still alive?" a somewhat aged voice called from the opening above.

"I'm fine!" It took Su Zhi a moment to adjust to the light. He looked up and saw three heads gathered around the opening.

"Excuse me, are you the rescue team?"

The three heads looked at each other in confusion for a moment.

"'Res-cue team'? What kind of dialect is that...?"

"Right, rescue! Let's get the young man out from down there first!"

A deep male voice rang out, "Hang on a little longer, young man! I'll go get a rope for you!"

'Shouldn't they be using a Telekinesis Pet Beast to move the survivor out directly in a situation like this? Why are they using a rope?'

'And judging by the way they talk, they really don't seem like a rescue team...'

The questions in Su Zhi's mind grew. He waved to the people above. "No need, we can get up on our own."

"On your own? Young man, what are you..."

"Woof."

At Su Zhi's command, a faint yellow Light Array lit up beneath Yu Bao's feet. A Yellow Earth Wall burst from the ground, steadily lifting Su Zhi, Yu Bao, Shan Bao, and Wu Bao to the surface.

The three people who had been waiting at the opening were dumbfounded.

"A... a Beastmaster..."

The younger, thinner-faced villager looked at Su Zhi with excitement and astonishment. "You're a Beastmaster!"

"You child, how can you be so rude to a Beastmaster!"

The white-haired old man shot him a look, then quickly bowed with hands clasped. "My son has not seen the world. Please, Lord Beastmaster, do not take offense."

"..." Su Zhi blinked in confusion.

'Can someone please tell me what's going on?'

Looking at the three's attire, they were all wearing coarse cloth shirts and cloth shoes. The young man even had on straw sandals. This kind of clothing should have been phased out long ago. 'Is this cosplay?'

'No, who would be in the mood to cosplay during an earthquake... and the environment is clearly off, too.'

Su Zhi scanned his surroundings. He didn't see Fuguang Lake, nor the lush and dense Luojin Mountain Range. As far as the eye could see, there was only a barren stone forest, and the ground was covered in an unknown metal with a dull sheen.

Farther away, there was the outline of a forest, a dark, oppressive mass that looked exceptionally gloomy, completely different from the feel of the Luojin Mountain Range.

The midday sun was exceptionally bright, but it didn't feel radiant. Instead, it made one feel uneasy and restless.

'Wait, doesn't my phone say it's evening?'

Su Zhi glanced at the large "18:27" on his lock screen, then at the sun, and became even more baffled.

'Could this be a Secret Realm...' A thought flashed through Su Zhi's mind, and he recalled when he first arrived in the Land of Flash Gold.

The Golden Sand Flower at the bottom of Fuguang Lake was already shrouded in mystery, capable of weakening a nearly magnitude-10 earthquake down to a 7. And the Restriction at the village ruins was clearly not simple either...

'Could this Secret Realm be what the Restriction was sealing away, with its entrance somehow hidden on the Golden Sand Flower?'

'And did Yu Bao's awakening of Thick Earth Golden Might after I allocated its points happen to trigger the entrance to the Secret Realm?'

Su Zhi frowned. He still couldn't figure it out.

According to the Alliance History Hall records, Tuoba Jing's power was only slightly above the average Alliance Member. Did he have the ability to create such a Secret Realm and then seal it with a Restriction?

Besides, the disaster relief situation at the time was so severe. What was his purpose for going to all this trouble?

But if he didn't do it... who did?

'You must have a lot of questions...'

·

·