Chapter 413 - 272: Found the Weakness

Su Zhi nodded. ’Looks like this guy has a story to tell.’

"Woof!" Yu Bao’s ears suddenly perked up.

A delighted look appeared on Su Zhi’s face. "They’re here!"

Wang Baichuan: "Huh???"

"Stay here and don’t move! We’re going to find a couple of Earthquake Beasts!"

With that, Su Zhi didn’t even bother walking. Yu Bao activated its Sand Manipulation Technique and directly ferried him to their destination.

The man and his three Pet Beasts furtively crouched behind a huge boulder, peeking out to observe.

Not far away were three adult-sized Earthquake Beasts whose Energy Values had just surpassed One-star.

The Earthquake Beasts seemed to be dozing, remaining motionless. Only their bodies rose and fell faintly from time to time. If Yu Bao hadn’t detected them with its Earth Force Field, Su Zhi would have thought they were just a few rocks.

"These are the ones, right?"

"Woof."

"Excellent. They seem to be on their own. Why don’t we... What does everyone think?"

"Chirp."

"Ruff."

"Alright, then let’s get ready to move!"

"Su Zhi, what are you doing?"

Wang Baichuan tiptoed over. When he saw the three Earthquake Beasts beyond the rock, he nearly lost his composure.

"You’re not... thinking of killing them, are you?"

Su Zhi blinked. "Isn’t it obvious?"

Wang Baichuan tried to keep his voice down. "But they’re not blocking our path, and they haven’t seen us. Maybe... maybe we should just go around..."

"You’re thinking too small. Problems should be solved at their root."

Su Zhi patted his shoulder.

"Going around might seem safer, but if these Earthquake Beasts spot us, we could easily be caught off guard and end up exhausted from dealing with them. If we can’t shake them, we might even lead them back to the village, and that would be a huge problem."

"But if we just kill them all, then those problems won’t be problems."

"..." Wang Baichuan’s jaw dropped, utterly stunned.

Although he felt there was something very wrong with that statement, it actually sounded a little reasonable. For a moment, he even thought Su Zhi had a point.

But there were still three whole Earthquake Beasts!

Seeing that Su Zhi was really about to make a move, Wang Baichuan shivered, scurried behind a rock a little further away, and timidly curled up.

Su Zhi nodded in satisfaction.

’That’s more like it. At least I don’t have to waste extra energy looking out for him. Just like those NPC teammates in some games who are completely useless but still charge in headfirst. They die, you get penalized, and it just makes your blood boil.’

"Alright, let’s proceed according to plan."

"Woof." "Chirp." "Ruff."

The three Pet Beasts responded with barely audible noises, then left the cover of the rock one by one and approached the Earthquake Beasts.

"Clara?"

One of the Earthquake Beasts turned its head curiously.

Yu Bao, Shan Bao, and Wu Bao immediately froze in place.

At the same time, the sound of rolling pebbles echoed around them—a natural sound effect mimicked by Yu Bao using its Earth Force Field, perfectly masking the heartbeats of the three Pet Beasts.

"Clara..." Just as Su Zhi had guessed, the Earthquake Beast had no sight.

Unable to detect any sound from a living creature, the Earthquake Beast slowly turned its head back and re-entered a state similar to hibernation.

Under the cover of Yu Bao’s "Flawless Nature Soundscape," the three Pet Beasts successfully crept two and a half steps closer.

"Clara..." This time, all three Earthquake Beasts turned their heads in unison.

The three ’Baos’ froze, following the same routine as before.

This time, two of the Earthquake Beasts turned their heads back, but the one closest to them bared its teeth.

’It had a feeling some treacherous villain was out to get it!’

Su Zhi made a swift decision. "We’re exposed! Drop the disguise and use your Skills as planned!"

Receiving the command, Yu Bao quickly changed its expression: ⌓‿⌓​

’Such a big reaction? Will you melt if I get a little closer?’

"Clara!"

The Earthquake Beast roared like a devoted fan enraged by an anti-fan. Its two half-idle companions immediately snapped to attention, all of them aiming their mouths at Yu Bao.

However, as a Two-star Pet Beast, Yu Bao’s abilities were a cut above the three Earthquake Beasts.

CRACK!

The Earth Force Field activated. The rocky ground abruptly sank and rose, instantly transforming the terrain within a radius of dozens of meters, rendering it almost unrecognizable.

This was a Range Skill capable of moving mountains and filling seas, but Yu Bao had always used it for delicate tasks. Now, using it for its intended purpose for once, the effect was surprisingly good.

The three Earthquake Beasts lost their balance, stumbled, and fell into three deep pits created by Yu Bao.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—

The rocks let out crisp, twisting sounds, being molded into various shapes under Yu Bao’s control like modeling clay.

The modified terrain held the three Earthquake Beasts upside down in the pits, pinning them in place like scoops of ice cream on a cone.

"Clara... Clara..."

"Baichuan? All taken care of, you can come out now!" Su Zhi called out behind him.

Only then did Wang Baichuan hurry out from his safe spot. Seeing the three subdued Earthquake Beasts, he covered his mouth in astonishment.

"To subdue three Earthquake Beasts in a mere instant... you truly live up to the name of Beastmaster— I mean, Su Zhi!"

"You praise me too much." Su Zhi waved his hand dismissively, then turned his gaze to the Earthquake Beasts. "Pay close attention to the smallest one."

"Oh, right!" Wang Baichuan immediately fixed his eyes on it with full concentration.

A moment after being toppled, the Earthquake Beasts’ roars and struggles gradually weakened.

Then, a scene identical to yesterday’s unfolded: the bodies of all three Earthquake Beasts began to slowly shrink, the process accelerating as it went on.

The smallest Earthquake Beast gradually turned into a pile of yellow earth, like ice cream melting quickly under the sun, until its original shape was completely gone.

"So for them, being toppled is equivalent to a death countdown," Su Zhi said thoughtfully, then frowned slightly. ’But what counts as being ’toppled’? What’s the specific mechanism behind it?’

Wang Baichuan suddenly pointed at the largest Earthquake Beast. "Su Zhi, look there!"

"Hm?"

Following his direction, Su Zhi looked at the bottom of the Earthquake Beast’s foot. On the huge, circular surface, there was a faint spiral pattern, like the rings of a tree. At that moment, the spiral was gradually vanishing from the outside in, and more than half of it was already gone.

Su Zhi thought for a moment and gave Yu Bao a look.

"Woof!" Yu Bao understood instantly and used a Yellow Earth Wall to lift the Earthquake Beast up.

"Clara!" The Earthquake Beast clearly hadn’t expected to be standing again, and even less that these humans would dare to do so. It let out an enraged roar.

At the same time, its body, which had already shrunk considerably, began to rapidly grow larger again!

Wang Baichuan yelped in fright and scurried back behind the rock he had just been hiding behind.

"Yu Bao."

"Woof."

Several pale yellow Light Arrays instantly appeared under the Earthquake Beast’s feet. A Yellow Earth Wall shot out, cleverly avoiding the bottom of its feet and hoisting it directly into mid-air.

"Clara..." The moment it left the ground, the Earthquake Beast immediately became listless, just as it had when it was toppled.

Wang Baichuan peeked out. Seeing no danger, he tried to approach.

Su Zhi: "Yu Bao."

"Woof." The Yellow Earth Wall retracted.

The Earthquake Beast landed. "Clara!"

Wang Baichuan quickly shrank back again.

Su Zhi: "Yu Bao."

"Woof." The Yellow Earth Wall emerged.

The Earthquake Beast lifted off the ground. "Clara..."

Wang Baichuan peeked out.

Su Zhi: "Yu Bao."

"Woof." The Yellow Earth Wall retracted.

The Earthquake Beast landed. "Clara!"

Wang Baichuan ducked his head.

’Hee hee!’ Su Zhi thought. ’I’ve discovered a perpetual motion machine.’

After repeating this little game a few more times, Su Zhi looked toward the rock, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, alright, come on out. It’s safe now."

Wang Baichuan timidly popped his head out. After confirming that all three Earthquake Beasts had kicked the bucket, he let out a relieved sigh, his heart still pounding.

"You can’t play around like that, it’s too scary..."

"That was also part of the test." Su Zhi smiled faintly. "Did you notice anything?"

Wang Baichuan looked thoughtful. "I did learn something... As long as you topple an Earthquake Beast, or rather, make its feet leave the ground, you can slowly kill it! They have a weakness!"

Su Zhi nodded. "Exactly. When you get back, you all can try making traps. You might be able to snare one or two."

Wang Baichuan grew excited. "So you mean, even without a Beastmaster, we can do it on our own...?"

"Yes. Remember, the Exotic Beasts aren’t the strongest ones here. People are."

Su Zhi placed a hand on his shoulder. "You’ve been plagued by these Earthquake Beasts for a long time, haven’t you? Go and take back the lives that belong to you."

"...Yeah!" Wang Baichuan clenched his fists and nodded firmly.

’Still,’ Su Zhi sighed to himself, ’without Yu Bao’s ability to alter terrain, it would be extremely difficult for even a Beast Tamer to kill an Earthquake Beast. Traps are probably the only other chance...’ He watched Yu Bao collect the scattered yellow earth from the scene before turning to Wang Baichuan. "By the way, where is this Radiant Gold Vein Opening Stone you’re looking for?"

"It should be somewhere around here. When I was a kid, I saw my grandfather bring one back... Huh? It’s right in front of me!"

As he looked up toward a certain spot, Wang Baichuan’s eyes suddenly lit up.

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