Chapter 180: Pool of Corrupted Water

The beast tamers didn’t have a choice but to fight against a pack of Cliff Shadow Howlers.

Moon was overseeing them anyway.

Despite her frivolousness, the beast tamers believed she wouldn’t slack off and fail to fulfill her master’s instruction.

Watching Moon jump from time to time, until she finally landed at the head of the terrifying Cliff Shadow Howlers, lying atop them fearlessly, the beast tamers slowly paced forward.

Ironhide Boar, Stoneback Rhino, Obsidian Shell Tortoise... every beast with a role as a tanker moved forward alongside their master beside them.

The beasts that specialized in distance, precision, artillery, elemental projection, and sustained ranged pressure were slowly casting their spells.

When they reached a certain distance, a Cliff Shadow Howler was alarmed and instantly released a screeching noise, awakening its kin.

The Cliff Shadow Howlers stood up, and only then did the long-range beasts release their spells—illuminating the dark cave with different lights.

Fireball, water bullet, wind arrow, crystal shot... various long-range spells bombarded the Cliff Shadow Howlers, but the latter were agile, evading most of the long-range spells.

Though some successfully landed, their aggression barely slowed them down, causing the tankers to cast their spells, ready to receive the full blunt attack of the Cliff Shadow Howlers.

At the same time, another wave of long-range spells was cast—this time, the beast tamers cast them.

The battle of the beast tamers and beasts against the pack of Cliff Shadow Howlers unfolded.

At the same time, the other two caves, the middle and the left caves, rumbled.

It turned out that another two packs of Cliff Shadow Howlers were startled awake from the battle and hurried to join in.

Only then did the beast tamer discover that they had encountered a nest.

They were stunned and flew into panic.

However, not a single one of them retreated, understanding that creating chaos would only harm them in the process.

Just as they were getting anxious, the two other packs of Cliff Shadow Howlers were intercepted by Moon alone.

She released an extreme Killing Intent masked by her Aura, powerful enough to shake the beast tamers and beasts.

Understanding that the Killing Intent was not directed at them, they immediately exerted their full strength to annihilate the first pack of Cliff Shadow Howlers.

Tankers, Long-Range, Assassin, Crowd-Control Beasts, Support, and even the Reconnaissance Beast fought against the pack of Cliff Shadow Howlers until they successfully annihilated them.

It was inevitable that the beasts were severely wounded; even some beast tamers in the front line suffered lacerated wounds from the Cliff Shadow Howlers.

That was when the Support beasts sprang into action.

A Verdant Antler Deer immediately sent out a pulse that restored minor injuries to its nearby allies, as well as casting a spell to accelerate the healing of their wounds.

A Moonpetal Rabbit, with glowing blue-green markings resembling flower petals, cast a Moonlit Heal, stacking the healing properties that the injured received.

A Springwater Cane released a purifying rain above the beast tamer and beasts with complementary elemental affinity to get rid of the corrupted energy after being injured.

A Dawnscale Lizard cast a fire spell that burned the corrupted energy, especially for those tankers and assassins with fire elements.

When the beast tamers and beasts’ energy depleted, like those long-range beasts, an Azure Manafin cast a spell that transferred its energy to an ally.

There was also a Spiritwell Frog that stored Energy and transferred it, helping the others to replenish their energy and bombarding the Cliff Shadow Howlers nonstop.

Every beast, alongside their beast tamers, did not hold back and managed to drive back the pack of Cliff Shadow Howlers.

When they successfully emerged victorious, killing the pack of Cliff Shadow Howlers, Moon had already annihilated the other two packs of Cliff Shadow Howlers, inevitably bathing in their blood.

The beasts immediately cast spells to clean her from the corrupted energy and the revolting blood itself, instantly regaining her graceful appearance.

The beast tamers were shocked.

The beasts rejoiced alongside her, while she herself nonchalantly turned around and proceeded to the third cave where her master disappeared.

Since she had already completed the mission given by her master, she did not have a reason to remain.

The beasts grew disappointed, especially those tankers who were willing to show off their attractive traits to her.

Their masters, on the other hand, still found it difficult to believe what they had seen.

The pack of Cliff Shadow Howlers turned out to be stronger than what they had witnessed when fighting against Felix and Krisha.

That was when they recalled the incident where beast tamers got corrupted after meditating in the corrupted zones.

The main cause was simple—Felix and Krisha made it easy to meditate in the corrupted zones.

They could do so for days, so why would the other beast tamers still fail?

They had forgotten that one crucial event.

It was inevitable that their understanding was twisted; how could they treat Felix and Krisha as far superior to them when they were not even twenty?

Just Felix’s beast alone made them wonder if they could fight against it as a group.

After the group rested for a while, they gathered in the third cave’s entrance and sighed helplessly when they had to spend some time again just to get accustomed to the environment they were about to enter.

...

Moon walked gracefully inside the third cave, unbothered by the strong winds fluttering her fur.

She could sense her master’s presence and saw no sign of battle along the way.

Time passed, and the wall became increasingly irregular.

There were many other cave entrances, but Moon only followed the scent purposely left behind by her master.

Through her sharp vision, she could spot some caves that contained their own environment, seemingly possessing their distinct ecosystem.

As she walked deeper without spotting anything, casually encountering Abyss Bats she did not disturb, large roots of abyssal crystal began manifesting on the ceilings and the floors.

The abyssal crystal illuminated the darkness, alongside the bioluminescent fungi that resided within, slowly evolving into leeches.

Suddenly, she stopped. She did not scrutinize the strange roots of abyssal crystal but instead turned to her right, entering through a cave’s mouth.

Once she entered, she immediately spotted the presence of her master, facing a body of water not far from him.

The water was almost like a pool, but it was difficult to peer through its depth due to the immense concentration of abyssal energy.

Moon silently walked towards Felix and landed on his shoulder.

She too gazed at the pool, containing waters that seemed to be a poisonous substance.

Felix had been staring at the pool for a while now.

When he felt the paws of Moon landing on his shoulder, he asked her to recount the details of the battle earlier.

He could already perceive the battle even from afar, but how it proceeded was unknown to him.

Moon narrated through telepathy, saving her the energy of wasting her saliva.

When she was finished, Moon casually asked about the water pool, "Can they be purified, Master?"

Felix smiled.

"Do you want to drink water?"

"A clean one."

The water reserves in the Obsidian Wing were only enough for them to last for two years by being frugal, compelling Sky Marshal Kaelor to resort to water created out of water energy from beast tamers.

They were natural and made out of energy, so it tasted a bit different from the clean water produced by the world.

Even Felix had to sacrifice the food and water for his family, relying mostly on the carcasses of demonic creatures he cooked with the help of Ember and Rain’s water energy.

Although Moon did not complain about his decision, it was clear that she was dissatisfied—not with his family, but with the circumstances.

That was why Felix assumed that Moon’s Killing Intent was born to return to their world.

Felix replied, "We need to return and find a portable storage first. At the same time, we must get rid of the creatures further corrupting the waters."

Moon snorted. "This monster is truly daring to try catching you, Master, in the water."

Felix chuckled. He summoned Rain without hesitation.

Rain already had an idea of why she was summoned.

Her spirit came out of the sword and floated beside Felix.

Felix said, "What do you think? Can that water be drunk if it’s purified?"

Rain ruminated for a while and finally replied, "Hardly so. A gallon of water once purified will turn into a size of a bottle of water."

Felix nodded. "So, the water is far too corrupted already."

Rain stared at the water for a while until she perceived the presence of a subterranean creature residing beneath.

Knowing how powerful her master was, she lost interest and said, "One River Strike is enough, Master."

She then flew back to the sword, glinting a cold blue light.

Felix smiled.

Felix began walking to the pool with Moon and Ember on his shoulders.

When his foot was an inch away from the water, an extraordinarily wide jaw popped out of the water surface in front of him without making any waves.

The mouth possessed several concentric rows of backward-facing teeth.

The unusually long tongue, divided into several thin tendrils, slithered erratically, aiming to bind Felix first before swallowing him whole.

Moon glanced at it indifferently and thought. A Deja Vu.

Felix raised Rain, and the sword exploded with Aura amplified by his Sword Intent.

The Aura alone sliced through the long tongue.

Felix swung Rain lightly, and countless sword energies made out of Aura amplified by his Sword Intent wreaked havoc in the mouth of the enormous creature...