Everyone remained silent.
The young policeman, who had been the most talkative, was the first to lose his composure. With a pale face, he said, "I think we should report this to our superiors and request more reinforcements."
A policeman of similar age beside him blurted out, "Send them here to be delivered?"
Another silence followed.
Though the words were harsh, looking at the scale of that rain of fire just now, their town truly lacked the corresponding combat power.
"Report it first," said the eldest among the police. "You all stand by; I'll go over and see what the situation is."
"No!" the young policeman shouted. "Captain, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. I'll go with you!"
The captain thought for a moment and nodded. "That works."
Young policeman: "..."
The captain summoned a Wind Eagle, and then the two of them straightened their backs and climbed aboard with expressions of solemn heroism.
Everyone watched them leave, the atmosphere heavy.
Just as they were about to depart, Wu Chang spoke up: "I'm going too!"
"Don't just add to the chaos." The young policeman looked up from the back of the Wind Eagle toward the location where the rain of fire had fallen. The fire had ceased, and the night sky was now peaceful, but his expression remained incredibly grave.
"This is no longer a simple civil dispute. Didn't you see that rain of fire just now? The person you want to stop is capable of causing such a commotion; it's clear their strength is extraordinary. If you go now, you'll only be in the way. Don't worry, your friend... we will bring them back."
They would bring them back, but they didn't say they would bring them back safely. None of the people present were fresh recruits; they naturally understood the meaning behind those words.
The strength of a Beast Tamer capable of causing such a disturbance went without saying; the fear was that the person might have a cruel personality and had already dealt with the girl who tried to stop them. Even if she hadn't been killed, given the scale of the clash—similar to fighting a wild beast—the aftershocks would certainly have put her in danger.
The best possible outcome now was that this Beast Tamer's goal was merely to contract a wild beast, that they were reasonable, and that the girl was injured but not in life-threatening danger.
Everyone remained silent.
The worst outcome was that this Beast Tamer was a murderer.
In that case, the girl was in danger, and the captain and colleague heading over might also end up meeting their end if they weren't careful.
An oppressive atmosphere weighed on everyone's hearts.
Wu Chang paused for a moment, then explained, "But the rain of fire just now was caused by my friend."
All the police: "???"
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
"What did you say?"
"What do you mean your friend caused it? Isn't your friend the same age as you?!"
"Didn't you say your friend is only in high school?!"
"Didn't you say it was a girl?"
Everyone looked at Wu Chang.
Wu Chang was stunned for a second, then realized something and spoke: "That person doesn't have a fire-type beast; they only have a Nonsense Wraith, a Robust Flying Owl, and a 표마음 (Pyo-ma-eum). As for my friend, she's from Shengshui High School, so she is indeed a high school student. She has a Flame-Listening Hound; it was likely her Flame-Listening Hound casting Sparking Rain just now."
As the most discussed contestant in Hanggang City right now, Wu Chang had naturally looked up Qiao Sang's information online.
There were many reports online, some true and some false, and one of them mentioned that Qiao Sang's Flame-Listening Hound could use Sparking Rain.
Wu Chang hadn't taken it seriously at first, thinking it was fake news, but the scene he had just witnessed immediately made him think of that post.
A strong intuition told him it was true.
Hearing this, everyone's expressions became vacant.
The amount of information was too great; they needed time to digest it.
The captain was the first to process it. He took a deep breath and roared, "Call it in immediately! Everyone, follow me!"
To have raised the only Flame-Listening Hound currently in existence at the age of a teenager, and to have taught it Sparking Rain—such a person absolutely could not have an accident on their watch!
...
Taking advantage of the other party's disorientation, Qiao Sang summoned Little Treasure-Seeker and had Lu Bao treat it.
The large bump on Little Treasure-Seeker's head subsided at a visible speed. It slowly opened its eyes, and a familiar face appeared before it.
"Xun xun!"
Little Treasure-Seeker woke up instantly and excitedly lunged into its Beast Tamer's arms.
Although she wanted to chat and ask where Little Treasure-Seeker had been, Qiao Sang knew now was not the time.
Qiao Sang spoke: "Ya Bao, go to the ground and use your tactile perception to see if you can sense where Qiyunla is now."
"Ya." Ya Bao responded and ran toward the ground.
If a beast's cry doesn't change after evolution, its tone of voice still does.
Hearing a voice completely different from its big brother Ya Bao's previous one, Little Treasure-Seeker turned its head in confusion, then wore an expression of extreme shock.
"Xun xun!"
How did its big brother Ya Bao change so much?!
"It just evolved," Qiao Sang explained.
"Xun?"
"Xun?!"
Little Treasure-Seeker was stunned, then looked as if its jaw had dropped.
Evolution?
Evolution?!
It had evolved in such a short amount of time?!
"Ya ya."
Ya Bao grinned, wearing a proud little expression.
"Lu lu."
Just as Ya Bao pricked up its ears, preparing to hear how Little Treasure-Seeker would praise it, Lu Bao pointed its paw at the ring on Little Treasure-Seeker's head and cried out.
Qiao Sang froze, because Lu Bao was saying it had seen Little Treasure-Seeker put Qiyunla inside the ring.
"Is that true!" Qiao Sang asked excitedly, looking at Little Treasure-Seeker.
"Xun xun~" Hearing its Beast Tamer ask, Little Treasure-Seeker instantly forgot about Ya Bao's evolution. It took off the ring and pulled out the transparent device from inside, crying out boastfully.
It had just happened to fall right in front of it, so it had just tucked it away.
"Yun yun!"
Inside the device, Qiyunla looked at the human outside with great excitement.
It felt it had been rescued!
Is Lu Bao's vision that incredible? Little Treasure-Seeker had been like a tiny black dot just now, and there were so many flames blocking the view. Could it be that the potion made from Blue Dew Crystals worked... Qiao Sang felt it was necessary to test Lu Bao's vision after returning.
Thinking of this, she pressed the newly revealed Qiyunla back into the ring and said seriously, "Ya Bao, let's get out of here quickly!"
"Ya..."
Ya Bao responded listlessly, indicating it understood.
Was it exhausted from using too much energy?
"Xun xun!"
While Qiao Sang was pondering, Little Treasure-Seeker was suddenly controlled by a force and yanked violently upward until it was dozens of meters in the air.
"Xun xun!"
Little Treasure-Seeker struggled desperately, but it couldn't break free from the control.
When it stopped, its little heart trembling, it turned its head and saw a terrifying large face.
"Xun!"
Little Treasure-Seeker's eyes rolled, and then it let out a loud cry, tilted its head, and pretended to faint.
Qiao Sang looked up and saw that high in the air, Pyo-ma-eum was holding Little Treasure-Seeker with one claw and supporting the middle-aged man with the other.
She narrowed her eyes, and just as she was about to speak, the man's voice drifted down from afar
"I saw everything. Now I give you two choices: either you have your Treasure-Seeker open the ring and hand over Qiyunla, or I take the Treasure-Seeker away."
Zhang Rongtang didn't actually want to make an enemy of a child who clearly had an extraordinary future, but he had no choice. Anything placed inside a Treasure-Seeker's ring cannot be taken out by anyone unless the beast itself removes it.
Since heaven had given him the chance to encounter Qiyunla, he could not give it up!
Making an enemy was a small price; as long as he contracted Qiyunla, he feared no one!
"Ya!"
Ya Bao bared its teeth, flashing a fierce expression at the sky, and the flames on its shoulders expanded slightly.
Just as it was preparing to rush up and fight, Qiao Sang stroked its fur, signaling it to calm down.
"Ya!"
Under its Beast Tamer's soothing, Ya Bao did not charge, but continued to bare its teeth at the sky.
Ya Bao currently had no energy; going up would be a suicide mission. At this distance, she could recall Little Treasure-Seeker into the Beast Codex, but the opponent would attack the moment it was recalled, and she would still be at their mercy. It was better to stall for time... Qiao Sang looked up, pretending to hesitate.
Zhang Rongtang didn't intend to waste time and said solemnly, "I'll only count to three."
Having said that, he began to count.
"One."
"One minute! Just give me one minute to think, okay!"
"Two."
"Thirty seconds! Thirty seconds should be enough!"
"Three..."
This time Qiao Sang didn't speak. Instead, her mouth slowly opened, and she froze in place, staring agape at the high sky.
To be precise, she was looking at the space behind Pyo-ma-eum.
Ya Bao wore the same expression.
The pitch-black night sky suddenly split open with a tiny crack, which then grew larger and larger, as if being slowly torn apart by a pair of invisible giant hands.
The crack was a void of darkness, like an abyss.
Qiao Sang felt her head buzzing, and all sorts of chaotic thoughts surfaced, until only one remained
Holy crap! A Secret Realm Rift!
Realizing what this was, Qiao Sang quickly pulled out her phone, opened the camera, and snapped a photo of the rift in the sky.
A fresh Secret Realm Rift! This was her first time seeing one! She'd post this on her Moments later!
"Uncle, move a bit, let me get a shot of the Secret Realm Rift!" While taking the photo, Qiao Sang didn't forget to ask the man to shift aside.
A Secret Realm Rift? Zhang Rongtang's heart raced. He had felt something was wrong when he reached three, but he was in the middle of a confrontation with the child below and couldn't turn around immediately.
Could it really be a Secret Realm Rift?
Zhang Rongtang wanted to turn and look immediately, but at that moment, he heard the child below suddenly scream at the top of her lungs: "Run!"
Run? Zhang Rongtang froze for a moment.
Pyo-ma-eum didn't freeze. As if sensing something, it instantly vanished from the spot, taking its Beast Tamer with it.
The next second, a giant steel claw with only four toes suddenly reached out from the rift and gripped powerfully where Pyo-ma-eum had just been.
Qiao Sang shuddered and waved her hand, recalling Little Treasure-Seeker into the Beast Codex.
The giant steel claw was truly massive. Even though Pyo-ma-eum had seemingly teleported a great distance, it was still completely within the range covered by the steel claw.
Qiao Sang watched blankly as the giant steel claw extended and gripped, pulling Pyo-ma-eum and the man into the rift.
She didn't notice a piece of paper about 5 centimeters long fluttering out of Zhang Rongtang's pocket.
Before Qiao Sang could recover, a beast's head emerged from the Secret Realm Rift. It was silver, looking like a full suit of armor, with a nose as sharp and protruding as a blade and yellow vertical pupils.
From its appearance, it wasn't hard to see that this head belonged to the same beast as the steel claw.
Qiao Sang instinctively held her breath, not daring to move a muscle.
The beast's yellow vertical pupils looked left and right. Seeming dissatisfied with the surroundings, it retracted its head back into the rift.
If not now, when! Qiao Sang wanted to run, but then she remembered something. She formed hand seals and summoned Little Treasure-Seeker, saying, "Take Qiyunla out."
"Xun xun..." This caused Little Treasure-Seeker, who had been about to dive into its Beast Tamer's arms to cry about how scary it had been, to stop mid-leap and obediently take off the ring to pull out the device containing Qiyunla.
"Yun yun..."
The moment Qiyunla came out, it sensed something. Its body suddenly stiffened, and it snapped its head up.
The giant rift was like a terrifying abyss, yet Qiyunla's tears fell uncontrollably.
It had finally waited for this...
Qiao Sang asked, "Do you want to go back?"
Earlier, when she woke up, she had heard part of the conversation between the man and Wu Chang and knew that Qiyunla had waited nine years for a Secret Realm Rift.
"Yun yun!"
Qiyunla cried out with a determined gaze.
Of course it wanted to go back!
Qiao Sang said nothing more. She placed the device on the ground and nodded to Lu Bao.
"Lu."
Lu Bao understood instantly. Its tail was immediately wrapped in a current of water and slammed hard against the device.
The transparent device remained undamaged.
"Lu!"
Lu Bao paused, then wore a serious expression.
The next second, its entire body was wrapped in water as it soared into the sky, then spiraled down sharply, crashing into the transparent device.
The transparent device wobbled, but there was still no damage.
"Lu..."
Lu Bao wore a confused expression and stood dazed.
Seeing this, Qiao Sang looked at Ya Bao and said, "Ya Bao, you do it."
"Ya!"
Ya Bao nodded. It opened its mouth, energy condensed, and its sharp teeth were instantly engulfed in flames.
Simultaneously, a giant head made of fire also opened its mouth, baring sharp teeth as it bit down.
*Crack!!*
The transparent device shattered.
"Yun yun!"
Qiyunla looked excited. With a white cloth still on its head, it flew impatiently toward the rift.
"Wait!" Qiao Sang shouted.
"Yun?"
Qiyunla stopped and turned its head with a confused expression.
Although Qiao Sang couldn't see Qiyunla's face, she knew it was staring at her.
"Lu Bao, Healing Light," Qiao Sang said.
"Lu..."
Lu Bao obeyed.
A blue light shone upon Qiyunla.
"Yun..."
As the blue light faded, Qiyunla felt its own condition and froze.
Then, Qiao Sang spoke: "Wu Chang said you were injured and asked me to help treat you. I suppose I've fulfilled his request now."
"Yun yun..."
Qiyunla's excited heart calmed down slightly, and it thought of Wu Chang.
If only it could see that guy one last time before going home...
"Yun yun! Qiao Sang!" Wu Chang's voice came from the distance.
"Yun..."
Qiyunla's eyes reddened, and it quickly floated into the air.
It saw Wu Chang walking toward them.
After looking at him a couple of times, Qiyunla's gaze became firm. Without further hesitation, it turned and flew toward the giant rift in the sky.
However, upon reaching the rift, it stopped again. It raised its paw and waved at Qiao Sang.
Because the white cloth on Qiyunla's head hadn't been removed, Qiao Sang could see its movement.
"Qiao Sang! Are you okay? Where's Yun yun!" Wu Chang ran over at that moment.
He was followed by a group of police officers.
Qiao Sang looked at the high sky and said, "Over there."
Everyone followed her gaze.
The police saw a Secret Realm Rift, while Wu Chang saw a speck of white in front of the rift.
"Yun yun~"
In a daze, Qiao Sang heard Qiyunla's cry.
"Did you hear that?" Qiao Sang asked.
"I heard it," Wu Chang murmured.
No one else heard it.
Everyone knew Qiyunla could bring good luck, but no one knew that when Qiyunla truly bestowed a blessing, only those who could hear its voice could possess that luck.
"Yun yun~"
Qiyunla cried out once more, then turned and plunged into the rift.