The drifting mist came from a tricky angle, exactly in the blind spot of Yuan Jiewen and the Shellblade Behemoth’s sight.

Little Treasure, hidden in invisibility, spotted it first. Remaining unseen, he instantly teleported to his beast master’s side and gave her cheek a heavy lick with his tongue.

What the hell… Qiao Sang shuddered, her already alert mind snapping even sharper awake.

She pretended nothing had happened and continued lying still.

Little Treasure would never use Lick for no reason. That meant the wild beast in the pool had already released Water-Sleep Mist… Qiao Sang held her breath at once as she realized it.

There were many ways to resist Water-Sleep Mist, not breathing was one of them.

The pale-blue gas slowly spread outward.

Yuan Jiewen kept his nerves taut.

Suddenly, an ill-timed drowsiness struck him. He immediately sensed something was wrong.

Bigshot, the target’s here! His heart jolted, but then he remembered the plan. He forced a tired look onto his face, deliberately raising his voice by two pitches:

“Ahhh… what’s going on? I suddenly feel so sleepy…”

Then thud, he fell heavily to the ground.

“Shellblade…”

The Shellblade Behemoth’s eyelids drooped against its will. Seeing its beast master collapse, its brain briefly snapped clear.

It gripped its shell in one claw, energy gathering.

A layer of white light condensed onto the shell, transforming it into a sharp blade.

Clutching the blade, the Shellblade Behemoth prepared to jab it straight into its master’s backside.

But just then, an even denser wave of Water-Sleep Mist rolled over.

“Shell…blade…”

Its claw loosened. The glowing blade dissolved back into an ordinary shell, clattering to the ground.

With a heavy thump, the Shellblade Behemoth toppled as well.

Damn it, Shellblade! You said you’d keep me safe… Yuan Jiewen’s heart sank as he sensed his beast’s state. He dug his nails hard into his palm, holding his breath, struggling to stay awake.

Veins bulged on his forehead, his face growing redder with every moment.

Finally, he couldn’t hold it. His lips parted, and he took a tiny sip of air.

That single breath was enough, a crushing drowsiness crashed over him.

Bigshot… it’s up to you now… His last thought flickered before darkness took him, and he collapsed.

About half a minute later, a frog-type beast leapt from the pool. It was about a meter long, dark-blue overall, with yellow eyes, broad flat teeth, and red venom sacs on both cheeks.

It landed beside Yuan Jiewen, stretched out its claws, grabbed his foot, and began dragging him toward the pool.

The shadow in the water shook its head.

The frog turned, changing course, and started toward the forest.

Suddenly, it froze. Its body felt bound, unable to move.

Looking down, it saw that a pitch-black shadow had silently fused with its own.

“Quuuh?”

The frog-beast’s eyes showed confusion.

The next instant, a creature’s head, one it had never seen before, surfaced out of nowhere from the ground. Their eyes locked.

“Quuuh…”

The frog saw a pair of violet eyes, and instantly collapsed, sinking into sleep.

Slobber Frog, a mid-tier water+poison beast… So it was the one that had dragged Liu Bo into the forest.

The shadow in the pool wasn’t important at all, as long as they caught this Slobber Frog, they could find Liu Bo’s trail.

Qiao Sang opened her eyes, rose to her feet, and commanded: “Let’s move!”

Originally, she had planned to let the frog drag Yuan Jiewen into the forest while Little Treasure shadowed it. Once they knew where it brought him, they’d follow.

But that plan had flaws.

First, the Slobber Frog might not take Yuan Jiewen to where it had brought Liu Bo.

Second, the distance was unknown, if it went too far, Little Treasure’s link with her might break.

Third, leaving Yuan Jiewen’s safety entirely to Little Treasure was risky, her mischievous pet wasn’t always reliable.

So seizing the frog the moment it appeared, before it could get away, was the best solution.

As these thoughts flashed, Little Treasure’s eyes glowed blue.

Spatial Shift, a high-level skill requiring positional coordinates. In familiar ground, teleportation was instantaneous. But in unknown terrain, it required sensing a safe location first.

He remembered his beast master’s warnings to be cautious. He didn’t jump recklessly.

But even in that single second of sensing, the pool suddenly erupted with six towering jets of water, thrashing like raging serpents, lashing toward Little Treasure.

“Lubao!” Qiao Sang cried.

“Lu Ai!”

Lubao sprang from the backpack, opening her mouth.

A blast of bone-chilling cold spread outward, freezing the six water-whips into icy pillars just before they struck Little Treasure.

The ice shattered instantly into shards, raining down around him.

By then, the glow faded from Little Treasure’s eyes.

Not because of the attack but because the Slobber Frog beneath him had vanished.

Qiao Sang’s gaze shot to the pool.

The massive shadow within had finally emerged.

An enormous body, armored in blue shell plates, its form segmented like an insect. The shell on both sides rose upward like ridges.

Its claws gleamed razor-sharp, and numerous legs sprouted from its abdomen, half its bulk still submerged.

The frog, once pinned beneath Little Treasure, was now ensnared by a whirl of water and trapped in one of the creature’s claws.

This… this was a beast not once mentioned on Secret Realm Forum No. 88… Qiao Sang’s face tightened.

At her side, Lin Shi’s voice trembled with awe: “Water-Carapace Warrior, dual-type insect+water, a King-level pet beast… an Ancient Pet Beast! To think one still exists in this secret realm…”

“?!!”

Qiao Sang’s jaw dropped.

An Ancient Pet Beast?!

These were creatures that had lived since antiquity, nearly extinct in modern times.

Universities had entire departments dedicated to studying traces of Ancient Beasts, fossils, remains, with the goal of reviving them.

That’s why some were called Fossil Beasts.

And here… there was a living one in this very pool. If researchers found out, they’d go completely mad…

As she reeled, a gorgeous ripple appeared under her feet, spreading outward like water rings.

Mikayla noticed, her gaze flicking down.

Seeing the water-pattern beneath her shoes, her eyes flashed, though she said nothing.

“Gang Slice!”

A sudden white flash burst forth.

Before Qiao Sang could react, she found herself and her client already on Gangbao’s back.

The Steel Sword Falcon had resumed her full massive form, her expression grim.

“Gang Zhan!” She cried.

Qiao Sang glanced down.

The spot where she’d just stood had turned into a gaping vortex, a whirlpool plunging deep into the hidden world beneath the water.

If Gangbao hadn’t pulled her onto her back, she’d already have been sucked into the depths…