Starting with the Broken-Winged Frost Butterfly: Beast Taming

Chapter 79 Entrance Sealed, Ancient Weapon Beasts!

In the end, Zhu Ran and Qin Taozhi discussed and decided to split the fragments of the weapons and beasts 50/50.

Qin Tao paid the price of giving up a small portion of the ring's space to assist with transportation.

Otherwise, relying solely on Xiao Ji wouldn't be enough to pack everything up.

Faced with Zhu Ran's suggestion, Qin Taozhi's eyes remained calm, her fair fingers lightly touching her fingertips as she slowly nodded in agreement.

"Oh no! I went back just now and found that the entrance I came from is gone. The entire cave is probably sealed off now!"

Before long, someone used a megaphone to shout in all directions, and the loud voice carried extremely far.

"The entrance is gone?"

Zhu Ran was shocked. They had just finished looting a cave full of fragments of weapons and beasts, and this news was like a bolt from the blue.

Even Qin Taozhi's expression changed slightly, as various thoughts raced through her mind.

"The plan has changed. Go and find out the situation!"

Zhu Ran and Qin Taozhi exchanged a glance, realizing that they shared the same idea. Together with Liang Baizhou, the three of them immediately set off to meet up with the person who had shouted the message.

"What exactly happened? Please explain in detail."

Upon seeing the Broken-Winged Frost Butterfly and the Ink Thorn Rose Fairy appear at the same time, Zhu Ran asked seriously. The three students were first startled, then overjoyed.

"It's Zhu Ran and Hua Ji! We're saved!"

Of the three students, two are from the School of Arts, and the remaining one, a guard, is from the School of War.

At this moment, one of the two from the School of Literature had a mournful face, full of fear, while the other tried to remain calm, but his knuckles clenched unconsciously.

"Zhu Ran, something terrible has happened! We're stuck here!"

"We tried several passages, but we couldn't get back to where we started. We might be trapped in a cave—"

Zhu Ran looked at the silent guard.

The veteran pet trainer, named "Gui Zizhi," had a gloomy expression, clearly indicating that he was in a very bad mood.

"They're right."

"We are in a very dangerous situation right now. I suspect this is a trap, set specifically for us—"

Gui Zizhi's bold words and solemn expression set off alarm bells in everyone's hearts.

"Take me to the nearest entrance."

Qin Tao suddenly spoke, her tone icy, even somewhat commanding.

"Whoosh!"

Without saying a word, Gui Zizhi commanded his wolf-shaped pet to move.

Zhu Ran followed closely behind, his mind racing with a stream of consciousness, frantically deducing various outcomes and possibilities.

"This is a place, I'm absolutely certain of it, because I left a mark with the salt soda snails when I came in!"

"But the markings stop here, and a wall appears with strange patterns on it—it couldn't have been an accidental collapse; someone must have done it on purpose!"

"boom!"

Qin Taozhi raised her arm and pointed directly at the rock wall.

Five enormous, dark red roses immediately bloomed around Moji Meiyao, their cores swaying with a scarlet aura, and their petals fluttering like a storm of swords.

In Zhu Ran's eyes, the blades flashed continuously, the cutting sounds were harsh and unpleasant, but the wall remained unmoved, only plowing away a very small amount of gravel and powder.

"Zhu Ran, bring your Broken-Winged Frost Butterflies along with you."

Unbeknownst to her, Qin Taozhi had become the one giving orders, as if she were the team leader.

Zhu Ran didn't care about these titles. What he really cared about was that, in Qin Taozhi's subconscious, this crisis far exceeded the Black Flame Territory. If she didn't intervene in time, she would not only face the risk of dereliction of duty by her guards, but she herself might also fall into danger.

"Rip! Rip!"

The Broken-Winged Frost Butterfly activated its six-pointed frost angel form, its wings expanding and unleashing a torrent of frost bombs that instantly brought the temperature to an extremely low level.

Immediately following, ice spikes pierced the air, piling up in rapid bursts;

Then the ice wheel spun rapidly, whistling and slashing;

Until the entire wall was covered with a thick layer of frost, Xue Xi suddenly detonated all the ice elements.

Boom boom boom boom boom boom!

This was an epic explosion, a deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth, with shockwaves sweeping in all directions, sending ice shards flying everywhere, raging like a blizzard, creating a visually devastating spectacle.

But when the ice fog dissipated, only a large patch of mottled white marks appeared on the surface of the rock wall, without any cracks.

-

Xuexi was stunned. With a live target right here, she was confident she could flatten even a small mountain. Was this rock wall some kind of cheat code? It was unbelievably hard!

"Even Zhu Ran and Hua Ji are at a loss?"

The two students from the Faculty of Arts were horrified.

They were shouting messages there, their main purpose being to find these two people.

After all, they possessed a mature A-level pet beast, whose combat power was comparable to a fully-fledged D-level beast, but in the end, they were disappointed.

In that instant, a sense of powerlessness permeated my entire body, as if I had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

Zhu Ran's chest felt heavy, as if it were filled with cold mud.

The combined efforts of the Broken-Winged Frost Butterfly and the Inkthorn Rose Fairy failed to budge the rock wall in the slightest.

Zhu Ran was a man of great learning; how could he not know that what was hard was not the rock face itself, but the patterns on it?

Who carved it, when did they carve it, and what did they seek?

One question after another was crammed into my head.

Zhu Ran suddenly woke up, took a deep breath, and calmed her breathing.

"Don't panic! We're not fighting alone. With everyone working together, we can definitely get out of this predicament!"

Perhaps it was because Zhu Ran's voice was so calm and firm that Liang Baizhou and Gui Zizhi were the first to calm down.

Qin Tao said, "Now, immediately, do everything you can to reunite with the others."

"Then let's keep shouting."

One of the students from the School of Literature took out a trumpet-shaped object. Zhu Ran was taken aback. It seemed to be the remains of a weapon beast, but it was in relatively good condition.

"Level 1 Emergency Response Plan! Level 1 Emergency Response Plan! Students who hear this announcement, please rendezvous with us immediately!"

The sound was amplified through the loudspeaker and reflected between the rock walls. In less than a quarter of an hour, four teams gathered around Zhu Ran, one of which was the pet trainer team led by Wei Dan.

"How could something like this happen?!"

"We had just come in, and hadn't even run a hundred meters, when the entrance was sealed off—"

"Me too! I was thinking of going in to take a look first, and if things weren't right, I'd back out immediately—who would have thought the road would be blocked!"

Complaints, lamentations, curses, regrets—all sorts of emotions arise, making the atmosphere increasingly oppressive and heavy.

But seeing that Zhu Ran and Qin Taozhi were both there, most of the people seemed to have found their pillar of support, and a glimmer of hope remained in their hearts.

"Some people are still missing, including the team stationed in the secret realm."

"Everyone, from this moment on, you must hold the Taiping Stone Pendant firmly in your hands. Activate it immediately if anything seems amiss. The trial can end early, and you can take fewer resources, but you only have one life. Please prioritize!"

Qin Taozhi abandoned her usual aloof image, and her series of words, delivered in a cold and serious tone, instantly silenced the noise in the crowd.

"I suggest the team be reorganized."

Zhu Ran calmly said, "Those who are weaker should stay near the entrance and wait for rescue."

"Those with above-average strength should venture deep into the heart of the cave and find the culprit."

"It's feasible." Qin Taozhi acted swiftly, pointing her finger repeatedly. "You, you, you—all of you stay here."

"The team that ventures deep into the territory consists of my squad, Zhu Ran's, and Wei Dan's team of three, along with two guards, for a total of seven people!"

Liang Baizhou opened his mouth. Hua Ji actually kicked him out? Being bad really is the original sin.

"Have Master Fan use his domain to enclose an area and take control of the entrance area."

"I'll leave the Hercules Frog to you for now. Keep an eye on the supplies."

Zhu Ran approved of the plan. Although Liang Ye always called him "Master," he was actually not very brave. Staying here would actually be safer for him.

"Okay, I'll try my best!"

Liang Baizhou gritted his teeth, knowing that this was not the time to shirk responsibility; everyone had to go all out and work together to find a way to break the deadlock.

"Set off!"

Qin Tao waved her hand lightly, and Mo Jimei walked away, leaving everyone with a neat and tidy back view.

"Then I'll take the initiative."

Zhu Ran hovered in mid-air, the broken-winged frost butterfly behind him tearing through the cold current, using the scattered ice crystals to illuminate the dim world.

With two people, one leading the charge and the other waiting for an opportunity, Wei Dan, Yuwen Qingtian, Meng Baixuan, Gui Zizhi, and Yin Xiong felt reassured and suppressed their chaotic emotions, following closely behind.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Before the group had gone far, a deep and powerful drumbeat suddenly echoed from the depths of the cave.

Like a giant drum beating on an ancient battlefield, carrying the most primal and wild power.

Zhu Ran let out a muffled groan, realizing with a start that the drumbeats were not as simple as they sounded to the ear; each vibration penetrated the rock strata and acted directly on his body.

In less than a minute, the blood in my body began to surge, its flow suddenly accelerated, my chest felt hot, and my temples throbbed.

"What's wrong? Why am I sweating so much?!"

"My body is so hot! My head is so dizzy! I feel like I'm going to faint—"

"I feel so awful, so irritable, everything here makes me unhappy —"

Blood rushed to their heads, causing some to feel dizzy, others to break out in a cold sweat, and still others to have bloodshot eyes and a violent expression.

This phenomenon doesn't only occur in humans; most summoned pets, such as the Little Tiger, the Wind-Riding Eagle, the Emerald Spider, and the Scaled Giant Lizard, exhibit the negative "Blood Frenzy" status.

The ones that are completely unaffected are mainly Qin Tao's plant-type pets.

And the Broken-winged Frost Butterfly.

"Xuexi also has blood, but this drumming has no effect on it—I understand!"

Zhu Ran's eyes shone brightly. He observed that although he also experienced various discomforts, they were extremely mild and completely tolerable.

The others, however, were already taking various medications to try to block out the sound or suppress the agitation of their blood, their faces flushed and making a complete fool of themselves.

"Coldness can suppress blood flow, Xuexi, let's cool everyone down!"

Upon hearing this, the Broken-Winged Frost Butterfly immediately condensed ice spikes and inserted them into the bodies of different targets according to dosage.

For example, for humans, use a super-mini ice pick with hair-thin strands, and stick it anywhere on the exposed skin, the scalp being the best.

For pets with thick hides or large sizes, use the full version, as these are generally more serious. Xuexi should aim for the anus to cool down the fur the fastest.

In a short while, Qin Taozhi's head was also covered with ice needles, and a faint frost climbed up her temples and eyebrows, her blood and qi returning to normal.

"I know what this is."

Qin Tao's eyes darkened, and she spoke in a very low voice, revealing the truth word by word: "It's the 'Blood Drum,' an ancient weapon that uses drumbeats to ignite the warrior's fighting spirit and can manipulate blood and energy, corrupting their minds!"