Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 1019: Not a Pet, But a Human

Under the crumbling eaves.

Qiao Sang burst out of her sleeping bag in alarm. She gazed up at the Secret Realm Cracks that covered almost the whole sky, along with the Ghost-type pets emerging from them. Her pupils shrank, her face overcome with astonishment and confusion.

"Does this place always have so many Secret Realm Cracks?"

Mikayla furrowed her brow and replied:

"No way at all. If the inside of the Lost Town was always like this, nobody would visit even with news of the Spirit-Passing Cat. Plus, from what I know, plenty of past Beast Tamers who explored here got out safely. This has to be a rare occurrence."

Right as Qiao Sang opened her mouth to respond, a pet emerging from a crack fixed its gaze on her, emitting a chilling "jie jie jie" laughter, purple glow shining in its eyes.

All of a sudden, a strange sight unfolded. The pet locking eyes with her transformed instantly into a huge, shining golden trophy, matching exactly the Interstellar Cup championship trophy she'd watched on TV.

Qiao Sang's thoughts were crystal clear, spotting the illusion right away.

She summoned her Beast Codex, and the Interstellar Cup in her view shifted back to the Ghost-type pet.

The Ghost-type pet, standing just fifty centimeters high, noticed her unwavering clarity. It stepped backward, showing caution.

"Xun xun!"

In that instant, a thirty-meter-tall Ghost Ring King materialized from nowhere and unleashed a mighty roar.

The nearby ruins shook violently from the sound.

An unseen force pressed down. That immense pressure forced the local Ghost-type pets to back away repeatedly, bodies rigid, afraid to budge.

Soon after, most of the wild Ghost-type pets scattered in every direction.

Only around a dozen bigger Ghost-type pets stayed behind, eyeing the massive Ghost Ring King with hostile intent.

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure pressed his paws together, causing the Ghost Ring King's form to surge instantly, reaching roughly sixty meters.

The dozen Ghost-type pets' eyes widened in fear. They glanced at each other before fading into invisibility.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure let out a relieved breath and mimed wiping sweat from his brow.

The enormous Ghost Ring King copied the gesture.

"Wuwu!"

Baowuwu stared at Little Treasure with pure adoration.

"Xun xun!"

Sensing the look, Little Treasure quickly lowered his paws and puffed up proudly.

"I feel we should get out of here fast." Qiao Sang eyed the ongoing Secret Realm Cracks in the far sky anxiously and suggested: "What if we head out now?"

Mikayla responded deliberately: "Actually, I see this as a prime chance for training."

Qiao Sang: ???

Mikayla went on: "What's more, with all these wild Ghost-type pets showing up, they're sure to carry valuable items."

... Qiao Sang started pondering the risks and rewards right away.

Having Baowuwu around meant spotting any treasures swiftly. From the earlier display, tons of Ghost-type pets had emerged, but none seemed overly powerful. 

While she mulled it over, Mikayla chimed in:

"Ghost-type pets mostly boost their energy by taking in negative energy. With countless Secret Realm Cracks opening now, folks in this town will generate endless negativity. Perfect for Ghost Ring King to grow stronger."

Qiao Sang declared firmly: "I'll follow Teacher's lead! Little Treasure!"

"Xun xun!" Little Treasure cried out energetically.

"Training time!" Qiao Sang announced.

"Xun xun!" Little Treasure brimmed with excitement.

Qiao Sang and Little Treasure shared a glance, then both pivoted toward Yabao and started rousing him.

"Yabao, time to wake up!"

"Xun xun! Xun xun!"

Gangbao: ...

"Yap yap..."

Yabao roused gradually. Spotting the chaos in the distant sky, he snapped alert, dropping into battle pose.

Qiao Sang relaxed seeing this.

Yabao's sharp senses truly provided solid reassurance.

"Lu Di!"

Abruptly, Lubao—who'd been vigilant since the initial Secret Realm Crack—focused ahead and issued a grave call.

Qiao Sang peered that way, spotting a massive surge of dense black mist barreling toward them.

"Gang Zhan."

Gangbao charged forward on her own. Her frame expanded steadily, wings beating hard to unleash a fierce windstorm.

Debris whipped through the air, nearby ruined buildings crumbled fully, with rocks and splintered wood hurled skyward.

The dense black mist scattered under the gale's force.

A roughly seven-meter-tall pet, purple-hued and resembling an alarm clock, tumbled back as the mist cleared, slamming into the earth.

Qiao Sang identified the fallen pet immediately. Foreboding gripped her, turning her face grave.

Meanwhile, the lingering faint mist ahead churned. A ten-meter-tall pet emerged, upper body purple, lower light purple, black eyes, black streamer below currently wrapping a person—like a balloon.

 Qiao Sang observed the pet, its details flashing in her thoughts.

Yabao tensed warily, his size increasing gradually.

"Help, save me..." The woman trapped in the black streamer pleaded faintly.

The World-Floating Ball glanced down, translucent energy rising from the woman, as if drawing out her vitality.

The moment that energy vanished, the woman's features aged visibly before their eyes.

"It's essence." Mikayla noted.

She stayed put, showing no plan to act.

Qiao Sang commanded: "Explosive Flame Bullet."

Yabao parted his jaws at once, unleashing a red-and-gold beam straight at the World-Floating Ball.

The World-Floating Ball didn't evade. It countered by spewing a heavy black wave.

Bang!

The red-and-gold beam overwhelmed the black wave entirely, driving it back to strike the World-Floating Ball squarely.

"Float!"

The World-Floating Ball shrieked and hurtled away, smashing into a half-ruined house far off, toppling it.

The woman dropped as the World-Floating Ball recoiled.

At that moment, Qiao Sang ordered: "Don't let the Slow-Slow Clock escape."

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure hesitated briefly, then teleported to the Slow-Slow Clock's shadow.

The shadowy darkness linked instantly with the Slow-Slow Clock's own shadow, which was now exhaling black mist toward Baowuwu.

"Man man..."

The Slow-Slow Clock halted and glanced downward.

"Wuwu!"

Baowuwu caught on and hurried to Qiao Sang's side, terror on its face.

Elsewhere, the woman hit the ground smoothly, no trace of frailty left.

The battered World-Floating Ball drifted back to her and expelled translucent energy her way.

The energy wrapped around her and sank fully into her form, youth returning to her face visibly.

Simultaneously, a colossal ice spike, hill-sized, materialized and crashed down onto the Slow-Slow Clock.

"Man man!"

The Slow-Slow Clock wailed sharply.

The woman's look soured. She demanded: "When did you figure it out?"

Qiao Sang answered steadily: "Entering this town, the Slow-Slow Clock and World-Floating Ball trailed you already. You kept shadowing me after. Seeing you hold back, I let it slide."

"Also, that black mist earlier was the Slow-Slow Clock's skill. Books mention the Slow-Slow Clock's 'Inhale' trait; it exhales black mist that pulls targets inside."

"You aimed to snatch Baowuwu."

"But the mist got dispersed too fast, forcing Plan B: World-Floating Ball acts wild to distract us, letting Slow-Slow Clock grab Baowuwu amid the mess."

.. Mikayla grinned approvingly nearby.

. The woman's face grew tense and cautious.

She figured dealing with the foreigner was key, yet the real threat was someone unnoticed till now...

The woman yelled: "Suck!"

"Man man!"

The grounded Slow-Slow Clock gaped wide, black gas billowing out.

Nearly simultaneously, Yabao's maw opened. The red-and-gold light outsped the gas by far, slamming into the Slow-Slow Clock.

"Man man!"

The Slow-Slow Clock howled and soared backward.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure stayed rooted, but his 2D Shadow Control shifted to 3D, wrapping the Slow-Slow Clock and yanking it close.

Yabao's jaws flared again, flames raging past his fangs.

A massive Blazing Divine Lion head of fire formed in sync, clamping down viciously on the Slow-Slow Clock.

"Misfortune Never Comes Singly!" The woman bellowed.

"Float!"

The World-Floating Ball blurred into purple light, rushing ahead.

Then, the air chilled sharply.

A heavy ice shell encased the World-Floating Ball instantly, locking it solid.

Bang!

Concurrently, the huge Blazing Divine Lion head on the Slow-Slow Clock burst with inferno flames and explosive force.

"Man man!!!"

The Slow-Slow Clock cried out in agony, eyes flipping back as it passed out.

The woman paled drastically, grasping her foe was way tougher than expected.

She parted her lips at last: "I just need Baowuwu to locate the Spirit-Passing Cat. State your demand; I'll meet it."

"Wuwu..."

Baowuwu edged slightly farther from Qiao Sang.

Qiao Sang replied coolly: "Nothing you offer will sway me."

"Wuwu..."

Hearing that, Baowuwu beamed with emotion and scooted back beside Qiao Sang.

"I've got under three months to live. No Spirit-Passing Cat means death!" The woman's face was ghostly white, voice desperate.

Faint black mist cloaked her, rising steadily.

Mikayla's eyebrows knit faintly, as if recalling something.

"Xun xun~" Little Treasure sniffed a delightful aroma, eyes sparkling as he drew in deep breaths.

Qiao Sang eyed a new Secret Realm Crack nearby behind them, sighed, and warned: "First worry about escaping this town alive. Fail that, and three months might be optimistic."

The woman stiffened, then whipped around, comprehension dawning.

Lubao's chill faded away.

The World-Floating Ball's ice melted off.

"Let's move." Qiao Sang said to Little Treasure.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure's eyes shone blue.

The instant after, he whisked Qiao Sang, Mikayla, Yabao, and the rest from sight.

---

Chaos reigned in the town, black mist thickening. Beast Tamers panicked in flight, wailed in fear, or battled fiercely... total mayhem.

Meanwhile.

Up in the skies.

Little Treasure directed a thirty-meter Shadow, striking wild pets left and right.

Though Shadow of Darkness matched the original's power, its vast reach let it hit multiple wild pets at once.

Qiao Sang perched on Yabao's back, clutching the pet egg.

Lubao hovered behind her Tamer, blasting icy breath at emerging wild pets from the rear.

"Notice anything earlier?" Mikayla, drifting next to Qiao Sang, inquired.

Qiao Sang recalled and observed: "Pro Beast Tamers are way superior. That King-level pet felt weaker than competition ones I faced."

Mikayla: ...

"Examine these folks and the Ghost Mist carefully." Mikayla prompted.

Qiao Sang scrutinized the people below and the densifying Ghost Mist intently, then gasped upward, deducing: "Energy in this Ghost Mist flows toward one spot. Is a super advanced Ghost-type pet feeding on it?"

Typically, Ghost-type pets absorb within a limited area. Yet here, vast energy funneled one way without the pet's form visible—obviously no ordinary beast.

"Spot on." Mikayla affirmed gravely:

"Beyond that, I checked pre-arrival: Entering Lost Town hides and seals the exit. Escape needs an illusion-piercing pet, or one mighty enough to ignore Ghost Mist and exit freely. Or a Guiding Thread, with a Guiding Gillet outside to yank you out."

"The Guiding Thread is Guiding Gillet fur. Infuse psychic power, and the pet senses it to pull you free. Many shell out fortunes for one beforehand."

"See the crowd? Most wear Guiding Threads on wrists. All tried psychic infusion, but zero humans or pets escaped."

Qiao Sang stilled and glanced down. Indeed, white wool threads bound most wrists, many sobbing and yelling at them.

Qiao Sang suddenly recalled something, pulse racing as she asked warily: "Teacher, can we still exit?"

Mikayla eyed her: "Naturally."

Qiao Sang exhaled in relief, then puzzled: "Why aren't Guiding Threads working?"

"Either the Guiding Gillet owning them failed, or the town's messed up." Mikayla stated seriously.

Qiao Sang creased her brow, guessing: "Maybe a Ghost-type pet blocks our exit?"

"Spatial lockdown requires Psychic-type pets." Mikayla stared where Ghost Mist converged, enunciating: "Not a pet—it's a person keeping us in."