Beast Taming Star Journey

The bushes shook violently, and a huge figure slowly appeared in our field of vision… “Wait,” I suddenly exclaimed, “that looks like… the Tin Messenger?”

Instead of the ferocious monster expected, a man clad in silver armor and wielding a halberd appeared. His face was cold and stern, his eyes sharp, radiating a powerful aura. He was the Tin Envoy, one of the guardians of this region and its artifacts. His appearance further heightened the already tense atmosphere.

The Mercury Beastmaster stepped forward and arrogantly said, "Tin Envoy, we do not wish to be your enemy. If you know what's good for you, get out of our way and don't block our path!"

The tin envoy remained expressionless, his voice as clear as the clash of metal: "This place contains a divine artifact; no one is permitted to trespass! You shall leave immediately, or do not blame me for being ruthless!"

"Hmph, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences!" The Mercury Beastmaster sneered, waving his hand, "Attack!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the beast tamers behind him commanded their respective beasts, surging towards us like a tidal wave. All sorts of bizarre beasts let out deafening roars, and in an instant, sand and stones flew, trees shook, and the scene was extremely chaotic.

"Xiaoying, Xiaoli, Xiaofeng, prepare for battle!" I commanded in a deep voice, and at the same time, with a thought, I shared my power with my beasts. The power of the equal contract surged into my body, making me feel stronger than ever before.

"Yao'er, let's do it together!" I turned to look at Su Yao, who was already unable to contain herself, her eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

"Just what I wanted!" Su Yao smiled and flashed into the enemy ranks like an arrow. She was agile and wielded her long sword, the sword light flashing. Wherever she went, the enemies had to give way, and screams of pain filled the air.

Without hesitation, I joined the battle, working seamlessly with Xiaoying, Xiaoli, and Xiaofeng, piercing the enemy ranks like a sharp blade. Xiaoying's sharp claws tore through the enemy's defenses, Xiaoli's agile body dodged attacks, and Xiaofeng hovered in the air, waiting for its chance. The power of the Equal Contract allowed me to clearly sense their every movement, every thought; we were like a single entity, cooperating perfectly.

For a moment, we actually managed to hold off the enemy's attack, forcing them back several steps. The Mercury Beastmaster's face was grim; he clearly hadn't expected us to be so tenacious.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" he roared. "You can't even handle a few juniors!"

Just then, I sensed something amiss, as if something was approaching from the shadows. My alarm bells rang, and I quickly warned Su Yao, "Be careful!"

Su Yao also sensed something was wrong. She looked around warily, but found nothing.

"What's wrong?" she asked puzzledly.

I shook my head, the unease in my heart growing stronger. "I have a feeling something is watching us from the shadows..." Before I could finish speaking, I heard the lead boy exclaim, "Watch out!"

The boy's startled cry snapped me back to reality. A dark shadow attacked from the side, its target Su Yao! My mind raced. I shoved Su Yao aside, taking the blow myself. A sharp pain shot through my back. I groaned and staggered a few steps before regaining my balance.

"Nong Yu!" Su Yao exclaimed and quickly helped me up.

When I turned around, I saw that what attacked me was a group of small, rat-like beasts. They were small in size but incredibly fast, and there were so many of them that it was terrifying to see them everywhere.

"Damn beast tamer, how could they resort to such despicable means!" I said through gritted teeth. Although these small beasts were not individually strong, their numbers were numerous and extremely agile, making them impossible to guard against. It was clearly a trick secretly used by the beast tamer.

"Be careful, these small beasts carry paralyzing toxins!" Su Yao warned, her long sword flashing in a dense, impenetrable motion, slaying the approaching beasts one by one.

I dared not be careless and quickly commanded Xiaoying, Xiaoli, and Xiaofeng to join the battle. Xiaoying and Xiaoli fought the small beasts on the ground, while Xiaofeng hovered in the air, attacking with wind blades.

The battle was incredibly intense. My back was burning with pain, and the paralyzing toxins were gradually spreading, causing my limbs to feel numb. I took a deep breath, endured the pain, and continued fighting.

During a lull in the fighting, I couldn't help but glance at Su Yao. Her face, glistening with sweat, appeared even more alluring, her eyes filled with determination and courage. She turned and smiled, giving me an encouraging look that filled me with strength.

"Hold on, we will definitely break through their encirclement!" Su Yao's voice was clear and firm, like a warm current flowing into my heart.

I nodded and fought even harder.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, the Bismuth Beastmaster suddenly walked up to me and whispered, "I know a secret passage that can bypass the Mercury Beastmasters' encirclement, but..." He hesitated for a moment, "...this passage is also fraught with danger..."

A secret passage? A thought flashed through my mind; this might be an opportunity to break out of this predicament.

"What kind of danger?" I asked quickly.

The bismuth tamer's expression was solemn. He lowered his voice and said, "This passage leads to an ancient ruin, and it is said that..." He paused, looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and then continued, "It is said that... there are powerful guardian beasts inside..."

Guardian beast? My heart sank; this was not good news.

“But we have no other choice,” Su Yao said firmly. “Rather than being worn down by them here, we might as well take the risk.”

I took a deep breath, nodded, and agreed to Su Yao's suggestion.

“Alright, let’s go!” I said decisively, then turned to the Bismuth Beastmaster, “Lead the way!”

The Bismuth Beastmaster nodded and turned to walk deeper into the forest. We followed closely behind, venturing along a hidden path towards unknown dangers. The surroundings grew increasingly eerie, the trees dense and shady, a musty stench filling the air. We treaded lightly, constantly on guard for any potential peril. Suddenly, the Bismuth Beastmaster stopped, pointed to a cave entrance covered in vines ahead, and whispered, "It's here..." He reached out and parted the vines, revealing a dark cave entrance... and then...