92: Chapter 92 Found! The Holy Radiance Crystal Core!

As the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat charged straight at them, Zhou Ming's face grew excited, and he whispered excitedly, "Let the battle begin!"

For a moment, everyone's pet beasts were poised for action.

"I'll handle this."

Lin Chen stepped forward, shielding the others behind him.

The next moment, a thought stirred in his mind.

A dazzling summoning light erupted, and a pocket-sized, dragon-shaped figure less than a meter tall stepped out from the light.

Looking at the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur, which looked like a giant plush toy, Li Heng was stunned: "Uh…"

Is this the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur that helped Brother Chen take the lead and become number one?

He gave a dry evaluation: "It really is quite cute."

"Roar!!" The Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur glanced sideways at Li Heng, then raised its head and let out a low roar.

Amidst the roar, its petite body grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in an instant, the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur transformed into a massive beast about six meters tall.

Its thick, pillar-like limbs shattered the rocks on the ground, its ferocious head and sharp claws returned to their intimidating size, and its massive body naturally exuded an intense sense of oppression from the inside out.

"ROAR!!!" The Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur stretched its neck, which was slightly stiff from the rapid growth, and let out an even wilder, earth-shaking roar.

The majestic dragon might, mixed with scorching heat waves, swept out like a hurricane, blowing up the surrounding dust and gravel!

In an instant, a wanton and wild aura filled every inch of space.

"ROAR—!!!" Li Heng was intimidated by the terrifying dragon might rushing towards him and instinctively took half a step back, his breath hitching.

He swallowed his saliva, looked at the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur in front of him that exuded the word "powerful" from the inside out, and gave a dry laugh: "Ahem, I even held you when you were little."

At the same moment, that leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat, suspected of being crazed from inhaling too much star crystal energy, had already attacked and reached them.

A pair of sharp claws flashed with cold light, carrying a shriek that tore through the air, and viciously swiped towards the side of the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur's neck.

"Roar~" However, facing this strike capable of splitting monuments and shattering stones, the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur did not dodge or avoid it; it didn't even turn its head.

It just seemingly casually raised its right forelimb, and its giant claw suddenly extended a green phantom, slashing down from top to bottom!

Dragon-Splitting Claw!

Clang!!!! A harsh metallic explosion rang out, and sparks and scattered energy debris splashed wildly.

In just an instant, the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat felt an irresistible, terrifying force strike fiercely along its claw arm.

"Meow—!" Accompanied by a miserable howl, the Shadow-Rift Cat leader flew backwards at a speed faster than it had come, tumbled several times in the air, and then crashed heavily onto the rocky ground more than ten meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

It crawled up in a sorry state, its left forelimb already sporting a hideous wound deep enough to see the bone, dripping with blood, and sending waves of piercing pain.

But this severe pain and injury did not make it fear or retreat.

"Meow—!!" The leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat kicked off the ground with all four claws, its figure turning into a blurry stream of light. It no longer chose to meet the attack head-on, but instead utilized its extreme agility, beginning to rapidly maneuver and dodge around the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur.

It used rocks as cover, launching lightning-fast surprise attacks from tricky angles time and again, leaving shallow white marks on the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur's torso with its sharp claws or teeth, then immediately fleeing without stopping.

Lin Chen's eyes flickered: "It has a bit of cleverness."

If it came to a head-on confrontation, the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur, invincible at the second rank, could hardly find an opponent, but the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat, utilizing its agility advantage, might be able to spar with it for a while.

But only spar.

The Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur looked down disdainfully, its scarlet round pupils tightly locking onto the movement trajectory of the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat, just at the moment the latter pounced out from the left rear side again, its sharp claws swiping towards its knee bend.

"Roar!" The Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur's tail turned into a long-prepared steel whip, sweeping out violently, accurately predicting the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat's evasion path.

Bang! The leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat was solidly struck in the waist and abdomen by the giant tail, screaming as it was whipped away, crashing right into a giant rock, dizzy and disoriented.

At the same moment, the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur's left front claw reached out like lightning, grabbing it firmly in its palm.

The giant claw closed, the terrifying grip force making the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat emit a suffocating sound, struggling frantically, but it was like a bug trapped in iron pliers, all in vain.

Li Heng was stunned again and again: "It's so easy, like catching a little chick."

Immediately, he turned his head to look at Zhou Ming: "Is that all a leader-level pet beast is?"

Zhou Ming crossed his arms, his chin held high: "Making a fuss over nothing, we're just getting started! You didn't see how the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur defeated that leader-level Molten Armor Dragon Lizard."

"That scene, tsk tsk, was a hundred times more shocking than this!"

Li Heng was so annoyed by Zhou Ming's smug look that his teeth itched: "Zhou Ming, stop acting so smug. Is being in the same school as Brother Chen such a big deal?"

"Hey!" Zhou Ming swayed his body, his expression even more punchable, deliberately drawing out his tone, "It's not a big deal, it's just that we're not only in the same school, but also in the same class."

"You!" Li Heng was so angry he wanted to rush up, but was gently pulled by the sleeve by Xiaoya, who couldn't help but laugh.

At the same time, the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur opened its giant mouth, and dazzling orange firelight gathered frantically deep in its throat.

Super Blast!

BOOM!!! A surging pillar of fire, carrying scorching heat waves, blasted at point-blank range onto the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat firmly gripped in its claw.

The firelight and the loud noise of the explosion completely swallowed its figure.

The light dissipated, and the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur loosened its claw.

The leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat collapsed limply to the ground, only the weak rise and fall of its chest proving it was still alive, but it had clearly completely lost its combat capability.

[Defeated second-rank pet beast, gained 6 experience points]

[Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur strength level: second rank, seventh stage (68/78)]

An easy and effortless crushing victory.

And the moment the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat was defeated, those surrounding Shadow-Rift Cats that had been restless and trying to help their leader were like they had been choked by the throat, all sound coming to an abrupt halt.

"ROAR!!!" The Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur raised its head, roaring wantonly towards the cat pack, the vast dragon might rolling over like a tangible tsunami.

"Meow—!" "Woo—!" The cat pack instantly went into chaos.

The few Shadow-Rift Cats closer by were directly scared until their limbs went weak, collapsing to the ground.

Those slightly further away also let out terrified wails, tails tucked, fleeing in all directions without looking back, disappearing into the various crevices and shadows of the rocky pile in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a mess and the unconscious leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat.

"That cleared the field?" Li Heng was clearly a bit incredulous; this was not quite the wilderness training he had imagined.

Shouldn't real wilderness training involve carefully sneaking into the habitat of a pet beast tribe, formulating detailed tactical arrangements, and achieving victory only after great hardship?

What did they call this?

Lin Chen stepped forward leisurely, walking into the habitat of the Shadow-Rift Cat pack as if strolling in a courtyard.

His gaze swept across the area, and finally, he discovered the desolate star crystals collected by the Shadow-Rift Cat pack in a depression.

Zhou Ming rushed over, and after counting carefully, there were actually as many as thirty-two desolate star crystals.

"We're rich! We're rich!! Thirty-two! Ten credits each, that's three hundred and twenty credits!!" Zhou Ming was completely excited.

Lin Chen looked at this pile of star crystals, his thoughts surging.

Combined with Su Qingyuan's guess and the actions of the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat, it seemed that this pet beast was indeed constantly devouring desolate star crystals, thereby forcibly stimulating its body to improve its strength in a short period of time.

But it also paid a heavy price for this, with toxins accumulating in its body, leading to madness, and incidentally encountering Lin Chen and the others who were looking for star crystals.

"But why would it do this?" Lin Chen fell into thought.

"Is it trying to use this to fight its mortal enemy, the Blade-Tail Viper?"

This was not a utopian, harmonious world; wild pet beasts would kill and fight for territory, food, and resources, which was extremely tragic.

Even in the distant pet beast kingdoms, killing and fighting were unavoidable.

The Blade-Tail Viper and the Shadow-Rift Cat were natural enemies, killing each other, so it was quite reasonable that they would use the energy of the desolate star crystals to fight each other.

Just then, the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat's body twitched slightly, and it slowly woke up.

It seemed that because of its severe injuries and the intense consumption of energy, it had temporarily escaped its previous state of madness.

As soon as the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat opened its eyes, it saw Lin Chen standing not far away, and the massive beast beside him.

Memories of being beaten up suddenly flooded its mind, and the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat was so scared that its fur stood on end, struggling to shrink back, but it accidentally aggravated its wounds, causing it to hiss in pain.

Lin Chen walked up to it, maintaining a safe distance: "Do you have any other desolate star crystals here?"

"Meow meow meow!" The Shadow-Rift Cat leader shook its head frantically.

Lin Chen glanced suspiciously at the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat and continued to ask: "Then, do you know where else there are large amounts of desolate star crystals nearby?"

Ever since spending three days in the secret realm, Lin Chen had deeply realized one thing from the Four-Winged Iron-Feather Vulture—if you want fast search efficiency, you must ask the local pet beasts.

This pack of Shadow-Rift Cats had lived here for a long time, so they must be very clear about where large amounts of desolate star crystals existed.

Otherwise, even with Su Qingyuan's help, the search efficiency would still be too low.

He wondered how the Four-Winged Iron-Feather Vulture was doing after he left the secret realm? Was it getting along harmoniously with other pet beasts?

Those wild pet beasts shouldn't be venting their anger towards him on it, right?

"Meow—!" And when it heard Lin Chen's question, a flash of light appeared in the eyes of the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat. It endured the pain in its body, struggled to stand up, and tremblingly raised a claw, pointing in one direction.

There! There are many desolate star crystals there! More than the desolate star crystals here!

Lin Chen smiled: "Is it the place where that group of Blade-Tail Vipers is?"

The leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat was stunned, its expression puzzled.

How did this human know?

Lin Chen smiled slightly: "This trick of shifting the trouble is played well, but don't worry, I will find them and ask about the situation."

Looking at the smiling Lin Chen, the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat only felt a cold wind blowing deep in its heart, freezing and bone-chilling.

And just at this moment, Su Qingyuan, who had been silently observing from the side, seemed to have discovered something.

She walked slowly to the edge of the rocky pile, to a corner that looked unremarkable.

She crouched down and reached out to gently push aside the withered grass on the surface.

What was revealed underneath was not soil, but stones of different colors and shapes.

One stone appeared translucent light purple, with little starlight flickering inside; one stone was a deep shadow black, as if it could absorb light; and there were a few other stones that were common earthy yellow or blue-gray, but their energy fluctuations were obviously different from ordinary stones.

"These are—" Lin Chen's gaze narrowed.

"This is a second-rank psychic resource, Spirit-Mind Amethyst." Su Qingyuan picked up the translucent light purple stone, as if counting her family treasures.

"Second-rank dark-type resource, Shadow-Erosion Stone." She pointed to the deep black stone.

"And some scattered first-rank resources."

"Oh right, and this."

Su Qingyuan crouched down, gently fiddling, and took out another round crystal about the size of an egg, the whole body presenting a warm, milky white color.

This round crystal lay quietly in Su Qingyuan's palm, emitting a soft light that made people's minds involuntarily peaceful.

Inside it, it seemed as if liquid light was slowly flowing, and a pure and warm light aura was constantly emanating.

Lin Chen was stunned at first, then his eyes lit up: "This is too coincidental."

This was exactly the holy radiance crystal core he had been thinking about, priced at 350 credits in the credit mall.

First two ordinary-type second-rank resources, and now the holy radiance crystal core he needed most right now.

This was so coincidental that he even suspected Su Qingyuan had seen through everything he wanted, and then hid these things here in advance, waiting for him to dig them up.

"This is a holy radiance crystal core?!" Zhang Xiaoxiao clearly also recognized the holy radiance crystal core, and a voice of surprise and suspicion rang out.

Although others didn't know the specific value of the holy radiance crystal core, just looking at its appearance, they knew it was by no means an ordinary object.

Zhou Ming looked back at the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat and grinned: "You've hidden quite a few good things."

The leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat's whole body was trembling, its face ashen, and it buried its head deep.

"Let's distribute them according to the plan we made."

Su Qingyuan's voice pulled everyone's attention back. Her expression was normal, as if she had just found a few ordinary stones: "The Spirit-Mind Amethyst is useful for the Wind-Feather Bird, so I'll take it. You guys can split the Shadow-Erosion Stone and the remaining resources. As for this holy radiance crystal core—"

Lin Chen spoke abruptly: "I have a use for it. I will transfer the credits for its value to you later."

The distribution mechanism of the four was very simple: if the resources found were useful to a certain pet beast, they could just take them, because except for the Flame-Spine Tyrannosaur and the Flame Eagle, the four people's pet beasts did not have overlapping attributes.

If they encountered resources that no one needed, they would return to school to exchange them for credits and then distribute them equally.

After Lin Chen spoke, the others had no objections.

He took the holy radiance crystal core from Su Qingyuan's hand; it felt warm to the touch, and pure light energy came through his palm, making his spirit feel refreshed.

"Ying wu?" The Songsong Dog seemed to sense something too, running to his feet, tilting its little head, its pitch-black eyes tightly fixed on the holy radiance crystal core, emitting a delicate, coquettish sound from its throat.

It felt an inexplicable longing.

"Alright, alright! We found the desolate star crystals, and we found the resources, let's get going!"

Zhou Ming looked in the direction the leader-level Shadow-Rift Cat had pointed earlier, his eyes shining: "I can't wait."

Lin Chen gripped the holy radiance crystal core tightly and slowly said: "No rush."

"Give me one minute."

Zhou Ming was obviously stunned. Huh? Seemed like he had heard this sentence somewhere before?