Chapter 929: Molten Flame Seed

Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories.blogspot.com/?m=1 

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The Molten Armored Dragon, a dual-attribute Dragon and Fire-type King-level pet beast, was said to dwell in magma year-round. It loved bathing in molten lava, its scales were filled with condensed fire energy, and every so often, the scorching flames circulating inside its body would erupt through the gaps between its scales…

The description flashed through Qiao Sang’s mind, and her heart tensed sharply.

She hadn’t expected there to be a King-level dragon-type beast here of all places.

Dragon-type beasts were infamous for their long evolution cycles.

In the world of Beast Tamers, those capable of contracting a dragon-type pet were usually the wealthy and resource-rich, fed only the best energy pills.

Yet even then, for a dragon-type pet to reach the King-level would take the Beast Tamer from youth to old age.

A wild King-level dragon-type beast…

How long must this creature have lived?

The more she thought about it, the more dangerous the situation felt.

Also, how had it sensed them from such a distance? It wasn’t even a Psychic-type…

As countless thoughts raced through Qiao Sang’s mind, the Molten Armored Dragon yawned widely, then slipped back into the magma.

Qiao Sang: ……

“Head to the farthest area.” She changed her previous plan.

At least now she understood why both sides, more than ten kilometers out, were devoid of Fire-type beasts.

Since the reason was that dragon, there was no need to move any closer.

She definitely didn’t want to deal with a wild King-level dragon-type beast, especially one that was also Fire-type.

“Xun~”

Little Treasure had also seen the Molten Armored Dragon emerge from the magma.

He found his Beast Tamer’s choice to be very wise and immediately began pinpointing a new location.

In an instant, the group vanished from the spot.

The Fire-type beasts on both sides exchanged glances.

Their faces seemed to say, “Where did they go?”, “No idea.”, “Whatever.”

Then they lay back down as if nothing had happened.

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Silence.

A deathly silence.

Other than the occasional glug-glug of bubbling magma, there was no other sound.

“Senior Qiao, doesn’t the atmosphere here feel… off?”

Although there were no more Fire-type beasts nearby, Guo Ruiqi somehow felt this place was even more terrifying than when they had first entered.

“Don’t worry. I’ll finish the scan and then we’ll leave.” Qiao Sang said, though even she wasn’t completely sure of herself.

The Molten Armored Dragon had been roughly twelve kilometers from the entrance,  now they were about fifteen kilometers in, not too close, not too far.

Even if it came over, Little Treasure’s Spatial Shift ability could move them again before it arrived.

But just as Guo Ruiqi said, the air here felt wrong.

It was as if something terrifying was watching them.

“When you locked coordinates earlier, did you see anything?” Mikayla asked, her eyes sweeping over the magma.

“The Molten Armored Dragon.” Qiao Sang answered honestly.

Guo Ruiqi froze, then widened his eyes in shock.

“What- The Molten Armored Dragon?!”

“But don’t worry.” Qiao Sang added. 

“It’s about three kilometers away.”

Guo Ruiqi let out a breath of relief.

Right, Senior Qiao wouldn’t recklessly teleport them right beside that thing.

“You sure?” Mikayla asked, her gaze still fixed on the magma.

“Huh?” Qiao Sang followed her line of sight.

Glug, glug…

Bubbles surged up violently, and the magma began to swirl, as though something massive below was about to surface.

“Yap…”

Yabao’s eyes sharpened, staring at the vortex.

The instant she saw those red scales beneath the magma, Qiao Sang’s pupils constricted.

Danger!

“Move!” She shouted.

“Xun!”

Blue light flashed in Little Treasure’s eyes.

A second later, the entire group vanished, returning to their original position.

Beneath the magma, a pair of cold black eyes gazed at where they had just been… then slowly closed.

The swirling magma calmed once more.

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Below the cracked ground, a dozen Fire-type beasts blinked at the group that had suddenly returned.

Their faces read, “They’re back again?”, “How should I know?”, “Whatever.” and they once again lay back down, uninterested.

How could that be?

How could the Molten Armored Dragon appear there?

Qiao Sang frowned deeply, replaying the image of those unmistakable scales.

She couldn’t have been mistaken.

She’d just seen them up close earlier.

But according to Little Treasure’s spatial reading, the Molten Armored Dragon had been three kilometers away.

It wasn’t a Psychic-type, how could it cross that distance in less than a second?

Unless… it also had a Psychic-type attribute.

The thought sent a chill through her but she quickly dismissed it.

Impossible. There couldn’t be a creature that combined Fire, Dragon, and Psychic attributes.

That would be a legendary beast.

But if it wasn’t Psychic, and couldn’t teleport…

Then how did it appear there so fast?

“Senior Qiao, what now?” Guo Ruiqi asked, glancing around nervously when she didn’t answer.

Qiao Sang thought for a few seconds, then said firmly, “We leave. For now.”

Lubao’s energy still hadn’t recovered, and she had no idea what that dragon’s condition was. She couldn’t take the risk.

Mikayla frowned.

“Leave already?”

“Mm.” Qiao Sang nodded.

“I agree with Senior Qiao!” Guo Ruiqi declared immediately.

That earned a small, approving smile from her.

Having cautious teammates wasn’t bad, as long as they listened in critical moments.

Mikayla sighed softly.

“Still, I think the magma below hides a Molten Flame Seed.”

Qiao Sang blinked, momentarily forgetting her plan to leave.

“The Molten Flame Seed?”

“What’s that?” Guo Ruiqi asked.

“It’s the source of the magma, the origin point that creates it.” Mikayla explained, still watching the molten river.

“They say that any pet beast who manages to absorb it will awaken a Fire attribute, and even become immune to lava.”

Guo Ruiqi’s jaw dropped.

“Seriously? What about Water-types? Could they awaken Fire too?”

“If they can withstand the absorption.” Mikayla said. 

“Then yes.”

“Xun~?”

Little Treasure’s eyes gleamed with sudden curiosity as he drifted closer.

What about Ghost-types? Ghost-types??

Mikayla didn’t understand his muttering and continued: “Also, where there’s a Molten Flame Seed, Molten Crystals form around it. They’re rich in Fire energy and can trigger evolution in most Fire-type pets. I think those Flame Night Birds we met earlier evolved through Molten Crystals.”

Guo Ruiqi’s curiosity exploded.

“So… with all these Fire-types around, none of them ever tried to absorb the Molten Flame Seed?”

“They can’t.” Mikayla said quietly.

“Not every pet can survive it. Without a certain level and strong physique, the beast’s body would simply burst apart.”

“Yikes…” Guo Ruiqi shuddered.

“Xun…” Little Treasure instantly lost interest in the Molten Flame Seed.

After a moment of silence, Qiao Sang asked, “Then, could the Molten Armored Dragon absorb it?”

Mikayla considered.

“There’s a chance. In fact, the Molten Flame Seed might even let it evolve into Emperor-level. But if one really exists here, it probably wouldn’t consume it recklessly.”

“Forced evolution?” Qiao Sang pressed.

Mikayla smiled faintly.

“The Molten Flame Seed isn’t strong enough to force a General-level evolution.”

At those words, Qiao Sang’s pulse quickened.

So the mysterious energy that helped Yabao evolve last time, could it have been the Molten Flame Seed?

The timing, the location, the rarity, everything matched.

Her thoughts whirled.

Should she try to seize it? But the Molten Armored Dragon lived in magma, it would surely know about it.

Could she really compete with that thing?

Still… wasn’t this near where Yabao had evolved?

Could it have happened during this secret realm expedition?

Just as her mind raced, Mikayla spoke again.

“I plan to collect a few Molten Crystals. If you help me, I’ll forgo my first promised reward.”

Qiao Sang composed herself, gazed steadily at her, and said, “Fine. But first, I want to see all your pet beasts. I need to gauge your combat strength.”

Mikayla froze briefly, then sighed.

“To be honest… I only brought Hidden Shield and Sleepbird inside. The rest are outside the secret realm.”

The Sleepbird glanced at her: Liar.

Mikayla gave it a cold side-eye.

“Sleep.”

The bird stiffened and nodded furiously. Yes yes, that’s right.

Still hiding things even now…

Qiao Sang nodded. 

“Understood. Let’s rest and recover first. Once our pets’ energy is full, we’ll return.”

That had been her plan anyway.

The Molten Armored Dragon was dangerous but with Lubao and Yabao fully recovered, and Little Treasure’s Spatial Shift, she’d have a safe exit no matter what.

Guo Ruiqi had no objections, he knew his opinion wouldn’t matter here.

Finally, Mikayla exhaled in relief.

The trio surfaced again.

Little Treasure handed out Energy Recovery Potions.

Yabao gulped his down.

Lubao both drank and used Energy Regeneration simultaneously.

As Qiao Sang watched, she remembered the Molten Crystal’s potential.

She instructed Little Treasure to use his telekinesis to thread a line through the Immutable Stone, creating a necklace for Yabao.

“Lubao.” She called softly.

After about three hours, Lubao nodded, she had fully recovered.

Qiao Sang stood.

“Let’s move.”

“Yap!”

“Xun~!”

Blue light gleamed from Little Treasure’s eyes.

In a flash, they were back below ground.

This time, even the Fire-type beasts didn’t bother to look at them.

“Molten Crystals form near Molten Flame Seeds.” Mikayla explained.

“The closer to the seed, the more crystals you’ll find. Sometimes magma activity sends them bursting to the surface. These beasts are probably waiting for that.”

If only we could enter the magma directly…

Qiao Sang thought for a moment, then said, “Yabao, try dipping your paw into the magma. See if you can handle it.”

“Yap!”

Without hesitation, Yabao stepped forward and thrust his paw into the molten flow.

Every nearby Fire-type beast turned to watch.

“Yap yap!”

Two seconds later, Yabao pulled his paw back, grinning.

Hot, yes, but comfortable.

So his Fire Affinity training hadn’t gone to waste.

Having reached A-rank in Fire Draw, he could now endure magma temperatures.

Joy flashed through Qiao Sang’s eyes, she dismounted.

“Gangbao.” She called.

Sensing her intent, Gangbao stepped forward.

“Gang Zhan!” You can ride me.

The ground here was scorching; the areas beside the magma even worse.

Qiao Sang accepted, climbing onto Gangbao's back.

“Yabao, go search for Molten Crystals.” She ordered.

Then added, “They’re black-red crystals.”

“Yap!”

Yabao nodded and leapt straight into the lava.

The Fire-type beasts around them froze in disbelief, eyes widening.

Some even stretched out their paws to test the lava, only to yelp and recoil immediately.

Sitting atop Gangbao, Qiao Sang tracked Yabao’s position through her link.

He was moving deeper, unharmed.

Gangbao advanced carefully along the magma’s edge.

The farther they went, the fewer Fire-type beasts there were.

“Qing qing…”

Qingbao clung weakly to Lubao, drained from the heat.

Lubao, focused on conserving energy for the danger ahead, no longer emitted cold air to cool them down.

“Want to rest in the Beast Codex?” Qiao Sang asked.

“Qing…”

Qingbao nodded feebly.

With a wave of her hand, Qiao Sang recalled her.

“Xun~”

Little Treasure quickly floated over to occupy the vacated spot.

Lubao glanced at him, said nothing.

Minutes passed, the path grew hotter, deeper.

They were now less than two kilometers from where Qiao Sang had first sensed the Molten Armored Dragon.

She had Gangbao stop and began forming seals, preparing to summon Yabao back, ready to fight if necessary, but hoping to avoid conflict.

“Yap!”

Before she could finish, Yabao burst out of the magma, eyes bright with excitement, a triumphant cry in his throat.

He had found it.

Between his claws gleamed a black-red crystal, the Molten Crystal itself.

Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up.

“Good-!”

“ROOOAR!!”

Her words were cut off by a thunderous roar.

The magma exploded upward as a colossal red-scaled body, over ten meters long, surged from the depths.

The Molten Armored Dragon had appeared.

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