Jia Yangping's Steel-Armored Rhinoceros seized the opportunity to unleash a Headbutt Charge, its heavy body slamming hard into the Swamp Crocodilian's flank.
The Swamp Crocodilian was knocked back several meters, but it immediately retaliated, lashing out its tail like a whip, striking the Steel-Armored Rhinoceros and repelling it.
“Swiftwind Falcon, Wind Blade!” Jin Yan commanded.
The Swiftwind Falcon in the air flapped its wings, and several Wind Blades whistled down, leaving a few scars on the Swamp Crocodilian's back.
But this only enraged the Swamp Crocodilian; it suddenly rolled over, its thick tail sweeping through the air, narrowly missing the Swiftwind Falcon.
“Ziyue, Frozen Bite.”
Ziyue instantly pounced on the Swamp Crocodilian, her ice-covered fangs sinking deep into its front limb.
Frost quickly spread, but the Swamp Crocodilian violently thrashed its body, forcibly shaking Ziyue off.
Liu Yi noticed purple mist churning in the Swamp Crocodilian's eyes: “Chiying, Glare.”
Chiying's eyes suddenly lit up, and an invisible mental wave pierced directly into the Swamp Crocodilian.
The Swamp Crocodilian's movements clearly faltered for a moment.
“It's working, keep disrupting it.”
Chiying continued to use Glare, and the Swamp Crocodilian began shaking its head, seemingly struggling against a force that controlled it.
Seizing this chance, Ziyue pounced again, this time aiming directly for the Swamp Crocodilian's neck with Frozen Bite.
“Crunch—”
At the same time, she unleashed a Frost Breath, and the Swamp Crocodilian's struggles grew slower and slower, until it finally crashed to the ground.
“We're done collecting!” Wan Yulian and Jin Yan ran over from the other side of the pond, holding several glass bottles filled with Mist Shadow Flowers. “These should be enough.”
Liu Yi didn't lower her guard.
“Look!” Jia Yangping suddenly pointed into the depths of the pond. “What's that?”
In the center of the pond, tendrils of purple mist were rising from the bottom, and unlike the ordinary white mist, this purple mist seemed to shimmer with faint light.
Wan Yulian's expression changed. “Oh no, it's Hallucinogenic Spores! They'll affect pets' minds!”
“So the Swamp Crocodilian was affected by this?” Jin Yan asked nervously.
Liu Yi nodded. “Most likely.”
She looked at Ziyue and Chiying; they didn't seem to be affected.
Liu Yi turned to Wan Yulian. “We need to notify the Secret Realm Management Office.”
“Let's get out of here first.” Wan Yulian nervously watched the increasing purple mist rising from the pond. “If the concentration of these spores gets too high, even humans will be affected.”
Everyone quickly gathered their gear, preparing to retreat, but just then, the surrounding mist suddenly turned pale purple, further reducing visibility.
“It's too late.” Wan Yulian's voice trembled. “The spores have already spread.”
Liu Yi looked around. Twisted tree shadows were vaguely visible in the purple mist, and the howls of unknown creatures echoed from afar. The entire Secret Realm seemed to have become restless.
“Everyone, stay close.” Liu Yi commanded calmly. “Jia Yangping, have your Steel-Armored Rhinoceros lead the way. Jin Yan, can your Swiftwind Falcon still navigate?”
Jin Yan tried to communicate with her Swiftwind Falcon in the air, but quickly shook her head. “No, it's becoming agitated; I can only recall it.”
Sure enough, when the Swiftwind Falcon landed, its eyes were somewhat unfocused, and its feathers were disheveled. Wan Yulian's Pathfinder Mouse had curled into a ball, trembling.
Liu Yi had them recall their Swiftwind Falcon and Pathfinder Mouse into their Beast Taming Spaces, then made a decisive call: “Ziyue, Snowfall.”
Ziyue tilted her head back and let out a cool cry. In an instant, snowflakes fluttered down from the sky, intertwining with the purple mist.
The pure Ice-type energy field created by the Snowfall skill seemed to have a certain suppressive effect on the Hallucinogenic Spores, pushing back some of the surrounding purple mist.
“It's working!” Wan Yulian exclaimed in surprise. “But maintaining this Weather Skill while moving with us must consume a lot of energy, right?”
Liu Yi: “So we need to find a safe area as quickly as possible.”
The team slowly advanced under the cover of Ziyue's Snowfall.
Jia Yangping's Steel-Armored Rhinoceros, due to its large size, had inhaled the most spores and was already stumbling.
Jin Yan and Wan Yulian also looked pale, clearly affected.
Suddenly, sounds of fighting and human shouts came from ahead.
“Other Beast Tamers are trapped!” Jin Yan exclaimed.
Liu Yi quickened her pace, and after passing through a patch of bushes, she found three Beast Tamers' pets fighting each other, attacking indiscriminately.
The eyes of those pets were all veiled with purple mist, and they frantically used their skills, not even reacting when they accidentally injured their own masters.
The three Beast Tamers' movements were also very sluggish.
“They've been affected by the spores,” Wan Yulian said anxiously. “Pets are more sensitive than humans and will lose control first.”
“We have to help them,” Liu Yi said without hesitation. “Ziyue, Extreme Cold Storm, control those pets. Chiying, prepare to use Glare to disrupt them.”
Ziyue took a deep breath, and a fierce blizzard instantly swept across the battlefield, temporarily freezing the three out-of-control pets.
Chiying immediately followed with Glare, her mental wave accurately hitting the targets.
“Now's your chance!” Liu Yi shouted to the rescued Beast Tamers. “Recall your pets!”
The three Beast Tamers awoke as if from a dream, hurriedly recalling their pets into their Beast Taming Spaces.
“Thank you!” one of the young men said breathlessly. “We were just collecting herbs when suddenly... Wait, who are you?”
“Wan Yulian, Intermediate Breeder.” Wan Yulian stepped forward. “Do you know of any safe areas? All the pets in the Secret Realm seem to be rioting.”
The young man shook his head. “Our communication devices are malfunctioning; we're also looking for an exit.”
He pointed behind him. “But there's a cave over there; we might be able to take temporary shelter.”
Liu Yi thought for a moment. “Let's go to the cave first. Once the purple mist disperses, we'll figure out how to contact the outside.”
The combined team moved towards the cave.
Along the way, they encountered several more groups of trapped Beast Tamers, some of whom were already injured.
Liu Yi directed Ziyue and Chiying to lead the way, moving everyone to the cave.
Inside the cave, it was relatively dry, and the purple mist concentration was lower.
Wan Yulian quickly checked on the injured.
Meanwhile, Liu Yi walked to the mouth of the cave, gazing at the churning purple mist outside.
Ziyue and Chiying guarded her on either side, vigilantly observing their surroundings.
“The purple mist is getting thicker. If this continues, all creatures in the Secret Realm will be affected,” Liu Yi said, turning to the people inside the cave. “We need to find a way to purify these spores.”
Wan Yulian, who was bandaging an injured Beast Tamer, looked up when she heard this. “Theoretically, extreme cold or fire can eliminate these spores, but the area is too vast...”
“Ziyue's Extreme Cold Storm can cover a certain area,” Liu Yi mused, “but we need to find the source.”
“The source should be that pond,” Jin Yan interjected. “We saw it when we were collecting Mist Shadow Flowers.”
Jia Yangping nodded. “Right, the purple mist was coming from the bottom of the pond.”
Liu Yi looked at Wan Yulian. “How much do you know about these spores?”
Wan Yulian pondered for a moment. “These Hallucinogenic Spores are usually released by a special fungus. Normally, the concentration is very low and wouldn't cause such a widespread effect.”
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