"......There's another possibility," Wan Yulian said. "A pet at the Advanced rank might be controlling these spores."
"An Advanced pet?" Jin Yan's voice suddenly rose. "Isn't the Misty Wetland designated as a Secret Realm for Junior Beast Tamers? How could there be an Advanced pet here?"
Jia Yangping's Steel-Armored Rhinoceros restlessly scraped the ground, letting out dull thuds.
Liu Yi gently stroked Chiying's dragon horn, while Ziyue quietly squatted at her feet, her ears alertly swiveling, constantly monitoring movements outside the cave.
"Under normal circumstances, there shouldn't be," Wan Yulian said, pulling out a worn notebook from her backpack and quickly flipping to a certain page. "But according to the 《Secret Realm Ecological Anomaly Record》, when a certain special fungus over-proliferates and absorbs the Secret Realm's energy, it can give birth to a 'Phantom Mist Sovereign,' a type of Advanced pet whose temporary energy is unstable but capable of manipulating Hallucinogenic Spores."
Liu Yi leaned in to examine the drawing in the notebook: indistinct mycelial tentacles were vaguely visible within a blurry purple mist.
"You mean..." Liu Yi pointed at the churning purple mist outside the cave, "these spores aren't naturally occurring; they're released by an Advanced pet."
Wan Yulian nodded gravely.
Everyone in the cave exchanged glances. A middle-aged Beast Tamer with an injured arm struggled to sit up, "Then aren't we just trapped here to die? An Advanced pet is completely beyond what Beast Tamers like us, with only Intermediate pets, can handle!"
Liu Yi didn't immediately refute the Beast Tamer's words.
Because these Beast Tamers and their pets had just been affected by the Hallucinogenic Spores, and then suddenly heard about an Advanced pet exceeding the Secret Realm's designated level, comparing it to the level gap with their own pets, they naturally felt there was little hope.
However, she, Ziyue, and Chiying had been mostly unaffected throughout their journey.
Liu Yi surveyed everyone in the cave, her gaze finally settling on Wan Yulian: "If the 'Phantom Mist Sovereign' is merely a pseudo-Advanced pet temporarily spawned by the Secret Realm's energy, and its energy is unstable, then we might not be without a chance."
She crouched down, gently stroking Ziyue's fluffy fur. "Ziyue's Extreme Cold Storm has a wide area of effect and is intensely cold, and Chiying's Dragon Starfall also carries fire. As you said, both of these attributes can counter the Hallucinogenic Spores."
Wan Yulian's eyes lit up. "Theoretically, yes! But..." She looked worriedly at the churning purple mist outside the cave. "To get close to the source, we'd have to pass through this area and return to where we encountered the Swamp Crocodilian."
Liu Yi nodded. "Yes, Ziyue, Chiying, and I will go."
"No!" Jin Yan suddenly grabbed her arm. "It's too dangerous! That's an Advanced pet!"
Jia Yangping also hurriedly tried to dissuade her. "At least wait for the Secret Realm Management Office to detect the anomaly and send rescue personnel..."
Liu Yi gently pulled her hand free from Jin Yan's grasp. "For Secret Realms that have already been classified, the Management Office usually has long intervals between inspections and patrols. In our current situation, our communicators are also malfunctioning, so we can't contact the outside. Simply waiting for rescue, we don't know how long we'd have to wait."
"Every minute we delay, the wider the spores will spread."
She looked at the injured Beast Tamers inside the cave. "Some people are already showing symptoms of hallucinations. If we drag this out, the situation will only get worse."
"I'll go with you," Wan Yulian suddenly said.
"No," Liu Yi firmly refused. "Your Pathfinder Mouse is already affected. It's more important for you to stay here and take care of the injured and the pets."
Just as Jin Yan and Jia Yangping were about to speak, she directly cut them off: "And Jin Yan and Jia Yangping, both of you stay here."
"Although Ziyue's Snowfall can temporarily protect you from being affected, once the battle starts, I likely won't have time to look after you. I don't want to face an 'Advanced pet' while also dealing with you losing control."
Jin Yan and Jia Yangping nodded silently. Although Liu Yi's words seemed ruthless, she was actually trying to keep them in this temporarily safe place and prevent them from venturing out with her.
Moreover, her words were well-reasoned and convincing.
However, facing a crisis where they could only let a high school student several years younger than them venture out to handle it left them feeling somewhat helpless.
Seeing this, Liu Yi turned to Ziyue and Chiying. "Are you ready?"
Both Ziyue and Chiying nodded resolutely.
Liu Yi finally checked the energy liquid and recovery liquid in her Beast Taming Space. Being able to replenish Ziyue's energy consumption from using Snowfall in time was her confidence to venture out of the cave.
Ziyue was the first to unleash her Snowfall skill, and pure Ice-type energy formed a protective circle around them, pushing back the surging purple mist.
Everyone in the cave watched their figures disappear into the thick mist. Jin Yan couldn't help but shout, "Please be careful!"
The moment she stepped into the purple mist, Liu Yi felt a slight dizziness. Even with Snowfall's protection, the spores were still trying to affect her mind.
Seeing this, Ziyue let out a soft cry. The falling snowflakes became denser, and the surrounding purple mist was further dispelled.
Chiying coiled on Liu Yi's shoulder, its crimson eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
"Moling."
Suddenly, it let out a warning cry.
Ahead, the purple mist churned violently, and three Wetland Frogs with purple glowing eyes leaped out, blocking their path.
They were twice the size of ordinary Wetland Frogs, their skin covered in unnatural purple spots.
"Wild pets controlled by Hallucinogenic Spores," Liu Yi quickly analyzed the situation. "No prolonged fighting; finish them quickly."
"Ziyue, Ice Blade."
Seven Ice Blades instantly formed, precisely hitting the Wetland Frogs' legs and pinning them in place.
Chiying immediately followed up with Venom Spray. Purple venom intertwined with the purple mist, and the Wetland Frogs struggled in agony.
"Go!"
They bypassed the incapacitated Wetland Frogs and continued toward the pond.
Along the way, they were constantly attacked by controlled wild pets, but with Ziyue and Chiying's cooperation, they were all quickly dealt with.
As they delved deeper, the purple mist's concentration grew higher, and the Snowfall skill's energy consumption increased.
"Let's rest for a bit." Liu Yi stroked Ziyue's head and took out some energy liquid to feed it. "We're almost there."
Chiying suddenly straightened its body, vigilantly looking to the front right.
Liu Yi followed its gaze, vaguely discerning an open body of water.
It was the pond where they had previously collected Mist Shadow Flowers.
The pond was now completely shrouded in purple mist, and the pond water glowed an unnatural fluorescent purple.
More unsettlingly, a gigantic creature stood in the center of the pond.
The creature was about three meters tall, like a massive purple fungal mass bobbing in the water, with countless glowing mycelial threads hanging below, swaying gently with an unseen airflow.
Where the mycelial threads touched the water, ripples constantly spread, and more purple mist rose from it.
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