Chapter 152: A Bountiful Harvest
Phantasmal Beasts were products formed when Beast Tamers relied on a class advancement ritual to fuse special energy crystals together.
Compared to other tamed beasts, Phantasmal Beasts did not require bloodlines as their source of potential. They only needed to integrate various treasures of corresponding attributes, and with the cooperation of the Beast Tamer’s Spiritual Power, they could continuously improve.
Because Phantasmal Beasts possessed elementalization abilities, aside from their energy core needing protection, any other injuries they suffered would recover rapidly.
However, the tamed beasts of professional Phantasmal Tamers had yet to truly reach complete elementalization.
Facing the Molten Lava Fire Crocodile’s attack, Zhou Ming directly pulled the trigger. The remaining four bullets in the Thunder Type-3 Revolver all struck the Molten Lava Fire Crocodile.
After losing the support of the Beast Tamer’s Spiritual Power, the Molten Lava Fire Crocodile ultimately turned into a pile of charred remains.
With the Phantasmal Beast dead, Qi Shouwu, who was suffering from dark backlash, directly suffered a mental collapse, leaving only a countdown to death.
In the distance, the onlookers who were watching the battle only now realized that Qi Shouwu had been defeated.
Earlier, during the fierce clash between Zhou Ming and Qi Shouwu, the high temperatures had melted the accumulated snow. Water vapor, like thick clouds, shrouded the surroundings, preventing Zhao Dezhu and the others from noticing the situation in time.
“Run…”
After the instinctive shout, terror filled everyone’s expressions, with only one thought in their minds—escape.
Zhou Ming naturally would not let them get their wish. He still needed to learn the full story from these people.
The giant python that had fused into Zhou Ming’s body split apart once more, charging directly toward the fleeing crowd in the distance. With the outcome already decided, Zhou Ming did not pay further attention.
“Looks like I still need to find a weapon that suits me in the future.”
After withdrawing from his serpent-man form, Zhou Ming looked at his charred right hand and casually voiced his future plans.
Immediately after, his right-hand muscles rapidly wriggled, and before long, a layer of burnt skin was shed.
After dealing with his injuries, Zhou Ming began collecting his spoils of war.
A fireblade resembling a goose-feather saber lay before him. Inside it was Spiritual information left behind by its creator. After a brief sense probe, Zhou Ming obtained a detailed understanding.
Blade Name: Fire Sparrow.
Rank: Rare.
Effects: Sharpness, Flame Augmentation.
“Not bad. Just this blade alone can earn me at least five kilograms of source crystals.”
In the Blue Star world, aside from Beast Tamers, there were also auxiliary professions established around them.
Among these were Forgemasters who specialized in creating transcendent equipment.
The ranks of transcendent equipment were divided into: Common, Rare, Excellent, and Legendary.
To become a Forgemaster, the prerequisite was to advance into a Phantasmal Tamer.
As for other professions, unless they mastered special abilities, they could only forge a single type of transcendent equipment.
Common transcendent equipment might be purchasable with money, and their enchantment effects were usually limited to ordinary transcendent traits such as sharpness, hardness, tearing, or bleeding.
Rare transcendent equipment, on the other hand, mostly granted various elemental attribute enhancements, and could only be purchased using source crystals.
After storing away Fire Sparrow, Zhou Ming removed Qi Shouwu’s spatial bracelet.
Its spatial capacity was clearly much larger, with a price tag of at least seven kilograms of source crystals. Zhou Ming only conducted a simple inspection of the contents, planning to slowly sort through them when he had free time.
The final piece of loot was the Phantasmal Beast Crystal Core left behind after the Molten Lava Fire Crocodile’s death.
About the size of a fist, it was entirely fiery red, emitting waves of heat, and contained abundant fire-element energy particles within.
If not for the Beast Tamer’s Spiritual imprint mixed inside, as well as the residual bloodline imprint of the Phantasmal Beast itself, this item could have been directly used as Beast Tamer class advancement material.
Although it could no longer be used for Phantasmal Tamer advancement, it could still serve as material for crafting transcendent equipment, easily fetching a price of three kilograms of source crystals.
This time, after slaying a same-rank professional Beast Tamer, just these three items alone meant Zhou Ming’s assets were worth at least several hundred million Alliance Coins.
However, he was not foolish enough to exchange them for Alliance Coins. If he were to exchange anything, it would be source crystals.
Several hundred million Alliance Coins could not even buy fifteen kilograms of source crystals.
After packing up the loot, Zhou Ming cleaned up the battlefield before heading toward the valley entrance.
At the valley entrance, the giant python once again split into Ironthread Snake swarms.
The strength of ordinary Ironthread Snakes had already reached that of low-tier Ferocious Beasts, though they belonged to the weakest group at that level.
As for Silver Scale, Inkband, and Vermilion Jade, their strength barely approached high-tier Ferocious Beasts. To truly step into the high-tier Ferocious Beast level, Zhou Ming would still need to invest resources and slowly nurture them.
The people Qi Shouwu had brought this time were merely members of the Ironfang Gang who worked for the Qi family. Their overall quality was not even comparable to ordinary hunters.
Facing Zhou Ming’s Ironthread Snake swarm, they had no ability to resist. Those who fled without thinking had already been killed, leaving only a few who could clearly assess the situation.
“My lord, spare my life!”
Before Zhou Ming even approached, Zhao Dezhu, his body full of fat, directly threw himself to the ground. Truly worthy of being the leader of a gang that specialized in working for the Qi family.
Face, backbone, dignity—at this moment, all had been cast aside. He did not even feel the bone-chilling cold seeping up from the ground.
“Then can you tell me what’s going on?”
Seeing how sensible Zhao Dezhu was, Zhou Ming immediately questioned him.
Although his luck was not particularly good, it was not that bad either. Having just advanced to a professional Beast Tamer and already encountering trouble made him somewhat curious.
After all, the reason he had not chosen to advance within Qinghui Base, aside from considerations regarding the class advancement ritual, was to avoid drawing the attention of other professional Beast Tamers.
A professional Beast Tamer who had just advanced without background support, and who mastered a class advancement different from the mainstream systems, might attract prying eyes toward his advancement materials.
After all, even incomplete class advancement materials held extremely high research value.
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Kneeling on the ground, Zhao Dezhu immediately pointed toward Uncle Hu behind him and the youthful-looking young man, then recounted their identities, how they discovered the abnormal phenomenon in the valley, and how the information was passed through secret channels.
“Wildfolk? So that’s how it is.”
After hearing this, Zhou Ming did not feel particularly surprised.
Wildfolk could be said to struggle for survival their entire lives. During the winter season, they had no right to rest.
Zhou Ming walked up to Uncle Hu and the youthful young man.
“Can you tell me the location of your camp?”
Without the disguise of contact lenses, his Dark-gold Serpent Pupils stared at the two of them, causing fear to sprout in their hearts.
“I can…”
Unable to withstand the pressure, the youthful young man immediately blurted it out.
Uncle Hu tried to stop him, but discovered that he could not open his mouth. His body was also bound by an invisible force.
Only his eyes revealed an anxious expression.
The camp was the Wildfolk’s greatest secret. Even the Ironfang Gang that traded with them did not know its location.
Because with the Wildfolk’s strength, once their hiding place was exposed, they would very likely be reduced to commodities.
This would not happen within Alliance bases, but various black markets were full of their shadows.
Female slaves, experimental subjects, death warriors—this was their fate.
However, under the immense pressure brought by the Dark-gold Serpent Pupils, the youthful young man’s psychological defenses had completely collapsed.
After obtaining the information he wanted, Zhou Ming directly turned and walked toward the rocky cave, while the snake swarm behind him began silencing witnesses.