Beast Taming: I Can Evolve Infinitely

Chapter 602: Chapter 597: Shadow Forest

After displaying his new skill, Alpha returned to Bai Qi’s side. The shadow of the sword also ceased its movement and was hidden in the shadows under Alpha’s feet.

Still, Bai Qi felt as though the sword shadow might attack him at any moment.

“Could it be a passive skill?”

Bai Qi casually picked up a piece of debris and tossed it at Alpha. Before Alpha could move, the shadowy sword sprang out from the shadows and sliced the debris into pieces.

“So that’s it; a sword shadow that automatically defends and counterattacks. This means you won’t need to worry about surprise attacks, Alpha.”

Bai Qi looked at Alpha with a grin.

Clack, clack.

(Eh, though nobody can surprise attack me anyway.)

Alpha stood with his sword sheathed, exuding an invincible aura.

“For that move, I give you 101 points. The extra one is for being cocky.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Qi couldn’t help but give a thumbs up. Had it been someone else, he might have tried to discipline them since pride comes before a fall. But this wasn’t necessary for Alpha. After all, his track record spoke volumes, and this cocky attitude was part of his impressive strength.

Alpha might have been arrogant in victory, but he was never disheartened in defeat.

Alpha’s mindset was no different from that of an immortal swordsman who could use a single sword stroke to overcome innumerable trials, at least in Bai Qi’s view.

Arrooo, arrooo…

(Damn, even though this is supposed to be my turf, that smelly bone-stealer still managed to steal the thunder…)

With a resentful expression on his face, Beta watched Alpha, but Schuck and Jerry reacted differently.

“Alpha is indeed stronger than us. I need to acquire more knowledge.”

Data continuously flashed in Schuck’s eyes, analyzing Alpha’s just-completed move.

“True, I haven’t developed enough of my own Origin power. I need to delve further into it.”

Behind Jerry, the dark golden weighing scales flickered while an aura of judgement flowed deep within his soul. It seemed to be searching for something.

Arrooo, arrooo!

(Damn, I need to step up my game too!)

All three of Husky’s heads blazed with a readiness for battle; white-gold, gold, and dark-gold lights flashed, displaying the full magnificence of his pedigree.

“Indeed, the pressure from external predicaments is no match for self-motivation,” Bai Qi observed with satisfaction. Unlike Bai Qi’s other companions, Husky and Alpha had known each other for a long time; they’d always been in a competitive relationship (dog and bone?), likely because of their species.

Of course, Alpha had always emerged the victor, but Husky didn’t allow this to dampen his spirits.

Bearing this in mind, Bai Qi turned his gaze to his remaining companions.

Gamma seemed indifferent to either Alpha’s strength or Husky’s sudden outburst of will. Instead, he was diligently searching for something in a pile of undead bodies.

Squish squish…

(Can I eat the meat from an undead creature…?)

“Gamma, your tastes are developing quite nicely, what’s with the interest in undead now…”

A twitch developed near Bai Qi’s eye, and he silently decided to enforce a separate dining policy with Gamma. Who knew what kind of strange things he might start eating?

“Leader, should we advance to the next level?”

The wormgrass alighted on Bai Qi’s shoulder and eyed the teleportation array in front of them, asking.

“Yes, of course, we’re moving on,” Bai Qi nodded. “Worst case scenario, if we can’t win, we just run!”

Bai Qi was quite satisfied with the gains they had made on the seventh level, and had high expectations for the eighth. If they could gather the prerequisite skills for Undead Dominator, Alpha might be able to evolve straight into a high-level emperor and be ready to fight a legend.

“Do we need to contact Nicholas?” asked the wormgrass.

“Hmm…we’d better contact him. We might even encounter a legendary creature,” pondered Bai Qi. “What about luring the Lava Tiger here?”

Arrooo, arrooo~

(Human, finally, your intelligence is catching up with about 10% of mine.)

Upon hearing Bai Qi’s words, Beta was gratified and gave Bai Qi a pat on the shoulder. His haughty demeanor made Bai Qi roll his eyes.

“Never mind. Wormgrass, keep contacting Nicholas. If we come across any danger, we’ll simply teleport to where the Lava Tiger is.”

Bai Qi grasped the level five teleportation rune stone in his hand and stepped confidently into the teleportation array.

…

Twilight Tomb.

Eighth level.

Whoosh~

In the midst of endless darkness, a glimmer of light flashed. Bai Qi’s group silently made their appearance.

Arrooo, arrooo!

(It’s so dark, I don’t like it!)

The moment Beta stepped in, he picked up the scent of the potent shadow power in the area. He immediately activated his Indestructible Golden Body, dispelling the surrounding darkness, and the visions of Bai Qi and the others began to gradually recover.

However, before Beta could take credit, a phantom claw belonging to Jerry materialized and smacked him on the head.

“Idiot, Indestructible Golden Body and the shadow power repel each other, attracting enemies’ attention!”

Arrooo, arrooo…

(I didn’t mean to…)

Embarrassed by the remark, Beta sniffed the air, seeming to have detected something.

(It seems like some creatures are approaching…)

As soon as Beta spoke, Alpha and Gamma rushed out. The Red Lotus Karma Fire and Judgment Thunder flashed simultaneously, causing piercing cries to reverberate in the darkness.

Soon, Alpha and Gamma each brought back a black, catlike creature to Bai Qi.

“Flesh-and-blood creatures? Aren’t there only undead in the Twilight Tomb?”

Seeing this, Wormwood curiously remarked.

“The Master of the Twilight Tomb is a witch ghoul, biased towards Shadows. The undead are just part of the Shadow Department.”

Bai Qi examined the Shadow Cat and said, “Judging by this, the eighth layer should consist of creatures with Shadow attributes.”

“I see, I understand now.”

Getting the point, Wormwood looked around at the pitch-black world and said, “Since this is a shadow world, leave it to me!”

Having said that, Wormwood flew off Bai Qi’s shoulder. Hovering above everyone, he released the Power of the Great Sun from his wings. Like a mini-sun, it dispelled the surrounding darkness.

Ka-pu, ka-pu!

(Gamma, help out too!)

Upon seeing this, Gamma flapped its Angel’s Wings, its dazzling Holy Light piercing through shadows attempting to ambush the group.

At once, sorrowful cries filled the ground as the Shadow creatures scampered away from Wormwood and Gamma, afraid of being harmed by the Holy Light and the Power of the Great Sun.

“This is much easier on the eyes.”

Bai Qi nodded slightly, examining the forest that gradually revealed its true nature. He said, “Since there’s a forest, there should be plenty of resources in this eighth layer, right?”

“I have detected a rich vein of minerals underground nearby. The Shadow Department Power is very concentrated. It could be the Shadow Department materials Black and White talked about.”

Schuck scanned the ground in front of him and said.

“Shadow Department minerals? This is an unexpected harvest.”

Bai Qi’s eyes sparkled. The materials from the Shadow Department were crucial for Bai Qi to break through to Mythical status, making them an indispensable resource.

“It’s a pity Jie Ta isn’t here. His ability would be perfect for mining.”

Li Lei had called Jie Ta away to study potions, so Bai Qi didn’t bring Jie Ta to the Twilight Tomb this time.

“Leave it to me. The Zodiac Mouse’s ability is quite suitable for mining as well.”

Schuck released the Zodiac Mouse and started examining the position of the mine deposit. He completely ignored the surrounding Shadow Beasts glaring hungrily at him.

“That works too, leave the mining to you.”

Bai Qi nodded, looked at the Shadow creatures that had been driven back by the Great Sun and the Holy Light, and said, “As for these, Alpha and Delta, I’ll leave them to you.”

“It’s rare to have a level full of materials. We can’t miss it.”

Click, clatter.

(Okay, boss!)

Blub, blub!

(No problem, Master.)

Alpha and Delta nodded in unison before charging into the swarm of Shadow Beasts.

Unlike the previous levels filled with undead, these Shadow Beasts were mostly flesh-and-blood creatures. In theory, they could harvest a lot of materials.

Alpha and Delta were well aware of this fact. One abandoned his widely destructive weapon for the minimally intrusive Sword of the Wind Chaser. The other used his extensive biological knowledge and the Void Shuttle to accurately strike at the enemy’s weakness.

Facing the seemingly endless Shadow Beasts in the Shadow Forest, Alpha and Delta sauntered around at ease.

“Beast Master, I’ve located the mine.”

Very soon, Schuck accurately located the Shadow mine, but his eyes became alert.

“Are there other creatures guarding it?”

Spotting Schuck’s cautious look, Bai Qi asked.

“Yes, although intertwined with the scent of the ore, I can still sense a strong soul fluctuation.”

Jerry, who was standing by, nodded and said, “If I’m not wrong, there should be at least three Emperor creatures there.”

“Just three Emperor beings?”

Bai Qi’s eyes sparkled. Three Emperor Shadow creatures, that’s at least three Mythical resources.

Wow, the sanctuary left by the Witch Ghoul isn’t just vast, but the resource productivity is also quite high.

“Let’s go, let’s go, we need to take care of them before they run. We can’t let that meat slip through our fingers!”

Ka-pu ka-pu?

(Meat? Master, can Gamma eat them?)

Upon hearing that there was something to eat, Gamma, who was hovering overhead dispersing shadow power, was instantly revitalized. Its mouth even started to drool.

The Shadow creatures here were rich in Shadow Power. Gamma had stealthily swallowed a few earlier and found them to be a unique delicacy. If they were Emperor-level creatures, the taste would probably be even better.

“Gamma, you’re an Emperor creature now. Try to maintain some dignity. Clean up your drool first.”

Seeing Gamma, who appeared as grand as a deity, drooling, Bai Qi felt helpless and said, “Let’s first see what kind they are. After I’ve extracted their useful materials, you can eat them.”

Ka-pu, ka-pu!

(Okay!)

Gama cheered immediately. The Holy Light radiating from its body turned even more dazzling and purified a few Shadow creatures that couldn’t dodge fast enough.

At this, Bai Qi couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Although Gamma’s appearance had become more suave, it seemed that deep down, Gamma was still the gluttonous slime from before.