Astral Pet Store (WN)
chapter-510

Chapter 510 Protect Master and… Never Fall!

Suddenly, out of thin air, a gap opened. The transparent space was opened like a curtain, and an enchanting and graceful figure emerged from it.

It was a woman with a very charming figure, a red robe with skulls printed on it, as if soaked in blood, revealing an evil spirit.

Her face was exquisite and beautiful, with a blood-red flower on her forehead and black hair like a silken waterfall cascading down her shoulders, dancing around in the air.

“Lowly human, you seem to be plotting something.” The blood-robed woman looked down at Su Ping with a cold expression, but she spoke with a man’s voice, which was awfully strange. “Are you the Otherworld Heavenly King?” Su Ping’s heart was racing.

He had forgotten something.

Apart from Space Confinement, a creature at the Fate Realm was able to manipulate space in many other ways, such as Space Folding!

The creature could hide inside pockets of space. Anything or anyone below the same rank or state would hardly notice that, unless one had an extremely fine perception.

“That is a name you puny humans decided to give me, but I do not hate it,” The Heavenly King commented, “What are the iron rings you tossed at me?” It could pick up a sense of danger from those rings, and was also able to tell that the human being had no more of such things.

Su Ping’s heart was trembling; he was panting as this thing had admitted its identity. His reaction did not stem from fear, but anger! Two Otherworld Heavenly Kings? Obviously not. He had been fooled by some sort of skill.

That massive body on the battlefield was probably just a disguise or a dummy.

But Su Ping could feel more horrors coming off from the blood-robed creature. That should be the actual Heavenly King. He was angry because he had never imagined that the Heavenly King could be so scheming!

A king among beast kings went there to attack the Longjiang Base City, taking along a dozen beast kings with it, and still had the nerve to hide!

The actual Heavenly King must have been hiding above the battlefield using Space Folding. Why?!

Su Ping stopped running. He could not run.

He could tell that space was wobbling around him. He could be frozen on the spot at any given second. That was the true force of Space Confinement!

If the Otherworld Heavenly King intended to eliminate him, he would have already been confined. He wouldn’t have been able to bat his eyes.

Su Ping stared at the Heavenly King. “Why did you decide to strike the Longjiang Base City? I don’t think this is a hunt for food. Is there something here that is of interest to you? Or, are you afraid of an ambush from the Tower?”

The Heavenly King’s actions were odd enough. He remembered the first beast strike he had helped to defeat after he hurried over from the Supremacy League. Some dots were connected in his mind.

The Otherworld Heavenly King was smart and crafty. It had lived for a long time and had struck many base cities. It would surely know the situation of a human base city.

There had to be something else that enticed the Heavenly King into going to such lengths to target the Longjiang Base City. His previous communication with the Heavenly King was short; it had turned a deaf ear to all the terms he had offered. Any other beast king would have first questioned why he had said those words. That was to say, the Heavenly King was determined to strike the Longjiang Base City and there was nothing that could distract it! “Food?” As if hearing a joke, the Heavenly King sneered, but that lasted no longer than a second. It was too proud to show its emotions to a creature like Su Ping. “I have asked you a question; you just have to answer it. Before I resort to any of my means, I suggest you behave. Or else, I will make sure that you will grieve to the extent of wishing to die!” Su Ping pulled a long face. “They are beast-catching rings,” Su Ping answered eventually. He wished he could cut the Heavenly King into pieces but he couldn’t. He would rather compromise if that was what it would take to keep the Longjiang Base City safe. He would try his best as long as negotiation was on the table. Even if that meant he had to give up his dignity!

That was nothing compared to tens of millions of lives!

“What do I have to do for you to give up on striking this place?” Su Ping asked. “Beast-catching rings?” The Heavenly King of Otherworld sneered. “I see that you won’t tell me the truth unless I try the hard way. Also, who taught you all of those things? I know the titled battle pet warriors but I don’t think any of them is capable enough to raise a student like you.” “I am telling the truth. I can tell you anything as long as you can leave the base city alone,” Su Ping answered, sincerely. “Is that so? Then drop to your knees,” The Heavenly King of Otherworld said, clearly amused. Su Ping’s face became clouded. On his knees? He had never knelt to anyone, except for his parents! “What? Can you not decide?” the Heavenly King said with contempt. It gently lifted its finger, and dark red energy was gathered on its fingertips. The next moment, the energy formed a round ball that suddenly burst into motion.

Bang! The energy ball grew in size as it dashed away; it smashed into the outer wall that was less than a thousand meters away. With a loud noise, that piece of the outer wall was broken through After the dust settled, Su Ping saw a huge hole on the outer wall! The warriors who had been standing on the outer wall were all strangled to death by the chaotic space force! With one lift of its finger, the Heavenly King had crippled the outer wall, one that had been made with special materials! The titled battle pet warriors and other people scattered around the battlefield were alerted. They noticed what was happening with Su

Ping.

Who is that strange woman?

Su Ping turned pale. He had experienced the strikes from many Celestial Gods but that was at the Demigod Burial. The materials from their constructions were far studier. Therefore, he had never gained a clear idea of the destructive force dealt by the strike of a Fate State creature. Right then, he was able to tell that the force could bring down the world!

“Stop it!” Su Ping shouted at once.

“I will do it!”

The Heavenly King lowered its hand. “Tell me the name of your teacher and the story of the iron rings.”

“Will you leave this place?” “Probably.”

The Heavenly King’s nonchalant attitude made Su Ping clench his fist. This being was secure in the knowledge of having a strong backing; Su Ping would be the only one making compromises in this negotiation. Even so, even knowing that the Heavenly King was just playing with him, he had to agree to its terms. “I have other iron rings like those but I don’t have them with me. My teacher has already passed away,” Su Ping answered, while looking into the Heavenly King’s eyes. He told himself that he would be able to lure it into his store if it wanted the beast-catching rings. “Is that so? Have someone fetch them for me,” the Heavenly King of Otherworld answered. “I’m the only one who can get you the rings. You must know that I couldn’t have stashed such items in a place where anyone has access to.”

The Heavenly King nodded. “You’re not wrong.

“Such being the case, I will let you cling on to your petty life for a bit longer. I will come back and dig out all the secrets inside you after I’ve solved the problems here. I have all the time in the world.” Su Ping was about to say something when space closed upon him. Space confinement!

Buzzing!

A golden hue appeared over Su Ping. That was the old dragon king’s gift to him. However, that golden hue collapsed. It didn’t work!

The armor could only protect Su Ping against strikes below the Void State; it was just as fragile as a piece of paper when the strike came from a creature of the Fate State.

After that armor cracked, another one appeared. Su Ping had three protective artifacts.

Still, the second one didn’t last long.

Su Ping was furious. He wanted to talk to the Heavenly King again but he didn’t have time. Should he run or stay? He still had one more artifact. Although it wasn’t a protective barrier, it could teleport him to any place he wanted. It was an artifact that the old dragon king had given him as a safety measure. However, if he were to be sent away from the Longjiang Base City, there would be no more Longjiang Base City by the time he got back! He was struggling inside.

All of a sudden, Su Ping heard an angry call that echoed on the battlefield. He was familiar with that call. It was the Inferno Dragon!

Boom!!

The air was burning. A figure approached with a fast speed to the place where Su Ping was, just like a cannon shell. The Inferno Dragon had arrived!

Su Ping was confused about this.

He didn’t tell the Inferno Dragon to help him! The Inferno Dragon would not stand a chance to fight back against the Heavenly King!

Roar!!

The Inferno Dragon stepped on fire as it rushed over.

It locked its eyes on the Heavenly King. The Inferno Dragon was able to feel every piece of emotion Su Ping was feeling, be it pain or anger, through their bond! Behind the Inferno Dragon, the plant beast king had already died, with its body torn to pieces! Even while being weaker than the plant beast king, the Inferno Dragon had managed to kill

it!

Fire was a plant’s mortal enemy and at the same time, the Inferno Dragon had put up a hell of a fight.

“What?”

The Otherworld Heavenly King had noticed the dragon before. It was a weak beast. But like the human present, the dragon was amazing, or even strange given its strength. A strange human and a strange pet!

How interesting.

“Good potential but such a humble bloodline.” The Heavenly King darted a look at the dead plant beast king, but it did not seem disturbed by its demise. The Heavenly King had yet to do a thing, but the Inferno Dragon already felt as if it had bumped into a wall.

Halfway through, the Inferno Dragon flapped its wings and took to the skies. Su Ping could tell how determined the Inferno Dragon was. He commanded his dragon pet at once, “Do not come here. Go away!”

Roar!!

The reply he received was the Inferno Dragon’s roar of determination.

The dragon was not giving up. The dark red flames around the Inferno Dragon gradually turned golden, which was a sign of Divine Energy as it coursed around it.

Su Ping was surprised.

The Inferno Dragon would rarely disobey him, except for when he would train it with several deaths in the cultivation site at the very beginning. After that initial stage, the Inferno Dragon would do whatever he told it to do. The Inferno Dragon surely knew that resistance would not get it anywhere.

But this day, the Inferno Dragon was disobeying him again.

This time, it wasn’t because the Inferno Dragon was afraid of death. The Inferno Dragon was there to save him!

No!

I can protect myself. Go! While confined in space, Su Ping could not even call the Inferno Dragon back to his contract space! “Go!!” Su Ping shouted. This time, he ordered the Inferno Dragon with the power of their contract and that meant the Inferno Dragon would not be able to disobey him.

The Inferno Dragon trembled as if struck by something. However, the next second, it roared madly and continued to rush over.

Su Ping looked ghastly. He never expected that the Inferno Dragon would disobey an order from the contract!

A pet had to follow an order from the contract! Disobeying an order from a contract would mean that the pet would have to suffer. The Moonfrost Dragon had disobeyed Su Lingyue as a way to protect her, during the Elite League; the Moonfrost Dragon had almost died. Luckily, Su Lingyue canceled her order; treatment was provided in time and the Moonfrost Dragon survived.

I take it back! I take it back!

Su Ping hurried to cancel his instructions as the Inferno Dragon continued to run to him. However, flames were burning around the Inferno Dragon; the flames were there to hurt the dragon for violating the contract!

At that moment, he suddenly understood how Su Lingyue must have felt on that stage during the Elite League. How she must have felt when she placed her pet in harm’s way herself.

Desperation!

“Puny dragon. So stupid,” the Heavenly King said with contempt. Su Ping suddenly stared into the Heavenly King’s eyes. “I will not allow you to insult my pet!!”

The violence and killing intent in Su Ping’s reddened eyes stunned the Heavenly King.

It had never seen a human being so murderous.

Was he even a human being? He was more like a fiend!

pas moi

An extremely violent and wicked one! The Otherworld Heavenly King was pissed, since it even felt fear, albeit just for a second.

Boom!

The Space Confinement grew in strength. Everything that Su Ping had that could have protected him was rendered useless. He was still glaring at the Heavenly King.

“This is the end for you as well,” the Heavenly King of Otherworld said coldly. The Inferno Dragon was the third rarest dragon, but it didn’t have a beast king’s bloodline. According to the Heavenly King’s eyes, the Inferno Dragon was just as weak as a rat.

Bang!

Space Strangulation!

The Inferno Dragon was brought to a sudden stop; blood gushed out as if something was squeezing the blood out of it. The Inferno Dragon’s wings and bones were deformed!

The Heavenly King stopped and the Inferno Dragon fell from the sky.

That strike was enough to kill a beast king.

Su Ping was unable to do anything while confined in that space. The confinement froze his body, not his mind and feelings. As he watched the Inferno Dragon fall, Su Ping felt something was burning his blood and making him lose his mind.

Suddenly, the Inferno Dragon slowed down in its fall.

It flapped its twisted wings. The Inferno Dragon stabilized itself in the air, even though it was covered in blood. After catching a breath, the Inferno Dragon let out a soul-shattering roar.

As the dragon roared, nothing in heaven or earth could make a sound.

Both people and beasts, they could not help but tremble at the sight of that dragon, bathed in blood, with a twisted shape. How could the dragon roar that way when it had been hurt that badly?

What a sad, and shocking scene.

“What?”

The Heavenly King was surprised to see that the strike had failed to kill the dragon. How? Even a beast king at the Ocean State should have dropped dead, very much dead! The Heavenly King frowned. Never mind. If one strike didn’t do the trick, we can try again.

Roar!!

The Inferno Dragon once again soared to the sky.

Halfway through, the Inferno Dragon became stiff, as it was being pressed by the air. More blood gushed out from the Inferno Dragon. Its wings balled up; it seemed that all of its blood had been squeezed out.

Even so, the Inferno Dragon did not fall. As a matter of fact, while surrounded by more powerful dragon fire, the Inferno Dragon slowly, but steadily, flew to where Su Ping was.

The dragon reached Su Ping! Its eyes were bloodshot. The Inferno Dragon cast one glance at Su Ping and then, stepped in front of him in a defensive position.

The Inferno Dragon was… trying to protect Su Ping!

Su Ping was reduced to tears.

No, this is not going to work!

Why wouldn’t you listen?

The Heavenly King could not believe that even the second try was not enough to kill the dragon, which was beyond logic. “This is no longer funny.” The Heavenly King frowned. Dark energy was gathered around its fingertips. A beam of light was shot out.

Bang!

The beam of light traveled so quickly that even though the Inferno Dragon had built up many shields and lifted its front limbs, it still went through and pierced the dragon’s heart. The Inferno Dragon was on the verge of collapse but managed to remain standing. Golden flames burst out from the dragon pet and a virtual dragon image appeared behind it. Once again, the Inferno Dragon stood in a defensive position and roared at the Heavenly King defiantly.

It was protecting its master. Su Ping gazed at the Inferno Dragon. In his mind, he was able to tell that the contract between him and the Inferno Dragon had become so faint that it was about to disappear. It was a sign that the Inferno Dragon was going to die. Su Ping hurried to send a message through the contract.

Why?

Why are you doing this? The Inferno Dragon found the strength to turn its head around. Its neck was making a cracking sound. Slowly and struggling, the Inferno Dragon answered Su Ping’s question. “I shall never… fall… and I shall leave my… back to my master. You… taught me that.” The Inferno Dragon had just learned to talk and it had not become familiar with the skill yet.

Su Ping felt his mind buzzing. He remembered that a long, long time before, he had randomly mentioned this to the Inferno Dragon.

He didn’t know it would still remember!

But this is not the time for that!

You’ll die!

I do not deserve this!

As the Inferno Dragon uttered those words, the Heavenly King was also surprised. “So intelligent. No wonder you’re out of the ordinary while you have such a petty bloodline. Nevertheless, I will not spare your life.” The Otherworld Heavenly King made a gripping gesture in the air.

Bang!

The Inferno Dragon was burst into pieces.