Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Battle of Beast [2] (NEW!)
“Qiong Qi, there’s food.”

The moment the words left Ace’s lips, a ripple tore through space.

The air quivered. Shadows bent unnaturally and then BOOM!

A hulking beast with molten eyes and wild, jagged fur burst forth like a meteor.

Its grotesque form was a mishmash of lion, ox, and nightmares, radiating a terrifying pressure that instantly silenced the gasps around them.

Qiong Qi had arrived.

It didn’t roar. It didn’t look around. It just leaped, straight for the black serpent.

“AHHHHHHHHH!” Xiao Thao screamed in panic, barely skidding out of the way as the snake let out a sharp hiss and tried to retreat.

But Qiong Qi was already gnawing on the serpent’s tail like a chew toy, shaking it wildly while slamming it into the ground.

The divine beast seemed almost disappointed.

[Human? This is the food? It’s skinny. I’m really going to kill you!]

Chaos erupted.

Xiao Qi blinked. “What the hell is that?!”

Xiao Zen was already hopping sideways to avoid a stray serpent tail flung by Qiong Qi’s violent whipping. “Isn’t that a divine beast?! What’s it doing here?!”

The serpent twisted, coiling around Qiong Qi’s neck, spitting venom, screeching like a banshee, only for Qiong Qi to headbutt it into the stone floor.

“Bleh. This isn’t food. This is a stringy excuse for a poorly made food!”

Ace strolled casually between their clashing beasts, hands behind his back, sidestepping a blast of venom that barely missed his robe.

Then, suddenly—

CHOMP.

Qiong Qi lunged again, not at the serpent—

But at Ace.

A massive maw snapped down from above.

“Oh? Already turned on your master?” Ace laughed as he vanished in a blur, reappearing on Qiong Qi’s back like a perched bird.

He knocked on the beast’s skull playfully. “Come on, is this your way of saying thanks?”

Qiong Qi snarled and bucked, leaping, twisting, even doing a barrel roll.

Ace flipped in midair, landed on Qiong Qi’s head, tapped its nose, and leaped off again with an elegant spin. “Missed again.”

Another snap. Another miss.

“Third time is the charm?” Ace smirked. “Or are you just angry because your lunch had scales and no seasonings? Haha”

The beast halted in its step.

Qiong Qi growled.

Then growled deeper.

Then…

VANISHED.

Just like that. No more roar. Not even a farewell.

Gone. Disappeared into the wind. Away from the fight.

There was a stunned silence for a while until Xiao Thao broke it.

“HAH!” he doubled over laughing, pointing at Ace with glee. “You…. you can’t even control your own soul beast! This is rich! This is priceless! Suffer!”

He held his sides, tears forming in his eyes. “He even tried to eat you! It’s over for you, Xiao Zhi! OVER! Bwa ha ha ha!”

Ace cracked his neck slowly, unbothered. “That just proves I’m not a tyrant. We run a democracy.”

“What’s a democracy?”

“What’s a kilometer?”

But the others were already stepping forward.

Xiao Zen, Xiao Qi, and Xiao Chen, all their eyes glinted with resolve.

“We should also use our soul bonds,” Xiao Qi muttered.

“Let’s see if he can dodge these,” Xiao Zen said coldly.

“Come forth!” they all bellowed at once.

Three pillars of light surged from the ground.

The air shimmered with spiritual energy as the three gold ranks summoned their soul beasts, each more bizarre than the last.

From Xiao Zen’s side emerged a hulking panda, its calm eyes betraying the weight of its power.

A massive tortoise shell covered its back, glinting with earthy runes as it lumbered forward with deceptive grace.

Xiao Qi called forth a lion, not just any lion, but one with a single great wing protruding from its right shoulder, pulsing with wind essence. Only a wing.

And finally, from Xiao Chen’s shadow unfurled a sleek fox, its body woven with flickers of flame and illusion, constantly shifting with each blink of the eye.

All three were Epic Rank soul beasts—formidable, majestic… but still a few step below the Qiong Qi.

Ace, however, had already taken several steps back, arms loosely crossed, a playful smile tugging at his lips.

His Qiong Qi was gone, vanished after its tantrum and failed snack attempt.

It seemed, to the onlookers, like Ace had no backup now.

The group of four grinned, confidence blooming.

“He can’t even hold his own soul beast,” Xiao Thao smirked. “Let’s finish this.”

But Ace’s eyes gleamed with amusement as he stood still, completely relaxed.

“Don’t blame me for fighting back now.”

His voice was calm, nearly conversational, but it cut through the air like a blade.

And then—

The battlefield shifted.

From the cracked stone beneath their feet, green tendrils slithered out like vipers.

Grass, once trampled and forgotten, surged with unnatural vigor.

Vines erupted, snaring paws, legs, and tails. Roots burst from the earth, coiling and pulling.

The beasts roared in irritation. The panda swatted at the vines, its movements slowed.

The lion beat its wing, struggling to lift off. The fox darted through the maze, only to find itself blocked at every turn.

The snake slithering but never making it out as well.

It wasn’t painful. It wasn’t brutal.

But it was annoying. Infuriatingly so.

Ace took a slow step forward.

Another.

His movements were very precise, measured and calculated.

His calm aura contrasted starkly with the chaos he wove into the field.

“Not flashy,” he mused aloud, observing the flailing beasts, “but it’s already effective.”

He waved a finger and more roots burst forth.

Wherever the beasts moved, nature responded.

A leaf fluttered down, only to explode in a burst of pollen that clouded the fox’s senses.

A cluster of flowers bloomed, and snapped shut on the panda’s paw like a trap.

The audience watched in awe. As they watched him controlling the battlefield.

Xiao Zen growled. “Don’t let him buy time!”

But Ace had already vanished again sliding through the vines, emerging behind the lion.

He tapped its tail, and it flinched.

“Tag,” he said with a grin.