Lin Jin knew it was sorcery that drove the pet beasts mad so he refrained from killing the saber tooth tiger.
The tiger’s owner was drenched in sweat due to fear. It was such a close shave that he couldn’t even speak yet. The rest were equally shocked when realization set in for what had just happened.
Even the four demonic appraisers were stunned as well.
Particularly that old man in the purple-gold crown, whose expression was as menacing as it got.
“Elder Zhou, there’s an expert here.”
“I know.”
With a sinister look in his eyes, the old man scanned the area before muttering under his breath, “No matter who this expert is, I don’t believe he’s capable of countering this attack of mine.”
Having said that, he invoked a spell with his hand hidden under his sleeve.
Several mosquitoes came flying out of his sleeve at once, discreetly heading for the few other pet beasts present.
This Flight Mosquito spell was the key to driving those pet beasts mad.
Flight Mosquitoes were cultivated using unique sorcery and each of them was priceless. These mosquitoes could quietly sneak in through the mouth, nose, or ears of a pet beast, maneuver into their brains and cause the pet beast to either go on a rampage or be manipulated into attacking its owner.
Among demonic appraising, this was considered a high-level spell.
Being a member of the upper echelons of the Demonic Appraisal Association, Elder Zhou had never failed in executing this spell in the past decade. No one had ever seen through or broken his attempts before. Coupled with how diligent Elder Zhou was as a person, he had remained undefeated on the battlefield.
He expected the same outcome this time.
No one could stop them from taking what they wanted from the Qiao family.
If the Qiao family knew what was good for them, they would hand the item over on a silver platter. But if they didn’t, Elder Zhou just had to take it by force.
That was how they, as demonic appraisers, worked. They get what they wanted by resorting to despicable measures.
However, Elder Zhou was unaware that he had come across an expert that was capable of defeating him.
Lin Jin noticed something flying toward White Ape and Escort Zhang’s mountain lion but neither pet beasts realized it.
As he already had his guard up by spreading out his psyche, he managed to detect these subtle moves by the enemy. Otherwise, they would have been done for by now.
Now, he knew.
When Lin Jin noticed the two tiny mosquitoes flying over, with a gentle flick of his fingers, two needles pierced into the mosquitoes, killing them instantly. All this happened without anyone realizing it.
It was an invisible battle between experts.
Simultaneously, Lin Jin noticed more mosquitoes flying toward the other pet beasts as well. By the time he had realized it, it was already too late, as they had entered those creature’s noses and ears. Lin Jin knew these mosquitoes must have something to do with those pet beasts going berserk.
It was too late to kill the mosquitoes but it was fortunate that he only had to immobilize the pet beast beforehand to solve the problem.
Unbeknownst to everyone, the first battle had ended.
Lin Jin had the upper hand.
With every mosquito he used, they had one less, and these insects weren’t retrievable. Elder Zhou would be lying if he said he wasn’t upset at losing about five or six of them in one go.
With widened eyes, he slammed a hand on the table and stood up.
He didn’t know who had taken action but it must be someone among those present.
Hence, without a care for the others, Elder Zhou saluted the people around, “I wonder who this expert is. Now that it’s come to this, why don’t you reveal yourself!”
Even now, the Qiao family was still unaware of what was happening. Why did this guest suddenly stand up and say such baffling words?
Qiao Xing was about to march over when he was pulled back by Qiao Feigong.
“Father, what are you…”
“Don’t speak.” Qiao Feigong wanted to observe the situation in silence. There was a saying that the older a person gets, the more perceptive they were. Qiao Feigong could tell that something was going on under the surface.
That elderly guest was no average Joe, and he knew. He must have a reason for uttering such strange words so they should first observe the situation.
After all, they were still puzzled as to who was their ally, and who was their enemy.
Qiao Feigong wasn’t a fool. He anticipated that some individuals with malicious intent must have snuck in among the guests. Perhaps that thief from the other night was here as well.
There must be an impostor among them.
In fact, it was highly likely that he was one of the five unfamiliar faces present.
One side consisted of four people, including that old man in purple robes who had abruptly spoken up earlier. On the other side was a young man who was seated beside Escort Zhang.
Qiao Feigong had already noticed both factions and figured that something must be happening between them.
At the same time, he instructed his subordinates to get ready for action.
After all, no matter which faction, enemies who targeted their Qiao family must be taken care of.
The atmosphere grew tense.
As many pet beasts and subordinates of the Qiao family started gathering around, Elder Zhou smirked. “Reluctant to reveal yourself? Hmph, alright! If that’s the case, let’s see how long you can hold out.”
Elder Zhou assumed the other wasn’t willing to show himself due to cowardice and fear for their group. But in fact, Elder Zhou was just conceited. To him, the Qiao family was simply a piece of juicy meat that was already firmly in his mouth.
He would eat it whenever and however he wanted.
No one could stop him.
Not even the City Lord Manor of Reed City.
Of course, Elder Zhou was also aware of the grudge between the Qiao family and the previous city lord of Reed City so he was sure that the Qiao family hadn’t reported this to the authorities.
If the Qiao family were to rely on their family’s strength alone, they only had a few Rank 3 pet beasts. Massacring them all would be so easy, it was practically effortless.
At this, Elder Zhou barked, “Attack!”
The next instant, the other three men he brought along stood up. The young man with the huge rat invoked a spell and his pet beast that was larger than a house cat grew larger than a bull in a matter of seconds. Gruesome in features, with its sharp claws and teeth, the rat pounced forward, gnawing one of the Qiao family’s pet beasts to death.
“It’s the thief!” Qiao Feigong shouted. Finally, his enemies had revealed themselves. The Qiao family’s pet beasts charged forward in a coordinated attack. However, at that instant, another man behind Elder Zhou, the fierce-looking one with burnt hair patted the large bat on his shoulder. The bat flew up and shrieked, sending out turbulent soundwaves that shattered the porcelain teaware on the table. Everyone immediately covered their ears but many had already been affected by the surprise attack. Some felt their heads spin while those with weaker constitutions simply fell to the ground.
Most of the Qiao family’s pet beasts were also stunned by the attack. The Rank 2 beasts, in particular, were instantly knocked out from the battle.
“Haha, this shrill bat is really amazing,” the man without eyebrows laughed out loud, evidently pleased by the outcome.
With this, only the Qiao family’s three Rank 3 pet beasts remained on the battlefield. Though, their combat capability was severely restricted as their owners were still suffering from severe migraines.
Elder Zhou swept his hand across, splashing out inky blood on the three Rank 3 pet beasts. In an instant, said creatures began howling in pain as the dark blood started corroding their skin and fur, turning into piles of black mush that clung stubbornly to their bodies.
