Chapter 712 713: Enslaving Again

Ye Xuan was inwardly aghast at the sight.

The corrosive power of that black toad was simply terrifying. A Tier Seven Triple Peak Martial King was easily dissolved into a pool of gore, leaving not a single trace behind—not even their Profound Armor.

Ye Xuan wasn't sure if his own body was tough enough to withstand that corrosive power.

He had felt a sense of wariness when he first saw this valley, and during his fight with the ugly man, he'd had the vague feeling of being watched.

Only now did he fully understand. While he was fighting the ugly man, this black toad must have been watching from within the valley, waiting for a chance to strike.

However, he had dealt with the ugly man too quickly and had escaped uninjured. If he had been severely wounded, Ye Xuan suspected the black toad would have rushed out to pick off an easy target.

Standing before the valley, Ye Xuan's expression was grim and uncertain.

Honestly, he was reluctant to fight the black toad in the valley, but the Golden Jade Fragrant Fruit right in front of him was something he was unwilling to give up under any circumstances.

With the Golden Jade Fragrant Fruit, the pace of his cultivation would surely double.

He sent a mental command to the pangolin, wanting to see if it could enter the valley. However, Ye Xuan immediately sensed a feeling of resistance from it.

The emotion was reluctance, not fear, and Ye Xuan immediately gleaned several pieces of information from this.

First, the pangolin wasn't afraid of the black toad, which suggested that in this mysterious land, the pangolin's power might not be inferior to the toad's.

Second, since the pangolin showed reluctance, it meant that even it was wary of the black toad's speed.

Ye Xuan knew the pangolin's defense very well; it was definitely comparable to a Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Emperor's. This meant the black toad's venom also posed a threat to a Martial Emperor of that level.

Therefore, the toad's venom could certainly harm him too.

'How am I supposed to get the Golden Jade Fragrant Fruit?'

As Ye Xuan was racking his brain,

SQUEAK SQUEAK!

the Little Purple Mink suddenly appeared on his shoulder. Seeing Ye Xuan's hesitant expression, it let out a soft snort, its eyes filled with disdain, as if looking down on his cowardice.

SWOOSH!

The next moment, the Little Purple Mink's figure vanished, turning into a bolt of purple lightning and instantly rushing into the valley.

Ye Xuan's heart leaped into his throat, but it just as quickly settled. He knew better than anyone how crafty the Little Purple Mink was. The little critter would never risk its own life.

Sure enough, just as the Little Purple Mink was about to touch the mist in the valley, a ripple of spatial energy flashed, and it vanished. A blink of an eye later, it had reappeared on the Golden Jade Fragrant Fruit bush. With a swift rake of its sharp little claws, all five fruits were instantly swept into its arms.

The Golden Jade Fragrant Fruits weren't very big, but to a small creature like the Little Purple Mink—only half a foot tall—they were quite a handful. It hugged the five fruits to its chest, nearly covering its entire head in a charmingly clumsy and comical display.

GROOAK!

An enraged cry rang out. Seeing that the Little Purple Mink had actually stolen its Golden Jade Fragrant Fruits, the black toad in the valley let out a furious roar. The thin mist throughout the valley immediately began to churn, surging toward the mink.

The Little Purple Mink let out a squeak, its face twisted in a sneer. With a flicker of its body and a flash of spatial energy, it was already out of the valley. It landed with a SWOOSH on Ye Xuan's shoulder, grunted at him, then flickered again and vanished into the Spirit Pet Bag with the Golden Jade Fragrant Fruits, clearly leaving Ye Xuan to deal with the mess.

'This little rascal.'

Ye Xuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He quickly sent a message to the Little Purple Mink through their soul contract, telling it not to eat the Golden Jade Fragrant Fruits because he needed them. Only then did he turn his gaze back to the valley.

The toad's large, bell-like eyes were locked on Ye Xuan, brimming with rage. It obviously saw him as the mastermind. With a bizarre cry, it charged straight out of the valley, its cavernous maw gaping as it lunged at him.

Knowing how terrifying the toad was, Ye Xuan dared not be careless. Unwilling to even engage it in close combat, he instantly summoned the Zhenyuan Stone and brought it crashing down on the creature.

The massive Zhenyuan Stone, like a small mountain, smashed heavily onto the black toad's head.

CLANG! The Zhenyuan Stone was actually sent flying by the toad's headbutt, tumbling through the air. The toad itself was knocked to the ground, clearly dazed.

But it wasn't long before the black toad recovered, its eyes burning with even greater fury. It abruptly opened its mouth and—PUFF—sprayed a cloud of multi-colored gas toward Ye Xuan.

'This is bad!'

Ye Xuan hastily held his breath, but the multi-colored gas clearly didn't need to be inhaled to work. It seeped in through his pores and even his Profound Sense. In less than the time it took to take a breath, he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

'What terrifying poison!' Ye Xuan was shocked. Before entering this mysterious land, he had taken an Antitoxic Pill he had refined himself. That pill could easily neutralize even the Bone-Rotting Spirit Miasma; ordinary poisons shouldn't have been able to affect him at all.

Furthermore, after his Nine Revolutions Sacred Body had advanced to the Sixth Transformation, his physical body had undergone a metamorphosis, making his resistance to toxins far greater than that of ordinary Martial Artists. And yet, he still felt dizzy.

The venom sprayed by this black toad was definitely more potent than a natural poison like the Bone-Rotting Spirit Miasma.

At this thought, Ye Xuan's initial shock gave way to a look of wild delight.

If he could tame this black toad, his safety in this place would be far more secure.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ye Xuan released his Devouring Martial Spirit.

WHOOSH!

The black Devouring Martial Spirit materialized before Ye Xuan as a pitch-black War God exuding a terrifying aura. When the black toad saw it, a look of solemnity and fear immediately appeared in its eyes; it clearly knew the Devouring Martial Spirit was not something to be provoked.

Ye Xuan paid no mind to the black toad's thoughts and immediately urged the Devouring Martial Spirit to bear down on it.

But to Ye Xuan's astonishment, before his Devouring Martial Spirit could land, the black toad let out a bizarre cry, turned, and ran for it. Its rear end bounced as it fled, but its speed was surprisingly fast.

'This cunning bastard,' Ye Xuan was rendered speechless. It bolted the second it sensed danger. 'Just how cowardly can this toad be?'

But Ye Xuan wasn't about to let it escape. With a single thought, the pangolin lying in ambush underground finally struck. BOOM! It shot up from beneath, ramming into the black toad's belly and sending it flying.

Before the black toad could react, Ye Xuan had already brought the Devouring Martial Spirit crashing down.

Fifteen minutes later, Ye Xuan had successfully planted a wisp of the Devouring Martial Spirit's aura in the black toad's mind, enslaving it.

CROAK!

The black toad squatted before Ye Xuan with a look of pure grievance, like a pouty newlywed who'd just been wronged.

Toads were typically ugly creatures, but this one's expression was so comical you couldn't help but chuckle.

Furthermore, its skin wasn't wet and slimy like a normal toad's. It was more like a layer of black steel—cold, hard, and showing no signs of being a highly venomous creature.

It was clear, however, that while the black toad couldn't speak—just like the pangolin—it was far more intelligent and cunning.

"I should give you two names," Ye Xuan said, rubbing his chin as he prepared to name the pangolin and the black toad.

In just a moment, he made his decision. "Alright, from now on, you'll be Xiaohai, and you'll be Erhei."

Ye Xuan said, pointing to the pangolin and then the black toad.

The pangolin, being rather simple-minded, only knew to obey Ye Xuan's commands and showed no reaction.

The black toad, however, let out a "CROAK" and actually rolled its eyes at Ye Xuan, clearly disdainful of the names he had chosen.

'Damn, I'm actually being dissed by a toad.'

Ye Xuan felt his entire worldview crumbling.

Upon learning that Ye Xuan was taking it with him, the black toad, Erhei, eagerly waddled to the edge of the valley. With a powerful inhale, it sucked all the poisonous mist from the valley into its stomach as if it were a waterspout.

Ye Xuan couldn't help but be shocked. So all the poisonous mist in the valley had come from Erhei.

'Looks like Erhei's origins are anything but ordinary.'

At the same time, Ye Xuan grew more cautious. 'What kind of place is this mysterious land, that it can produce a Demon Beast like Erhei?'

After all, the stronger the Demon Beasts a place could nurture, the more dangerous it was likely to be.

After taking care of everything and cleaning up any traces of his presence, Ye Xuan didn't venture far from the valley. Instead, he found a secluded spot nearby, carved out a cave, and went into seclusion to cultivate.

Having obtained the Golden Jade Fragrant Fruit, Ye Xuan was quite confident he could raise his cultivation level. While he might not break through to the Tier Seven Third Layer, he would definitely become much stronger than he was now.

Plus, with the scent of the Golden Jade Fragrant Fruit gone, this place was unlikely to attract other Martial Artists. And with Xiaohai and Erhei on guard, Ye Xuan believed that even a Tier Eight Martial Emperor would have a tough time trying anything.

Before starting his cultivation, Ye Xuan first sorted through his recent spoils.

These were mainly the belongings of the alluring woman and the ugly man.

Ye Xuan first inspected the alluring woman's Storage Ring. Inside were some decent Spirit Medicines and materials, along with over a hundred thousand mid-grade Profound Stones. While this would be a massive fortune for an ordinary person, Ye Xuan simply shook his head; none of it was enough to capture his interest.

However, when his Profound Sense entered the ugly man's Storage Ring, he gasped in astonishment.

The wealth of a Tier Eight Martial Emperor and a Tier Seven Martial King were truly on two completely different levels.