Turn Another One into a Green Frog

Li Ziran's movements were not particularly fast, but his gains were the greatest.

The Yellow-skinned Snake he had transformed into could precisely locate Medusa, and he preferred his own kind as targets.

In less than a moment, half his waist was already hung with frogs. At most, another quarter of an hour and he could head home.

Li Ziran hid himself beneath the yellow sand, allowing the rolling grit from the sky to batter his snakeskin, while his dark eyes stared fixedly ahead.

There were seven Snake Women. They had caught three Medusas in the yellow sand and were currently slithering toward the center of the camp in snake form. It was a small team with a bountiful harvest.

Unfortunately, with only a few dozen meters left to the camp, they would not make it back. Li Ziran's mental power had already completely hooked onto their souls.

His mental power pulsed gently with his fingers. Like puppets tugged by strings, the souls beneath the Yellow-skinned Snake shells began leaving their most comfortable bodies and slipping into Li Ziran's mind.

Perfect!

The abundant mental feedback was like taking a savage drag of strong smoke, incomparably satisfying.

He was becoming addicted to the sensation. The mental growth brought by devouring souls constantly stimulated his nerves.

Since mastering the Devouring Curse, his mental power had become fully capable of supporting a Snake Transformation Array. If it were Frog Transformation, he could instantly cast three arrays.

No wonder every Witch Doctor said that the Devouring Curse was the core of all cultivation.

Mastering the Devouring Curse meant fully stepping into another realm.

Li Ziran's fingers moved again, and the power of the Devouring Curse descended upon another soul. That wisp of soul was quietly drifting out along the path Li Ziran had arranged.

Effortless.

The familiar mental feedback could no longer excite Li Ziran. This was quickly becoming his greatest skill. As long as he was careful, he could wipe out this seven-person team and conveniently capture the three Medusas.

The third Yellow-skinned Snake began to go blank. This bizarre state instantly caused panic among the others. They blindly stared around, trying to see the hidden attacker.

But it was futile. Without being able to see through mental power, they would never understand such an unfathomable method.

The fourth soul came easily. At that point, the Snake Women began to panic, desperately flicking their tongues as they rushed toward the center of the camp at top speed.

Li Ziran would not give them the chance to report back. With a curl of his fingers, the three Snake Women became like big fish caught on hooks, their souls completely devoured.

Only then did Li Ziran quietly emerge from the dust and sand. He walked over to the seven blank-faced Snake Women and casually turned them into frogs, tying red strings around their waists. After dealing with the fruits of his labor, he came to the three unconscious Medusas.

Delicate and lovely. His gaze traveled up their slender legs, over patches of tender pale skin that were utterly alluring.

"No wonder they're so expensive!"

Li Ziran sighed. Even without the Petrifying Eye, their beauty alone would fetch a fortune.

But thinking of Annie, Li Ziran restrained the desire in his heart. With a light tap of his finger, the three Medusas slowly turned into slender green frogs beneath a wrapping of green mucus.

Li Ziran took out a red string and bent down, preparing to tie the frogs' hind legs together. Then he suddenly froze. Somehow, a canvas shoe had appeared right in the middle of the three frogs.

Li Ziran stiffly raised his head and followed the canvas shoe upward. There was a golden mage robe, and above it stood Hogg with his head of blond hair. At that moment, Hogg was examining him with a strange smile.

Hogg!

Karen's fire mage.

[Transformation Spell: Snake]

Li Ziran did not hesitate at all. His mental power formed a Snake Transformation Array, completely enveloping Hogg.

Yet strangely, no black mucus of Snake Transformation appeared. Hogg merely waved his wand lightly and effortlessly pierced through the Transformation Array that had just formed.

At the same time, a strange mental force shot through Li Ziran's mind like a sharp blade, plunging deep into his Spirit World.

Like a sharp cleaver, it sought to split his Spirit World in two.

This bizarre turn of events gave Li Ziran a tremendous fright, and he instinctively mobilized his mental power.

[Transformation Spell: Frog]

This was the spell he knew best and trusted most. The Transformation Array formed almost instantly, but just as it covered Hogg, a beam of mental light tore his array apart like scissors.

Pfft!

Li Ziran spat out a mouthful of blood, no longer able to suppress the terror in his heart.

It was the first time he had encountered the failure of a Transformation Spell. He instinctively retreated, but in the next instant, a fireball landed directly in front of him.

Had he run even one step faster, he would already have become a ghost beneath that fireball.

Li Ziran stood rooted to the spot like a puppet, unsure whether to advance or retreat. This fire mage, who had once been fairly respectful toward him, made him feel powerless for the first time.

But the rules of survival on the Wasteland told him he could not simply wait for death. From what had just happened, Hogg at least did not absolutely intend to kill him.

He slowly turned around, desperately suppressing the shock in his heart, and forced out a ghastly smile. "Hey, Hogg. What a coincidence!"

Hogg played with the fireball as he surveyed the murky space, his face full of mockery. "A coincidence? Shouldn't you be saying that the Goddess of Fortune is watching over you right now? I've truly never seen a human as bold as you, daring to steal things on Karen's territory. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous."

"Are you here to kill me?" Li Ziran stared at him, his steps slowly shifting to the left.

"I want to kill you. That's the truth. Unfortunately, Karen won't allow it." Hogg moved closer and pressed the fireball in his hand against Li Ziran's face. The crimson flames illuminated his face brightly, while the heat made it impossible to keep his eyes open. Hogg's expression was exceptionally savage. "Do you know? I can hardly wait to burn your head to ashes."

"Why?" Li Ziran was afraid, but more clearly than ever, he understood that this fire mage absolutely obeyed Karen. And Karen did not want him dead.

"Karen doesn't like me anymore." Hogg's voice suddenly became dejected. "He doesn't like my Fireball Spell anymore. He doesn't like using my fireballs to kill people anymore. Do you know what he does all day? He takes a little knife and cuts all over those Fishmen and Snake Women."

Li Ziran quietly took a step back, putting more distance between himself and the fireball. "You mean witchcraft?"

He had already suspected it. Ever since he had inexplicably obtained the Necromancer Legacy last time, he had sensed Karen's special ability. But hearing it from Hogg now still shocked him.

"Heh, scared now? No, that isn't witchcraft. It's an ability even greater than witchcraft—the Bauhinia Lineage's greatest ability. He can precisely penetrate your thoughts, infiltrate every one of your ideas. That is Karen's ability. Why do you think he respects you so much? Heh, everything you possess is merely seasoning for him. Once he grows tired of playing with you, he'll throw you into a pile of corpses without the slightest hesitation."

Hogg grabbed Li Ziran by the collar. "Now tell me, knowing the truth, are you afraid?"

"Impossible!" Li Ziran pretended to be unable to believe it. He was not afraid; he had long had this feeling.

Now, it merely confirmed the suspicions in his heart.

A Psychic Mage might be formidable, but one was certainly not invincible.

There were far too many miraculous things in this world. If he became afraid whenever he encountered the unknown, Li Ziran would have died countless times already.

He desperately made his body tremble. He had to pretend to be afraid, and he had to argue. "There can't be such an ability. Even a god couldn't completely see through my thoughts. How could such an ability exist for no reason?"

That posture only made him seem more convincing, making it appear that his words were against his true feelings.

"Heh, of course it couldn't exist for no reason. But didn't you drink his red wine? How was it? Fragrant and enticing, wasn't it?"

Li Ziran shuddered, suddenly recalling the warm welcome he had received when he first met Karen. Red wine with roast goose—a lavish feast. Karen had refilled his glass again and again, and he seemed to have drunk more than half a bottle.

But he had personally examined the red wine. There had been no poison in it, and he had not suffered any discomfort afterward.

But now he understood. The wine had been an aid to Karen's special ability.

Strange! Strange! Strange!

This fantasy world was far stranger than he had imagined.

Li Ziran was backing away. He had to make himself seem even more panicked.

Hogg was laughing. He seemed to enjoy Li Ziran's flustered appearance, but cautious as he was, he had not loosened his control over Li Ziran in the slightest.

Suddenly, his smile vanished. It seemed he had achieved the reaction he wanted. He grabbed Li Ziran by the collar, dragged him before the fireball, and roared, "Enough, brat! Come with me to the warehouse and submit to Lord Simba's command. Be Karen's toy like a good boy!"

"Why?" Li Ziran suddenly asked.

"What?" Hogg was startled by Li Ziran's calmness. In his expectations, Li Ziran should have been terrified, yet now he had unexpectedly quieted down.

"Why do you know he's playing with you, yet still enjoy it so much?" Li Ziran asked softly.

Those words seemed to pierce Hogg's defenses. The hand clutching Li Ziran began to tremble, and he pressed the fireball directly beneath Li Ziran's nose. "You bastard, I'll let you know..."

Unfortunately, his hand trembled even harder, as though he could no longer hold the fireball.

But unlike ordinary agitation, a layer of emerald-green mucus had appeared over his fingers at some point. The mucus extended from his palm to his arm, covering his entire body in the blink of an eye.

"Impossible! You... you have no mental attack. You can't... can't..."

Hogg shouted, his face filled with disbelief.

But Li Ziran had no intention of offering any unnecessary explanation. Looking at the perfectly formed closed circle of footprints, it seemed the most primitive method was still the most effective.

Mental power really was unreliable.