Taotie's face was covered in question marks.
The ultimate move he had charged for a full two and a half minutes was forcibly swallowed back down. Saying that his expression looked as though he had eaten shit would have been far too polite.
Taotie: ...
Qian Fan was utterly dumbfounded too.
"So Xu Fangyuan's name carries this much weight! Holy shit, I've found the winning strategy for this patch! Hahahahaha!"
Qian Fan had long since lost count of how many things he had accomplished by invoking Xu Fangyuan's name. It was so fucking effective that even Taotie, a half-step Supreme God, had to swallow his anger before him.
Ouyang Tianxin suddenly slapped his forehead.
"That's right! The young master is the Holy Son of the Seven Star Domain, the fiancé of Xu Fangyuan's granddaughter, Xu Yuan'er, and potentially Xu Fangyuan's future heir! How could this old man have forgotten?"
Taotie's brain instantly crashed.
He had thought this brat merely knew Xu Fangyuan. But those few words from Ouyang Tianxin sent a chill through his entire body, leaving him feeling as though something had its eyes on him.
Others might not have understood Xu Fangyuan's strength all that well, but he, Taotie—the illustrious second king of the taoties, the Spirit Devourer King—had fought Xu Fangyuan in a proper duel.
However... that was also one of the few nightmares of Taotie's life.
Back then, Xu Fangyuan had only just entered the half-step Transcendent God Realm, standing a single step away from becoming a Supreme God. Yet the Spirit Devourer King, a taotie ferocious beast who had already spent years in that realm, was left barely breathing after less than two hours of fighting him. He had been beaten like a dog and, by the end, did not even have the strength to speak.
That was also the main reason the Spirit Devourer King had remained stuck in the half-step Transcendent God Realm for hundreds of years.
Taotie finally came to his senses.
"Well, uh, well... Your great, handsome, dashing Highness Qian Fan! From the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I could tell you possessed an extraordinary bearing and the potential to become a Supreme God. I offended you earlier, so please be magnanimous enough to overlook this little man's faults and forgive me."
Qian Fan secretly rejoiced, but his expression remained unchanged. He knew full well that he could not let Taotie see his smugness.
"Since you recognize your mistake, I'll spare you for now. If you do it again, don't blame me for showing no mercy!" Qian Fan said sternly.
Taotie nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Forgive me for asking, but are you traveling together on some important business?"
All Taotie could do now was find an opportunity to make up for his wrongdoing. Otherwise, if Xu Fangyuan set his sights on him, it would not be as simple as losing one young son.
Qian Fan and Tang San exchanged a glance. Oh no, a fresh idea was about to sprout.
Qian Fan flashed a wicked smile.
"Well, Senior Taotie, we only wanted to cross the Taotie Forest. Who could have imagined it would be so dangerous? Sigh... it must be that we're too weak. It definitely isn't that the forest is too dangerous. We'd better go back and ask Xu Fangyuan to help us cross."
?????
Taotie was truly numb now. How had he managed to offend such a little ancestor?
"Uh, Your Highness Qian Fan, my name is the Spirit Devourer King. You can simply call me Senior Spirit Devourer King. Anyway, you said you wanted to cross the Taotie Forest? Goodness, you should have said so earlier! I'm the second king of the Taotie Forest. I could find my way out of these woods with my eyes closed! I happen to have both money and time to spare, so there's no need to trouble His Majesty Xu Fangyuan over such a little thing. I'll handle it, I'll handle it!"
"Then thank you, Senior Spirit Devourer King," Qian Fan said with a smile.
Taotie inwardly groaned. He had tried to steal a chicken, only to lose his handful of rice as well. Still, he had no choice but to lead the five of them deeper into the Taotie Forest.
Along the way, the five encountered quite a few fierce beasts, but Taotie dealt with them all effortlessly.
"As expected of Senior Spirit Devourer King. Your strength truly is formidable," Qian Fan praised.
"Hehe, I am, after all, an expert in the half-step Transcendent God Realm. In this Taotie Forest, nobody is my match except that bastard, the Soul Devouring King."
"What kind of being is the Soul Devouring King?" Qian Fan asked curiously.
"That fellow is a true monster, with unfathomable strength. They say it has already surpassed the Supreme God Realm," Taotie said, still shaken by the thought.
Qian Fan and the others could not help sucking in a breath of cold air.
"But don't worry. As long as you don't provoke it, you'll generally be fine," Taotie reassured them.
They continued onward and finally reached the depths of the forest.
"The other side of the forest is just ahead," Taotie said, pointing forward.
Qian Fan and the others looked ahead and saw a stretch of desolate forest that seemed to have no end.
"Is this the route to the White Tiger Plains?" Qian Fan asked in confusion.
"That's right. Cross this area, and you'll reach your destination. The other areas aren't under my jurisdiction. If I barge in, it'll probably be taken as a provocation. I'm just afraid it might flush that fellow out," Taotie said.
Qian Fan nodded and was about to leave with Ouyang Tianxin and the others.
"Wait!"
The Spirit Devourer King called out to stop them.
Qian Fan looked back in confusion.
The Spirit Devourer King flashed to Qian Fan's side and handed him a Token.
"Your Highness Qian Fan, this is my Token. If you encounter any particularly grave danger in the Taotie Forest, crush it, and I can tear through space to come to your aid."
Qian Fan took the Token and said gratefully, "Thank you, Senior Spirit Devourer King." With that, he led Ouyang Tianxin and the others toward the desolate forest.
An eerie aura permeated the forest, filling them with unease. Qian Fan advanced cautiously, remaining vigilant at every moment.
"Something about the surroundings here seems a little off."
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