Actually, it was Chen Shuangbai's "effort" that allowed this guy to be exposed.
If it weren't for Chen Shuangbai's fortuitous opportunity discovery of a Sha Lair where he had once resided for a period of time while repairing the earth vein array of Jinghua Prefecture, he would have been in trouble.
Who knows, that Golden Core Sha Beast might still be roaming freely in some remote corner!
But it's not easy to say that out loud.
It's hard to say right now, at least not.
To avoid this guy holding a grudge and secretly ruining my plans.
There are many earth-gold monks in Xunling Sect. It is not a good idea to hide underground for a long time as it is easy to be discovered by disciples who go out on patrol.
Although Fang Xiao was Golden Core Sha Beast, Chen Shuangbai felt... it was always better to be safe than sorry.
And so.
After entering Cang Province territory, Chen Shuangbai summoned water vapor to conceal their figures as they traveled through the crisscrossing rivers.
Fang Xiao was not feeling well.
But his word didn't count; he could only obey Chen Shuangbai, a junior Foundation Establishment.
Chen Shuangbai didn't care whether he harbored resentment. As long as his cultivation level didn't surpass that of True Person Bo, he would remain under the control of the demon soul and unable to break free from its restraints.
He spread his Divine Sense out in a slow and discreet manner.
But it still wasn't enough...
Lost in thought, Chen Shuangbai turned to the man beside him and ordered, "Brother Dao, help me search around and see if there are any hidden demons nearby!"
Fang Xiao instinctively wanted to refuse, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the excruciating pain he had felt not long ago resurfaced, so he could only do as he was told with a cold face.
In terms of concealing one's aura, Chen Shuangbai was no match for this Golden Core Sha Beast.
Not long after.
Fang Xiao, with his eyes closed, seemed to be moved and reluctantly said, "The southwest should be where you're looking for."
"Walk!"
They followed the river stealthily until they entered a cave and fell into complete darkness.
A man and a beast emerged from the water.
The [ Turning Heart Ruyi Cord ] emerged from Chen Shuangbai's large sleeve, circled the two of them twice, and emitted a dazzling white light, illuminating the entire underground space.
The damp air carried a heavy, musty smell of decaying wood, much like the lingering scent of a deep, ancient forest.
"It's just ahead."
Fang Xiao glanced at the jade rope wrapped around his side, his expression unchanged, and offered a reminder.
He hated being controlled by others.
However, the restrictions that True Person Bo placed on his demon soul kept a close watch on his every word and action. Some minor details might not anger this great True Person, but if he really killed Chen Shuangbai here, he would probably skin him alive, tear out his tendons, and refine his demon soul into Spirit Artifact —that would be the least of his worries!
He walked through the smooth, damp passageway and eventually arrived at a vast underground swamp.
They found Chen Shuangbai's target with almost no effort.
A toad demon dwelling underground!
The toad demon buried its body, which was far larger than that of its kind and resembled a small mountain, into the swamp, leaving only its two black eyes exposed. It launched an attack the moment it sensed the light.
A streak of dark light shot in from the darkness!
Chen Shuangbai raised her hand and unleashed a Sword Essence that flew out, severing the bright red tongue, causing it to scream in pain.
It wanted to escape.
But the rotten swamp that it used to inhabit had become as hard as iron. It rammed its head into the ground, crashing heavily onto the hard swamp surface, almost causing the toad demon's head to split open and die.
Fang Xiao is Sha Beast born from the earth's veins, so even the swamp is his home ground.
Once it regained some of its senses, the toad demon used its two thick thighs to push off forcefully, attempting to escape using its astonishing jumping power.
Chen Shuangbai chuckled twice, then pointed with his left hand at the toad demon that had leaped high into the air. The [ Turning Heart Ruyi Cord ] that had been hovering around as a beacon turned into a beam of white light, instantly catching up with the demon and binding it tightly, turning it into a dumpling before it fell heavily to the ground.
The toad demon, now bound, was once again thrashed about, and realizing it had encountered a formidable opponent, it hurriedly begged for mercy.
"Immortal, spare my life! Immortal, spare my life!"
"I am a rotting demon, my flesh and blood reek of decay, my inner core is mixed and useless. I beg the immortal to spare my life!"
Chen Shuangbai slowly approached, her body enveloped in a mist of water vapor that shielded her from the strong, putrid stench of the place.
"You're quite the smooth talker."
Bathed in the light of the [ Turning Heart Ruyi Cord ], Chen Shuangbai could roughly make out the giant toad—
Its size was indeed enormous, comparable to a small house, with incredibly thick limbs and dark green skin covered with fist-sized bumps. Many of these bumps had burst, oozing yellowish-green pus that emitted a pungent, fishy stench.
But rather than being rotten, it's more accurate to describe it as a special bloodline talent.
But something about this just doesn't look right.
Under Chen Shuangbai's Divine Sense probing, he clearly noticed something amiss, and couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation before carefully examining the giant toad.
But no matter how Chen Shuangbai looked at it, she couldn't find anything strange.
Fang Xiao also recognized the toad demon's affiliation; it was a Rotting Poison Toad.
The most valuable part of its body is the yellowish-green pus on its back. If extracted properly, it can yield a special toad venom, which is a deadly weapon.
Secondly, there's the Demon Core...
However, this Rotting Poison Toad only looks like it's in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and its Demon Core core is probably not pure, so it won't fetch a good price.
Disappointment appeared on Chen Shuangbai, which made the toad demon breathe a sigh of relief.
But the next moment.
Chen Shuangbai pointed his fingers like a sword, the Frost Osmanthus Sword Essence swirling within. Amidst the toad demon's terrified cries, he pried open its chest and extracted a greenish-blue Demon Core.
"Heh, this toad demon's cultivation is clearly lacking, and its Demon Core is of little use... You traveled all this way just for this?"
Fang Xia started to mock.
Chen Shuangbai ignored him, took out another jade bottle, and collected all the pus from the mosquito's back. Then she slowly said, "Even a small mosquito is still meat. We human cultivators are best at making the most of limited resources."
"In this respect, you demons are inherently inferior."
Fang Xiao raised an eyebrow, wanting to curse again.
But Chen Shuangbai turned and walked outside, ignoring him.
Fang Xiao had no choice but to follow.
As the footsteps of the man and the beast gradually faded into the distance and disappeared completely, followed by the faint sound of air being torn apart from outside, the entire underground swamp fell into silence.
As the daylight gradually faded and all was quiet,
The enormous, dismembered toad demon's corpse suddenly twitched slightly, appearing extremely eerie.
But it did not revive. Instead, something crawled out of the toad demon's corpse and landed under a sliver of starlight that pierced through the crack, revealing its true form.
It was about the size of a palm, its entire body glowing with fluorescence, like a toad carved from jade!