Mo Fan reached for the wine, grumbling, “This was given to me by the Third General. There’s only so much left, and you still suspect me, sister?”
“So, it’s wine bestowed by a demon general?” The beautiful woman’s eyes lit up. She picked up the bowl and drank it in one gulp, then said, “I was just teasing you earlier. This wine is rich, smooth, and doesn’t burn the throat—truly fine stuff!”
“Of course! I’m usually reluctant to drink it myself,” Mo Fan said, pouting. His gaze then shifted to the sleeping child in the woman’s arms, and he smiled, “Didn’t you ask why I’m here, sister?”
“Oh? Why’s that?” The woman looked at him, intrigued.
“My Third General loves eating the hearts of human children, so he sent me to steal one from the human realm. I see you’re holding a human child. Could you part with it for your little brother?”
At those words, the woman’s face darkened, and she snorted, “If you want a child, go steal one from the human realm yourself. This one’s not for you.”
Her expression softened slightly as she continued, “This child was hard to snatch from the human realm. Don’t be too greedy, little brother.”
“Fine, forget it then!” Mo Fan gave an awkward smile, stood up, and said, “It’s getting late, and I’m full. I won’t disturb you anymore, sister. Let’s part ways here!”
Since he couldn’t get the child, Mo Fan had no intention of lingering with this woman. After all, she was at the Demon Soldier level, and it was best to keep his distance.
“Hold on, little brother!” the woman suddenly called out, then asked, “I almost forgot to ask—have you seen a youth in green robes with a white fox on his shoulder?”
Mo Fan froze. Wasn’t that the human cultivator he’d encountered earlier?
Seeing his reaction, the woman’s eyes narrowed, and she smiled, “Looks like you have. Since you’ve met that damned human cultivator, I can’t let you go. Otherwise, my whereabouts would be exposed!”
Her words sent a jolt of fear through Mo Fan. He instantly understood, blurting out, “You’re that black fox?!”
At that moment, a red glint flashed in the woman’s eyes.
The next instant, Mo Fan’s gaze turned dazed.
“I didn’t want trouble, seeing as you have some backing. But since you’ve met that human cultivator, I can’t let you live!” the woman sneered, then asked the entranced Mo Fan, “What’s your name, and what kind of demon are you?”
“I’m Mo Fan. The Demon Soldier Lord named me Laibao. I’m a toad demon,” Mo Fan answered unconsciously.
“Just a filthy toad!” the woman scoffed, then asked, “When did you meet the green-robed youth with the white fox?”
“I…” Mo Fan began, but his dazed eyes suddenly cleared. His heart pounded with fear as he realised he’d been ensnared. Looking ahead, he saw the woman collapsed on the ground, clutching her head and screaming in pain.
“Ah… damn it, what did you do to me?!” she roared, her beautiful face elongating into a fox-like visage.
Seeing this, Mo Fan’s fear subsided, replaced by a cold smirk, “You brought this on yourself. Looks like the drug’s kicking in!”
Earlier, under the cover of his sleeve, he had slipped all his Drunken Demon Pills and his venomous demon weapon into the wine.
“You… poisoned me?!” the woman roared, furious. Gritting her teeth, a black object shot out from her robe toward Mo Fan.
Startled, Mo Fan retreated, swinging his spear to deflect the massive black tail that came at him.
“Damn toad demon, I’ll tear you apart!” the woman bellowed. Demonic energy surged around her, her face twisting into a ghastly, ghostly visage. Her hands sprouted long, razor-sharp claws, and she lunged at Mo Fan.
“You won’t get the chance!” Mo Fan snorted, opening his mouth wide.
Divine Ability, Heaven-Swallowing!
A terrifying suction erupted, instantly swallowing the woman.
“Ah…!” A blood-curdling scream echoed from within Mo Fan, raw and desperate, as the woman wailed in his internal space.
It was Mo Fan’s first time encountering this, and he felt a flicker of panic. He hadn’t expected the fox demon to still make noise after being swallowed, which was unnerving.
Inspecting internally, he saw the woman hunching over in her screams, transforming into a black fox brimming with demonic energy. Her cries turned infantile and eerie, but she couldn’t hold out. The invisible force decomposed her completely, reducing her to nothing.
Buzz—
As the fox vanished, a surge of spiritual energy, mixed with some demonic energy and a faint trace of memory, flooded Mo Fan’s body.
Feeling the overwhelming energy, Mo Fan didn’t hesitate. He guided it toward his legs.
“Ah—!” he screamed as the bone-shattering pain hit, piercing to his core.
But the more it hurt, the more excited he became, knowing this was an unavoidable side effect of demon transformation.
Yet, as the spiritual energy drained rapidly, Mo Fan realised with frustration that it wasn’t enough to transform both legs into a spiritual form. Gritting his teeth, he redirected all the energy to one leg.
After what felt like an eternity, as he nearly passed out from pain, the bone-crushing sensation faded, replaced by a warm, tingling flow enveloping his leg.
Moments later, Mo Fan stared at his legs, dumbfounded.
One was human, the other still a toad’s!
“Did this transformation even count as a success?” he muttered, half-laughing, half-crying. The energy required for the fourth transformation had far exceeded his expectations.
“No matter. It’s still progress. Once I return to Black Wind Mountain and eat those dragon loaches, I should manage the fifth transformation and achieve a full spiritual form!” Mo Fan murmured, consoling himself. Then, something occurred to him, and he channelled demonic energy to his eyes.
Instantly, his pupils glowed faintly red, exuding an eerie, mysterious aura.
“Divine Ability, Eye of Enchantment? No wonder she could control my mind so suddenly!” Mo Fan thought, a mix of lingering fear and excitement. He realised he’d underestimated the Heaven-Swallowing Divine Ability. It not only siphoned some of a beast’s energy but could also extract a demon’s innate abilities, allowing him to acquire them effortlessly.
This was beyond overpowered!
“With this ability, why worry about not becoming strong?” Mo Fan thought, elated. His gaze then fell on the still-sleeping human child.
He approached, spat out a wisp of demonic energy into the child’s nose, and soon the boy’s eyelids fluttered as he woke.
“Big brother, who are you?” The boy climbed to his feet, looking around in confusion. “Where am I?”
“You’re in the Demon Spirit Mountain Range,” Mo Fan said calmly.
“Demon Spirit Mountain Range… wait, how did I end up here?” The boy frowned, then gasped in horror, “My mum said there are man-eating demons here!”
“She’s not wrong. A fox demon lured you here. I saved you,” Mo Fan said, studying the boy curiously. The kid adapted quickly, showing no fear after learning he’d been rescued.
“Thank you, big brother!” The boy looked at Mo Fan with innocent admiration. “Are you one of our human demon hunters?”
“Uh… sort of!” Mo Fan chuckled at the naive boy, then asked, “Can you read?”
