Bang~

Zhuo Fan pummeled the entrance wall. The gonging sound was eerily similar to someone knocking on a metal door.

The girl looked on dazed, from a very safe distance. [This punk has nerves of steel, I’ll give him that. Or is he plain indifferent to the 6th level spiritual beast just waiting for him inside.]

[Speaking of his insensitivity, was he that easily taken in by my charm?]

The girl looked at him closer, [Something isn’t right here.]

Splash~

Then, the sound of water was heard and a meter long water serpent swam out of the cave. It shook as its body expanded.

It was back to its five hundred meters long size in a blink, which created a huge splash as he hissed at the two humans.

Hiss!

The stench licked his cheek and Zhuo Fan clutched his nose as he sized the snake.

[This guy ate Shaping Spring alright.]

The girl was waving her hand down yonder in panic. Not out of worry for Zhuo Fan, of course, but his death would mean her venture would abruptly end with a big fat zero haul.

[Why is this brat just standing there? Is he scared shitless? God damn it, why did I fail when I’m so close?]

The girl gnashed her teeth in annoyance.

The venomous serpent thought the same, laughing out loud and looking with contempt.

[This brat must be so naive to knock at my home. Now that he has basked in my royal glory, he’s scared witless. Ha-ha-ha, it’s only natural. Even I am in awe of my glorious self most of the time, ha-ha-ha…]

Glancing at the delusional snake, and its wagging tail, Zhuo Fan could read him like a book. He grinned as he simply flew inside the cave.

“Guard this place and don’t come in without my say.” Zhuo Fan belittled this useless thing and just waltzed in.

The venomous serpent was out of it from shock. [What did he just say? To watch the door?]

The serpent was enraged. No one ever ignored it, least of all claim its cave like he owned the place!

[Oy, punk, do you have any idea whose home this is? Do you have a death wish?]

Hiss!

The venomous serpent got closer to Zhuo Fan and hissed in his face. Covering him in drool, it hoped to knock some sense into him with its almighty majesty.

The girl was soaked from fear. [Run you fool!]

Yet Zhuo Fan only had disdain in his eyes. He wiped the drool from his face, and glared, “Behave.”

Pff!

The venomous serpent almost spat blood. It had never met someone so full of themselves to ignore it and even belittle it. It was royally pissed.

The girl was scared witless.

[You behave, brat! You’re pissing it off by telling it to watch the door. I get you want to die but could you at least do it down yonder? Some of us still need to get in, you know?]

[The guy’s brains are on the fritz!]

She sighed. She could practically see the kid torn into pieces by the angry venomous serpent.

And that was what the serpent was about to do.

[Holy friggin’ balls! I’ve seen many dauntless, but none so boneheaded to not even care for their lives. They look for death or, better yet, they deserve death with such an idiotic stance.]

[You’re dead meat, so cut the act. Humph, as you wish, this king will send you off.]

Licking its sharp fangs, the venomous serpent hissed and went on to swallow him whole. With how the red mouth was covered in poison, Zhuo Fan would find himself melting the instant he touched it.

The girl closed her eyes and looked away. She couldn’t bear the horror that followed.

Yet Zhuo Fan was cool as a cucumber as the azure flame flashed in his eyes.

Hum~

A ripple wracked the venomous serpent.

Scared, the huge serpent froze in its place.

He was soaked in sweat, even as his maw was right on top of Zhuo Fan, with fangs bared and all. And yet he just didn’t chomp.

The look in Zhuo Fan’s eye got him so terrified, it started shivering.

“You’re so feisty to not listen when you’re ordered.” Zhuo Fan shook his head as he went in like he owned the place.

Leaving the venomous serpent behind like a statue, scared and dumbfounded.

[W-what power was that?]

The serpent’s heart was frantic.

Spiritual beasts cared a lot about levels, more than the strength even. A 6th level spiritual beast’s pup was no stronger than a 3rd level spiritual beast but no 4th level spiritual beast would dare attack it.

It was their inborn majestic aura doing its thing. No low level spiritual beast messed with a higher one, ever. It was etched in their bones, blood, and the like.

As a 6th level spiritual beast, it was invincible here. A king lording over the masses. It had the right to pick on others, not the other way around!

But it finally got his due in the form of Zhuo Fan. The guy flexed his power for a blink and scared the living daylights out of the snake.

It had no clue what level of spiritual beast that power was equivalent to, but its blood told him to surrender and lay down all hostilities against Zhuo Fan.

[Damn it all to hell! What was that?] He held such power that it made even a 6th level spiritual beast shake in its own skin.

[What savage beast could have such power? And why is it with a human? Is he perhaps a dreadful beast’s young?]

The venomous serpent was sweating buckets. It was just like a beggar meeting an emperor, with only obedience in his heart.

If it was told to guard the door, that was what it’d do. What was so bad about it anyway?

It went to such an extent that the snake swam out of the cave and didn’t even have the gall to look behind him.

While the girl who had struck Zhuo Fan off as a dead man, sneaked a peak all this time and was now dumbstruck.

[What the hell? Since when were vicious venomous serpents so meek? It’s not only not entering the cave, but was even posing as a damn watchdog!]

[How in bloody hell did a Bone Tempering cultivator do this? Does he also have a secret beast taming art?]

The girl cocked her head, glancing at Zhuo Fan going further in with amazement and more than a little curiosity.

[This brat isn’t as dumb as he looks. He may very well not have needed my help with the 4th level spiritual beast as well. Wait, if he’s so strong and all, why is he hiding it? Is he planning to take it all for himself?]

The girl panicked and stomped in anger. Her wish to go in there herself was curbed by the venomous serpent guard at the door.

This time she was close to blowing a gasket. She had wasted a month staking out this place, only to let another person reap the reward.

[I was hustled!]

She then pouted and slumped on the ground, sulking…

Back to Zhuo Fan, the man in question soon arrived at the end of the cave. The view here shocked him senseless.

The cave was your average hole in the mountain, opening into a room a thousand square meters in size, but the dazzling scene was breathtaking.

He came here for Shaping Spring and actually found so many high grade herbs. There were a hundred 8th grade and at least a thousand 7th grade herbs!

Such haul could contest with the seven houses’ stores.

If not even imperial family’s!

[Holy mother of god! True wealth truly comes from nature.] He assumed these were all gathered by the snakey, but why didn’t he eat them? [To last him through the winter?]

[More for me, I guess! He-he-he…]

Without further ado, and not caring for the beast outside, he pocketed all herbs with a wave. He even went to every corner and made sure he didn’t miss anything.

Zhuo Fan cackled like mad for such a great haul.

It echoed along the cave walls and traveled outside.

Venomous serpent’s heart sank and tears fell from his eyes.

The girl heard the cackle as well and almost sank into depression. [Those were supposed to be mine!]

Having already scouted the cave with her pet fish, she knew what a jackpot that cave held. She didn’t tell Zhuo Fan about it in fear he’d want a bite as well.

And now? He didn’t just take a bite but swallowed it whole.

The girl was wallowing in misery, tears threatening to burst out of her clear eyes…