Chapter 111: Tongue Extraction (First of Two)

In the past, Pi Dan could only wrap half a ghost, but now it had grown large enough to fully engulf one.

Pi Dan flew back; Xu Yuan collapsed into the carriage and spat another burst of fire inside.

Then, controlling Pi Dan, he soon retrieved four more little ghosts—all smoldering inside the carriage.

Xu Yuan then stirred the fire within his belly; after seven flows, he could now carefully ignite it to move beneath his skin, though he still couldn’t enter the meridians.

He burned away all four handprints on his legs until they melted and vanished.

Thin streams of black smoke drifted out, emitting a nauseating stench.

Xu Yuan glared fiercely at Zheng Rongkui: “You’re just a soft target!”

Zheng Rongkui could no longer spit threats—he had spent nearly half his life nurturing these eight little ghosts.

He sought power that was terrifying and methods that were bizarre.

Yet in just this short time, half of them had been captured, and most were already reduced to ash!

Zheng Rongkui quietly retreated—he admitted defeat; he couldn’t match you.

We have the Haikou Toad to deal with you!

Zheng Rongkui snarled with malice: “When the Haikou Toad kills you, I’ll beg it for your corpse and soul, and forge you into my new little ghost!”

On the other side, the hundred and twenty ghost soldiers had charged forward—this scene delighted Lu Zhengyan.

He swung his large Guan dao and charged in, shouting to the others: “Don’t help me! I’m going to slaughter to my heart’s content!”

A tiger-like general plunged into a pack of wolf soldiers!

Lu Zhengyan wore armor, and as a Seventh Flow Wu Xiu, his skin and bones were like copper and iron—ghost soldiers’ blades and spears left only black marks that faded within a few breaths.

Just avoid having arrows pierce your eyes.

His Guan dao whirled up and down, shattering the ghost soldiers’ formation.

But the five-colored poison mist had begun spreading—and seemed to be growing thicker by the moment.

Yan Lao calculated the timing; as the razor-sharp tongue shot toward them, he and Fu Jingyu lifted the guillotine blade with all their strength.

Snick—

After the blade opened, a vast, unseen force seized the tongue and dragged it toward the guillotine’s edge.

The tongue struggled to recoil, but could not escape.

Yet the poison mist rolled in—if Fu Jingyu or Yan Lao inhaled even a breath, they’d collapse instantly and slowly dissolve into a pool of deadly toxic fluid!

Old Baiyan held his bow, originally ready to support Lu Zhengyan, but the poison mist forced him to inch backward step by step.

“I’ve got a folk remedy for poison!” Old Pao Shan shouted. “I don’t know if it works, but I’ll try it!”

Old Baiyan called out to everyone, then prepared to charge into the poison mist—to test the remedy with his own body.

His folk remedy was strangely potent; it could neutralize most strange poisons in the mountains.

But against the head monster’s poison… he’d never tried it before.

If we keep retreating like this, we’ll be trapped to death.

And the Haikou Toad still had one tongue hidden somewhere, and its strongest trick—“Four Mouths Melting Gold”—had yet to be used.

Xu Yuan suddenly said: “No need. Come to me.”

Xu Yuan suddenly charged straight at Zheng Rongkui without hesitation.

Zheng Rongkui had already retreated to the edge of the poison mist.

Though Zheng Rongkui believed the Haikou Toad wouldn’t poison him, he didn’t know how precisely it controlled its own mist, so he dared not rush into it.

If the Haikou Toad could precisely control it, and created a safe space for him as he retreated, that would be ideal.

But what if it couldn’t? If he inhaled the mist, the Haikou Toad might save him—but he’d lose half his life anyway.

He’d already released all his little ghosts—he’d already lost half his life. If the poison mist finished him off now, he’d never make it back to the Demon Extermination Corps.

But Xu Yuan suddenly charged toward him—Zheng Rongkui’s instinct screamed: This brat has ill intent!

You’re really going to squeeze the soft target until it oozes, aren’t you!

Zheng Rongkui had no more hesitation—he swiftly retreated into the poison mist…

His remaining four little ghosts darted after him.

Xu Yuan rushed toward Zheng Rongkui at top speed—Xu Yuan’s feet carried twin fire wheels; Zheng Rongkui rode atop two three-zhang-tall vengeful spirits—both moved fast, but the distance between them didn’t narrow much.

Xu Yuan felt slight disappointment, but he could delay no longer—the poison mist was closing in rapidly.

Xu Yuan threw Wang Shen’s spleen onto the ground.

Boom!

The spleen’s energy transformed into earth qi.

Instantly, within thirty zhang, the earth surged upward—but instead of turning to rock, it simply enveloped everyone.

With Xu Yuan’s control, no one would suffocate within the soil.

Of course, it wouldn’t be comfortable either.

But the poison mist was completely repelled!

Even as the Haikou Toad strained to seep through, it could penetrate only a few chi—full infiltration would take a long time.

The hundred and twenty ghost soldiers and the razor-sharp tongue were all trapped.

Under Xu Yuan’s control, the ground beneath them hardened into solid rock.

Moreover, the earth qi condensed heavily, pinning them in place.

Xu Yuan checked—Zheng Rongkui had escaped.

Fortunately, three of his remaining four little ghosts were caught.

Our side was all accounted for—wait, where was Dafu?

Dafu had been right beside everyone all along.

When Xu Yuan released the earth qi, Dafu suddenly tensed, leapt up, and flew away.

It disliked being held in Xu Yuan’s arms, and hated being embraced by the entire earth.

Now, Dafu stood atop the thirty-zhang uplifted ground, eyes vacant and unfocused, staring at nothing in particular.

Xu Yuan ignored Dafu, slipped over, seized the three trapped little ghosts, shoved them into the carriage, spat fire into it several times, then moved toward the tongue.

His only concern now was the trick “Four Mouths Melting Gold.”

The Haikou Toad’s fourth tongue must be hidden somewhere, waiting to suddenly strike with a devastating ambush.

Xu Yuan was no longer worried about that tongue.

We’re hidden in the earth—you can’t see us at all.

Xu Yuan reached the razor-sharp tongue and realized with awkwardness that the only way to deal with it was to slowly burn it with his belly fire.

Too exhausting.

Xu Yuan went to find Fu Jingyu: “Carry the dog-head guillotine with me.”

The three moved through the earth qi, sneaking up beside the tongue—Fu Jingyu suddenly asked: “Why are we being so sneaky?”

Everyone fell silent, then laughed.

Right—the tongue was trapped, and neither the Haikou Toad nor Zheng Rongkui could see us. Why tiptoe?

Snick!

The dog-head guillotine severed the tongue clean through!

Deep in the mountains, a pained roar echoed—and Xu Yuan felt the earth qi within the thirty-zhang range being violently kicked.

Thud!

A muffled shockwave rolled through—luckily, Wang Shen’s spleen had rooted into the earth and fused with it; the kick only made everyone feel uneasy, causing no harm.

Xu Yuan opened the carriage and shoved the severed tongue inside, then spat ten more bursts of belly fire.

Smoldering worked wonders.

(End of Chapter)