Chapter 2148: Taming the Phosphorescent Armored Beast

"Your Divine Core Pill is poisonous?" The Scaled Beast's body stiffened, tightening all over.

Since meeting the other party, it had only consumed one Divine Core Pill given by him. At the time, it had meticulously checked the pill and found nothing unusual before taking it. Could something have been hidden inside?

But... what kind of poison could make it vaguely sense a crushing pressure from the heavens and earth, leaving it with no power to resist whatsoever?

"You're smart to realize," Zhang Xuan nodded.

As a top expert who had traversed the Master Teacher Continent and the Firmament, his experience in the world was definitely on par with an old monster. How could he casually trust a high-level young man who suddenly appeared drinking in the middle of the night?

Therefore, he had made preparations beforehand, embedding several streams of true qi into the Divine Core Pill he gave the other party.

If his intentions were genuinely good, these true qi streams would serve as assistance, helping to clear meridians, improve skin, and even enhance beauty. However, if there were ulterior motives, these potent true qi streams would instantly transform into highly toxic energy, carrying the oppressive force of the Heavenly Dao, and infiltrate the most delicate parts of the body, making them irresistible to even the strongest individuals.

"Very well... but don't celebrate too soon. The mutton and fine wine you just had also contained my poison. At worst, we'll just exchange antidotes," the Scaled Beast gnashed its teeth.

"Poison in the wine?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Do you think I'd believe such a claim at this moment?"

As a poison master, he could easily detect whether something was poisonous or not. The other party was clearly trying to create a diversion and make him lose his composure.

"My fine wine isn't toxic, but it's brewed from special fruits, suitable only for me, the Scaled Beast. If other beings consume it, there won't be significant changes in the short term, but after half a day, scales will grow all over their body, causing unbearable itching and making them wish for death," the Scaled Beast said. "As long as you give me the antidote, I'll also teach you the solution and let you leave without any trouble."

"No need!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I believe what you're saying, but... thanks to your reminder, I just neutralized the poison you administered!" Zhang Xuan stated.

The Scaled Beast froze, disbelief evident on its face. "You're talking nonsense..."

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. "Your fine wine is brewed from the unique True Seed Fruit found only in this canyon. This fruit is the optimal supplement for maintaining your formidable scales. That's precisely why you can't leave this place; you know that without the True Seed Fruit... your so-called invincible defense would become a joke!"

"You..." The Scaled Beast was stunned.

Was this guy in front of it a monster?

How could he possibly know such a secret?

The City Lord of Nightfall City had once come to tame it, offering very generous terms! In the past, it wouldn't even have considered such an offer, directly refusing. However, with the decline of spiritual energy in the God Realm, remaining here would only lead to its strength gradually weakening.

Yet... it still hadn't agreed, solely because of this True Seed Fruit!

This fruit was the most crucial reason for its strong defense. As long as it consumed it continuously, its defense would become even stronger. However, if it stopped, it would gradually weaken, and its so-called advantage would disappear.

Furthermore, this substance could only be cultivated with its blood and could not survive outside Cloudy Mist Valley... thus, it was bound to remain here, unable to leave.

This was its greatest secret, one that absolutely no one could know. Therefore... no matter who came to try and tame it, it would flatly refuse, even risking its life to drive them away.

The other party... had just blurted it out! How did he know?

"You brew the True Seed Fruit into fine wine, firstly, to cover your tracks and prevent others from identifying it, and secondly, frequent consumption allows you to maintain your body's defensive strength... Because it's cultivated with your blood, ordinary people indeed cannot consume it; they would experience physical discomfort if they drank it. But... for me, it's nothing!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

Even the most toxic substances in the world were nothing before Heavenly Dao true qi, let alone wine brewed from some fruits.

"Alright!" After explaining, Zhang Xuan waved his hand, then calmly sat where the divine beast had been sleeping nearby. He looked over and said, "I'll give you two choices. First... give me one hundred True Seed Fruits and two liters of your fresh blood! Of course, I won't ask for them for free; I'll give you twenty Divine Core Pills in return! Don't worry, this batch won't be poisoned."

"Second, die from the poison! The poison I administered is guaranteed to be unsolvable by anyone. Even if you find the Netherworld Emperor or the Qiankun Emperor, there's absolutely nothing they can do!"

"I'll kill you..." The Scaled Beast roared, about to attack the young man in front of it, when it felt its body tighten. The poison the other party had administered to it instantly locked its meridians, preventing it from releasing even a shred of its strength.

"What kind of poison is this?" Its pupils constricted, and the Scaled Beast trembled.

Numerous powerful individuals had tried to tame it, and many had resorted to poison. Consequently, it had some understanding of various poisons and, with its powerful body and defense, could ward off most toxins. Yet, it had no resistance whatsoever to the other party's poison!

"You don't need to know. I'm giving you two options. If you choose the second one, after you die from the poison, I can still collect your blood and the True Seed Fruits, without spending a single penny!" Zhang Xuan stated.

Knowing he spoke the truth—that once it died, everything would belong to the other party—the Scaled Beast's expression shifted between gloomy and clear. "Is there a third option?"

"Yes!" With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan stood up. "Become my beast pet. Provide blood whenever I need it, and I can ensure you maintain your current defensive power even when you leave Cloudy Mist Valley, or even become... stronger! Furthermore, I can help you break through your limitations and reach the Heavenly God Realm!"

"Help me leave here and break through to the Heavenly God Realm?" The Scaled Beast shook its head. "That's impossible..."

It had already taken on a human form and was capable of living in a city, enjoying a life of luxury and indulgence. It certainly wouldn't refuse such an opportunity. But... it was impossible in reality! It had once infiltrated Nightfall City, seeking out various people for information, but unfortunately, no one could help.

Could this twenty-something-year-old in front of it truly achieve this?

And help it break through?

If the Heavenly God Realm were so easy to break through, then the City Lord wouldn't be the only one in Nightfall City to have reached that level of power!

"Nothing is impossible!" Zhang Xuan slightly raised his head, his gaze profound. "The True Seed Fruit can strengthen your defense, but you also know its significant side effects, just as you said: unbearable itching, making you wish for death! You must continuously consume the True Seed Fruit to alleviate it, like tobacco, impossible to quit."

Having read books, he knew that the God Realm also had tobacco, and it was almost impossible for those who used it regularly to quit.

"Even if you know, what method do you have?" the Scaled Beast asked.

It was well aware of this, but what could be done?

If it could have quit, it wouldn't have stayed here for so long.

"All things in the Heavenly Dao complement and balance each other. Where a poisonous snake lurks, an antidote is always found within seven steps. That's the meaning of it. The True Seed Fruit has side effects, so naturally, there's something that can resolve them... As for helping you break through to the Heavenly God Realm, it precisely relies on this. If I'm not mistaken, years of consuming the True Seed Fruit have numbed your meridians, making them less sensitive than before, haven't they?"

Zhang Xuan said.

"How did you..." It was about to ask how he knew, but seeing its secrets seemingly transparent to the other party, it ultimately stopped and nodded. "Yes!"

Indeed, after long-term consumption of the True Seed Fruit, its meridians were not as sensitive as before, and the flow of true qi was also not as easy to control.

It was like a hammer; if you want it to have power, you can't expect it to be agile.

With invincible defense, the subtle control over true qi would naturally degrade. There was nothing perfect in the world.

"If I restore your sensitive control over true qi, will you be able to break through to the Heavenly God Realm?"

Zhang Xuan smiled.

"Of course!" The Scaled Beast nodded.

With renewed sensitive control over true qi, combined with its many years of accumulation, breaking through to that realm would not be difficult.

"Then it's simple..." Zhang Xuan flicked his finger again.

The true qi within its body, which had caused it immense pain and prevented it from exerting any power, instantly transformed into a powerful tonic, rapidly flowing through its meridians.

Its meridians, which had stiffened due to its enhanced defense, instantly became supple, and all blockages cleared.

"This..." The Scaled Beast's eyes widened in utter disbelief.

The deadly poison had, with a single thought from the other party, transformed into a powerful tonic... and with such potent effects, how was this possible?

With its meridians softened, the power within its body stirred restlessly, as if it could break through to the Heavenly God Realm at any moment. Just as it was about to make a final push for direct success, that stream of true qi halted.

All its meridians stiffened again, and the urge to break through, which had been so potent, was sealed once more, unable to advance.

Plummeting from the heavens to the mortal realm in an instant, the overwhelming sense of loss made it feel like it would explode.

Zhang Xuan smiled, saying, "The power within you is too weak; it can only sustain you for a short period. But even for this brief time, you should understand that what I said earlier was true, and I wasn't deceiving you. The choice is now yours!"

The Heavenly Dao true qi could indeed soften its rigid meridians, but only for a temporary period; it couldn't last too long. Moreover, the other party hadn't made a choice yet, so it was impossible to help it break through just like that.

"I..." The Scaled Beast fell silent.

If it had harbored any doubts before, the moment the other party's power flowed through its body, it was confirmed: this individual could indeed resolve the hidden dangers left by the True Seed Fruit and even help it break through!

Given this, of the three paths, which one should it choose... even a fool would understand.

"I am willing to become your beast pet, never leaving, never regretting until death..." Gritting its teeth, the Scaled Beast prostrated itself. With a mental command, a drop of its essence blood flew out.

"Excellent!" Letting out a breath, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. With a tap of his finger, he absorbed the soul imprint contained within the blood into his glabella, successfully taming it.