Chapter 72: Appraisal

The Giant Lizard stood on all four claws, its tongue hissing from time to time as it paced around Junior Brother Bai Ming, seemingly appraising this weak human.

The dull thud of heavy objects falling echoed constantly nearby. Junior Brother Bai Ming kept his head lowered, his body half-sprawled on the ground, trying his best to appear harmless.

His right arm was severely injured, and his cultivation was only at the Second Level of Qi Refining; how could he possibly defeat this Golden Core Stage Giant Lizard before him?

"What exactly is it thinking?" Junior Brother Bai Ming felt uneasy, his heart pounding erratically, causing a dull ache in his chest.

It didn't eat me right away; could it be interested in something I have on me?

Or perhaps, it's just not hungry right now.

Various thoughts collided in his mind as Junior Brother Bai Ming tried to find a possible chance of survival.

Just as he was racking his brain, a long, slender tongue reached out in front of him and gently wrapped around his body.

Fighting against the fear in his heart, Junior Brother Bai Ming did not resist. The touch of the tongue was neither too heavy nor too light, showing no intention of crushing him.

The rosy tip of the tongue roamed around Junior Brother Bai Ming's body, seemingly searching for something.

A small storage bag was fished out by the tip of the tongue, and the Giant Lizard retracted it from Junior Brother Bai Ming.

A flash of spiritual light emitted from the tip of the tongue, forcibly breaking the restriction on the storage bag and exposing its opening.

With a clatter, the contents of the storage bag were dumped onto the blue floor.

The Giant Lizard's tongue partially coiled around the storage bag, shaking it continuously as if to empty everything inside.

"What is it looking for?" Junior Brother Bai Ming was puzzled.

After dumping out a pile of medicinal herbs and jade bottles, the Giant Lizard stopped shaking its tongue.

A small, pure, and holy white flower fell from the storage bag, floating in the air.

Seeing the white flower, Junior Brother Bai Ming was stunned, realizing the Giant Lizard's intention.

Because he was going to be out for half a month, he had brought the white flower with him beforehand to prevent damage from direct sunlight.

He hadn't expected that it was precisely because of this flower that he had been captured.

After sniffing the fragrance of the white flower, the Giant Lizard set it aside and continued to approach Junior Brother Bai Ming.

Watching the Giant Lizard closing in step by step, Junior Brother Bai Ming's face showed fear, and his body involuntarily retreated.

"If you want the cangyue heart flower, I'll give it to you."

"Don't come over!"

The rows of sharp white teeth of the Giant Lizard drew closer and closer; Junior Brother Bai Ming screamed in his heart.

With one hand, he summoned the Qingming Storm Soul, making his final preparations.

A cyan-green ball of light condensed in Junior Brother Bai Ming's palm, bringing a touch of difference to this deep blue cave.

The Giant Lizard's claws slowly stopped, its long, slender tongue was retracted, and its golden slit pupils stared fixedly at Junior Brother Bai Ming's palm.

Seeing the massive creature before him stop approaching, Junior Brother Bai Ming had a hunch. He slowly moved his right hand to the side and discovered that those golden slit pupils followed the movement.

"Could it be that it has taken a liking to the Qingming Storm Soul in my hand?" Junior Brother Bai Ming let out a breath, and the dull feeling in his chest dissipated slightly.

But what kind of situation was this?

A Golden Core Stage spirit beast had taken a liking to the spirit wind in his hand.

Should he hand it over?

If he handed it over, would he be swallowed into its belly the very next moment?

If he didn't?

Impossible. In this situation, how could he possibly not hand it over? Could he rely on his broken and damaged spiritual roots, or his barely Second Level of Qi Refining cultivation?

After hesitating for a few breaths, Junior Brother Bai Ming ultimately did not hand it over immediately. He intended to observe the Giant Lizard's reaction; if it was indifferent, he could drag it out a while longer.

If its reaction was intense, he would hand it over without hesitation.

Under the Giant Lizard's gaze, Junior Brother Bai Ming gently withdrew the Qingming Storm Soul while observing its reaction.

Those golden slit pupils exuded an inhuman feeling, revealing no change in emotion.

After several probes, with the Qingming Storm Soul held a foot away from his chest, the Giant Lizard still had no reaction, but he dared not test it any further.

Through the cyan-green Qingming Storm Soul, their gazes met briefly, and the entire cave was filled with an indescribable silence.

"Hiss—hiss—"

The Giant Lizard extended its long, slender tongue, and the red tip moved toward the cyan-green ball of light.

Sensing the Giant Lizard's movement, Junior Brother Bai Ming immediately withdrew his hand and slowly shifted backward, leaving only the Qingming Storm Soul floating in the air.

The long, slender tongue wrapped around the green ball of light, and the Qingming Storm Soul was swallowed into the Giant Lizard's belly in one gulp.

Having lost his last trump card, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a chill in his heart. The Giant Lizard in front of him began to savor the Qingming Storm Soul intoxicatedly, its golden slit pupils narrowing, revealing a sense of satisfaction.

The Giant Lizard opened its eyes and continued to approach.

Junior Brother Bai Ming had to continue retreating until his back felt the cold touch of the wall.

He had nowhere left to retreat.

The tongue, covered in saliva, reached in front of Junior Brother Bai Ming's face. Whether he was willing or not, the soft tongue wrapped around his entire body.

His clothes were soaked by the saliva, leaving Junior Brother Bai Ming feeling sticky all over, and his body began to itch.

The massive tongue blocked his vision, leaving him in total darkness, and a fear of the unknown welled up in his heart.

"Will I be swallowed in one gulp, or will I be torn apart by sharp teeth first?"

This absurd thought couldn't help but arise in Junior Brother Bai Ming's mind.

"Thud, thud."

The Giant Lizard crawled through the cave, its four limbs landing alternately, emitting dull thumping sounds.

Under the dual torment of darkness and stickiness, Junior Brother Bai Ming finally reached the end.

"Plop."

Feeling a softness beneath his bottom, Junior Brother Bai Ming slowly crawled up and discovered that he was surrounded by soft grass leaves. These huge leaves formed a nest, resembling a lair.

The Giant Lizard retracted its tongue, turned its massive body, and left without looking back.

"What is going on?" Junior Brother Bai Ming looked at the retreating blue figure, feeling somewhat bewildered.

The sound of the Giant Lizard moving gradually faded, clearly having gone far away, leaving Junior Brother Bai Ming alone in the entire cave.

After waiting for a while, Junior Brother Bai Ming crawled out of the nest and looked at the sticky saliva on his body, feeling a headache for a moment.

He wiped his face with his hand. "What have I been treated as?"

Crawling out of the leaf nest, Junior Brother Bai Ming then discovered that there were many novel little items nearby.

Stones emitting a faint light, holy white flowers, and some huge aquatic algae.

Wait.

He knew the white flower was the cangyue heart flower.

But why did these stones also look familiar?

Night Brightness Stones.

Junior Brother Bai Ming squatted by the stone to inspect it, his mind recalling the ceiling emitting white light in the cultivation room of the Song Mansion.

He picked up a piece to fiddle with. "I didn't expect to see Night Brightness Stones here again."

"Oh, what is this one?" Junior Brother Bai Ming's attention was drawn to a treasure orb containing blue light.

It was shaped like a pebble, translucent overall, with a faint glimmer inside.

Shifting his gaze, Junior Brother Bai Ming continued to explore forward. Along the way, he saw colorful spirit stones and no shortage of interesting spiritual plants.

"Interesting." Junior Brother Bai Ming swept his gaze over them; there were quite a few he had never even seen before.

"Could it be that fellow is a collector?" Junior Brother Bai Ming rested his chin in his hand and pursed his lips.

Come to think of it, it didn't seem to show much aggression toward me.

Could it be.

That I've also been treated as a collectible by it.