Ju Hong's body flowed with the sparse bloodline of the divine beast Ju Mang, naturally close to nature and able to blend into his surroundings.
Coupled with the peculiar black mist that permeated the area, effectively blocking divine sense probes.
Therefore, even an Immortal Emperor might not have been able to discover his hidden form.
Yet, he had been seen through at a single glance.
His face was filled with disbelief, unable to comprehend where he had revealed a weakness.
Ju Mang no longer hid. With a flap of his wings, he soared into the air, revealing his form and looking down coldly at Ji Mo, demanding, "How did you find me? Tell me honestly, and I might spare your life."
"Anyone with eyes can see."
Ji Mo found the question strange and honestly replied, "You're such an ugly bird-person, and fat, squatting on a branch grinning foolishly. Who wouldn't see you?"
"Pfft..."
Chi Qingying, held in his arms, couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. She found Ji Mo's mockery of Ju Hong very satisfying and felt her mood instantly lift.
But soon, she raised her small fist and playfully hit Ji Mo's chest.
Really, was this scoundrel implying she didn't have eyes?
Ugly bird-person?
Fat?
Ju Hong was furious. The few green feathers on his forehead all stood on end.
He could accept the term "bird-person," as his appearance was indeed like that.
He could also tolerate being called ugly, as human aesthetics were simply not good.
But to be called fat, that was unacceptable.
His body was full of powerful muscles, perfect lines, and the solid abs he had cultivated. Where was he fat?
Ju Hong's eyes instantly turned chillingly cold, his chest heaving with anger, wishing he could tear Ji Mo's mouth to shreds.
But he forced himself to endure, secretly and frantically manipulating the beast hide, sending more and stronger toxic gas surging towards Ji Mo.
At this moment, the Four Unlike Beasts also arrived at the scene.
Upon arrival, it sensed something was amiss. It sniffed the air and urgently warned, "Be careful, there seems to be the unique poison of the divine beast Ju Mang here."
As it spoke, it immediately sealed its breath and secretly circulated the divine power within its body, forming a protective film on its skin.
The poison of Ju Mang was terrifying and insidious, capable of penetrating everywhere. Only divine power could resist it.
Ji Mo and Chi Qingying, unable to resist, had likely already been poisoned.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect you, this donkey demon, to have such insight to notice the anomaly. But it's too late. You are all trapped now, and not one of you will escape."
Ju Hong laughed triumphantly.
Simultaneously, under his urging, the beast hide emitted a dazzling light, casting down vast chains of laws, completely sealing off this space.
At this point, this area had become a complete cage, from which no one could escape.
"What poison did you release?"
Chi Qingying felt something was very wrong with her. Her breathing quickened, her heart pounded, and her body grew hot. Her restless little hands had inexplicably wrapped around Ji Mo's waist.
She sniffed Ji Mo's scent with enjoyment, feeling that this scoundrel must have applied perfume, otherwise, why would he smell so good?
"Ju Mang's poison can dissolve all the power within your bodies, and of course, there are other unexpected side effects."
Ju Hong grinned with his bird-like mouth, displaying a smug demeanor as if everything was within his calculations.
Ju Mang's poison was incurable, only resistible by divine power, thus Ju Hong was confident of victory.
The Four Unlike Beasts had dealt with Ju Mang before and understood the so-called side effects. Ju Mang was also known as the God of Spring, so its poison naturally carried such connotations. Judging by Chi Qingying's current state, she was clearly deeply poisoned.
It looked up at the beast hide, confirming that Ju Mang himself was not present, and then chuckled inwardly.
If the divine beast Ju Mang were here, it would have turned and fled immediately. A mere beast hide of Ju Mang was something it could handle.
"Heh heh, it's my turn to shine. I will forcefully intervene to save Ji Mo. This kid will surely be grateful and repay me handsomely."
The Four Unlike Beasts grinned slyly, realizing that in this moment of extreme urgency, the veteran had to step in.
"What poison? What side effects?"
Ji Mo inhaled deeply, but detected nothing and felt no discomfort in his body.
"Immune to all poisons?!"
The Four Unlike Beasts felt it had underestimated Ji Mo again.
Was this guy a freak? He was actually immune to Ju Mang's poison. Could this kid be a super divine beast in human form?
With a robust physique and immunity to Ju Mang's poison, such terrifying physical quality far surpassed its own.
"Impossible! Below the level of gods, no one can be immune to Ju Mang's poison."
Ju Hong roared, unwilling to believe Ji Mo was truly unharmed.
He frantically urged the beast hide, deciding to go all out and finish Ji Mo off.
The beast hide was fully activated, radiating divine light. The residual blood on it seemed to have regained its divinity.
Boom...
The beast hide vibrated, blood mist billowed, and the void itself distorted. A blurry phantom of the divine beast Ju Mang appeared.
The Four Unlike Beasts also became tense. It hadn't expected the beast hide to still contain Ju Mang's divine blood. Now that it was fully activated, its power was likely equivalent to Ju Mang's full-strength strike.
Whoosh!
The beast hide, carrying the divine beast phantom and enveloped in blood-red light, traversed the void and lunged towards Ji Mo.
"If Ji kid can't resist, I'll use my last bit of divine power to save him."
The Four Unlike Beasts was highly tense, preparing for action, ready to suffer a great loss to protect Ji Mo.
However.
It didn't need to intervene at all.
Facing the terrifying attack, Ji Mo was not afraid, but even a little excited.
This was because the Heavenly Demon Mark had started to heat up again, indicating that the beast hide carried energy useful to him.
He raised his right hand and effortlessly caught the incoming beast hide.
The moment it was caught, the beast hide's light dimmed, its energy dissipated, and the phantom of the divine beast Ju Mang let out a mournful roar before finally transforming into a wisp of the purest energy, which Ji Mo absorbed.
His body's evolution had increased by a tiny bit.
Ji Mo was very satisfied. It was truly an unexpected surprise. He rubbed the beast hide, finding its texture good, and praised, "This is a good hide. Its size seems just right for a pair of underpants."
After speaking, he happily tucked the beast hide into his embrace.
Making underpants from divine beast hide?
Ju Hong was almost driven mad on the spot. This divine hide came from the divine beast Ju Mang, and to him, it was a sacred object, not to be desecrated.
Now, someone was saying they wanted to make it into underpants. This was the greatest insult to his entire lineage.
"You bastard, you've gone too far, you bird..."
Ju Hong could no longer tolerate it. He flapped his wings furiously, stirring up a sky full of black flames, and swooped down towards Ji Mo.
He moved as fast as lightning, his wings generating terrifying gales that shredded the surrounding towering trees into flying debris.
Ji Mo raised an eyelid, then raised his hand again, precisely grabbing Ju Hong by the neck and holding him like a chick.
There were no fancy moves, just a casual grab, and Ju Hong was captured.
"If you have the guts, don't grab my neck. Let's have a head-on clash."
Ju Hong, with his stubborn beak, believed he had only been caught by surprise and stubbornly shouted.
He was a million times unwilling to accept being taken down by an unknown young brat in one move.
"You like head-on clashes, huh?"
Ji Mo's lips curled upwards, and then he violently slammed Ju Hong onto the hard ground.
Instantly.
Piercing screams echoed through the primeval forest.
Finally, Ju Hong was smashed into a dazed state, bleeding all over, and passed out.
Ji Mo deliberately did not kill him, intending to extract information from him about who had plotted against the Great Immortal Kong Xu back then.
At this moment.
Chi Qingying was already finding it difficult to control herself, clinging tightly to Ji Mo like an octopus.
Her little head also intentionally or unintentionally rubbed against Ji Mo's cheek.
"Miss Qingying, are you in pain? Is something wrong? Do you have a fever?"
Ji Mo sensed Chi Qingying's abnormal state, touched her smooth forehead, and found her temperature to be very high.
The Four Unlike Beasts muttered, "She does have a fever, but this 'fever' might not be what you think."
As a divine beast that had lived for a long time, the Four Unlike Beasts naturally understood human affairs. It said obsequiously, "I'll stand guard for you. You take the little fellow into the woods."