Dozens of feet away from the Spiritual Well, behind a Spirit Fruit Tree that was six or seven hundred years old, the father and son duo hid quietly.
Qin Long used the Concealing Breath Technique, not a trace of aura leaking from his body.
Demon Beasts were mostly highly perceptive. If that Spiritual Toad detected the aura of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it wouldn't dare show itself easily.
However, Qin Long was from the Beast Taming Sect and had learned many techniques to deal with Demon Beasts, so concealing his own aura was relatively easier for him.
Of course, this was also because his Dao Cultivation was much higher than that of the Spiritual Beast.
If it were a Demon Beast of the same level, it would require a more advanced technique to hide one's aura at such a close distance.
Qin Feng, on the other hand, didn't mind. As a mere small Qi Refinement Realm Cultivator at the second level, his aura became even weaker after Qin Long cast a spell on him, making him seem like an ordinary mortal who didn't understand cultivation.
The father and son hid behind the tree, secretly watching the Spiritual Well, waiting for the appearance of the Spiritual Toad.
Time passed slowly, bit by bit. The air was still, and the scorching sun made the sand on the ground hot. The branches and leaves of the Spirit Fruit Tree wilted listlessly.
If it weren't for Qin Feng having already stepped onto the path of cultivation and being able to use his cultivation technique to resist the heat, he would have been complaining loudly by now.
Just as he was getting a bit impatient, his father gently pulled him.
Qin Feng was startled and quickly followed his father's gaze.
From the Spiritual Well dozens of feet away, a faint sound of water suddenly came.
Then, they saw a completely green Spiritual Toad, only the size of a child's fist, leap from the bottom of the well, crouching on the sun-heated edge of the well, seemingly unconcerned about the temperature.
Its snow-white belly puffed up and down, and its lively eyes scanned around. After finding no signs of human presence, it let out a few soft croaks and jumped down from the edge of the well.
Just as the Fifth Elder described, this Spiritual Toad jumped as if it were flying. With a slight hop, it landed several feet away.
In just a few hops, it arrived under a Spirit Fruit Tree not far from Qin Feng and his father. Its mouth opened, a flash of light appeared, and the Spiritual Toad extended its long tongue to roll up a bright red Spirit Fruit and swallowed it.
The Spirit Fruit was quite large, even bigger than the Spiritual Toad itself, but as the toad's tongue retracted into its mouth, it swallowed the Spirit Fruit effortlessly.
"Huh?"
Qin Long was surprised. "It's actually a Swallowing Sky Toad? No wonder it's so voracious."
"Swallowing Sky Toad?"
Qin Feng looked at his father in confusion.
He had not seen any records of the Swallowing Sky Toad in the Spiritual Beast Atlas of the family's Scripture Pavilion.
Qin Long didn't answer him.
Because, just as he spoke, the Swallowing Sky Toad had already sensed his presence.
The toad's body suddenly turned. Its round, beady eyes looked toward the two hiding behind the tree with a mix of doubt and caution.
Qin Long chuckled lightly, no longer hiding. He stood up and walked toward the Swallowing Sky Toad, speaking as he went, "The Swallowing Sky Toad is a very special type of toad Demon Beast, known to devour the sky. It's not simple; its belly forms its own space."
"This type of Spiritual Toad is rare in number. After refining its cultivation to Great Success, it's extremely powerful. If swallowed into the space within its belly, one's life and death would be entirely at its mercy."
"But unfortunately, this Demon Beast is too difficult to nurture. The Swallowing Sky Toad requires a tremendous amount of Spiritual Objects to grow its internal space and advance in cultivation."
"As its cultivation progresses, the resources it needs will increase. The cultivation resources that could nurture thousands of disciples in a sect might not even be enough to raise a single Swallowing Sky Toad."
He sighed regretfully. He had hoped to catch a Spiritual Beast that, even if he couldn't use, could be sold to provide cultivation resources for his son. But this Swallowing Sky Toad was too expensive to keep, leaving him feeling helpless.
It seemed the family's Spirit Fruit Garden losses this year were inevitable. After all, no one would buy such a massive eater to raise.
If the Swallowing Sky Toad had advanced to a second-rank Demon Beast, it would be better. It could be sold to Artifact Refiners to make Space Artifacts using its internal space.
But judging by its current state, it was only in the late stage of the first rank. Its internal space was too small to be useful.
Demon Beasts were classified from the lowest first rank to the highest ninth rank. A first-rank Demon Beast was equivalent to a cultivator in the Qi Refinement Realm, while a second-rank was akin to a Foundation Establishment Cultivation, and so on.
Above the ninth rank was the realm of Demon Immortals.
Qin Long sighed regretfully, forming hand seals and preparing to cast a spell.
Since he couldn't recover the family's losses, he would avoid causing more damage.
He cast a spell, "Draw a Prison," intending to trap the Swallowing Sky Toad and then kill it.
Unexpectedly, the Swallowing Sky Toad was incredibly agile. Just as Qin Long's spell fell, it leaped out of the spell's range.
With a few more hops, it jumped back to the Spiritual Well and dove in.
Qin Long was a moment too slow to catch the toad, his face darkening.
As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, even though Beast Taming Sect cultivators relied heavily on their Spiritual Beasts, making their battle power relatively weak, it was shameful to fail to catch a first-rank late-stage Demon Beast.
Angered, Qin Long summoned his Green-Eyed Spirit Snake.
The snake quickly understood its mission, slithering down the well wall.
It moved as if the smooth well wall were flat ground, with no risk of falling.
The Green-Eyed Spirit Snake slipped into the well water, tracking the Swallowing Sky Toad's scent.
Qin Feng closed his eyes, sending a wisp of Divine Sense into the snake, keeping a close watch on the toad fleeing underwater.
Let's see where you can run in this underground stream.
The Green-Eyed Spirit Snake's vertical pupils glowed with a green light, locking onto the Swallowing Sky Toad.
Even in the total darkness of the underground stream, it could see the toad clearly.
Nearby, Qin Long waited with a smile for the Green-Eyed Spirit Snake to bring the toad back.
But soon, his brow furrowed.
The Swallowing Sky Toad swam almost as fast as the Green-Eyed Spirit Snake, fleeing in a straight line and quickly covering miles without stopping.
The special Beast Taming Technique allowed Qin Long to attach his Divine Sense to the snake. Otherwise, even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Divine Sense couldn't reach so far.
In the underground stream, the Green-Eyed Spirit Snake chased the Swallowing Sky Toad. Suddenly, light appeared ahead, an exit to the surface.
The toad leapt out of the water and slipped into nearby vegetation.
For the snake, this was no problem. It locked onto the toad's scent and continued the chase.
However, when it emerged and saw the surroundings, the snake quickly retreated and returned the way it came.