Super Zoo

Since "太岁" is composed of various types of 'fungi,' these fungi will disperse into the water, making the water infused with "太岁" beneficial to some extent.

Of course, whether these 'effects' are beneficial or harmful cannot be generalized.

So far, a few things can be confirmed. The poachers found this place using a special water sample; the water quality here is unique, not due to the waterfall outside, but because of the presence of "太岁" in the cave. The water in the cave flows through the pool where "太岁" resides, gets soaked by "太岁" and finally flows out of the cave into the large pool outside.

Secondly, the effects exhibited by this "太岁" are mostly positive. The "wild man" and the "Chinese Giant Salamander" must have been consuming the water steeped with "太岁" for years, resulting in the salamander's long lifespan and the wild man's robust physique and astounding recovery abilities.

This is also the most important point.

The quality and effects of "太岁" grown in different environments are vastly different. "太岁" grown in places of pristine mountains and clear waters can be said to absorb the essence of nature, possessing extraordinary qualities. It is said that there are similar entities like "太岁" in swamps; by the same logic, those that reside year-round in muddy, polluted waters, or even miasmatic airs, absorb corrupt essences, becoming extremely toxic over hundreds or even thousands of years.

Suming sent a blast of spiritual power to the "wild man" then assisted him in climbing out of the small pool and took position on the opposite side to help Suming lift "太岁" from beneath the water surface.

Unexpectedly, "太岁" was extremely large, and felt all too soft and slippery when touched. Suming attempted to lift it a couple of times only to find it incredibly heavy; the squidgy mass gave no purchase, making his efforts feel like tugging at fatty flesh—lifting only a large chunk at a time, utterly impossible to hoist completely.

Continuing in this manner would surely tear "太岁" apart.

"太岁" has self-regenerating capabilities, similar to fission. Even if a piece is periodically cut off, it won't take long for it to grow back fully, and the carved-off section can still survive as a new "太岁"—a truly marvelous feature.

Though "太岁" has this marvelous ability, a complete "太岁" is certainly valued higher. Moreover, from a subjective human point of view, there is an inexplicable reverence towards giant life forms. A whole enormous "太岁" is far more impressive than a pile of fragments, even if they have the same value.

Suming thought for a moment. The squishy "太岁" in front of him reminded him of a scene from the novel he had read, "Ghost Blows Out the Light". Without a second word, he stripped off all his clothing, leaving himself clad in just a pair of boxer shorts.

The temperature in the mountains was already low, and it was even colder in the sunless cave, instantly causing Suming to shiver uncontrollably and his "bird" to retract.

Seeing Suming strip, the "wild man" scratched his head in confusion, then looked down at himself. His body was nothing but fur; it didn't seem like he had any clothes to take off.

"Come help!"

Suming jumped into the pool, standing on the soft "太岁" underneath, and, with much flailing, maneuvered his clothes and trousers to wrap around it. The "太岁," sprawled on the bottom of the pool and almost as wide as Suming's height, thankfully was soft and easy to handle; no matter how much it was twisted and squeezed, there was no issue. After much effort, they finally managed to completely cover "太岁" with the clothing. The originally sprawling mass of "太岁" now looked like a small mound of flesh gathered on top of the clothes.

"One, two, three—lift!"

Suming and the "wild man" each grabbed an end of the clothes and pulled hard, slowly lifting "太岁" out of the water. Judging by the feeling in his hands, Suming estimated that this "太岁" weighed at least a hundred pounds.

With a splash, they finally lifted "太岁" out of the water completely.

The commotion attracted the attention of Huiya and the others; all the animals had gathered around, except for the Haidong Qing that had gone hunting early in the morning.

Huiya circled the "big meat pie" incessantly, occasionally reaching out its paws to scratch the Chinese Giant Salamander a few times, clearly intrigued;

The big axolotl crawled over to the Chinese Giant Salamander with a patter, its two small eyes fixated on the plump and tender creature, looking as if it had long been drooling over it. Seeing this, the savage kicked the big axolotl, sending it tumbling over several times and crashing into a large rock. It got up, still eyeing the Chinese Giant Salamander from a distance, clearly with bad intentions.

Flap flap flap, the sounds of wings beating filled the air as the Diamond Parrot sisters landed directly on the Chinese Giant Salamander, jumping on it like a trampoline, their bodies bouncing up and down.

"So dizzy! So dizzy!"

"So slippery! So slippery!"

"Get off!" Suming grabbed the two troublemakers by the neck and yanked them off, joking aside, the Chinese Giant Salamander's body was soft and defenseless under the paws of these two, who had not jumped much before their hard claws punctured many little holes into it.

The white-faced golden monkey seemed to be the most timid, coming over last with its tail tucked, and after arriving, it did not make any other moves like the other animals were, but sat obediently close to Suming's leg, flicking its tail back and forth.

"Let me tell you something, listen up, from now on no hurting this Chinese Giant Salamander, especially you, Chinese Giant Salamander and you two parrots!" Suming pointed at the Chinese Giant Salamander as his spiritual power enveloped the animals present.

The exact uses of this Chinese Giant Salamander, how long it had lived, and any other relevant information were still unclear to Suming. However, the value it currently demonstrated was already quite astonishing.

The hidden boss behind the poachers offered over a million US dollars just for the labor costs for this thing, and if it were to be sold on the market, the price would definitely reach a staggering figure;

Additionally, the water soaked by the Chinese Giant Salamander had some very special effects, Suming was now in the aquaculture business, so it might be helpful, and it seemed both the savage and the big axolotl needed this kind of special water;

Besides, such a large Chinese Giant Salamander, even if its medicinal value were zero, would still be an extremely rare collectible as an item itself.

Therefore, to describe this Chinese Giant Salamander as a priceless treasure might seem an exaggeration, but for Suming, this creature truly deserved the description "of immeasurable value." He had to protect it at all costs—if these animals, in their rough play, accidentally harmed it, he would be devastated.

Spiritual power, like radar, spread out in all directions, greeting each animal in the vicinity;

And a portion of that spiritual power coincidentally passed over the Chinese Giant Salamander.

Unexpectedly, the Chinese Giant Salamander responded!

"Huh?!" Suming's eyes suddenly widened as he stared intently at the Chinese Giant Salamander on the ground.

This thing wasn't an animal, so how could it react to spiritual power like one—could it be alive?!

Fearing he was mistaken, Suming quickly concentrated and sent another wave of spiritual power toward the Chinese Giant Salamander.

Just like before, as soon as the spiritual power touched the Chinese Giant Salamander, it immediately responded!