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Chapter 82: The Spirit Toad
Chapter 82: The Spirit Toad
Just before the passage collapsed, Ji Xinghuo and his three companions had already entered the cave.
This cave had a diameter of about 300 meters and a height of more than 30 meters. It was dimly lit, damp, and muggy, with half-meter-deep pools of water on the ground that felt muddy underfoot.
"Sister Ren, are you sure we can get out of here?" Chi Zhong Lin asked anxiously, her eyes fixed on the completely blocked passageway.
If the passage hadn't collapsed, that legendary Great Kunman would have charged right in.
Ren Mian didn't answer; instead, she surveyed the cave and shot a questioning glance at Ji Xinghuo.
"Where's the toad spirit?"
Ji Xinghuo pointed in a certain direction.
The cave was filled with aquatic plants—all sorts of duckweed and weeds—and the walls were covered in vegetation, amid which numerous insects could be heard chirping.
From time to time, there were also the croaks of young toads hiding among the water plants.
If one were to close their eyes, they might imagine themselves by a wild pond.
Ren Mian looked in the direction Ji Xinghuo was pointing, toward the center of the cave. There, a mound rose above the water's surface, spanning several dozen square meters. A shadow loomed upon it, and though it couldn't be seen clearly, one could sense an awe-inspiring pressure emanating from it.
At that moment, two green lights shone from within the dim shadow.
The toad spirit had awakened!
However, it didn't make any subsequent movements. It merely stared at the cave entrance with eyes as large as lanterns, a hint of bewilderment in its gaze, as if it had just been roused from an afternoon nap and was unsure what was happening.
"Don't move, and don't speak," Ren Mian's voice echoed in the minds of the three. Slowly, she reached into the square bag at her waist and pulled out a bottle of black liquid. She twisted off the cap and poured the contents into the water.
Then, she took out several fruits the size of fingertips and handed them to the others.
"Eat these quickly."
Ji Xinghuo immediately understood that this was the antidote, and he quickly chewed and swallowed one of the fruits.
Ren Mian had already poisoned the water.
All they needed to do now was wait for the poison to take effect, and they would be able to kill the toad spirit without breaking a sweat.
However, things weren't going to be that simple.
Boom!
The collapsed passage behind them suddenly trembled. Though it seemed completely blocked, there were still gaps between the rubble. Ji Xinghuo faintly heard the shouts of the Great Kunmen, one of whom was a legendary figure who was clearing the debris to reopen the passage.
Boom! Boom! Boom...
A chill seeped through the gaps in the rubble, causing Ji Xinghuo and his companions to shiver.
The people of Beiluosimen had gene-compatible job templates similar to those of Earthlings, and there were some similarities between the two groups. For example, the Water Controller and the Ice Blade.
These were the two most common job templates among the Great Kunmen.
And the legendary Great Kunman outside had mastered both of these templates, forming an advanced profession known on Earth as the "Ice River Envoy"!
A legendary powerhouse with an advanced profession could crush an entire team of superhumans.
Not to mention, they only had three high-level superhumans and one medium-level superhuman here. If the legendary Great Kunman broke through, they would be doomed.
"Don't panic. He won't be coming in that quickly," Ren Mian reassured her teammates. "We just need to wait for the poison to take effect."
Boom!
Another loud noise reverberated through the cave.
The giant toad lying in the middle of the cave blinked its eyes, looking somewhat irritated.
"This isn't good," Ji Xinghuo said, sensing something amiss.
In the next moment, he was struck by an invisible force and sent flying, crashing painfully into the cave wall.
This was the toad spirit's attack.
Spiritual energy!
"Make your move!" Ren Mian shouted, her body already transformed into a crystalline form resembling a diamond. This attack had no effect on her.
Chi Zhonglin was not so lucky; he struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth in pain.
"Damn beast!"
His body immediately began to swell, reaching a height of over two meters. His hair turned green, and his body was covered in black metallic scales. With a long spear in hand, he charged toward the toad spirit.
Jiangnan Cayi's figure merged with the air and disappeared from view.
Bang!
Ren Mian fired a crystal from her hand, but it was knocked away before it could reach its target, exploding in mid-air.
Blinding white light illuminated the entire cave, turning night into day.
The toad spirit disliked bright lights.
The thousands of young toads in the cave began to jump and croak chaotically, creating a deafening racket.
The giant toad on the mound instinctively closed its eyes, and its spiritual energy stagnated. Chi Zhonglin seized this opportunity to rush forward and thrust his spear at the toad's head.
Pa!
There was a loud crack.
Chi Zhonglin was sent flying backward, nearly losing his grip on his lava spear.
His chest was deeply concave, as if something had struck him with incredible speed, too fast for the eye to catch. The force was heavy and powerful, leaving him no time to react.
Ji Xinghuo, however, had seen it clearly.
He was aiming his Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow at the toad spirit, and his Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupils had captured the moment the toad spirit attacked Chi Zhonglin. It had happened so fast that it was almost imperceptible—the toad had opened its mouth, and a thick, fleshy tongue had shot out like a meat spear, striking Chi Zhonglin with lightning speed.
It was the fastest attack Ji Xinghuo had ever seen, and he doubted his own arrows could match it.
Yet he fired an arrow nonetheless.
Pa!
The bowstring vibrated, and Ji Xinghuo released an electric arrow, which flew toward the toad spirit's eyes in an instant. However, it seemed to slow as if mired in quicksand, struggling to advance through the air.
The toad spirit's long tongue lashed out, knocking the electric arrow away.
Jiangnan Cayi appeared behind the toad spirit, but not by choice—she had been forced out of hiding. An invisible hand seemed to grip her, suspending her in mid-air, before viciously hurling her backward. She flew over a hundred meters and slammed into the cave wall.
Having unleashed the Unnameable Fear outside the palace, she had exhausted most of her stellar power and was left with little combat strength.
"Cayi, fall back," Ren Mian ordered.
With that, several tendrils of bluish-green briars fell into the water and began to grow wildly, like thick venomous snakes slithering through the water towards the toad spirit.
Sensing the danger, the toad spirit unleashed its spiritual power, yanking the Green Lock Dragon out of the water.
Ignoring the captured Green Lock Dragon, Ren Mian caused the briars to grow thicker and longer, forming a rampant briar tide that enveloped the toad spirit's mound.
Simultaneously, she threw out a palm-shaped piece of red wood.
Fed by the wind, the wood swiftly grew into a giant palm, over three meters in diameter, covered in thick, sharp thorns, with a crimson palm that resembled a blood-stained giant's hand. Under Ren Mian's control, it slammed towards the toad spirit's head.
Flying Dragon Blood Palm!
Boom!
The crimson blood palm struck an invisible barrier, creating a shockwave that swept the surroundings and caused the entire cave to tremble.
The Flying Dragon Blood Palm was locked in a stalemate with the unseen kinetic energy.
Multitasking, Ren Mian continued to manipulate the Green Lock Dragon, causing it to proliferate wildly, increasing in number and tightly wrapping around the toad spirit's mound.
An invisible wall of forcefield halted the onslaught of the Green Lock Dragon.
Croak!
The toad spirit let out a sudden croak, and its spiritual power erupted.
The Flying Dragon Blood Palm was pushed back, and the Green Lock Dragon frenzy exploded outward, flipping the entire pool and creating a wave several meters high that rushed towards Ren Mian.
Caught off guard, Ren Mian lost control and couldn't maintain the equilibrium. "Dodge!" she shouted.
Instead of dodging, Chi Zhonglin forged ahead, slashing through the Green Lock Dragon. With his lava spear, he bravely charged at the toad spirit's backside.
Ji Xinghuo also fired an arrow.
It was another capacitor arrow, almost overloaded and wrapped in electric light.
A faint glow flickered in his right eye, and at the most opportune moment, with the most precise angle, he released the arrow.
Piercing through the water wave, the capacitor arrow slipped through the fingers of the flying red giant palm, taking advantage of the palm's obstruction of the toad spirit's vision. By the time the toad spirit noticed the arrow, it was too late to block it. Its spiritual power had just erupted, leaving it at its weakest.
Swoosh!
Accompanied by a loud blast, the capacitor arrow struck the toad spirit's eye.
It managed to close its eyelid just in time, and the smooth, greasy skin shone with a slick luster. The arrow slid upon impact, veering to the side and carving a massive gash but ultimately failing to penetrate.
"Croak..."
The toad spirit emitted a painful croak.
The capacitor arrow discharged high-voltage electricity, paralyzing its entire body and causing its spiritual power to go haywire. The oncoming giant wave crumbled, falling back into the pool.
Ji Xinghuo had anticipated this outcome, and his arrow had achieved its purpose.
Seizing the opportunity, Chi Zhonglin thrust his scorching lava spear into the toad spirit's backside.
The toad spirit was inherently slow and clumsy in turning, its tongue unable to reach the enemies behind it. Paralyzed by the capacitor arrow, it was too late for it to dodge.
"Croak!"
The toad spirit's eyes nearly popped out, filled with pain and despair that was profoundly unsettling.
Boom!
Invisible spiritual power erupted wildly, concentrating on Chi Zhonglin's body. He decisively let go of the spear, focusing on the Tungsten Dragon's Scale and allowing the spiritual power to hurl him backward.
A blood-red giant palm descended, ready to strike.
The toad spirit instinctively tried to counter with its spiritual power, but its eyes flickered with hesitation. The poison in the water wasn't supposed to take effect so quickly, but with the injuries to its eyes and backside, the poison swiftly seeped into its body through the wounds, hindering the flow of its spiritual power and slowing its reactions. A drowsy feeling overcame it.
The Flying Dragon Blood Palm slammed into the toad spirit, creating a loud boom and knocking it into the mound.
Seizing the opportunity, hundreds of Green Lock Dragons entangled it, and within a few breaths, they bound the toad spirit like a massive dumpling, their thorns piercing its flesh and contracting tightly, like a group of pythons constricting their prey.
"Croak!"
"Croak, croak..."
The toad spirit croaked frantically, but soon its mouth was also entangled by the Green Lock Dragons, rendering it unable to make a sound.
Chi Zhonglin swiftly moved forward, grabbing the end of the lava spear and pulling it out. He channeled his stellar power into the spear, causing it to glow red-hot. With a single thrust, he pierced the immobilized toad spirit's head, ending its life.
Ji Xinghuo witnessed the interface displaying Spiritual Source Energy +35!
"Damn, we finally killed it," he exclaimed.
Only then did Chi Zhonglin realize that every part of his body ached, but he didn't forget the important task at hand. "Where's the toad spirit's egg?" he shouted.
Ji Xinghuo had already found it.
In a shallow pit at the edge of the mound lay a clump of transparent slime containing thousands of tiny black dots, each one an egg of the toad spirit.
"Take all the eggs, and let's get out of here immediately," Ren Mian instructed as she walked over.
She stood next to the toad spirit's corpse, holding a hexagonal pillar-shaped crystal.
As Chi Zhonglin used a cloth to gather all the eggs from the mud pit and carefully packaged them, Jiangnan Cayi joined the group. Ren Mian immediately rotated the crystal in her hand, and a burst of light erupted, enveloping the four of them and the toad spirit's corpse.
The light flickered for a few seconds before dissipating, leaving the cave empty.
(End of Chapter)
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