The Lazy Toad Demon's miserable life

Zhang Xuanchen answered, looking at the Lazy Toad Demon before him, and asked:

"Are all the people in Coral Town under your protection?"

"Yes... they are under my protection."

The Lazy Toad Demon nodded obediently.

Zhang Xuanchen asked again:

Can you tell me why?

"After all, you are Demon Beast, why would you protect a group of Human Race?"

The Lazy Toad Demon scratched at the raised spots on its head and back with its front paws, showing an embarrassed expression.

However, after stealing a glance at Zhang Xuanchen's serious expression, he honestly replied:

"Forehead...

Because those people allow me to get enough food without having to leave my home.

"I... I'm rather lazy and don't want to hunt for myself."

At this point, it lowered its head, its voice growing softer and softer.

"But a living demon can't just starve to death, can it?"

We have to find a way.

"Initially, Coral Town was just a small village. The Human Race there were often attacked by sea Demon Beast and lived a precarious existence."

I secretly dealt with a few of the invading demons for them, and afterwards they regarded me as the Sea God of this place. They would leave food for me at the entrance of the village and beg me to stay and protect them.

"Over time, this has continued to this day."

The Lazy Toad Demon raised its forepaw, touched its face, and said with self-deprecation:

"I know I'm ugly, and if those people saw me, it might scare them."

So I've been hiding underground, which both protects them and gives me some peace and quiet.

As it spoke, it covered its head even more tightly with its front paws.

"Go ahead and kill me if you want, as long as you're willing to protect the people of Coral Town for me."

If you don't kill me... please leave.

"I'm so ugly, I'm disgusting."

After saying this, the Lazy Toad Demon did not jump back into the spiritual spring. Instead, it curled up in the corner of the stone chamber, its voice low and somber, as if it were ready to face death.

Zhang Xuanchen frowned slightly.

He keenly sensed that something was off about the Lazy Toad Demon's mood.

It doesn't seem to fear death.

Or perhaps it has long been accustomed to being disliked and driven away, and has even come to feel that it should not be alive in the first place.

Zhang Xuanchen turned to look at the Xuanjing on his shoulder and asked:

"Why is the Xuanjing behaving this way?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Lingshuang, Great Sage, and Little Peach also showed curiosity and looked at Xuanjing together.

"Let me see."

Xuanjing replied, then raised her small hand and cast a Law Seals.

The Law Seals transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the Lazy Toad Demon's brow.

"Causality Reflection, now revealed!"

As soon as the voice fell, a screen of spiritual energy appeared above the Lazy Toad Demon's head.

Inside the light screen,

A puddle-filled area in the forest.

In a Lazy Water Frog Tribe, a young Lazy Toad Demon huddled in the muddy water.

Its body differs from other Lazy Water Frog larvae; it has bluish bumps of varying sizes on its back, one eye is larger than the other, and its limbs appear somewhat deformed, making it ugly in appearance.

The elders of the group noticed that it was extremely ugly. The other tadpoles had smooth skin and well-proportioned bodies, but it was strange in appearance. Although it was a tadpole, it was larger than the adults.

They immediately wanted to drive it away, beat it, and ostracize it.

At first, its parents protected it.

As the Lazy Toad Demon grew larger and its voice became strange, a large number of young Lazy Water Frog died of disease.

The phenomena of exclusion, humiliation, and beatings are even more pronounced.

"Caw! Ugly monster!"

"Is it really one of our kind? Caw caw!"

"Judging by its appearance, it must have been corrupted by Evil Qi. It must have been responsible for the deaths of my children! Caw!"

"Quack! Hit it!"

"Get it out of the tribe!"

This time, even its mother didn't protect it.

The Lazy Toad Demon, who was still a minor, had no idea what he had done wrong.

Over the years, he has worked hard to learn how to hunt from other members of his tribe, practiced breathing exercises, and even stood alone on the outskirts of the tribe on cold nights to drive away snakes and insects that approached.

Instead of praise, it received even more rampant ridicule, humiliation, and slander.

That night, it dragged its wounded body away.

There were no farewells, no pity.

Wandering alone in the sea.

During this time, they experienced hunger and cold, and were also hunted down by even more powerful Demon Beast.

Later, in an attempt to snatch a dead fish, he was surrounded and attacked by a flock of Seagull Demon Beast, whose pecks left his flesh bleeding profusely.

Hiding in a crevice of the reef to heal their wounds, they were discovered by a group of passing Demon Beast.

The Demon Beast didn't kill it; they just surrounded it and mocked it.

"Look at this ugly thing!"

Its eyes are uneven, one big and one small.

"Drag it out and let everyone see it."

The Lazy Toad Demon struggled desperately, and finally had one of its webbed feet broken off before it could escape through the crevice in the rock.

In the decades that followed, it encountered many Demon Beasts.

But no matter where it goes, it will only get the same result.

To exclude, humiliate, drive away, or hunt down.

It gradually learned to hide.

Hiding in dark trenches, in abandoned caves, on deserted islands where no living creature wants to approach.

It no longer actively approaches any Demon Beast, nor does it expect anyone to accept it.

It was only a few decades ago that it stumbled upon this island.

There is a small village on the island.

The villagers make a living by fishing, but they are frequently attacked by Sea Demon.

The Lazy Toad Demon originally just wanted to sleep in the underground spring, but unexpectedly a group of Demon-Tailed Crabs broke into the village, intending to devour the villagers.

Because it was hungry, it swallowed the Demon-Tailed Crabs from underground.

Later, the villagers placed the food on the stone platform.

I am truly grateful for it.

Call it "sir" and beg it to stay.

The Lazy Toad Demon was experiencing this feeling for the first time, and it made it very happy.

They ate the food on the stone platform that evening to show that they were willing to stay.

The image on the light screen evolved to this point and then slowly dissipated.

Silence fell over the stone chamber.

The rather sentimental Little Peach burst into tears, "Waaah, this little toad demon is so pitiful."

Are you in pain from your injuries?

Let me treat you...

As he spoke, he unleashed a beam of green light that enveloped the Lazy Toad Demon in front of him, and the wounds on its body began to heal at a visible speed.

Zhang Xuanchen and the others never expected that this toad demon would have such a tragic past.

There is a reason it remains here.

Here, it can experience the feeling of being needed, relied upon, and trusted.

This is something it has never experienced in the past hundred years.

Zhang Xuanchen walked up to the Lazy Toad Demon and patted its big head.

The Lazy Toad Demon trembled, but did not dodge.