Gathering

The fact that this ferocious, man-eating demon, Jade Toad Granny, was once a secret among the disciples of Mozhu Mountain was too horrifying to be known. Therefore, apart from the sect leader and the core Nascent Soul cultivators of the Mozhu Mountain Louguan Dao lineage, only the core inner disciples of the Southern School of Mozhu Mountain, who also practiced Taiji Transformation, knew about it, using it as a negative example during their cultivation. The people who came to search for Jade Toad Granny's whereabouts this time were also chosen from those who knew its background, and now Li Fan also knows.

Of course, most of the disciples in the sect still regarded it as a vicious toad demon.

However, this great Divine Transformation transformed from a human was indeed extremely cunning and treacherous. Not only could it use its demon body to devour people Moon Worship, but it could also cultivate rapidly in the mountains. At the same time, it could comprehend the true teachings of the Xuanmen sect. Furthermore, it forcibly seized and swindled from the ruins of the Ten-thousand-mountains and the South Sea, obtaining not only a bunch of Transformation Stage, but also the Dark Underworld Return to Dust escape techniques.

To put it simply, he is able to escape through earth and water, and he can change his human form at any time to hide his demonic aura. Furthermore, the Ninety-nine Tai Chi changes seem to interfere with acquired hexagram calculations. Even a divine fortune teller at the level of the master failed. Although the demon body of Yuchanpo was killed three times, he turned it into a human form three times and escaped with a way out.

After all, it was once a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain, so how could the abbot not leave a glimmer of hope for the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain?

Therefore, Ink Bamboo Mountain tried to capture Jade Toad Granny several times, but failed to catch her. However, he was inspired by the various methods she displayed and came up with an emergency escape method to teach his disciples to transform into demons in order to avoid the inescapable net of the Three Great Sects' divine strategists.

He even benefited greatly from observing the Jade Toad Granny, a ready-made experimental subject, and watching her advance step by step to the Transformation Stage. This included not only the Taiji transformation but also the deduction of the Tai Su transformation.

It has to be said that the changes between humans and demons are truly mysterious. Even Profound Heaven Sword Intent did not expect that Ink Bamboo Mountain could go so far in these evil ways. While Liu Qing was explaining Jade Toad Granny's skills to Li Fan, Sword Intent kept clicking his tongue in amazement, praising that the rogue cultivators were indeed reckless and dared to do anything. They had actually killed many people in Ink Bamboo Mountain and carved out a shortcut.

Whether it was a tribulation of love or demonic possession, whether it was a surge of demonic nature or a mental breakdown, and regardless of whether Jade Toad Granny could continue to inspire Ink Bamboo Mountain in his demonic cultivation, this fiend had ultimately fallen into the demonic path, turned against his sect, and slaughtered countless young disciples. Naturally, Ink Bamboo Mountain would not show it any mercy.

Li Fan then understood. Liu Qing's sudden frankness wasn't just a reminder of the BOSS's skills and tactics; it was also a pre-battle pep talk, a mental preparation. She was probably afraid that at a crucial moment, Jade Toad Granny would transform into human form and unleash a torrent of information, and that he, a newcomer to the mountain sect who hadn't even finished his probationary period, would ruin a lot of things and cause trouble again, letting the old toad escape.

Li Fan was also embarrassed and said, "Senior sister, you can rest assured. I have an irreconcilable hatred for that old toad. Not long ago, I killed a bunch of his demons and stole a bunch of magic treasures and 100,000 strings of cash. Now that I have this opportunity to settle my score with my creditor, how could I let it go? Just relax."

Liu Qing hesitated, muttering, "Ten thousand strings of cash? Even monsters have ten thousand strings of cash?", before splitting up to search for traces of the monster.

Well, although Jade Toad Granny has given a lot of background information, we still need to get this toad out first. The seven of them scattered Fourth Department the marshland searching, but they found nothing for the time being.

Because it seems that the Sky Daoist was merely relaying information obtained from conversations between his three subordinate demons and other demons.

It is said that a monster bumped into Jade Toad Granny in the marshland southeast of Lei Marsh, near the big river, and almost ate her, but the old toad seemed to be injured, which allowed them to escape.

With only this kind of information, it would be difficult to locate Jade Toad Granny; it's more like trying one's luck. If Jade Toad Granny is extremely cunning, changing locations after each hunt, it's even more difficult to catch her.

Of course, not being able to find it was the problem faced by the other six. Li Fan's problem was that he found far too many random and miscellaneous things...

"Friend, this is Lei Marsh!" Li Fan pulled out his Si Nan, his head spinning. He hadn't found a single toad, but he'd collected a whole bunch of Heavenly Treasures. Fighting the boss didn't interfere with his material gathering at all? That's amazing...

Surprisingly, the first thing discovered was the Profound Heaven Sword Intent!

Well, it doesn't seem so surprising...

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Stop joking. Do you see that mountain? I think I've seen the distribution of the earth's veins before.'"

Oh, the one with the waterfall?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, 'That's right, there's a waterfall, and behind the waterfall is a cave.'"

Is there a monkey in the cave?

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'What monkey? I hid a sword box in the cave back then.'"

Oh, so this is the opportunity to hide the sword in Lei Marsh back then. Li Fan glanced at the direction of the Si Nan, which wasn't pointing to that mountain. The sword box and the Heavenly Book inheritance were already in his hands, but it was still a rare opportunity to revisit this place, so he might as well go in and take a look.

So Li Fan flew into the water curtain and indeed found the entrance within it. The cave was quite hidden; the mountain path was slightly sloping, and it was easy to miss if you weren't paying attention. He wondered how Xiao Yao had found it.

Li Fan blinked and switched Qiongqi's eyes to night vision. He saw a square stone chamber carved into the mountainside, containing a statue of the Profound Maiden. Beneath the statue was a stone coffin, which was indeed empty. The sword box was probably hidden inside. On the outside of the coffin was an arithmetic problem.

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, 'Hehe, kid, why don't you try to decipher it? If you can, you can become my disciple, and I'll pass on two more sword manuals to you to play with.'"

Li Fan was sweating bullets. He had only intended to leave a brief comment, but he hadn't expected to be forced to do math olympiad problems. Fortunately, he had a foundation in arithmetic, and after some quick calculations, he solved the problem in about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent Dao, hmph, barely passable, Xiao Yao untied it in half an incense stick's time.'

"You're kidding," Li Fan said, pointing to the wall covered in ink marks. "There's so much on this wall, it would take half an incense stick to burn to finish writing it all, and many steps are wrong."

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Stop being stubborn. Lou Guan Dao's arithmetic is excellent. His mathematical skills are probably inherited from that abbot. He solves them mentally, so solving them is a piece of cake. Why would he need to use a pen?'"

So someone else wrote it? Wait, when was it written? Why is there still ink residue?

Li Fan carefully examined the ink marks; they were only recently written, yet he had seen them when he entered. The stone coffin was empty; the opportunities and treasures had clearly been taken. What was he still stubbornly trying to figure out? Was he just trying to solve this problem to prove he also had the aptitude to enter the Xuanmen (mystical sect)?

Haven't you heard the saying, "Time can solve everything, but it can't solve advanced math problems"?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent Dao is a fallacy. With diligent study and practice, one can make progress sooner or later. It's just that people are too lazy to put in the effort."

My first math problem wasn't difficult at all; it only tested diligence and hard work. This hurdle alone could weed out most of those who wanted shortcuts. Aptitude and comprehension were actually tested by the sword box. If you didn't have enough aptitude, no matter how hard you practiced the techniques, the sword box wouldn't open.

In fact, for us in the Beichen Sword Sect, as long as we can climb the mountain and take a sword from the Sword Pavilion, that's enough to be accepted into the sect. After that, it's just a matter of fighting and training all the way up.

If the person who comes later, knowing full well that the opportunity has already been taken, still tries to solve my arithmetic, it shows that although he lacked a master's guidance, lacked much good fortune, and took many detours, he is a person of great perseverance. If given a chance, he might very well succeed.

Li Fan looked at the writing on the four walls, thought for a while, and agreed with the sword intent's statement. It was just a pity that this person couldn't give him a chance.

He took out his brush and ink, and copied the characters on the stone wall onto the talisman paper. Then he went out of the cave and released the mechanical wooden kite used for communication. Before long, the other six people gathered.

Liu Qing asked, "Have you found anything?"

Li Fan handed them the talisman paper he had copied, asking, "Is this handwriting his?"

Ma Kui leaned closer for a look, frowned, and said, "It does... look somewhat like it... How did you find it?"

Li Fan pointed to the cave behind him, "I once received a sword box from Yao the Supervisor. He told me that it was the inheritance he obtained when he accidentally entered the ruins left by the senior of the Beichen Sword Sect after encountering danger in Lei Marsh and being chased by Jade Toad Granny."

Just now, revisiting the site, I saw many recent ink marks left in the ruins. They weren't new, but they hadn't faded yet, so they were probably written in the last few months. Back then, Lei Marsh hadn't been opened yet, and there were no human cultivators coming and going.

I'm thinking, maybe that Jade Toad Granny, Jade Toad Granny, was also revisiting this place, and while pondering how Yao the Supervisor escaped from her clutches, she discovered this hidden ruin and used it as a hiding place."

After a moment's thought, the group from Ma Kui thought, "It's not impossible that a cunning rabbit has three burrows!"

Liu Qing's eyes lit up. "Then why don't we ambush them here?"

Li Fan shook his head and said, "There was no trace of demonic or poisonous energy in that stone chamber. Jade Toad Granny must have been using this place as an escape point by transforming into human form to enter and exit." He added, "I'm afraid she won't easily appear near this cave unless absolutely necessary. But I think her retreating cave shouldn't be too far away."

Ma Kui's eyes lit up. "In that case, we can set up a magic sword as a trap, and activate the Sword Light to kill it when it enters the cave!"

"Use mine then, I have too many magical treasures to use them all."

After discussing for a while, Tianren, Tianxing, Tianyao, and Tianku decided, "We can set up a formation, using the Sword Light the Black Sword as a signal to activate the grand array and seal this place, preventing it from escaping using its escape techniques."

So the group discussed the details again and decided that since they had finally caught a trace of Jade Toad Granny, they could make some arrangements. They used the magic sword that Li Fan carried as a lead and hid it behind the statue of the Xuan Girl of the Nine Heavens. They used talismans and the force of the waterfall to guide the sword. As soon as someone broke through the water lotus and entered the cave, the restriction would be triggered, and they would be hit in the head and face by the Sword Light.

The four members of the "Tian" generation hid far away in a spiritual cave several miles away, avoiding getting too close so that Jade Toad Granny would notice it was a trap. They disguised themselves as rogue cultivators searching for treasure in the Lei Marsh, agreeing to wait for the Sword Light signal before striking together to form an array and seal off any escape routes nearby.

Although a trap has been set, the whereabouts of Jade Toad Granny are still unknown. Judging from the shape of the mountains and the flow of water, Jade Toad Granny's cave may be located in the water system through which the waterfall flows. This would allow her to escape using the water escape technique.

So Liu Qing Ma Kui split up and explored upstream and downstream along the river's course, searching for traces of the demonic aura.

Li Fan transformed into a serpentine form and searched along the riverbed.

If he was seriously injured and had offended so many enemies in Ink Bamboo Mountain, where would he hide?

He definitely wouldn't hide in Lei Marsh. Look at Ink Bamboo Mountain, didn't he immediately mobilize his forces to hunt it down as soon as he discovered its whereabouts?

You might say that Lei Marsh were blocking the view of Thunder Lake, but now that the thunderclouds have all dispersed, why are they still lingering there?

This place only opens once a year during festivals, and with so many people coming and going, demons gathering and dispersing, and so many other people, it's like a bustling market, really not suitable for healing and recuperation.

At first, he thought that the Jade Toad Granny was really seriously injured and unable to move, so she had no choice but to stay in the Lei Marsh Swamp.

But it even prepared an escape route and had the leisure to do arithmetic. Its injuries didn't seem that serious, did they? They shouldn't have affected its movements. Why didn't it escape to the Nangong Family's territory, or simply hide in the South China Sea? At least that would be safer than being under the nose of Ink Bamboo Mountain, right? Could there be some other opportunity it's after in Lei Marsh?

It couldn't be the stone coffin Profound Heaven Sword Intent; the stone coffin is empty.

It wasn't the Demon God Palace. The Sky Daoist spread rumors that Demon Race Cultivation Method were being presented, but Jade Toad Granny didn't bother with it at all. Either she didn't care, or she knew perfectly well that there was nothing of value in the Demon God Palace...

Why was Jade Toad Granny squatting in Lei Marsh?

The Sky Daoist once mentioned that the Taotie egg in the Guo Family's treasure vault had been stolen. The Taotie is one of the Four Fiends born to face calamity, and it seems that the Mountain Lord possesses a Taotie body that is an observer. Moreover, it's not just the Taotie; Lu Chai also mentioned before that he used a Four Fiends egg born from the Kun Country as a bargaining chip to persuade Jade Toad Granny to help him launch a sneak attack on Ink Bamboo Mountain and capture the Mountain Lord.

So, one of the Four Fiends Eggs has already fallen into the hands of Jade Toad Granny, right?

But Jade Toad Granny is still lingering in Lei Marsh, is she waiting for something?

What treasures could the cultivators from the north bring to it during the opening of Lei Marsh, treasures that could not only heal its injuries but also greatly enhance its cultivation?

Back when we were near the Middle Valley Dojo, didn't the rogue cultivators say that quite a few demons had mingled with the crowd and entered the swamp?

Although it's unclear how they got through, could it be that they caused trouble in Changsi City and incidentally abducted the Guo Family's Demon Race? With the demons diverting attention, the Taotie egg should already be in Jade Toad Granny's hands by now, right?

Could it have already escaped...?

Or is there something else that hasn't arrived yet...?

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "There are beings in the heavens. Nascent Soul Stage."'

Li Fan looked up from underwater, gazing at the flying boats passing over the Shuhai Lake.

It was a large treasure ship, and he had seen the merchant flag on its sign before.

Taiping Ship.

Sometimes you can't help but marvel at the twists and turns of fate, the coincidences created by scheming and calculation. It's truly baffling who is behind this game, meticulously arranging such a game. Or is it just life itself, full of so many coincidences?

Lei Marsh Swamp stretches for three thousand miles, where countless demons wreak havoc.

You said thunderclouds have been open for so many days, and so many waterways...

But the Taiping Ship happened to pass over Li Fan's head at that exact moment.

Was it really just pure coincidence?

Or did they come as agreed, to deliver something?

Chen Jinu, a eunuch from Taiping Temple, had long been in cahoots with the Demon Race and was the liaison for the anti- Ink Bamboo Mountain alliance. However, his plan backfired, and he was killed by Li Fan. He even gave Li Fan the first batch of 20,000 strings of cash as start-up capital.

Jade Toad Granny's trusted crocodile maid once took 100,000 strings of cash and several expensive magical treasures to buy something, but Li Fan also ripped her off, making him a fortune in the process.

Could it be that the master of Taiping Temple, to avoid further mishaps, personally escorted the ship, protecting something that Jade Toad Granny had probably been waiting for, and delivered it all the way to its hiding place?

What a coincidence! What a stroke of luck! This opportunity has been delivered right to his doorstep again; how could he not seize it?

My third pot of gold is here!!