The camp had been established specifically by the Bailian Pavilion as the headquarters for this great battle. It housed not only the Pavilion's own disciples, but also disciples from other orthodox sects and a large number of rogue cultivators.
Yue Province had long been divided between the righteous and demonic factions. Now that the Bailian Pavilion and the Blood Refining Sect were at war, the other righteous sects naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing. They had all sent some of their disciples to join the fight.
Rogue cultivators were always a scattered lot, going wherever they could find an advantage. They were actually the most numerous group in the camp, though their strength varied widely.
But Xu Yang had never dared underestimate rogue cultivators. There were plenty of powerful ones among them, and they were extremely formidable fighters—stronger, in fact, than cultivators from the major sects. After all, competition among rogue cultivators was brutal, and those who were too weak could never rise above the rest.
After Xu Yang and Lin Heng arrived at the camp, they didn't linger outside. They went straight to the center, where the sect had set up a registration station. They had come to report there.
At the station, they found the person in charge of registration and handed over their identity tokens. Once registered, they followed the attendant's directions to a building behind the station to pay their respects to the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator stationed at the border battlefield.
The sect had three Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators stationed here. They took turns overseeing the building, while the other two cultivated in another part of the camp. Xu Yang and Lin Heng entered the building and saw a middle-aged man sitting on a stone bed. He looked so ordinary that, if he weren't a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, people would forget him in a blink.
Xu Yang and Lin Heng immediately stepped forward to pay their respects. The man opened his eyes, glanced at them, and said impassively, "Your cultivation is decent. I happen to have a task for you. You'll take care of it."
Before either of them could reply, the man flicked his sleeve. A yellow scroll flew out and shot toward Xu Yang, who could only reach out and catch it.
The two exchanged a glance and were about to ask about the task when the middle-aged man waved them off. "You may leave. The details are written on the scroll. Read them and complete the task as soon as possible."
With no other choice, Xu Yang and Lin Heng bowed to the middle-aged man and left. After they were gone, a handsome man appeared inside the building. He cupped his hands toward the middle-aged man and said, "Thank you for your help, Fellow Daoist Han Xing. I'll get you the Sword Essence Pill you wanted."
Han Xing's expression eased. "Then I thank you, Fellow Daoist Liu Yuan."
Liu Yuan smiled. "We've known each other for a long time. We've worked together before; this is just another collaboration."
As Liu Yuan chatted with Han Xing, he seethed inwardly. Junior Brother Xu, let's see if you survive this one. Master's inheritance only needs to be contested by me and Senior Brother. You'd better disappear.
Meanwhile, Xu Yang and Lin Heng left the building and went to a secluded spot. They exchanged a glance, and Lin Heng spoke first. "What's going on? Aren't tasks assigned in the camp's main hall? Why was a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator assigning them?"
Xu Yang gave a wry smile. "I have no idea! Could we have offended that senior? That can't be right—I've never met him. Junior Brother Lin, have you?"
Lin Heng shook his head. "Neither have I, Senior Brother Xu. Let's take a look at the task on the scroll. I'm rather curious."
Xu Yang glanced at the scroll in his hand. "I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling. I hope this isn't some extremely difficult task!" As he spoke, he opened the scroll. Lin Heng immediately stepped closer, and the two bent over it together.
After reading the task, both Xu Yang and Lin Heng turned pale. Their brows furrowed, and their expressions darkened. They had been ordered to kill a Jade Blood Toad and bring its corpse back to camp.
The Jade Blood Toad was a Foundation Establishment Realm demon beast. There was no way Xu Yang and Lin Heng could kill it with their abilities. This task was clearly meant to send them to their deaths. They couldn't understand why the middle-aged man had given them such a task. They had never offended him.
Though they were confused, they still had to carry out the task. Otherwise, they would face punishment from the sect—and completely offend a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. They had powerful backers, but there was no telling whether those backers would help them.
Xu Yang's face had darkened when he saw the task, but then a thought struck him, and his spirits soared. The Jade Blood Toad was a descendant of the True Spirit, the Yinyue True Toad.
Of course, the True Spirit bloodline in the Jade Blood Toad was extremely thin; otherwise, it wouldn't be so weak. Yet what little bloodline it possessed was remarkably pure. The toads were also exceedingly rare. The cultivation world of Yue Province hadn't seen one for a very long time.
The scroll recorded the whereabouts of a Jade Blood Toad near the border battlefield. It had likely only been discovered recently. Xu Yang immediately decided to complete the task at all costs. If he could obtain all the blood in the toad's body, he might be able to refine a drop of True Spirit Essence Blood. At the thought, his heart burned with excitement.
He looked up at Lin Heng. "Junior Brother Lin, what do you think? I've decided to accept this task and stake my life on it."
Lin Heng stared at him in surprise. "Senior Brother, the Jade Blood Toad is a Foundation Establishment Realm demon beast. How can we possibly defeat that beast?"
Xu Yang replied solemnly, "Junior Brother, I've told you before: cultivators need the courage to press forward. We can't rely too much on our backers. You have to remember that strength rules the cultivation world. Of course, I'm not planning to throw my life away. I have some preparations."
As he spoke, Xu Yang reached into his robes and took out a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl, waving it before Lin Heng's eyes. Lin Heng's eyes lit up. He slapped his Qiankun Bag and took out one of his own. Holding it up, he smiled at Xu Yang. "I didn't expect you to have a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl too, Senior Brother. Now I feel a little more confident."
Xu Yang's eyes lit up when he saw Lin Heng had one as well. Excitedly, he said, "I forgot—you're Vice Hall Master Xu's disciple, and you have a lightning spirit root. Of course he'd give you a treasure to protect yourself. This is great!"
The two put away their Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearls, carefully studied the information on the scroll, and discussed how to use the pearls to kill the Jade Blood Toad.
After discussing it, they felt their plan was nearly perfect. They immediately set off, leaving the camp and flying toward the Jade Blood Toad's location.
Half a day later, Xu Yang and Lin Heng arrived in an extremely remote valley. Without the scroll's directions, they would never have found it. The place was so secluded, and the mountains surrounding the valley left no way out. They could only fly in from above.
Once inside the valley, Xu Yang and Lin Heng immediately landed to avoid drawing the Jade Blood Toad's attention. Then, guided by the scroll, they made their way to a pool.
They looked around. A waterfall plunged from halfway up a mountain with a thunderous roar, crashing into the pool below. The pool was quite large, some fifty meters across. Its water was deep green and seemed bottomless.
They watched for a while but saw nothing. The Jade Blood Toad was probably resting underwater. It usually surfaced only at night, for it had inherited the Yinyue True Toad's ability to absorb the moon's essence and could speed up its cultivation by drawing in moonlight.
Xu Yang and Lin Heng carefully moved away from the pool and found a concealed place to rest. They would wait for the Jade Blood Toad to appear that night, then kill it.
Time passed slowly, and soon the sky was pitch-black. The weather was fine. A full moon hung high overhead, draping the valley in a thin silver veil. Everything was quiet, lending the place a hazy beauty.
Only when the moon was directly overhead did Xu Yang and Lin Heng cautiously rise and approach the edge of the pool. They had barely arrived when they spotted a mass of bubbles rising near a protruding rock in the water.
As the bubbles appeared, a huge green toad slowly surfaced. Xu Yang knew it was the Jade Blood Toad. Afraid of being detected, he could only watch it from the corner of his eye.
The Jade Blood Toad stood about three meters tall. Its eyes were jade green, and its back was covered in a dense mass of lumps that made one's stomach turn. More horrifying still, rows of sharp teeth lined its enormous mouth. Anyone bitten by it would surely die.
After surfacing, the Jade Blood Toad slowly climbed onto a rock in the pool. Then it raised its head toward the full moon and opened its mouth, breathing in and out in a steady rhythm. As it continued, a thin silver thread descended from the sky and entered its mouth.
Seeing the Jade Blood Toad begin absorbing the moonlight and lower its guard, Lin Heng immediately took out a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl and gestured to Xu Yang. Xu Yang nodded, signaling him to attack.
With Xu Yang's signal, Lin Heng was about to throw the thunder pearl when Xu Yang's ear twitched. He heard an unusual sound and hurriedly raised a hand to stop him.
Lin Heng looked at Xu Yang in confusion. Xu Yang waved at him, then held a finger to his lips, signaling him to stay quiet. He focused all his senses on the surroundings. A moment later, Xu Yang's expression changed. He signaled Lin Heng to be on guard—the situation had changed. Lin Heng immediately grew cautious, even as he wondered what had happened.
Two streaks of blood-red sword light shot over from the distance. A moment later, they reached the sky above the Jade Blood Toad. Delighted at the sight of it, the two men landed beside the pool and drove their Flying Swords at the toad.
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