Arrival at the Camp, Jade Blood Toad

This camp was established specifically by the Bailian Pavilion as the main base for this great war. It houses not only the disciples of the Bailian Pavilion itself but also disciples from other righteous sects and a large number of rogue cultivators.

The situation in Yue Province has always been a standoff between the righteous and demonic factions. With the outbreak of war between the Bailian Pavilion and the Blood Refining Sect, other righteous sects naturally would not sit idly by and have all dispatched disciples to participate.

As for the rogue cultivators, they are like loose sand, drifting wherever there is profit to be found. In fact, they make up the largest portion of the camp's population, though their strength varies greatly.

However, Xu Yang has never dared to underestimate rogue cultivators. There are many powerhouses among them, and their combat effectiveness is often formidable—sometimes even stronger than disciples from major sects. After all, the competition among rogue cultivators is brutal; those with poor strength simply cannot survive to stand out.

After arriving at the camp, Xu Yang and his companion did not linger outside and headed straight for the central area. The sect has set up a registration point here, and the two of them came to report for duty.

Upon reaching the registration point, the two found the personnel in charge and handed over their identity tokens for processing. After completing the registration, they were directed by the staff to a building behind the registration point to pay their respects to the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator overseeing the border battlefield.

There are three Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators from the sect stationed here. They take turns overseeing this building, while the other two remain in seclusion elsewhere in the camp. As the two walked into the building, they saw a middle-aged man sitting on a stone bed. He looked so ordinary that if he were not a Foundation Establishment cultivator, one would forget him the moment they looked away.

Xu Yang and Lin Heng immediately stepped forward to pay their respects. The man opened his eyes, swept a glance over them, and said expressionlessly, "Your cultivation levels are acceptable. I happen to have a task here; you two shall handle it!"

After saying this, without waiting for a reply, he flicked his sleeve, and a yellow scroll flew out toward Xu Yang. Seeing this, Xu Yang had no choice but to helplessly reach out and catch it.

The two exchanged a look and were about to ask for details regarding the mission, but the middle-aged man waved them off. He told them, "Get out! The mission details are recorded on the scroll; you will know once you read it. Complete the task as soon as possible."

Seeing this, the two could only bow to the middle-aged man and turn to leave. After they departed, a handsome man appeared in the building. He cupped his hands toward the middle-aged man and said, "Many thanks for your help, Fellow Daoist Han Xing. I will ensure you get the Sword Essence Pill you requested."

Upon hearing this, Han Xing's expression relaxed, and he replied to the handsome man, "Then I thank you, Fellow Daoist Liu Yuan." Liu Yuan smiled and said, "You and I are old acquaintances. We have cooperated before; this is just another collaboration."

While laughing and chatting with Han Xing, Liu Yuan thought bitterly to himself, Junior Brother Xu, let's see if you survive this time. The inheritance from our master is enough for just me and the senior brother to fight over; you might as well just disappear!

On the other side, Xu Yang and Lin Heng walked out of the building and arrived at a secluded spot. Looking at each other, Lin Heng spoke first, "What is going on? Isn't the place to accept missions in the main camp hall? How did it end up being assigned by a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

Xu Yang said with a bitter smile, "I don't know either! Could we have offended this senior? That's impossible! I have never met this senior before. Junior Brother Lin, have you?"

Lin Heng shook his head and said to Xu Yang, "I haven't either, Junior Brother has never seen this person. Senior Brother Xu, let's look at the mission in the scroll; I am quite curious."

Xu Yang glanced at the scroll in his hand and said, "I don't know why, but I feel uneasy! I hope this isn't an extremely difficult task!" As he spoke, Xu Yang opened the scroll, and Lin Heng immediately stepped forward, both of them lowering their heads to read it.

Upon seeing the mission on the scroll, the expressions of the two changed instantly; their brows furrowed, and their faces turned grim. The mission required them to kill a Jade Blood Toad and bring its corpse back to the camp.

The Jade Blood Toad is a Foundation Establishment Realm demonic beast. With the strength of Xu Yang and Lin Heng, it is impossible for them to kill it; this mission was clearly a death sentence. The two were deeply confused as to why the middle-aged man would assign them such a task, as they had never offended him.

Although they were puzzled, the mission had to be carried out, or they would face punishment from the sect and completely offend a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even though they both had backers, it was uncertain whether those backers would actually intervene for them.

Xu Yang's face was very ugly after seeing the mission, but then his heart stirred, and he became greatly delighted. This is because the Jade Blood Toad is a descendant of the True Spirit Yinyue True Toad.

Of course, the True Spirit bloodline within the Jade Blood Toad is extremely thin, which is why its strength is so weak. However, although the bloodline is sparse, it is very pure. Furthermore, the species is extremely rare; it has been a long time since any trace of this beast was found in the Yue Province cultivation world.

The scroll recorded the location of a Jade Blood Toad, which happened to be near the border battlefield, likely discovered only recently. Xu Yang immediately made up his mind to complete this mission at all costs. If he could obtain the blood of the Jade Blood Toad and refine it, he might be able to obtain a drop of True Spirit Essence Blood. Thinking of this, his heart burned with excitement.

He looked up at Lin Heng and said, "What do you think, Junior Brother? I have decided to accept this mission and give it a desperate try." Lin Heng was stunned, looking at Xu Yang, "Senior Brother, the Jade Blood Toad is a Foundation Establishment beast. With our strength, how can we possibly defeat that beast?"

Hearing Lin Heng's question, Xu Yang said solemnly, "Junior Brother, I told you before that a cultivator must have the courage to forge ahead and not rely too much on their backers. You must know that in the cultivation world, strength is supreme. Of course, I am not looking to die; I have some preparations."

At this point, Xu Yang reached out and took out a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl, waving it in front of Lin Heng. Lin Heng's eyes lit up. He patted his Qiankun Bag and actually took out a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl as well. Holding the bead, Lin Heng smiled at Xu Yang and said, "I didn't expect Senior Brother to have a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl as well. Now, I have some confidence."

Seeing Lin Heng also take out a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl, Xu Yang's eyes brightened. He said excitedly to Lin Heng, "I forgot that you are the disciple of Vice Hall Master Xu and possess a lightning spirit root; he would definitely give you treasures for protection. This is great."

Afterward, the two put away the Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearls, carefully studying the information on the scroll while discussing how to use the pearls to kill the Jade Blood Toad.

After some discussion, they felt their plan was perfect. Without further delay, they left the camp and flew toward the location of the Jade Blood Toad.

Half a day later, the two arrived at an extremely remote valley. If not for the guidance of the scroll, they would never have found this place. It was too isolated, and the valley was surrounded by mountains with no exit, accessible only by flying in from above.

Entering the valley, the two immediately landed on the ground to avoid attracting the attention of the Jade Blood Toad. Then, guided by the scroll, they arrived at the edge of a pool.

Looking out, a waterfall cascaded down from the mountainside, crashing into the pool in the valley with a rumbling sound. The pool was quite large, about fifty meters in diameter, with deep green water that seemed bottomless.

The two observed for a while but found nothing, assuming the Jade Blood Toad was resting underwater. The Jade Blood Toad usually only surfaces at night, as it inherited the Yinyue True Toad's ability to absorb lunar essence to accelerate its cultivation.

Xu Yang and Lin Heng had no choice but to carefully move away from the pool and find a hidden spot to rest, waiting for the Jade Blood Toad to appear at night before taking action.

Time passed slowly, and the sky soon turned pitch black. The weather was good tonight, with a bright moon hanging high in the sky, draping the valley in a silver veil. The valley was silent, giving off a hazy, beautiful feeling.

When the moon reached its zenith, the two carefully rose and returned to the edge of the pool. Not long after arriving, they noticed a large number of bubbles rising near a protruding rock in the pool.

As the bubbles appeared, a giant green toad slowly surfaced. Xu Yang knew this was the Jade Blood Toad. Fearing detection by the beast, he only dared to scan it with his peripheral vision.

The Jade Blood Toad was three meters tall, with a pair of emerald-green eyes and a back covered in dense, disgusting bumps. Even more terrifying were the rows of sharp teeth inside its massive mouth; being bitten would mean certain death.

After surfacing, the Jade Blood Toad crawled slowly onto the rock in the pool. It then lifted its head toward the bright moon, opening its giant mouth to inhale and exhale rhythmically. As it breathed, a thin silver thread descended from the sky directly into its mouth.

Seeing the Jade Blood Toad begin to absorb the lunar energy and relax its vigilance, Lin Heng immediately took out a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl and gestured to Xu Yang. Xu Yang nodded, signaling him to attack immediately.

Lin Heng, receiving the signal, was about to throw the thunder pearl when Xu Yang's ears twitched. Hearing an unusual sound, he hurriedly raised his hand to stop Lin Heng.

Lin Heng looked at Xu Yang in confusion. Xu Yang waved his hand and placed a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. Then, Xu Yang focused all his senses on the surroundings. A moment later, his expression changed, and he signaled Lin Heng to be on guard, as the situation had changed. Lin Heng immediately became cautious, feeling deeply curious about what had happened.

In the distance, two blood-colored sword lights flew over at high speed. A moment later, they arrived above the Jade Blood Toad. Seeing the beast, the two newcomers looked overjoyed, immediately landing by the pool and controlling their flying swords to attack the Jade Blood Toad.