Purple-Gold Toad

He Lingchuan's roar echoed across the deck: "Kill them! Don't hold back!"

They couldn't turn back, they couldn't retreat, and they weren't tied hand and foot—why were they just standing there like spectators?

Was this really the time to worry about camaraderie?

The group had simply been caught off guard, but his sharp rebuke jolted them back to their senses. Gritting their teeth, they raised their blades and axes against their possessed companions.

In times like these, one's own life was paramount; brotherhood had to take a backseat.

Before long, all the puppets were slain, and the Three-Corpse Insects that had burrowed inside were squeezed out before they could even warm the bodies.

By now, the Walnut Boat had passed the city gates, weaving through the undulating ruins of the old city and traveling through the mottled interplay of light and shadow.

Some Three-Corpse Insects managed to scramble back into the shadows, but the last few were forced out into the direct glare of the sun.

Bathed in the intense light, these phantoms instantly dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

Without the protection of a physical shell, the sun's true fire was their bane.

The city was small and sparsely built, so the Walnut Boat soon left the walls behind, returning to drift among the sand dunes.

Sheltered by the sunlight, everyone panted heavily, finally able to turn their heads freely.

Nian Songyu's voice came from another boat, reminding all the troops: "Discard the corpses to lighten the load! We must pick up the pace."

Night was falling, and they had to make as much progress as possible.

Those lying dead on the deck had once been comrades-in-arms. The survivors remained silent for a long while before they began to scavenge food, water, and weapons from the bodies.

Supplies were precious; they could not be wasted.

He Chunhua's personal guard had died with his eyes wide open; He Lingchuan walked over and closed them.

He Chunhua sighed: "His name was Zhao Shaogang. He followed me for five years and handled many things for me."

"I know. I remember." He Lingchuan pressed his lips together, pulling out the last bag of naan bread, the last waterskin, and a simple silver hairpin from Zhao Shaogang's person.

He had killed this man with his own hands.

"This hairpin is..." He Chunhua was about to reminisce, but He Lingchuan cut him off: "When a man dies, the lamp goes out; there is no use in saying more. His family will receive generous compensation."

Every living person had a story behind them, but so what? They were all here earning blood money.

He Chunhua stopped, patting his shoulder: "You're right."

At this moment, self-indulgent sentimentality was useless.

He revealed the broken comb he held in his left hand: "I always thought the resentment on this comb could repel these ghosts, but it seems it's useless."

This comb was the origin of all their troubles, yet in the desert, it seemed utterly worthless.

He Chunhua was deeply disappointed.

He Lingchuan cast a guilty glance at it: Perhaps the method of use is wrong? The Divine Bone necklace hanging around his neck was also a "token," perhaps the most important one, but no one else knew of it.

Then again, this pendant had yet to show any peculiar utility. Was it a lack of trigger conditions?

He pushed the corpse off the boat. Below seemed to be a large basin, its edges lined with black stone, though it was now devoid of water.

Sand burial had always been a tradition of Blackwater City and the Coiling Dragon Desert.

Listening to the thud of the body hitting the ground, then looking at the bloodstains on his arms—accidentally smeared there while killing and searching the body—he felt a tightness in his chest.

Strictly speaking, this was the first time he had killed since becoming He Lingchuan, and he had even slain his father's own soldier.

He knew Zhao Shaogang; they had chatted and laughed together.

The situation had been too urgent for hesitation, but now that the adrenaline had faded, He Lingchuan felt a lingering sense of sorrow.

"Are you alright?" He Chunhua noticed him keeping his head down.

"A bit seasick." He Lingchuan raised his waterskin and took a gulp, forcing down the stifling agitation.

Killing one's own kind was different from killing chickens or dogs; he was surprised he hadn't leaned over the side of the boat to retch.

Since coming to this world, his heart seemed to have hardened.

What was it that was subtly influencing him?

Over there, Situ Han was also packing his things, his eyes red. One of the sand bandits had been possessed, and he had personally cut him down.

This man had robbed and pillaged alongside him; just days ago, they had gotten drunk together and slept side-by-side. Now, the warmth had barely left the body before he had tossed it off the boat.

And everyone knew that such incidents would only increase on this journey.

This was merely the beginning.

He Lingchuan took a few quiet, deep breaths to steady himself, then leaned toward He Chunhua: "The Grand Preceptor's boat has the fewest dead." The fewest corpses thrown overboard.

"There has never been such a thing as fairness in this world."

When a person was possessed by a Three-Corpse Insect, they became a puppet; aside from the Coiling Dragon City of old, no one possessed a method for quick rescue. It was said that by the late stages of the coalition siege, the Xianyou Kingdom had mastered several methods of exorcism, but they were time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly. Those who successfully expelled the insects accounted for less than twenty percent, and the process took three to five days.

The Three-Corpse Insects were originally hidden within the human body; the first step for any practitioner to reach the Dao was to sever their own Three-Corpse Insects. How could it be easy to drive them out by other means?

Furthermore, once possessed, the puppets would fly into a frenzy; would they ever submit to treatment?

Therefore, Nian Songyu and the other decision-makers had long since agreed: once someone on the boat was possessed by a Three-Corpse Insect, they must cut the Gordian knot and leave no future trouble!

Every person possessed became a liability; they truly could not afford to wait, nor could they afford to save them.

He Chunhua shook his head, casting those vexing thoughts to the back of his mind, then patted his son on the shoulder: "Thanks to your timely intervention just now, several lives were spared. By the way, since when did your throwing knives become so accurate?"

That flying blade had just grazed his shoulder; the precision was exceptional.

This good-for-nothing son had not only saved his life but also helped him quell the chaos; he had truly grown.

Governor He felt deeply gratified.

"Accuracy? Uh!" He Lingchuan looked sheepish. "Just now, I suppose. Wasn't it just a matter of urgency?"

He Chunhua: "..."

Whether it was because He Lingchuan's words had become a prophecy or not, the other two boats remained unscathed, yet State Preceptor Sun's Walnut Boat happened to attract uninvited guests—

Two massive Purple-Gold Toads.

These creatures were mutated monsters; not only were they toads magnified a hundredfold in appearance, but their method of attack was to suddenly shoot out tongue-arrows to snatch and devour their prey.

The mountain-sized Purple-Gold Toads leaped from the sand dunes, nearly capsizing the Walnut Boat upon landing. The galloping Earth Dragon was reined in, nearly unable to pull the vessel.

Just as ordinary toads eat flying insects, so did they eat people. They would even lift their forelimbs to help shove their prey into their mouths, swallowing them whole without even chewing.

Furthermore, when the Purple-Gold Toads encountered enemies, the bumps on their bodies would burst, releasing a toxic mist of purple and gold. Anyone who inhaled it would become dizzy and faint within seconds, collapsing to the ground with foam at the mouth.

This was the origin of their name.

Fortunately, the Purple-Gold Toads fed very slowly, taking their time to chew and swallow each person they ate, which gave State Preceptor Sun and his men ample time to deal with them.

He and his son were on another boat, beyond reach, and could only watch the show with peace of mind.