Swamp True Venerable calmed down completely.
"You sword cultivators are a rare breed. Why didn't you just come straight to my door and attack?"
"Why all this sneaking around?"
He sneered.
"Fellow Daoist Mud Swamp, that's not fair."
"You were the one who tried to kill me and steal my treasure. I merely fought back in self-defense when you forced my hand. Why are you acting so wronged?"
Jiang Ding opened his eyes and smiled faintly.
"You know what really happened!"
Swamp True Venerable snorted. "You've caught this old man in a trap today, but if you want my life, we'll see whether you have what it takes!"
"Jade-Poison Crystal Dragon Earthworm!"
He barked the command. The many jade-green lumps on his back opened, revealing holes from which tadpoles shot forth, half black and half white, seeming at once magical treasures and living creatures. Their tails swayed, but their mouths bristled with razor-sharp teeth that could easily bite through vast swathes of space. They were hideous and terrifying.
In an instant, the black-and-white tadpoles multiplied beyond counting, blanketing the heavens and obscuring a vast expanse of space.
Nor was it only their number. Myriad formation patterns linked them together, while runes of spatial rules and poison-aspected life rules spread in every direction. In the blink of an eye, they formed a vast, layered formation spanning tens of thousands of li, blotting out the sun, moon, and stars.
These were the Dao-soldier magical treasures Swamp True Venerable had forged from the countless tadpoles born of the Azure Treasure-Fishing Toad, with countless new heavenly materials and earthly treasures added to them!
"Roar!"
In a heartbeat, the countless black-and-white tadpoles gathered. Myriad formation patterns bound them into a colossal black-and-white toad that reached the heavens. Its cavernous maw opened and closed as the