Heavenheart Stone

"But what if the Snake Cypress developed sentience..."

Long Ye's sudden remark hit the nail on the head regarding the Toad leader's concerns.

The Nine-Headed Snake Cypress is too terrifying; it is a taboo and a great calamity that no living being in the secret realm wants to mention.

If this thing were to develop sentience, it would naturally also possess ambition, which could very well be a catastrophic disaster for any living being in the secret realm.

This strange tree's man-eating nature may very well break through the limitations of Snake Cypress Valley, and its predatory Demon Claw will extend beyond the Snake Cypress Valley to other creatures in the secret realm.

This matter is of great importance, Toad leader is clearly undecided.

"I will consult the elders immediately regarding this matter."

As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped up and flew onto the thousand-foot-high cliff...

That day!

Long Ye was then received by the Toad Elder.

To his surprise, the elder-level Toad were not as large as the leader-level Toad; instead, they were quite small, about the size of a human head.

Long Ye was received in a house.

The Toad Elder sat on an enormous chair that seemed disproportionate to his size, watching Long Ye approach from afar and giving him a once-over.

With no other choice, Long Ye could only recount the events she had already described twice to the elder, this time in even greater detail.

It not only included how he came to be, but also vividly described how the White Night Bat sucked him dry in three breaths.

After listening, Toad Elder fell silent for a long time.

Finally, seemingly noticing that Long Ye was waiting for his reply below, he raised his eyelids and said:

"Of all the people in the secret realm who have seen that tree in Snake Cypress Valley and come out alive, there are no more than three. And our patriarch happens to be one of them. When it comes to familiarity, no one knows it better than our patriarch."

Long Ye understood that the patriarch mentioned by the elder was very likely the Great Toad Sage.

This Toad Sage lived for over a thousand years. In his youth, he was a close friend of the Sage of Six Paths and Hamura Ōtsutsuki. No matter how dangerous the Snake Cypress Valley was, he was certainly capable of going there.

"Boy! Come with me, I'll take you to see the patriarch."

Toad Elder stepped down from his seat.

Clearly, he was unsure how to resolve the matter.

Long Ye heard that he was going to see the Toad Sage, he was naturally overjoyed. With this master of prophecy appearing, all the unknown things would surely be resolved.

Toad Elder walked ahead of him, his steps slow and steady; Long Ye's one step was equivalent to ten of Elder Toad's.

Long Ye thought to herself, "Won't we be walking until dark if we keep going like this?"

He was about to speak anxiously, intending to offer him a ride, but before he could open his mouth, the Toad Elder, who had become quite cunning, said slowly and deliberately as he walked along:

"Young people should remain calm and composed, and especially in critical moments, they should handle things with composure."

Long Ye had unspeakable suffering and could only follow behind him in silence.

The Toad Sage's residence is a temple deep within Mount Myoboku.

After enduring inner torment, I finally arrived at the temple.

As if knowing they were coming, an old Toad with Buddhist beads around its neck and a doctoral cap sat in the high chair for the reception.

Who is this visitor?

They had barely stepped across the threshold when a question came from above.

"This disciple comes from Konoha Village in the Land of Fire!"

Long Ye felt genuine respect for the Great Toad Sage and treated him with the respect due to a disciple.

"This disciple has come this time..."

Long Ye was just about to begin her fourth description.

But he was interrupted by the Toad Sage above him before he could finish the sentence.

"No need to say anything, I already know!"

Long Ye's expression froze, and she couldn't help but think to herself, "Truly worthy of being called an immortal, his actions are so unique. He already knows exactly why I've come, yet he still asks who I am?"

The Toad Sage, supporting himself on the armrest of his chair, strained to open his yellow eyes.

The figure of Long Ye below was reflected in his pupils.

"Huh?"

The Toad Sage's pupils contracted, and his expression changed almost imperceptibly.

Time fell silent once again.

Long Ye waited for a long time, but seeing that there was no sound coming down from above, she looked up and saw the Toad Sage deep in thought.

He couldn't help but speak:

"This disciple has come to inquire of the immortal about the White Night Bat. Is it located deep within the Snake Cypress Valley? Does it have any weaknesses? And how can we kill it without fail?"

The Toad Sage snapped out of his daze and nodded, "That's the Thunder God Sword you're carrying, isn't it?"

Long Ye thought to herself, "Indeed impressive."

To avoid being implicated by possessing a valuable treasure, he wrapped the Thunder God Sword in layers upon layers when he came to Mount Myoboku, so that to an ordinary person it would just look like a strip of cloth.

But even with such concealment, the Toad Sage saw right through it.

He decided to stop hiding it. "The immortal's eyes are truly discerning! This is indeed the Thunder God Sword that Konoha has lost for so long. I found it by chance during my recent trip."

The Toad Sage nodded. "No wonder you were able to emerge alive from the Snake Cypress Valley and even casually save one of my clansmen. This sword is one of the few ninja tools in the Shinobi World capable of severing the Ghost-Hand Snake Vines, but..."

He shook his head as he spoke.

"Does the immortal mean that this sword is still somewhat lacking?"

Seeing his expression, Long Ye understood the meaning behind his words.

"Whether it's lacking or not, you should know perfectly well that you used it to cut the Snake Vines."

Long Ye nodded. "The immortal's foresight is indeed remarkable. With this Thunder God Sword, I can handle a few Snake Vines, but if there are too many, I'll be overwhelmed and have no choice but to flee..."

The Toad Sage changed the subject. "You insist on killing that bat?"

Long Ye's spirits lifted. Hearing the other party's meaning, he clearly knew about the bat's existence. He nodded emphatically, indicating his determination.

He traveled through mountains and rivers, finally arriving in the Land of Snow. After surviving countless near-death experiences, he killed the king, but what he was looking for vanished without a trace. How could he accept this?

Most importantly, killing that bat is related to Rin's loss of reason Tailed Beast Transformation.

Lin is probably eagerly waiting for him to bring back a solution. He can't leave empty-handed and disappoint her.

The Toad Sage nodded in satisfaction:

"This strange spirit lives in the deepest part of Snake Cypress Valley, where the Nine-Headed Snake Cypress is located. The two have a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship and have been cooperating for many years..."

"If you want to kill him, besides the Thunder God Sword, you need something else."

"What is that?" Long Ye asked hurriedly.

"The Heavenheart Stone!" said the Toad Sage.

"Heavenheart Stone? What is that?" Long Ye was completely confused.

"The Heavenheart Stone comes from the Sky Stone. You must be wondering, what is the Sky Stone? To put it simply, the Sky Stone is a stone that comes from the sky."

"A stone from the sky?"

Long Ye was initially confused, then her eyes lit up.

The stone that came from the sky, isn't it Meteorite? The Heavenheart Stone is the heart of stone, which inevitably reminds him of the Star Core he obtained back then.