The Golden Toad That Never Dwelt Without Treasure

Mount Siming was enormous. To be precise, it should have been called the Siming Mountains.

The name Siming referred to its four highest peaks: Qingming, Xiuming, Lingming, and Yueming.

Each of the four peaks had its own wondrous sights, and they had once even been hailed as grotto-heaven secret realms.

The Siming Mountains stretched a thousand li from east to west and measured three to four hundred li at their widest point from north to south. They straddled the junction of Chunan Commandery and Chubei Commandery and abounded in all kinds of natural resources.

For various reasons, demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters had run rampant in the wilderness for decades, forcing everyone who lived deep in the mountains to move away.

Traveling merchants and other travelers mostly skirted the outskirts of Mount Siming. Even hunters rarely dared venture deep into the Siming Mountains.

Hidden Dragon Temple was closest to Yueming Peak. Zhou Wuji had come here with his master many times and knew the area quite well.

Yueming Peak was rather interesting. Its rocks contained a special material that glowed in the moonlight.

Under the bright moon, more than half the peak glittered like an immortal mountain.

At the eastern foot of Yueming Peak lay a pool whose bottom could not be seen. An enormous golden toad lurked within.

Zhou Wuji had once personally seen the golden toad breathing in and out moonlight essence. As large as a cartwheel and covered in crimson lumps, it crouched on a great rock, inhaling and exhaling toward the full moon. The sight was horrifying.

His master had said that the golden toad was a seventh-grade monster. The lumps on its body were all filled with venom, and its long tongue was like a sword that could shoot over two zhang away.

It could also spew poisonous Qi that caused living creatures to experience all kinds of hallucinations.

It was said that golden toads never dwelt where there was no treasure. His master had originally planned to let this one grow for another few years, hoping they might obtain some rare treasure.

Zhou Wuji could not wait, however. Killing monsters would earn him Origin Mystic Essence, greatly improving his body's strength.

The greatest gap between him and seventh-grade martial artists lay in their bodies.

Using his own body as a baseline, he estimated that an ordinary seventh-grade martial artist's physical index could reach three or four hundred.

Zhang Xinhu's physical strength was at least five hundred!

It was precisely because they possessed such powerful bodies that martial artists could unite the internal and external, unleash the force of a thousand jun, and possess inconceivably powerful vitality.

By slaying monsters, Zhou Wuji could rapidly improve his body's strength.

Monsters and ghosts he had no use for could also be converted into Yin Spirits with the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment and woven into the Five Yin Pouch.

By the time Zhou Wuji reached Yueming Peak, the sun was nearly setting.

He circled the pool and examined the great rock where the golden toad liked to crouch. Its surface was very smooth, with a few traces of ghastly green left behind by the toad.

They were probably venom that had dripped from the golden toad's body and seeped into the rock's surface.

Through his Jade Balance Star Aperture, Zhou Wuji smelled the golden toad's presence on the blue stone: a sour, foul-smelling scent of Qi.

After one "sniff," Zhou Wuji's gaze grew a little unfocused. It was as though a thin veil had suddenly fallen over his surroundings, leaving everything blurry and indistinct.

He knew something was wrong. The traces of the golden toad's presence also had a hallucinatory effect.

Retreating several steps, Zhou Wuji cast the Heart-Purifying Divine Incantation on himself.

Though his proficient-level Heart-Purifying Divine Incantation could not be cast instantly, it was sufficient.

He formed a hand seal and recited the incantation. Once it was complete, a speck of spiritual light spread outward, instantly reaching every part of his body and cleansing away all the poisonous Qi that had tainted his mind.

Zhou Wuji's spirits lifted, and he quickly moved away from the blue stone.

No wonder there were no toads, flying insects, or other such creatures nearby. The poison this thing gave off had killed all the little creatures.

Zhou Wuji retreated into a willow grove a full hundred paces from the great blue stone.

Birds chirped and insects sang in the grove. Clearly, there was no poisonous Qi here.

Choosing a clean spot, Zhou Wuji put on his straw rain cape, swallowed a Grain Avoidance Pill, and sat quietly, guiding the circulation of his True Qi.

Generally speaking, one should not practice more than three times a day. Excessive Qi refinement would do harm instead.

After his True Qi completed a hundred and eight circuits, flowing throughout his body, Zhou Wuji felt comfortable and relaxed all over. The fatigue of an entire day's walking was swept away.

As the sky gradually darkened, the birds and insects in the grove all fell silent.

Specks of green light gradually rose in the dim grove. Like fireflies, they drifted about aimlessly.

A patch of green lights wandered through the grove and soon reached Zhou Wuji.

He could clearly sense the Yin Qi contained in those specks of green light. They were probably little creatures such as birds that had died and received nourishment from the Spiritual Qi here after death, leaving a trace of Yin Qi that never dispersed but possessed little spirituality.

Any man with vigorous Qi and Blood need not fear such things. Women, children, and elderly people who were weak and deficient in Qi, however, might be tainted by the yin wind and inevitably fall ill.

Zhou Wuji raised his hand and activated the Golden Light Incantation. Having reached the great attainment realm, he could cast this spell almost instantly.

A wash of golden light spread out, and the specks of green light swiftly dissolved within it.

The gusts of yin wind circulating through the grove dispersed as well.

Zhou Wuji felt that even the air had grown fresher, no longer carrying that enclosed, stifling feeling.

Normally, the spirituality of weak creatures dispersed immediately after death. The same was true even of humans.

Mount Siming's terrain was rather unusual, gathering Spiritual Qi together and nourishing the spirituality of living creatures, while also giving rise to all kinds of demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters.

Having dealt with that minor nuisance, Zhou Wuji waited peacefully for the new moon to rise.

Breathing in and out moonlight essence was part of the golden toad's daily cultivation. It could not possibly wait for a full moon every time.

With some time still remaining, Zhou Wuji mentally rehearsed his plan of action.

According to his master, the golden toad had problems with its vision. It could not see stationary objects, and the faster something moved, the more clearly it could see it.

Furthermore, while breathing in and out moonlight essence, the golden toad naturally released poisonous Qi that covered an area roughly ten zhang in radius.

Zhou Wuji had examined the ground earlier. From the specks of green left behind by the poisonous Qi, he could judge its approximate range.

Thus, he only needed to walk slowly toward the golden toad while it breathed in and out moonlight essence, then hold his breath once he entered the poisonous Qi's range.

Then he would first use the Golden Light Incantation to stun the golden toad.

Though monsters like this possessed sturdy bodies, they lacked orthodox methods for tempering their minds. Their innate spirituality was weak, making them vulnerable to the Golden Light Incantation...

Even in the worst case, if the golden toad counterattacked with its tongue, his straw rain cape could still protect him.

As for the golden toad's poisonous Qi, it posed almost no threat to him and could be disregarded.

Zhou Wuji repeatedly rehearsed the battle in his mind. Though monsters were stupid, he still could not afford carelessness.

He still had three Northern Dipper Heavenly Gang Divine Talismans. If necessary, he would use one; it would be enough to protect him.

The new moon rose, and faint moonlight spilled into the pool.

The shimmering water suddenly rippled, and an enormous golden toad leaped from the depths. With practiced ease, it jumped onto the great blue stone and crouched there, working its mouth toward the moonlight as its belly rose and fell rhythmically.

Zhou Wuji activated the Six Yang Dharma Eye, and the dim world immediately became exceptionally bright and clear.

Through the Six Yang Dharma Eye, he could see the Spiritual Qi the golden toad breathed in and out, as well as the layer upon layer of poisonous Qi rippling around its body.

Zhou Wuji slowly stood and approached the golden toad, pausing after each step.

The golden toad could not see stationary things. Though he moved slowly as he stepped forward, it should still have been able to see him.

However, the golden toad was currently breathing in moonlight essence and might not pay attention to his slow movements.

Having eyes on top of its head gave it a broad field of vision but reduced its depth perception, flattening its view.

This was especially apparent in horses and rabbits. Though the golden toad was a monster, it probably could not change the condition of its eyes either.

Of course, whether the golden toad could see him was not all that important. What mattered was that he could get close to it.

The golden toad never reacted. Zhou Wuji stopped three zhang from the blue stone.

Faint, mistlike poisonous Qi filled this area, naturally forming a protective barrier that kept all sorts of living creatures out.

Holding his breath, Zhou Wuji silently recited the incantation and swiftly formed a seal inside his sleeve. He slowly raised his palm, and a ball of golden light suddenly blazed from it, shining directly onto the golden toad as it breathed moonlight essence in and out.

The brilliant golden light contained the power to awe all spirituality, directed straight at the golden toad.

The golden toad's breathing paused. Even its steadily circulating Qi was affected, and the poisonous Qi spread throughout its surroundings suddenly churned.

Zhou Wuji clearly saw these changes through the Six Yang Dharma Eye. Without hesitation, he flicked his hand, sending two White Eyebrow Needles straight into the golden toad's bulging eyes.

Given the golden toad's enormous size, the tiny White Eyebrow Needles could hardly inflict fatal damage.

Yet Zhou Wuji's two needles were viciously placed, piercing straight through its eyeballs and deep into its head.

The True Qi erupting from the spinning White Eyebrow Needles blasted its eyeballs apart.

With its soul and spirituality stunned by the golden light, the golden toad opened its great mouth and croaked in agony.

Never in its life had it encountered such a situation. It merely reacted on instinct.

In battle, this was the worst possible response. Seeing his opportunity, Zhou Wuji immediately stepped forward at full speed, drawing his sword and slashing.

Zhou Wuji flashed past the golden toad, the Seven Star Sword in his hand cleaving down between its eyes.

The blade split the golden toad's head and dragged all the way down its back, nearly cutting it in half down the middle.

The sword strike was both swift and vicious. The golden toad died on the spot, though its four legs continued twitching...