Chapter Twenty: A Three-Legged Toad Is Hard to Find

Within the pitch-black miasma swamp, all was silent. The beasts that lurked there seemed to have been frightened away by the thunderous explosion when Lei Xiang broke through, and now, Lei Xiang was basking in triumph. The thirteenth layer was indeed different; with a casual stride, he could leap several yards, and those small muddy pools of the swamp posed no obstacle to him. The low-level beasts he encountered sensed his aura and all fled in terror, none daring to disturb him.

A month later, Lei Xiang stood atop a broken cliff, beneath which the sound of water roared like a thousand oxen bellowing in unison. This must be the Black Miasma Gorge his master had mentioned, where curtains of water hung densely and even divine sense could not penetrate—how mysterious this place was.

Skillful and daring, Lei Xiang rested briefly and prepared himself. He drew out his black Fleetfoot, pressed in a spirit stone to activate it, and then piloted it downwards. The water curtains rushed fiercely, their momentum grand and unstoppable. A massive waterfall, broken into three sections, formed a curtain of water dozens of yards tall, cascading rapidly downwards.

"Wow, this is spectacular, even more impressive than the legendary Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain. Are there stone tables, stone chairs, or stone beds behind the water curtain?"

Without hesitation, Lei Xiang raised his beast-skin tent for defense, then urged his Fleetfoot, making a sharp turn and darting straight into the immense curtain of water. Behind it, he found no stone tables or chairs, only vast stretches of stone.

Lei Xiang’s expression remained calm. Drawing his Chrysanthemum Thorn, he began searching the mountain of stone, spanning over a hundred yards, for the Three-legged Frog. An hour passed as he searched the area twice, but still found no trace of the frog, not even a clue. He sat down to meditate, pondering his next move.

Since the Three-legged Frog was difficult to find, he decided to first locate the Hundred-Foot Saliva Plant, then use it as bait to lure the frog, for the plant emitted a scent beloved by beasts, causing them to salivate copiously upon smelling it.

This gamble paid off. In the barren stone mountain, searching for a plant was comparatively easier, and soon he discovered a spinach-like specimen in a low-lying area.

"Is this the Hundred-Foot Saliva Plant? It doesn’t have any special scent—perhaps it only attracts beasts."

Lei Xiang did not touch the plant. Instead, he unleashed the Chutian Comb with a green spell, which sprayed apricot-yellow light, instantly combing hundreds of ravines into the mountain’s subterranean stones within a twenty-yard radius.

He put away the comb, closed his eyes to meditate, and cast a spiritual command. The interlaced ravines shimmered with yellow light and then seamlessly fused, leaving no trace behind.

Next, from a jade vial, he poured a drop of red liquid onto the plant’s roots. Instantly, the Hundred-Foot Saliva Plant grew taller by more than a foot before his eyes.

With everything done, Lei Xiang took out a mid-level concealment talisman and pressed it to his body, then waited in silence.

Waiting—wordless, patient waiting.

Lei Xiang did not feel uncomfortable in the least. He had long since learned to endure; to achieve his goal, no wait was too long.

Who knew how much time had passed when, five yards ahead, came a crisp "pop." A thumb-sized bump appeared on the rock, and Lei Xiang watched it closely, though it showed no further change.

After a quarter hour, the bump slowly grew, eventually reaching the size of a balloon before bursting open with a bang, revealing a bowl-sized hole from which a small head with beady eyes poked out.

A second-level beast—Spirit-Digging Rat?

Lei Xiang remained motionless, continuing to wait.

The rat’s head darted about, scanning for danger. Satisfied, it shot out like an arrow, heading straight for the Hundred-Foot Saliva Plant.

Lei Xiang had already prepared his Seal spell, but refrained from casting it, sensing the Three-legged Frog was nearby. He waited still.

As expected, the rat’s forepaw was just an inch from the plant when a red tongue lashed out from the bowl-sized hole, wrapping around the rat and tossing it aside.

The Spirit-Digging Rat’s eyes betrayed its grievance as it rolled away and disappeared. From the hole, a super-long snake emerged, its body a hundred yards in length, slick and wet.

The giant snake slowly coiled up, and with a loud "pop," green smoke rose, enveloping it completely. Lei Xiang’s eyes flashed blue as he waited. When the smoke cleared, the snake had vanished, leaving behind only a one-yard-tall toad. It had three legs, its body grayish-green, covered in countless pustules oozing foul, poisonous fluid.

Lei Xiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had waited correctly. The Three-legged Frog was truly cunning, first probing with the Spirit-Digging Rat before revealing itself. The tongue that snatched the rat must have been its own, and its body could morph like a noodle—how bizarre.

At this moment, Lei Xiang struck. The Seal spell manifested, casting countless glowing squares upon the frog. Sensing the potency of the spell, the frog flipped its eyelids and shot out its long tongue, latching onto a twenty-yard-high stone, preparing to use its weight to leap away.

Yet the hundreds of interwoven yellow lines on the ground flared up, nailing the frog’s single leg firmly to the earth. Lei Xiang’s Ground Prison formation had succeeded.

Now, the Seal spell enclosed the Three-legged Frog. It was terrified, secreting copious foul, black poison, its body elongating infinitely, and slipping out of the square seals like an eel. The spell failed for the first time.

Enraged, the frog, though unable to move its leg, bulged its eyes and cheeks, croaking thrice, each time spraying a torrent of foul black water that flooded ten yards in every direction. Its pustules shriveled as it did so.

A hiss—white smoke billowed from the rock where Lei Xiang hid, quickly corroded away by the black water. The concealment talisman was destroyed, revealing his presence.

Seeing its assailant, the Three-legged Frog grew more furious, focusing its poisonous jets at Lei Xiang, who had already activated Wind-Riding technique, weaving among the stones as the frog croaked wildly, unleashing its venom.

The frog’s pustules were now all shriveled, and the volume of its poisonous water surged, forming several dark flows sweeping up shattered stone, a torrent of black poison and mud hurtling toward Lei Xiang.

Lei Xiang hurried onto his Fleetfoot, snapped his fingers to summon the Jade Ring, which cast protective green light overhead. He hurled Thunderhammer and Lightning Nails; bolts of lightning struck the immobilized frog.

Strangely, the frog’s poison could resist the lightning, even tainting the green light of the Jade Ring, so Lei Xiang hastily withdrew it, scattering a hundred low-level talismans, all targeting the frog.

The Three-legged Frog cried out in pain, its long tongue lashing toward Lei Xiang’s wrist. Lei Xiang maneuvered his Fleetfoot to dodge and unleashed ten Fire-Thunder Bomb talismans. He dared not use the Celestial Crystal, needing the frog’s blood alive—if the frog died, it would be useless.

Though not as powerful as the Celestial Crystal, his homemade Fire-Thunder Bombs scorched the frog, eliciting miserable cries. Its pustules were all shriveled, and the poisonous water grew scarce.

Now was the moment!

Lei Xiang guided his Fleetfoot in a dive, slashing with a single blue-light spiral, all while secretly unfurling the Vermilion Banner, which soared ten yards high in the wind. The benefit of mastering the boundless Divine Sea was evident; he could wield two magical artifacts at once with ease.

The frog lifted its forelimb to block the blue spiral attack, but the spiral twisted, striking from behind. The frog flicked its tongue to deflect the assault.

"Swallow!"

Lei Xiang shouted. The blood-red Greedy Mouth darted out, its emerald jaws snapping ferociously into the frog’s chest.

"Return!" In an instant, the Greedy Mouth flew back, its cucumber-green teeth pierced with a black demon core. The Three-legged Frog could hold on no longer; its massive body collapsed with a thud. Lei Xiang produced a jade bottle, mouth at the bottom, and commanded, "Collect!" A rush of foul black water poured from the frog’s head and was instantly captured by the bottle.

Lei Xiang stowed away the Greedy Mouth and demon core, gazing at the half-bottle of frog blood with some hesitation. "This venom is so vile—can it really break the Blood Curse of Ten Thousand Demons? It’s hardly fit for human consumption."

Though doubtful, he had to drink it while it was fresh. He approached the spinach-like Hundred-Foot Saliva Plant, holding the jade bottle in one hand and reaching to pluck the plant with the other, intending to consume them together.

As he uprooted the plant, a crisp sound echoed from below. The rocks began to tremble as if struck by an earthquake, though its cause was unknown.

With resolute composure, Lei Xiang swiftly drank the frog’s blood and swallowed the plant, not even pausing to chew.

At that moment, from the crevices beneath the Hundred-Foot Saliva Plant, vast clouds of pink mist billowed forth, enveloping the entire cliff, including Lei Xiang.

When the pink mist dissipated, only barren stone remained, along with a newly sprouted sapling of the Hundred-Foot Saliva Plant.

Lei Xiang was nowhere to be seen.

Second installment.