As the days drew closer, more and more people flocked to Mount Wan Jie.
Everyone wanted to be part of such a grand event.
Xue Qianbai had also stayed at Changqing Mansion these past few days, chatting with Li Changqing about recent happenings in the Cangyuan Realm. Yin Changli, upon learning that Qianxue Sword Sovereign Xue Qianbai had arrived, shamelessly came to the mansion every day, hoping to get some insights into swordsmanship from him.
Initially, Xue Qianbai had no interest in teaching. He was used to being a lone wolf and didn't like taking on disciples. Even in the Dao Mountain Ancient Land, he was known for his independence.
However, to Xue Qianbai's surprise, Yin Changli had an exceptionally high aptitude for swordsmanship.
What shocked Xue Qianbai even more was that Yin Changli's swordsmanship was already among the best in his realm. He seemed to have a nascent understanding of "momentum," a concept that was terrifying even in its embryonic form.
So, Xue Qianbai couldn't help but guide Yin Changli for several days. Yin Changli, eager to learn, felt that these few days of training were worth years of his own comprehension. Previously, he had only admired swordsmanship but had no good teacher. He had only relied on Li Changqing's wooden Xuan Yuan Sword to gain insights. Now, with Xue Qianbai's guidance, he felt his progress had been exponential.
As the day of the competition approached, Li Changqing and Xue Qianbai set off.
Zhang Fuguang had no interest in the competition and chose to stay behind.
The distance from North Cold Country to Mount Wan Jie was not short. Li Changqing donned the Qinglian Sword Sovereign's attire and rode on Fei, while Xue Qianbai rode his Smoke-Enshrouded Snow Sculpture. The two of them departed directly.
Thus, many powerful individuals headed to Mount Wan Jie.
They all wanted to witness the elegance of a terrestrial immortal.
Even some living terrestrial immortals were heading to Mount Wan Jie.
Guangzu brought Lu Shiran along.
Luo Xiaochuan from Dao Mountain Ancient Land naturally came as well.
Experts from other regions, even those from Yunhuang, were also heading to Mount Wan Jie.
Mount Wan Jie had never expected so many experts to gather there one day.
Countless people were eagerly anticipating this battle.
In Tianhai City, many families harbored ulterior motives.
If Jiang Tianyun were to lose, the entire structure of the Cangyuan Realm would be rewritten, presenting opportunities for these families.
The experts of the Ghost Clan thought the same. If Jiang Tianyun lost, they could seize more benefits from humanity.
The various forces of the Yunhuang Ghost Clan had long been prepared.
They believed Jiang Tianyun would surely lose this battle.
Jiang Tianyun was too old, coughing constantly, looking frail and exhausted. How could such a Jiang Tianyun face Li Xuanxi, who had a young and vigorous body?
The title of Heavenly Maiden Sword Immortal was not just for show.
Among the Four Saints of humanity, Jiang Tianyun's strength was only ranked third or fourth.
Heavenly Maiden Sword Immortal Li Xuanxi's strength was firmly second, only behind the Virtueless Monk.
Now, Jiang Tianyun was even less likely to be a match for Li Xuanxi.
Night fell.
In Zhanhe Residence of the Eastern Desolate Land.
Sima Yan had already set off. How could he miss the battle of terrestrial immortals? It would greatly benefit his future cultivation path.
By nightfall, Zhanhe Residence had become incredibly quiet.
Some patrolling disciples were bored out of their minds.
"I heard that in a few days, the Heavenly Maiden Sword Immortal and the Cangyuan Realm Master will have a decisive battle. I really want to see it. I've never seen a terrestrial immortal expert in my life. This battle will surely be spectacular," a patrolling disciple said enviously.
"Just focus on your patrol. What are you looking at?" The older leading disciple said helplessly, "With your current cultivation level, you're just at the peak of the acquired realm. Even if you watched the battle between the Cangyuan Realm Master and the Heavenly Maiden Sword Immortal, you wouldn't understand it. You might not even see their movements, and if the battle gets too intense, a random shockwave could turn you into dust."
"Hahaha!"
The others couldn't help but laugh.
But after saying this, they didn't hear the disciple retort.
They found it strange. Normally, this disciple would be very defiant and argue back, but now he was unusually quiet, which made everyone curious.
"Hey, why aren't you talking? Are you upset?"
They turned to look at the last disciple.
But when they turned, they were stunned.
There was no one behind them.
Instead, there was a giant toad, black as night, blending almost seamlessly with the darkness. If not looked at carefully, it was impossible to see clearly.
The toad was as big as a small hill, with blood-red eyes and an enormous body that exuded a strong sense of oppression. It was chewing on something, which gave everyone a fright.
"What the…"
"What is that!"
The disciples were so scared their legs went weak.
At that moment, the toad chewed a few more times and spat out what was in its mouth.
It was a person.
The disciple who had just been speaking.
"Brother Peng!"
A disciple rushed forward to pull the other disciple back, but to his shock, the disciple had no breath left.
There were no visible wounds on his body, but his life was gone.
"You killed Brother Peng!" The disciple's eyes turned red with anger.
But the giant toad just tilted its head, looking at the disciples.
"I'll kill you!"
The disciple roared, drawing his sword and charging forward.
"Don't be rash!" The other disciples were shocked and quickly sounded the alarm.
The sword struck the toad, but it didn't harm it in the slightest. The toad lowered its head and swallowed the disciple whole!
"Run!"
Seeing the terrifying toad, the remaining disciples turned to flee. But as they did, the toad's long, wet tongue shot out, wrapping them up and pulling them into its mouth.
By then, Zhanhe Residence was in an uproar.
Many experts came out, furious to see such a monster eating people in their residence.
The swallowed disciples were spat out unharmed, but they were lifeless.
"Monster, die!"
Several elders of Zhanhe Residence joined forces to attack the toad!
Throughout the night, the people of Zhanzhou City could hear the sounds of intense battle, which lasted until the early hours of the morning.
When the townspeople woke up, they were still discussing the event.
Then, shocking news spread throughout Zhanzhou City!
Everyone in Zhanhe Residence was dead!
Corpses were everywhere!
At first, people thought it was a joke, but when they arrived at Zhanhe Residence, they realized it was true.
Zhanhe Residence had been wiped out!
Not a single survivor.
The most disturbing part was that the bodies had no visible wounds, yet they were dead, in a most inexplicable manner.
This plunged the townspeople into great fear.
The city lord of Zhanzhou personally came to see and was equally shocked. In desperation, he sought help from the nearest sect.
He wrote to Dao Mountain Ancient Land, hoping someone would come to investigate.
Night fell again.
The sky was dark, with clouds obscuring the moon. Soon, it began to drizzle.
Due to the rain, the streets of North Cold City were deserted.
A small tavern by the roadside, with its dim lights, offered a hint of warmth in the cold weather.
The tavern had no customers, except for a man sitting by the door, with two jars of wine and a small dish on the table.
"General, how's the food today?"
The shopkeeper came out with a plate of peanuts, placing it on the table.
"Heh, not bad, not bad. The same familiar taste. I like it," Zhao Beiming said with a smile, pouring himself another cup, seemingly enjoying the quiet moment.
"Your wine is good too."
"Perfect for this rainy weather," Zhao Beiming praised.
"Heh, I heard a new tavern opened recently in North Cold Country, called Changqing Tavern. They say their wine is excellent, but it closed down before I could try it," the shopkeeper said regretfully.
"Changqing? Must be from Changqing Trading Company," Zhao Beiming mused.
He had no particular hobbies, but he loved good wine. Hearing about it made him crave a drink.
At the city gate of North Cold City, some guards were on duty.
Suddenly, they noticed a large figure in the dark, rainy night.
"What is that?" A curious guard took a few steps forward, but before he could see clearly, a long tongue wrapped around his waist!
"Enemy attack!"
The other guards shouted, drawing their swords to cut the tongue, but they were too slow. The giant toad pulled the guard into its mouth!
The rain fell quietly.
Zhao Beiming's ears twitched, and his hand paused as he was about to pour wine.
He grabbed his massive Nine Truths Spear and walked out.
His eyes turned sharp as he looked into the distance.
He heard the sounds of battle and shouts of enemy attack.
Zhao Beiming immediately understood. Someone was taking advantage of the absence of many experts, who had gone to watch the battle between Jiang Tianyun and Li Xuanxi, to cause trouble.
Luckily, he hadn't gone.
With the Nine Truths Spear on his back, Zhao Beiming flew towards the city gate!
He wanted to see who dared to cause trouble in North Cold Country at this time.
The giant toad had already entered the city, smashing the gate and swallowing people, spitting them out as lifeless bodies.
"Courting death!"
Seeing the corpses of the guards, Zhao Beiming was furious!
He struck with his Nine Truths Spear, hitting the toad's abdomen with immense force.
The toad, as big as a small hill, had underestimated Zhao Beiming's power. The strike pushed it back several meters!
Unfortunately, Zhao Beiming's attack didn't injure the toad. Instead, its eyes turned even redder, and its cheeks puffed up in anger.
It hadn't expected a mere human to hurt it.
In an instant, the toad lunged at Zhao Beiming.
"General Zhao, be careful!"
The surrounding guards shouted in warning.
But Zhao Beiming, now serious, was not to be trifled with. He wielded his Nine Truths Spear, enveloping the toad in a powerful aura.
Each of Zhao Beiming's strikes carried immense force.
But to his surprise, the toad's body was so soft that it absorbed most of his power, making it hard to inflict real damage.
Even so, the toad couldn't gain the upper hand against Zhao Beiming. Its tongue couldn't touch him, repelled by his protective aura.
Finally, the toad turned and fled.
"Trying to escape?"
Seeing the toad had injured so many, Zhao Beiming wouldn't let it go. He chased after it.
The toad quickly left the main road, disappearing into a mountain ravine.
Zhao Beiming pursued it for over thirty miles.
The further he went, the more desolate it became. Zhao Beiming had a strange feeling that the toad was leading him somewhere.
Realizing this, Zhao Beiming stopped, intending to leave.
But as he turned, the rain stopped, the wind fell silent, and the air grew stifling.
Flames lit up the surroundings, and a woman emerged from the fire, smiling at him.
Her slender figure was alluring, every movement seductive.
"General Zhao, hello."
The woman smiled.
"Who are you?" Zhao Beiming frowned. "Why lead me here?"
"I've long admired you, General Zhao. I'm a great admirer," the woman said with a smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. You can call me Yuyuan. I'm a Rosefinch Protector of the Longevity Sect."
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas