A sudden burst of red light erupted at the center of the water curtain, followed by a towering pillar of flames that swirled around the Fire Toad Beast. In an instant, the water dragons, the rings, and the two blue halberds were all forcibly expelled from the fiery column. At the heart of the flames, the indistinct silhouette of the ancient Fire Toad Beast loomed ominously.
As all attacks were repelled by the fire pillar, the Fire Toad, realizing it had fallen into a trap, seized the opportunity to kick backward, transforming into a blazing streak of fire that shot toward the gradually closing gap in the barrier.
Seeing this, Marquis Nanlong and the old man surnamed Lu were startled and hastily directed their treasures to intercept the beast before it could escape the restriction. However, they seemed a step too late.
Just as the fiery streak neared the water curtain and was about to slip through, a sharp screech echoed from afar. The Fire Toad had barely extended a forelimb through the gap when a black streak flashed before its eyes. Something brushed past it, and in that instant, its forelimb felt a mix of heat and cold before abruptly losing a large chunk of its length.
The Fire Toad convulsed violently as unbearable agony surged from its severed limb. Despite its formidable powers, the beast couldn’t suppress a pained shriek before plummeting from the air.
Outside, Marquis Nanlong and the old man were overjoyed. They immediately directed their treasures to rain down a relentless barrage upon the crippled Fire Toad.
The emerald-green ring shimmered and multiplied into hundreds of illusory copies, swirling around the beast in an attempt to restrain it. Meanwhile, the two blue halberds transformed into massive ice pythons, each five to six zhang long, and lunged forward.
Yet, the Fire Toad proved worthy of its reputation as an ancient beast even the revered Cangkun had once feared. Despite losing a limb, its powers remained undiminished. In the blink of an eye, a dense array of light shields materialized before it, effortlessly blocking all incoming attacks.
The emerald ring illusions couldn’t even get close, let alone restrain the beast, and their ordinary impacts on the shields were negligible. The ice pythons, though naturally countering the fire-attribute shields, could only shatter one shield at a time, which were endlessly replenished, rendering their efforts futile.
Moments later, six azure beams shot down from the sky, joining the assault. Each flash shattered another shield, and the deafening roar of destruction forced the Fire Toad, which had just begun to rise, back to the ground.
Marquis Nanlong glanced sideways in surprise, spotting Han Li hovering nearby, dispersing a dark mist from his arm. Behind him, six massive blue turtle puppets fired thick beams of light at the Fire Toad within the water curtain.
Han Li’s gaze shifted to the severed limb floating near the water curtain. Though detached from its owner, the limb still glowed faintly red, as if retaining a trace of sentience.
A flicker of astonishment crossed Han Li’s eyes.
From afar, he had seen the dire situation—the Fire Toad was about to escape. In desperation, he unleashed a Yin Devil Slash, severing the beast’s forelimb. Yet, even maimed, the Fire Toad remained ferocious, holding its ground against two Nascent Soul cultivators and six turtle puppets. No wonder Cangkun had retreated in defeat after suffering heavy losses.
“Fellow Daoist Han, the Fire Toad’s fire-attribute shields are endless. We need your ice-based powers to counter them, or this battle will drag on indefinitely,” the old man surnamed Lu called out anxiously, watching as the shattered shields dissolved into wisps of fire and were reabsorbed by the beast, only for new ones to emerge.
Han Li had already noticed this. Without a word, he flicked his sleeve, releasing over a dozen golden flying swords. With a spin, they merged into a single massive golden sword, radiating cold energy.
Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were taken aback. They had expected Han Li to use his terrifying blue flames, not his swords.
As the golden sword formed, Han Li gestured, and it descended before him. He exhaled a wisp of blue flame, which enveloped the sword, setting it ablaze. After a moment’s hesitation, he channeled another spell, activating the Divine Devilbane Lightning within the sword. Low thunder rumbled as golden arcs danced amid the blue flames.
With a cold glint in his eyes, Han Li pointed at the Fire Toad and uttered, “Go.” The golden sword shot forth like a rainbow, streaking toward the beast.
Meanwhile, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying, frustrated by their ineffective assault, eased their attacks. Seizing the respite, the Fire Toad’s body pulsed with red light, its abdomen swelling rapidly as it prepared a counterattack.
Just then, the golden sword arrived above the beast, descending with a thunderous roar.
The Fire Toad blinked its emerald eyes, sensing the imminent threat. Abandoning its swelling, it spat out a crimson, crystalline fireball the size of a fist. The air within the water curtain grew scorching hot.
“An inner core? No—it’s not solid!” Han Li’s initial alarm faded as he realized the fireball wasn’t the beast’s actual core. Had it been, he would’ve hesitated to strike.
With a command, the golden sword slashed into the fireball. Given the Emerald Swarm Sword’s sharpness and the combined power of ten swords, Han Li expected an easy victory. Yet, to his shock, the fireball resisted.
A loud “bang” echoed as red and golden lights clashed. The sword cleaved halfway through before being halted.
The Fire Toad’s eyes gleamed with mockery before it screeched. The split fireball exploded, releasing a surge of crimson light that coalesced into a two-zhang-long red serpent. It coiled around the sword, immobilizing it.
Han Li frowned, then smirked. With a spell, golden lightning erupted from the sword, repelling the serpent. The sword vanished, reappearing above the Fire Toad’s shields. Blue flames flared as it slashed down.
Crackling sounds filled the air as the shields froze and shattered under the sword’s onslaught. In moments, the sword loomed over the Fire Toad’s massive head.
The beast, caught off guard, had no time to react. Desperate, it shot out its black tongue to entangle the sword while leaping backward. But the sword, infused with Divine Devilbane Lightning, sliced through the tongue effortlessly and continued its descent.
With a “thud,” the Fire Toad’s head rolled from its body as it leaped. The remaining shields disintegrated.
“Success!” Lu Weiying exclaimed.
Marquis Nanlong sighed in relief, smiling as he prepared to disperse the water curtain.
“Wait!” Han Li’s cold voice stopped him.
“What’s the meaning of this, Fellow Daoist Han?” Marquis Nanlong tensed, his hand drifting to his storage pouch. Lu Weiying eyed Han Li warily.
“Nothing much. It’s just that the Fire Toad isn’t truly dead yet. You’re too hasty, Marquis Nanlong,” Han Li replied calmly.
“What? It’s still alive?” Both men gasped, turning back to the water curtain. Indeed, the severed head and body of the Fire Toad still glowed, floating eerily in midair without falling.
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