boyutpedia 38. A Sudden Change in the Water
38. A Sudden Change in the Water
The moment Xiao Yan saw the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad clearly, a strong will to survive surged within him. Without thinking twice, he unleashed his Three Thousand Thunderclaps, and with a roar of thunder, he had already moved a hundred feet away.
The others also displayed their skills, with Yang Lingyan being the fastest, even surpassing Xiao Yan by a significant margin. Shi Han and Chu Qun were also quite fast. The group of Dou Wangs and Dou Lings lagged behind, and although some were covering the rear, Xiao Yan felt no sense of complacency. Those were eighth-tier magical beasts at the Dou Zun level; the slightest lapse in concentration would mean certain death.
Xiao Yan could only pray in his heart that the Dou Zun Demon Beast's strength would be weakened even more after its death, so that he would have a chance to escape.
The Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad, crouching at the bottom of the pool, swallowed the herb gatherer whole, crunching away. Although it had come here after death due to the Dou Di's scheme and had not inherited its memories and wisdom from its previous life, some instincts remained. Its instinct was that these creatures disturbing it were beneficial to it.
After the person in its mouth was chewed up by the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad, a soul was also forcibly ripped out and then inhaled. The thirst for souls is rooted in the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad's instinct.
Then the Jade-Eyed Nightmare Toad slowly opened its large mouth.
Having just unleashed his full Dou Qi and run a considerable distance, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a jolt of alarm in his heart, a deadly sense of crisis surging through him. Ignoring the slowdown in his retreat, Xiao Yan rapidly gathered Dou Qi in his hands.
Within the Jade-Eyed Nightmare Toad's gaping maw, transparent halos formed from terrifying Dou Zun-level Dou Qi condensed into countless forms. Within each halo was a water arrow formed from condensed water. At this moment, everyone still trying to escape felt locked onto. The next moment, the water arrows slowly slid, each arrow locking onto a single person. Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, his hands forming two massive energy hands.
"Imperial Seal Technique - Mountain-Splitting Seal!"
"Imperial Seal Technique - Overturning the Sea Seal!"
The water arrow appeared slow, but it actually tore through space and appeared in front of everyone in the next instant. Xiao Yan reacted in time. The water arrow collided with the two energy hands, and terrifying fluctuations of Dou Qi overflowed. "Bang!" "Bang!" Two explosions followed in succession, as the water arrow pierced through the two energy handprints.
However, given that it was a group attack, and the magical beasts within the Myriad Beasts Space were weaker than at their peak, the water arrow dimmed considerably after passing through the two handprints. Xiao Yan's hands gathered a chilling white flame. The water in the pool before him instantly froze into ice, and the water arrow, trapped within the ice, carried its last bit of force as it slammed into Xiao Yan's chest. Xiao Yan felt as if a heavy hammer had struck him with tremendous force. After being knocked back several feet in the water, a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Long before entering the Beast Space, Xiao Yan had already completed the training of the Emperor Seal Technique that Xun'er had given him. After all, improving one's strength is always the most important thing. However, Xiao Yan did not expect that his first release of the two seals would result in such a sorry state.
Before Xiao Yan could even calm down, a Dou Huang suddenly appeared in front of him. Xiao Yan sensed that the Dou Huang had no signs of life on its body—it was a Dou Huang corpse! Then, without warning, an explosion occurred. The dense blood energy from the explosion blocked all of Xiao Yan's paths forward. Instead, Xiao Yan was pushed back into the pool by the aftershocks of the explosion. Xiao Yan was already in a state where his new strength had not yet been generated, and now he was hit by the blood energy explosion from the Dou Huang's corpse. He could no longer resist the metallic taste in his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Upon looking, Xiao Yan realized that only six people had survived the previous attack from the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad: himself, Shi Han, Chu Qun, Yang Lingyan, and two other Dou Huangs. The other four, besides Shi Han, had also been bombarded by the explosion following the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad's attack, but Xiao Yan, being a Dou Huang, was exceptionally powerful.
The group was thrown back by the explosion, and that familiar bloodthirsty aura belonged to Shi Han. It was unclear what method Shi Han had used to detonate the already dead. He had been the strongest cultivator, easily catching the water arrow, and then secretly plotted his attack on the others. Now, he was almost at the top of the pool, using the time to his advantage. Xiao Yan and the others became his scapegoats, revealing his ruthless and calculating nature.
"That bastard!" Xiao Yan cursed inwardly, remembering Shi Han's behavior, but there was no point in thinking about anything else at this moment.
Xiao Yan took out two pills from his storage ring and swallowed them in one gulp. As his fighting spirit recovered, he discovered that the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad at the bottom of the pool had vanished. Even with his soul perception activated to its strongest, Xiao Yan could not sense the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad's aura.
After scheming against Xiao Yan and his companions, Shi Han used his agility to dart through the water. When he saw the light at the top of the pool, he couldn't help but feel smug. Although he had returned empty-handed, he had at least escaped from an eighth-tier magical beast and had also outmaneuvered the opponents of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion and the Bright Flower Pavilion, so he could be considered to have gained something.
But the next second, a large portion of the light from the top of the pool disappeared, as a huge object blocked the light from the top of the pool!
Shi Han looked at it and even in the water, he broke out in a cold sweat. What else could the giant creature be but the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad?
After all, it is an eighth-tier magical beast, and many of its combat instincts still exist, such as—surrounding and killing all its prey.
A dark shadow darted out from the Jade-Eyed Nightmare Toad's massive maw, striking Lion Fierce's head almost instantly. However, the expected explosion of Lion Fierce's head didn't occur; instead, the blood-bead necklace around Lion Fierce's neck activated a protective aura shield covering his entire body. The shadow extended, its terrifying force slamming Lion Fierce into the pool wall. The shadow was none other than the Jade-Eyed Nightmare Toad's jet-black tongue, protruding from its mouth.
Lion Fierce's protective shield was also quite powerful, allowing him to retain his fighting ability even when directly attacked by the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad. However, judging from the light emanating from his shield, he wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Jade-Eyed Nightmare Toad torturing Lion Fierce. Yang Lingyan and Chu Qun also moved closer to Xiao Yan. Although Chu Qun's expression was a little unnatural, he didn't have any injuries. Yang Lingyan's chest was caved in, but judging from his appearance, Xiao Yan wasn't too worried—sometimes strong vitality is also a manifestation of strength.
The three of them huddled together and exchanged a few words with gestures, discovering a dilemma: to go or not to go?
If they leave, they might be targeted by the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad. They dare not say they can withstand the Azure-Eyed Nightmare Toad's attacks like Lion Fierce.
If you don't leave, you're just waiting to die. Whether you run downhill or pretend to be dead, it's basically a doomed situation.
Seeing the Jade-Eyed Nightmare Toad's powerful attack, Xiao Yan steeled his resolve and was about to remind the other two to charge out together.
A voice suddenly echoed in my mind: "Go downstairs!"
Xiao Yan recognized a voice that sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. His eyes were filled with confusion.
"Go down below!" The voice rang out again, and Xiao Yan had a feeling that the voice wanted to help him.
Seeing the battle above gradually coming to an end, the other two Dou Huangs were already trying to escape while Lion Fierce was holding back the Jade-Eyed Nightmare Toad.
Xiao Yan gestured to Chu Qun and Yang Lingyan to go down, then unleashed his full Dou Qi and plunged towards the bottom of the pool. After all, time was of the essence now, and he couldn't say what lay below; the choice was his own.
Yang Lingyan glanced at Chu Qun beside him, then at Xiao Yan who was walking without looking back, and followed after him, even faster than Xiao Yan.
Seeing that the two had left, Chu Qun steeled himself and followed.