Chapter Sixteen: The Toad Repays a Debt

  The Clear Void sword slowly fell, and he had thought for sure that he was a goner, but unexpectedly, his savior descended from the heavens. It turned out that Zhao Jianwang had lent a hand to rescue him. The Red Flame Sword's aura was like a fire dragon, fierce and unmatched! He looked around, but couldn't see the shadow of this lifesaver anywhere. All he saw was Little Stone standing there, dazed and confused, thinking "Little brother must have been scared silly". Who would have thought that his lifesaver was actually inside Little Stone? At this moment, Little Stone's entire body was like a hot oven, with boiling blood, as Zhao Wujin was using all his might to guide the Red Sun True Qi back into the聚灵珠. Just now, Zhao Wujin had used all his strength to wield the sword and release the Red Sun True Qi, which was why he could disperse that black cloud in one move. However, the Red Sun True Qi was too overbearing, and although Zhao Wujin was very careful when using it, some of it still remained inside Little Stone's body. Little Stone hadn't learned how to guide his Qi, so his entire body felt scorching hot.

  Zhao Wuji's sword had achieved its goal, but he didn't feel the slightest joy in his heart. His full-strength strike just now was merely enough to disperse the dark clouds; it would be more accurate to say that the person was scared off by his former reputation rather than being defeated by him. If that person knew his true abilities, ha! He'd be in for a world of trouble! The dark cloud's technique, Qingxu, was unknown to others, but Zhao Wuji was all too familiar with it. As he thought about this, a shadow loomed over his heart. "The Sacred Heart Sect, which had disappeared 800 years ago, has actually been revived! This world is going to be in chaos again!"

  Qingxu patted Xiaoshi's head and asked, "Little brother, weren't you scared?" Xiaoshi's energy had just recovered, but Qingxu didn't notice anything unusual about him. He calmed down and said, "Big brother, you're really amazing! The dark cloud was chased away by you!"

  He smiled wryly and said, "I'm not that capable, if someone hadn't saved me just now, your senior brother would have become a celestial being already."

  Xiao Shi Tou deliberately asked, "Really? I didn't know, who was it?"

  Qing Xū mentioned this person with a face full of admiration, saying "It's the good friend of Master Gu that I told you about, the carefree Sword King Zhao. I didn't expect him to appear in this place, but after the divine dragon-like appearance of Sword King Zhao, he didn't even meet with us, what a pity!"

  The little stone secretly smiled in his heart and said "No need to regret, just seeing me is enough". He then asked "Was the big fire dragon just now released by Zhao Jianwang?"

  "That is the fire dragon transformed from Zhao Jianwang's Crimson Flame Sword Qi, a generation of sword kings are truly extraordinary people!"

  Xiao Shi Tou also looked at him with admiration, saying "Zhao Jian Wang, the Chi Yan sword can transform into a fire dragon. Master brother, your sword just now had two dragons, one green and one white, which were very majestic!"

  Qingxu shook his head repeatedly, saying "My cultivation is not enough, I barely used the Qiankun Sword Manual and almost got into trouble. This time down the mountain, I encountered a master who was stronger than the last one. After returning to the mountain, I will have to work hard!"

  Xiao Shi Tou listened and asked, "Besides this dark cloud, who else is a master?"

  Qing Xū recounted the events of meeting the black-clad man on Qī Lián Mountain, and finally said "Last time it was someone who let me off easy, this time it's someone who saved me, my luck isn't bad. Originally I wanted to ask Master Gu if he knew that black-clad red-haired person, but he left too quickly, so I can only go back and ask Master!"

  Xiao Shi Tou listened clearly and was amazed that there was such a high hand in the mountains, so he asked Zhao Wuji "Big brother, do you know?"

  Zhao Wu Jin didn't know what he was thinking about and just said three words "Never seen before"

  Xiao Shi Tou didn't notice the underlying meaning in his words, just because he hadn't seen it before doesn't mean he didn't know. Xiao Shi Tou didn't think much of it and asked Qing Xuan again "Big Brother Master, what was that Qian Kun Sword Manual you mentioned earlier?"

  "Let's talk about this later, after we've finished our sword manual!" After saying that, he looked at the moon which had already set in the west. The sky was going to brighten up soon. He thought of the dragon that had shot into the sky earlier and said, "Tonight, Zhao Sword King's one sword sent the dragon flying, with flames burning the heavens. It won't be long before this spreads throughout the land. Truly, a king has returned, and from now on, no one will say he suffered heavenly punishment!"

  At the same time as Qingxu said these words, Luo Ming, one of the Five Swords of Mount Hua who was staying at Song's residence in Lanzhou City, also silently recited this phrase in his heart. Originally, after being defeated by Gu Changfeng at Wangbo Tower, Luo Ming was also extremely uncomfortable in his heart. He planned to return to Mount Hua and tell his master, Chunshui Jianbing, about the situation, to see how his master would react. However, since Song's family was eager to keep him as a guest, Luo Ming couldn't leave again, so he said that he would stay for another fifteen days before leaving. That night, Song Zhen's father, Song Zhifu, hosted a grand banquet at home, warmly entertaining the four of them.

  Luoming had something on his mind, but he couldn't refuse the hospitality and ended up drinking with them. As he looked at his four disciples, who had already forgotten about the incident at Wangbolou earlier that day, each of them was drunk with red faces and incoherent speech. In his heart, he secretly lamented, "None of my disciples are worthy, if only one of them had half the talent of my younger brother disciple, I would be satisfied." Who is his younger brother disciple? We'll talk about that later. (Mainly because I haven't thought of a name yet, feel free to suggest one.)

  Luoming was a bit melancholy, and he drank cup after cup until the bottom was visible. He didn't refuse when people offered him more wine. His cultivation was deep and his capacity for liquor was great. In less than an hour, the entire hall was left with only him drinking alone, while everyone else lay under the tables and chairs.

  Luo Ming was drinking wine when he heard an unusual commotion outside, as if something big had happened. He went out to take a look and found that it was already past midnight. It turned out that the servants of the Song family saw two moons in the sky and were shouting loudly. Luo Ming looked up at the sky and indeed saw two moons, also feeling greatly surprised. As a cultivator, he thought for a moment and asked a nearby servant, "What place is this?"

  "This man is Liu Guan Jia of the Song Mansion, recognizing that Luo Ming was the teacher of the eldest young master and a noble guest in the mansion, hastily accompanied with a smile: 'In response to Master Luo's words, it is indeed Mount Wuquan.'"

  "Wuquan Mountain!" Luo Ming murmured to himself, then asked, "Is there anything particularly unusual about Wuquan Mountain, such as some kind of animal that is different from what we normally see?"

  Liu Guan's family thought, "What a strange creature! Ah, I remember the old folks saying that in the depths of the Mengquan Spring there is a divine frog that croaks very loudly on the 15th, but no one has ever seen it!"

  Luoming heard the words and first thanked Liu Guanjia, who repeatedly said he didn't dare. Luoming thought to himself, "Divine Toad! It must be a toad that has become a spiritual being! This moon is definitely its inner elixir transformed, humph! This beast has such a big nerve, daring to show off like this!" Thinking of this, he had the intention to go and take a look.

  At this time, dark clouds quietly arrived and snatched the elixir. Qingyu's sword blocked the five springs mountain, where the wind and clouds changed color. He saw everything with his own eyes but was too far away to understand the situation, so he wanted to go over and take a look to clarify things and lend a helping hand. Just as he was about to rise, he saw a great red light, a fire dragon in the sky, illuminating the heavens like a sea of fire. Even from dozens of miles away, it seemed that the scorching heat was rushing towards him. Luo Ming's face changed greatly, and he involuntarily took a step back, exclaiming "Chi Yan Sword!" Then, a thunderclap shook the sky and earth, and the Song family members nearby were frightened to the point of losing all color in their faces. They didn't know what had happened or why there was a fire dragon rolling in the sky, or why heaven was striking thunder at this early spring time.

  Luo Ming's complexion had returned to normal, but his heart was not calm. "The Red Flame Sword Qi transformed into a fire dragon, it must be the carefree sword king Zhao Wujin urging his sword to release its power. It seems that the rumors of Qilian Mountain encountering the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt were false." Without thinking further, he raised his sword and turned it into a blue light, flying towards the direction of Wuquan Mountain. Next to Luo Ming, Liu Guan's family saw him fly up into the air and exclaimed in surprise "I...!" He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, almost uttering profanity, looking around at the people who were all still in shock, none of whom had noticed what was happening here. He thought to himself "My heavens! There really are immortals!"

  Qingxu and Xiaoshi walked down the Thousand Buddha Pavilion, heading towards the foot of the mountain. As they passed by Mengquan, Xiaoshi thought of the three-eyed toad and said to Qingxu, "Big Brother Master, that toad must have learned its lesson this time, it won't dare be so arrogant again!"

  Qing Xū nodded and said "Yes, this time it's a bitter lesson, I'm afraid for the next hundred years or more, it won't dare to show its head again"

  Xiao Shi Tou thought of San Yan Chan's previous appearance and laughed, saying "Big Brother Master, what if it loses its internal elixir? Wouldn't that mean it can't become a Toad Spirit?"

  "Little junior brother, the path of cultivating internal elixir is long and arduous. Even if one speaks little, it would still take at least a thousand years to succeed. The process is fraught with difficulties and setbacks that are beyond our control. If we were to lose all our previous efforts, it would be the greatest tragedy. Taking their internal elixir by force is not something that people like us can do."

  The little stone nodded and said "I know! By the way, Big Brother Master, what's the use of that black cloud snatching the inner elixir?"

  He raised the black cloud, and his heart still had lingering fear. The person in the black cloud was definitely not a good kind of person. He said, "This person's method is sinister and evil, snatching the inner elixir must have an unmentionable purpose. Fortunately, he didn't succeed, or else who knows what would have happened!"

  The little stone was also afraid, unwilling to mention the dark cloud again. He glanced at the Mengquan Spring, and the spring water was still the same as before. The three-eyed toad must have hidden in its nest to rest. "Huh!" Little Stone exclaimed, "Big Brother Master, what's that in the spring?"

  Qingxu walked to the edge of the spring and pulled out something from the water. Xiaoshi approached for a closer look and exclaimed, "Isn't this a small toad?" Qingxu was holding an object about the same size as a normal toad, but it wasn't alive. It had a jade-like color, and it was unclear what material it was made of, with a crystal clear luster flowing from it. Upon closer inspection, it also had three eyes.

  "Ah, truly a spiritual object! It actually knows to repay kindness, this is the gift it has given us!" The small stone stretched out its hand and touched it, feeling extremely cool and comfortable, just like the Forget Sorrow Fan, but softer than the cold air of the Forget Sorrow Fan. "Is it made of jade?"

  "This is the incarnation of the Three-eyed Toad, used to defend against heavenly tribulations. This incarnation is the refined essence of the Three-eyed Toad itself, and for it, apart from its internal elixir, this external incarnation is all that remains!"

  The little stone heard that the little frog was so important and hurriedly said "Then let's return it to him quickly!"

  Just as Qingxu was about to speak, they heard two soft "quacking" sounds coming from the bottom of the Mengquan Spring, as if urging them to quickly accept the gift it had sent. The two were stunned and hadn't expected the three-eyed toad to be so spiritual. Qingxu sighed and said, "In that case, we'll accept it with gratitude." As soon as he finished speaking, another soft "quack" sounded, seemingly filled with joy, and then there was no more movement.

  Qingxu and Xiaoshi walked quietly over the Mengquan, afraid to disturb the tranquility of the three-eyed toad again. Not far from the path, Qingxu suddenly furrowed his brow, pulled Xiaoshi to his side, and hid in a dark place. Xiaoshi also saw nothing unusual, honestly following Qingxu to hide. Just after hiding for a short while, a blue shadow fell down, it was Luoming with his Falling Shadow Sword. Seeing him circling around Mengquan several times, looking like he didn't find anything, he let out a long sigh and flew away on his sword. Qingxu and Xiaoshi waited until Luoming left before walking out again.

  Xiao Shi Tou saw Luo Ming coming and going quickly, and was very curious to ask Qing Xuan Dao "Big Brother Master, what is he doing here? Does he also want to snatch the inner elixir?" Xiao Shi Tou had a very bad impression of Huashan Sect.

  With a calm and introspective expression, he heard the words and said, "The Huashan School is also a renowned and orthodox school, they wouldn't do such a thing."

  "Who knows?! What brings you here?!"

  "I think he's looking for someone!"

  "Looking for someone! Who is it?"

  "Zhao Jian Wang!"

  Mourning for the jade tree, Chinese people are the strongest