Chapter 7: The Ice Toad
A dozen ice cones, each as thick as an arm, flashed through the air, leaving small holes about an inch deep in the stone wall with a "crack, crack!" At the same time, a blank talisman floating in mid-air instantly turned to ashes. Wu Yan's expression was somewhat grim. Over the past month, aside from casually submitting some blank talismans to placate Zhuo Ming, he had devoted nearly all his energy to crafting these two types of talismans. However, the results were extremely disappointing. He had exhausted all his savings to purchase one hundred sets of talisman-making materials, and he only managed to successfully create seven ice cone talismans and four earth mound talismans. Even if each talisman could be sold for two spirit stones, he would still incur a loss of half his capital. As a result, his grand plan for wealth had completely fallen through.
Observing the familiar terrain around him, Wu Yan showed no hesitation and swiftly conducted a thorough search of the entire valley. After confirming that there were no traces of any cultivators nearby, he silently slipped into the pool beneath the waterfall.
Shortly after Wu Yan left the valley, a beam of blue light suddenly surged out from the waterfall, swiftly scanning the area around the valley. However, the blue light seemed to be quite wary of the outside world, never leaving the valley. After emitting a few angry roars, it finally vanished back into the waterfall
Wu Yan's destination is a cold pool near Tiandu Peak, where a type of ice toad resides. Its individual attack power is not strong, and it can barely be considered a first-level spirit beast. As long as he does not encounter a swarm of ice toads, Wu Yan believes he should be able to handle it.
Suddenly, two flames blazed fiercely in the depths of the cave, without any warning. At the same time, Wu Yan took advantage of the firelight to gain a clear understanding of the general situation in the cave. This was a naturally formed cavern within the mountain, approximately several dozen meters high and covering an area of several dozen acres. At the bottom of the cave was a black water pool, which should be the source of all the cold air in this place. Surrounding the cold pool were hundreds of ice toads, which were thrown into chaos by the sudden appearance of the firelight.
As Wu Yan cautiously moved forward, he recalled the last location where he had discovered the ice toad. This creature was roughly the size of a human head, had astonishing jumping ability, and could spray a white liquid from its mouth, which Wu Yan suspected contained potent toxins. However, the most troubling aspect was that this ice toad seemed to behave quite differently from ordinary toads. They were exceptionally skilled at concealing their whereabouts, only striking suddenly when someone approached them. Therefore, what Wu Yan needed to do now was to find the ice toad before it could act.
With a sigh of frustration, Wu Yan felt quite gloomy. In fact, a success rate of one-tenth was already quite good for someone like him who was crafting talismans for the first time. He believed that if he used the remaining few hundred sheets of blank talisman paper to create talismans, he could certainly double his success rate. Unfortunately, at this moment, Wu Yan had not a single spirit stone on him. Without spirit stones, how could he purchase the various materials needed to make talismans? Was he supposed to sell these talismans and the materials? The moment this thought crossed his mind, Wu Yan immediately dismissed it. These eleven talismans could save his life; he would not sell them until he had reached a certain quantity. As for those materials, although they were of no use at the moment, they would undoubtedly be needed in the future if he were to refine weapons. Moreover, even if he sold those materials, it would not last long.
It seems that I can only find a way to collect the materials for making talismans myself, Wu Yan murmured to himself. Currently, among the items needed to create talismans, the blank talisman paper and the talisman brush are not an issue, but there are some minor troubles with the vermilion. Although he had refined this material before, the vermilion mines are located within the Tian Du Peak area. Ever since a dispute arose between the peak masters of Tian Du and Tian Luo over a magical artifact twenty years ago, the disciples of the two peaks have been at odds with each other. However, if he were to go there to refine the vermilion, he just needs to be a bit cautious. The only thing that gives him a headache is the blood of the two types of spirit beasts, which he must personally hunt from first-level spirit beasts. This is something Wu Yan has never attempted before. Although theoretically, the strength of a first-level spirit beast is equivalent to that of a cultivator at the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage, when considering the various innate talents that spirit beasts possess, they are actually comparable to cultivators at the tenth level of the Qi Refining stage. If it were not for the fact that Wu Yan has eleven talismans as a safeguard, and that the blood of a single spirit beast is sufficient to create hundreds of talismans, he would never dare to entertain such thoughts.
Gazing into the pitch-black depths of the cave, Wu Yan hesitated for a moment before taking out two cans of blazing oil. Having learned from his previous near-death experience, he was determined not to venture any deeper. To reveal the true form of the ice toads, using firelight was undoubtedly the best choice. Perhaps this sudden burst of light would startle the ice toads, providing him with an advantageous opportunity.
Along the way, avoiding several encounters with disciples from Tianluo Peak and Tiandu Peak, Wu Yan safely arrived at the Cold Pool. This Cold Pool is hidden at the bottom of a valley, and due to a nearby waterfall with a substantial flow, the cold air it releases is perfectly concealed. If any cultivator were to pass by this area without careful observation, they would merely assume that the cold air from the waterfall was somewhat intense. Wu Yan discovered this place years ago while searching for a type of cold material. At that time, due to his lack of experience, he nearly lost his life here. The cold air released by the waterfall effectively masks the true nature of the Cold Pool, leading any passerby to believe that the chill emanating from the waterfall is merely a bit stronger than usual. This was the same location where Wu Yan, in his quest for a cold material, had a near-fatal experience due to his inexperience.
However, in the midst of panic, Wu Yan had no time to search. He was well aware that such a low growl carried immense power, indicating that it must be a Level 4 or even Level 5 spirit beast. Therefore, after sustaining injuries and gathering his thoughts, he immediately forced himself to suppress his wounds and, at the fastest speed, collected the two ice toads trapped by the earth mound talisman. He then threw out over a hundred jars of blazing oil from his storage bag in one breath, followed by releasing his flying artifact, making a hasty escape through the thick smoke and directly passing through the waterfall.
After swimming a considerable distance in the water, Wu Yan found a massive rock behind the waterfall. At this moment, the water had become bone-chillingly cold; an ordinary person would likely have succumbed to the freezing temperatures and perished by now. Even Wu Yan had to exert all his magical power to resist the cold.
Suddenly, the cave fell silent. At this moment, Wu Yan realized that he had already ventured far from the entrance, and due to the lack of light, it would be very difficult to detect the traces of the Ice Frogs, unless he used a flame for illumination. However, doing so would inevitably startle all the Ice Frogs.
Faced with such a favorable opportunity, Wu Yan naturally would not let it slip by. Two earth mound talismans swiftly shot towards the two ice toads closest to him. In the blink of an eye, these two unfortunate ice toads were completely bound. Seeing this result, Wu Yan was naturally overjoyed. Just as he was about to capture two more in the same manner, a low, rumbling roar suddenly emanated from the black water pool. Accompanying this sound was an overwhelming pressure, as if a great mountain were descending upon him. In that moment, it nearly caused Wu Yan's entire magical power to collapse, and his low-grade magical tool, the Wind Blade, lost its connection to his magical energy, causing it to fall to the ground at that very instant.
Not far after turning the giant rock, a cave about one zhang high, covered in icicles, appeared before Wu Yan. Sensing the cold air wafting from within, he quickly left the water, using a fire-attributed magical artifact to protect his body and summoned his only offensive artifact, the Wind Blade. The last time he came here, he had ventured too deep and startled a large group of ice toads. If he hadn't sensed the danger and turned to flee, he would have likely ended up as a pile of bones. Therefore, this time Wu Yan did not intend to go deep; instead, he planned to lure out an ice toad, trap it with an earth mound talisman, and then attack it with the Wind Blade. He believed that even if the Wind Blade's attack power was minimal, it would be sufficient to allow him to escape before the large group of ice toads arrived.
After making some preparations, Wu Yan quietly left the Symbolic Hall. He was not worried about where to find a first-level spirit beast. The Yunmeng Mountain Range stretches for tens of thousands of miles, and even though the Yunmeng Sect has hundreds of thousands of cultivators, they occupy only a small portion of it. Aside from the residences of various peaks, medicinal gardens, and sensitive areas such as mineral veins, the remaining regions are undeveloped. In these areas, not to mention first-level spirit beasts, even third and fourth-level spirit beasts frequently appear.
Wu Yan slowly walked into the cave entrance, and immediately the thunderous sound of water outside diminished significantly, while the light also faded. However, what was surprising was that the walls of the cave were bare, revealing dark rocks, completely unlike the entrance, which was adorned with icicles.