Chapter 8, The Unfortunate Floating Jade Cold Toad
It burrowed through one cave after another, the fragrance of the magical herb growing ever closer. Having never consumed food since its birth, it could not help but feel exhilarated, even the small dot of cinnabar on its forehead began to emit a faint red glow, a manifestation of its good mood
The vermilion dot on its forehead became even brighter, and it hurriedly bounced over. Upon reaching the edge of the pool, it leaped towards the reef. Suddenly, a shadow emerged from the water, and a tongue, a foot wide and covered in barbs, rolled out towards it. With a gulp, it was swallowed.
... ...
Diyanshan Hall is one of the most powerful branches of the Floating Jade Sect, second only to the Five Gods Hall. That ancestor in the Core Formation stage has now entered the Nascent Soul stage, making him one of the prominent figures within the entire Floating Jade Sect
Around the Floating Jade Mountain, although the vast majority of peaks have become branches of various sects, the dense forests, canyons, and numerous caves at the foot of the mountain still offer many places where one can gather valuable medicinal herbs or hunt for valuable demon beasts. Moreover, being close to the sects and with minimal danger, it is the most suitable location for disciples in the Qi Gathering and Foundation Establishment stages to explore and seek treasures
Di Tongtong, being the most curious, lowered his little head and leaned in the closest.
However, her spiritual root is only 1.2 inches, and her aptitude is truly not commendable. Her irresponsible father is also a womanizer with many children, so how could he care for her? After three whole years of struggle, she has only just entered the Qi Refinement stage. Now at the age of fourteen, the Foundation Establishment stage still seems far away.
Hehe, if junior sister wants it, then take it. We will go back into the water to search. This Tangting Stream originates from the Floating Jade Divine Mountain, and occasionally, vitality stones are washed out...
This is the Floating Jade Cold Toad
It cannot be said that it is completely useless. When the little glutton was alive, the acid secreted in its stomach was a highly toxic substance, and several establishments still accepted it. However, after its death, that acid inexplicably transforms into a useless liquid. Nowadays, only its stomach still holds some value; when cleaned, it can be boiled down to make gelatin, which is considered a decent ingredient. Handing it over to the dietary department of the internal affairs office can yield a small sum of money.
The few feet in length, round and plump black shadow instantly transformed into an ice sculpture, and with a splash, it fell into the nearby pool of water. Before long, even this pool had frozen into thick ice blocks
"Can I change for some small money..." The eyes of Yi Tongtong instantly lit up. She had been a little money enthusiast since childhood. A small amount of money was nothing to those few Foundation Establishment stage senior brothers, but it was still quite tempting for her.
In the center of the cave, there stands a stalactite that several people can only embrace, with a pure and delicate stone texture resembling a gentle breast. The most remarkable feature is a blood-red protrusion at the very bottom, resembling a nipple. Beneath this stone, there is also a small pool of water, which contains a milky-white liquid.
Di Tongtong is a newly initiated disciple in the Di Shan Hall. Her father is a direct blood relative of the ancestor, but she is a child born out of wedlock, the result of her father's descent from the mountain during a previous sect establishment, where he left behind a bloodline with a mortal royal princess. Di Tongtong has been intelligent since childhood, and during the last sect establishment, she was reunited with her father. Additionally, she possesses celestial potential, which is why she was brought up the mountain.
It is one thing for those low-ranking disciples to go on adventures and not return; however, over three thousand years ago, several elders of the Floating Jade Sect, who were at the late stage of the Core Formation realm and felt that their lifespans were limited due to their inability to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, joined forces to seek opportunities. Yet, they vanished without a trace. It was not until several hundred years later that a jade slip was washed ashore by the water, containing just a few words: 'One must not enter until after nine tribulations'.
Until thousands of years later, the ice in the pool gradually melted. One day, a dead monster was washed out from the cave beneath the Floating Jade Mountain with the daily tides, flowing out of the forbidden zone along the rushing water.
... ...
Two people were chatting when Yitong suddenly widened her eyes, struggling to swallow the fruit in her mouth, and pointed upstream of the creek in astonishment: "Senior Brother, what is that?"
They claim it is an adventure to seek treasures, but in reality, there are not that many treasures to be found. Most of the time, it is just about hunting monsters and the like. It would be more accurate to say that they are out hunting. Many of those monsters are quite large, and having a storage ring makes it much more convenient to store the prey.
Not long after, several senior brothers came ashore, and a group of people surrounded a strangely shaped monster, watching it.
"Tao Tie? Isn't that a divine beast? Are we going to get rich?" Yi Tongtong was taken aback, her eyes wide open, round and quite adorable.
Is there really no use at all? Yet, Yi Tongtong still held some hope; she had not used any recovery pills for two months, and her cultivation had remained stagnant.
That droplet seemed to be a living creature. As it fell into the pool, the surrounding spiritual milk began to bubble up vigorously. Before long, the entire pool of spiritual milk vanished without a trace, and in its place appeared a small toad, entirely milky white, about the size of a thumb, with a small red cinnabar mark on its forehead
"Senior brother, what exactly are you all doing?" Yi Tongtong sat on a rock by the stream, having taken off her shoes and socks, dipping her delicate white feet into the water, playfully stirring a round, smooth pebble beneath the surface.
Haha, this little glutton is not a divine beast; it is the most useless thing. Apart from having an appetite that can eat anything, it serves no purpose. They are called little gluttons precisely because they are so delicious. Usually, its body is flat, and it only swells up to this size when foraging, which is why I didn't recognize it at first.
Then the senior brother laughed and said, "As you wish, as you wish. If you really find something good, it will surely be your share as well"
She is only fourteen years old, not yet fully developed, but even so, she is already exceptionally beautiful. She is not particularly tall, but she is petite and charming. Dressed in a plain long robe, the hem is rolled up while playing in the water, revealing a pair of slender calves, her skin as smooth as fine jade. She has a pair of lively eyes, and when her gaze flows, it seems as if countless stars are shining. Her face is slightly chubby like a baby's, yet her skin is delicate and flawless, with a complexion so tender it seems one could squeeze water from it.
Over a thousand years ago, a cultivator from the Floating Jade Sect established a branch after breaking through to the Core Formation stage, setting up the hall on Water Curtain Mountain. This cultivator's surname was Di, which is how it came to be known as Di Mountain.
After arriving at this courtyard stream, several senior brothers went into the water, seemingly searching for something. At first, Tongtong thought they were fishing, but from noon until now, he had followed the small creek upstream for more than ten miles, yet he had not even touched a single fish scale.
Just ahead, in the center of a pond several zhang wide, there is a silver reef, upon which grows a spirit herb that is entirely crimson, with leaves resembling the tails of phoenixes and dragons
An elder senior brother looked closely and finally sighed, saying: "I thought it was something valuable, but it's just a little glutton..."
Once its first transformation is complete, it will be able to transform into the Floating Jade Cold. It can then enter the Eternal Abyss beneath the Floating Jade Divine Mountain to cultivate, until it becomes the Cold Flood Dragon, thereafter roaming freely across the heavens and the earth.
It is the essence of heaven and earth, born with innate intelligence. Upon its birth, it instinctively sought food, let out a couple of light cries, and jumped out of the pond, following the scent of the spiritual herb as it crawled out through a small cave beside the stone grotto
Since the founding of the Floating Jade Sect, there have been very few occurrences of the Nine Transformations period, let alone the Nine Calamities. From this point onward, the area within a hundred miles at the foot of the Floating Jade Sacred Mountain has become a forbidden zone for the entire Floating Jade Sect
It is said that those caves can lead to the deepest part of the divine mountain, where countless treasures of heaven and earth are found, yet they have never been verified by anyone for thousands of years
At the deepest part of the Floating Jade Mountain, there exists a magical place, a stone cave measuring several zhang in both length and width. Hanging above are bizarre stalactites, which, unlike ordinary stalactites, emit a milky white glow, illuminating the cave with a dark and mysterious aura. However, it is strange that this place, which should be dark and damp, is exceptionally dry, with not a trace of moisture on the ground or the rock walls.
"Is this of no use?" Yi Tongtong expressed her disappointment, having expected it to be a valuable monster that could be exchanged for some talisman money. She poked the spines on the monster's body with her hand, only to retract it with a hiss: "So cold..."
The Floating Jade Sacred Mountain is extraordinarily magical, featuring two distinct colors on its slopes. It is perpetually shrouded in mist, with the portion that rises above the sea of clouds being as pure and white as jade. However, below the mountain's waist, it resembles an ordinary peak, covered in lush, verdant forests. At the foot of the mountain, there are numerous deep caves that wind downward, from which torrents of water surge forth at fixed times each day. The sources of the nine streams and eighteen ravines surrounding the Floating Jade Sacred Mountain are all located here
In legend, the Floating Jade Cold Toad is said to be transformed from the spiritual milk found within the depths of Floating Jade Mountain. It is a precious treasure that can aid in the growth of immortal seedlings, extremely rare. Since the founding of the Floating Jade Sect, only two have been encountered, and it has now been extinct for several thousand years
The stalactite drips a drop of spiritual milk every nine years, and this pool has already accumulated for thousands of years. This year was supposed to be the time for the spiritual milk to fall, yet what dripped down was a drop of blood-red substance
The senior brother nodded and said, "Hmm, this creature was once quite common, belonging to the most primitive category of beasts, lacking any intelligence, not even qualifying as a demon beast. In places where it frequently appeared, one could easily set a trap with a piece of pork to catch it. However, due to its ease of capture, it gradually became extinct, and nowadays, it has not been seen for a long time."
Three hundred miles outside the Floating Jade Divine Mountain, there is a stone mountain. The mountain is devoid of trees, and its body is riddled with holes, each of which has clear water flowing down, resembling delicate chains of pearls hanging from the mountain. Therefore, it is referred to as Water Curtain Mountain
Fortunately, she is beautiful and charming. Although she grew up in a royal family, she does not possess the temperament of a princess. Her personality is gentle and amiable, and she is quite favored by her peers in the Di Mountain Hall. On ordinary days, some senior brothers also enjoy taking her out for strolls.
Something happened deep within this mountain. Dare to eat me? Ah, it hurts so much, then let us die together! This was the last thought of the cold toad, releasing all the cold poison from its body in that instant
Although it is still just a small cold toad, the cold poison throughout its body is already sufficient to protect itself, and there are indeed not many demon beasts and spirit beasts in the depths of this mountain that dare to provoke it
It is said that although this item is extraordinary, it contains unmatched cold poison. Cultivators below the Transformation stage cannot even dare to consume it; even a light touch would turn them into ice sculptures. Therefore, the Floating Jade Cold Toad is also known as the Floating Jade Poison Toad, and it is only after the cold poison has been removed that it can be considered a true genius treasure.
"Tongtong Junior Sister, you should come down as well. Perhaps you will be lucky and find something good right away!" A senior brother said with a smile as he lifted his head.
The interior of Floating Jade Mountain is filled with numerous secret realms, teeming with various rare treasures and natural wonders. As long as one does not exhibit the same excessive curiosity as certain predecessors, who recklessly wandered around and ended up being captured outside the mountain, these resources can fully support it in completing its first transformation
This Sumeru ring is the only gift her father gave her, and it is also her most treasured possession. It is worth noting that many of the senior brothers in the Refinement Realm do not possess one, which is one of the reasons why many senior brothers prefer to take her along on their adventures in search of treasures
The Floating Jade Cold Toad is one of the most renowned treasures and prodigies of Floating Jade Mountain
However, the process of removing the cold poison is a gradual endeavor, requiring the use of vital energy to slowly refine it. Only a small amount can be dealt with at a time, and even experts at the Core Formation stage may take several years to accomplish this task
A round and plump body, covered with all sorts of barbed spines, resembling a hedgehog with a swollen belly. What is this thing?
Di Tongtong pouted, flipped her hand, took out a pear, bit into it with a crunch, and mumbled indistinctly: "I want to go eat... I really love eating fish..."
Ah, is there a vitality stone? Senior brother, why didn't you say so earlier!" With a flurry of movements, Yitong hurriedly stored the little glutton into her Xumi ring and with a splash, jumped into the water as well
The cold toad was overjoyed; although it belonged to the yin category, it particularly favored this type of fire attribute spiritual herb. The plant before it was of the highest quality
On that day, Di Tongtong accompanied several senior brothers to a place called Tangting Stream beside Di Mountain
In fact, most legends in the world are the result of certain rumors and hearsay being distorted by people, but some of them are quite credible