Chapter 3402: 金乌木

The landscape was dominated by rolling red mountains, and even the sky above them glowed crimson. Numerous volcanoes dotted the area, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur.

A red light streaked across the sky from a distance. Soon, it halted, revealing a glowing red flying boat. Standing on its deck were Wang Qingfeng, Dong Xueli, Duan Tongtian, and a burly old man in blue robes. The old man's right arm was missing, and his face was pale.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, it's right here," Wang Qingfeng said, a hint of doubt in his voice.

The blue-robed elder was named Lin Hai, a high-ranking member of the medium-sized Tianhai Sect. Wang Qingfeng had met him several times before and they had some acquaintance.

Previously, Lin Hai had been pursued by an eighth-tier demonic beast. Wang Qingfeng had intended to save Cui Yao but had intervened under the guise of rescuing Lin Hai.

They had recently encountered each other again, and Lin Hai would have perished if Wang Qingfeng and his two companions hadn't intervened.

Lin Hai informed Wang Qingfeng that they were there for a Golden Crow Wood, which was over 100,000 years old. However, in his current condition, he was unable to obtain it.

Having been rescued twice by Wang Qingfeng, Lin Hai finally disclosed the existence of the Golden Crow Wood. Naturally, he had a condition: he wanted a Lightning Transformation Talisman.

They had entered the Myriad Spirit Ruins specifically to find the Golden Crow Wood, primarily intending to exchange it for items that could assist Integration-stage cultivators in surviving the Grand Heavenly Tribulation. The news of Wang Changsheng's advancement to the Mahayana stage had already reached the Azure Glaze Sea, so the Wang family's sale of Lightning Transformation Talismans was no secret.

Otherwise, Lin Hai would not have revealed the Golden Crow Wood's location. He could have sold this information to other forces and still acquired a substantial amount of cultivation resources.

Wang Qingfeng, too, had been surprised that the Myriad Spirit Ruins contained Golden Crow Wood.

"This is it," Lin Hai said confidently. "There's a Cave Vortex Spirit Annihilation Restriction here, one of the ten ancient prohibitions. It leaves no trace, but I possess a rare treasure capable of detecting its presence."

Dong Xueli raised her right hand, and hundreds of bee puppets flew out, heading towards the red mountain range.

There was nothing unusual at first. After flying more than ten li, ripples began to form in the void, revealing a red vortex about ten feet wide. Dozens of bee puppets flew into the vortex and vanished without a trace.

Other bee puppets, flying dozens of li further, suddenly encountered a red vortex several zhang in size. Dozens of them were sucked in and instantly disintegrated.

In less than fifteen minutes, all hundreds of bee puppets were destroyed. Multiple red vortices were scattered across various locations.

"As expected of the Cave Vortex Spirit Annihilation Restriction; it's even more formidable than mobile spatial rifts," Duan Tongtian remarked. "Fellow Daoist Lin, your treasure isn't mistaken, is it?"

Lin Hai's face was filled with confidence.

"This treasure was left by the Myriad Treasures Divine Lord specifically to counter the Eastern Profound Spirit Annihilation Restriction," Lin Hai slowly explained. "I wouldn't joke with my own life. After getting through here, we'll still need to eliminate a seventh-tier Blazefrog Toad to obtain the Golden Crow Wood. If it's survived for over ten thousand years, it has likely advanced to the high-grade seventh-tier."

"There's no time to lose, let's set off!" Wang Qingfeng said solemnly. "I hope everything goes smoothly."

Lin Hai raised his right hand, and with a flash of golden light, a small, radiant golden bell appeared in his palm.

Dong Xueli released hundreds of bee puppets to completely encircle the red flying boat. As these bee puppets were all second-tier, she wouldn't feel any distress, no matter how many were destroyed.

The red flying boat slowly advanced, maintaining a modest speed. For a stretch, nothing unusual occurred. However, after traveling more than ten li, the small golden bell in Lin Hai's hand began to shake violently, emitting a loud chime.

Wang Qingfeng quickly formed a hand seal, bringing the flying boat to a halt. Dong Xueli directed the bee puppets to investigate, and upon locating two red vortices, they promptly steered clear of them.

The red flying boat maintained a slow pace. Whenever the small golden bell in Lin Hai's hand rang loudly, they would stop. Dong Xueli would then direct the bee puppets to scout ahead, and only after the red vortices were located would they resume their journey.

A day later, the red flying boat descended into a vast red bamboo forest.

Holding the Crimson-Eyed Pearl in one hand and channeling spiritual power into it, Wang Qingfeng frowned and stated, "There really is Golden Crow Wood. The Blazefrog Toad is guarding it underneath, and it appears to have advanced to the high-grade seventh-tier."

According to the intelligence Lin Hai had provided, they would need to pass through the Blazefrog Toad's lair to find the Golden Crow Wood. They hadn't anticipated that the Blazefrog Toad would be directly beneath the Golden Crow Wood itself.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, it's time for you to make your move," Wang Qingfeng said solemnly, looking at Lin Hai. "If you want the Lightning Transformation Talisman, you'll need to contribute."

Although the four of them could collectively kill the Blazefrog Toad, the fluctuations from their battle would very likely destroy the Golden Crow Wood.

Lin Hai chuckled, taking out half a pale red stick of sandalwood incense. "This is Transcendent Immortal Incense that I acquired years ago on the Thousand Spirit Continent, infused with some Transcendent Immortal Paste," he explained. "Even a seventh-tier demonic beast, upon inhaling its scent, will gradually lose its magical power, leaving them at our mercy. To be cautious, we should also set up a seventh-tier formation. If neither the formation nor the Transcendent Immortal Paste proves effective, then our only option will be to combine forces to eliminate them."

Dong Xueli nodded, then took out formation flags and a formation disk, beginning to set up the array.

"Fellow Daoist Lin," Wang Qingfeng said solemnly, producing a page of Profound Spirit, "it's not that we don't trust you, but please sign an oath on this Profound Spirit, promising not to harm us."

They were well aware of the potency of the Transcendent Immortal Paste. Since Lin Hai could produce it, there was no guarantee he didn't possess other strange and dangerous poisons, so they had to be on their guard.

Lin Hai did not refuse and readily signed the oath.

Once the formation was set, Wang Qingfeng released a sixth-tier Azure Wolf puppet. Lin Hai then lit the Transcendent Immortal Incense and secured it to the puppet's body.

Wang Qingfeng and his three companions were each enveloped by several layers of defensive light screens, wary of being affected by the Transcendent Immortal Paste.

Wang Qingfeng made a hand seal, and the Azure Wolf puppet's limbs glowed with green light as it dashed towards the depths of the bamboo forest. Meanwhile, Wang Qingfeng and his three companions cast spells to conceal themselves.

Deep within the bamboo forest lay an open clearing. There, a colossal, entirely red toad was sprawled beneath a golden tree more than ten zhang tall.

A misty green whirlwind approached, sweeping away a large number of red bamboos.

The Blazefrog Toad opened its mouth and spewed a thick, crimson flame, which shattered the green whirlwind.

A thick green light shot forth, instantly reaching the Blazefrog Toad. From each of its eyes, a beam of red light burst out, disintegrating the green light.

An entirely green demonic wolf then lunged forward, with a lit stick of sandalwood incense tied to its abdomen.

The Blazefrog Toad let out an incredibly strange hissing sound. However, the green demonic wolf was an inanimate object, controlled by Wang Qingfeng's spiritual sense, and thus utterly unaffected.

From the void, tens of thousands of crimson fireballs materialized, raining down upon the Azure Wolf puppet.

With thunderous roars, the Azure Wolf puppet reacted swiftly. The crimson fireballs struck the ground, instantly gouging out large craters.

There were simply too many crimson fireballs. Before long, torrents of scorching flames engulfed the Azure Wolf puppet. However, a brilliant green light suddenly erupted from the puppet's body, and it transformed into an afterimage, instantly reappearing before the Blazefrog Toad. The sandalwood incense was still burning.

The Blazefrog Toad opened its gaping maw and unleashed a thick, crimson flame, striking the Azure Wolf puppet.

The Azure Wolf puppet's body began to show signs of melting. The sandalwood incense swiftly burned to ash, and the Transcendent Immortal Paste vaporized, permeating the surrounding air.

The Blazefrog Toad's long tongue shot out, utterly shattering the Azure Wolf puppet.

Less than ten minutes later, the Blazefrog Toad sensed that something was amiss; its demonic power was rapidly draining away.

A long white arc descended from the sky, aiming to strike the Blazefrog Toad.

The Blazefrog Toad pushed off with its legs, leaping into the air and dodging the white arc.

The white arc changed direction as well, continuing its pursuit of the Blazefrog Toad. Simultaneously, a blue light illuminated the area above the Golden Crow Wood, and a glowing blue jade bowl materialized, emitting a stream of blue ethereal light that enveloped the Golden Crow Wood.

Wang Qingfeng and his three companions quickly arrived and began attacking the Blazefrog Toad.

Initially, the Blazefrog Toad managed to put up a strong fight, but as time passed, its demonic power dwindled. It attempted to flee, but Wang Qingfeng and his three companions blocked its path.

In less than fifteen minutes, the Blazefrog Toad completely lost its demonic power. Its head was severed by two immense saber lights, and a miniature toad, barely detached from its body, was immediately enveloped by a stream of white ethereal light and drawn into a white jade bottle.

"If the Transcendent Immortal Incense had such a potent effect on eighth-tier demonic beasts, we wouldn't have had to flee for our lives," Lin Hai lamented.

He had sacrificed several mid-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures in his desperate escape.

"Transcendent Immortal Paste isn't effective against eighth-tier demonic beasts; Soul Shattering Powder is more suitable, but even that requires a large amount," Wang Qingfeng explained. "It was also fortunate that the Golden Flame Sky-Devouring Python was injured, otherwise none of us would have escaped."

"Alright, let's quickly transplant the Golden Crow Wood!" Duan Tongtian urged. "Lest we invite more trouble."