Chapter 381: Seven-Colored Poison Toad

In the poisonous miasma, Jiang Fan, holding his zither, made his unhurried way back along the Tianshan silk thread. As he neared the area of dense miasma ahead, he unleashed another "Tiger Roar, Dragon Chant," clearing a full five zhang of the poisonous mist. He repeated this process, casting the sound-based technique every few zhang to deter the unknown creature lurking in the shadows from approaching easily.

After about a quarter of an hour, Jiang Fan had slowly traversed most of the path. He was now not far from Lu Xiunian and the others. If he could just hold on a little longer, he would successfully escape the poisonous miasma.

However, the closer he got, the more vigilant Jiang Fan became. His intuition told him that the creature was biding its time, waiting for him to let down his guard to deliver a fatal blow. It was now a test of patience.

Evidently, with Jiang Fan proceeding so cautiously and nearing his exit from the miasma, the hidden creature was the one who ultimately couldn't wait any longer.

As Jiang Fan once again used his sound-based technique to clear an area, the poisonous miasma to his rear-right suddenly surged violently. A crimson streak, too fast for the eye to follow, shot out like lightning. Jiang Fan looked closely and was startled. It was a thick, sticky, tentacle-like appendage, as thick as an arm.

Its speed was extreme; Jiang Fan had no time to counterattack. However, he had been prepared, ready to use his movement technique at any moment.

*Whoosh!*

In an instant, he soared back ten zhang with a single step. Where he had stood, the long appendage slammed down with a thud, leaving a crater, before rapidly retracting.

In the clouds, Lin Yuheng exclaimed in surprise, "A movement technique? He actually mastered a movement technique, and at ten zhang per step, he's even more skilled than you, Qingsu!"

"Good heavens, doesn't mastering a movement technique require extremely high comprehension?"

"How could he possibly know it?"

Ruan Qingsu crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed, "Master, you haven't seen anything yet!"

Within the poisonous miasma, the ferocious creature's attack failed, and it shot out another crimson appendage. This time, Jiang Fan had an opportunity to react.

"Arrogant Dragon's Repentance!"

A vibrant, multicolored energy had already gathered at his fingertip. As the crimson appendage struck, he decisively launched the final strike of the "Heavenly Cripple Finger."

*Whoosh!*

A five-colored beam shot from his fingertip, striking the appendage directly.

"Aow!!"

A pained roar immediately echoed through the poisonous miasma. The appendage, recoiling from the pain, swiftly retracted.

"Ah! An Earth-tier finger technique!" Lin Yuheng's gasp of astonishment came from the clouds. An Earth-tier sound-based technique was one thing, but how could he also possess an Earth-tier finger technique?

But this was far from over. Jiang Fan pressed his advantage. Having pinpointed the creature's location by its roar, he immediately rubbed his palms together, causing his purple sword to spin rapidly between them. Simultaneously, his Sword Heart activated.

"Go!"

*Swoosh!*

The purple sword transformed into an afterimage, instantly piercing through the poisonous miasma.

"Roar!"

This time, the creature was truly injured, letting out an enraged roar. It stirred up large swathes of the poisonous miasma as it charged towards Jiang Fan.

"Ah!! Sword manipulation! Am I seeing this right? It's sword manipulation!" In the clouds, Lin Yuheng shrieked as if she had seen a ghost.

*Thump, thump, thump!*

Amidst a series of earth-shshaking thuds, Jiang Fan finally saw what was attacking him. It was a giant, ten-zhang-tall toad, covered in seven-colored skin and dense, bumpy warts, constantly spewing seven-colored poisonous miasma from its mouth! A crimson, bloody tongue hung out of its mouth, unable to retract. That sticky, elongated object from before had indeed been its tongue.

"A Seven-Colored Poison Toad?" Jiang Fan's scalp tingled. "How could it be this monstrous thing?"

Without hesitation, he activated his movement technique and retreated, flying along the Tianshan silk thread towards the area outside the poisonous miasma, which was not far away. A mature Seven-Colored Poison Toad possessed a cultivation level of the fourth layer of the Core Formation realm. Moreover, it had several tricky innate attacks, and its tongue was merely its most basic means of attack. Such a troublesome creature was best left for Lu Xiunian to handle. He needed to withdraw immediately.

How could the Seven-Colored Poison Toad let Jiang Fan escape? Its body trembled, and from its dense warts, fist-sized, seven-colored small poison toads emerged. Croaking wildly, they sprayed towards Jiang Fan like raindrops.

"Swimming Dragon Palm!"

Jiang Fan dared not be careless. His palms moved like dragons, unleashing a series of palm strikes reminiscent of dragon roars, sending all the approaching small toads flying away. Despite their small size, these toads could self-detonate! Each one was comparable to a single strike from a Core Formation realm cultivator. If they rained down in such numbers, even a mid-Core Formation realm martial artist wouldn't be able to withstand them.

"Ah! He actually knows an Earth-tier palm technique too?" Lin Yuheng exclaimed yet again from the clouds.

The Seven-Colored Poison Toad, seeing all its small toads knocked away by Jiang Fan without exception, became utterly enraged. It let out a deep growl from its throat. Then, it hunkered down, its two hind legs scraping the ground. Its throat rumbled with a series of low roars, each louder than the last.

Jiang Fan's expression changed. *Not good*, he thought, *it's about to unleash a powerful innate attack.*

The Seven-Colored Poison Toad pushed off with its legs. Its seemingly plump and bloated massive body charged forward at an astonishing speed. By the time Jiang Fan reacted, a giant maw had already enveloped him. With just a snap of its upper and lower jaws, the terrifying bite force would crush Jiang Fan into a pulp!

In this critical moment, Jiang Fan roared, "Thunder Dragon Lightning Leg!"

His legs were suddenly wreathed in thunder dragons. As he stamped his foot onto the Seven-Colored Poison Toad's lower jaw, *Boom!* A thunderclap-like explosion instantly resounded. The powerful lightning penetrated its lower jaw, tearing a huge charred, bloody hole through it!

As the upper jaw descended, Jiang Fan slid down from the blood hole, his hands pressed against his waist, and dropped out from under its chin!

In the clouds, Lin Yuheng gasped, "A lightning technique! It really is a lightning technique from the Pure Thunder Sect!" Her face was filled with astonishment. Movement techniques, sound-based techniques, palm techniques, lightning techniques, sword manipulation... If she hadn't witnessed it herself, she would never have believed that one person could cultivate so many Earth-tier techniques simultaneously. Could a human truly accomplish this?

"Master, what are your thoughts now?" Ruan Qingsu asked, cupping her full chest with both hands, her pale neck held high, her face clearly showing deep resentment. The implication was, "You owe me an apology!"

Lin Yuheng's expression froze. Only then did she realize that Ruan Qingsu had not lied at all, not a single word, from beginning to end. It truly was Jiang Fan who had beaten her half to death! And indeed, he was cultivating techniques from both the Heavenly Sound Sect and the Pure Thunder Sect simultaneously. He also mastered several Earth-tier techniques and had even inherited the true teachings of Elder Xu Qingyang's sword manipulation!

"Ahem… Qingsu, now is not the time for this," Lin Yuheng said. "Jiang Fan is in danger. Your master will save him first, then we can talk!"

Just as she was about to swoop down, the Seven-Colored Poison Toad, its lower jaw pierced and wracked with intense pain, roared in fury. It lowered its head and spat a mouthful of seven-colored liquid at Jiang Fan. It was its venom!

Lin Yuheng's expression drastically changed. "Oh no! The Seven-Colored Poison Toad's potent venom is difficult for even late-Core Formation realm cultivators to resist!"

Ruan Qingsu was also startled. Jiang Fan would be corroded into a puddle of goo by its toxins!

Then, a scene that bewildered both Lin Yuheng and Ruan Qingsu unfolded.