Next, a mass of black energy surged towards the old woman. Seeing this, Elder Tai flashed in front of her, formed a hand seal, and inhaled deeply.
The torrent of flames erupted and collided with the black energy.
The flames, nearly three meters high, could only barely neutralize the incoming black energy.
Yu Daohen grew tense. If a mere wisp of black energy required Elder Tai's full effort to counter, just how terrifying was this Golden Toad?
A voice emanated from within the black energy: "A few pathetic shrimps."
"Begone!" A wave of force spread outwards.
The black energy slowly dissipated, revealing a man in ancient attire.
The man took a deep breath, a look of enjoyment on his face: "I can already smell the scent of those sluts."
The faces of the six men turned ashen as they stared at the Golden Toad, ready to act at any moment.
The Golden Toad looked at the six of them with disdain. "With you few pathetic shrimps, how can you possibly contend with me? After I kill those sluts, I'll have some fun with you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Golden Toad leaped into the air, transforming into a mass of black energy and flying towards Xiaotun Village.
The six men watched the Golden Toad fly towards Xiaotun Village and immediately pursued him.
Elder Tai, however, stopped and looked in Yu Daohen's direction: "Come out."
Yu Daohen emerged. Elder Tai sighed, "As you've seen, this Golden Toad is beyond what you or I can handle. Leave this place quickly."
Yu Daohen remained silent.
With his current strength, going there would be suicidal.
Elder Tai patted Yu Daohen's shoulder and followed.
Yu Daohen felt a sense of loss. He lacked the strength to even participate. He was only "Master Yu" in Jiangdu.
Above Xiaotun Village, dark clouds gathered, and the village's livestock began to cry out.
The Golden Toad hovered above the village, his blood-red eyes fixed on the ground, but there was not a single person in sight.
On the road, Elder Tai looked at Elder Hua: "Everything arranged?"
Elder Hua nodded: "I instructed them to stay in their homes and not come out."
"Is there truly no other way?" Elder Tai asked.
Elder Hua remained silent.
The six of them knew clearly that if the Golden Toad were to unleash his full power, it wouldn't be just one village that would perish.
The Golden Toad descended, looking at the empty streets, and became enraged.
Just then, a silver needle shot towards him. The Golden Toad flicked his finger, and the needle embedded itself into a nearby wall.
The Golden Toad looked at the six men: "So, you were prepared."
Elder Hua nodded, and four of them ran towards the four cardinal directions of the village.
Only Elder Hua and Elder Tai remained on the scene.
The Golden Toad looked at the two of them: "What, not attacking together?"
Elder Tai made the first move, forming a hand seal and inhaling deeply. Flames shot directly towards the Golden Toad.
The Golden Toad waved his hand and blocked them.
Elder Hua waved his hand, and three silver needles shot out. Elder Tai seized the opportunity and charged forward.
The Golden Toad dodged the needles and saw Elder Tai's fist hurtling towards him.
The fist tore through the air, smashing towards the Golden Toad.
The Golden Toad snorted and raised his hand to block it. Simultaneously, he swung his other hand towards Elder Tai, who dodged the incoming palm by shifting his body.
After a few exchanges, Elder Tai's face began to pale.
Suddenly, three silver needles flew towards him. The Golden Toad flickered and dodged the incoming needles.
Elder Tai nodded, and the two of them charged towards the Golden Toad.
Seeing the two charging at him, the Golden Toad became even more excited: "Interesting, very interesting."
The two attacked from the sides. The Golden Toad grabbed Elder Hua's incoming hand with one of his own, while blocking Elder Tai's punch with the other.
Elder Hua suddenly grasped one of the Golden Toad's hands. Elder Tai formed a hand seal, inhaled deeply, and unleashed a torrent of flames directly at the Golden Toad's head.
The Golden Toad was hit by the flames, and black energy began to erupt from his body.
The two retreated simultaneously. As Elder Hua retreated, he drew six silver needles from his waist and fired them.
Just as the needles were about to hit the Golden Toad, a wave of black energy directly repelled them.
The black energy dissipated, and a toad's head emerged.
It was a monster with the head of a toad and the body of a human.
The Golden Toad stared at the two of them: "Not bad, not bad. You actually managed to injure me."
Elder Hua and Elder Tai exchanged glances, preparing to charge at the Golden Toad.
Before they could prepare, the Golden Toad flickered and appeared before them, swatting Elder Hua away with a palm strike.
Elder Tai reacted, forming a hand seal and inhaling deeply.
Before he could unleash his attack, the Golden Toad grabbed Elder Tai's mouth.
*Bang*
With a loud explosion, the flames detonated, sending Elder Tai flying backward.
The Golden Toad grinned sinisterly: "How was it? The taste of your own spell is quite good, isn't it?"
The two men struggled to their feet. Half of Elder Tai's face was already scorched by the flames.
The Golden Toad walked towards them.
Suddenly, four beams of white light flew from the sky in all directions, converging above the Golden Toad.
Upon seeing the white light, the Golden Toad's expression changed, and he flew towards the outskirts of the village.
A drop of Samsara Blood Tear flew out, blocking the Golden Toad's path.
The two men looked in the direction from which the blood tear had flown.
Yu Daohen waved his hand, and two more Samsara Blood Tears shot out.
The Golden Toad flickered and dodged the Samsara Blood Tears, then turned and charged towards Yu Daohen.
Yu Daohen drew his Kanglong Cudgel and met the charge.
The Kanglong Cudgel swung out. The Golden Toad dodged it by shifting his body and struck Yu Daohen's chest with a palm.
Yu Daohen was sent flying backward, crashing into a wall. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his internal organs feeling as if they were about to explode, and his consciousness began to blur.
The Golden Toad pressed his advantage, striking directly at Yu Daohen.
Just as the Golden Toad was about to deliver a fatal blow, Elder Tai flashed in front of Yu Daohen.
The Golden Toad's palm descended.
Elder Tai blocked it, and his entire arm was cleanly severed.
*Hiss~ Hiss~*
Blood spurted out instantly, splashing onto Yu Daohen's face.
Elder Tai cried out, "Take young Yu and escape quickly!"
Yu Daohen felt the warmth of the blood, wanting to speak but unable to make a sound. His eyelids began to droop.
In a daze, he heard a roar, followed by an explosion.
Three days later.
Yu Daohen woke up groggily, finding himself lying in Elder Hua's bed: "How many days have I slept?"
Elder Hua, who was by his side, sighed, "Three days and three nights."
"Elder Tai, he..."
Elder Hua nodded.
Yu Daohen tried to sit up, but the intense pain in his body forced him back down.
Elder Hua comforted him, "It's alright, focus on healing first." As he spoke, he took out a token and handed it to Yu Daohen: "This is what Elder Tai wanted me to give you before he left."
Yu Daohen looked at the token, his heart filled with grief. Although they had only spent three short days together, in his heart, Elder Tai was like a grandfather.
Soon, the incident at Xiaotun Village spread, but it was suppressed by higher authorities, with the official explanation being a faulty explosion.
After resting at Elder Hua's house for another three days, Yu Daohen could finally walk.
Yu Daohen went to Xiaotun Village to inspect it, only to find that it had been reduced to ruins.
After staying at Elder Hua's house for two more days, Yu Daohen's injuries finally healed completely.
Bidding farewell to Elder Hua, Yu Daohen had to return to Jiangdu.
Unbeknownst to him, in the back mountain of Xiaotun Village, the Resentful Lion was talking with a man.
"Your master has returned from abroad, and you're not helping?" the Resentful Lion said.
The man shook his head: "I will not get involved in anything concerning the Godly Teachings."
"Perhaps only matters concerning that kid would interest you in this world," the Resentful Lion tutted.
--
Author's Notes:
This author needs to catch up on holiday homework, so updates may be infrequent or nonexistent. If you enjoy the story, feel free to bookmark it and read along. (This book will not be dropped, so feel free to express your thoughts. If you like it, please comment and give it five stars.)