It was said that every River Swallowing Toad carried an entire river within its stomach—a terrifying power sealed inside flesh.
In his previous life, Fang Yuan had never used the River Swallowing Toad himself. But he had once allowed Fang Zheng to refine it, and thus he knew all too well the devastating offensive power it possessed.
Now, the opportunity was his.
Without hesitation, Fang Yuan began his preparations.
He activated his Rank 3 Aura Concealment Gu, suppressing all traces of his cultivation. Then, he cloaked his face and body with a black robe, leaving no skin exposed.
Drawing primeval essence directly from primeval stones, he activated his Rank 5 Invisibility Gu, causing his entire form to vanish from sight.
Finally, he summoned the Rank 4 Swallow Wings Gu, and with a gust of wind, soared silently into the sky.
...
It was early autumn and the scenery was good.
In the forests, some leaves were of dark shade and some were of light. Green leaves had started changing to yellow and yellow leaves faintly showed red.
Fang Yuan flew all the way from the middle of the mountain, down to the foot of the mountain where he saw the Rank five River Swallowing Toad.
It was huge and resembled a small hill. It lay belly side up in the riverbed and blocked the river channel. The upstream of the river was already filled with so much water that it was almost spilling to the riverside. And there was almost no flow of the river downstream; only a shallow moist riverbed could be seen.
The River Swallowing Toad's belly was exquisite snow-white and was covered with a layer of luster. Its back was clear sky blue color and also had a glossy shine to it, with no warts like the ones found in common frogs and toads.
It was sound asleep at this moment. But there were no sounds of snoring; it was sleeping very quietly.
Sensing the ripple of Gu aura, the River Swallowing Toad stirred beneath the murky waters. Its lidless eyes snapped open—cold, bulging orbs that gleamed with primal hostility. High above, a figure hovered in the sky, cloaked in shadow.
The toad reacted instantly.
With a deep, guttural roar, it opened its massive jaws, preparing to unleash a river capable of sweeping away an entire village.
But in the very next heartbeat… the figure vanished.
Fang Yuan had already disappeared.
Using Rank 3 Shadow Steps Gu, he reappeared in the toad's shadow as he pressed his palm silently onto its cold, slimy skin.
"Rank 3 Fear Gu. Rank 4 Illuminati Gu," he whispered, his voice devoid of warmth.
The world around them broke.
The serene river twisted into a crimson flood. The banks ran slick with blood, soaked with shattered bones and rotting corpses. Limbs jutted from the mud. Cries of the dead echoed through the air, warping reality into a hellish battlefield—one soaked in agony, in memory, in death.
Then, the sky split open.
Two enormous, dark red eyes emerged from the void above—unblinking, ancient, and filled with incomprehensible malice. They bore down upon the River Swallowing Toad with soul-crushing weight.
The beast froze.
Terror gripped it deeper than instinct.
Something inside it stirred—knew that if it resisted, it wouldn't just die. It would be erased.
It tried to move, but its limbs were stone. Its power, its strength and its will, devoured by fear.
Then the true gold primeval essence descended from the heavens.
Like liquid metal forged in the fires of judgment, it spiraled downward—wrapping around the beast in glowing tendrils.
The toad shuddered, its body contorting as it was slowly refined.
Beside, Fang Yuan stood in silence—the architect of this nightmare. His face hidden, his presence erased and his will... absolute.
The Rank 1 Illuminati Gu could only cast a shallow illusion—masking false primeval essence on the surface.
But Rank 4 Illuminati Gu which still looked like a green butterfly was a different beast entirely.
It bent the target's perception, showing them whatever illusion the user willed. And when paired with Fear Gu, that illusion was no longer just seen—it was felt.
Every detail became real to the victim's senses. Pain. Dread. Death.
That was exactly what the River Swallowing Toad was trapped in now—lost in a hell of Fang Yuan's design, too terrified to resist, too deep in illusion to escape.
On the outside, the toad stood completely still in the middle of the river, its massive body unmoving as a masked, black-robed man pressed a single palm against its side.
From the nearby trees, two figures watched in stunned silence: Chi Cheng and Mo Bei.
They are both now Rank 2 Gu Masters and were sent to investigate and, if possible, drive the toad away.
But they had arrived too late.
They couldn't see what the beast was experiencing, but they saw something even more terrifying—the glow of True Gold primeval essence coiling around the toad, slowly refining it.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
"A Rank 4 Gu Master…" Mo Bei muttered under his breath. There was fear in his tone.
Their clan leader was also a Rank 4 Gu Master, and they knew they couldn't interfere.
Ten minutes passed in tense, frozen silence.
Then, the toad's enormous body began to shrink. Inch by inch, it collapsed inward—its form growing smaller, tighter—until it vanished completely, pulled into the aperture of the masked figure like it had never existed at all.
Fang Yuan said nothing.
He simply turned his head, locking eyes briefly with Mo Bei and Chi Cheng.
Then, without a word, he tossed two primeval stone bags onto the ground towards Mo Bei and Chi Cheng.
With Golden wings of light sprouting from his back, he ascended into the sky.
In the next breath, he was disappeared.