Resolution

Sure enough, as if sensing the group's greedy eyes fixed on the Dragon Bamboo Fruits, the swampy ground not far below the Dragon Bamboo Grass slowly arched upward. Rotten, foul-smelling mud washed away to both sides as a toxic toad nearly ten feet tall emerged from beneath the sticky sludge.

Its skin was a mottled pattern of emerald green and purplish-black, emitting a sickening stench. Eyes the size of fists were embedded in its rough, warty skin, staring motionlessly at the cultivators gathered outside the swamp.

The appearance of this toxic toad exerted a palpable pressure, causing everyone to glance sideways, secretly alarmed.

Each calculating in silence, they watched the toxic toad, occasionally casting glances toward Xie Cheng to see what arrangements their employer would make.

Just then, a fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator in the team suddenly shot forward, charging straight toward the Dragon Bamboo Grass.

He was astonishingly fast, utilizing a rather wondrous movement technique. In the blink of an eye, he traversed dozens of feet, his toes tapping lightly on the surface of the swamp. The thick, slippery mud beneath his feet seemed incapable of slowing him down in the slightest.

Startled by this sudden move, the crowd shouted in anger, “He wants to swallow the Dragon Bamboo Fruits all for himself!”

Shi Yu narrowed her eyes, fixing her gaze upon him.

She remembered that this fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator had kept a low profile in the team, never demonstrating any remarkable movement techniques. Clearly, he had been hiding his true capability all along, saving it as his trump card.

Gritting his teeth, the cultivator felt his heart pounding fiercely against his ribs: Once I snatch the fruits, I'll flee immediately toward the other side of the swamp so Xie Cheng and the others can't catch me.

Having been stuck at the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm for a long time, the sight of the cluster of Dragon Bamboo Fruits instantly ignited his greed.

He was relying on his extraordinary movement technique; judging by his explosive speed alone, no one in the team could match him.

The only minor trouble was the toxic toad guarding the Dragon Bamboo Grass. Looking at its massive body, he reasoned that such a bulky creature must be slow and lumbering. As long as he carefully bypassed it, snatched the fruits with quick hands, and ran, nothing would go wrong—

However, at that very moment, the toxic toad leaped up to face him. Its massive body cast a large shadow, and immediately after, its coiled tongue shot outward like a whip, capturing the rushing cultivator with swift precision.

The timing and speed were so impeccable that it looked almost as if the cultivator had deliberately thrown himself right into its mouth.

A bloodcurdling scream rang out. The toxic toad retracted its tongue, swallowed its prey, and let out a satisfied croak.

On the edge of the swamp, before the cultivators even had time to express their fury over his attempt to hoard the fruits, they gasped in horror at this sudden turn of events, exchanging shocked glances.

Several other cultivators who had been secretly itching to make a move immediately abandoned all thoughts of doing so.

Shi Yu was slightly surprised. Though this toxic toad guarding the Dragon Bamboo Fruits looked heavy and huge, its speed was unexpectedly fast. Under the attack of its thick, elastic tongue, her fellow cultivator hadn't possessed even a shred of ability to resist.

Someone spoke in a solemn voice, “It seems we must deal with this toxic toad first before we can harvest the Dragon Bamboo Fruits. Trying to bypass it using speed is out of the question.”

Shi Yu's nose twitched slightly, and her gaze fell upon the Dragon Bamboo Fruits as she thought to herself, The fruits are about to ripen.

At this moment, the color of the Dragon Bamboo Fruits became increasingly vivid. To the naked eye, the fruits were transitioning from pale red to deep crimson, and a subtle, refreshing fragrance began to waft through the air.

The toxic toad grew even more vigilant, its fist-sized green eyes staring fixedly at the crowd outside the swamp.

Aside from Xie Cheng, the three Wu brothers—the ones with the highest cultivation—spoke up in turn: “The Dragon Bamboo Fruits are about to ripen. We cannot afford to delay.”

“Now that the fragrance is spreading, judging by this rate, the Dragon Bamboo Fruits will be completely ripe in fifteen minutes at most. This toxic toad will also take advantage of when the fragrance is strongest and the medicinal potency is at its peak to devour them.”

Although their words carried an urge to act, the eyes of the three brothers fell subtly onto Xie Cheng.

The crowd was eager to move, naturally unwilling to watch helplessly as the Dragon Bamboo Fruits were swallowed by this stupid, ugly beast.

Yet with so many people present, how could anyone lightly strike before a distribution plan was agreed upon?

Unable to contain himself, someone pressed, “What do you say?”

Xie Cheng intended to harvest the Dragon Bamboo Fruits for Xie Zhixun's future use. After a moment of contemplation, he raised his head and addressed the crowd, “Everyone, although Dragon Bamboo Fruits can directly boost one's cultivation, one needs to consume multiple fruits for the effect to be significant.”

“This single stalk of Dragon Bamboo Grass has only borne a dozen or so fruits in total. Even if we split them, each person would at most receive one or two. The spiritual energy gained would be truly limited, practically negligible.”

“How about I take them and compensate you all with spirit stones instead?”

Xie Cheng's words were reasonable; with over twenty people present, a dozen fruits indeed could not be divided fairly.

Furthermore, the toxic toad's strength was not to be underestimated. As the one with the highest cultivation present, he had the best chance of dealing with it.

He was also the employer, so even if he claimed everything without a word, others couldn't really do anything to him. Getting some spirit stones as compensation was already a good outcome.

Shi Yu's goal was not the Dragon Bamboo Fruits, so she did not speak up in the discussion regarding their ownership, merely blending in with the crowd.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Xie Cheng nodded slightly and cupped his hands. “Then I must ask you all to assist me in killing this toxic toad.”

Under Xie Cheng's arrangements, a few people, including Shi Yu, stayed on the outskirts of the swamp to protect Xie Zhixun. The rest split into three groups to cast spells to harass and contain the toxic toad, while Xie Cheng and the three Wu brothers looked for an opportunity to slay it.

Instantly, spells of various radiant colors lit up, landing one after another on the toxic toad. Coupled with more than ten activated artifacts, a barrage of clanging sounds echoed against its body.

A large amount of venomous mucus was accumulated on the toxic toad's skin. The artifacts used by a few poor rogue cultivators were already shabby and worn, so when they struck the toad, not only did they fail to inflict any real damage, but their artifacts were even corroded with sizzling sounds, emitting clouds of white steam as their spiritual brilliance dimmed.

Distressed, several rogue cultivators immediately retracted their artifacts with deep regret, their subsequent attacks becoming noticeably half-hearted.

Fortunately, they had numbers on their side. Under the siege of the crowd, the toxic toad struggled to cope and gradually showed signs of exhaustion.

Guarding Xie Zhixun's side, Shi Yu saw that the toxic toad's defeat was a foregone conclusion. She narrowed her eyes, pondering how to quietly harvest the Dragon Bamboo Grass afterward.

With the Dragon Bamboo Fruits on the verge of ripening, the toxic toad grew frantic and somewhat lost its rationality, ignoring the attacks raining down on it as it chased after Xie Cheng and the others.

After taking a fatal blow from Xie Cheng's gathered Qi, the toxic toad widened its blood-red eyes and let out a roar as its flesh split open, crumbling and dissolving like melting snow.

Along with its final roar, the thick, slippery mud in the swamp tumbled and surged continuously, gathering together.

Shi Yu's brows furrowed as she saw the sludge beneath writhing constantly. Countless snakes and insects burst out from within, coiling into dense clusters before spreading outward.

The toxic toad still had a bit of strength left before its death. Seeing Xie Cheng entangled with it, he hurriedly shouted to Shi Yu, “Little fellow Daoist, protect my young master! You will be heavily rewarded!”

Shi Yu gave a quick “Mm” and pulled Xie Zhixun back. Fortunately, he knew to be obedient at a time like this, stumbling along after Shi Yu.

These snakes and insects did not possess high cultivation, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming, leaving everyone flustered as they were surrounded and entangled.

Shi Yu and Xie Zhixun were also completely surrounded, but she did not panic. Throwing down two Blaze Talismans, she burned away a wide swath, clearing out a large open space. The others also gradually calmed down from their panic, employing various means to deal with the snakes and insects.

Just as they were finishing up the cleanup, Shi Yu suddenly heard Xie Cheng cry out in pain. Looking up, she saw that his sword had pierced straight through the toxic toad's mouth, ending its life. However, the toad's tongue was simultaneously wrapped tightly around his arm, its barbs sinking deep into his flesh as dark red blood surged forth.

Wu Hao quickly severed the toxic toad's tongue with a slash of his sword, his expression showing a hint of tension. “Brother Xie, you've been poisoned!”

Xie Cheng waved his hand, taking out a Detoxification Pill from his mustard-seed bag. After adjusting his breathing and sensing his condition, he said, “It's fine. With the Detoxification Pill taken, I will recover in a single night's time.”

Wu Hao nodded thoughtfully.

With the toxic toad dead, the Dragon Bamboo Fruits had finally fully matured, their color turning entirely deep crimson. Xie Cheng hurriedly harvested them, carefully placing them inside a jade box.

Seeing that he had only picked the fruits and left the Dragon Bamboo Grass itself untouched, just as she had anticipated, Shi Yu breathed a silent sigh of relief.

This way, she only needed to find an opportunity to return and harvest the spirit plant when no one was around.