After being impacted by the bats, the two arrived in a larger space. Here, there were several small puddles resembling salt pans, and within these puddles, many small red-headed toads were basking, occasionally croaking.
Continuing inward, they encountered another very narrow passage that required them to move sideways, pressing tightly against the wall.
However, the walls were not smooth, and as they moved, they would tear clothes and scratch skin. Zebra, walking ahead, would occasionally cry out in pain.
Ning Beichen, with his Xumi Golden Body, was impervious to even bullets and blades. His skin remained unharmed, though his clothes were inevitably torn, as his attire lacked the protection of his golden body. But these were minor issues.
Soon, they passed through this narrow passage and entered another space with heavy humidity. Compared to the outside, the humidity here was dozens of times greater. Breathing in this environment felt like a surge of mist, and even the torch in Zebra's hand was extinguished.
As Zebra prepared to relight the torch, Ning Beichen suddenly stopped him. "Zebra, don't move!"
Zebra, not understanding, stood still, holding the extinguished torch. Just as he wondered why Ning Beichen had told him to stop, he felt a tightening around his waist, as if something had wrapped around him. Before Zebra could react, his feet left the ground, and he was dragged into the darkness by something.
Terrified, Zebra flailed his limbs, struggled desperately, and cried for help. With a swish, the sound of something cutting through the air was heard. The object that had wrapped around Zebra was severed by Ning Beichen and retreated into the darkness. Zebra had narrowly escaped.
At this moment, Ning Beichen clearly saw what had attacked Zebra in the darkness: a giant red-headed toad. The thing that had wrapped around Zebra was its tongue. Ning Beichen landed beside Zebra, lifted him with one hand, and tossed him backward. Then, he advanced towards the red-headed toad lurking in the darkness.
"Quack!"
Before Ning Beichen could get close, the red-headed toad let out a cry. A powerful suction surged towards Ning Beichen, attempting to draw him into its mouth. However, the red-headed toad had underestimated him. Ning Beichen was no ordinary person.
"Beast, you court death!"
Ning Beichen's figure flickered, and he appeared before the red-headed toad, throwing a punch towards its belly. The toad, sensing the threat Ning Beichen posed, pushed off with its four legs and leaped backward. But it had gravely underestimated Ning Beichen. Despite its leap, it was still struck in the belly by Ning Beichen's punch, sending it flying backward.
Just as Ning Beichen was about to move in to finish the toad, it released a large cloud of toxic mist from its skin. Ning Beichen reacted swiftly, using a wave of his palm to sweep the mist aside, protecting Zebra from harm. The red-headed toad croaked a few times, then, with a splash, it leaped into a subterranean channel behind them and disappeared.
Ning Beichen did not pursue it. It was just a toad, not a formidable enemy. However, the existence of such a large red-headed toad in this place piqued Ning Beichen's curiosity. This toad had clearly surpassed the definition of a toad in this world; calling it a toad spirit would not be an exaggeration, somewhat resembling the leopard Ning Beichen had encountered before.
Thus, Ning Beichen began to suspect whether this red-headed toad was an ancient product or something from the outside world. Although only six people had come from the Mortal Shedding Realm, were they truly the only ones? These six were merely the visible ones; who knew if there were others operating in secret.
Ning Beichen recalled the leopard and the woman from the Mortal Shedding Realm, the latter having taken an unusual path. Regardless of the origin, Ning Beichen intended to pursue it. However, before doing so, he had to ensure Zebra was safe.
Ning Beichen instructed Zebra to retreat outside and wait for him, forbidding him from following. Only then did Ning Beichen approach the subterranean channel where the red-headed toad had vanished and plunged in with a splash. The subterranean river was extremely cold, and its destination was unknown. Ning Beichen held his breath and proceeded along the underwater channel.
The channel wound and twisted, varying in width and depth, and in some places, it was extremely perilous, filled with sharp stones. Moreover, the current was ferocious. An ordinary person entering would be immediately swept away and unable to stabilize, ultimately becoming a burial ground amidst the sharp rocks. Fortunately, Ning Beichen had not let Zebra enter, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. Ning Beichen was not foolish; Zebra could not hold his breath underwater like him and would have drowned long before reaching this point.
After passing through the area filled with sharp stones, Ning Beichen was propelled forward by the accelerated current. After a few minutes, he was flushed out of the channel by the rapids, causing him to fly high into the air before plummeting rapidly. It turned out that at the end of the waterway, a waterfall with a drop of about a hundred meters had formed, and Ning Beichen had been ejected from the cave entrance of the waterfall. Ning Beichen immediately used his lightness skill to shift laterally for over ten meters before landing safely.
However, before he even touched the ground, he saw a long tongue coiling towards him. "Beast, we meet again."
Ning Beichen remained unperturbed. As the tongue approached, the bronze ancient sword on his back was drawn. A sword energy, like a crescent moon, shot towards the red-headed toad's tongue, while Ning Beichen himself launched towards the distant toad like lightning.
How could a toad withstand the sword energy of the bronze ancient sword? With a swish, its tongue was severed, and Ning Beichen arrived above the red-headed toad. At this moment, the toad flipped its body and, as if it understood martial arts, kicked upwards towards Ning Beichen.
"Toad Kicks the Heavens?"
Ning Beichen couldn't help but dub the toad's move. This kick was utterly beyond his expectation.
"Interesting."
Ning Beichen did not evade. From above, he delivered a downward punch. With a bang! Ning Beichen's fist struck the toad's foot, and he then executed a front flip, landing gracefully. To his surprise, the toad was not weak; it had actually withstood his punch, making Ning Beichen even more interested in this red-headed toad.