You Cultivate, I Farm

Chapter 325: Ice Illusion Toad

As they flew out, barely thirty feet away, countless blue-black ice arrows suddenly shot out from the deep black water surface.

The ice arrows covered a wide range, catching the unprepared Foundation Establishment cultivators off guard. They hastily summoned a black shield, dodging while protecting themselves.

The power of the ice arrows exceeded everyone's imagination. Amidst the cracking sounds, the surface of the shield, a third-grade defensive spiritual tool, bore numerous blue-black marks.

"These ice arrows are highly poisonous," Lu Xuan said slowly.

His vision ranked among the top among the Foundation Establishment cultivators, and he could clearly see wisps of black smoke rising from the shield.

Sensing the anomaly, the Foundation Establishment cultivators poured out their spiritual power to the maximum, hastily returning to the group while ignoring the shield's battered condition.

"What kind of monster lurks in this water area?" The cultivators looked down at the deep black water, unwilling to take risks despite the secret realm being so close.

A short cultivator stepped out from the crowd, sprinkling countless silver powder into the water area.

After a few breaths, thousands of toad shadows appeared in the water area, densely packed and occasionally surfacing.

The toads were deep blue, enormous in size, with several dark nodules on their backs, from which the blue-black ice arrows were shot earlier.

"Let's give it a try."

Three people stepped forward, each releasing a large amount of spiritual power, forming a thick spiritual shield, and flew into the deep black water area together, attempting to swiftly cross the water area and reach the desolate island.

In the water area, waves surged, and ice arrows rained down like a storm from the toads' backs.

A faint black mist pervaded the air, emitting a strong stench.

The spiritual shields formed by the three people circulated rapidly, replenishing their spiritual power whenever they were about to collapse under the assault of countless ice arrows.

However, the sheer number of ice arrows and their strong corrosive nature made the spiritual shields extremely precarious under the relentless onslaught.

The three were too far from the desolate island, lacking confidence in safely reaching the other side under such pressure, and they quickly retreated.

"Most of them are second-grade demon beasts, with a few third-grade ones mixed in."

"But there are just too many of them. To reach the island safely, the difficulty is indeed too high."

After two experiments, everyone had a rough understanding of the strength of the numerous toads in the deep black water area.

Although most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators present could pass through this water area without regard for losses, the problem was that it was difficult to achieve.

With the secret realm so close, if they expended a large amount of spiritual power, lost important spiritual tools, and greatly reduced their strength due to these toads, they might miss out on the treasures inside.

For this reason, everyone hoped that someone would take the lead in attacking the toad monsters, minimizing their own losses.

The water area was extremely vast, and many cultivators walked around the periphery, trying to find a suitable route.

Lu Xuan and Shi Zhong bypassed the other cultivators and arrived at a relatively remote location.

"I wonder where these toads come from. Their numbers are so large. Perhaps they've been breeding in the secret realm without any cultivators to clean them up, which is why they've proliferated to this extent," Shi Zhong speculated.

Lu Xuan remained silent. During an attempt to break through the defense line of the deep blue toads, he quietly scattered many fragments of demon beasts.

As these fragments mingled with the continuous sword intent, Shi Zhong and the others did not notice Lu Xuan's slight action.

Numerous toads were scattered throughout the water area, and some inevitably swallowed the fragments into their stomachs during the feeding process. Through this process, Lu Xuan learned detailed information about them.

"Ice Illusion Toad, a group of demon beasts, mostly second-grade, with a few leaders being third-grade demon beasts. They master low to mid-level ice arts and cultivate highly toxic ice arrows within their bodies. They have extremely strong hiding abilities in water."

"They are extremely sensitive to fast-moving objects. When stimulated by fire spiritual power, they become extremely aggressive."

"It seems to be an ice-type demon beast. According to the principle of mutual generation and restraint of the five elements, wouldn't it be better to use fire-type techniques for a strong attack? It might have an unexpected effect."

While Lu Xuan was digesting the information in his mind, Zhou Bingyu spoke up with a suggestion.

"Absolutely not!"

He hurriedly spoke up to stop her.

Shi Zhong and Zhou Bingyu looked at him with confusion.

"I just remembered the origin of these toad monsters. I recall reading about them in a certain volume of scripture in the sect's library. The demon beast is called the Ice Illusion Toad, and it contains strong toxins. Fire-type techniques would only have the opposite effect."

"What should we do then?" Upon hearing Lu Xuan's clear explanation of the origin of the demon beasts, Shi Zhong's face showed a hint of anticipation.

"Direct assault is definitely not an option, but there is a targeted method that can reduce the consumption of spiritual power while safely reaching the other side."

Lu Xuan whispered, and with a slight movement of his lips, he transmitted his voice to the two.

"Are you sure your method is effective?" Zhou Bingyu frowned, looking puzzled.

Lu Xuan's suggestion sounded somewhat unbelievable, and in the face of so many Ice Illusion Toads, the idea of slowly traversing the deep black water area seemed absurd.

"We can give it a try. It might work. We can follow the largest group of people, let them bear the brunt of the Ice Illusion Toads' attacks, and if the method fails, we can retreat safely," Lu Xuan suggested.

The three exchanged glances before returning to the group.

After some discussion among the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, they ultimately decided to collectively break through the encirclement of the toad monsters.

Shi Zhong suggested that the three of them stay behind, and the others were eager to reach the desolate island as soon as possible, so naturally, they had no objections.

More than ten people flew into the air above the deep black water area

, some unleashing their strongest defensive talismans, while others controlled flying artifacts, rushing through the air at the fastest speed.

In an instant, sharp whistling sounds filled the air as countless blue-black ice arrows, with lightning-like speed, attacked the cultivators.

Lu Xuan and the other two took out their defensive spiritual tools, surrounding themselves with flying swords, and followed behind the others at a steady pace.

The ice arrows aimed at them were noticeably fewer than those targeting the others.

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators, sensing this situation, didn't think much of it, assuming that the three were lagging behind due to some reason.

Although fewer ice arrows were aimed at Lu Xuan and his companions, they were still formidable.

Among the three, Shi Zhong and Zhou Bingyu were responsible for blocking the ice arrows, while Lu Xuan dealt with the poison, each with clear responsibilities.

The poison carried a sinister spiritual power, so Lu Xuan specifically took out a third-grade Purification Talisman to purify it directly.

While the other Foundation Establishment cultivators continuously attacked, advancing and retreating, the three of them maintained a steady pace, attracting a stable stream of ice arrow attacks.

When they reached the desolate island, they were not much slower than most of the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they had saved a lot of spiritual power.

This would prove beneficial in their subsequent actions.

Shi Zhong and Zhou Bingyu were clear about this and expressed their gratitude to Lu Xuan one after another.

"I didn't expect Lu Fellow Daoist, who has long been associated with spiritual plants and beasts, to play such a crucial role in this situation. Cultivation in various fields indeed has its own significant uses."

"I just happened to have seen records about these Ice Illusion Toads in a volume of scripture in the sect's library. Being able to help two fellow Daoists is also my honor."

Lu Xuan smiled and said.

Since the two had helped him before he entered the secret realm, he naturally had to repay their kindness.

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