“Why would those golden eyes appear here? Shouldn’t they be in the Underworld?”
Ye Yu had no time to ponder further. He immediately produced the United-Heart Jade (Hexin Yu) and squeezed it firmly. That afternoon, he had given one to each lady, instructing them that once they ascended, they could use it to locate his position. He had never expected it to be needed so soon—but in the mortal realm he could barely wield any immortal power. Rather than struggle, he might as well have the consorts come fetch him.
Just then, a muffled voice rumbled from beneath the water: “A soul-fragment descending—immortal, this is no place for you. Depart quickly, or invite death!”
Ye Yu frowned. The lake’s surface rippled, and the golden eyes slipped away. Within moments, the consorts arrived. Ye Yu recounted everything that had happened.
Red Luan’s face grew grave. “Golden filaments? None of us felt anything amiss. What’s happening?”
The others nodded in agreement. They’d sensed no disturbance—indeed, nothing at all. Had Ye Yu not spoken up, they would have assumed a perfectly calm night. Ye Yu said nothing further, instead peering at the tranquil lake. What was this creature, and how could it travel from the Underworld to the mortal realm? Could it still be below Ascension Realm? That seemed impossible—the explosion of its egg had once killed Ye Yu outright when he was a Spirit-Subduing Realm cultivator! With such power, how could it not yet be an Ascender? But if it were above Ascension, why did it not fear the Heavenly Dao’s might? Ye Yu was stumped.
Returning to Five-Finger Peak, he did not let the consorts rest but examined each with his divine sense. He discovered the truth: although each consort remained at Ascension Realm’s pinnacle, at night they were slightly weaker than by day. The golden filaments had been siphoning off that small fraction of their cultivation—so little they’d noticed nothing. Moreover, the creature was selective: it targeted only those at Ascension peak, ignoring Ye Nian at Tribulation-Transcender Realm. A deliberate hunter. But how to trap it?
The following night, Five-Finger Peak slept undisturbed; no golden filaments appeared. After midnight on the third night, however, as the consorts cultivated, a strand of gold light drifted off again, converging on a distant mountain range thousands of li away. There was no lake there, only a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) mountain stream. The filament plunged into it. Soon a black, one-legged toad over three zhang tall leaped from the water. It looked around warily, preparing to depart—until Ye Yu’s voice called from behind:
“Feeding on Ascension-peak power and then slipping away—hardly fitting behavior, is it?”
The toad whirled. Its golden eyes glittered with frost. Ye Yu stepped forward unfazed.
“In the Underworld, there exists a beast called the Devourer God Toad. It steals the souls of ghostly beings as nourishment to grow stronger. Alas, it vanished a million years ago. I never expected it still lived—and I truly wonder, how did you arrive in the mortal realm?”
The Devourer God Toad’s deep voice rumbled, “You, a mere soul-fragment—how do you know my name? Who told you?”
Ye Yu smiled silently. In truth, two nights earlier he had sent Red Luan and Li Ruowang to investigate the missing ascensions, while he used the Soul-Calming Heaven-Screen Umbrella to return to the Celestial Realm. He reported the situation to Ying Naiyan and Dong Kui: a creature feeding on Ascension-peak power. Dong Kui, schooled in Underworld lore, immediately recognized the Devourer God Toad. Ye Yu then had Feng Yingzhi repair the umbrella and returned to the mortal realm, confirming that over these five months no Ascension-realm cultivator anywhere had ascended. Clearly the toad was targeting all such practitioners, and the largest concentration was at Five-Finger Peak.
Hearing nothing, the toad lowered its massive form and hissed, “So, you wish to fight me? Dream on—you’re just a soul-fragment. I could devour you if I wished.”
“Enough with the empty threats!” Ye Yu retorted, amusement in his eyes. “After siphoning so many Ascension-peak souls, you must be nearing your limit—surely you fear the Heavenly Dao’s wrath. If not, you’d have struck long ago instead of yakking here!”
The toad ground its teeth. After a moment it growled, “Boy, talk’s cheap. You claim you’ll fight—well, let’s compromise. I’ll cease feeding on your friends’ power if you stop meddling in my affairs!”
Ye Yu laughed. “You preyed on my consorts’ cultivation, yet now you ask a truce? There’s no such bargain!”
The toad roared, “This won’t do, that won’t do—what do you want?”
“Of course I want to kill you!” Ye Yu declared. In that instant he lunged before the toad could react, unleashing Thousand Dreams Illusion. The toad shuddered, paralyzed in place. Seizing the gap, Ye Yu snatched its massive head and activated the umbrella’s return function. Seriously, if he didn’t make a move now, it would be trouble—using Thousand Dreams Illusion consumed real immortal power and would immediately draw the Heavenly Dao’s attention. At that moment, the Soul-Calming Heaven-Screen Umbrella burst into fierce flames.
