Chapter 183.1: Tomb of the Phoenix (1/2)

Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!

A loud stream of frog croaks reverberated in the air with deafening force. With a great big splash, a roughly four-kilometer-wide head poked out of the lake.

Spiriteater Demon Frog!

The demonic amphibian was the stuff of ancient legends and lived only in tombs. So… why was it in a lake?

Two crimson eyes bulged like bloody hillocks from its even larger black skull. Its visceral gaze instantly locked onto Yue Cheng and Zhu Yu. Both were sealed peerless immortals, but found themselves unable to move.

Ribbit!

Another croak, this time in fear. The frog lifted its eyes from its coveted prey onto the bigger threat behind them. A humongous Black Tortoise thudded to Cloudwater’s lakeshore, a silver-haired girl with matching armor and lance upon its head.

“Auuuuu!” The sacred beast roared to the sky in turn. Holy light shone from two pairs of eyes to loftily scatter down upon the frog in the lake—the tortoise’s own, as well as the serpent fused to its back.

Yue Cheng and Zhu Yu felt the weight lift from their bodies and fled the scene like homeless stray dogs.

“That’s not the Dusk Phalanx! N-no, it can’t possibly be!” Yue Cheng rasped hoarsely with disbelief. Incredulous shock flooded his eyes, even more surprised than he’d been to see the frog. “It’s not the Heavenly Formation of the Black Tortoise either…. This is a real Black Tortoise! Not a divine beast with its bloodline, but the true northern god of water!”

Zhu Yu whitened as well. Her cleverness didn’t spare her from feeling helpless here. A Spiriteater Demon Frog in Cloudwater was one thing, but a real Black Tortoise?! And Yuchi Hanxing right there, on top of its head?!

Everything was too crazy to comprehend.

Dusk Province, a place so insignificant that it barely produced any immortals… a place ruled by a restriction powerful enough to strike fear into dao immortals’ hearts… so many monstrosities were hidden beneath the surface here!

“Uooooh!” The roaring tortoise moved toward Cloudwater Lake with resolute strides. As it walked, it sucked in a seemingly endless amount of water energy from the environment.

Out of the general scene of panic by the shores, the ancient demonic frog was perhaps the most frightened of all. Its head slowly sank beneath the lake surface, even as the tortoise finally dipped its ponderous form into the water.

……

Lu Yun opened his eyes. They possessed a newfound keenness that reflected his understanding of water. It was a part of his sword intent now; not raw elemental power, but an essential intuition. His sword intent finally had a foundation that brought him infinitely closer to the realm of great perfection. Dongfang Hao’s sword intent could sever his own no longer.

“An ancient Spiriteater Demon Frog?” The young man frowned slightly, watching the black shadow beneath his feet swim away. “Thanks for the help just now. You really saved me.”

He smiled at his friend, who’d returned to a much less luminous state.