Boom!

Zhang Rongfang punched open the stone gate blocking his way.

The tremendous punch created an explosive force, shattering the stone gate—over three meters high and four meters wide—with a thunderous crash.

Smoke and dust filled the air, scattered rubble crumbling and flowing on the ground, slowly settling into stillness.

Zhang Rongfang stepped onto the stones and continued forward.

"He...he's a monster, isn't he!!?"

Inside the passageway, the smoke and dust dispersed, and the disciples of the Five Cauldrons Sect who had come to support the defense stared in shock at the scene before them. Each of them involuntarily retreated.

"Use poison! Kill him!!"

A sudden shout halted everyone's panic.

A man in white robes, with hawk-like eyes and a high nose, stepped forward, holding a blue-purple long knife smeared with poison.

"What are you afraid of! No matter how strong, no matter how powerful, he's still human! As long as he's human, he fears poison!"

"Kill!!"

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!!

In an instant, a rain of poisonous darts, water, and sand was launched densely toward Zhang Rongfang.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

After the sound of metal clashing.

Zhang Rongfang raised his hand to protect his eyes, walked forward calmly.

He didn't stop, not even slowing his pace. But the ground around him was littered with various poisoned weapons.

Most were ineffective, deflected away, with only the poison on his body corroding and releasing wisps of white smoke.

Soon a layer of isolation formed on his skin, rendering the poison useless.

The white smoke thinned and dissipated. The poison became patches of stains on his clothes.

"Can't even make a dent!!"

The people of the Five Cauldrons Sect had twisted expressions, with those at the rear already starting to sneak away.

The long-haired, hawk-eyed man had a trace of panic on his face.

"Keep going! Quickly keep going! Don't stop! He's just tough on the outside but empty inside, he's about to reach his limit!"

A group of people hurriedly took out more poisoned darts and water, crazily hurling them at Zhang Rongfang.

"A bit annoying."

Zhang Rongfang frowned, looking down at his clothes.

Pff!

He thrust his right arm into the wall on the right, grabbed, and lifted.

A dense shower of stones shot out like bullets.

In mid-air, most of the poison was intercepted by the stones, thrown back.

In an instant, blood splattered, people fell. Some were hit in the head, bursting open on the spot. Some had their chests caved in, clearly not going to survive.

More fell to the ground with smashed arms and shoulders, covered in blood and flesh, crying out in pain as the poison they scattered started to infect them.

The hawk-eyed man shouted, charging at Zhang Rongfang, his face filled with fear, yet he rushed forward fearlessly, holding two poisoned spikes.

His body technique was mediocre, his speed purely fast, straightforward, and uninspired.

The swings of the two spikes were slow, and the wind from his strikes was weak.

Just as he charged close, swinging his weapon forward to stab.

"Courage is commendable." Zhang Rongfang said expressionlessly.

Swoosh.

The man's arms instantly emptied.

At the moment he swung the spikes, a blur flashed before his eyes, a piercing shriek like an eagle's cry exploded in his ears.

Zhang Rongfang, who had been in front of him, suddenly appeared behind him.

"What... happened!?"

The man fell to his knees with a thud, all his strength seemingly drained.

He looked down, only then discovering that his chest had become a hollow hole at some unknown time.

His heart had vanished.

Passing through the poison-filled passage, Zhang Rongfang soon emerged into an open, slightly larger stone hall.

The hall's ceiling was conical, the lower part cylindrical, surrounded by teams of strangely dressed black-robed figures.

These black-robed figures wore black helmets over their faces, their robes clearly made from some special leather.

They varied in height, each emanating a pungent, unpleasant odor.

Among them, a woman in a black robe with purple edges, wearing a large black helmet with silver patterns, stood at the front, blocking Zhang Rongfang's path.

"It's been a long time since such a formidable big guy came...." a hoarse voice came from under the woman's helmet.

If not for her prominently curved figure, no one would think of her as a woman just from the voice.

"I'm here for someone, one of my people. I heard you captured him."

Zhang Rongfang's gaze fixed on the woman, feeling he had met someone of status able to communicate.

Thus, he could start by negotiating, avoiding unnecessary bloodshed.

If not necessary, he actually disliked killing.

Living offers limitless possibilities.

The world is already dark enough, he didn't want others to suffer more.

"Your person?" The woman was none other than the current Hall Master Toad Lady of Toad Hall.

The Five Cauldrons Sect didn't have many members, mainly relying on the Five Elders to support the entire martial power structure.

Due to extremely high and secretive recruitment standards, their scale was always limited.

With few coming in or out each day, it wasn't hard to guess who he meant after a little thought.

"Never mind why you're here. Since you've killed our Five Cauldrons people, you have no chance of leaving here alive," Toad Lady couldn't be bothered to ask further.

"Repent in the underworld!"

She suddenly raised her hand. From her sleeve, a mechanism sprayed a stream of bright yellow foul-smelling slime.

This slime was much more potent than any poisons before.

As soon as it appeared, the surrounding people from Toad Hall quickly retreated, instinctively moving further away.

Zhang Rongfang swiftly dug out a rock from the wall, crushed it, and hurled it forward.

Amidst the sound of splattering.

Most of the slime was broken apart, with only a small amount splattering onto the ground in front of him, corroding it to emit a pungent black smoke.

"You've got some skills." Toad Lady's tone remained unchanged, "With such a strong physique, no wonder you have the confidence to make it here. But unfortunately... unfortunately, you've met me!"

She suddenly took a step forward, charging ahead.

The ground trembled slightly, actually shaking.

One could see how powerful her step was.

As her robe fluttered, Toad Lady extended her hand revealing skin as white as jade, her fingertips dark and black, instantly crossing over ten meters, clawing at his face.

This was the Limit-Breaking Skill from the Ten Thousand Devouring Heart Scripture—Divine Concealment Dart.

This move appeared to be a claw skill, but in reality, its ace was a special hidden dart mechanism equipped in her sleeve.

Once near, it was launched; its penetrating power was more formidable than a powerful crossbow. Furthermore, it was coated with deadly poison, that guarantees death upon blood contact, making it a strong sneak attack and ambush technique.

The principle of the Divine Concealment Dart seemed to rely on the mechanism, but in fact, during the instant of deploying the claw, it could simultaneously enhance the reverse-toxin dart power.

Toad Lady, being a practitioner of super-grade inner skill, has ambushed many masters of Three Emptiness with this move.

Even those worshipping gods were silently assassinated by this sudden ambush.

All because the shooting mechanism relied on gunpowder explosion, within short distances no human power could evade it.

Watching Zhang Rongfang unguarded, readying to respond, Toad Lady's heart was certain, knowing the outcome was decided.

This move can only be avoided by preemptive evasion, once confronted it would...

Poof!

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her arm, the very right arm she was swinging out was abruptly twisted back, directed at herself!?

"!!?"

Toad Lady frantically struggled, but to no avail, her strength was no match like a baby gripped by a giant!

"Wait, spare me, I...!!?" She suddenly screamed, her skin rapidly turned purple, swelling, and the foul stench intensified quickly.

This was Extreme State, one of the Extreme States of the Ten Thousand Devouring Heart Scripture—Thousand Awareness!

Yet even activating Extreme State couldn't extricate her from the grip.

It was too late for anything now.

Chiii!!

From beneath her arm, a black spike shot out, amidst the splattering sounds, penetrating her helmet, piercing through her skull, nailing into the wall behind, vanishing.

Leaving only a row of fine holes.

"Impressive power." Zhang Rongfang patted her on the shoulder, allowing her dead body to collapse, continuing to move forward.

Finally, someone of real substance came.

A super-grade expert, although not worshipping, still quite good.

Sadly, she was uncommunicative, too explosive in temperament, choosing death over surrender.

He didn't want her to feel pain, so he ended it swiftly and cleanly.

"Kill!" The remaining people of Toad Hall were trembling, they unfastened the guard plates over their mouth parts on the helmets, and spat at Zhang Rongfang.

Amidst the hissing sounds, streams of foul yellow liquid shot out, forming a net-like pattern, intertwining toward Zhang Rongfang.

But every stream of yellow liquid was effortlessly dodged by him.

Instead, every time he advanced, he had a handful of fragmented stones hurled out.

Within just ten seconds, among dozens of black-clothed individuals, only one was left standing dumbfounded.

"Ah!!!" He shouted in horror, lunging fiercely at Zhang Rongfang.

Bang!!

In an instant, he exploded completely like a bomb.

Countless foul flesh and blood splattered all over Zhang Rongfang.

Unperturbed, he continued moving forward, simply tore off his upper garment, threw it aside, letting the blood slide off his body slowly.

Oddly, the places on his body where blood and flesh stained remained completely clean and spotless.

Toad Hall, annihilated.

*

*

*

Groggily, Ding Yu awoke from unconsciousness, glancing up to see a tall woman wearing a rough silver mask standing by the bed, looking down at him.

The mask had two red gemstones replacing the position of the eyes.

Through the gemstone, he could see the woman's cold gaze like a predator snake eyeing a frog.

"What... is this...?" Ding Yu opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was parched and sore as if cut by a knife.

"You were almost poisoned by Snake Woman with Celestial River Water." The masked woman said coldly.

"!?!" Ding Yu shook, recalling the previous scene. His body broke into goosebumps.

He knew Celestial River Water was a special solution used by Five Cauldrons Sect to control people, making them unable to live or die, trapping them.

If he was affected, surely...

"But you needn't worry, I arrived in time, and she didn't succeed." The woman said calmly.

"Thank you... elder." Ding Yu showed gratitude.

"I've given you a better-effect World Yang Liquid," she continued.

"After all, with such a good innate talent, it would be bad if a poor-quality poison like Celestial River Water affected your natural constitution."

"...!!???" Ding Yu's body went cold, the gratitude and joy he just felt instantly vanished.

"You!!?"