Then Keep Blowing It Up!
15: Chapter 15: Still Not Dead?
Then Keep Blowing It Up!
After dozens of exchanges, neither Youqin Jingheng nor the Demon-Winged Toad had managed to gain the upper hand.
The poisonous swamp beneath them, however— had already suffered tremendously.
Boom!
Another wind blade collided violently with a venom blade in midair.
The resulting explosion sent mud and poisonous liquid flying in every direction.
Crack—!
Not far away, a towering tree that had already been battered beyond recognition finally gave in.
Its thick trunk snapped in half.
Crash!
The enormous crown slammed into the swamp, sending another wave of filthy water splashing outward.
Looking around— the entire area had been completely devastated.
The poisonous flowers and plants that once grew throughout the swamp had been torn to pieces by the repeated clashes.
Some had been sliced apart by wind blades.
Others had been splashed with the Demon-Winged Toad’s venom and instantly corroded into blackened sludge.
Even the surrounding trees hadn’t escaped unscathed.
Some were broken.
Some had collapsed entirely.
Others had been reduced to nothing more than half-charred, half-corroded trunks standing pitifully amid the destruction.
And the air itself wasn’t much better.
Blue-purple poisonous mist had mixed with the swamp’s natural miasma, covering the entire area in a suffocating haze.
The stench was unbearable.
Even though Yuchi Mengxing had already taken a Miasma-Dispelling Pill, she still couldn’t help wrinkling her nose.
But right now— the devastated swamp wasn’t what hurt her the most.
It was her talismans!
Her precious barrier talismans!
Yuchi Mengxing crouched on a thick branch high above the ground, watching the man and beast below fight as though they intended to turn the entire swamp upside down.
Her heart was practically bleeding.
Boom!
Another violent explosion erupted below.
The invisible barrier around her immediately trembled.
Buzz—!
One of the talismans attached to a nearby tree shook violently.
The golden light covering its surface visibly dimmed.
Yuchi Mengxing’s eyelid twitched.
Then— Whoosh!
A wind blade swept past the edge of the barrier.
Immediately afterward, one of the Demon-Winged Toad’s venom blades slammed into it from the opposite direction.
Bang!
The entire barrier shook again.
Yuchi Mengxing’s heart shook with it.
Did they have any idea how much effort it took to make these talismans?!
Did they think talismans grew on trees?!
Sure, she had drawn them herself— but materials cost money!
Drawing them consumed spiritual energy!
And most importantly— it took time!
Yet those two below didn’t care at all.
One wind blade.
One venom blade.
Back and forth.
Again and again.
At this rate, the Demon-Winged Toad wouldn’t be the first thing to fall.
Her barrier would!
And once that happened— she, the innocent spectator hiding comfortably in the tree, would inevitably get dragged into the fight.
“No way!” Yuchi Mengxing gritted her teeth.
“If this keeps up, sooner or later I’m going to get dragged out there just to become part of the background scenery!” She couldn’t let them keep fighting like this.
Her hand immediately plunged into the bag at her side.
After rummaging around for a moment— she pulled out another thick stack of talismans.
But these were clearly different from the barrier talismans she had used earlier.
The paper was darker.
The markings were far more intricate.
Dense lines covered nearly the entire surface, intertwining with one another in complicated patterns.
And within those patterns— a faint red glow flickered ominously.
Just looking at them gave off a rather dangerous feeling.
Yuchi Mengxing stared at the stack in her hand.
Her expression became slightly strange.
These were something she had created herself.
Explosion Talismans.
As the name suggested— they exploded.
As for exactly how powerful the explosion was…
“…” Yuchi Mengxing fell silent.
That was a very good question.
Because— she had no idea.
She had never tested them.
Not even once.
She had created the talismans on a whim while she had nothing better to do.
In theory, they should work.
The rune structure was correct.
The spiritual-energy circulation was correct.
Everything about them looked like a successful creation.
There was just one tiny problem.
She had never dared to actually set one off.
What if the explosion was too weak?
That would be embarrassing.
But what if it was too powerful— and blew her up along with it?
That would be even worse!
So after creating them, Yuchi Mengxing had simply stuffed the entire stack into her bag.
And there they had remained.
Until today.
Yuchi Mengxing looked down at the Explosion Talismans.
Then she looked at the enormous Demon-Winged Toad below.
Her eyes gradually brightened.
What a rare opportunity.
Why not— test them?
The target had practically delivered itself to her doorstep.
And it was even a thick-skinned fifth-rank magical beast.
Perfect!
Besides, judging from the current situation, Youqin Jingheng and that disgusting giant toad could probably fight from morning until night without reaching a conclusion.
Youqin Jingheng might be at the mid Yellow Rank, but he clearly wasn’t strong enough to overwhelm a fifth-rank magical beast.
As for the Demon-Winged Toad— its defenses were ridiculously tough.
Neither side could finish the other.
If this continued, they might fight all day without deciding a winner.
Killing it?
Forget about it.
Yuchi Mengxing’s gaze hardened.
“Fine.” She drew in a deep breath.
“I’ll test them on you.” She pulled a single Explosion Talisman from the stack and held it between two fingers.
The joking expression on her face disappeared.
Her eyes narrowed.
Through the poisonous mist, she carefully tracked the Demon-Winged Toad’s enormous body.
She couldn’t throw it carelessly.
Youqin Jingheng was still down there.
If she missed the toad and blew him up instead…
that wouldn’t count as helping.
That would be murder.
Yuchi Mengxing held her breath.
Her gaze followed the Demon-Winged Toad.
Once.
Twice.
The enormous beast leaped again.
Now!
Yuchi Mengxing’s eyes sharpened.
Her fingers instantly formed a hand seal.
Spiritual energy surged into the talisman.
Buzz—!
The faint red markings suddenly blazed to life.
The entire talisman was enveloped in crimson light.
Yuchi Mengxing flicked her wrist.
“Go!” Whoosh!
The Explosion Talisman transformed into a streak of crimson light and tore through the poisonous mist.
Its speed was astonishing.
In the blink of an eye— Smack!
The talisman landed squarely on the Demon-Winged Toad’s back, right among the densely packed poisonous lumps.
Yuchi Mengxing’s eyes lit up.
“Explode!” BOOM—!
A deafening explosion shook the swamp.
Flames erupted across the Demon-Winged Toad’s back.
The shockwave scattered the surrounding poisonous mist and sent mud flying everywhere.
Even Youqin Jingheng, who was still fighting below, paused for a fraction of a second.
Yuchi Mengxing’s eyes widened.
Did it work?!
She stared intently at the Demon-Winged Toad’s back.
The flames faded.
Smoke slowly dispersed.
And then— “…” The anticipation on Yuchi Mengxing’s face disappeared.
The Demon-Winged Toad was still standing there.
Forget falling over.
Its skin hadn’t even broken!
“Croak—!” The beast let out an angry cry and continued chasing Youqin Jingheng as though nothing had happened.
It was almost as if Yuchi Mengxing hadn’t detonated an Explosion Talisman on its back— but merely set off an unusually loud firecracker.
Yuchi Mengxing: “…” Its skin is that thick?!
She looked at the remaining talismans in her hand.
Then at the completely unharmed giant toad.
Fine.
She refused to believe this.
If one wasn’t enough— then two!
Yuchi Mengxing immediately pulled out another talisman.
Hand seal.
Spiritual energy.
Aim.
This time, her movements were noticeably smoother.
“Go!” Whoosh!
A second streak of crimson light shot through the air.
Smack!
It landed squarely on the Demon-Winged Toad’s back again.
“Explode!” BOOM—!
Another explosion erupted.
This time, the Demon-Winged Toad’s enormous body visibly shook.
“Croak—!” It let out a furious roar.
Yuchi Mengxing immediately narrowed her eyes.
There!
It worked!
Several of the swollen poisonous lumps on the creature’s back had finally cracked beneath the second explosion.
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
Several lumps burst open one after another.
Bright blue, viscous liquid began seeping from the wounds.
It slowly trickled down the creature’s rough skin.
Yuchi Mengxing’s mouth twitched.
Disgusting or not— at least she had finally hurt it.
Unfortunately…
the damage was still far from enough.
For a magical beast that enormous, a few burst poison sacs were nowhere near fatal.
Worse— the pain had thoroughly enraged it.
“CROAK—!” Its furious roar echoed across the swamp.
The Demon-Winged Toad suddenly launched itself forward.
Boom!
The ground trembled.
It charged toward Youqin Jingheng like a crazed monster.
Its attacks became even more violent than before.
Venom sprayed through the air as though it cost nothing.
Youqin Jingheng’s expression changed.
He immediately dodged a venom blade flying toward his face.
Boom!
The attack struck a dead tree behind him.
The trunk was instantly corroded, leaving behind a massive blackened hole.
Youqin Jingheng glanced back.
Then— his gaze quietly shifted toward Yuchi Mengxing high in the tree.
One talisman.
Two talismans.
Something seemed to click in his mind.
That girl…
Was she using the Demon-Winged Toad to test her talismans?!
His expression became strange.
But only for a moment.
Whether she was testing them or not didn’t matter.
Those talismans could injure the Demon-Winged Toad.
That was enough.
Youqin Jingheng’s feet shifted.
His movement pattern suddenly changed.
Instead of simply dodging the creature’s attacks, he began deliberately adjusting his position.
Wind blades shot from his hands, forcing the Demon-Winged Toad to change direction.
Little by little— he began leading the enormous beast toward Yuchi Mengxing’s side of the battlefield.
High in the tree, Yuchi Mengxing noticed immediately.
Her eyebrows rose.
Oh?
This kid caught on pretty quickly.
If he knew how to cooperate— then things would be much easier.
Yuchi Mengxing looked down at the remaining Explosion Talismans.
The third!
Whoosh!
BOOM!
Flames erupted.
The fourth!
BOOM—!
The fifth!
BOOM!
The sixth!
The seventh!
One streak of crimson light after another shot down from the tree.
The explosions barely stopped.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM—!
For a moment, the poisonous swamp sounded as though someone had decided to celebrate the New Year in the middle of it.
Flames erupted one after another.
The Demon-Winged Toad’s furious croaks mixed with the explosions, shaking the surrounding air.
“CROAK—!” The eighth!
BOOM!
The ninth!
BOOM—!
And finally— the tenth!
Yuchi Mengxing held the final Explosion Talisman she intended to test between two fingers.
Her gaze sharpened.
“Go!” Crimson light tore through the air.
The talisman landed perfectly.
“Explode!” BOOM—!
The tenth explosion was louder than all the previous ones.
Blazing flames instantly swallowed the Demon-Winged Toad’s enormous body.
Smoke, dust, and poisonous mist surged into the air.
Yuchi Mengxing instinctively raised an arm to shield her face.
A moment later— the smoke began to clear.
She immediately looked down.
And then…
fell silent.
The Demon-Winged Toad was still standing.
Admittedly— it looked much worse than before.
The densely packed poisonous lumps covering its back had been blasted apart by the ten consecutive explosions.
Some had cracked.
Some had burst completely.
Others had become a mangled mess.
Large amounts of bright blue slime continuously leaked from the ruptured poison sacs.
Drip.
Drip.
It splattered onto the ground.
Sizzle—!
White smoke immediately rose wherever it landed.
The foul stench in the air became even stronger.
Even through the barrier, Yuchi Mengxing felt as though the smell was drilling directly into her brain.
She pinched her nose.
“…” Disgusting.
Absolutely disgusting.
But that wasn’t what left her speechless.
It was the Demon-Winged Toad itself.
Ten!
She had thrown ten entire Explosion Talismans at it!
The poisonous lumps across its back had been blown apart.
Blue slime was leaking everywhere.
And yet— its enormous body was still standing firmly.
It didn’t even look significantly weaker.
In fact— she seemed to have completely pissed it off.
“CROAK——!!!” A deafening roar shook the entire poisonous swamp.
The Demon-Winged Toad’s enormous body trembled violently.
Then— it launched itself toward Youqin Jingheng again!
Faster than before.
More vicious than before.
Its attacks were even more ferocious.
It looked as though it wanted nothing more than to swallow the person in front of it whole.
Yuchi Mengxing: “…” She looked down at the remaining Explosion Talismans in her hand.
Then at the giant toad below, which somehow seemed to be getting angrier the more she blew it up.
The corner of her eye twitched violently.
Ten Explosion Talismans— its poison sacs had been blown apart.
Blue slime was leaking everywhere.
And yet this thing…
Why the hell was it getting even fiercer?!