Chapter 36: Purple Gold Toad

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He Lingchuan's roar echoed across the deck: "Kill them! Don't hold back!"

They couldn't turn back, couldn't retreat, nor were they tied up. Why were they all just standing there like spectators?

Was this the time to consider their camaraderie?

The crowd was momentarily at a loss, but He Lingchuan's harsh words jolted them back to their senses. Gritting their teeth, they all raised their swords and axes against their possessed comrades.

At a time like this, their own lives were paramount; camaraderie had to take a backseat.

Soon, all the puppets were killed, and the Three-Corpse Worms that had possessed them were expelled before they could even warm their bodies.

By this time, the Walnut Boat had passed through the city gate, navigating through the undulating ruins of the old city, amidst dappled light and shadow.

Some Three-Corpse Worms successfully burrowed back into the shadows, but the last few were forced out and exposed to the sunlight.

Bathed in the intense light, these illusory figures instantly dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

Without the protection of a physical body, the sun's true fire was their nemesis.

The annexed city was not large, and there weren't many buildings. The Walnut Boat soon moved away from all city walls, once again traversing the dunes.

Under the sun's protection, everyone breathed heavily, now free to turn their heads.

Nian Songyu's voice carried from another boat, reminding all his subordinates: "Throw the corpses overboard to lighten the load! We need to speed up."

Night was falling, and they had to hurry.

The bodies strewn across the deck had once been good comrades-in-arms. The survivors remained silent for a while before beginning to collect food, water, and weapons from the corpses.

Supplies were precious and could not be wasted.

He Chunhua's personal guard had died with his eyes open. He Lingchuan walked back and closed them.

He Chunhua sighed, "His name was Zhao Shaogang. He'd been with me for five years and handled many matters for me."

"I know, I remember," He Lingchuan said, pursing his lips. He took out Zhao Shaogang's last bag of nang bread, his last flask of water, and a simple silver hairpin.

He had killed this man with his own hands.

"This hairpin is..." He Chunhua was about to reminisce, but He Lingchuan interrupted him. "The dead are like extinguished lamps; more talk is useless. His family will receive generous compensation."

Every living person had a story, but what did that matter? They were earning money by risking their lives.

He Chunhua stopped speaking and patted his shoulder. "You're right."

At this moment, self-pity was useless.

He held up the broken comb in his left hand. "I always thought the resentment on this comb could drive away these ghostly things. It seems it's useless."

This comb was the origin of all their troubles, yet it seemed completely useless in the desert.

He Chunhua was very disappointed.

He Lingchuan glanced away guiltily. "Perhaps it's not being used correctly?" The divine bone necklace around his neck was also a "token," possibly the most important one, but no one else knew about it.

Then again, this pendant had never shown any extraordinary use. Was it lacking the right trigger conditions?

He pushed the corpse off the boat. Below, there seemed to be a large pool, its edges built with black stone, though it was now, of course, dry.

Sand burial had always been a tradition of Blackwater City and the Coiling Dragon Desert.

Listening to the thud of the corpse hitting the ground, and looking at the bloodstains on his arm—which he'd accidentally acquired while killing and searching the bodies—he felt a lump in his throat.

Strictly speaking, this was the first time he had killed someone since becoming He Lingchuan, and it was his father's personal guard, whom he had slain with his own hands.

He knew Zhao Shaogang; they had chatted and laughed together.

Moments ago, the situation had been too urgent to hesitate, but now that the immediate crisis had passed, He Lingchuan felt a pang of sorrow.

"Are you alright?" He Chunhua asked, seeing him still looking down.

"A little seasick," He Lingchuan replied, raising his water skin and taking a gulp, swallowing down his discomfort.

Killing another human was different from killing chickens or dogs. He was surprised he hadn't leaned over the side of the boat to vomit profusely.

Since coming to this world, his heart seemed to have hardened.

What was subtly influencing him?

Over on the other side, Situ Han was also tidying up, his eyes red-rimmed. One of the desert bandits had been possessed, and he had personally cut him down.

This man had plundered wealth and ravaged women with him, and just days ago, they had gotten drunk together and slept foot-to-foot. Now, with his body still warm, he was thrown overboard.

And everyone knew that such incidents would be common on their journey of exploration.

This was just the beginning.

He Lingchuan quietly took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then leaned closer to He Chunhua and said, "The Imperial Advisor's boat has the fewest casualties." He meant the fewest bodies thrown overboard.

"There's no such thing as fairness in this world," He Chunhua replied.

When people were possessed by Three-Corpse Worms, they turned into puppets. Apart from Coiling Dragon City back then, no one had a quick rescue method. It was said that in the later stages of the allied forces' siege, the Immortal Land Kingdom had several sets of treatment methods, but they were time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. At most, no more than 20% of those treated successfully had the worms expelled, and it still took three to five days.

The Three-Corpse Worms were originally hidden within humans; the first step for a cultivator to attain enlightenment was to sever their own Three-Corpse Worms. How easy could it be to expel them by other means?

Moreover, possessed puppets became completely feral; how could they be calmly treated?

Therefore, Nian Songyu and other decision-makers had agreed long ago that if anyone on the boat became possessed by a Three-Corpse Worm, they would act swiftly and decisively to prevent further trouble!

Every possessed person would become a burden, and they simply could not afford to wait or save them.

He Chunhua shook his head, casting aside his troublesome thoughts, then patted his son's shoulder. "Thanks to your timely intervention just now, several lives were saved. By the way, when did your throwing knife aim get so good?"

That throwing knife had shot out right past his shoulder, its accuracy truly remarkable.

This once good-for-nothing son had saved his life and helped him quell chaos; he had certainly improved.

He Chunhua felt greatly relieved.

"Aim? Uh!" He Lingchuan said, embarrassed. "Just now, I guess. It was out of desperation, wasn't it?"

He Chunhua was speechless.

Whether He Lingchuan's words were prophetic or not, the other two boats remained unharmed. Only Imperial Advisor Sun's Walnut Boat welcomed unwelcome guests—

Two massive Violet-Gold Toads.

These creatures were mutated monsters, not only resembling toads enlarged a hundredfold in appearance but also attacking by suddenly shooting out their tongue-arrows to snatch and devour prey.

The mountain-like Violet-Gold Toads leapt from the dunes, nearly capsizing the Walnut Boat upon landing. The dashing Earth Dragons were restrained and barely able to pull the boat.

Just as ordinary toads ate flying insects, these toads ate humans. They even raised their forelimbs to help shove their prey into their mouths, then swallowed it whole without chewing.

Furthermore, when Violet-Gold Toads encountered an enemy, the warts on their bodies would burst, releasing a purple-gold poisonous mist. Anyone who inhaled it would become dizzy, disoriented, and foam at the mouth before collapsing within a few breaths.

This was the origin of their name.

Fortunately, the Violet-Gold Toads ate very slowly, savoring each person they consumed. This gave Imperial Advisor Sun and his subordinates ample time to deal with them.

The He family father and son were on another boat, beyond reach, and could only watch the spectacle unfold.