Chapter 1307: Five Great Poison Chiefs

Boom—!Boom—!!Boom—!!!With each thud, the ground shook violently, and dense cracks spread across the surface, as if meteorites were constantly pummelling the earth. At the same time, a terrifying eighth-tier aura surged from the toad. The first eighth-tier calamity of the Abyssal Mirth had appeared.

Its two enormous, round eyes fixated on Chen Ling, who was on Wu Yi's back. With a single leap, it covered several kilometers, landing with a thunderous crash beside Chen Ling, its colossal body crushing several smaller toads into a pulp. Its chin rapidly swelled as if brewing some world-destroying power. When its chin became even larger than its own body, it opened its massive mouth, and a thunderous roar erupted from deep within the abyss!!

“CROOOOAAAK—!!!!”

The rampant aura swept powerfully, sending all calamities below the fifth tier flying. A hurricane of air ruffled Chen Ling's robes, the large red theatrical gown flapping violently in the creature's foul breath. Chen Ling was speechless.

“Alright, alright,” Chen Ling said, wiping the toad’s saliva from his face, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “I know you’re excited… but try to calm down for a moment.” Chen Ling could feel the eighth-tier toad's immense joy. That earth-shattering croak sounded exactly like a child, left alone at home for five years, seeing their mother return and screaming a heartbroken “Mom!” The reason it arrived so slowly was due to its immense weight; hopping all the way had been truly difficult for it.

After the toad appeared, the ground on the other side suddenly churned violently. A figure gleaming with black, metallic luster burst directly from the earth, like a precise tank emerging from underground. A formidable, massive stinger hung at the tip of its tail, swaying from side to side as if possessing intelligence. This was a scorpion with a sharp aura; it brandished its massive claws before prostrating itself on the ground. Compared to the toad's enormous body, the scorpion was much smaller, but its tail stinger, glinting with cold light, seemed steeped in potent venom, causing anyone who saw it to feel a terrifying tremor. Its intricate, multifaceted eyes reflected Chen Ling's theatrical robes, their gaze unreadable.

CRASH—

Next, the nearby cliff face suddenly contorted, and a slender gecko descended, landing heavily on the other side of the toad. This gecko was so well camouflaged that even Chen Ling hadn't noticed it until now. However, compared to the scorpion's complex eye structure, the gecko's eyes were visibly dull, like a dim-witted fool always a beat behind. It simply lay motionless at Chen Ling's feet, like a dead fish, doing nothing else.

“A toad, a scorpion, a gecko…” Chen Ling murmured thoughtfully, looking at the three eighth-tier creatures before him. “There should be more.” Before Chen Ling had finished speaking, a thick giant python slithered out of a nearby cave, like a silent phantom. This was no ordinary black snake. Eerie gray patterns writhed across its shadow-like body, and the pits below its snake-head resembled two mottled human faces. As its ink-black forked tongue flickered, an icy chill began to permeate the air.

As the venomous snake slowly coiled beside Chen Ling, the last colossal shadow finally emerged from the far end of the abyss. It was a massive centipede with tens of thousands of densely packed legs. Several kilometers long, it resembled a mobile, venom-tipped saw. Even when coiling as tightly as possible in front of Chen Ling, it still occupied most of the path. Its gaze first swept over Chen Ling, then fixed on Wu Yi beneath him. In that instant, a strange chill rose in Wu Yi’s heart. By lineage, all the shadow centipedes in this abyss were descendants of this giant centipede, including Wu Yi. At first, Wu Yi had been excited to see its 'ancestor,' like a child returning home triumphantly after scoring first place on an exam, eager to report their success. But what it received instead was a pair of eyes filled with wariness and disgust. Wu Yi sensed a chilling hostility from its 'ancestor.' The giant centipede slowly bowed before Chen Ling.

A centipede, a scorpion, a toad, a venomous snake, a gecko… Just as Teacher Ye had said, the calamities of the Abyssal Mirth were primarily subterranean creatures, led by the Five Poisons. These five eighth-tier calamities were likely the most terrifying beings in the Abyssal Mirth, apart from the Mocking Calamity itself. Honestly, the lineup of calamities kneeling before Chen Ling could easily obliterate any realm not protected by a demigod. Was this… the true power of the Abyssal Mirth?

“Rise,” Chen Ling said calmly. As his words fell, the five poison leaders slowly rose, their colossal shadows almost completely obscuring the abyssal path. Chen Ling lightly patted Wu Yi's head. Wu Yi immediately understood and continued deeper into the abyss with Chen Ling on its back… but it soon had to stop. Two colossal shadows still blocked its path. Chen Ling's brow furrowed slightly. “Move aside.”

The scorpion next to them immediately lifted its tail stinger and sharply tapped the dazed gecko on the head. The slow-witted gecko finally reacted, moving to the side and clearing a large space… then remained motionless, like a stone. Chen Ling's gaze fell on the centipede leader. Seeing this, the centipede leader also quickly came to its senses and moved its massive body to the other side, clearing a wide path for Chen Ling. Throughout this process, it kept its head bowed, appearing utterly respectful, yet Chen Ling could vaguely sense a different emotion emanating from it, along with a subtle, lingering gaze… as if it were observing him with puzzling curiosity.

With the path cleared, Wu Yi, carrying Chen Ling on its back, proceeded directly into the deeper parts of the abyss. Chen Ling, in his large red theatrical robe, glanced back at the prostrate centipede leader, a hint of coldness flickering in his eyes amidst the faint blue glow. Chen Ling scoffed inwardly. The toad, despite being the heaviest and slowest jumper, had been the first to greet him. Leaving the dull-witted gecko aside, the other poison leaders had arrived one by one, each later than the last. It was impossible that they hadn't sensed his aura immediately. Thus… it seemed that during this period when the Abyssal Mirth was without a true leader, these eighth-tier poison leaders had all been harboring their own ambitions. Chen Ling slowly withdrew his gaze, no longer diverting his attention to these colossal figures. His expression remained utterly calm. Whatever thoughts these beasts harbored, they were, in the end, still just beasts. He had just been tricked in the human realm and was seething with unvented anger. If he returned to his own territory only to be outmaneuvered by these creatures, then Chen Ling might as well not live. He was eager to see what schemes these creatures could pull now that he had returned to the Abyssal Mirth.