Bolin just Bolin

Two leaves arrived at different locations at the same time. One of the leaves targeted the rainbow mist toad, while the other seemed to target nothing. In the area it was sent to, there appeared to be no creature in sight.

When the leaves were almost at the rainbow mist toad's location, they were met with a thick, hazy mist made up of rainbow-colored hues. The toad blended completely into this mist. Unlike the other core formation creatures, which were larger in size, the rainbow mist toad was only the size of a palm. However, despite its small stature, it was not to be underestimated. Its defining ability, the rainbow-colored mist, was a concoction of various poisons, with each color possessing a different poisonous attribute. If a core formation expert were caught unprepared in this mist, they would be poisoned to death within minutes. The mist also enhanced the toad's physical attributes, particularly agility and regeneration.

The leaf targeting the rainbow mist toad was soon swallowed into the mist it had created.

As for the other leaf, which seemingly had no target, once it reached a particular location, a blinding streak of white light struck it, splitting it cleanly into four pieces. Each of the four pieces took the shape of the pointy end of a star. These split parts then moved north, east, south, and west, respectively. Once they were a sufficient distance apart, Feng Xin's voice carried over.

"Four cardinals of imprisonment."

A blinding white mist rose from each of the four shards, slowly ascending as the shards rose with it. They froze at the midpoint of their rise before suddenly moving towards each other, as if drawn by an invisible force. However, just as they converged, they simultaneously collided with an invisible barrier, stopping them in their tracks.

Following the collision, everything below the four shards was encased in a conical block of ice. A figure shimmered in and out of existence, pinned at the center by the shards. The shimmering continued for a while before the figure finally became visible. It was a dragonfly, roughly 20 meters tall, with a blue, almost crystalline body and two pairs of translucent wings. The wings flapped so rapidly that they seemed to slice through the air. Each time they moved, faint mirages appeared, accompanied by refractive lights radiating from its body to its wings.

The mirage dissipated each time it came into contact with the shards and the cold mist surrounding them. The creature was a mirage dragonfly, notorious for its camouflage ability and wings as sharp as any sky-rank weapon.

It repeatedly tried to invoke its mirage ability, only to have it disrupted again and again. Each attempt shortened its duration until, at last, it failed completely. Stripped of its concealment, the dragonfly resorted to using its wings to shatter the ice below. But with each strike, its wings grew heavier and slower until it could no longer lift them.

The four leaf shards had pierced just below its thorax, where its abdomen connected. Everything from its abdomen downward was frozen solid. Desperate, the mirage dragonfly strained to pull itself free, but the conical ice anchored it firmly to the frozen ground. The more it struggled, the greater the risk of tearing itself apart—and the painful death that would surely follow.

It shrieked in panic, smashing at the ice with its two free limbs, but failure embraced it at every turn. The conical ice continued sapping its strength, and its frantic movements gradually slowed until it slumped forward, bent against the icy prison.

Feng Xin's eyes narrowed as he observed the fallen creature.

"Good. It should last a few minutes before it freezes to death. That's more than enough time to handle the rest." He smirked. "How naive to think it could hide from me, despite the gap in our cultivation levels. Honestly, how did it even survive this long with such poor combat sense?"

Satisfied, Feng Xin turned his gaze toward the swirling rainbow mist where the toad lurked. A faint smile played across his lips.

"This little one's not bad. It managed to evade the Leaf of Winter a few times, though it didn't escape unscathed. I can't risk it getting hurt any further—this thing's a trove of merit points."

With that, Feng Xin flashed toward the rainbow mist in a blur, vanishing with the shadow void steps.

The rapid snapper cottonmouth was the fifth creature to fall as Feng Xin advanced toward the rainbow mist toad. The cottonmouth's dark gray body was streaked with faint patches of green, and its medium-scale girth appeared small for a core formation creature.

The creatures of the green fog swamp were noticeably smaller than those found outside the area. Years of adaptation to the swamp's foggy and murky terrain had driven most of them to favor speed over brute strength.

Despite its size, the rapid snapper cottonmouth was no less dangerous. It possessed lightning-fast reflexes, deadly striking ability, and powerful jaws capable of tearing off limbs in a single snap. Yet now, it lay in its death throes. Its body had been sliced cleanly from the edge of its jaws all the way to its tail. Its lower jaw hung loose, blood spilling down its sides and pooling around it as the last traces of life ebbed away.

Meanwhile, Feng Xin had already reached the colorful mist and was now staring at the rainbow-striped toad within. Shallow cuts marked the creature's body, and it trembled as it gazed up at him. In Feng Xin's hand, pinched between his thumb and index finger, was the leaf that had forced the toad into this state. The leaf bore a few chips along its edges and a faint green taint. However, the taint quickly faded as the leaf rested in his grasp, its surface regaining its pristine, glass-like luster.

"I'm sorry, little friend, but you'll have to come with me. I know a few people who'd be very interested in your kind," Feng Xin said casually, his tone light despite the gravity of the situation.

The rainbow mist toad froze. If it had a human face, its expression would have been one of sheer terror. With Feng Xin now so close, it could feel the crushing weight of his presence—a fearsome, overbearing pressure that battered it like an unstoppable avalanche.

The rainbow mist toad looked upwards with clear despair written all over its face as it silently wondered to itself: when was the last time it felt this insignificant, with no odds of survival?

"It must have been that alligator's gaze back when I was still in the foundation stage. Even now, I can't forget it," the rainbow mist toad silently muttered to itself, its expression distraught as it glanced toward the green flash viper's rough direction.

"I never thought I'd feel that way again. What kind of luck is this? Twenty years without leaving my pond, and the first time I do, this happens. Li Lun, old friend, you've really done me in this time."

The rainbow mist toad remained absent-minded for a moment before a flicker of resolve lit up its eyes. Turning back to Feng Xin, it let out a series of croaking sounds, each deliberate, as if trying to communicate.

Feng Xin paused, observing the toad's actions before reaching for something inside a tiny white ring on his right index finger—a storage ring. A small, milky-white bead appeared in his palm.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the bead toward the toad. The creature snatched it up quickly, then bowed in a surprisingly human-like manner, as if offering thanks.

"Might I have the honor of knowing this esteemed master's name?" a middle-aged man's voice echoed faintly from the bead. It was a voice transmission bead.

"Feng Xin," he replied. "An inquisitor from the Order. Not sure if you've heard of it."

"Sorry, I haven't," the toad responded through the bead. "I've spent most of my life in this swamp and tend to keep to myself. The heron and the egret might have known—they venture out often."

The toad's voice grew quieter as it cast a solemn glance toward its fallen companions. "Well… I suppose it's more accurate to say 'they knew.' Their auras are fading fast."

"I can't believe it... We, who were once lords over parts of this swamp, got defeated singlehandedly within minutes. How laughable..."

A bitter smile crossed the rainbow mist toad's face as it spoke.

"I wonder... are all the humans out there as powerful as you?" it asked, unable to hide the mix of fear and curiosity in its tone. The events of the past few minutes had completely shattered its worldview.

"Pardon me for a moment," Feng Xin said abruptly, his gaze locking onto a particular direction. Without hesitation, he flung the white, glass-like leaf in his hand like a dagger. The force of the throw was so great that it blew apart part of the mist, followed by a loud, painful growl echoing through the swamp.

The rainbow mist toad winced at the sound, its body trembling slightly.

"That cry... it has to be the green-flowered babirusa," the toad thought, beads of sweat mixing with the blood trickling from the shallow cuts across its body. "Even with its thick, armored hide, it's nothing more than a paper tiger in front of this human..."

"Sorry about that," Feng Xin said, turning back to the toad. "Had to stop a friend from leaving before I had the chance to say hello. Now, where were we?"

He gave the toad a casual glance. "Ah, right—whether there are people as strong as me out there? Yes, there are. And plenty of them. The place I work is full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. There are monsters I can't last more than ten minutes against, and some—well, one look from them is enough to paralyze me."

He paused briefly, then added with a grin, "Honestly, I'm nothing special. Just an average guy with a talent for eating. But against those in the same realm as me, I do okay. Your defeat today isn't shameful or unwarranted. You can take some solace in that, at least."

Feng Xin's words, delivered so casually, struck the rainbow mist toad like a bolt of lightning. Its expression froze, as if it had been turned to ice.

People stronger than him? The human who had treated them like fodder—mere playthings—within minutes? The toad struggled to process what it had just heard.

It was unbelievable to the rainbow mist toad. It had just glimpsed how fearsome Feng Xin truly was, and from the looks of it, he hadn't even broken a sweat while dealing with them. But why would someone as powerful as him bother lying to a weaker creature? The toad had no choice but to believe Feng Xin's words, no matter how absurd they sounded.

For the first time in its life, Bolin felt utterly tiny and insignificant. Despite itself, despair began to creep in, almost making it forget why it had wanted to speak with Feng Xin in the first place.

"What's your name?" Feng Xin's voice broke through the toad's spiraling thoughts. "It feels awkward calling you the rainbow mist toad. You must have named yourself, right?"

The sudden question snapped the toad out of its stupor.

"Sorry," it said hastily, trying to pull its scattered thoughts together. "My name is Bolin, just Bolin."

Feng Xin gave a slight nod.

"Well, Bolin, is there a reason you wanted to talk to me?" he asked, his tone steady but laced with curiosity. "I'm short on time, and it looks like one of your friends may have slipped through my net."

Despite the comment, Feng Xin didn't seem particularly concerned about the escape.