BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The three sharp prongs slammed into the blue light, causing it to ripple violently.
The sharp prongs were about to pierce the rippling blue light, but their momentum failed, and they fell powerlessly to the ground.
Meanwhile, the Fire Bombs spat by the Toad Spirit collided with the Magic.
The Magic was as fragile as paper, utterly crushed.
It only held for a moment before dissipating into nothing.
The remaining Fire Bombs, still carrying most of their power, slammed viciously into the surrounding trees.
Several massive trees toppled with a CRASH!
His Magic had blocked the Steel Fork Magical Artifact.
The sneak attack from the sharp prongs was neutralized by his Demon Talisman.
The Yuanbao Mountain was steadily suppressing the Copper Coin Magical Artifact.
The offensive Magic was far weaker than he had anticipated, shattered directly by his Fire Bombs.
'The situation is looking great!'
The Toad Spirit's expression relaxed.
"I'd like to see who's so bold as to ambush me, the great Toad!"
But at that very moment, an incredibly violent aura exploded right beside him.
His Defense Demon Talisman had already been destabilized by the earlier attack from the sharp prongs.
With this explosion, it shattered completely.
"When did—!"
The Toad Spirit was horrified.
He hadn't sensed any aura at all; it had appeared beside him without any warning.
By the time he did sense it, it had already detonated.
He had no time to react.
BOOM!
The immense power sent the Toad Spirit flying, flinging him far away.
The power of this Bursting Spell was exceedingly strong, shattering his Body-Protecting Demon Talisman.
It also grievously wounded the Toad Spirit.
Although he was a Late-stage Qi Refining Old Demon, his skills were primarily focused on Magic and Magical Artifacts.
His Demon Body, while tough, was not resilient enough to withstand such a spell head-on.
In terms of power, this Bursting Spell was much stronger than one from an ordinary Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator.
Coupled with the minor injuries he had already sustained while fighting the Mountain Boar Demon, the combined damage left him severely wounded.
'Damn it!'
'If I had finished refining the Illusory Bell, I would never have been this passive!'
The Toad Spirit seethed with resentment.
Even now, he had yet to catch a glimpse of his attacker.
While being thrown through the air, he struggled to stabilize his Demon Body.
At the same time, he channeled his Demon Power, trying to recall the Yuanbao Seal for protection.
At this point, he no longer thought of teaching his ambusher a harsh lesson, let alone killing them.
His only thought was self-preservation.
As long as the Middle-grade Magical Artifact, the Yuanbao Seal, returned, his safety would at least be guaranteed.
'Judging by the power of the spell just now, the attacker is stronger than an ordinary Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator.'
'But not by much!'
'Moreover, they probably don't have a Middle-grade Magical Artifact!'
'Otherwise, that last sneak attack, combined with a Middle-grade Magical Artifact, would have been enough to kill me outright.'
'Who on earth have I offended?!'
'Their Magical Combat experience is so seasoned, their timing and rhythm so sharp!'
'In just a few moves, they've put me in such a perilous situation!'
The Toad Spirit frantically searched his memories.
But rack his brains as he might, he couldn't figure out who it was!
Among all the Demons he knew, there was no one this cunning!
His body was about to hit the ground, and the Yuanbao Seal had finally broken free from its entanglement with the Copper Coin Magical Artifact, now speeding toward him.
'Come back, come back quickly!'
Once the Yuanbao Seal returned, he would be able to fly.
Then, he could immediately use the power of the Middle-grade Magical Artifact to fly away and escape.
He made up his mind: he would not come out of seclusion until he had fully refined the Illusory Bell.
Seeing the Yuanbao Seal about to return, the Toad Spirit's heart settled slightly.
Suddenly, he glanced down and saw a gray figure.
"That's—!"
It was a Demon no bigger than an ordinary squirrel.
A Mouse Demon!
Somehow, this Mouse Demon had appeared right where he was about to land.
The Toad Spirit's face froze, as if he had been plunged into an icy cavern.
"Die!"
Xu Chang'an smiled faintly as he watched the falling Toad Spirit.
The spell he had long been preparing in his hands erupted with a brilliant light, blasting toward the Toad Spirit.
POW!
Amidst the Toad Spirit's agonized screams, its Demon Body exploded into a shower of blood and gore.
Deprived of the Demon Power driving it, the Yuanbao Seal instantly lost its luster and clattered to the ground.
Xu Chang'an walked over to the Yuanbao Seal and looked at the gold ingot, which had shrunk to the size of a normal Yuanbao, a hint of joy on his face.
"A Middle-grade Magical Artifact, the Yuanbao Seal!"
After collecting the Yuanbao Seal, he also recalled his Steel Fork Magical Artifact and Money Shield.
Xu Chang'an took the Toad Spirit's Storage Bag, gave it a quick search, and then rapidly left the scene.
The magical combat had been quite noisy, and although his earlier scouting had revealed no other Demons nearby, it was always better to be cautious!
Securing the prize and making a swift exit—that was the proper way!
...
In the mountain forest, Xu Chang'an activated his Stealth Technique, once again transforming into a Wild Wolf Demon.
He had to unleash his full power for the attack, so he had temporarily deactivated his Concealment Spell.
This ambush, managing to kill a Toad Spirit who possessed a Middle-grade Magical Artifact despite only being at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, was a success.
Every step had been meticulously calculated and planned.
First, he used the Steel Fork Magical Artifact for a sneak attack.
Caught off guard and unsure of the situation, the Toad Spirit would certainly not let the Middle-grade Magical Artifact, the Yuanbao Seal, leave its side recklessly.
Therefore, the Toad Spirit chose to engage with Magic.
This set the stage for the Steel Fork Magical Artifact's three prongs to separate for a second sneak attack.
If the Yuanbao Seal had been deployed, the prongs, even if separated, would likely have been instantly suppressed.
After this first preparatory step, Xu Chang'an sent the Money Shield to attack.
In the process, he used a special Manipulation Technique to make its display of power seem terrifying.
Faced with such a display, the Toad Spirit would surely not hold back.
When facing the unknown, one must strike with full force to avoid losing a crucial opportunity!
This was sound logic!
But it, too, fell right into Xu Chang'an's calculations.
The Toad Spirit used the Middle-grade Magical Artifact, the Yuanbao Seal, to counter the Money Shield.
The Money Shield was never an Attacking Magical Artifact; its offensive power was naturally ordinary.
However, its nature as a Defensive Magical Artifact was enough to entangle the Yuanbao Seal for a while.
And the discrepancy between the Money Shield's terrifying display and its actual power also laid the foundation for the third step of his assault.
A magical attack, launched with Xu Chang'an's rich Magical Combat experience, was cast at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer but manifested the power of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, with a speed approaching the Late-stage Qi Refining realm.
With the precedent set by the Money Shield, even though the Toad Spirit saw through the spell's true power at a glance, he didn't dare be careless.
In a life-or-death Magical Combat, feints and bluffs were commonplace.
As an Independent Cultivator Demon with rich experience in Magical Combat, the Toad Spirit would definitely use his full power to defend.
He would unleash his Demon Power, casting the astonishingly powerful Fire Bomb Technique.
And so, the third step of Xu Chang'an's plan was achieved.
Unleashing his Demon Power twice in a row to cast spells, while also needing to divide his attention to control the Yuanbao Seal, meant the sudden attack from the Steel Fork Magical Artifact's three prongs would surely be difficult for the Toad Spirit to react to and parry.
This forced out the Toad Spirit's defensive measure!
A High-Quality Defense Demon Talisman, one of the best among the Lower Grade!
If the sudden attack from the three prongs could break the Toad Spirit's defense, that would be for the best.
If it couldn't, that was fine too...
...because Xu Chang'an had already concealed his breath and moved near the Toad Spirit, preparing a Bursting Spell for him well in advance.
If the spell could kill him, then the job was done.
If it couldn't!
He had a follow-up move!
Xu Chang'an had used an Escape Demon Talisman to get ahead, waiting for the Toad Spirit long before he was thrown to the ground.
Ready to deliver the final gift.
To crush and kill him in one fell swoop!
Perhaps, amidst this series of schemes, the Toad Spirit died with his eyes open, feeling utterly unreconciled.
If only he could have recalled the Yuanbao Seal in time and used the power of the Middle-grade Magical Artifact, he might not have been able to turn the tables, but he certainly wouldn't have ended up like this!
All of Xu Chang'an's calculations would have come to nothing.
He was so close!
But...
...that tiny gap was also part of Xu Chang'an's calculations.
From the angle of the Money Shield's attack to the position where it entangled the Yuanbao Seal, and even the location Xu Chang'an chose for his Concealment and Breath Control, and the direction the Bursting Spell would send the Toad Spirit flying...
...he had controlled the distance between the Toad Spirit and the Yuanbao Seal with absolute precision!
Step by step, it was all meticulously designed!
The Toad Spirit's death was not unjust!