Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 116 Human-Headed Toad, Soul-Trapping Array

"What about the previous changes that happened to the ancestral hall?"

Someone asked boldly.

Muramasa lowered his head, looking ashamed.

"It was also my idea to have Wang Cheng do it. Sprinkle some gold liquid and release some rats to create a ghostly spectacle, hoping to find a master to catch the bronze toad..."

"If it's fake, then why is your son like this? Could it be that he's faking it too?"

The villagers asked.

Muramasa was embarrassed and didn't know how to answer.

Chen Ji shook his head.

"It wasn't him, it was the work of a real demon."

"Are there really demons and ghosts?"

The villagers' angry eyes suddenly turned to terror as they stared blankly at Chen Ji.

"nature."

Chen Ji said slowly.

“The previous village head built a house and changed the feng shui, turning the whole village into a trap.”

“Those who died in the village over the years are left in the ancestral hall and cannot enter the underworld, so they naturally harbor resentment.”

"What's more..."

Chen Ji shook his head coldly.

"If they were to stay here and enjoy the incense offerings, that would be fine, but the former village head had no such good intentions. He took all the souls that stayed here and used them as provisions to consume the soul consciousness of the copper toad."

"Over the years, even the spirits in the ancestral hall are the ancestors of the village. It's normal for them to feel resentment when they see all their close relatives and friends go into the mouths of toads."

As Chen Ji was speaking, he suddenly thought of something.

"What the peddler you found said was absolutely right."

"A new ghost has come to live in the old temple. It's ridiculous that ignorant villagers worship ghosts as their ancestors. They will be laughed at in the afterlife."

"This old temple truly houses a new demon that you yourselves raised!"

Muramasa was dumbfounded.

"I... I really... never thought it would turn out like this..."

There was silence in the ancestral hall.

Toad cultivation, flowing spring as mine, village headman's soul transfer, ancestor becoming a ghost...

The fact that a story they wouldn't even dare to write like this in a traditional storybook was actually happening right before their eyes sent chills down their spines.

The elders looked at the village head with eyes that seemed to spit fire.

Uncle San had just woken up and was originally too weak to even smash a cup, but upon hearing these words, he coughed up a mouthful of black blood, stood up, and swung his arm to slap someone.

"Beast!"

"Even sheep and dogs know how to repay kindness, how could you do such a thing? You're worse than a pig or a dog!"

"Those who have been fellow villagers for over a decade can't even be reincarnated after death. Is what your family is doing even humanely?"

"He deserves to die! He truly deserves to die!"

"My Wang family has produced a disgrace like you. What right do I have to face my ancestors!"

"Bronze Toad, if you're still here, then watch closely! This old man will atone with my death, and I hope you won't take your anger out on the rest of the village!"

As he spoke, he pushed aside the person who was helping him and slammed into a pillar.

But when you plunge in headfirst, it feels like you've plunged into a ball of cotton.

Looking up, he saw Chen Ji summoning a gust of wind to block his way and shaking his head slightly.

"If death is the only way to atone for one's sins, it shouldn't be you. Besides, the demons and ghosts you've raised are inhuman; they won't let you go even if you die. You'll just be adding fuel to the fire."

"I...this...oh!"

The third uncle, unable to die or live, was speechless upon hearing this.

"Coo-coo, coo-coo, quack!"

In the silence, a clear croaking of a frog suddenly came from the top of the ancestral hall.

Then several ancestral tablets rolled off the altar and turned into small toads as they landed... no, they were clearly half-human, half-toad monsters!

It has the body of a toad, but the head, hands and feet of a human, and its eyes glow with a blood-red light just like a toad's.

Chen Ji narrowed his eyes.

This demon seems to have finally had enough.

"Coo! Croak!"

"Coo coo coo, croak!"

"Coo-coo, quack!"

The croaking of frogs echoed all around.

Everyone looked around, trembling all over, their faces turning pale with fright.

The strange creatures crawled all over the beams, pillars, ancestral tablets, the prayer cushions on the ground, and even the window frames.

Inside the ancestral hall, at some unknown time, these ghostly human-headed toads had appeared everywhere.

The croaking of frogs was deafening, like a death knell.

His bloodshot eyes stared at the people in the room, radiating intense hatred.

The room also emitted a slightly fishy and spicy smell, like a pot of dry-pot bullfrog that had been left out overnight.

But Chen Ji felt dizzy just smelling it.

"Watch out, it's poisonous!"

When he finally spoke, he realized there was no need for it.

Every single person from Wangcun Village in the surrounding area lay motionless on the ground, their eyes darting back and forth in terror as they stared at the human-headed toad perched in front of them.

"The wind is coming!"

Chen Ji raised his hand and summoned a gust of wind.

A tornado suddenly appeared inside the room, carrying the energy with it as it broke through the window frame, even taking several of the human-headed toads with it with them, which croaked incessantly in the air.

only……

In the blink of an eye, countless human-headed toads appeared out of thin air in the room.

The layers upon layers of food were crammed together, which was disgusting.

But Chen Ji noticed something different.

These toads are too light to be real; they seem to be some kind of illusion.

So he focused his gaze on the memorial tablet.

Only after the ancestral tablets collapsed and were completely destroyed did they discover that the wall that originally displayed portraits of the Wang family ancestors was now revealed, but the image had been completely changed.

In the first painting.

A green mountain, a copper spring, and a giant copper-colored toad squatting by the spring, with a person seemingly talking beside it.

In the second painting.

The bronze toad was still the same bronze toad, but now a hundred or so people had taken up hoes and started mining. Copper ingots were piled up around the bronze toad, and some people were offering incense and food.

At this point, they are still considered demons who are cultivating normally, and one can see that they possess some pure and spiritual energy.

However, in the third painting.

A human figure appeared on the bronze toad, and its blood-red eyes gained a sinister aura.

Wait until the fourth painting.

The bronze toad's body had already partially transformed into human form. There were far fewer miners left, and most of the remaining miners gathered around the bronze toad. Only the toad's head remained in its toad-like shape, with bronze-colored blood-red eyes and a sense of consciousness, as if it were struggling.

Then the fifth painting.

The bronze toad transformed into the same shape as the human-headed toads on the ground, its eyes devoid of any intelligence, only surging with overwhelming ferocity bursting forth from the scroll.

"I see……"

Chen Ji understood.

The events described earlier were indeed roughly as he knew.

Unexpectedly, the toad's intelligence was almost completely exhausted by the previous Muramasa, who had already taken over the body. However, Muramasa himself, having become a demon, had also lost his intelligence and completely forgot his purpose in taking over the toad, leaving only the purest instincts.

It was different from what he had imagined.

When I arrived, I saw a strong ghostly aura in the ancestral hall and thought that the toad demon had gained the upper hand and wanted to massacre the village and take revenge.

Now it seems we misunderstood this demon.

This is the result of Muramasa possessing the last remaining desire after the demon's intelligence was extinguished.

Want to achieve immortality?

But why would they return to the ancestral hall?

Yes!

Ordinary people without intelligence are still just wild beasts, weak beasts without sharp teeth and claws, and not good at climbing and jumping.

They will also instinctively hide in their own safe place.

ridiculous!

Chen Ji looked at the toads with human heads scattered all over the ground and couldn't help but shake his head.

The toad trapped the souls of the entire village, using the villagers to deplete the toad's spiritual intelligence, yet still felt the village was the safest place, hiding in the ancestral hall where all the ancestors were.

What an irony!

But now is not the time to think too much; exorcising the demon is the priority. If we think any longer, everyone in Wang Village will become food for the toad.

However, the toad was layered and difficult to attack, and there were still people from Wang Village nearby. Chen Ji couldn't ignore the lives lost in this house and destroy the ancestral hall to catch the demon.

We need to lure this human-headed toad out of the house before we can make our move.

With a sudden thought, remembering that toads are afraid of light and fire, he opened his mouth and spewed out a blazing fire dragon.

"Croak! Croak!"

Almost instantly.

The little toad beside Chen Ji turned into a pool of black water, emitting the same smell as before.

They were all transformed from ghostly energy.

After the ghostly aura appeared, it paused for a moment and rushed straight to the offering table, disappearing under the red cloth.

Chen Ji's eyes flickered before he looked at the offering table.

Previously, seeing the eerie atmosphere inside the room, I hadn't noticed the prayer mat placed under the altar.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that this was not a prayer mat at all, but rather a scarred toad with a human head protruding from the ground.

There was no movement just now, and we didn't notice anything amiss while discussing matters in the ancestral hall. But now that the ghostly aura has disappeared, it's clear that something is wrong.

"Coo coo coo... Croak!"

The croaking of toads, like the mooing of cows, suddenly rang out inside the ancestral hall.

All the little human-headed toads stopped moving.

The next instant, they all opened their mouths, their eyes red as they looked at Chen Ji as if about to pounce.

Chen Ji's eyes turned cold. He formed a hand seal and held a mouthful of scorching air, waiting for the group of human-headed toads to charge before unleashing a burst of fire.

At the critical moment.

"Boom!"

The entire ancestral hall suddenly shook, making a sound like an earth dragon turning over.

All the little human-headed toads stopped moving again, looking down at the altar, then at Chen Ji, and stood there stunned.

Chen Ji looked at the offering table.

The blue bricks on the ground sank, revealing more raised scars.

In just a few breaths, a giant toad pushed open the ground and revealed its form.

However, it did not resemble a human-headed toad; it was still the bronze toad from the painting, with several bronze chains as thick as a human leg tied around its body.

Chen Ji then noticed that there was a huge cavity beneath the ancestral hall, with walls made of molten copper.

"I see!"

The map and the village layout he had just seen using geomancy appeared before his eyes. Chen Ji nodded slightly, finally understanding the former village head's purpose.

Trapped soul.

It wasn't just to trap the villagers' souls, but also to trap the soul of the bronze toad.

Just as I was about to think it over, I heard the giant toad croaking.

"Coo-coo...quack!"

This sound was completely different from the previous one.

All the little human-headed toads froze in place upon hearing the sound. After a while, they all exploded, regaining their demonic aura, and then burrowed back into the body of the large bronze toad.

"Coo-coo-quack!"

As the ghostly energy entered its body, the giant toad let out a mournful cry, but it stared at Chen Ji with its eyes wide open. A flash of ferocity passed through its bloodshot eyes, but a hint of clarity remained.

Its mouth was wide open, making rapid noises, and it raised its paw to pat the copper chain beside it.

"Quack! Quack!"

Chen Ji was surprised.

Despite all the effort the previous village head had put in, he hadn't been able to completely erase the toad's intelligence. Now, it was staring at him with a look of pleading.

"To save or not to save?"

After pondering for a few breaths, Chen Ji made a decision.

Judging from the current situation, the bronze toad has no intention of harming people, and its connection with people is for the purpose of spiritual cultivation.

It was the village head of Wangjia Village who harbored malicious intentions and wanted to refine a demonic body, which led to the current human-headed toad. Even if it is hurting people now, it is due to the village head's desire to become a ghost, and it cannot be attributed to this bronze toad.

The reason it sought help from itself was probably because it sensed the demonic aura of Senior Huai and Miss Bai on its body, and thought it was a demon.

Only then did they dare to ask for help.

They should be saved.

However, the souls of this toad and the human are now deeply intertwined, and cannot be separated by ordinary means.

Even if you use the Soul-Binding Technique, you might not be able to completely capture another soul.

unless……

Chen Ji had an idea and came up with a solution.

Then he looked at the bronze toad and said slowly.

“I promise you, if you are still conscious, nod.”

"Cuck!"

The bronze toad nodded hastily.

Chen Ji then spoke up to continue.

“I know that you were framed by villains and ended up in this state, but your souls are deeply intertwined, and ordinary methods cannot solve this problem.”

"I have a technique that can use souls as fuel to burn soul fire. If you can endure it, I will use your soul as fuel to burn away that part of his soul. However, it will be quite painful. Can you bear it?"

"Cuck!"

The bronze toad didn't even waste words.

After responding, it puffed out its cheeks, made a loud sound, held its breath, and gradually emitted white mist from its body, transforming into a semi-transparent toad shape.

But now it's clear as day.

The toad has human hands and feet, and even its head is almost human-shaped.

Chen Ji didn't wait long.

He took out the Soul Lamp, immediately chanted a spell, and exhaled a breath.

"call!"

A ghostly green light emerged from the lampstand, and following Chen Ji's guidance, a line of fire was drawn and landed on the toad's transparent figure.

"Bah" sound.

Like boiling oil over a raging fire, or pouring molten iron onto ice.

The souls in the air instantly twisted into a ball and emitted a piercing wail.

Even the bronze toad itself mustered all its strength, pulling the bronze chains so hard they rattled and shook the ground, showing signs of breaking free from its bronze cage.

Chen Ji steadied himself, but had no mind to pay much attention to these things.

The Netherfire burns the soul; even the slightest carelessness will completely incinerate the toad's sentient soul.

You must be fully focused at this moment.

Moreover, he had to be careful to prevent the copper toad from retaliating in pain.

Fortunately, even after all the human hands and feet on the toad's soul were burned away, the bronze toad made no other move. It simply went limp and collapsed completely beneath the bronze cage.

So Chen Ji took out a few pieces of Polygonatum, dissolved them with his magic, and stuffed them into its mouth.

A moment later, the bronze toad finally opened its eyes, regaining its previous clear expression, and croaked a soft thank you.

After resting for a while, and regaining the strength to get up, he hurriedly opened his mouth and spat out some other transparent figures, all of which were humanoid.

Women, strong men, children, the elderly...

Before Chen Ji could recognize these people, he heard screams coming from the ground.

"Fourth Master? Sixth Aunt! Little Flower..."

"You...you're all still here!"

"Can you see?"

Chen Ji asked in surprise, but then realized what was going on.

Just now, those little human-headed toads exploded, exuding a ghostly aura. The ghostly aura here is no less than that of the Ghost Realm. These people are standing at the most crucial position of the Soul-Trapping Array, and their souls are injured from fright, so it is not surprising that they can see these things.

Most of the villagers in Wangjia Village had already woken up and were now staring at the souls emerging from the toad's mouth, calling out their names.

But the spirits seemed not to hear and continued walking out.

However, after they left, they all stopped at the side and bowed to the bronze toad.

Why are they all bowing to you?

Chen Ji asked curiously.

"Coo-coo-quack!"

The bronze toad answered weakly in a low voice.

Chen Ji suddenly understood.

No wonder the village ancestral hall was haunted but no one was harmed. It turned out that the bronze toad protected these spirits. They were also dissatisfied with the village head's actions and took advantage of the bronze toad's entanglement to appear and stop the village head from committing violence.

This also explains why the haunting of the ancestral hall in the village is merely a reminder and an occupation of the ancestral hall.

It seems that saving this toad was definitely the right thing to do!

However, Chen Ji still couldn't understand how a copper toad with such cultivation could be so easily fooled, allowing a mortal to possess its soul, and even almost successfully stealing the soul.

(End of this chapter)