Chapter 145: The Poison Gu Master

The venomous toad master’s movement speed was quite fast, but nowhere near that of Yixin. Moreover, his defense was lacking, leaving him no choice but to flee in evasion. Seeing defeat looming, he immediately commanded all the venomous insects hidden on the arena floor to swarm toward Yixin.

Just as Yixin prepared to press his advantage and deliver a fatal blow to the toad master, he suddenly noticed the venomous insects closing in from all directions at his feet like the rising tide of the sea.

He immediately swung his staff around, inadvertently giving the toad master an opening to counterattack. Needle-like poison darts flew at him from all sides once again. Yixin had to strike left and right, overwhelmed and harried by the relentless swarm of venomous bugs, while his staff was constantly required to block the incoming poison needles. At that moment, another wave of flying insects buzzed toward him. Yixin instantly cloaked himself in flames.

“These bugs just won’t stop... Flame Encased!”

The flames enveloped Yixin’s entire body and a one-meter radius around his feet. Although the flaming aura continuously drained his mana, it effectively isolated him from the encroaching venomous insects.

He noticed all the venomous insects originated from the enormous cocoon slung on the toad master’s back. As Yixin prepared to launch another attack, the toad master’s face twisted into a sinister smile. Alarmed, Yixin grew wary.

The insect eggs stuck to the side of the arena steadily swelled, now resembling a cluster of giant, water-filled blisters rising above the platform’s edge. Inside each blister, curled black insects were clearly visible, each bearing a pair of sharp poisonous pincers on their heads.

The spectators who witnessed the eggs’ growth paled in fear.

Only then did Yixin notice the changes at the arena’s edge. “Damn!” he exclaimed, spinning around and directing a stream of flames at one of the largest eggs.

The fire raged relentlessly, but the eggs, thanks to their resilience, showed only slight melting on the surface. Undeterred, Yixin intensified the flames.

“Flaming Barrage!”

Just as the eggs within the flames began to dissolve and perish, the surrounding eggs swelled to their limit and suddenly burst.

Dozens of purple-black flying insects spread their dragonfly-like wings and buzzed loudly as they ascended into the sky.

These flying insects, due to their large size, were known locally as “Dragon Bugs.” They were venomous insects native to the swampy forests of the south, breeding rapidly but living very short lives.

When fully stretched, the dragon bugs measured about two meters long. They sported a pair of large pincers on their heads, glossy black eyes at the ends of the pincers, and a long abdomen resembling that of a wasp. Their tails curled like a scorpion’s stinger, giving them an eerie appearance.

Purple viscous liquid dripped from their tail stingers, instantly corroding small patches of the ground upon contact, clearly indicating extreme toxicity.

Seeing these creatures, Yixin felt a surge of unease.

As dozens of dragon bugs hovered in the air, their wings produced a deafening buzz. They formed a circle, hovering about ten meters above the ground. Suddenly, their tails all aimed simultaneously at Yixin standing in the center of the arena, releasing waves of purple poisonous mist.

The toxic fog spread from the arena’s edges toward the center, rising about five meters high. The toad master, completely immune to the poison gas, stood within the dense mist, grinning wickedly.

Yixin retreated to the center of the arena, cornered and at a loss. Though he had enough mana left to unleash another fiery onslaught, the flames could not prevent the poison gas from seeping through, making any attempt futile and suicidal.

“Jump out now!” Lingmeng shouted anxiously. “If you can’t, switch out! Don’t get hurt!”

Heiyu also clenched his fists nervously.

Meanwhile, Baishengye calmly arranged the potions before him. Several slender syringe-like needles had already been prepared, but he hesitated between two formulas, muttering to himself:

“The cocoon on his back—could be either the parasitic Blue-tailed Swallowtail or the Bewitching Phoenix Moth. Their antidotes differ vastly, and it’s difficult to tell from the cocoon’s shape.”

At this critical moment when Yixin hesitated whether to continue fighting or leave the arena, Baishengye shouted from the side:

“Attack his cocoon!”

Receiving the order, Yixin summoned his last reserves of mana and lunged toward the toad master. The toad master did not expect Yixin to disregard the spreading poison mist and charge straight at him. Panicked, he dodged hastily, but Yixin anticipated his every move.

Just as the choking toxic fog surged toward Yixin’s face, he leapt into the air.

“Flaming Barrage!”

A blazing pillar of fire shot down from the sky with incredible speed and intensity. With the toad master’s speed, he could not evade the strike and was struck squarely.

Simultaneously, propelled by the fire’s thrust, Yixin soared into the air. As the poisonous fog closed in at the arena’s center, he escaped its bounds.

Then, performing a graceful somersault mid-air, he landed safely within the team’s formation just outside the arena.

After landing, Heiyu and Lingmeng gently caught Yixin from behind. Only when his feet firmly touched the ground did he feel cold sweat trickle down his forehead, the near suffocation from the poison mist still haunting him.

“This team is formidable. The Witch clan’s ace hasn’t even entered the fray, yet Yixin has already been defeated. If the Thunder family’s blond kid faced these opponents, he’d be done for—there’d be no grand talk of one against three!” Lingxiaolei lamented.

“I was careless. Had I unleashed the Flaming Inferno at the start and taken him out, we might have gleaned something about Baishengye’s third opponent,” Yixin admitted.

“Not necessarily,” Baishengye said. “His ultimate skill is probably flight-based. Forcing him to reveal his ultimate too early only lets him dodge your Flaming Inferno.”

“Flight-based?!” Everyone was stunned.

“No way. That strong? His ultimate hasn’t even appeared yet?” Lingxiaolei gasped, grateful she wasn’t the one going up next—or she would have been too weak-kneed to stand.

A transparent magical barrier surrounded the arena, preventing the poison mist from spreading. The audience watched safely. The host donned a gas mask and, in a hoarse voice, announced:

“Saint City Magic Academy calls for a substitution! The match continues!”

Baishengye now carried his medicine box and calmly walked into the thick purple mist enveloping the arena.

The toad master, wounded from the recent fire attack, crouched at the arena’s edge to recover. Though his injuries were minor, the cocoon on his back had cracked halfway open, revealing a pair of folded wings inside. The wings bore bewitching eye-like spots glowing with a faint greenish light.

He slowly stood up, sensing someone approaching with steady footsteps through the dense fog ahead. Surprised, he looked up.

A white figure emerged, footsteps light, exuding an icy aura. The face gradually became clear—a handsome man with flowing silver hair stirred by the wind. In his right hand, he held a mystical ice staff; on his back was a simple medicine box.

“You… you actually… are not afraid of my poison?…” The toad master’s eyes widened in shock, his trembling finger pointing at the newcomer.