It turned out there were other demon beasts in the lake besides the Crystal Toad. Soon, several more demon crabs emerged, catching the nearby scattered cultivators completely off guard. The worst off was a cultivator who was snapped in two by a crab's pincers. Even for cultivators, unless they were great masters of immense power, such an injury was almost always fatal.

  Screams and cries of alarm rang out one after another.

  Clang! Clang!

  Low-grade and mid-grade spirit sabers and swords struck the crab shells, leaving only faint white marks; they couldn't cut through. Crab shells were notoriously tough among demon beasts. Relying on their superb defense, the few demon crabs rampaged through the crowd of cultivators.

  "Get out of the way! Watch my Flame Blade!" A thunderous shout rang out. A burly, broad-shouldered man dragged a saber over three and a half meters long, its blade wreathed in several feet of flame, ignited by his spiritual power. As he swung it down, a crescent-shaped arc of fire traced through the air.

  "A top-grade spirit artifact, the Flame Blade!" someone exclaimed in shock. Throughout Moonwatch Immortal City, the most powerful weapons ordinary loose cultivators could obtain were typically top-grade spirit artifacts. As for the legendary magic weapons, only Foundation Establishment cultivators could refine them. Occasionally, one or two would appear at auctions and be sold for astronomical prices, usually ending up in the collections of cultivation families or put to other uses. Ordinary Qi Refining loose cultivators couldn't even dream of owning one.

  Crack! The Flame Blade struck a crab shell, sinking several inches deep. A third-grade demon crab was severely wounded in a single blow.

  "Good! Well done!" The cultivators who had been fleeing from the crabs cheered. They surrounded the injured crab, hacking and slashing with their own blades and swords.

  After a chaotic flurry of attacks, despite their formidable defense, the demon crabs were eventually overwhelmed and killed by the surging crowd of cultivators.

  As the lake water continued to drain, the Crystal Toad remained motionless, refusing to show itself. Leo frowned. A thought crossed his mind: could the Crystal Toad have already escaped through the drainage channel?

  No, he quickly dismissed the idea. To prevent exactly that, the cultivators had layered over a dozen spirit nets along the drainage channel. They had also enlisted two lightning-attributed cultivators to set up Water Lightning Techniques. It was a gauntlet of obstacles. Even a fourth-grade demon beast couldn't slip away silently.

  Tempting spiritual objects continued to appear on the gradually exposed lake bed, making Leo's heart pound. But ultimately, he suppressed his restless urge and waited for the entire lake bed to be revealed.

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  Soon, only a small pool of water remained in the lake's deepest part, and within it, a massive shadow was faintly visible. Whoosh! The huge shadow leaped into the air.

  It was the Crystal Toad. After days of waiting, it had finally emerged. The cultivator squads who had been waiting by the shore were ecstatic. Led by experts like Old Man Flying Roc, Long-Browed Old Freak, and other late-stage and Great Perfection cultivators, the teams unleashed a concentrated barrage of low-grade spells at the Crystal Toad.

  "Damn it, these people are crazy! They're attacking before we can even get out!" Many cultivators who had already descended into the lake bed were caught in the spell barrage. Cursing loudly, they had no choice but to flee back towards the shore, their faces pale with fear.

  With no lake water to protect it, the Crystal Toad was struck by a deluge of low-grade spells. It crashed heavily back down, splattering mud in all directions.

  Croak! The Crystal Toad let out an enraged cry. Then, circles of ripples began to emanate from the fourth-grade beast, spreading outward in all directions. Where the ripples passed, a clear, tinkling sound like water splashing on stone could be heard.

  "This sound can confuse a person's mind!"

  Leo had been at the very rear of the crowd by the lake. Hearing the sound of flowing water in the air, his mind momentarily went blank. But because he was at the edge, he wasn't as severely affected as the other cultivators. He watched in shock. Those closer, even Great Perfection experts like Old Man Flying Roc, had a dazed look on their faces.

  "Damn! Its spiritual sense attack is incredibly powerful!" The attack didn't affect everyone. Long-Browed Old Freak and others who weren't as severely affected bit their tongues, quickly snapping out of it. But it was too late. A barrage of ice spikes materialized out of thin air, shooting towards the dazed and confused cultivators.

  Screams erupted one after another. Even Old Man Flying Roc and his yellow roc were pierced by some ice spikes. If they had been sober, they could have raised shields and defended themselves. They might have been injured, but they wouldn't have lost their lives.

  Leo sucked in a cold breath. Even in such a desperate situation, the Crystal Toad had killed forty or fifty cultivators in an instant, including a formidable Great Perfection expert like Old Man Flying Roc. This spiritual sense attack, combined with spellcasting, was truly terrifying.

  "Everyone, attack together! We can't let this toad continue its assault, or it might break through our encirclement!" Long-Browed Old Freak shouted. As he spoke, he unleashed over a dozen spirit talismans.

  "Right! Kill the Crystal Toad first, then we'll divide the spoils!" The successive deaths of cultivators by the lake, and the sheer power of the Crystal Toad, quickly united the remaining cultivators. They realized that scattering wouldn't just mean losing the treasures—it would mean losing their lives.

  Although late-stage Qi Refining cultivators could use their spiritual sense to control spirit sabers or swords for stronger attacks, hundreds or even thousands of low-grade spells of all elements were raining down like a storm. It was indiscriminate. Any spirit artifact controlled by spiritual sense would also be hit.

  The Crystal Toad, utterly innocent in its own mind, was subjected to a relentless barrage of spells from nearly two thousand Qi Refining cultivators. Even a fourth-grade demon beast, no matter how powerful, couldn't withstand such an onslaught. Thousands of low-grade spells blasted a huge crater in the lake bed around the toad. Even more Water Spirit Stones and Ice Spirit Stones were churned up from the mud.

  The Crystal Toad lasted less than the time it takes half an incense stick to burn before it was blasted to pieces by countless fireballs, wind blades, ice spikes, and earthen spears. Leo watched, his teeth on edge. The gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators was truly like heaven and earth. If he were in that toad's place, he'd be obliterated in an instant.

  As the Crystal Toad died, a blue demon core emerged. At the same time, a few feet away from the core, a small, thumb-sized, crystal-clear bead materialized out of thin air. In the sunlight, the bead radiated a brilliant, dazzling light. For a brief moment, it was blinding. Then the light faded, and everyone could finally see it clearly.

  "Stop! Don't destroy the demon core!"

  "What's that little transparent bead?"

  "Who knows? Don't demon beasts only have one demon core? Why are there two now?"

  "A Dharma... a Dharma Orb!" Lais, the family patriarch who had clashed with Old Man Flying Roc earlier, stammered.

  Leo's mouth fell open, unable to close. A Dharma Orb! Such an incredibly rare treasure had actually appeared!