Chapter Fifty-Four: Jade Toad Palace

"Who are you?"
The pair, a man and woman, asked warily, startled by the sudden appearance of Xu Cheng and his companions.

After a brief pause, Xu Cheng quickly replied, "My name is Xu Cheng. There were many monsters here, but I’ve already dealt with them!"

"So that’s why we haven’t seen any monsters. Was it really you who got rid of them?"
The girl seemed skeptical. She circled around Xu Cheng, scrutinizing him closely.

Had Xu Cheng bothered to look into her eyes, he would have noticed her pupils had turned golden.

She moved past him, eyeing Chrysanthemum and the others before finally pausing near Yan Mengdie. Though she didn’t perceive anything outright, she caught a faint trace of demon-immortal bloodline from Yan Mengdie.

The girl darted back to her senior brother’s side and whispered, "She’s a demon-immortal. I can’t tell about the others."

Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the building above their heads shattered and a colossal monster burst out. It resembled a worm, yet its body was more than ten yards long, its mouth bristling with a multitude of razor-sharp teeth. Its jaws snapped hungrily toward the pair from Jade Toad Palace.

"Look out!"

At that critical moment, chains whirled from Xu Cheng, snapping around the monstrous insect. Netherflame crackled across its body, eliciting a chorus of wails from its maw.

Even so, the huge worm still strained to bite the two from Jade Toad Palace.

Nine chains continued to entwine it, binding the beast until it was trussed like a sacrificial offering, then dragging it into the Gates of the Underworld to be consumed.

"An envoy from the Yellow Springs!"

The man was knowledgeable enough to recognize the aura Xu Cheng radiated when he cast his spell.

Since he had been identified, Xu Cheng saw no reason to conceal the truth any longer. He said, "That’s right, I am an emissary of the Yellow Springs. I wonder how much you two know about the situation here?"

"Our master only sent us to investigate. We know little about what’s happened. But I’ve recorded everything with this—when we return, our master will see for herself," the girl replied, holding up a bronze mirror. As she activated it with her power, images began to appear within.

"Let us return with you. That way, we can better understand what’s happening here," Yan Mengdie added.

"Very well. If there are more anomalies here, your presence will only strengthen our forces," the girl agreed after a moment’s thought, then motioned for them to follow.

On the way, Xu Cheng learned that the girl was named Cuiya, and the man was called Li Mingyue.

Both had fine-sounding names, but their appearances left much to be desired.

Only upon arriving at Jade Toad Palace did Xu Cheng discover that Cuiya and Li Mingyue were, in fact, rather average-looking—nothing remarkable. It was simply that the other palace residents were so grotesque as to be almost unrecognizable as human; some even resembled monsters. One in particular had a bloated body, a pointed head, one eye as large as a lantern and the other no bigger than a sesame seed, a nose covering half his face, with bristling nostrils and a beard to match.

Such appearances… Was Jade Toad Palace some kind of sanctuary for the grotesque?

Along the way, Xu Cheng noticed a pattern: the uglier the person, the more respectful Cuiya and Li Mingyue were toward them.

When they reached the hall where their master resided, Xu Cheng saw a palace of white jade surrounded by a profusion of pearls; wisps of mist drifted by, giving the place an air of otherworldly bliss.

If uglier faces denoted higher status, Xu Cheng dreaded meeting Cuiya and Li Mingyue’s master.

Yet there was no evading the situation; he steeled himself and followed them inside to meet their master.

Ready for a fright, Xu Cheng was relieved when he finally saw their master—a white-haired elder leaning on a cane, aged but not unpleasant to look upon.

The elder reclined lazily, glancing over Xu Cheng and his companions. "Cuiya, why did you not tell your master you had brought guests?"

Despite her aged appearance, her voice was as melodious as an oriole’s song, clear and graceful.

"Master, we met them on the road! They cleared out all the monsters in Fuchang City. We were in such a hurry to report back that I didn’t have time to tell you," Cuiya explained hurriedly.

"Very well, I won’t blame you," the elder replied, as a cloud of mist billowed around her.

When the mist dispersed, a woman in palace robes appeared, regal and radiant. Her skin was like flawless jade, her face heart-shaped, brows arched like willow leaves, eyes bright and clear, her delicate nose and rosy lips set off a figure of celestial grace.

"Master has revealed her true form again!"

"The appearance of the ninth transformation… I wonder when I’ll attain it myself," whispered Cuiya and Li Mingyue.

Only then did Xu Cheng realize that the fairy-like beauty before him was the old woman from moments ago.

"Now that outsiders are present, I must dispel the notion that Jade Toad Palace is a den of the unsightly. Little emissary of Yellow Springs, am I beautiful?" The master approached Xu Cheng, her voice carrying a subtle, elusive floral fragrance.

Watching her long lashes flutter like butterfly wings, Xu Cheng could only nod, dumbfounded.

She continued, "You must all stay close to me. Every member of Jade Toad Palace practices the ancestral immortal art—the Jade Toad Nine Moltings. With each molting, one’s appearance grows more grotesque, reaching the utmost at the eighth transformation. But upon the ninth, all ugliness is shed, revealing beauty like a heavenly maiden and granting the Jade Toad’s divine powers."

"So, little one, what will you say to others?" the master suddenly asked, gazing at Xu Cheng.

"Everyone in Jade Toad Palace possesses unrivaled beauty—handsome men and lovely women," Xu Cheng replied promptly.

"Hahaha! Clever boy, you’ve pleased me greatly! Descendant of the Spiral Jade Clan, would you like to learn our palace’s Jade Toad Nine Moltings? You could shed the ancestral marks on your face, never needing to stare into a mirror to practice immortal arts again!"

With a hearty laugh, the master turned to Yan Mengdie.

Yan Mengdie was hesitant; her appearance was already somewhat frightening—what if this unique art made her look even stranger? But upon hearing that the ancestral spell on her face could be shed through transformation, she immediately agreed.

"Excellent! My Daoist name is Jade Mist—remember it well!"

A radiant smile blossomed across Jade Mist’s face. In that moment, it seemed as if grass and flowers sprang up from the earth, frogs and cicadas sang, and she pressed a finger to Yan Mengdie’s brow, imparting the Jade Toad Nine Moltings deep into her mind.

She had just taught Yan Mengdie their secret art?

Xu Cheng was puzzled, but this meant he’d have plenty of opportunities in the future to study the immortal art on Yan Mengdie’s face—though she would become exceedingly ugly in the process.

Surely, she would become beautiful again in time, Xu Cheng consoled himself.

Once the transmission was complete, Jade Mist led Xu Cheng and the others through Jade Toad Palace, describing its wonders as they went.

They arrived at the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, where a massive, beastly creature—still untransformed into human shape—sat in meditation.

It resembled a gorilla, its fur a metallic black-gold, and it sat cross-legged like a human.

Jade Mist produced the bronze mirror and played back the recorded images. "Elder Pole Star, look at what my disciple has captured."