msmithbooks Chapter 1984 11983 The sun carries a crow, the moon holds a toad
Chapter 1984 11983 The sun carries a crow, the moon holds a toad
Chapter 1984 1.1983 The sun carries a crow, the moon holds a toad
The Manggu Toad, from the novel *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, is known as the "King of All Poisons." This tiny toad, no more than two inches long, is entirely crimson, its eyes gleaming with golden light. When it opens its mouth, the thin skin under its neck vibrates, and its croak is like that of a bull. When hunting, it can exhale a pale red mist. In the Wuliang Mountains of Dali, Duan Yu was bitten by a lightning weasel and collapsed. The Manggu Toad, chasing a centipede, entered Duan Yu's stomach and was transformed by his gastric juices. Duan Yu, in a twist of fate, became immune to all poisons.
The Xuanbing Toad appears in the novel *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*. Tan Gong of Chongxiao Cave in the Taihang Mountains possesses a highly effective healing medicine, synthesized from Arctic Jade and the Xuanbing Toad. In the Apricot Grove, Tan Gong used it to treat Qiao Feng's injuries; the medicine stopped the bleeding instantly. Later, A'Zhu imitated Zhao Qiansun's speech to help Tan Gong, and was slapped by Tan's wife. Tan Gong used it to heal A'Zhu's face and also gave her a box of [medicine/medicine].
The Fire Toad originates from "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber." Wei Yixiao, the "Green-Winged Bat King," injured his three Yin meridians while practicing martial arts. Each time he activated his internal energy, he had to drink human blood; otherwise, he would freeze to death, experiencing severe chills. Master Shuobude made three trips to Changbai Mountain to find a Fire Toad to cure his ailment, but all three attempts failed. Ultimately, it was Zhang Wuji who cured Wei Yixiao's cold poison using the Nine Yang Divine Skill.
The Crimson-Eyed Ice Toad originates from the novel *The Sword Stained with Royal Blood*. When Yuan Chengzhi escorted the treasure of the rebel leader Li Zicheng to the capital, he encountered the "Master Thief" Hu Guinan. This man carried two dead toads, pure white with blood-red eyes. The Crimson-Eyed Ice Toad is found in the snowy mountains of the Western Regions. No matter how severe the internal or external injuries, as long as the victim doesn't die instantly, consuming the ice toad will heal them instantly—truly a miraculous elixir. Even for severe poisoning, the ice toad has the power to detoxify. During the detoxification process, the ice toad absorbs the poison into its own body. After absorbing the poison, the pure white ice toad gradually turns from white to gray, and from gray to black. Then, soaking the ice toad in strong liquor allows the absorbed poison to be released. This process can be repeated. Later, one ice toad was consumed by Meng Zheng, and the other by He Tieshou.
The Crimson Toad appears in the novel *The Mandarin Duck Blades*. Ren Feiyan jokingly tells the Four Heroes of Taiyue that a Crimson Toad lives in the muddy river, and that a martial artist who possesses one can gain ten years' worth of internal energy. Moreover, the Crimson Toad only emerges from its cave at midnight to absorb the essence of moonlight, making it impossible to catch during the day. The Four Heroes of Taiyue believe her and go to catch the Crimson Toad, only to bring back Zhuo Tianxiong instead…
Among these rare and extraordinary encounters in the martial arts world, the toxicity of a single poisonous toad is so potent that one can only imagine how terrifying the Five Toad Saliva must be. Even more frightening is that, unlike ordinary people who haphazardly mix five rare poisons and rely entirely on chance for their effects, this is the Five Toad Saliva meticulously concocted by the Five Poisons Sect, who possess profound knowledge of toxicity and pharmacology.
Known as the "King of Five Poisons"!
They agreed to only compete in swordsmanship. They put on a show for the first four matches, but in the final decisive match, the Five Poisons Sect stopped even trying.
Furthermore, considering the individual attributes of the five hall masters in their respective original storylines, Hong Xiaocui, the Toad Hall Master, has the weakest presence. In other words, her personal storyline is also the weakest. She is easily killed off by plot devices and dies suddenly. However, the Five Poisons Sect gives her the Corrosion Sea Sword, the crown of the Five Poisons, which clearly has another hidden reason.
So, her experience of feeding the Five Poisonous Heavenly Spiders and cultivating the Hundred Gu Thousand-Year Flower is the fundamental reason why she was immune to the mixed toxins of the Five Toad Saliva and became the master of the Corrosion Sea Sword. Otherwise, touching it would be fatal, so what was the point of practicing swordsmanship?
Fortunately, the jade toad can counteract the poisonous saliva!
"May I ask, brother, Yang Lingzhu weaves the 'Golden Crow Armor' with ten thousand rays of golden light. Yin Lingzhu exhales the Taiyin Primordial Qi to form the 'Jade Toad Qi.' Are the Golden Crow and the Jade Toad perhaps the 'essence of the sun and moon'?"
“Indeed.” The busybody said eloquently, “Zhuangzi said: ‘The one who absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, and uses the energy of the nine provinces, leaving nothing behind, and thus creates this great world, is a sage. The one who absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, takes the essence of the sun and moon, interacts with yin and yang, harmonizes all things, and thus completes it, is a true person.’ Master Jingyin can be called ‘True Person Jingyin.’”
The essence of the sun and moon is the three-legged crow and the three-legged toad.
The Xuanzhong Ji states: "East of Penglai, on Mount Daiyu, there is a Fusang tree, ten thousand zhang tall. At the top of the tree, there is a celestial rooster that makes its nest. Every night at midnight, the celestial rooster crows, and the Yang bird in the sun responds; when the Yang bird crows, all the roosters in the world crow." Legend has it that this bird is the essence of the sun and resides in the sun.
The *Huainanzi* (淮南子), in its chapter "Spiritual Training" (精神训), states: "There is a three-legged crow in the sun, and a toad in the moon." The three-legged toad, also known as the golden toad, first appeared in the *Lunheng* (论衡), a work from the Eastern Han Dynasty, in the chapter "On the Sun" (说日). Its image is typically depicted as three-legged, with the Big Dipper constellation on its back, a coin in its mouth, and the Taiji symbol on its head. Legend has it that this toad is the spirit of the moon and resides within it.
The crow belongs to Yang, representing light and vitality; the toad belongs to Yin, symbolizing tranquility and rebirth. The two form a Yin-Yang pairing, much like the composition of the "sun carrying a crow" and "moon containing a toad" in the silk paintings from the Mawangdui Han tombs, directly presenting the ancient Chinese concept of cosmic balance. Applied to the martial arts world, the golden crow and the jade toad represent the two energies of Yin and Yang. All things in the world are governed by Yin and Yang.
In other words, as the top-tier toad, the Jade Toad can suppress all other frogs in the world. Protected by its own protective aura, even the Five Toad Saliva, stronger than the Bone-Melting Water, is powerless against the Jade Toad.
"Even the most powerful of the Five Poisons cannot shake the 'Silent Immortal' in the slightest." Someone sighed, then felt it was inappropriate: "Emei is a righteous sect of Buddhism, and the Immortal is a highly accomplished person. Is this acceptable?"
"Have you not heard of the Daoist Burning Lamp?" a busybody chuckled. Rumors circulated that the Daoist Burning Lamp was none other than the Ancient Buddha Burning Lamp. Even great masters of Buddhism and Taoism have no sectarian prejudices; therefore, it's not unreasonable for Buddhism and Taoism to communicate with each other.
Ultimately, the "Emei Three Yang Skill" is Buddhist teaching, while the "Sacred Fire Scripture" is Taoist teaching. Since one practices according to the Dharma, upon achieving enlightenment, one should naturally be addressed with the appropriate Dharma name: in Buddhism, one should be addressed as "Master," and in Taoism, as "True Person."
Seeing the Emei Sect Leader, Abbess Jingyin, clad in golden armor and protected by protective qi, remaining unmoved despite the splattering poison, Toad Hall Master Hong Xiaocui immediately changed her move to the third style: "Waves Rush and Shakes."
He channeled his full power, unleashing sweeping, powerful strikes that created a vast, swirling cloud of poisonous mist and stench. His idea was simple: since mere splashes of water were insufficient, he would unleash a torrent of poison to overwhelm his opponent.
However, Abbess Jingyin, the head of the Emei Sect, remained steadfast and upright, responding to all changes with unwavering resolve.
Before her moves could fully develop, Toad Hall Master Hong Xiaocui unleashed her fourth move: "Whirlpool Surge." The sword tip drew a circle, generating an extreme suction force that disrupted her movements, drawing her opponents into the sword's range. Combined with the third move, "Waves Rush and Shake," she simultaneously released poison with one hand and pulled in others with the other. Ruthless, decisive, and utterly insidious.
However, before the spectators upstairs could even process what was happening, an even more insidious and cunning follow-up move was launched by Hong Xiaocui, the leader of the Toad Hall.
Fifth move: "Moon Reflected in a Cold Pool". The sword is as smooth as a mirror, using the reflection of the poison layer to confuse the enemy's eyes, and then the heavy sword strikes fiercely, shaking the opponent's lower body foundation.
Thus, with a three-part combo of attacks—before, during, and after—she finally drew the Emei Sect Leader, Abbess Jingyin, into the deadly poisonous sword strike.
However, a problem arises. How can one break free from the Jade Toad's protective aura and the Golden Crow's battle armor?
The sword techniques cleared up everyone's doubts.
Hong Xiaocui, the leader of the Toad Hall, channeled her inner energy and unleashed the sixth move, "Swallowing Rivers and Streams." The sword, guarding the toad's open mouth, seemed to possess boundless suction power. It could neutralize protective energy and even devour an opponent's true essence!