# Chapter 26: Dark Frogman Tribe
The cave entrance was hidden beneath a tangle of poisonous vines that pulsed with sickly bioluminescence, their toxic glow creating patterns that hurt to observe directly. But Xìng Huáng's enhanced spiritual perception could detect what lay beyond the natural camouflage: the distinctive energy signature of Crimson Ghost Lily, one of the three rare herbs his mission required.
CRIMSON GHOST LILY DETECTION: CONFIRMED
Location: Deep cave system, approximately 200 meters from entrance
Estimated Quantity: 3-5 mature specimens *(Exceeding mission requirements)*
Guardian Presence: MAJOR THREAT DETECTED
The cave system stretched deeper into the wetland's bedrock than his initial assessment had suggested, its passages carved by centuries of acidic water flow that had left the walls smooth as glass and treacherously slick. The air grew thicker with each step deeper, carrying scents that combined natural decay with something far more ominous—the spiritual signature of a creature that had claimed this space as its permanent territory.
The guardian revealed itself as he rounded a bend in the tunnel system, and even his extensive experience with corrupted and mutated creatures couldn't have prepared him for what emerged from the cave's depths.
GIANT SWAMP CENTIPEDE *(Cave Guardian)*
Size: 8 METERS LENGTH, 1.5 METERS HEIGHT
Cultivation Level: AZURE BRONZE - LOW
Special Abilities: ACIDIC SECRETION, TUNNEL MASTERY, TERRITORIAL DOMINANCE
Threat Assessment: EXTREME *(Environmental advantage, cultivation superiority)*
The creature was a nightmare fusion of insect predator and spiritual beast, its segmented body armored with chitinous plates that gleamed with toxic moisture. Dozens of legs moved in perfectly coordinated waves that allowed it to navigate the tunnel system with fluid grace, while its mandibles dripped with acids that had clearly contributed to the cave's peculiar architecture.
But what made the encounter truly dangerous was the creature's cultivation level. Azure Bronze represented a full tier above his current Black Iron - Peak advancement, a gap that should have made direct confrontation suicidal.
Should have, if not for his carefully concealed Lord of Greed heritage.
The centipede's attack came with the confidence of a apex predator facing obvious prey. Its massive form surged forward through the tunnel with speed that defied its size, mandibles wide enough to bisect him entirely.
But Xìng Huáng had learned to use his divine heritage's passive effects without fully revealing their true nature. As the creature's attack reached its peak extension, his Lord of Greed authority asserted itself through what appeared to be exceptional Blood Seeker technique enhanced by perfect tactical positioning.
His improvised blade found the exact gap between chitinous plates where the creature's segmented anatomy created vulnerability. The strike itself was impossible—threading a needle of precision through the chaos of the centipede's assault—but his divine heritage made impossible precision feel natural.
CRITICAL HIT: AZURE BRONZE GUARDIAN DEFEATED
MASSIVE ESSENCE ABSORPTION: 847 *(Enhanced by Lord of Greed)*
CULTIVATION ADVANCEMENT: BLACK IRON - PEAK → AZURE BRONZE - LOW
SPECIAL REWARD: CENTIPEDE ACID GLANDS *(Alchemical components)*
BREAKTHROUGH ACHIEVEMENT: TIER ADVANCEMENT
The power surge that accompanied his breakthrough to Azure Bronze cultivation was unlike anything he'd experienced since the merger. His entire spiritual foundation restructured itself, meridians expanding to accommodate vastly increased energy circulation, while his understanding of cultivation techniques evolved to encompass principles that had been theoretical abstractions at lower tiers.
But the most significant change was in his relationship with his Lord of Greed heritage. The tier advancement had brought him closer to the minimum thresholds required for safely accessing divine abilities, and he could feel new possibilities stirring in the depths of his consciousness.
HIDDEN INTERFACE: CULTIVATION BREAKTHROUGH ANALYSIS
NEW TIER ACHIEVED: AZURE BRONZE - LOW
DIVINE HERITAGE COMPATIBILITY: SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED
LORD OF GREED MANIFESTATION: ENHANCED STABILITY
WARNING: INCREASED POWER LEVELS WILL ATTRACT ATTENTION
The Crimson Ghost Lily specimens grew in the cave's deepest chamber, their ethereal red petals seemingly absorbing light rather than reflecting it. Each flower was a masterwork of natural cultivation, having absorbed centuries of concentrated spiritual energy from the cave system's unique mineral formations.
As he carefully harvested the specimens using techniques learned from Azure Mountain Sect's botanical specialists, movement at the cave entrance caught his enhanced perception. Multiple spiritual signatures approaching—not the chaotic patterns of corrupted creatures, but the organized advance of intelligent beings operating with tactical coordination.
APPROACHING THREATS: FROGMAN PATROL
Numbers: 6 INDIVIDUALS
Cultivation Level: BLACK IRON - MID *(Uniform advancement)*
Combat Specialization: COORDINATED WETLAND WARFARE
Equipment: PRIMITIVE BUT EFFECTIVE *(Adapted to environment)*
The Frogmen who entered the cave moved with the fluid grace of creatures perfectly adapted to amphibious environments. Their humanoid forms combined the best aspects of upright locomotion with aquatic maneuverability, while their mottled green skin provided natural camouflage in wetland conditions.
But what made them truly dangerous was their obvious military training and professional equipment.
Each warrior carried a Primary Poison Spear whose tip gleamed with toxins that made the air shimmer where they passed. Their movements suggested familiarity with Dart Attack techniques that could deliver projectile strikes from multiple angles simultaneously. Most concerning was the way they positioned themselves to utilize Mud Slash abilities that would turn the cave's slippery surfaces into weapons against him.
"Intruder detected," the patrol leader announced in accented but clearly understandable common tongue. "Sacred lily theft confirmed. Shamanic judgment required."
"I claim these resources through legitimate cultivation right," Xìng Huáng replied, his Azure Bronze spiritual pressure filling the cave with authority that made several Frogmen step backward instinctively. "These specimens will serve Azure Mountain Sect's purification research."
"Azure Mountain claims no authority in Dark Frogman territory," the leader snarled. "Sacred lily belongs to Shaman Bukìji. Theft means death."
The mention of their leader provided crucial intelligence. A shaman suggested someone with both alchemical knowledge and spiritual authority—exactly the kind of opponent who might be using the rare herbs for organized corruption enhancement rather than legitimate cultivation.
"Then your shaman has claimed resources through territorial force rather than earned merit," Xìng Huáng observed, allowing his Lord of Greed heritage to color his voice with absolute conviction. "Such claims have no legitimacy."
The philosophical challenge struck the Frogmen like a physical blow. Whatever authority their shaman possessed, it couldn't withstand direct confrontation with divine principles that operated at fundamental levels of reality.
But their military training overcame their spiritual uncertainty, and the attack came with coordinated precision that would have overwhelmed most solo opponents.
Poison spears thrust from multiple angles while dart attacks created crossfire patterns designed to eliminate escape routes. Mud slashes turned the cave floor into treacherous terrain that favored defenders who knew the environment intimately.
The battle should have been impossible—six trained warriors in their preferred environment, using tactics perfected through years of wetland combat experience.
Instead, it lasted exactly seventeen seconds.
Xìng Huáng's new Azure Bronze cultivation level, enhanced by his Lord of Greed heritage, allowed him to move through the coordinated assault like he was operating in a different temporal framework than his opponents. Each attack was anticipated, each defensive position optimized, each counter-strike placed with surgical precision.
When the final Frogman fell, the cave system fell silent except for the distant sound of water dripping through mineral formations.
MULTIPLE OPPONENTS DEFEATED: DARK FROGMAN PATROL
ESSENCE ABSORBED: 234 *(Per opponent, enhanced by Lord of Greed)*
COMBAT TECHNIQUES LEARNED: WETLAND WARFARE SPECIALIZATION
INTELLIGENCE GATHERED: DARK SHAMAN BUKÌJI TERRITORIAL AUTHORITY
But as he prepared to leave the cave with his harvested specimens, distant drums began echoing through the wetland—a rhythmic pattern that carried spiritual enhancement and obvious ritual significance.
The patrol's failure to return had been detected, and whatever authority commanded the Dark Frogman Tribe was mobilizing a response that would dwarf the cave encounter in both scope and danger.
Shaman Bukìji, goblin alchemist and spiritualist, had just declared war on the cultivator who dared challenge his territorial claims over the Miasma Wetlands' rare resources.
The tribal drums that echoed through the poisonous fog carried a message as clear as any formal declaration: the Dark Frogman Tribe would defend their sacred resources with the full force of their shamanic authority.