Cultivation System: Stronger with Age

Its gigantic mouth had now grown to the size of several rooms, large enough to easily swallow a dozen corpses in one gulp!

When all the Corpse Scorpions, along with the corpses, entered the Ghost Frog King's stomach, strange thumping sounds immediately emanated from within. The life-or-death crisis arrived. Those dozen-odd Corpse Scorpions had already awakened from the 'Entering Illusion' state induced by the Eight Gates Celestial Eye and frantically attacked using the Poison Corpses. However, the Ghost Frog King's stomach was comparable to an Otherworld; even as Tier Five Demons, they could not escape!

Ten breaths passed.

Twenty breaths passed.

Forty breaths passed.

Sixty breaths passed!

The thumping sounds inside the Ghost Frog King's stomach lasted for over eighty breaths, only gradually stopping as they approached ninety. This was far longer than any other powerful entities the Ghost Frog King had ever devoured!

Lin Xuankong, observing the inside of the Ghost Frog King's stomach with his Celestial Eye, showed a hint of surprise. The Poison Corpses within had already dissolved into pus. The Corpse Scorpions, corroded by the venom, were now only palm-sized, merely tens of times larger than ordinary scorpions.

It turned out these Corpse Scorpions were parasitic, residing in the brains of the Poison Corpses. Using their claws and tail stingers, they pierced the Poison Corpses' Brain Mansions to control them. They could utilize the dead bodies to convert their Demon Qi into True Qi attacks—an extremely eerie and powerful ability!

This was the first time Lin Xuankong had encountered such small yet high-Grade, eerily powerful Demons!

Unfortunately for them, these Corpse Scorpions, possessing deadly toxins and eerie Demon Techniques, encountered Lin Xuankong, who is immune to all poisons!

Otherwise, if it were a Fourth Layer Martial Cultivator with Pupil Techniques, even if the Corpse Scorpions were controlled by a Pupil Technique and ensnared by the tongue of a Ghost Frog Demon summoned by that cultivator, they could have instantly reduced the Ghost Frog Demon's Grade with their deadly toxins. This would allow them to automatically escape control, preventing the Ghost Frog Demon from devouring them!

After the Ghost Frog King digested the Poison Corpses and Corpse Scorpions, it dissipated into a cloud of Demon Qi with a BANG.

On the ground, three sets of Battle Armor, over ten pieces of Exorcism Equipment, and three glistening Demon Fox Demon Pearls appeared. These items naturally belonged to the Fifth Layer Poison Corpses. Two sets of Battle Armor and two Demon Fox Demon Pearls came from Chu Qing and Chu Yuhui. The other Fifth Layer Poison Corpses, though not weak, were evidently powerful individuals from minor sects; among those ten or so, there was only one other complete set of Battle Armor and one Demon Fox Demon Pearl.

It's a pity not a single Corpse Scorpion Demon Pearl appeared! Still, with Demon Techniques that control corpses being so disgusting, even if they condensed a Demon Pearl, using it would probably make me sick. These three Demon Fox Demon Pearls, though, are quite excellent—a nice, unexpected gain!

Lin Xuankong casually picked up the three sets of Battle Armor and three Demon Pearls, which still carried some poison. As the toxins spread over him, they transformed into a rather pleasant, cool sensation. He then stored the precious Battle Armor and the even more precious Demon Pearls into his Ghost Frog Pouch, then turned into a shadowy blur and headed towards the canyon.

「Twenty miles away」

All twenty Martial Cultivators, including Li Baimei, were petrified on the spot.

"This... this... How is this possible? All the Poison Corpses were handled by the Ghost Frog King he summoned? And so quickly?" one Martial Cultivator exclaimed, squinting hard at the distant scene. However, even as a Fourth Layer Martial Cultivator, he couldn't see clearly due to the great distance.

"Is the Ghost Frog King's Demon Pearl really that powerful?!" Zheng Yunrui, with her hair in a bun, fell into the deepest doubt of her life.

She had previously planned to let this handsome Mu Shiba experience her strength, hoping to spark a romance during this Secret Realm trip! But it turned out Mu Shiba was so incredibly powerful—much stronger than her, how embarrassing...

Yan Yunfei frowned deeply. "Why does the Ghost Frog King Demon he summoned seem completely unaffected by the Corpse Scorpion's toxins? Normally, even for a Demon of the Same Tier, the outcome of a battle between a Ghost Frog King and Corpse Scorpions of the Same Tier would be uncertain!"

Everyone was filled with confusion and astonishment. Even the usually well-informed Li Baimei couldn't help but twitch his white eyebrows, his face a mask of bewilderment. He frowned for a long moment before speaking, "It's too far to correctly distinguish the Grade of the Demon he summoned. Judging by its size, however, it shouldn't exceed Tier Five. A Tier Five Ghost Frog King dealing with Martial Cultivators of the Same Tier isn't particularly difficult. But to handle so many Corpse Scorpions so quickly, the summoner must have enhanced the Demon significantly! Is there truly a Martial Dao enhancement in this world that could allow a single Ghost Frog King to deal with fourteen Corpse Scorpions independently? Who is he? What Realm is he in?"

Everyone shook their heads; they weren't familiar with this Mu Shiba either.

Yan Yunfei pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Holy Dragon Steward, we encountered him at the Secret Realm entrance. He claimed his name was Mu Shiba, and his Realm... he said it's Fourth Layer!"

Li Baimei shot to his feet and declared resolutely, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! A Fourth Layer Martial Cultivator... Even the Celestial Sect Saintess of our Great Xia Dynasty, at the Fourth Layer, couldn't summon a Ghost Frog King capable of handling over ten Tier Five Corpse Scorpions! He is definitely not Fourth Layer! He absolutely cannot be Fourth Layer!"

From the crowd, a pale-skinned Martial Cultivator hesitated before speaking up, "That Mu Shiba seems to have gone towards the canyon's Cold Pool, probably looking for a Heavy Water Spiritual Object. Should we head over?"

As soon as he spoke, everyone looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Zheng Yunrui hesitated, touched her hair bun, and said, "If we had stayed by his side earlier and fought those Corpse Scorpions together, maybe he would have let us explore the Cold Pool with him! But we all ran off faster than a Lightning Sparrow, leaving him alone to slay the Demons. Under these circumstances, still wanting to go over and get a piece of the pie?"

Yuan Butong glared at that Martial Cultivator. "Your courage is commendable. You can go over right now; we have no objections!"

Hearing this, the pale-skinned Martial Cultivator's face turned even whiter, and he shrank back into the crowd.

Yuan Butong then said, "All joking aside, to instantly kill over a dozen Tier Five Corpse Scorpions... his strength must be more than ten times as terrifying as those Corpse Scorpions!"

Li Baimei pondered carefully for a moment before concluding with certainty, "Even as a Late Stage Fifth Layer cultivator, I almost didn't escape with my life. Yet he instantly dealt with over ten Tier Five entities. Such a vast disparity can only mean one thing: he is at least at Fifth Layer Perfection and possesses many powerful Secret Techniques!"

"I suggest we wait for him to finish exploring the Cold Pool before we consider going over. While a Heavy Water Spiritual Object is precious, one needs to be alive to enjoy it!"

After speaking, Li Baimei sighed. So what if I'm a Steward of the Holy Dragon Association? This is a Secret Realm. Could I really use my status to pressure him into handing over a Spiritual Object? Facing such a terrifying Martial Cultivator at Fifth Layer Perfection, with such powerful techniques... am I eager to join Yu Hui and Chu Qing in death?

「At the edge of the Cold Pool」

The area was littered with jagged boulders and strangely shaped gravel. The water temperature in the Cold Pool was extremely low, with wisps of frigid air continuously emanating from its surface. Standing beside it, Lin Xuankong's exhaled breath turned into white mist.

This Cold Pool in the Secret Realm, once occupied by Corpse Scorpions, might not be so simple. There could be something truly strange within!

Lin Xuankong frowned, observing for a moment before taking out set after set of Battle Armor from his Ghost Frog Pouch—over ten sets in total. He then activated his Qi Blood, causing all the Battle Armor to flare to life and protect his entire body. Next, he activated the Blood-Burning Secret Technique, Fierce Tiger Roar Bone Technique, Kui Ox Drum, and Shadow Concealment Primordial Technique simultaneously.

Finally, he grasped nine Demon Pearls, took a deep breath, and leaped into the Cold Pool!

His eyes gleamed with intense anticipation. If I can find a Heavy Water Spiritual Object in this Cold Pool, I might be able to advance to the Fifth Layer today! Then I'll possess a powerful Thunder Technique with an attack range of hundreds of zhang! With a mere wave of my hand, Divine Thunder will cover an area hundreds of zhang wide... Moreover, the combat power of my Black Soul Wondrous Jade, Ghost Frog Demon Pearl, Twin Vine Demon Pearl, Manluo Demon Pearl, four Demon Fox Demon Pearls, Evil Sheep Demon Pearl, Marsh Python Demon Pearl, and other Treasures will instantly increase by more than tenfold!