C11 Injured Demonic Cultivator!

Night had fallen.

The moon shone brightly overhead.

In the forest clearing by the cold pond's edge,

Three towering bonfires were erected.

Yellow eels, wild buffalo, and scorpions were ready to be barbecued!

Lin Xuan focused deeply,

sensing the surrounding Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. With a mere thought, he summoned the fire-attribute Spiritual Qi from the void.

Rich, red Spiritual Force

converged upon his massive frog claws.

With a loud bang!

A flame, as large as a basketball, burst forth from the center of his claws.

Though mastery eluded him, he managed simple manipulations with ease.

Having conjured the basketball-sized flame,

Lin Xuan nonchalantly tossed it into the nearby bonfire!

In moments, the great bonfire roared to life. Using the same technique, he ignited the other two bonfires.

Post-barbecue,

the aroma of meat permeated the air.

Lin Xuan, with a flick of his razor-sharp claws, effortlessly sliced the cooked meat into chunks, tossing the majority to Big Yellow, who looked on hungrily.

He also carved off a few succulent pieces for himself and devoured them.

"Spiritual Qi +2!"

"Blood Qi +6!"

"Blood Qi +3!"

...

Having consumed most of the scorpion, Lin Xuan's Blood Qi surged by 21 points, his Spiritual Qi by 12 points!

The sensation of his belly wrapped in vital energy was immensely satisfying!

Meanwhile, Big Yellow, just steps away, was so stuffed that his snake body had ballooned, his movements sluggish to the point of immobility.

"Boss... I can't... move anymore!"

Big Yellow spoke with effort.

Lin Xuan gave him a sympathetic look.

"Start cycling the cultivation technique you've inherited. If you haven't got one, then breathe deeply, converting the flesh you've eaten into your own strength as quickly as you can. With your Spirit Beast Bloodline, digesting this meat should be no challenge!"

Lin Xuan advised.

Big Yellow, sprawled on the soft grass, began to take long, deep breaths.

His belly, already distended,

seemed on the verge of bursting with each breath. Big Yellow truly had an appetite; he could have split the feast in two, but instead, he insisted on gulping down both half-eaten creatures in one go.

Lin Xuan settled into a quiet crouch at the side, his mind fully engaged.

Feeling the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth around him, he drew it into his body, slowly increasing the reserves of Spiritual Qi within him.

"Spiritual Qi Value +1!"

"Spiritual Qi Value +1!"

"..."

This number continuously appeared before his eyes.

Every four or five breaths, a +1 Spiritual Qi value would register.

Once the Spiritual Qi reached the ceiling of 350, the pace slowed. It took nearly two hours to gain a +2 increase. After a full day's cultivation, Lin Xuan had only managed to elevate his Spiritual Qi limit from 350 to 362.

Hu!

Dusk crept in.

Lin Xuan, perched beside the Cold Water Pool, let out a heavy sigh. The slow trickle of Spiritual Qi gained through his cultivation technique was frustrating. To accelerate the process, he'd need to consume more exotic creatures.

As night draped over the heavens,

Big Yellow, stationed a few dozen meters from Lin Xuan,

had fully digested the monster flesh he'd consumed, transforming it into a potent mix of blood and Qi that infused his snake body, bolstering his presence.

He was on the verge of a breakthrough.

Boom!

In an instant,

a thick black mist of demonic energy enveloped him.

Though there was little change in size—his snake body stretched just under three meters longer—his aura surged exponentially.

He had ascended!

A high-grade spirit beast!

Big Yellow himself hadn't anticipated such a swift rise, ascending to a high-grade spirit beast in mere days, his bloodline evolving to that of a Spirit Beast.

Yet, he was acutely aware,

all he had achieved was thanks to the Toad Boss.

Post-breakthrough, not only was his internal Spiritual Qi more robust, but his innate understanding of mystical techniques had also deepened.

"Boss, I've made it through!"

"Tell me something I don't know!"

"Test your Earth Escape technique!"

"I'll give it a shot!"

Lin Xuan chided him.

Big Yellow was deep in concentration.

Buzz!

In a flash,

A warm, yellow mist-like glow emerged from his body, which looked as though it was carved from yellow jade.

The next moment,

Big Yellow's massive python form, spanning over ten meters, plunged into the earth, vanishing without a trace.

"Boss, it worked!"

Right after,

A colossal snake head popped up from the grass next to Lin Xuan, its amber eyes sparkling with excitement as it communicated telepathically in a jubilant tone.

"How deep can you go?"

Lin Xuan inquired.

"I'll give it another shot!"

With that,

Big Yellow dipped its head and submerged once more beneath the ground.

A dozen breaths later,

The giant snake head reemerged.

"It looks like I can manage about a hundred meters. Any deeper, and the spiritual energy starts to drain too quickly. Once it's all consumed, we'd likely be stuck down there!"

Big Yellow mused thoughtfully.

Then,

Lin Xuan had him attempt Earth Escape while carrying him. It worked out fine. Upon entering the earth, a warm yellow shield radiated from Big Yellow, enveloping his entire form.

This very shield allowed him to navigate freely underground.

However, the spiritual energy consumption tripled when Big Yellow carried Lin Xuan.

They could only maintain Earth Escape for a maximum of half an hour.

Otherwise, they would both end up trapped beneath the surface.

After their trial run with Earth Escape, just as they emerged from below, a thick black smoke rolled through the sky above the forest, tumbling and crashing into the jungle hundreds of meters away.

"Hmm?"

"Flying through the mist!"

"The creature appears to be a Qi Refining Stage Demonic Beast!"

"And it looks injured!"

"Boss... should we go after it?"

Big Yellow asked cautiously, turning his gaze to Lin Xuan, whose eyes were alight with intense excitement.

An injured Demonic Cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage.

It was a risky move, but it presented a tremendous opportunity!