Equipping the Ice Toad King's Demon Core! Breaking Through to Core Illumination Late-Stage! Core Illumination Light Spanning a Thousand Zhang!

The shoreline gradually quieted down.

The Deputy General, who had been frozen stiff, wiggled their fingers and stood there, still finding it hard to believe what they were seeing.

They needed to use their Spiritual Power to protect themselves even when standing by the pool, as a single drop of water would cause them to be poisoned by the cold.

This general had been in the water for so long, yet he emerged completely unharmed.

The toad Toad King, which refused to leave the water, finally fled the cold pool in a panic and was nailed to death by General Yang's spear by the mountain path.

A Deputy General gazed at the pool, then at the Toad King's corpse, and murmured:

"It seemed to be trying to escape just now?"

The Deputy General did not immediately surround them.

One of the Deputy General remained in the position of blocking with his sword held horizontally in front of him, his eyes fixed on the Ice Toad King pinned to the ground in the distance.

Is it really dead?

No one laughed at him for asking such a redundant question.

In the past few days, the Toad King has surfaced several times, only to safely retreat back into the depths each time. They have grown accustomed to the fact that they can't do anything about it.

For a moment, they couldn't even believe that this immobile demon corpse was it.

Yang Xiao stepped closer and reached out to draw his Army-Breaking Spear.

He bent down and took out the Demon Core from the Toad King's corpse. The core was dark green, almost black, and felt heavy in his hand; it was of Core Illumination Perfected Stage quality.

Finally, he gave a curt reply.

"Dead."

Only after hearing this confirmation did everyone truly breathe a sigh of relief.

When someone sheathes their sword, their fingers are not nimble enough, and the blade hits the scabbard opening, making a crisp sound.

He looked down at his still-blue hands, then at the pool water dripping from Yang Xiao's body, and felt increasingly uneasy.

He had only caught a whiff of the chill on the shore before he had to retreat and use his internal energy to suppress it.

General Yang, however, went to the bottom of the pool, where even the Demon-Subduing Chain could freeze and shatter, and chased the Demon King all the way out.

All I can say is, he truly lives up to his Demon Suppression General!

When Lu Changgeng walked over, he had already sheathed his longsword.

He didn't rush to praise him; he first observed Yang Xiao's expression.

Despite being soaked in the cold, poisonous water for so long, his complexion remained normal, and his breathing was steady, showing no signs of straining.

Then check if he has any injuries. His black armor is intact, and the only water flowing from the seams of the armor is pool water, not blood.

After confirming both of these things, he reached out and patted Yang Xiao's shoulder armor.

"It said earlier that it was useless for anyone below the Dao Infant to come, but now there's no need to argue."

"Thanks to you for this trip."

Lu Changgeng turned to look at the Ice Toad King's corpse, and remained silent for a moment. "I've been guarding it on the shore for so long, but I haven't been able to force it out."

You entered the icy pool, but it escaped on its own.

There was no bitterness in his words; it was merely a statement, tinged with a sentiment that even he himself couldn't quite articulate.

For three days and nights, the Sword Qi slashed into the water again and again, only to be met with two mocking cries as it poked its head out.

The other party entered the pool in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Yang Xiao didn't respond to that question, but simply nodded.

He looked down at the Demon Core in his hand, and a thought flashed through his mind. He had already completed his accumulation of the Core Illumination Mid-Stage, and only needed one more Demon Core of the Core Illumination level to break through.

Now, it's firmly in our grasp.

Lu Changgeng did not contest the ownership of the Demon Core, but simply said, "I will have someone investigate the contents of the Cold Pool and report back."

"This Demon King is yours."

After the Demon King's death, Lu Changgeng resumed his usual routine of handling affairs.

After three days of tending the stall, it's time to wrap things up.

He ordered his men to seal off the pool's mouth, treat the injured first, and then inspect the pool's water. The Demon King had entrenched himself here for many years; it was hard to guarantee that he hadn't hidden anything.

Seeing that someone else had taken over the task, Yang Xiao prepared to leave.

Lu Changgeng noticed something else.

As he approached, he noticed a slight change in Yang Xiao's aura. It wasn't from an injury, but rather a sense of tension, as if the skin was about to burst.

Core Illumination Realm's perception couldn't deceive him: his new colleague's aura was hovering at a critical point.

Most likely, after this battle, they will further refine their skills.

He didn't point it out.

"Should we take Breath Regulation for a while?"

Yang Xiao did indeed sense that he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

Having already accumulated enough experience in the Core Illumination Mid-Stage, his blood and qi surged during the battle just now, and that bottleneck was as thin as a sheet of paper.

However, the Toad King's demon core has not yet been equipped, and with so many people and so many matters to attend to, it is inconvenient to take immediate action.

"I need a quiet place."

Lu Changgeng pointed towards the outside of the mountain valley.

"There's a sheltered rocky slope to the south; I told them not to go there."

Yang Xiao thanked him and left the pool alone, carrying his Army-Breaking Spear.

The stone slope is backed by a sloping cliff, which blocks the wind blowing in from the mountain valley. A thick layer of dead leaves has accumulated at the bottom of the slope, making it soft and quiet to sit on.

Yang Xiao sat down at the foot of the stone slope, first scanning his surroundings before taking out the Ice Toad King Demon Core he had just acquired.

Its body is a deep, dark green, almost black, and when held in the palm of your hand, a wisp of cold air seeps out.

With a thought, the Equipment Slot expanded, and the Demon Core was placed into the first slot.

"Equipment."

Buzz--

The slot lit up, the Demon Core shattered, and a surge of powerful demonic energy, like a bursting dam, crashed into the Mystic Core.

[Dan Zhao Jing - Cold Toad King Demon Core (One-time consumption)]

[Effect 1: Replenishes a massive amount of demonic energy.]

[Effect 2: Gain the purple affix "Freezing Frost": Attacks are imbued with a bone-chilling cold, inflicting frostbite on targets, causing stagnation of qi and blood, and slowed movement and casting.]

In the sea of consciousness, two lines of text slowly lit up.

The Ten-Thousand-Forged Demon Body remained unresponsive, which was expected. Its physique had already reached the Core Illumination Perfected Stage, and Demon Core at the Core Illumination Realm could no longer nourish it.

As the powerful demonic energy flowed into his Mystic Core, Yang Xiao's attention lingered on "Freezing Frost" for a moment.

If we were to fight, it would be a tricky ability, but for me, having more skills is never a bad thing.

He silently reviewed the cards with special attributes in his hand: Flame-Burning scorch blood and qi, Solar Flame burns the soul and body, Sinew-Extinguishing, Bone-Melting and bones...

Now, let's add another layer of Freezing Frost the blood and qi.

Against a tough, thick-skinned Demon, a series of special effects would be enough to give it a hard time.

Note that the demon essence is the true essence of this Demon Core.

A massive amount of demonic energy surged into the Mystic Core Mystic Core, causing it to hum and the five Pill Pattern to be activated simultaneously, swirling around the Dan body faster and faster.

The accumulation of knowledge in the Core Illumination Mid-Stage was already complete; only this one step was missing.

The shackles that had been preventing his cultivation from advancing further had finally loosened.

The power within the Mystic Core gradually increased, and the five originally stable Pill Pattern began to glow, changing in and out like breathing. The changes in Core Illumination Light accelerated with the injection of demonic energy.

The Spiritual Power of Core Illumination surged outward from the Mystic Core and was quickly drawn back in. With each cycle, the power became more condensed.

Instead of uncontrolled shockwaves erupting from his body, his body was illuminated layer by layer by the Five-Colored Core Illumination Light.

Light shone through the skin and flesh, casting flickering shadows on the withered leaves on the slope.

The expansion of the Mystic Core brings pressure, causing swelling, heaviness, and a dull ache.

I don't know how much time passed.

Buzz--!

A soft sound came from deep within the Mystic Core.

The long-standing stagnation within the Mystic Core was broken up.

His cultivation level directly entered the Core Illumination Late-Stage!

With a surge of Spiritual Power, the range of the Core Illumination expanded.

The original three-hundred-foot-long Core Illumination Light first pushed outwards, crossing the mountain valleys, rocky slopes, and mountain paths. The halo of light clung to the mountain ridge and spread all the way, startling a few mountain birds.

Four hundred feet.

Five hundred feet.

Six hundred zhang.

The Core Illumination Light gradually stopped after reaching a thousand feet, steadily covering the entire mountain range!