With a palm strike against his lightning ball, a pillar of lightning erupted from his hand, piercing the frog's fist and turning it into dust. Shouting, Liu Xing wielded the lightning pillar and slashed across the rest of the frog's body to destroy it completely.

After a moment, only the frog's head remained, its eyes filled with fear and regret. They met Liu Xing's gaze as its mouth began to open as if to curse him. But before it could utter a sound, Liu Xing aimed his gun at the frog's head, activated the Exploding Fist, transformed the technique into bullets, and fired. The bullets hit the frog right in the mouth, causing it to explode into a million pieces. Red and yellow liquid fell with a splash into the murky lake below.

Liu Xing stood on his floating shield and watched as the lower part of the frog collapsed like a tall building toppling over. As the remains hit the lake, waves rippled across the surface. Trees and crocodiles emerged from the ground and the lake. The trees vibrated, making sounds like nails scratching glass, an eerie, sad sound. The crocodiles spat green acid from their gaping mouths, their eyes glaring hatefully at Liu Xing. In response, he activated his lightning blade. The air crackled with electricity as he slashed at each incoming attack. Then, he moved swiftly, slashing at the spirit beasts attempting revenge.

Finally, Liu Xing stood beside the now-still lake. He was still drenched in red blood, but unlike before, it no longer felt hot like boiling water. Glancing at his gun, he found six green strips that glowed faintly in the dim light. The frog was dead, and its beast core had been absorbed by his gun.

The fight with the frog was finally over.

***

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Liu Xing began absorbing the bullets into his body and then his consciousness. As always, the qi poured into his consciousness as easily as water flowing downstream, and it entered the last lock as if it had always been meant to be there. When the six bullets were completely absorbed, he knew he was stepping closer to open the seventh lock. He calculated he needed approximately seventeen more spirit beasts to finally achieve it.

Opening his eyes and standing up, he stretched his body. At this rate, he was certain he could achieve immortality within his lifespan, and perhaps even become the legend he desired. Since immortality seemed almost guaranteed, he needed to ensure he could defeat or contain the darkness lurking in this world. In this way, he would become an immortal who knew he had successfully aided his friends in other worlds.

Nodding to himself, he resolved to grow stronger faster. To that end, he closed his eyes and tried to sense the qi around him.

There was a high chance the Red Wings of Stability had been destroyed along with the frog, but a small possibility remained that the treasure was still intact.

The frog's qi still lingered in the area, a faint, prickly feeling in the air. Liu Xing pondered the nature of that frog. Its ability to use techniques was unheard of for a spirit beast. While spirit beasts were strong and sometimes possessed unique abilities, their powers were more akin to bloodlines than learned techniques. Witnessing the frog use techniques made Liu Xing wonder what might have happened if he hadn't killed it. Would the frog have grown stronger by learning more techniques? Would the frog and its army have become a calamity? Liu Xing shook his head. There was no use wondering about the frog now; it was dead.

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Focusing his mind, Liu Xing attempted to sense the qi beneath the lake. If the Red Wings of Stability were still intact, they were likely in the deep waters. After about a minute of searching with his senses, he finally felt an object emitting a weak but stable qi. Comparing this object's qi to the frog's when it used the Red Wings of Stability was like comparing the sun to a candle, but the feeling was similar enough to make Liu Xing's hope rise.

He jumped into the lake and began swimming toward the object and found himself in the deepest part of the dark lake. The water was murky and dark, with only plant-like blue seaweed swaying in the gentle current. The object emitting the stable qi was in front of him, and Liu Xing realized this was where the giant frog had been crouching. The object was quite large and deep blue, resembling a giant egg. He considered that perhaps the frog hadn't been crouching, but hugging this object.

For a moment, he wondered if it was actually the egg of that dangerous frog. But upon getting closer and truly examining it, he realized it wasn't an egg at all, but a rock with a blue coating that glittered faintly up close.

He placed his ear against the blue rock and knocked several times. When a hollow sound reached him, he nodded. It seemed this object was where the frog had hidden its most important belongings. There was a chance the Red Wings of Stability were inside, but Liu Xing wasn't optimistic. After all, the Red Wings of Stability were probably a treasure meant to be worn, and he struggled to imagine how a wearable treasure could be contained within this rock. Still, he needed to check inside, as the interior of the rock emitted a similar feeling to the frog using the Red Wings of Stability.

Liu Xing struck the rock with his palm. Upon contact, several cracks spread from the point of impact like a spiderweb, but the rock remained intact. Liu Xing struck it again, and this time the rock crumbled. The broken pieces turned to dust and were carried away by the gentle current within the lake, revealing a giant transparent bubble hidden inside. His eyes scanned the inside of the bubble, and what he saw puzzled him further about the frog.

Inside the bubble was what appeared to be a room furnished with a bamboo bed, a small desk, women's clothes, scrolls, and canvases strewn across the floor. Paintings hung on the bubble's walls, and at the top, a yellow gem illuminated the room with a soft, golden glow.

Liu Xing's eyes snapped to one corner of the bubble, where a mummy leaned against the wall. The mummy had dried skin with the texture of old bark, yet it was pale and still looked soft. The mummy's face held a peaceful smile. From the red clothes and the gold hairpin clinging to the few remaining strands of black hair on its head, Liu Xing was certain she had been a beautiful woman. Even in mummified form, Liu Xing could imagine a charming smile, soft eyes, and a gentle laugh. He touched the bubble, and realizing there was no resistance, he easily entered.

Inside, he sensed the bubble was truly like a home, as if the girl had lived here for years, making it her own private sanctuary.

After his eyes wandered for a moment, he realized the mummy was missing her right arm. He imagined something or someone had chopped it off. This observation made Liu Xing wonder if this girl had a connection to the deaths of Qian Biau, Duan Hai, and Bai Lin's grandson, or if it was merely a coincidence. Judging by the mummy's condition, Liu Xing estimated she had died hundreds of years ago.

Liu Xing's gaze fell upon a painting not far from the mummy. As he approached, he saw a charming girl smiling atop a lotus floating in a lake. The girl was youthful, with red lips and a cute nose. In her palms, she held a frog that smiled contentedly, as if it were the happiest frog in the world.

This painting made Liu Xing's eyebrow rise. The frog in the painting had the same face as the one he had killed. But the expression of this little frog, compared to the one he had slain, was worlds apart. He wondered what had happened to them. Has this girl been imprisoned or hiding here? When the frog had spoken, it mentioned Liu Xing would be nourishment for its army. What had the frog intended to do with this army in the future?

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