The Insect External Incarnation was fully optimized, with enhanced control, reduced backlash capabilities, and an expanded control range.

Not only that, but new realizations and insights emerged in his heart, with new Blood Glyphs added to the Insect External Incarnation.

"Substitution Blood Glyph!"

This was a brand new Blood Glyph, which, when forging an Insect External Incarnation, could be melded with the ordinary Blood Glyphs.

Once completed, the Insect External Incarnation would gain an additional ability to substitute for death.

As long as the Insect External Incarnation was within the control range, if the original body suffered a fatal injury, the Insect External Incarnation would bear the fatal damage instead.

This was a unidirectional substitution; if the Insect External Incarnation sustained fatal injuries, it would not affect the original body.

With the addition of the Substitution Blood Glyph, the Insect External Incarnation underwent a qualitative transformation.

The original body's survival ability reached its peak, gaining a powerful life-saving lock and significantly enhancing its ability to stay alive.

The Insect External Incarnation was not learned in vain; it's like having an extra life.

Jia Ren did not hesitate and decisively reforged a new Insect External Incarnation.

The Blood Glyphs were optimized, becoming more complex and stable, with the addition of the Substitution Blood Glyph.

Half an hour later, a brand new Insect External Incarnation was born, with one hundred Sonic-Thief Mosquito Kings gaining new crimson patterns.

Next was to test its strength, control intensity, and other changes.

First was the control intensity. With the strengthening of the Blood Glyphs, suppression of instincts became stronger, and the Sonic-Thief Mosquito Kings were less likely to develop self-awareness.

The time before they would attempt to return to the original body and reintegrate was significantly extended, estimated up to a month.

This meant that the Insect External Incarnation could operate for a long time away from the main body without fear of developing a new will.

The control range was confirmed after releasing the Insect External Incarnation. The control distance had increased dramatically, reaching a maximum of sixty-five miles.

Within sixty-five miles, perfect control was maintained, with no fear of backlash.

The control range of the Insect External Incarnation increased exponentially, allowing for exploration over a wider area of the Poisonous Miasma Lake and significantly more Spiritual Medicine to be harvested.

With the addition of substitution for death, increased control intensity and range, and enhanced strength, it was a comprehensive metamorphosis.

Not bad, the progress is indeed astonishing.

The Insect External Incarnation's advancement proved that Jia Ren's efforts were not in vain.

What he favored most was the death substitution effect.

The role of the Insect External Incarnation was growing increasingly significant.

"Go! Continue gathering Spiritual Medicine."

He had yet to fully explore even thirty li of the Poisonous Miasma Lake. With the incarnation's increased detection range, this meant a vast amount of Spiritual Medicine awaited harvesting, and more treasures were yet to be unearthed.

The Insect External Incarnation left the Water Curtain Cave and continued on its journey.

Before departing, he did not forget to use the Fish Saint Pill as bait, taking the number one enforcer, the Fathead Fish Demon, along.

The peak period for Spiritual Medicine is coming; I need to hurry and start Alchemy.

The Fish Saint Pill, Ancestral Worm Pill, Spirit Nourishing Pill, Consolidating Yuan Pill (Modified), and Black Dragon Body Refining Medicinal Meal were consumed at an alarming rate. To prepare for unexpected needs, he had not used up all the stored Spiritual Medicine.

As the Insect External Incarnation's harvest area increased, the repository was under pressure. Jia Ren immediately began processing the inventory to free up enough storage space.

For the following half-month, he returned to sweep mode.

Each time the Insect External Incarnation ventured out, it brought back a large amount of Spiritual Medicine.

No one visited the Poisonous Miasma Lake, and a vast amount of medicinal herbs had accumulated, with a great variety of species. Now, they all benefited Jia Ren.

The Storage Bag had long been insufficient, and the space acting as the storage room had been expanded several times.

Even so, the acquired Spiritual Medicine was still too much to store. With no other choice, he ordered the Insect External Incarnation to slow down its harvesting.

Jia Ren devoted all his time to Alchemy, processing the Spiritual Medicine inventory.

Every day, the Insect External Incarnation and the Fathead Fish Demon went out early and returned late, their exploration range ever-expanding.

The Poisonous Miasma Lake was not small, and at last, they reached its boundary.

Coincidentally, the extent of the Poisonous Miasma Lake matched the limit of the Insect External Incarnation's operational range exactly.

Who would have thought that people once lived here.

Outside the Poisonous Miasma Lake, the Insect External Incarnation saw, from a distance, several large villages.

Weeds grew everywhere within the villages. Wooden houses were covered with moss and vines, resembling primitive huts in the woods.

The villages were dilapidated. Many wooden houses had collapsed, making it impossible for anyone to live there.

Had they left? Or...

The Insect External Incarnation first used the Demon-Spotting Talisman to confirm that there were no Magical Beasts lurking in the nearest village before approaching.

A pungent musty smell wafted through the air. The ground was littered with much moldy and rotten, unidentifiable filth, among which lay carcasses too damaged to distinguish between humans or Magical Beasts.

Further away were several skeletons of Magical Beasts and humans, tinged with a blackish-green.

The villagers had not left but were forever buried here.

The Insect External Incarnation entered one room after another but did not find anything of value.

Based on the skeletons, the village's destruction was not recent, having occurred at least five years ago.

The Insect External Incarnation then visited several other areas, where it found similar villages. They resembled small family clans, each residing in different areas.

Thirteen villages existed around the Poisonous Miasma Lake, most of which were ordinary. Only the largest village showed traces of a Formation, which seemed to have been guarded by Cultivators.

Even so, they ultimately could not avoid the fate of extinction.

The Insect External Incarnation wanted to explore further and gain more information.

Just then, Spiritual Power Fluctuations emanated from the distant sky. Acting decisively, the Insect External Incarnation used the Turtle Breath Technique to hide its aura, found an object to conceal its form, and looked towards the source of the fluctuations.

Two Cultivators flew by, operating Flying Artifacts that looked familiar.

They were sinister treasures with Skull Head designs.

Demon Cultivators?

The failure of the Insect External Incarnation to pursue the Demon Cultivators previously had led him to think it was just a passing occurrence. He didn't expect to see Demon Cultivators here again.

Could the village have been destroyed by Demon Cultivators?

The Cultivation Methods of Demon Cultivators often involve the souls of Cultivators as ingredients, making them as unpopular as rats crossing the street, attracting hostility from all. Cultivators and mortals alike were their targets. Bizarre Cultivators, on the other hand, picked their battles, selecting either the strong or the destitute, and they operated in a more understated manner, careful not to overdo things to avoid capsizing in a gutter. Demon Cultivators were even less principled. Their actions often resulted in extermination and the rampant slaughter of mortals; few people were fond of such madmen. Sects, not wishing for their mortal foundations to suffer massive casualties, tended to exterminate Demon Cultivators thoroughly. Many Demon Cultivator sects had been destroyed and forced to hide in deep forests and mountainous regions.

Could it be that these Demon Cultivators were part of the Demonic Path forces pursued by the great Sects years ago?

The strength of the two Demon Cultivators was not very impressive. One was at the Qi Refinement Seventh Level, and the other was at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining; each slowly flew by with their Flying Artifacts.

Jia Ren didn't want to startle them or expose his secluded residence.

He swiftly ordered the Fathead Fish Demon to submerge into the depths, so as not to alarm the two Demon Cultivators.

Eliminate the Demon Cultivators?

The risk was that it could alert others and bring trouble. He wasn't clear about the strength and background of the Demon Cultivators, and any interference would only cause chaos. He simply wanted to cultivate in peace and wished for no interference from others.

However, he couldn't just ignore them flying by. At the very least, he needed to gather intelligence and ascertain the enemy's situation.

The Insect External Incarnation split, sending two Sonic-Thief Mosquito Kings after the two Demon Cultivators.

This place was the Poisonous Miasma Lake, teeming with poisonous insects and mosquitoes, so the presence of such creatures wasn't particularly conspicuous.

"What are these black mosquitoes? Their strength is terrifying!"

"It's been a long time since I've been in the poison swamp. I didn't expect to encounter such formidable poisonous insects again."

Sensing the Spiritual Power Fluctuation from the Sonic-Thief Mosquito King, which was no weaker than the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement, the two Demon Cultivators were so terrified that their complexions changed drastically, and they fled rapidly.

The Sonic-Thief Mosquito Kings breached their Spirit Shield without a sound, scattered Lingering Fragrance Powder, and then ceased pursuit, allowing the pair to depart.

The escaping Demon Cultivators did not notice anything unusual as they raced back to their stronghold.

「Half a day later.」

The Insect External Incarnation followed their scent, tracing their path.

"Beyond the range!"

The Sonic-Thief Mosquito King sensed magical power fluctuations dozens of miles away. Unfortunately, the distance was too great for it to be distinct.

They can't exactly be considered neighbors.

Even if there were Demon Cultivators active in this area, their stronghold was still a hundred miles away from him. The distance was substantial. As long as he didn't show himself, there was no chance of encountering them in his lifetime.

Jia Ren had the Insect External Incarnation return and reduced its outdoor activities to avoid potential exposure.

His focus now was on cultivation and enhancing his own strength.

For two straight months, Jia Ren dedicated a tremendous amount of energy to Alchemy.

Nearly forty percent of the Spiritual Medicine stock had been depleted, turned into a large number of Fish Saint Pills, Consolidating Yuan Pills (Modified), and others.

The Proficiency Level of the Consolidating Yuan Pill (Modified) had been elevated to Grandmaster Level. Since no related Spiritual Medicine remained, its proficiency could climb no further.

It wasn't that Jia Ren didn't want to turn other Spiritual Medicines into Elixirs. Not all Spiritual Medicines were suitable for Alchemy, and many were difficult to combine.

The Poisonous Miasma Lake had an abundance of poison-type Spiritual Medicines, and most of the remaining stock was of this type.

"Haha, the Yellow Springs Ghostly Poison Pill is finally complete!"

Wearing a Magic Artifact facemask that blocked poisonous gases, Jia Ren emerged from the Alchemy Room, holding a dark-yellow Pill, coated in wax.

This was the newly concocted Yellow Springs Ghostly Poison Pill.

As early as half a month ago, he had finished concocting commonly used Elixirs. He had a large amount of toxic Spiritual Medicines on hand with no application, which was quite frustrating.

The Hundred Poisons Scripture was written by Elder Hundred Poisons, who had a considerable understanding of Poisons. But the problem was that Elder Hundred Poisons was a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator, and thus his knowledge and experiences had limitations.

The usefulness of the Hundred Poisons Scripture to Jia Ren was dwindling. Moving forward on the path of poisons, he would have to rely on himself.

The first thing that came to Jia Ren's mind was the Yellow Spring Poison. As the strongest poison in his possession, it definitely needed to be fully utilized. His first thought was to concoct a toxic Pill. The Yellow Spring Poison was not suitable for long-term preservation; making it into an Elixir was a better option.

He spent the subsequent time studying the characteristics of Yellow Spring Poison and matching it with corresponding supporting toxic Spiritual Medicines to maximize its power.

Thanks to the vast Spiritual Medicine Repository of toxic types, Jia Ren had an inexhaustible supply of materials for numerous experiments.

Today, he had finally succeeded in concocting it.

The Yellow Springs Ghostly Poison Pill was at least thirty percent stronger than the Yellow Spring Poison itself, even in its nascent state. It could kill a Foundation Establishment Cultivator without issue, and even a Golden Core Cultivator would suffer greatly.

Once the Proficiency Level was elevated to Great Grandmaster Level, Jia Ren was confident he could use this Pill to poison a Golden Core Cultivator to death.

The Yellow Springs Ghostly Poison Pill would become his trump card, striking terror into the hearts of his opponents.

Next was the process of optimizing the Yellow Springs Ghostly Poison Pill.

Jia Ren began to repeat the Alchemy and cultivation process, improving the Proficiency Levels of his secret techniques significantly.

「Unbeknownst to him, a year had quietly passed by.」

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