They were still some distance away from Dongting Lake, so it would take another day or two to reach it.
Song Jie had grown tired of sitting on the eagle's back, so he took the opportunity to get down and stretch his limbs.
Since he still needed to acquire essence orbs that night, he decided to warm up first.
As for the exhausted Wind Riding Sky Eagle, he could only rely on Dimensional Replication.
The Lizard Skull Giant Demons usually appeared in the evening—perfect timing for a hunting spree!
His bronze bracelet already contained several essence orbs, but it still wasn't enough.
With so many Lizard Skull Giant Demons and Giant Dead Lizards roaming here, no one would notice how many he killed.
In fact, he could even help the military by clearing out some of the demons.
Night fell.
Song Jie ignored Li Man and her team. After replicating the Wind Riding Sky Eagle's abilities, he headed straight toward Dongting Lake...
By a bonfire far away, a young man from Li Man's group suddenly looked up.
"Did anyone see something fly past just now?"
Another member followed his gaze but saw nothing.
"Don't make a fuss. There's nothing there."
The young man rubbed his eyes, convinced he hadn't imagined it.
Around midnight, Song Jie finally arrived at Dongting Lake and saw the Lizard Skull Giant Demons crawling over the swampy terrain.
"Come out, my darlings!" he said, summoning Xiao Lu and Xiao Hei.
He then canceled the Wind Riding Sky Eagle's replication and replaced it with Xiao Lu's.
Xiao Lu's plant-based abilities were extremely toxic—perfect for mass extermination.
No matter how many there were, they could handle them all!
After completing the replication, Song Jie strode into the Lizard Skull Giant Demon territory.
The sound of his footsteps alerted the demons, and their scarlet eyes locked onto him.
The next moment, they charged forward, seeing him as a midnight snack.
But Song Jie had Little Black Cat's shadow vision, allowing him to see everything clearly in the dark.
There were at least several hundred Lizard Skull Giant Demons and quite a few Warrior-level Giant Dead Lizards among them.
"Darlings, after this job, I'll treat you to a feast!" Song Jie roared.
Xiao Hei was reluctant, but as a working cat, it could only obey its "capitalist" master.
Xiao Lu, as a Warrior-level Summoned Beast, directly tore through the Servant-level demons.
After fusing with the Silver White Flower's venom, its poison had become even deadlier.
Within moments, the entire area was engulfed in thick toxic fog.
Some Lizard Skull Giant Demons hadn't even reached them before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Song Jie's main targets, however, were the Warrior-level Giant Dead Lizards—creatures that Xiao Lu and Xiao Hei found difficult to handle.
Those, he would personally deal with.
Spotting several of them, Song Jie raised his hand and unleashed a Bursting Laser.
A golden beam swept across the battlefield, annihilating dozens of demons in an instant.
How could they withstand a spell comparable to Advanced Magic?
He fought alongside Xiao Lu and Xiao Hei, collecting both complete and broken essence orbs into his bronze bracelet.
Golden light occasionally flickered through the darkness as demons were obliterated one after another.
It was a sleepless night of slaughter.
The next morning.
Li Man and her team continued their journey toward Dongting Lake.
"Did anyone hear anything strange last night?" one of them asked.
"I did—it sounded like a fight," another replied.
"It's probably the demon hordes clashing," their leader said. "There are two Commander-level creatures around here. They often fight for territory."
Li Man listened quietly, then decided to part ways with them.
She wasn't here for a soul seed—her goal was to investigate why so many Lizard Skull Giant Demons had died recently.
When she entered their territory, she noticed that many corpses were still fresh.
"What's going on? Is that thing nearby?" she muttered, instantly becoming alert.
Suddenly, she heard something in the distance and cautiously moved toward the sound.
Meanwhile, Song Jie had already encountered the Swamp Poison Centipede.
Its body was long and narrow like a bamboo stalk, its fourteen thick legs rising from the swamp as it loomed over him.
"Don't disappoint me," Song Jie said, eyes burning with anticipation.
If he could get a Commander-level Essence Orb, this trip would be worth everything!
The Swamp Poison Centipede glared at him, its compound eyes filled with killing intent.
"Can't wait to fight, huh? Then come!" Song Jie shouted.
In an instant, his Demonification activated.
Because his Summoning Element had reached the Advanced Level, his Demonification now manifested at full power.
Though it was stronger, the consumption was also far greater.
He hadn't yet tested how long he could sustain it—but defeating this Swamp Poison Centipede wouldn't be a problem.
A pair of blood-red wings burst from his back, and his body radiated an eerie mix of darkness and light.
A demon could also shine with radiance!
Song Jie's fist ignited with golden light as he slammed it into the centipede's head.
Bang!
The Swamp Poison Centipede's massive body flew backward, crashing into the swamp and sending waves surging in all directions.
Greenish-blue blood oozed from a deep gash in its head as it let out a thunderous roar.
It then spat a jet of venom toward him, but Song Jie raised his hand and cast Radiance.
The light detonated the venom mid-air, sending the centipede flying again.
He vanished in a blur and reappeared atop its body, his fists glowing brighter.
Each punch smashed into its chitinous armor until cracks spread across its back.
"Explode for me!" he roared, gathering all his power into one final strike.
Boom!
A blinding flash erupted as the Swamp Poison Centipede's body was split cleanly in two.
Gradually, the swamp grew quiet. The colossal creature fell still, half-submerged in the mire.
Hovering mid-air, Song Jie's eyes gleamed with excitement as he watched the corpse.
Whether or not he'd strike it rich overnight depended on this moment!
Then—
a faint glow appeared on the Swamp Poison Centipede's remains, slowly outlining its massive form.
Having handled so many essence orbs before, Song Jie immediately recognized what he was seeing.
When the Commander-level Essence Orb appeared, his eyes lit up.
"It really is... a complete Commander-level Essence Orb!!"
...
Author's Note:
The first half (completed version more that 320 chapters) of Versatile Mage: My Magic Has Gone Beyond Limits! is now available on Patreon!
🔥 I also have additional **18+ fanfics** available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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