Chapter 438: Chapter 377: 7-Fingered Daoist, 7 Mystical Flying Ants! [Vote for Monthly Tickets!]
Flat Peak Mountain.
Chen Jichuan returned to his cave abode, taking out two insect eggs brimming with restrained golden radiance, a smile emerging on his face.
[Spiritual Insect: Golden Backed Mantis]
[Level: Third-order]
[Description: Feeds on fire toxins and evil energies, capable of emitting an indestructible golden light. Its body is impervious to blades and resistant to water and fire, and it possesses extreme agility.]
...
"Golden Backed Mantis."
This was the most formidable spiritual insect Chen Jichuan had obtained in his century of wandering across the Tu Continent.
Chen Jichuan opened the "Hundred Insects Scripture"—
"Ranked ninety-fourth on the ’Hundred Insect List.’"
Mojia Venerable, known as the "Insect Immortal," once dominated an era with his mastery over the Insect Control Technique. He created the "Hundred Insects Scripture," which encompasses techniques for enslaving countless spiritual insects and detailed explanations about them.
Mojia Venerable, based on the power of the spiritual insects he encountered and heard about, compiled the "Hundred Insect List."
Listed within were the hundred most formidable spiritual insects of the Chongming Realm.
Among them, the "Golden Backed Mantis" was ranked ninety-fourth.
"Only twenty-two Fourth-order spiritual insects are listed on the ’Hundred Insect List.’
"For the ’Golden Backed Mantis’ to rank ninety-fourth, it is already a peerless presence among Third-order insects."
Chen Jichuan’s heart was filled with joy.
Memories of the two scriptures surfaced in his mind.
In the "Hundred Insects Scripture," Mojia Venerable not only documented the ’Golden Backed Mantis’ but also left behind secret techniques for enslaving and cultivating it. These included methods for refining spiritual liquids and pills that could accelerate the mantis’s hatching, growth, and reproduction.
"One or two ’Golden Backed Mantises’ are hardly of great use."
"Only through forming a colony can they dominate at the Third-order and even pose a threat to the Fourth-order."
This was the first type of spiritual insect Chen Jichuan obtained capable of threatening the Fourth-order, and his heart was naturally overjoyed.
From the rough accounts of Mojia Venerable’s life obtained from Jicong, it was evident that this Heavenly Venerate relied on several spiritual insects, including the ’Golden Backed Mantis,’ in his early years to achieve dominance.
"No wonder."
"No wonder the two scriptures contain such extensive information about the ’Golden Backed Mantis,’ along with various related pills."
Chen Jichuan suddenly understood.
When he read how Mojia Venerable, with only Third-order cultivation, commanded tens of thousands of Golden Backed Mantises to sweep through the Third-order and counterattack the Fourth-order, Chen Jichuan could not help but feel his blood boil.
"Let’s begin."
In the space within the Immortal Gourd, Chen Jichuan constructed an environment brimming with toxins and subterranean fire, then placed the two insect eggs inside.
Under normal circumstances,
these eggs would require two to three hundred years to hatch.
However, in the Immortal Gourd Space, they needed only twenty to thirty years.
Yet even after hatching, the young ’Golden Backed Mantis’ would only possess First-order strength. To fully mature, an extensive amount of time would still be needed.
It would require an enormous investment of both time and energy.
Jicong, backed by his sect, had also obtained two ’Golden Backed Mantis’ eggs but chose to sell them rather than raise them himself. This might have been due to a lack of proficiency in insect control, but it undoubtedly involved the challenge of raising such creatures as well.
After all, not everyone had the conditions of someone like Chen Jichuan, nor did they possess the ’Purple Mansion Immortal Gourd.’
In the "Hundred Insects Scripture" and the "Hundred Herbs Scripture," Mojia Venerable even outlined numerous methods to assist the growth and accelerate the maturity of Golden Backed Mantises.
"Poisonous Spirit Liquid."
"Secret Demon Mysterious Pill."
"Dutian Poison Fire Divine Pill."
Chen Jichuan quickly immersed himself in studying the various recipes related to the ’Golden Backed Mantis,’ striving to cultivate them into a substantial colony as soon as possible.
Time passed swiftly.
While preparing spiritual liquids and refining spirit pills, Chen Jichuan also diligently advanced his cultivation.
Not long after acquiring the ’Golden Backed Mantis,’ Chen Jichuan’s strength once again advanced, reaching the Third Realm of Divinity Transformation.
...
"Divinity Transformation Third Realm—Divine Separation!"
The breakthrough came naturally, without any surprising twists, yet Chen Jichuan was still in good spirits.
He had wandered for a century.
In these hundred years, not a single day had he neglected his cultivation. His progress was a testament to his years of rigorous efforts.
"In my previous life, it took two hundred years at First Realm of Divinity Transformation, and another four hundred at the Second Realm."
"After advancing to Divinity Transformation, it took a total of six hundred years to reach the Third Realm."
But in this life, by digesting his Dao Fruit, contemplating the Dao Fruits of thirty-two top Independent Immortals, and utilizing his experiences from two prior lives, Chen Jichuan needed only a mere century to reach the Divine Separation Realm.
He was five hundred years faster than in his past life.
"At this pace, in another hundred or two hundred years, I should reach the Peak of Divinity Transformation and prepare to break through to the Fourth-order."
Chen Jichuan harbored anticipation in his heart.
In the Chongming Realm, those at the Third-order commanded reverence among mortals, but only Fourth-order cultivators could ascend to the heavens and be honored as ’Upper Immortals.’
The difference was incomparable.
Chen Jichuan longed to achieve the Fourth-order early.
...
Not rushing to leave Flat Peak Mountain, Chen Jichuan continued to cultivate there after breaking through to Divine Separation.
At times, he gathered various spiritual medicines.
At other times, he sold spirit pills.
Due to his rapid breakthroughs, he consumed spirit pills as if they cost nothing, and his earning pace lagged far behind his expenditures.
Fortunately, the wealth he had obtained from the Five Great Sects of Great Zhou had been substantial, and over the years, his pill sales earned him plenty of Primordial Stones and resources.
Occasionally encountering hostile cultivators or sects, he even managed to make a fortune through opportunistic gains.
Through a mix of methods and a collection of skills, Chen Jichuan accumulated a sizable fortune, sufficient for him to enjoy for a while.
Years passed one by one.
Chen Jichuan temporarily settled on Flat Peak Mountain. While cultivation was one part of his activities, his primary focus was meticulously nurturing the Golden Backed Mantises.
He gathered all manner of spiritual medicines.
He concocted various spiritual liquids.
He refined all sorts of spirit pills.
These activities required significant time and effort, leaving little to spare for travel or exploration.
With focused care, the two Golden Backed Mantis eggs were soon hatched and growing swiftly under Chen Jichuan’s hands.
At the same time, Chen Jichuan began procuring and planting seeds for spiritual medicines required to refine pills like the ’Poisonous Spirit Liquid,’ ’Secret Demon Mysterious Pill,’ and ’Dutian Poison Fire Divine Pill,’ aiming for self-sufficiency in the future.
He also sought out sources of toxins and fire energies.
The Immortal Gourd Space could not create things out of thin air—it required spiritual energy to transform into different environmental elements.
For instance, the toxic and fiery environment the Golden Backed Mantises preferred could be sustained only with immense spiritual energy.
While these methods were a convenient fallback in isolated situations, purchasing resources from the outside was far more economical under normal circumstances.
With a multi-faceted approach, Chen Jichuan was determined to make the Golden Backed Mantis his first long-term cultivated spiritual insect.
...
Time flew rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Jichuan had been residing on Flat Peak Mountain for ten years and had possessed the two Golden Backed Mantis eggs for seven.
Thanks to his meticulous care, the two mantis eggs successfully hatched and had already grown to Second-order maturity.
In just a few more decades, they should reach Third-order status with ease.
Once they reached their potential, they would no longer need to remain in the Immortal Gourd Space. They could be released to roam underground, absorbing toxins and fires, tempering the golden light within their bodies, strengthening their physical forms, and continually improving their power.
Once they accumulated enough, they could begin to reproduce.
With offspring multiplying endlessly, Chen Jichuan would possess an inexhaustible army of Golden Backed Mantises.
...
Finally, one day.
Chen Jichuan successfully acquired the last type of spiritual medicine seed needed to refine the ’Dutian Poison Fire Divine Pill.’
After completing his cultivation session, he enthusiastically tended to his tasks in the Hundred Herbs Garden, playing the part of a diligent medicine farmer.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, someone arrived outside his cave abode.
...
"This humble Daoist is called Seven-finger, here to interrupt. I ask Daoist friend not to take offense."
Chen Jichuan stepped outside, only to see a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe, his demeanor refined, smiling as he greeted him.
At a glance, Chen Jichuan’s heart skipped a beat—
"Eleventh Tribulation Independent Immortal?!"
Over two thousand years of roaming the Starry Sky World, plus a hundred more in the Tu Continent, had brought Chen Jichuan into contact with countless experts in Divinity Transformation, Dao consolidation, and pill refinement, as well as numerous Independent Immortals.
But Eleventh Tribulation Independent Immortals were exceedingly rare.
He had seen only a handful in his past life.
This life, none at all.
This uninvited guest, the "Seven-fingered Daoist," marked the first Eleventh Tribulation Independent Immortal Chen Jichuan encountered in this life.
Having personally experienced the Eleventh Tribulation Independent Immortal Tribulation, Chen Jichuan was well aware of its terror.
His expression remained composed, but inwardly, he approached this visitor with heightened caution.
Glancing at the Seven-fingered Daoist, Chen Jichuan masked his wariness with a smile. "So it’s Daoist Seven-finger."
He promptly invited the Seven-fingered Daoist into his cave abode.
After some friendly pleasantries,
the Seven-fingered Daoist revealed his purpose: "Daoist friend, have you heard of the ’Seven Mysterious Mountain’?"
"Seven Mysterious Mountain?"
Chen Jichuan’s heart momentarily trembled. He almost suspected that this man had come from Panlong Mountain or, worse, uncovered his secrets.
However, he quickly realized—
"Seven Mysterious Mountain?"
Chen Jichuan looked at the Seven-fingered Daoist and asked, "Are you referring to the ’Seven Mysterious Flying Ants’?"
"Daoist friend truly has knowledge."
The Seven-fingered Daoist nodded and said, "Precisely, the Seven Mysterious Flying Ants."
Chen Jichuan indeed knew of the "Seven Mysterious Flying Ants."
In the "Hundred Insects Scripture," the Seven Mysterious Flying Ants ranked twentieth on the "Hundred Insect List."
They were Fourth-order spiritual insects,
outshining the ’Golden Backed Mantis’ in rank, strength, and rarity.
The latter, ranked ninety-fourth, could pose a threat to the Fourth-order when forming a colony.
The former, however, despite being the lowest-ranked among the twenty Fourth-order spiritual insects on the list, was a true Fourth-order from the outset. Once they formed a colony, they could dominate even among their peers at the Fourth-order.
However, the Seven Mysterious Flying Ants always operated as a group, never alone. An ant separated from its colony would perish swiftly.
Additionally, already-hatched Seven Mysterious Flying Ants were notoriously difficult to tame. Even their larvae were virtually untrainable unless enslaved using secret techniques before hatching.
Thus, it was exceedingly rare to encounter anyone capable of enslaving the Seven Mysterious Flying Ants.
The sudden mention of such spiritual insects by the Seven-fingered Daoist naturally puzzled Chen Jichuan.
"What is Daoist friend suggesting—"
Chen Jichuan asked, turning his gaze to the Seven-fingered Daoist.
"To be frank."
"This humble Daoist possesses a Secret Treasure that allows me to detect the whereabouts of certain spiritual insects within a range, including the ’Seven Mysterious Flying Ants.’"
"Not long ago, I passed by a location and stumbled upon a ’Seven Mysterious Mountain.’"
"But as Daoist friend likely knows, the Seven Mysterious Flying Ants are notoriously difficult to deal with. Relying on myself alone, it’s impossible to seize an entire Seven Mysterious Mountain. Thus, I seek to enlist the aid of several companions to storm it together."
The Seven-fingered Daoist got straight to the point and explained his objective.
"Seven Mysterious Mountain!"
Chen Jichuan’s heart pounded.
Though he had anticipated this conclusion, hearing it from the Seven-fingered Daoist’s mouth still left him feeling dry-mouthed and tense.
What the Seven-fingered Daoist referred to as the "Seven Mysterious Mountain" was no ordinary geographical formation but a mound composed of countless dead Seven Mysterious Flying Ants.
The Seven Mysterious Flying Ants consumed spiritual energies and medicines voraciously,
transforming the interior of such a mountain into a haven of rich spiritual energy and fertile ground for spiritual medicines to thrive.
These ants also loved hoarding Magical Treasures. If fortune favored one, the mountain might even contain Fourth-order Magical Treasures.
Not to mention the mountain itself was of unparalleled value.
A single such mountain was worth a king’s ransom.
But both the Seven Mysterious Mountains and Seven Mysterious Flying Ants were exceedingly rare, the latter being particularly troublesome to deal with.
Their lifecycle consisted of seven stages, undergoing endless cycles of reincarnation and mutual transformation.
In each stage, they exhibited unique, extraordinary traits.
They were difficult to detect.
Even harder to conquer.
For the Seven-fingered Daoist, an Eleventh Tribulation Independent Immortal, to require assistance, it underscored the immense challenge involved.
However, the potential rewards of entering a Seven Mysterious Mountain were hard to resist. Even without fully claiming it, a few spiritual medicines or Magical Treasures from within could make any Third-order cultivator unimaginably wealthy.
Chen Jichuan couldn’t help but feel his heart stir.
...