This bee had originally been an ordinary fire bee, born from the blood queen's brood. Later, it was transformed by him using the Platinum-tier insect cultivation method of the cave world.
Its fire sac could store the Netherfire Devouring Flames. Its body, once a blend of red and yellow, had turned into a striking black and red, resembling a venomous bee straight from the depths of hell. The very sight of it was enough to send chills through one's heart.
However, this was merely the first batch of fire bees he had cultivated, and as such, it still possessed many flaws. For instance, its lifespan was rather short. It was also incapable of storing the Netherfire Devouring Flame for long periods. Over time, it could even be consumed by the flames, catching fire on its own.
He had kept one as a memento, while the others had died off once their life force had been exhausted. To his surprise, this particular fire bee had turned out to be useful after all.
Moreover, the blood bee had an extraordinarily small brain, only obeying the commands of the queen. There was no risk of anyone prying into its memories, which was why he had felt at ease in taking it out.
"This is…"
Ning Tai stared at the fire bee in astonishment.
Chu Xuan carefully cradled the bee in his palm, his tone reverent.
"This bee was something I unintentionally found while exploring an ancient ruin. When I found it, it was on the brink of death, lying in natural spiritual fire, and I noticed it was feeding off the fire. Taking advantage of its weakness, I took it with me, but not knowing how to tame insects, I've kept it sealed in this jade box, merely to prolong its life."
Chu Xuan gestured toward the bee's swollen abdomen.
"Fellow Daoist Ning, take a look. Its belly is glowing red and emitting high heat; it must have a fire sac inside."
Ning Tai was taken aback, his eyes wide with astonishment. A fire bee capable of consuming natural spiritual fire was indeed a rare sight!
However, the bee looked sickly and frail. Its taming potential seemed to be long gone, and it appeared to be valuable only as a collectible.
Ning Tai nodded repeatedly. "This fire bee is indeed precious. That senior would certainly be pleased. In that case, I shall exchange it for my Dragon-shaped Bug."
Chu Xuan smiled and nodded. The fire bee was of little value to him. As long as he wished, he could easily mass-produce more. But a Dragon-shaped Bug over three hundred years old was a rare find. To exchange the fire bee for this Dragon-shaped Bug was a deal that could not fail to benefit him.
The two exchanged insects with mutual satisfaction.
Ning Tai, his face beaming with joy, quickly packed up and left.
Chu Xuan also returned home.
"You are diligent in your work, that's commendable. These next few days, continue to investigate the prices at the shops in Neon Garment Market. It would be best if you could find any shops on the verge of closing down. If so, take the opportunity to acquire them."
Chu Xuan casually instructed.
He Zhao nodded repeatedly. "Rest assured, senior! I will dedicate myself fully to this task!"
Once the instructions were given, Chu Xuan returned to the Tea House, swiftly stepping out and using the Myriad Realm Mirror to return to the Water Curtain Cave.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The various insect species were already prepared. Now, it was time to employ the Heavenly Cave Insect Cultivation Method.
The Heavenly Cave Insect Cultivation Method, after all, originated from the Cave World and differed from the insect cultivation techniques of the Immortal Realm.
Chu Xuan had already spent considerable effort improving it, making the method adaptable to the Immortal Realm. This was not difficult, merely a bit tedious. The template had already been established, and the next steps were merely fine-tuning.
Chu Xuan gazed at the twelve types of insects before him and immediately began his work. The powerful organs of the insects, such as the fire sac of the fire bee or the venom sac of the poison bee, were much like spiritual roots. They were the very foundation of an insect's survival. Without these organs, they could not grow.
However, in order to create the Heavenly Cave Insect, which would fuse the best traits of these powerful insects, he had no choice but to make sacrifices.
Chu Xuan had no moral qualms about such matters.
...
Half a year later.
The training room glowed with golden light. Chu Xuan looked at the transformed Dragon-shaped Bug before him, his face filled with astonishment. It worked! He had succeeded on the first try.
"Recently, my luck has been quite good."
Chu Xuan nodded with satisfaction, closely examining the Dragon-shaped Bug, which was now soundly asleep. Throughout the process of transplanting insect organs, the Dragon-shaped Bug had remained in a deep slumber. If any sign of pain had appeared, Chu Xuan would have halted the transplant of that particular organ.
But if no severe reaction occurred, it meant the transplant was successful. Thus, he had transplanted five insect organs into the Dragon-shaped Bug. Now, the Dragon-shaped Bug possessed the wings of a moth, a fire sac, spider fangs, mantis arms, and phosphorus hair.
The moth wings enabled it to fly without a sound. The fire sac allowed it to store Netherfire Devouring Flame. The spider fangs enabled it to easily crush hard objects and inject venom. The mantis arms allowed it to easily slice through flesh, especially in critical areas like the throat. The phosphorus hair allowed it to conceal its form, even evading the spiritual sense of a Deity Transformation cultivator.
In addition to the Dragon-shaped Bug's sturdy body, strong vitality, and long lifespan, this newly created Heavenly Cave Insect was nothing short of an all-purpose weapon!
Chu Xuan quickly inspected it and discovered that the Heavenly Cave Insect had already risen from the middle stage of the third transformation to the fourth transformation.
He was overjoyed. With just a little more cultivation, it would soon reach the fifth transformation, a powerful insect of the highest rank. Once it reached that level, the Heavenly Cave Insect would undoubtedly become his deadliest weapon!
"It's time to give you a name. What shall it be?"
"Heavenly Cave Insect... You were cultivated using the methods of the Cave World. Let's call you Tiankong."
Chu Xuan nodded slightly, feeling satisfied with the name. It wasn't as easy to pronounce as he had hoped, but it would suffice.
"Wake up."
Chu Xuan infused a trace of Spiritual Qi into the insect. Tiankong shook its head and immediately woke up, sluggishly coming to life.
The Dragon-shaped Bug had always been notoriously lazy. Unless it was on the brink of starvation, it wouldn't move a muscle. The fact that this one had survived to this day...
It likely had something to do with its shining, golden appearance. After all, who wouldn't want to raise a pet that was low-maintenance yet cool and flashy?
Tiankong seemed to be puzzled by its current state. However, it quickly adapted to its new organs, accepting the situation as it was. Life, after all, was like that. Since it couldn't resist, it would just enjoy it.
With a soft thud, Tiankong rolled over and resumed its deep slumber.
Chu Xuan watched, speechless. He tried to stir it up several times, but it didn't react at all—almost as if it were dead.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he retrieved a "Dragon Blood Crystal," the Dragon-shaped Bug's favorite treat. This crystal, when held near the ear, emitted an eerie, melodic sound, almost resembling the legendary roar of a dragon. Hence, it had been named the Dragon Blood Crystal.
In reality, it had nothing to do with dragon's blood at all. It was just a mineral. The Dragon Blood Crystal wasn't anything special, except for its hardness. As a result, it was incredibly cheap. A single large spirit stone could buy up to a hundred thousand pounds of Dragon Blood Crystal.
So, Chu Xuan had purchased an entire hundred thousand pounds, more than enough to last Tiankong for hundreds or even thousands of years. Sure enough, as soon as he took out the Dragon Blood Crystal, Tiankong immediately sprang into action, darting towards it at full speed.
Yet, its tiny eyes, no bigger than rice grains, remained shut. It seemed to be sleepwalking.
Chu Xuan couldn't help but feel his teeth grind. So, it's a glutton in its next life, huh!