Free Web NovelChapter 106: Chapter 106: Where Did the Rumor Come From?
The Spirit-Devouring Insect, dizzy with hunger, rushed forward and began to ravenously devour the Spiritual Materials and Magical Artifacts!
Its rice-grain-sized body clung to a Magical Artifact thousands of times its volume, using its tiny, dense teeth to slowly, arduously, but relentlessly gnaw away.
Lower Grade Magical Artifacts were even sturdier than ordinary Refined Iron, yet under the Spirit-Devouring Insect’s teeth, no matter how tough the artifact was, it couldn’t withstand its bite. It could only be devoured, little by little.
Jiang Xu watched in amazement.
’Who knew this Spirit-Devouring Insect had such a huge appetite? Its digestive system is incredible.’
’It’s only the size of a grain of rice, yet it can eat several Magical Artifacts and its body remains exactly the same. It makes me think this thing must have a pocket dimension for a stomach.’
After it had eaten everything, Jiang Xu used his Insect Control Technique to sense its power level.
The things he’d fed it were probably too low-grade; it had only recovered to the strength of a Tier One Lower Grade.
When Jiang Xu had first subdued the Spirit-Devouring Insect, it had been barely better than a Mortal Insect.
Back when Qin Mo used this Mother-Child Spirit-Devouring Insect to advance, it had accumulated enough power, and all its Sub-Insects were still present. That was how it managed to leap to Tier One Peak in a single bound.
Now, having used its Divine Power far beyond its level, its Primordial Qi was severely damaged. It would be difficult to produce many Sub-Insects at once again.
At that moment, the Spirit-Devouring Insect lay motionless on the ground.
A faint silver light emanated from the back of its rice-grain-sized body, and shallow, faint patterns were continuously forming.
Jiang Xu’s eyes widened as he watched carefully.
’Is this how it creates Sub-Insects? It’s not quite what I imagined! So this thing reproduces asexually!’
The Mother Insect paid Jiang Xu no mind.
After two to three hundred patterns had appeared on its back, they suddenly stopped growing. The silver light slowly faded, and the exhausted Mother Insect collapsed where it was to recuperate. ’Looks like using a power beyond my level was too risky after all. At my current strength, I can only create a little over two hundred avatars. It’s not nearly enough.’
While it was complaining to itself, the patterns on the Mother Insect’s body began to float into the surrounding air, transforming one by one into the ladybug-like Sub-Insects that Jiang Xu had encountered at the Profound Origin Sect.
Jiang Xu stepped forward and gently pinched one between his fingers. It didn’t resist, remaining in his hand like an inanimate object.
Jiang Xu discovered that he had control over these Sub-Insects as well.
However, the sensation was different from controlling the Mother Insect. Jiang Xu felt as though he was controlling the Sub-Insects through the Mother Insect as an intermediary, which made the connection slightly more obscure. freёwebnovel.com
Jiang Xu made a single Sub-Insect fly up and down, then gradually began to increase the number he was controlling.
It went smoothly at first, but when he reached seventy or eighty, Jiang Xu began to feel the strain.
In the end, Jiang Xu tested his limit and found he could control a maximum of one hundred and fifty Sub-Insects.
Any more than that, and the other Sub-Insects would slip from his control.
’This limit is probably the most I can handle with the Insect Control Technique at the Skilled Level. But as my Skill Level and Spiritual Power increase, I should be able to control more.’
Jiang Xu forcibly recalled the still-unsatisfied Mother Insect and then thought of his Golden Silkworm Gu.
’I went through all that trouble just to get five different Spirit Insects. Now that I’m in the Endless Forest... if there’s one thing this place has in abundance, it’s insects and Demon Beasts. It’s the perfect place to find more Spirit Insects.’
’But no matter how I look at it, now is not the time to be hunting for insects. I wonder if the Golden Silkworm Gu’s poison will work on that monster, though. I could test it on a guinea pig first.’
Just as Jiang Xu was raring to go back to the Array and run some tests, an item in his Storage Bag suddenly began to glow with a red light, catching his attention.
Jiang Xu took the item out and found it was the very same Communication Pearl he had used to send a message to Zong Ziqi.
He gripped the Communication Pearl and infused it with a trace of Magical Power.
A message entered Jiang Xu’s mind.
"I’m at the Three Sects’ encampment outside the Secret Realm now. My master just went in. I didn’t get your message earlier because I was seeing him off. By the way, what was that danger you mentioned? It sounded so strange."
Jiang Xu sighed upon reading Zong Ziqi’s reply. He had a bad feeling about this.
He put away the Communication Pearl without replying.
This pearl was different from a normal Sound Transmission Talisman. A talisman could only be used once, and it had to physically fly toward its target, making it far too conspicuous.
This thing could be used five times, was completely silent, and allowed for direct communication via Spiritual Power, making it much more covert.
There were still four uses left, so he had to be frugal with them.
’He’s at the encampment now, so I don’t need to use the Communication Pearl. I can just go find him directly.’
’Sigh... a step too late. Qin Muxian has already entered the Secret Realm, so I’ve lost a potential ally... I guess this is just fate.’
’But who can I find now to step forward and verify the truth of this matter?’
Since things had come to this, there was nothing more to be said. Jiang Xu immediately set off for the encampment outside the Secret Realm.
...
The Loose Cultivator Meng Peiyun was riding high.
As the leader of this fifty-person team of Loose Cultivators and a cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Great Perfection realm, he certainly had the right to be proud.
He estimated that if this trip into the Secret Realm went smoothly, meeting the conditions set by the Major Sects and successfully joining one was practically a certainty.
At most, the only question would be whether he would become an Inner Sect Disciple or an Outer Disciple after joining.
If he managed to get his hands on a Foundation Establishment Pill and was fortunate enough to reach Foundation Establishment...
...then he, Old Meng, could even snag the position of an Elder in this lifetime.
Then, all those Inner Sect Disciples from the various sects whom he had always envied and resented would have to act like obedient grandsons before him!
But just then, a commotion broke out within the group, interrupting his daydream of trampling over the genius disciples of the sects and holding a beautiful Female Cultivator in his arms.
Meng Peiyun’s face immediately fell. Anger surged within him, and he couldn’t help but snap:
"What’s all this noise?! What’s all this shouting?! What a chaotic mess! If the Sects see this, what kind of good impression will we make?!"
"Elder Meng!"
At that moment, someone hurried over in a panic to explain:
"It’s terrible, terrible! We heard that a group of highly professional Tribulation Cultivators has appeared in the Endless Forest! They can shapeshift into the people they kill, steal their memories, and then use all sorts of excuses to get people who knew the deceased alone before ambushing and killing them!"
"PFFT—"
Meng Peiyun nearly burst out laughing.
"Where did this ridiculous rumor come from? How could people like that possibly exist? You need to reach Foundation Establishment to even develop Divine Sense, and only then can you use Soul Search—and even that only gets you fragments! How could a mere Qi Cultivation practitioner be so ridiculously overpowered?"
"But the person showed us six Identity Tokens from Wind and Thunder Manor disciples! They said they were the ones killed by those Tribulation Cultivators!"
