“So it seems the breeding of the Insect King likely requires a large number of Gold Devouring Beetles to devour each other before it can be produced,” Han Li’s eyes flashed as he spoke thoughtfully.
“Young friend is indeed exceptionally clever—though not entirely correct, you’re very close. However, knowledge about the Gold Devouring Insect King is scarce outside our Mayfly Clan, known only to a few of our Supreme Elders. Just now, you showed no surprise when I mentioned the Insect King, suggesting you already knew something about it. It must have been Qing Yuanzi who told you. He’s the only one outside our clan who’s on good terms with one of our Supreme Elders and might know a thing or two.” The Venerable Xuling praised before letting out a cold laugh.
“I did hear about it once from Senior Jiang. It’s said that once the Gold Devouring Insect King reaches maturity, even true immortals of the Immortal Realm would retreat in fear. Is that true?” Han Li asked slowly after a moment of silence.
“Though somewhat exaggerated, the Gold Devouring Insect King is indeed incredibly formidable. At the very least, if I encountered one, I’d certainly avoid direct confrontation,” the Venerable Xuling chuckled lightly.
“I see. But if you were to obtain my spirit insects, roughly how confident are you in successfully breeding an Insect King?” Han Li nodded, then abruptly changed the subject.
“How confident?” The old man narrowed his eyes, pondered for a while, then finally extended two fingers toward Han Li.
“Only twenty percent? That’s not very high,” Han Li’s expression darkened as he replied in a low voice.
“Hmph! What do you take the Gold Devouring Insect King for? Twenty percent is only possible after decades of my painstaking research into insect breeding techniques, along with other backup methods. Anyone else wouldn’t even have a ten percent chance. Enough—you’ve asked all you needed, even beyond our original agreement. Now it’s time for you to fulfill your end. State your conditions now.” The old man’s face darkened at Han Li’s surprised tone.
“I wouldn’t dare underestimate you, Senior. As for the trade, since I’ve agreed, I’ll naturally honor it. I only have two conditions.” Han Li seemed to have already made up his mind and spoke without hesitation.
“Name them,” the old man’s expression softened slightly as he nodded.
“First, I don’t want any other treasures from you—just more Netherworld Spirit Milk. You mentioned earlier that with enough Gold Devouring Beetles, the Spirit Milk would no longer be of much use to you. So this condition shouldn’t be too difficult. Second, I also know insect breeding techniques and still have some remaining Gold Devouring Beetles. I’d like to attempt breeding an Insect King myself. Though gathering enough beetles may take years, I still want to try. So I’d like a complete copy of your secret technique for breeding the Gold Devouring Insect King.” Han Li stated solemnly.
The Venerable Xuling’s initially smiling face stiffened slightly as he fell into deep thought after hearing Han Li’s words.
“The first condition is simple. While I can’t give you all my Spirit Milk, four or five bottles are manageable. The second condition, however, is more troublesome. The Insect King breeding technique is a unique secret of our Mayfly Clan—even some of our elders don’t know it fully. Revealing it to an outsider is… problematic.” After a long pause, the old man frowned slightly.
“Troublesome, but not impossible, right? And you must know that compared to your life-bound spirit insects or the Profound Heaven Artifact fragment, my conditions are trivial,” Han Li smiled faintly, speaking candidly.
“Heh, you make a fair point. Very well, I’ll agree to your terms. But for the second condition, you must swear a heart demon oath in front of me, vowing never to reveal the technique to anyone else. At your cultivation level, the constraints of a heart demon oath are terrifying—breaking it could lead to your demise during tribulation. If you agree, I’ll impart the technique.” The old man suddenly grinned.
“No problem—that’s only fair. I’m willing to swear the oath!” Han Li’s face lit up with joy. With a solemn expression, he immediately swore a vicious heart demon oath that even the Venerable Xuling couldn’t fault.
“Good. Then let’s proceed. Here are the Spirit Milk bottles—catch!” The old man nodded in satisfaction, flicking his sleeve. Five emerald-green vials flashed into existence and flew toward Han Li.
Han Li’s expression turned serious as he reached out, effortlessly catching all five vials. He opened each lid one by one, scanning them with his spiritual sense before a faint smile appeared.
“Senior, here are the five thousand mature Gold Devouring Beetles. Please inspect them.” Han Li retrieved a spirit beast ring from his sleeve and tossed it over with a flick of his wrist.
The old man caught the ring with a sweep of his sleeve. Instead of opening it immediately, he pressed a few fingers against it, closed his eyes, and sent his spiritual sense inside.
Moments later, excitement flashed across his face.
“Excellent. These are indeed fully mature Gold Devouring Beetles, and their condition is even better than I expected. Good. Take this jade slip—guard it well and never let another soul see it.” The old man exhaled slowly before reopening his eyes.
As he spoke, a prepared jade slip flew from his sleeve, darting strangely through the air before hovering above Han Li’s head.
“I’ll remember that.” Han Li replied respectfully, his face alight with joy as he snatched the jade slip and pressed it to his forehead.
Instantly, densely packed ancient texts and vivid images flooded his mind.
Meanwhile, the Venerable Xuling stowed the spirit beast ring filled with beetles, now completely at ease. Instead, he watched Han Li with an amused, almost intrigued expression. After an indeterminate amount of time, Han Li stirred, removing the jade slip from his forehead and withdrawing his spiritual sense.
“Well? No issues with the technique, I trust?” the old man asked lightly.
“I wouldn’t dare think so! The breeding technique you provided is profound—it’s already clarified many of my previous doubts.” Han Li stored the jade slip in his sleeve and bowed respectfully.
“Oh? Gaining insights from just a brief glance shows your expertise in insect control. But let me advise you: while the Gold Devouring Insect King is formidable, breeding one requires both luck and immense effort. Don’t overreach.” The old man’s tone carried deep meaning.
“Thank you for the guidance, Senior. I’ll proceed with caution.” Han Li’s expression shifted slightly.
“Good, as long as you understand. Now that our trade is concluded, leave the Black Wind Pavilion first. I’ll follow shortly—no need to keep Fellow Daoists Golden Flame and the others waiting.” The old man nodded impassively.
“Understood. I’ll take my leave first.” Han Li had no objections. After another bow, he transformed into a green streak and flew out of the hall, vanishing into the black mist outside.
“Heh. The Gold Devouring Insect King! A mere Body Integration cultivator actually dares to dream of such a thing. If it were that easy to breed something rivaling a true immortal, our Mayfly Clan would’ve long dominated the Spirit Realm. After all these years with the technique, no one in our clan has succeeded. Still, those Spirit Milk bottles are a bit of a loss. But with so many Gold Devouring Beetles, my Ten Thousand Spirit Umbrella for tribulation transcendence should have a ninety percent success rate. Mature Gold Devouring Beetles are nearly indestructible—forging them into the umbrella will make it unbreakable. My chances of surviving the ascension tribulation just improved.” The old man sneered and muttered to himself the moment Han Li’s light vanished.
With a flip of his hand, the spirit beast ring reappeared. The old man swiftly formed a seal and tapped the ring. A black mist surged from his fingertip, encasing the ring and transforming it into a block of black ice radiating intense cold.
*Snap! Snap!*
His other hand blurred, slapping several shimmering blue talismans onto the ice. Only then did his expression relax as he stored the ice away.
Half an hour later, a golden and a green streak of light shot from the island’s white barrier, circled once, then streaked into the distance.
Naturally, these were Han Li and Qing Yuanzi.
After Han Li and the Venerable Xuling emerged from the Black Wind Pavilion—whether by unspoken agreement or not—neither Golden Flame nor Qing Yuanzi asked a single question about their transaction. After some casual conversation and sampling Golden Flame’s finest spirit wine, the group parted ways.
The journey back was mostly silent, the two flying straight toward Qing Yuanzi’s cave abode.
Ten days later, the familiar silhouette of a towering mountain finally appeared in the distance.
At that moment, Qing Yuanzi’s light abruptly halted. Startled, Han Li stopped as well.
“Young Friend Han, you’ve obtained what you sought on this trip—and even gained some extras. Consider my debt repaid. Once we return, I won’t keep you any longer. I plan to seal the mountain immediately to focus on preparing for my next great heavenly tribulation. Only when Yao’er reaches the Body Integration stage can she assist me during the tribulation. So I’ll be taking her into seclusion with me. I’ve long prepared the pills she needs to break through her bottleneck. Unless she successfully advances, I won’t let her leave the mountain. Do you understand my meaning, Young Friend Han?” Qing Yuanzi suddenly spoke to Han Li in a calm tone.
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