A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 396: Chapter 229: Yang-Gathering Secret Skill

Fifteen minutes later, Lü Zhong arrived above a valley.

This valley was located in the northwest corner of Bihai Island, less than a hundred miles from the Bihai Sect.

Such a close distance was already a threat.

Looking down from above, he saw the valley had become an ocean of insects. They were yellowish-green, covered in bluish-brown spots, and as large as oxen. They resembled plump, fleshy grubs.

He had never seen this type of Spiritual Insect recorded in any texts.

A wall over three hundred feet high had been built around the valley. Disciples were currently taking cover on the wall, continuously launching attacks at the surging Spiritual Insects.

However, judging by the current situation, things were clearly not going well for the cultivators.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong raised his hand and released Rouge.

With its Mid-stage Core Formation strength, dealing with these individually weak Spiritual Insects—equivalent to the first or second layer of Qi Refining—was effortless.

In the blink of an eye, swaths of Spiritual Insects fell.

Lü Zhong’s intervention immediately drew a round of cheers.

"The Ancestor is mighty!"

"The Ancestor is mighty!"

"..."

At the same time, several cultivators flew into the air on their Magical Artifacts.

They were all Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Now, facing the Ancestor, Lü Zhong, they were filled with apprehension and said, "We disciples have failed in our duties. We ask the Ancestor to punish us!"

They had been responsible for containing and exterminating the Insect Swarm. Not only had they failed to complete their mission, but they had also lost several disciples, with several times that number injured. Although the blame did not lie entirely with them, they came forward to plead for punishment to protect their status in the Sect and out of their deep-seated fear of a Golden Core Master.

Lü Zhong glanced at them and said calmly, "Make up for it with your service."

’Being a sect’s leader is easy enough. The methods are nothing more than the carrot and the stick.’

’The dirty work can be left to the Vice Sect Leader. As the Ancestor, I just need to focus on winning hearts and minds. Although making a show of force is sometimes necessary, there’s clearly no need for it now.’

「Meanwhile.」

Upon hearing his words, the men breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Just then, Lü Zhong’s attention shifted back to the valley. A continuous stream of Spiritual Insects was still pouring out, their numbers so great they truly gushed like a spring.

’No wonder they’re endless...’

Seeing this, his figure suddenly plummeted downward.

’A situation like this is already beyond the Bihai Sect’s ability to handle.’

’The Bihai Sect is a newly established sect. After Hex Bin, the former Palace Master of the Sea Abyss Palace, left, there isn’t even a single Foundation Establishment True Cultivator left. If it weren’t for a Golden Core Ancestor like me, they would have been wiped out long ago.’

Under these circumstances, Lü Zhong had no choice but to resolve the problem himself.

In mid-air, he cast the Breath Concealing Skill and the Stealth Technique on himself. In the eyes of the Insect Swarm, his presence instantly dropped to nearly nothing, and he landed directly on the ground.

As if walking through an uninhabited land, he strode toward the fissure from which the insects were pouring out.

Once inside, Lü Zhong was surprised to find that the number of Spiritual Insects inside the fissure was even greater.

They nearly filled the cavern, which was dozens of feet wide.

Left with no choice, he had to dig his own tunnel alongside them.

He probed the area with his Divine Sense while digging in the direction the Insect Swarm was coming from. Along the way, he saw no fewer than ten thousand of the strange Spiritual Insects.

Thinking about the vast number of such Spiritual Insects further below, Lü Zhong became more vigilant.

’Even an army of ants can kill an elephant.’

’Although my cultivation is at the Mid-stage of Core Formation, my Magical Power isn’t infinite. My Protective Gang Qi can be worn down and broken. It’s possible for the Insect Swarm to wear me down to my death.’

As he dug his way down, a massive Insect Nest soon appeared before him.

The structure of the Insect Nest was incredibly complex. The section Lü Zhong could see was already thousands of yards across and was composed of countless smaller chambers, each with an apparent purpose. One area resembled farmland, where Spiritual Insects were tending to Fungus Moss, bringing in Demon Beast carcasses from elsewhere as fertilizer, and then transporting the mature Fungus Moss out.

By tracking this Fungus Moss, he found that after being consumed by the Spiritual Insects, it was converted into a honey-like Spirit Liquid that was used to feed the immature larvae.

’A highly organized kingdom of Spiritual Insects?’

Lü Zhong was startled by his own thought. Yet, based on the current situation, the internal structure of this strange Insect Swarm really did seem to be just that—exceeding his knowledge of Spiritual Insects from the texts.

’On second thought, the emergence of such a structure is actually quite logical.’

’After all, from what I’ve seen, this Insect Swarm is clearly not skilled in combat, and their individual strength is generally weak. That’s probably why they developed the habit of farming for themselves.’

After observing for a while, he understood why the Insect Swarm had appeared on the surface.

’A food shortage!’

Most of the space in the Insect Nest was farmland for growing Fungus Moss, but due to a type of brown mold, these fields were all lying fallow, causing the Insect Swarm’s food supply to dwindle.

It was for this very reason that a large number of Spiritual Insects had rushed to the surface.

And thus, the conflict between humans and insects began.

Lü Zhong magically drew over a ball of the Spiritual Honey. He discovered it contained rich Spiritual Qi; a fist-sized glob held nearly the same amount as a Lower-grade spirit stone.

Recalling the scene of the Insect Swarm applying fertilizer, his eyes lit up.

’Interesting. They can use the Fungus Moss to convert the Demon Spiritual Qi inside Demon Beasts and produce a Spiritual Honey that even cultivators can consume. This is clearly a type of treasure insect!’

Lü Zhong had just been wondering how to deal with this Insect Swarm.

Now, it was clear they were worth keeping alive.

If he could control them, that would be even better. It would mean that in the future, the Bihai Sect would have an additional resource point producing Spiritual Honey, its value no less than that of a Spirit Stone Mine.