Chapter 561 - 309: Transformed Demon Cultivator (2)

As Lü Zhong understood it, this was a chance to plant the seed for his eventual Divinity Transformation. According to the travelogue by that Nascent Soul Independent Cultivator, this action had both benefits and drawbacks, but the specifics were unknown.

’For him to offer information, a secret formula, and even promise to answer any questions... It’s obvious this "Spirit Opening" is extremely important to him, or he wouldn’t be so cooperative.’ Lü Zhong thought to himself. He decided to accept the deal, even if it meant he might get the short end of the stick.

As expected, producing the Jade Dew would undoubtedly be a self-damaging act for the Great Honey Insect.

But where in the world was there a deal where one could reap all the benefits?

It was normal to have both gains and losses.

When Lü Zhong agreed, surprise flashed in Xu Jiao’s eyes. After a long moment, he spoke. "Fellow Daoist, you truly are unpredictable. I thought you’d be like those other old monsters, testing the waters again and again before finally making a decision. I never imagined you’d be so decisive. You certainly have no shortage of courage!"

Lü Zhong didn’t reply, instead drafting a contract.

Soon, the two of them had signed their names on the Spirit Communication Jade Contract.

From this, Lü Zhong learned the other’s name.

’Xu Jiao...’

He then took the Jade Scroll.

It recorded the origins of the Great Honey Insect and the secret formula for raising it that Xu Jiao had promised.

’So it’s actually called the "Jade Pearl Insect." That sounds much better than "Great Honey Insect." As for this secret formula, it’s called the "Jade Platform Formula." It’s to be used when the Jade Pearl Insect Queen forms her cocoon. It can enhance her Life Force and resistance to the Thunder Tribulation, thereby increasing the chances of her successfully passing the Transformation Tribulation...’

After looking over the ingredients for the formula, Lü Zhong found that they were all common items, just with rather high age requirements.

This was not a problem for him.

After all, with the Creation Secret Array, as long as he was willing to spend Spirit Stones, resolving the Spirit Medicine’s age requirements wasn’t difficult. The hard part was quickly refining enough Jade Platform Pills.

According to the Jade Scroll, the Insect Queen’s cocoon phase was no more than a year long.

And more than half a year had already passed.

In other words, he had very little time left.

After the two struck a deal, the atmosphere relaxed considerably. Lü Zhong, however, did not lower his guard. Once he saw Xu Jiao off, he immediately summoned Su Caocao.

He drafted a list and ordered her to gather the items as quickly as possible.

...

As the days passed, Lü Zhong continued his daily cultivation practice in between refining the Jade Platform Pills.

Cultivation in the Nascent Soul Stage was dull and tedious.

Sometimes, one could go into seclusion for decades and see not the slightest bit of progress.

By an optimistic estimate, if he relied solely on absorbing Spiritual Qi from a Spirit Vein for his cultivation, he would need at least two to three hundred years to reach the peak of the Early-stage Nascent Soul.

As for whether he could break through to the Mid-stage Nascent Soul, that would depend on whether he could overcome the bottleneck.

Upon reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, the difference in aptitude between cultivators narrows to an unprecedented degree. Yet, with every breakthrough into a new small realm, every cultivator—whether they possessed Four Spirit Roots, Dual Spirit Roots, or even a Single Spirit Root blessed by the Celestial Dao—would encounter a bottleneck.

According to Lü Zhong’s plan, he would wait until his cultivation reached the bottleneck of the Early-stage Nascent Soul. At that time, no amount of secluded cultivation would allow him to break through. That would be the time to start traveling the Cultivation Realm, either to brave Ancient Secret Realms or to explore the dangerous lands of this world.

Only in this way could he find an opportunity for a breakthrough.

’But right now, there’s an extremely rare opportunity. The Ten Thousand Witches Hall is about to descend upon this world. I’m afraid many Nascent Soul Old Monsters who are stuck in the early stage of their cultivation have their eyes on this chance.’

In the Secret Realm World left behind by the Witch Cultivators, it was said that there were many types of Spirit Medicine that had long gone extinct in the Cultivation Realm. Even if those weren’t there, the Ten Thousand Witches Hall had been lost in the Void for so long that any Spirit Medicine that had survived inside might have a medicinal age of ten thousand years.

This fact alone was enough to entice the old monsters.

One could imagine that once word got out that the Ten Thousand Witches Hall contained a large amount of rare Spirit Medicine, it would inevitably attract the intervention of many outside forces. When that happened, the Southern Barbarian lands would surely become incredibly lively.

Lü Zhong thought absently as he concluded his cultivation session.

Under these circumstances, intense conflicts and clashes over the treasures would surely occur frequently. Who knew what kind of chaos would erupt then.

’This might be an opportunity...’

He was dead set on replacing Changchun Valley.

This move wasn’t just for revenge.

It was also to obtain the resources needed to break through to the rank of Divinity Transformation Grand Venerable.

Breaking through to Divinity Transformation in the Southern Barbarian lands was something that had never happened before. The difficulty was bound to be astronomical, and Lü Zhong didn’t know if he could succeed.

For this reason, he was determined to do his utmost.

Once great chaos arrived, perhaps an opportunity to deal with Changchun Valley would present itself.

...

「As autumn gave way to winter.」

Lü Zhong finally finished refining the Jade Platform Pills.

Before this, he had already used the Gray Mist Space to run several simulations, confirming that the effects of the Jade Platform Pills were no empty boast. They were indeed just as Xu Jiao had described—highly beneficial for the Insect Queen’s tribulation.

There were twenty-seven pills in all.

After feeding them to the Insect Queen, Lü Zhong began to wait patiently.

As the days passed, the Insect Queen’s aura weakened instead of growing stronger. Fortunately, this was a normal phenomenon.

At the same time, the cocoon formed from Spiritual Honey gradually turned white and then gray, indicating that the Spiritual Qi within was being rapidly drained. This seemed to be a prelude to what was coming.

On this day, a strange phenomenon appeared over Bihai Island.

Several claps of thunder cracked across the clear sky, which began to darken at a visible rate. A sudden storm of wind and rain followed. At the same time, a sharp, piercing screech could be faintly heard.

With a muffled BANG, a pillar of dust erupted from the Insect Nest.

Then, with a flash of white, a colossal, hundred-foot insect crawled out.

It was the Insect Queen, having broken out of her cocoon.

Unlike the chubby Jade Pearl Insects, the Insect Queen’s appearance had changed considerably. Six thick legs grew from the sides of her lower abdomen, supporting her massive lower body. From beneath the ribs of her upright upper body, a pair of blade-like legs and a pair of insect limbs resembling fingers had sprouted.

Once the Insect Queen emerged, serpents of lightning began to slither through the dark, cloud-filled sky.

Before long, a bolt of lightning as thick as a water barrel struck down, but she withstood it head-on with her carapace. Her originally jade-white shell was now scorched in multiple places and covered in cracks. Fortunately, it repaired itself quickly, becoming good as new in just a few moments.

Watching this scene from a distance, Lü Zhong continued to stand guard silently, recalling information about the Transformation Thunder Tribulation in his mind.

If the records in the ancient texts were true, when a Demon Beast broke through from Tier Three to Tier Four, it had to endure a terrifying Celestial Thunder Tribulation.

Only by being baptized by this tribulation could a Demon Beast shed part of its beastly body and take on a human form.

The difficulty of Transformation was influenced by the strength of the Demon Beast’s bloodline. The more naturally powerful the creature, the greater the difficulty in assuming a human form.

It was said that for beings at the True Spirit Level, the possibility of Transformation was practically nonexistent.

While Lü Zhong’s mind wandered, the Insect Queen had already endured over a hundred bolts of Tribulation Thunder. Her aura had not weakened much, presumably thanks to the ample supply of Immortal Insect Grass and Spiritual Honey, as well as the Jade Platform Pills.

’At this rate, the chances of the Insect Queen failing the tribulation aren’t high...’

But the moment this thought appeared in his mind, the distant sea surface began to churn violently. A howling black wind suddenly sprang up from nowhere, sweeping up vast swathes of seawater. A faint roar could be heard from within it, as if some giant beast was inside.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

’I just had to jinx it!’

He immediately activated his Celestial Net Secret Eye and instantly saw through the layer of black wind.

’Another Flood Dragon?’ Lü Zhong’s expression turned strange.

For a moment, he couldn’t tell if this was a blessing or a curse.

After a flash of Black Light in the distance, a burly, ten-foot-tall figure appeared. It had the body of a man and the head of a Flood Dragon, and its level of Transformation was clearly very low. The only difference between it and a true Flood Dragon’s body was its humanoid form versus a serpentine one; all other parts were identical to its original state.

’A Transformed Demon Cultivator?’

Lü Zhong was slightly startled at this realization.

Across from him, the suddenly-appeared Demon Cultivator twisted its massive Flood Dragon head and glanced at the Insect Queen, who was still undergoing her tribulation. A covetous glint flashed in its eyes.

Then, it shifted its gaze to Lü Zhong.

At first, it merely felt disgust toward the Immortal Cultivator. But after sensing several auras on Lü Zhong that shared the same origin as itself, its cold, vertical pupils filled with nothing but killing intent.

Sensing the Demon Cultivator’s killing intent, Lü Zhong knew that things would not end peacefully today.

However, this suited him just fine. Rashly attacking other cultivators went against the personal principles he had always lived by.