Chapter 55: Hatching the Eggs

Another month had passed since the Nascent Soul meeting on Endless Island.

On this day, deep within Soul Wraith Island, in the cave dwelling’s spirit nurturing chamber.

A withered, crooked-neck tree stood alone in the corner, its branches gnarled and twisted, its entire body gray and decayed, as if it had been dead for years.

Yet now, coiled around those withered branches was layer upon layer of purple mist, uneven in density, stacked and overlapping, gathering into a massive spherical structure that hung heavily from the branch tips like some bizarre fruit.

From within the mist came faint, subtle buzzing sounds, as if something was gestating and squirming inside.

Suddenly, the mist seemed to bubble, with wisps spreading outward.

Then, a thumb-sized purple beetle slowly crawled out from the mist. Its carapace glowed with a faint purple light, its six legs were slender yet strong, and the two antennae on its head trembled slightly, as if sensing the aura of the outside world.

The moment this purple spirit insect broke free of its shell, a shadowy wind suddenly swept through the chamber.

Jiuyou’s figure silently appeared beside the withered tree, his robes stirring faintly. Without a sound.

Although he did not constantly unleash his Divine Sense at full strength, with his current level of spiritual perception, even without deliberate effort, it naturally covered most of Soul Wraith Island. And since these Soul-Eating Insects were a future trump card he valued greatly, they naturally received his special attention.

Jiuyou lowered his head, staring at the first purple spirit insect to break out of its shell. A ghostly light flickered in his aged eyes.

He recalled the breeding principles that Gu Qing had reported to him.

Within a swarm of Soul-Eating Insects, the Insect Queen was paramount. And the choice of queen was the first one to break out of its egg. It developed the earliest, matured the fastest, and was also the strongest of the entire batch.

The cultivator needed to imprint a Spiritual Mark on its soul when it had just broken out and was at its weakest. Then, day and night, feed it with Essence Blood to gain complete control. As long as the queen was controlled, the rest of the Soul-Eating Insects could be commanded by it, moving as easily as an arm directing a finger.

Jiuyou’s mind stirred. He extended a withered hand, his fingertip glowing faintly as he lightly cut it. A single drop of crimson Essence Blood oozed from the wound, suspended at his fingertip, radiating a faint spiritual light.

The first purple spirit insect to break out seemed to catch the scent of blood. Its antennae suddenly trembled. Then, it vibrated its thin wings, hopped a few times onto Jiuyou’s fingertip, and buried its head, greedily sucking up the drop of Essence Blood.

A flash of ghostly light passed through Jiuyou’s eyes. As the insect drank the blood, his massive Divine Sense surged out like a tidal wave, directly carving an indelible Spiritual Mark deep within the insect’s soul.

With his current Divine Sense strength, comparable to that of a late-stage Grand Cultivator, unless a legendary Soul Formation cultivator personally intervened, no one in this world who could easily erase his mark had likely been born yet.

He raised his finger slightly, bringing the spirit insect closer to his eyes for a careful inspection.

The insect’s body was entirely glowing with purple light, its carapace hard, its mouthparts sharp. Although it had just been born, a fierce aura was already faintly discernible. A glimmer of satisfaction flashed deep in Jiuyou’s eyes. The quality of this Soul-Eating Insect Queen was even better than he had anticipated.

Just then, from within that mass of purple mist, one after another, the subtle sounds of shells cracking came in succession, “crackling” like rain beating on banana leaves.

Then, one purple spirit insect after another quickly crawled out of the mist, densely packed, covering the withered branches, vibrating their wings and buzzing. Compared to the queen on Jiuyou’s fingertip, these later-hatching Soul-Eating Insects were slightly smaller, and the spiritual light on their bodies was a bit dimmer. But they made up for it in sheer numbers. At a glance, there were at least several hundred, and their numbers were still increasing.

Jiuyou gently stroked the queen on his fingertip. His Divine Sense stirred slightly, and he directly issued the first command through the imprint.

The queen vibrated its wings and flew up, circling once in the air, letting out a sharp buzz. Although the sound was not loud, it seemed to carry a strange magical power, instantly reaching the perception of every newborn Soul-Eating Insect.

The next moment, dozens, even hundreds of purple spirit insects flew out of the mist together, circling around Jiuyou, arranging themselves in an orderly fashion, like a well-trained army. The queen landed on Jiuyou’s shoulder, its antennae swaying gently, appearing extremely docile.

The satisfaction in Jiuyou’s eyes grew even stronger.

The Soul-Eating Insects had hatched. As long as he raised them well in the future, and combined them with his Nether Capital Art, they would certainly become a formidable combat force.

He secretly calculated in his mind how to quickly nurture these spirit insects, and even make them stronger.

Spirit Nurturing Herb was naturally the first choice, but that was better suited for raising spirit beasts. Using it to raise spirit insects was adequate, but it might not fully unlock the potential of the Soul-Eating Insects. If he could find some yin-attributed spirit herbs for them to devour, the nurtured insects would certainly become much stronger.

But this matter could not be rushed. He would take it slowly.

Just as Jiuyou was deep in thought, his Divine Sense suddenly twitched, instantly locking onto a figure at the entrance of the Grand Hall.

It was Gu Qing.

Gu Qing stood outside the hall doors, his face clearly marked with a hint of nervousness, respectfully bowing towards the hall. His gaze occasionally swept towards the side hall, clearly waiting for someone.

“Master, two Nascent Soul seniors have arrived at the island, saying you invited them. Since Senior Brother is currently in seclusion, your disciple did not dare to act on his own. I have led the two seniors to the side hall to offer them tea, and I have come to seek your instructions.”

Gu Qing’s voice came from outside the hall, respectful and cautious.

Jiuyou listened and nodded slightly. He glanced at the queen on his shoulder, and with a thought, the queen led the swarm of Soul-Eating Insects back to the withered branches, disappearing once again into the purple mist. The mist slowly contracted, wrapping the swarm within it, returning to its previous calm.

“I understand. You may go.”

Jiuyou responded faintly. With a wave of his sleeve, his figure vanished from the nurturing chamber.

In the side hall.

Two figures sat on opposite sides, each holding a cup of spirit tea, their expressions differing.

The one on the left was dressed in robes as white as snow, with a gaunt, clear-featured face. It was none other than the Old Ghost of Baiyuan. His expression was calm, but his gaze slowly swept across the hall, with a hint of barely noticeable vigilance hidden deep in his eyes.

The one on the right had a burly build, a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and wore a crimson brocade robe embroidered with flame patterns.

This man’s surname was Long, his given name “Yan.” He was a well-known fire-attributed Nascent Soul cultivator from the Heaven and Earth Alliance. Although also at the Early Nascent Soul stage, he was relatively young, with nearly five hundred years left to live. He was decisive in his actions and had formidable strength.

Long Yan raised his teacup, downed it in one gulp, and smacked his lips.

“Fellow Daoist Baiyuan, what do you think Fellow Daoist Jiuyou wants from us? He was all mysterious about it, didn’t explain clearly.”

The Old Ghost of Baiyuan smiled faintly and took a sip of tea.

“Fellow Daoist Long, please be patient. Since Fellow Daoist Jiuyou invited us, there must be a reason. Now that we have accepted the invitation, we just need to wait patiently.”

Long Yan put down his teacup, leaned back casually in his chair, and crossed his arms.

“I don’t really mind. A two-thousand-year-old spirit herb for just one round of work—this deal isn’t a loss. But you, Fellow Daoist Baiyuan…”

He glanced at the Old Ghost of Baiyuan, a sly smile on his face.

“I heard that Fellow Daoist Jiuyou gave you a Life-Extending Fruit? Tsk tsk, that’s some good stuff.”

The Old Ghost of Baiyuan’s expression remained unchanged, but he became secretly wary. This Long Yan seemed rough and straightforward, yet every word he spoke was probing. He was no simple character.

“Fellow Daoist Long, your news travels fast.”

“Pfft, what’s there to hide? The Abyssal Sea is only this big, and there are only so many Nascent Soul cultivators. Everyone knows everyone’s business.”

Long Yan waved his hand, about to say something more, when suddenly his expression tightened, and his gaze turned towards the hall entrance.

The Old Ghost of Baiyuan also set down his teacup at the same time.

A streak of dark cyan light silently landed at the entrance of the side hall. As the light faded, Jiuyou’s figure appeared. He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm, his gaze sweeping over the two figures in the hall, a slight curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“My apologies for keeping both fellow daoists waiting.”

The Old Ghost of Baiyuan stood up, cupping his fist in salute.

“Fellow Daoist Jiuyou is too courteous. This old man only just arrived as well.”

Long Yan also rose, cupping his fists with a laugh.

“Fellow Daoist Jiuyou, I’ve long heard of your reputation. It’s an honor to answer your summons and make your acquaintance.”

His tone was hearty and pleasant, yet he maintained just the right level of respect due to a mid-stage cultivator. Neither servile nor overly familiar.

Jiuyou nodded slightly, walked into the hall, and took the main seat.

“Fellow Daoist Long is too kind. Having troubled you both to travel such a distance, this old man feels somewhat guilty. After the matter is accomplished, I will surely offer a generous reward.”

Long Yan chuckled.

“Let’s not talk about rewards and thanks. It’s my honor that you think of me, Fellow Daoist Jiuyou. But what exactly do you want us to do? Being so mysterious has got me a bit curious.”

Jiuyou did not hide it and spoke directly.

“This old man possesses an ancient relic that requires a righteous fire-attribute cultivation method to refine and fuse. My own cultivation method clashes with the relic’s attributes, making it inconvenient for me to act. Both of you fellow daoists are experts in fire-attribute techniques. Thus, I must trouble the two of you with this matter.”

The Old Ghost of Baiyuan nodded slightly. He already knew this, so it was not unexpected.

Long Yan stroked his chin, deep in thought.

“Merging True Fire into an ancient relic? That’s not too difficult. But—” His gaze swept across Jiuyou’s face, “That True Fire’s grade must be quite high, right?”

Jiuyou smiled faintly, not answering directly. Instead, he took a jade box from his sleeve and gently placed it on the table in front of him.

The jade box was pitch black, its surface covered with layer upon layer of sealing talismans, spiritual light flowing. It was clear that the thing sealed inside was no ordinary item.

The eyes of both the Old Ghost of Baiyuan and Long Yan fell upon the jade box, their expressions turning serious.

Jiuyou extended a withered hand, gently pressing down on the jade box, but did not open it immediately.

“Fellow daoists, please take a look.”

With a flash of cyan light at his fingertip—

The sealing talismans on the jade box peeled off layer by layer, and the lid slowly opened.

A burst of crimson-gold light shot up from within the box, instantly illuminating the entire side hall in dazzling splendor. A wave of scorching heat surged outward like a tidal wave, causing the temperature inside the hall to skyrocket, and the very air to distort slightly.

The Old Ghost of Baiyuan and Long Yan both stood up at the same time, their pupils contracting sharply, and in unison, they blurted out.

“This is… Extreme Yang Fire!”

【AUTHOR'S NOTE: After nearly an hour of review, it’s finally published. Recently, the number of readers and people adding to their bookshelves has been declining. I hope all you handsome readers who look like Yanzu will click the like button and add this to your library.】