Chapter 58: Matters Left Behind

According to the message, there were still six months before it was his turn, Jiuyou’s turn, to take up the border defense rotation.

Time was tight. He had to improve his means as much as possible within those six months. And the most pressing matter right now was to rapidly grow the Soul-Eating Insects, unlock their potential, so they could be entrusted with heavy responsibilities in future life-or-death battles.

Jiuyou calculated inwardly. To fully stimulate the Soul-Eating Insects’ potential, he had to let them devour more souls or feed them special high-grade spiritual herbs.

But now, even if he rounded up all the disciples on the island, the strongest were only a few at the Golden Core stage, let alone the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples. Their combined souls probably weren’t enough to grant these ancient strange insects much of a boost.

As for rare high-grade ghost-attribute spiritual herbs, he didn’t have any in hand, nor did he know if other cultivators had such treasures hidden away.

He pulled back his thoughts and shifted his gaze to the south of Soul Wraith Island, where Canfeng’s cave dwelling lay.

Canfeng had been in seclusion for nearly half a year.

That grand-disciple had already reached the peak of Mid-Golden Core after breaking through in his closed-door cultivation, with a solid foundation. With the help of the pills Dan Xuanzi had gifted, breaking through to Late Golden Core shouldn’t be difficult. With six months left, that was enough time for him to succeed.

Jiuyou pondered briefly, then dismissed further thought. Canfeng’s matter couldn’t be rushed, and it wasn’t much of his concern. What really needed his personal attention were a few other things.

The first matter was Soul Wraith Island’s defenses.

The disciples on the island were nothing more than expendable resources in his eyes. But this island was still his foundation, built over centuries of management. If some petty thief slipped in while he was away and burned it all down, coming back later would be a headache.

Jiuyou spent half a day hastily setting up two arrays, but he put real effort into the third one, using plenty of rare materials over several days.

One concealment array, which would hide the island from the sea surface so thoroughly that even a Golden Core cultivator passing by wouldn’t detect a thing.

One trapping and killing array, powered by the Nether Capital Ghostfire and guarded by several Golden Core stage Soul Wraith Puppets. If any reckless fool dared to barge in, they’d have a rude awakening.

And a small one-way teleportation array, hidden in a secluded spot, leading straight to a desolate island tens of thousands of miles away.

This was his escape route.

If it came to the point where humanity couldn’t hold the line, he wouldn’t hesitate to flee straight to the outer seas. The outer seas were just as perilous, with rumors of tenth-level demon beasts rivaling Late Nascent Soul Grand Cultivators, but at least it was better than being trapped in the inner sea waiting to die.

Once the three arrays were set up, Jiuyou casually tested them to confirm they worked, then paid them no more attention.

The second matter was finding someone to look after Soul Wraith Island.

After much deliberation, Jiuyou decided to visit two acquaintances—Senior Blood Vine and Dan Xuanzi.

He had been acquainted with Senior Blood Vine for centuries. They weren’t sworn brothers in life-or-death terms, but he was one of the few old acquaintances within the Demonic Path Alliance.

When Jiuyou arrived, Senior Blood Vine was in the middle of alchemy. This old friend looked even worse than before, his complexion fading—clearly nearing the end of his lifespan, with little time left.

Jiuyou didn’t beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly.

“Brother Blood, this old man is about to head to the border for duty. There’s no one to look after the island. I’d like to ask Brother Blood to keep an eye on it for me.”

Senior Blood Vine laughed heartily and thumped his chest.

“Don’t worry, Brother Jiuyou. I may not have many years left, but I can handle a small matter like this. I’ll watch over your Soul Wraith Island for you.”

Jiuyou didn’t freeload off the favor. He left behind a thousand-year spirit herb as thanks, exchanged a few pleasantries, then took his leave.

Afterward, he went to Endless Island to visit Dan Xuanzi.

Dan Xuanzi was even more straightforward and agreed without hesitation.

Over a decade ago, Jiuyou had given him a five-thousand-year Myriad Spirit Grass, which allowed him to refine a higher-grade Myriad Spirit Pill, elevating his status within the alliance. Coupled with Jiuyou having once saved his life, such a trivial request was no problem at all.

Jiuyou thanked Dan Xuanzi and returned to Soul Wraith Island.

The third matter was cultivating the Soul-Eating Insects.

These ancient strange insects had all hatched by now. The Insect Queen had acknowledged him as master, and hundreds of thousands of spirit insects swarmed densely inside the Spirit Insect Pouch, requiring a massive amount of souls for feeding every day.

Jiuyou had prepared in advance. He took out several specially made Spirit Insect Pouches, collected all the Soul-Eating Insects from the withered branches, and stored them close to his person.

These bugs wouldn’t stay on the island. Only by carrying them on his person and personally raising them would he feel at ease.

The Insect Queen emitted a faint hum in his sea of consciousness, transmitting a hunger signal. Jiuyou waved his hand, peeling off a few low-level souls from the Soul Wraith Puppets and tossing them into the pouch. A purple light flickered at the pouch’s opening, and a loud buzzing sound rose up, then faded into silence after a moment.

“Eat up, eat plenty.”

Jiuyou’s lips curled slightly, forming a cold smile.

“Once you’re on the battlefield, you’ll have your fill.”

Just as he was pondering how to more efficiently cultivate the spirit insects, a communication jade token at his waist suddenly vibrated.

Jiuyou took out the jade token and extended his Divine Sense into it. After a moment, his brow raised slightly.

The jade token carried a message: the Demonic Path Alliance would hold a trading meeting for Nascent Soul cultivators in half a month.

The message made it clear: Fellow Daoists would soon take turns guarding the border, with life and death uncertain. It was best to use this last free time to exchange goods, each improving their means, to have more confidence for survival on the battlefield.

The trading meeting was set for Black Reef Island in the central region of the Demonic Path Alliance, hosted by several seasoned Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, ensuring safety.

Jiuyou gripped the jade token, his eyes flickering.

He currently had a few things worth offering.

Over a dozen spirit herbs of decent age, several eighth-level beast pills, and the green leaf ancient relic he got from Old Ghost Qingshan. He had no use for these himself, so trading them for things he urgently needed wouldn’t be a bad idea.

More importantly, he had been wanting to find some high-grade ghost-attribute spirit herbs to feed the Soul-Eating Insects. Such herbs were not only rare but also quite niche, hard to find in ordinary markets. But at a Nascent Soul trading meeting, there might be unexpected gains.

“Half a month… Black Reef Island.”

Jiuyou muttered to himself and tucked the jade token back into his Storage Pouch.

He stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed out at the distant sea.

There were still six months before he had to go to the border.

Before that, he had to be fully prepared.

The cultivation of the Soul-Eating Insects, the proficient use of the Golden Sun Heavenly Mountain, and the treasures he might acquire at the trading meeting—every single matter couldn’t be ignored.

Half a month—not too long, not too short.

But he had enough patience and enough confidence.

Jiuyou flicked his sleeve, transforming into a pitch-black streak of light, racing toward the direction of Black Reef Island.

The sea wind howled, the streak of light was like lightning.

Behind him, Soul Wraith Island gradually blurred; ahead, the horizon churned with hidden currents.

He didn’t know what he’d encounter at the trading meeting, nor what treasures others would bring out.

He just hoped it wouldn’t disappoint him.