Chapter 619: Witch Insect Register

The Supernatural Insect Register of Yuling Sect was merely a compilation based on the experiences of past cultivators, along with references from ancient texts excavated from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

Although Yuling Sect was renowned for its beast-taming techniques, Qin Sang even suspected that the sect had been fostered by Heavenly Demon Hill. Those disciples who specialized in insect manipulation techniques were likely just one branch of their many paths.

"Don’t you think these creatures look quite a bit like Ghost-Headed Wasps?"

Qin Sang walked over to the corpse of one of the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps.

Its blood-colored wings had been completely incinerated, leaving behind only a rotund body.

Yuan Hu lowered his head and observed for a moment. After some thought, he said, "Now that you mention it, they do resemble the Ghost-Headed Wasp ranked 512th on the Witch Insect Register. I’m not sure how they mutated to develop blood-colored wings. Ghost-Headed Wasps have long gone extinct here in Xijiang, how could they suddenly appear again, and in a mutated form as well?"

As he spoke, Yuan Hu turned to the high priest of Tianyue Village and asked, "High Priest, before these strange wasps showed up, did you notice anything unusual?"

The high priest shook his head. "When the village hunters noticed the local prey disappearing, they tracked the signs and discovered the wasp nest. We tried multiple times to eliminate them, but the wasps were too formidable, so we sent word to the Five-Insect Sect for assistance. This area has always been Tianyue Village’s hunting ground. We’ve never seen anything unusual here before. These wasps seemed to have just emerged out of nowhere."

So the Witch Insect Register also listed Ghost-Headed Wasps, but clearly it was quite different from the Yuling Sect’s Supernatural Insect Register.

The Witch Insect Register appeared to rank spiritual insects explicitly.

In contrast, Yuling Sect’s register was more of a catalog—an enumerated list describing traits of various insects, some of which were simply retellings of myths and legends from ancient texts, without any clear system of hierarchy.

On the Supernatural Insect Register, Yuling Sect held the Ghost-Headed Wasp in high esteem.

According to one ancient scroll, there had been several recorded cases of Ghost-Headed Wasps undergoing multiple metamorphoses, with power rivaling that of Spiritual Infant cultivators and the potential to evolve further.

This was why the Ghost-Headed Wasp earned a place in the register.

But in the Witch Insect Register, it seemed the Ghost-Headed Wasp was not regarded as important, buried far down the list in the five hundreds.

What sort of evaluation criteria does the Witch Insect Register use?

After pondering for a moment, Qin Sang said, "There are quite a few larvae in the hive. It’s no trouble to give you two. But I don’t have an artifact suited for storing spiritual insects. Do you have a spare one you could sell me?"

"I happen to have a White Bamboo Insect Basket. I’ll trade it for the two larvae."

Yuan Hu’s face lit up as he took out a fine-necked bamboo basket, exquisitely woven. It was clearly an artifact specifically crafted for storing witch insects.

Out of kindness, Yuan Hu gave Qin Sang a reminder. "Daoist, since you don’t even have a basket, I gather you’re not specialized in insect manipulation. If you’re thinking of using these mutated wasps to forge a life-bound insect gu, I advise caution. Metamorphosis in spiritual insects is already rare to begin with. Once mutated, their ability to evolve might be affected, or even completely lost. A life-bound insect gu requires immense effort and care to nurture. If you discover too late that the insect cannot evolve, replacing it means starting all over again. It could ruin your future!"

The more Qin Sang listened, the more the concept of a life-bound insect gu reminded him of a life-bound astra.

Except for specialized arts like the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, every cultivator can only refine one life-bound astra. Does the life-bound insect gu occupy that same slot?

Two in one certainly sounded tempting.

But if the insect failed to evolve and couldn’t keep up with its master’s cultivation, it would become nothing but a burden.

Qin Sang nodded and thanked Yuan Hu for the advice.

Having raised the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps for years, he had already suspected something. Perhaps to survive in the harsh environment of Endless Valley, the Ghost-Headed Wasps had mutated into the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps, and the cost of that adaptation might have been the loss of their potential for metamorphosis.

After placing the hive into the White Bamboo Insect Basket, Qin Sang bid farewell to the three and headed west.

On the geomantic map, Bear Mountain and the Five-Insect Sect were located in the northwestern region.

The entire Bear Mountain area was quite barren. Very few peaks had spirit veins, and those with even modestly developed veins were already claimed mostly by large villages controlled by Bimos and priests.

These major villages functioned like independent kingdoms in the Small Cold Domain. Each one controlled vast territory, though their populations paled in comparison. They consisted mainly of mortal settlements similar to the Thousand-Household Village.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Thousand-Household Village, for example, was under the dominion of a larger village called Winged-Serpent Village.

The connections among these major villages were dense and complex—disturbing one could ripple through them all. With his injuries still unhealed, Qin Sang didn’t want to stir up conflict with any local powers.

To the west of Bear Mountain, deeper into the interior of Xijiang, the terrain grew harsher and more uninhabitable. There were some unclaimed spirit veins in those lands, but most had already been occupied by demonic beasts.

With the flying yaksha’s strength, claiming a cave dwelling there wouldn’t be too difficult.

***

Bang!

A black shadow plummeted from the sky and slammed hard onto the rocks. Feathers scattered in all directions.

It was a black eagle, its wings spanning nearly three zhang wide, majestic and imposing. This was a middle-stage Demonic Spirit Realm demonic beast, the undisputed king of the surrounding demonic beasts.

Black eagles were renowned for their evasion techniques and astonishing speed. If it focused solely on fleeing, even cultivators at the Fake Core Realm would struggle to catch it.

But it had the misfortune of encountering Qin Sang and the flying yaksha.

Dazed from the brutal fall, the black eagle staggered to its feet. Before it could react, a ghostly shadow darted close like a phantom.

Without sensing a thing, the eagle's neck was seized by a ghostly hand. A crisp crack followed and it died on the spot.

From atop the mountain, Qin Sang watched the flying yaksha effortlessly slay the beast. He ordered it to bring the corpse up and guard the cave entrance, then turned and entered the cave.

The spirit vein within this mountain was decent; it was more than enough for Core Formation.

With everything ready, Qin Sang intended to remain in seclusion until he successfully formed his core.

The black eagle had died without a sound. No one would know that this cave dwelling had already changed owners.

The flying yaksha stood watch like a door guardian, stationed silently outside.

Inside the cave, Qin Sang sat cross-legged in deep meditation.

Through spiritual pills and quiet cultivation, most of his spiritual consciousness had already recovered. Still, Qin Sang grew impatient. He broke from his meditative state, flipped his palm, and a jade box appeared in his hand.

Inside the box lay a single purple spiritual fruit, ringed with cloud-like patterns and exuding an intense fragrance. It was none other than the Purple Cloud Fruit.

Opening the box, Qin Sang gently rubbed the fruit with his fingers, his expression shifting with emotion and a touch of nostalgia.

Back then, he had paid dearly to achieve Foundation Building. Now, after so many hardships, he finally had a way to make up for it.

He owed much of this to Wandering Man. Without him, this fruit might never have been his. Qin Sang wondered whether the old Daoist had survived his own ordeal, and how he was doing now.

He shook off his thoughts and, tilting his head back, swallowed the entire Purple Cloud Fruit. Then, guiding his spiritual consciousness, he summoned the ebony sword to draw in the ambient spiritual qi and envelop the fruit for refining.

The skin of the Purple Cloud Fruit was extraordinarily tough. The refining process demanded great care. Any misstep could damage its medicinal potency.

Moreover, Qin Sang’s spiritual power was still sealed. He could only rely on the killing symbol to assist the refining, which made the process even slower.

It took him more than half a day to fully refine the Purple Cloud Fruit. Once completed, the spiritual fruit transformed into an incredibly pure surge of medicinal energy and merged into his body.

Although he had previously consumed pills like the Dark Patterned Heyun Pill, which had healed ninety percent of his internal injuries, there remained a final sliver that refused to mend. It was as though an impassable chasm barred the way, defying all efforts.

Now, nourished by the medicinal energy of the Purple Cloud Fruit, his foundation was at last completely restored.