Chapter 648: Catching the Butterfly

Only one drop of Crimson Fire Gilded Gold remained. Qin Sang had placed it between the cracks of a stone by the stream’s edge.

Dawn had not yet broken. It was the darkest hour before light.

After a whole night of bustle, Butterfly Valley had now quieted, touched with a sense of stillness.

A group of butterflies fluttered across the stream.

Suddenly, all the butterflies above that section of water froze mid-air, suspended in their dancing postures, motionless.

It was as if time itself had stopped here.

In the next moment, a figure appeared by the streambank.

Qin Sang swept his gaze across the butterfly swarm, then looked toward the stones along the bank. After a moment’s hesitation, he extended his hand and beckoned. A small butterfly, shaped like a common cabbage white butterfly, emerged from the crack in the stone.

It was tiny, with snow-white wings speckled with black spots. This was one of the most ordinary types of butterflies.

Startled, it panicked and flew erratically, but seemed trapped within an invisible cage. Every direction was blocked, and it couldn’t escape. It was drawn straight to Qin Sang.

Qin Sang stared at the cabbage white butterfly. Even from this close, he still could not detect a single flaw.

He was certain this was the Sky-Eyed Butterfly.

The moment he sensed the Crimson Fire Gilded Gold vanish, he had immediately used his spiritual consciousness to seal the surrounding space. There had been no butterflies in the stone crack before. It was only after the space was sealed that this cabbage white butterfly suddenly appeared.

Only the Sky-Eyed Butterfly possessed such powerful concealment and disguise abilities.

"Finally caught a spiritual insect. That wasn’t easy,"

Qin Sang sighed inwardly. He had traveled to six different locations with great effort and now, at last, he had gained something. Otherwise, he would’ve had no choice but to return with only that dumb silkworm.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Now that he had caught the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, Qin Sang was in no rush to refine it into a life-bound insect gu. There were still two more places left to explore. He might find an even better choice.

Recalling one of the insect-binding techniques from Yuling Sect, Qin Sang selected one of the barriers and cast layers of barriers upon the Sky-Eyed Butterfly.

The butterfly had not yet given up its struggle.

It seemed to sense the danger of the barrier and fought back for a while. But when its efforts proved futile, it grew increasingly frantic. It suddenly changed form, turning into a beautiful swallowtail butterfly in an attempt to deceive him.

The transformation was quick. As soon as the cabbage white vanished, the swallowtail took its place. Anyone not paying close attention would easily be fooled.

Qin Sang chuckled softly. It was still just a spiritual insect without awakened intelligence—far too naive.

This only confirmed the butterfly’s identity further.

After some time, the barrier was fully laid. The cabbage white gave up its disguise and returned to its true form.

"A second-metamorphosis Sky-Eyed Butterfly... looks like it's in the late stage of the second metamorphosis. No wonder its concealment ability is so formidable."

Qin Sang guided the butterfly to rest on his fingertip.

Everything was just as recorded in the ancient texts. The true form of the Sky-Eyed Butterfly was breathtaking, as if bathed in a pale blue radiance. In its presence, every other butterfly in Butterfly Valley paled in comparison.

On its wings were rings of circular markings, already very close to resembling eyes. Once it completed its third metamorphosis, its Sky Eyes would awaken.

Qin Sang fed the Sky-Eyed Butterfly a few drops of spiritual fruit nectar, then released the rest of the butterflies. He turned and took one last glance at the still-beautiful Butterfly Valley before leaving, fully satisfied.

***

Centipede Village

The name sounded strange, yet it was renowned across Xijiang.

The Bear Mountain region was remote, nestled in the northwesternmost corner of Xijiang. It was a barren and desolate place where most cultivators were unwilling to set foot. Centipede Village lay in the southern part of the Bear Mountain region, quite a distance away, but it was the largest and most powerful stronghold accessible from Bear Mountain.

Cultivators of the witch race in the surrounding area would often come to Centipede Village to trade and gather intelligence.

Here, it served as the equivalent of a marketplace in the immortal cultivation world of the Small Cold Domain.

Qin Sang, travel-worn and dusty, appeared at the foot of Centipede Village and looked up.

The village was as vast as a city. Row upon row of stilted wooden buildings stood close together, all marked by the distinct architectural style of the witch race. The structures sprawled across the entire mountain range, making it many times larger than Winged Serpent Village.

The marketplace was built at the summit of the tallest mountain in Centipede Village. Various factions and merchant guilds from across Xijiang had established outposts there, including the guild that Cui Xuanzi most frequently dealt with.

By now, more than a month had passed since Qin Sang left Butterfly Valley.

As expected, the last two locations had been empty, with no trace of spiritual insects. Qin Sang, not wanting to continue wandering aimlessly through the wilds, had simply flown back by sword.

This whole journey, including the travel and the luring process, had taken him nearly four months. And even with the help of Crimson Fire Gilded Gold, he had only returned with a dumb silkworm and a Sky-Eyed Butterfly.

Of course, part of that was due to his own high standards.

After returning, Qin Sang didn’t head straight back to the Bear Mountain region. He came to Centipede Village first.

Before leaving, he had already visited the village once and met with several stewards of the merchant guilds. Most of the information he had on the nine types of spiritual insects came from their hands.

Before setting out, he had also prepaid them a large sum of spirit stones, asking them to use their various channels to investigate a few matters.

Four months should have been enough time to gather some results.

Qin Sang pulled his hood low and activated the

Spirit Evasion Art

, disguising himself as a Foundation Building cultivator.

He was a newcomer here, with many secrets on him. As a human in a land dominated by the witch race, he didn’t want to encounter witch cultivators whose strength exceeded his own. If any of them had the means to see through him, the consequences would be disastrous.

Those who are not of my race must have different intentions.

This phrase rang especially true in the Canglang Sea region.

The conflict between the witch race and the human race had never ceased. Qin Sang had only dared to move freely once he left Xijiang and rejoined human territory. While within the domain of the witch race, keeping a low profile was the safest course.

It was said the chief of Centipede Village was a powerful Core Formation cultivator, which was what had secured the village’s current status. Whether or not he was actually present, Qin Sang had no desire to be discovered.

Once his disguise was in place, Qin Sang walked up the mountain on foot. Along the way, he passed other cultivators, most of whom hurried by without lingering.

After entering the village, Qin Sang made his way confidently through familiar paths and stopped before a grand wooden building.

A sign hung overhead bearing the name of the Baishan Guild.

Qin Sang paused briefly, then walked straight inside. The hall was lined with all manner of artifacts and spirit pills, attended by a dozen or so witch race maids, all bearing exotic features.

Displaying the aura of a Foundation Building cultivator, Qin Sang was quickly led by one of the maids to Manager Bai of the Baishan Guild.

"You’re back so soon, Daoist? Were you successful in your search for insects?"

Manager Bai still remembered Qin Sang. After all, not many customers came with such unusual requests.

"I camped at the two spots you mentioned for nearly two months, and didn’t even catch sight of a spiritual insect’s shadow. How many do you think I could’ve caught?"

Qin Sang feigned irritation, his tone sharp.

Manager Bai remained composed as he sipped his tea and smiled. "Surely you haven’t forgotten, Daoist. I said it from the start that the list you gave me contained some of the most obscure spiritual insects, most of which are found near the bottom of the Witch Insect Register. Only disciples from the top sects of Witch God Mountain have the guts to use them as life-bound insect gu. Very few in Xijiang seek these insects, so information on them is unreliable. You coming back empty-handed was fully expected. Why get angry?"

Qin Sang let out a cold snort and didn’t press the matter. "What about the intel I asked you to investigate? Any results?"