Chapter 657: Metamorphosis and the Life-Bound Insect Gu

The fat silkworm devoured like a starving ghost reincarnated.

In the blink of an eye, it finished an entire Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit and still licked its lips, unsatisfied.

Once all the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruits had been harvested, the tree fulfilled its purpose. It withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, its branches and leaves turning yellow, eventually drying up and dying completely.

This was why natural treasures were so rare.

Whether a new Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit Tree would sprout here again in the future, Qin Sang had no way of knowing.

After swallowing the unripe fruit, the fat silkworm gave a full belch, then returned to Qin Sang’s palm and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Just as Qin Sang was about to put it back into the insect basket, he suddenly noticed a faint silver glow emanating from the silkworm’s body. The light grew brighter and brighter, almost outshining its original colorful skin.

Eventually, the silver light pulled into fine threads that wrapped around its body, gradually forming a plump silver cocoon.

"Is this metamorphosis?"

Qin Sang was surprised. "It can undergo metamorphosis just by eating an unripe Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit? What a strange creature. Judging by the signs, this should be its second metamorphosis. After their second metamorphosis, other spiritual insects usually possess strength comparable to Foundation Building cultivators. This one was so useless before. Let’s see if it actually improves after this."

Despite having captured the fat silkworm for quite some time, Qin Sang had yet to determine what kind of spiritual insect it was, nor could he gauge the extent of its metamorphosis.

Now that he had witnessed it form a cocoon with his own eyes, he could finally confirm that it was undergoing its second metamorphosis.

Once the cocoon was fully formed, the silkworm slumbered peacefully within, completely quiet. Qin Sang had no idea how long this metamorphosis would take, so he stored it back in the insect basket and waited for it to emerge on its own.

After one last glance at the withered Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit tree, Qin Sang erased all traces of his presence and left Black Wind Valley.

Not only at Black Wind Valley, but he also took a few more days to erase the other trails he had left behind, doing his utmost to prevent Black Witch Palace from discovering any clues.

Afterward, Qin Sang returned to Five-Insect Sect and patiently waited for Du Han’s arrival.

***

Five-Insect Sect's gate had been destroyed in successive battles. Qin Sang was already prepared to strike, seated in meditation within a rift in the mountain behind the sect, quietly awaiting Du Han’s appearance.

The flying yaksha was not by his side.

Instead, a beautiful butterfly danced above his fingertips.

Qin Sang had decided to choose the Sky-Eyed Butterfly as his life-bound insect gu and was now beginning the process of blood refinement.

Once Du Han was slain, Qin Sang would most likely head for the human territories to investigate the secrets of the Seven-Kill Hall. He would not remain long on the Witch God Continent.

Even if he stayed a few more years, it was uncertain whether he would find another insect more suitable than the Sky-Eyed Butterfly.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly already fulfilled his two most critical needs. There was no point in being greedy. The sooner he subdued his life-bound insect gu, the sooner he could begin nurturing it and pushing toward its third metamorphosis.

When a spiritual insect was refined into a life-bound insect gu, it was different from voluntarily accepting a master. Once transformed into a gu, it would revert to its larval stage and have to gradually grow again.

The cultivation of a life-bound insect gu was a long and patient process.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly rested on Qin Sang’s finger. Some unknown binding force had already taken hold. No matter how violently it struggled, it could not break free.

Under the sunlight, its beauty was breathtaking.

The ruins of Five-Insect Sect seemed almost elegant with the presence of this beautiful butterfly.

Qin Sang carefully reviewed every step of the refinement method in his mind. Then he guided the butterfly to his palm and cautiously extended a thread of his spiritual consciousness into its body.

At the same time, he sliced his fingertip and forced out a drop of blood and essence, using the blood refinement barrier to activate it.

The bright red blood, under the influence of the barrier, split into countless filaments. They wove into a dense blood net in front of Qin Sang, vivid and vibrant.

The net was just large enough to fully envelop the Sky-Eyed Butterfly.

Qin Sang then slowly guided the blood net toward the butterfly.

Had he chosen a larval egg for his life-bound insect gu, he would not need to be so cautious. But the Sky-Eyed Butterfly already possessed sentience and would fiercely resist. Qin Sang had to proceed carefully to avoid harming it.

As the net approached, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly sensed danger. Its wings began to flap wildly in panic.

The net gently settled over the butterfly and suddenly dissolved into a stream of blood that seeped into its body.

However, this time the blood had become unusually strange. Within it were countless bizarre runes, which invaded the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s body together with the blood.

At the same time, the wisp of spiritual consciousness Qin Sang had sent out sensed the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s fear and resistance. Unfortunately, the gap between them was far too great. Qin Sang remained calm and composed, easily suppressing the butterfly’s consciousness.

Before long, the blood refinement barrier was successfully completed.

In that instant, Qin Sang suddenly felt a deep and intimate bond form between him and the Sky-Eyed Butterfly—a connection as if their blood and essence had become one.

It was a feeling he had only ever experienced with the ebony sword.

This was a true life-bound insect gu.

Without delay, Qin Sang forced out several more drops of blood. They floated toward the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and formed a blood cocoon. Like the fat silkworm, the butterfly soon fell into a deep sleep within.

However, through their bond, Qin Sang could clearly sense the butterfly’s condition. It only needed to be nurtured within his dantian for a few hours before it could emerge from the cocoon and truly become his life-bound insect gu.

Qin Sang then guided it into his dantian.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly was now extremely delicate, just like a newly hatched larva, and required careful tending.

Unnoticed, a few hours quickly passed.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly emerged from its cocoon, and Qin Sang released it.

There was little change to its appearance. Its body had shrunk slightly, and the colors on its wings and patterns had faded a bit. However, a thin blood-red line had appeared along the edge of its wings, adding an eerie and mesmerizing beauty.

But its behavior had undergone a complete transformation.

It fluttered around Qin Sang, radiating an emotion of overwhelming joy and affection. It seemed to regard Qin Sang as its closest and most trusted kin.

Sensing this deep affection, Qin Sang smiled faintly. He reached out and gently tapped the butterfly, then took out a berry, squeezed out its juice, and fed it to the butterfly.

Before the second metamorphosis, feeding it with ordinary spiritual fruits was sufficient.

Of course, the fruits Qin Sang had prepared were of the highest quality. With the combined nourishment of his blood and essence and the warmth of his Golden Core, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly would need only a few years to reach its second metamorphosis.

Once it reached that stage, he would need to seek out several rare spiritual herbs to accompany its feeding. That would significantly accelerate the butterfly’s growth.

After finishing the fruit, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly was stored back into Qin Sang’s Qihai.

***

The sun rose and set.

Unknowingly, more than ten days had passed.

Qin Sang remained seated in the desolate ruins of Five-Insect Sect, motionless for days. Other than feeding the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, he devoted all his time to cultivation.

That morning...

The golden light of dawn spilled across the peaks.

The surrounding mountains were cloaked in silence. Qin Sang’s ears twitched slightly, and he suddenly opened his eyes. In a flash, his figure vanished without a trace.

He concealed his presence and appeared atop a mountain peak, gazing westward from Five-Insect Sect.

Far off in the sky, a flicker of golden light was racing toward him at astonishing speed. It was clearly a flying artifact, aimed directly at Five-Insect Sect.

At that speed, only a Core Formation Realm cultivator could manage such flight.

Du Han had arrived!