The Witch Insect Registry

The Exotic Insect Registry was merely a compilation that the Yuling Sect had assembled on their own, based on the experience of senior cultivators and references from ancient texts unearthed from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. The Yuling Sect was renowned for its beast-taming arts, and Qin Sang even suspected that it had been propped up by Heavenly Demon Mound. Cultivators who specialized in insect-controlling arts were only a fraction of its disciples. "Doesn't Fellow Daoist think they closely resemble Ghosthead Bees?" Qin Sang walked over to the carcass of a Blood-Winged Ghosthead Bee. Its blood-red wings had been burned away completely, leaving only a plump, rounded body. Yuan Hu looked down at it for a moment and said thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, they really do look like the Ghosthead Bees ranked five hundred and twentieth on the Witch Insect Registry. I wonder why they mutated to sprout blood-red wings. Ghosthead Bees went extinct in the Western Frontier long ago—how could they suddenly appear, and mutated at that?" Saying so, Yuan Hu turned to ask the priest of Tianyue Stockade, "High Priest, before these strange bees appeared, did you notice anything else unusual?" The High Priest shook his head. "When our stockade's hunters were out hunting, they noticed that the surrounding game had vanished. Following the trail here, they found the strange bees building a hive. We tried several times, but could do nothing against them, so we sent a message to the Five Insects Sect for help. The surrounding lands are all hunting grounds of our Tianyue Stockade, and there were never any anomalies before. These strange bees seemed to appear out of thin air." It seemed the Witch Insect Registry also included Ghosthead Bees, yet it differed greatly from the Yuling Sect's Exotic Insect Registry. The Witch Insect Registry appeared to assign explicit ranks to spirit insects. The Yuling Sect was different; their Exotic Insect Registry was merely an enumerated list describing the traits of exotic insects, with some entries simply recounting legends recorded in ancient texts, without an absolute ranking from top to bottom. In the Exotic Insect Registry, the Yuling Sect held the Ghosthead Bee in high regard. According to an ancient tome, there had been instances in the cultivation world of Ghosthead Bees that underwent multiple metamorphoses to reach a strength rivaling Nascent Soul cultivators, with the potential for further metamorphosis beyond that. It was precisely for this reason that Ghosthead Bees qualified to enter the Exotic Insect Registry. Yet on the Witch Insect Registry, it seemed Ghosthead Bees were not held in high regard at all, relegated far past the five-hundredth rank. What criteria did the Witch Insect Registry use? After some thought, Qin Sang said, "There are quite a few larvae in the hive; giving Fellow Daoist two is no problem. However, I have no magic tool to store spirit insects. If you have a spare, could you sell one to me?" "I happen to have a white bamboo insect basket, which I can trade you for two larvae." Looking delighted, Yuan Hu took out a narrow-necked bamboo basket. Woven with great craftsmanship, it was a magic tool specifically designed for storing witch insects. Out of goodwill, Yuan Hu warned Qin Sang, "Since you don't even have an insect basket, you must not specialize in insect-controlling arts. If you intend to use this strange bee as your natal insect gu in the future, you must think it through carefully. Metamorphosis for spirit insects is difficult enough to begin with, and mutation can adversely affect it; in severe cases, they might even lose the ability to undergo metamorphosis entirely. A person can only have a single natal insect gu, which requires immense effort to nurture. If you realize something is wrong later and want to replace it, you will have to start all over again, which could ruin your major pursuits!" The more Qin Sang listened, the more he felt that a natal insect gu was very similar to a life magic treasure. Aside from special cultivation methods like the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter, each cultivator could only have one life magic treasure. Did a natal insect gu also occupy the quota of a life magic treasure? Two against one sounded wonderful. However, if a natal insect gu failed to undergo metamorphosis in time and could not keep pace with the cultivator's own cultivation, it would become dead weight. Qin Sang nodded, thanking Yuan Hu for his goodwill. Having reared the Blood-Winged Ghosthead Bees for so many years, he had long harbored suspicions that the price paid by the Ghosthead Bees to mutate into Blood-Winged Ghosthead Bees to survive in Wuya Valley was perhaps losing their potential for metamorphosis. Placing the hive into the white bamboo insect basket, Qin Sang bid farewell to the three and traveled west. On the topographical map, Bear Mountain and the Five Insects Sect were situated in the northwest. The entire Bear Mountain region was barren, with very few mountains possessing spirit veins. The few spirit veins of decent size were almost all claimed, occupied by large stockades that had bimo and priests. These large stockades were like the various small nations in the Lesser Cold Domain, each governing a vast swath of territory, though their subjects were far fewer by comparison, consisting of mortal stockades similar to Qianhu Stockade. The large stockade to which Qianhu Stockade was subordinate was named Yihui Stockade. These large stockades shared tangled, intricate ties where disturbing one might stir the whole web. His injuries not yet fully healed, Qin Sang did not want to draw attention to himself or clash with local powers. West of the Bear Mountain region, deeper into the heart of the Western Frontier, the terrain grew harsher and more inhospitable. There were unclaimed spirit veins entrenched with demon beasts. With the Flying Yaksha's strength, seizing a cave dwelling would be child's play. *** Thud! A dark silhouette plunged from the sky, slamming violently against the rock and sending broken feathers flying. It was a black eagle. With a wingspan spanning a full thirty feet, it looked exceptionally majestic—a formidable demon in the middle Demon Spirit stage, king over the local beasts. The black eagle was adept in evasion techniques and possessed astonishing speed; had it set its mind on fleeing for its life, an ordinary False Core cultivator would have struggled to keep up. Running into Qin Sang and the Flying Yaksha was simply its misfortune. Battered and disoriented, the black eagle struggled to its feet, only for a dark figure to close in like a specter. Before the eagle could even register its presence, a ghostly hand clamped down around its neck. With a crisp snap, its life was extinguished on the spot. Standing atop the mountain peak, Qin Sang watched from afar as the Flying Yaksha effortlessly slaughtered the demon beast. Ordering it to bring up the eagle's carcass and guard the entrance, he stepped inside the cave. The spirit vein within this mountain was passable, sufficient for Core Formation. With everything in place, Qin Sang intended to remain in seclusion until he had successfully formed his core. The black eagle had died without a sound, and no one knew that this cave dwelling had already changed masters. The Flying Yaksha stood outside like a guardian deity, keeping watch at the entrance. Inside the cave dwelling, Qin Sang sat cross-legged in stillness. Between medicinal pills and quiet meditation, his spiritual sense had recovered by more than half. Unable to wait any longer, Qin Sang voluntarily withdrew from his trance. With a flip of his hand, a jade box appeared in his palm. Inside lay a purple spiritual fruit encircled by cloud patterns, exuding a rich, exotic fragrance—the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit! Opening the box, Qin Sang caressed the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit with his finger, his expression shifting with faint sentimentality. The toll he had paid back then for Foundation Establishment, after weathering so many twists and turns, could finally be mended. Yunyouzi deserved tremendous credit for obtaining this fruit. Qin Sang wondered whether he had survived his tribulation, and how he was doing now. Putting his thoughts aside, Qin Sang tilted his head back and swallowed the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit whole. He then guided the ebony sword with his spiritual sense to draw in the world's spiritual energy, enveloping the fruit to begin refining it. The fruit's skin was exceptionally tough. Moreover, with his spiritual power sealed, Qin Sang could only rely on the killing talisman, making the refining process even slower. It took him over half a day to fully refine the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit, which dissolved into a current of purer-than-pure medicinal power that merged into his body. Qin Sang had previously taken pills such as the Xuanwen Heyun Pill, which had healed ninety percent of the damage, leaving only a final trace before full recovery. Yet that last sliver had felt like an insurmountable chasm, defying every attempt. Now, nourished by the medicinal power of the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit, his foundation was finally restored in full!