Translator: CinderTL
The four Gu insects took longer to feed than Song Wen had anticipated.
They seemed unable to immediately absorb the vast spiritual energy contained within the corpse, consuming only a portion at a time. However, they remained inside the body, slowly digesting it.
Song Wen ignored them, flipping his hand to retrieve a jade bottle.
After releasing the Restriction on the bottle, he poured out a thumb-sized insect egg.
The egg was blood-red, radiating an ominous aura.
Song Wen reversed his Qi and Blood, forcing out a drop of blood essence, which he dripped onto the egg.
The blood essence, brimming with vital energy and abundant Spiritual Qi, slowly seeped into the egg.
A faint crimson glow began to emanate from the egg's surface.
Song Wen retrieved a gu cauldron and placed the egg inside. He then added two mid-grade spirit stones to the cauldron, providing the egg with Spiritual Qi.
Hatching a Gu insect was not a task that could be completed in a day, so Song Wen remained patient.
He took out a meditation cushion, sat down cross-legged, and swallowed a Blood Demon Pill.
As the pill entered his stomach, a violent toxicity erupted within his body.
Simultaneously, the Blood Qi within his body was rapidly consumed and converted into pure Spiritual Qi.
Having long consumed Blood Demon Pills, Song Wen had already adapted to their toxicity. Even the periodic pangs of pain in his abdomen had become so commonplace that he barely registered them, remaining focused on absorbing Spiritual Qi to enhance his cultivation.
Four months later.
While deeply immersed in cultivation, Song Wen suddenly sensed something and opened his eyes, turning his gaze toward the gu cauldron.
Within the cauldron, the insect eggs had begun to tremble faintly, as if something inside was struggling to break free.
As time passed, the tremors grew more violent.
A hairline crack suddenly appeared on the surface of one of the eggs.
Crack!
With a soft snap, a small opening burst forth at the top of the egg.
A worm's head, about the size of a chopstick, emerged from the opening.
The head resembled that of a snake, but it was scaleless and blood-red.
After glancing around the gu cauldron, the creature abruptly opened its mouth, revealing rows of fine, sharp teeth, and bit down on the eggshell.
It devoured the shell with astonishing speed, consuming the entire thing in less than twenty breaths.
The Gu's entire body was now visible—a small, scaleless snake, blood-red from head to tail, the Blood Earthworm Gu.
One eggshell was clearly not enough to satisfy its hunger.
It turned its attention to the two mid-grade spirit stones nearby.
The Spiritual Qi in the first two mid-grade spirit stones Song Wen had placed in the cauldron had long been depleted. These were the tenth pair he had replaced.
To the newly hatched Blood Earthworm Gu, the spirit stones were as fragile as tofu. It easily bit off a corner, chewed it into pieces, and swallowed it whole.
In no time, both mid-grade spirit stones had vanished without a trace.
Still unsatisfied, the Blood Earthworm Gu circled the gu cauldron. Its body suddenly swelled like a full moon, then it sprang upward, leaping out of the cauldron.
Mid-air, its head swiveled, and it immediately spotted Song Wen standing nearby.
A fierce glint flashed in the Blood Earthworm Gu's tiny eyes. With a flick of its tail, it lunged at Song Wen.
It landed on Song Wen's face, opened its mouth to reveal its needle-sharp teeth, and bit down on his nose.
Reacting swiftly, Song Wen pinched the Gu's tail and yanked it off his face.
The Blood Earthworm Gu struggled violently, snapping at Song Wen's fingers.
However, its sharp, slender teeth couldn't even pierce Song Wen's skin. Instead, the creature bared its fangs and hissed in pain, nearly shattering its teeth.
"Just as Xiao Ying's notes described," Song Wen murmured to himself. "Blood Earthworm Gu are born with Second-Tier strength."
Following the secret art detailed in the Witchcraft Gu Dao Techniques, he began refining the Blood Earthworm Gu.
Song Wen formed a magic seal with his hands, and a dark, sinister energy coalesced at his fingertips.
With a sudden thrust of his finger, he released the energy in a thread-like stream that burrowed into the Blood Earthworm Gu's body.
The creature convulsed violently, as if enduring unbearable agony.
Undeterred, Song Wen continued forming seals, channeling successive waves of magic seals into the Blood Earthworm Gu's body.
Gradually, the creature's resistance weakened, and the light in its eyes began to fade.
Song Wen's refining method mirrored Xiao Ying's approach, forcibly detaining a strand of the Blood Earthworm Gu's soul to prevent it from ever turning on its master.
After placing the Blood Earthworm Gu back into the gu cauldron, Song Wen offered it a spirit grass.
The creature eagerly devoured the offering.
Next, Song Wen retrieved a jade bottle, poured out a cyan medicinal pill, and summoned the Shadow King Gu.
The Shadow King Gu had already devoured the centipede's corpse completely. It opened its mouth and swallowed the medicinal pill.
This pill, called the "King Gu Pill," had been obtained from Xiao Ying's Storage Ring and was specifically formulated for fourth-tier Gu.
Next, Song Wen retrieved another jade bottle, poured out three medicinal pills, and divided them among the three Shadow Gu.
Two months later, Song Wen settled his bill and left the inn where he had been staying, heading east toward Phoenix Feather City.
Before long, he arrived at a vast plaza.
Suspended in the air above the plaza was a colossal flying ship.
The ship stretched over three hundred zhang in length, its ten-story superstructure resembling a floating palace.
This was the Jin Family's vessel bound for Cloudveil City.
Today marked the ship's departure.
Beneath the ship stood a dozen cultivators, all members of the Jin Family, tasked with welcoming passengers.
"Senior, are you boarding the ship?" a male cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage asked as Song Wen approached.
Song Wen nodded slightly.
"Please follow me, Senior," the cultivator said, mounting his sword and soaring toward the ship.
Song Wen followed closely behind.
"Senior, which floor would you prefer for your cabin?" the cultivator asked mid-flight.
"What's the difference between the floors?" Song Wen countered.
"The higher the floor, the denser the Spiritual Qi," the cultivator explained. "It's also a status symbol, reflecting one's strength and influence. Naturally, the higher floors are more expensive."
Song Wen was mildly surprised.
Logically, if the ship's protective shield were breached, the higher floors would be the first targets, making them the most dangerous.
The Jin Family's decision to price the higher floors higher was unexpected.
Yet, upon further reflection, it wasn't entirely illogical.
No high-tier cultivator would willingly allow a low-tier cultivator to "step" on them.
"Which floors do nascent soul cultivators typically stay on?" Song Wen asked.
He was still disguised as a nascent soul cultivator.
The male cultivator replied, "Most nascent soul Senior cultivators stay on the sixth floor or higher."
By now, they had reached the edge of the Giant Flying Ship.
The male cultivator stopped at the railing, hovering outside the ship and waiting for Song Wen's answer. Once Song Wen specified his floor, it would be easier to guide him to his designated room.
"Then I'll take the sixth floor," Song Wen said.
He had initially considered staying on a lower floor, but standing out too much could attract unwanted attention.
After paying fifty high-grade spirit stones, Song Wen arrived at his room on the sixth floor.
The male cultivator handed him the token that controlled the room's Restriction and then excused himself.
Holding the token, Song Wen activated the Restriction and entered the room.
The room was approximately 110 square meters and furnished with all the essentials: a bed, tables, chairs, and other daily necessities.
Song Wen went to the window and looked down, searching for Ye Bing among the passengers.
They hadn't been in contact for the past six months, so Song Wen had no idea of her current whereabouts.
He waited until noon, when the sun was directly overhead and the Giant Flying Ship had slowly begun to move, but still couldn't spot Ye Bing among the crowd.
Could something have happened to Ye Bing? If so, would my five Earth Evasion Talismans and Void Convergence Primordial Essence Pill have been for nothing?
(End of the Chapter)
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