Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 355 An Unintentional Act Leads to a Prosperous Future

When Cheng Xinzhan saw that the steward's first reaction upon seeing him was shock, rather than shouting or taking action, half of the weight in his heart was lifted.

You have to understand, these insects have been released for far too long.

Speaking of corpse nurturing, Qingbo's remnant soul was still present, so he quickly awakened the spirit using the "Mysterious Netherworld Consciousness Corpse Nurturing Technique" combined with the Taiyi Qinghua Secret Technique. Zhongyuan's corpse was fresh, so he was awakened using the "Primordial Spirit Embryo Corpse Nurturing Technique" combined with the Taiyin Rebirth Secret Technique, which also took a short time.

Only this insect, the first corpse it raised, relied entirely on the "Primordial Spirit Embryo Corpse Raising Technique," favorable timing and location, and its own patience to gradually cultivate its intelligence.

The insect was born in one of the best places in the world to raise corpses—Mount Meiji—and was buried by Cheng Xinzhan in the medicinal field in front of Wuyou Cave. The ditch in the medicinal field is arranged in a Bagua formation, where five elements of mineral jade are buried.

During the process of raising the corpse, he poured countless amounts of Xin metal magic power into the insect corpse to solidify its metal nature. He also burned countless corpse-raising talismans, the ashes of which stained the land where the insect was buried black.

Every autumn and winter, the insects are condensed into pupae using the power of Yin water and Yang earth, which nourishes their corpses. In spring, the insects are cleansed with the power of Yang wood to stimulate life. In summer, they are tempered and refined with thunder and fire to prevent the development of evil thoughts.

It took seven years of this to finally produce a corpse.

Keep in mind that pregnancy only lasts for ten months.

In terms of closeness and loyalty, the insect should be the closest and most loyal to him. However, although the insect had been raised for seven years, it only stayed by his side for less than a month after waking up before encountering Gu Chen fleeing south with the corpse. At that time, he threw the insect in to prepare for the worst.

Looking back now, I realize I was impulsive and quite ruthless.

I was too naive back then. I didn't expect that Gu Chen would occupy the island and establish a sect, setting up a protective array with the "Mysterious Yin Gathering Beast Banner". As the array became more and more closely integrated with the spiritual veins of the Three Corpses Island, the connection between my mind and Chong'er became weaker and weaker, until it was completely severed.

Cheng Xinzhan remembered that after Chong'er entered the island, the mental connection with him only lasted for about two months. The connection was broken when he left Daduhai and returned to the sect.

When he sensed the connection was weakening, he repeatedly reminded the insect to remain untainted by the mire and not to forget the sect's precepts. He also taught the insect to hide, to use its innate supernatural abilities to usurp the nest, to control corpses and conceal itself, and never to be exposed.

Before the mental connection was completely severed, the last message that the worm sent to itself was that it had successfully captured a "vehicle" and was now working for the Red Corpse Wu Lao. The word "vehicle" was the worm's own words.

For the next thirty years, there was no further news of them.

Thirty years later, Cheng Xinzhan chose Fire Dragon Island as a breakthrough point, partly due to Chong'er, which is why he approached Yellow Sulfur Island and proposed to become an envoy.

When he arrived at Fire Dragon Island and entered the island's protective formation, he sensed that the insect was still alive and well, with a vigorous life force, right there on the island. Of course, he didn't actively contact the insect, and he also concealed his own presence.

Later, when Huangliu Island was officially incorporated into Lihuohai and Cheng Xinzhan officially became a member of the Imperial Guard, he still did not contact Chong'er. He even relied on his senses to find the Treasure Guard of the Headquarters and confirmed that Chong'er was in the room of Che Liangcai, the head of the Headquarters.

But he still did not acknowledge her.

Because he didn't know whether the insect had changed in the past thirty years, whether it had remained untainted by the mud, or whether it had been corrupted by the evil ways.

Even today, he managed to get Che Liangcai to come over through Huang Laosan.

Even if the insect demon transforms, it is still a corpse spirit that he raised himself. Cheng Xinzhan is confident that he can eliminate any possible accidents in such a well-prepared, enclosed space.

From the moment Che Liangcai entered the room, Cheng Xinzhan was completely certain that the worm was inside this man's body, and the "carriage" that the worm had mentioned back then was Che Liangcai.

I just don't know if the name Che Liangcai comes from "Chejia" itself, or if it was given to me by a worm.

When Cheng Xinzhan saw Che Liangcai open his mouth and the worm crawl out to reveal its true form, he was completely relieved. At the same time, joy welled up in his heart, and a gratified smile appeared on his face.

Seven years after raising the corpse, he witnessed the insects sprouting from the medicinal herb field. The joy he felt then is now matched by the delight he feels at having regained what he lost.

Cheng Xinzhan extended his palm and said,

"Little bug, come back."

Upon hearing the words she had longed for, the insect was finally certain. It let out a joyful chirp, then flapped its wings and flew away from Che Liangcai, landing in Cheng Xinzhan's palm.

The insect lay on Cheng Xinzhan's palm, rubbing its horn against his skin repeatedly, chirping and whimpering, seemingly complaining that Cheng Xinzhan had taken so long to pick it up.

Cheng Xinzhan held the insect in his right hand and gently stroked its single horn with his left hand, repeatedly apologizing in his heart.

After a while, Huang Laosan had recovered from his shock. He dared not look at Che Liangcai, whose face had returned to normal, nor at the seemingly gentle black insect; he simply closed his eyes and lowered his head. His mind was in turmoil; he truly couldn't guess who this Taoist priest was.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Do you need to sit in the car the whole time to drive?"

Cheng Xinzhan spent a long time comforting Douchong before he calmed him down a little. Then he asked Douchong a question in his mind.

The herringbone's own voice sounded like that of a four or five-year-old child, a childish, babyish voice, he said.
"Of course not, Duobao can operate many vehicles at the same time!"

"Duobao, is this the name you gave yourself?"

"It's not a name, it's a pen name. I'm waiting for the master to choose a name for me!"

Cheng Xinzhan smiled.

"How about Duobao stays by my side from now on?"

The herbivore nodded vigorously.

"Master, you can never throw me out again!"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded in agreement.

The insect was small, and Cheng Xinzhan didn't want to put it in the body bag or leopard pouch, so he opened his clothes and let the insect crawl inside.

"Hey, sir, why is there another insect here? Who is it?"

The sound of the herring echoed in Cheng Xinzhan's mind.

"Hey, sir, what's this bug? Who is it?"

The voice of sleepiness echoed in Cheng Xinzhan's mind. "We're all on the same side, get to know each other."

Cheng Xinzhan replied to the two insects with his own thoughts.

Then, he looked at Huang Laosan, who was as still as a stone statue, and said,
"The steward is one of our own. You two should keep in touch more often. He will help you and develop your own people."

Old Huang nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling slightly, his mind completely blank. He absolutely did not want an insect to one day inhabit his body.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, transformed back into Lai Youde, and left Cai Liuwei.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After returning to his cave, Cheng Xinzhan reached into his clothes and pulled out the beetle and the sleep beetle.

In just a short while, the two insects, whose mental age seemed to be the same, had already started playing together. When Cheng Xinzhan took them out, they were still playing at the corners of each other.

Cheng Xinzhan watched with a smile, while asking the beetle to talk about its experiences over the years, its current cultivation level, and its influence on Fire Dragon Island.

While playing, Chong'er talked to Cheng Xinzhan, occasionally going off-topic. They talked for two days and two nights.

After listening, Cheng Xinzhan was also somewhat moved. These spirit insects, blessed by heaven and earth, always possessed innate supernatural abilities that defied reason. To be honest, the Sleepy Insect hadn't even formally cultivated yet, but it could easily bewitch people in the three realms, making it a celestial being fallen to the mortal world. The various experiences of the Helmet Insect on Fire Dragon Island were also unbelievable. No wonder it was ranked among the top three extraordinary insects on the Southern Border Spirit Insect Ranking, and it was also no wonder that its clan frequently produced immortals.

According to the Hercules Beetle, after it gradually developed its intelligence, it awakened its innate supernatural power. After consuming earth and gold, it could refine a pill called "Chariot-Pulling" within its belly. If a walking corpse ate it, it would fall into a deep, unwavering coma; if a living creature ate it, it would become a deadly poison that would kill instantly. Of course, the efficacy of the pill was related to the Hercules Beetle's own cultivation level, the quality of its earth-consuming and gold-devouring abilities, and the cultivation level of the person taking the pill.

Because Cheng Xinzhan had fed the corpse many spiritual creatures of the earth and metal elements while raising it underground, not long after arriving at the Three Corpse Island, the beetle worm refined a "chariot-pulling" pill inside its belly. Later, the Three Corpse Island established a sect, widely inviting its former members and all corpse cultivators from across the land. The beetle worm had been looking for an opportunity to stuff the "chariot-pulling" pill into the corpse's belly.

Later, the day before Cheng Xinzhan lost contact, Douchong, who was proficient in earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magical escape technique), switched the potent tonic Cheng was about to take in a walking corpse's cave, causing him to fall into a coma.

After the zombie fell unconscious, herbivores crawled into its stomach.

As the "Cart-Pulling" drug took effect, all the acupoints within the walking corpse opened to the beetle. The beetle then entered the purple palace inside the walking corpse's brain and inscribed a restriction on its primordial spirit.

From then on, the walking corpses were at the mercy of the herring beetles, which is also the origin of the name "the walking corpse".

The first carriage that the ox-headed insect pulled was that of Che Liangcai.

The beetle's mind wasn't fully developed, but it firmly remembered Cheng Xinzhan's instructions: don't expose yourself, don't do evil, gather information, and grow stronger. When the beetle relayed these orders to the walking corpse Che Liangcai, Che Liangcai would carry them out without fail. These orders were etched into the deepest part of the walking corpse's soul, and could be considered a deepest and heaviest obsession, more effective than any coercion or inducement.

All the beetle had to do was enjoy the various gold and earth spiritual items offered by Che Liangcai, improve its own realm, refine more "Chariot-Pulling" pills, and then find an opportunity to feed them to other walking corpses.

If a walking corpse that the beetle has chosen has not yet developed a primordial spirit, the beetle will inscribe a restriction on its true spirit. If even the true spirit has not yet been developed, then after consuming "Tractor," this kind of walking corpse is more likely to develop a true spirit that is controlled by the beetle. Moreover, before the true spirit is developed, the beetle can also freely control these "empty carriage" walking corpses after entering them.

"Empty carriage" is also what the herring worm calls it. It refers to a walking corpse that has developed intelligence as a servant carriage, and the true spirit or primordial spirit of the walking corpse as a carriage servant. A carriage without a carriage servant is an empty carriage. If the herring worm wants to drive an empty carriage, it must climb in and operate it itself, acting as a carriage servant. This is something the herring worm dislikes. The worm prefers the attentive service of a carriage servant.

After hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan couldn't help but sigh, saying that putting the insect into the Three Corpses Island was like a rat falling into a rice granary.

When Master gave him the beetle, during a time when the righteous path flourished and the demonic path lay dormant, he probably never imagined that not long after, a renowned Three Corpse Demonic Sect would emerge in the world, a sect of ten thousand corpses led by three extraordinary corpses, a cult rarely seen throughout history.

Moreover, it's truly a matter of timing and fate that I happened to be there when this Corpse Demon Sect was occupying the island and establishing its religion.

"So how many vehicles do you have in total?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

The herring then answered,

"There are twenty-two vehicles, four of which are empty. They are all in the underground corpse house. There are eleven vehicles from the third realm and seven vehicles from the second realm."

Chong'er glanced at Cheng Xinzhan and whispered,

"Master, is it not enough? But Duobao can only refine the Cart-Training Medicine when he is full. And every time he refines the Cart-Training Medicine, Duobao's belly will become bigger, and he will have to eat more to refine new medicine. So it is getting slower and slower."

"That's a lot, that's a lot, it's already a lot, Duobao did a great job!"

Cheng Xinzhan quickly reassured her, saying that this was already a huge surprise for her, and she certainly wouldn't complain about it being too little.

After hearing Chong'er introduce the identities of the twenty-two drivers, Cheng Xinzhan felt that his plan suddenly became much easier. Looking back on his impulsive act from years ago, it seemed more like a stroke of good fortune, a serendipitous stroke of luck.

"Duobao, now that this is your account number, I'll name you now. It's my fault for not naming you sooner back then."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

"it is good!"

The insect spoke loudly, its horn swaying back and forth, seemingly extremely happy at that moment.

"Since you emerged from the soil in the field, let's make you the surname Tian (Field). Besides you, I also awakened two other corpse spirits. In terms of order, you should be the eldest. However, they are much older than you, so we'll arrange you as the third according to age. Therefore, we'll also give you the character 'Shu' (Uncle). Finally, we'll take the character 'Bao' (Treasure) from your self-chosen name. Moreover, Tian belongs to the element Earth, and Bao belongs to the element Metal, which suits your element."

"How about I call you Uncle Tian?"

Cheng Xinzhan said.

The herringbone shook its head, repeated the words twice more, and then happily agreed, calling out,

"Shubao, Tian Shubao, from now on, I will call you Shubao!"

At this moment, Sleepyhead saw this and also started to shout.
"Sir, I'd also like you to give me a name. 'Xiao Bao' sounds like a nickname, but I want a formal name too!"

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this, nodded, thought for a moment, and then said,
"Little Bao is a sleepy immortal insect from the celestial realm, so let's take the surname Ke. There's an ancient great supernatural power called 'A Dream of Nanke,' which matches Little Bao's power. Let's take two more characters from that and name him 'One Dream.' What do you think, Little Bao?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bao shook his two long tentacles, recited the mantra several times, and, finding it quite good, happily agreed.

　Requesting monthly votes and recommendations! Comments and messages are welcome!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)