A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu Transmigrates into a Book, the Dao Ancestor of Rein

Chapter 123 Obtaining an Insect and Encountering Two Beauties, Becoming a Wedding Dress for Others

Several months later, Han Li and his Sha Dan clone appeared in the sky above Xiao Huan Island.

Returning after so many years brings a completely different feeling.

He first used his divine sense to search the island and immediately confirmed that no cultivator had established a cave dwelling there.

"Still no one wants to take over this place?"

Han Li smiled and shook his head.

This island has never had any spiritual veins, and only one village of mortals has lived here for generations. If low- to mid-level cultivators want to settle on this island long-term, according to the rules of the Kui Xing Island sea area, they need to provide some spirit stones to the formation where the village is located to provide spiritual power and protect the mortals on the island from "Heavenly Wind," one of the "Three Great Calamities of the Chaotic Star Sea."

However, while such rules benefit ordinary people, they are not beneficial to those who cultivate immortality.

Therefore, the island has always been left unattended.

No cultivator has ever come to this place to burn spirit stones and settle down.

The three major natural disasters of the Star Sea are: Heavenly Wind, Monster Beasts, and Ghost Mist.

The "sky wind" mentioned here is actually a seasonal hurricane.

Twice a year, it appears from one end of the Chaotic Star Sea and blows towards the other.

Wherever it goes, towering waves crash, houses crumble, and lives are lost. Even low- to mid-level cultivators struggle to withstand it head-on, and those caught in its clutches face a near-certain death. Mortals wishing to prosper should ideally reside on islands protected by magical formations. Otherwise, their chances of survival are slim.

"The mortals on this island are also resilient. Even though few cultivators stay here, they have continued to thrive for many years."

Han Li snapped out of his thoughts and used a mid-level earth-遁符 (earth-遁符 is a type of talisman) to return to the hidden cave he had created.

It wasn't that he didn't want to use the Earth Escape Technique, but rather that he wasn't proficient in this intermediate-level technique, which possessed considerable life-saving capabilities. Even though he had practiced it extensively more than once over the past two or three decades, he still couldn't grasp its essence.

Earth Escape Technique, one of the intermediate-level Five Elements spells, doesn't seem to be on his list of specialties.

That's why he hoards a lot of Earth Escape Talismans to make up for this weakness.

now.

Upon entering the secret room, a scene that greatly surprised him came into view:

"Good, good, there really are gold-devouring insects!"

The several secret chambers that were originally protected by restrictions and used specifically for feeding strange insects now had no restrictions left, and the stone doors and the blue stone walls were riddled with holes and pits like honeycomb.

The larval rearing room has been almost completely destroyed.

These holes are not smooth; on the contrary, they are extremely rough, as if they were gnawed out by some tiny creature.

These signs of damage were clearly not caused by the strange insects he left behind.

It was not the work of a cultivator.

There is only one remaining answer...

He didn't linger any longer and headed straight for the herb garden.

He transplanted and planted dozens of spiritual herbs in this medicinal herb garden inside the cave, including one that was a flowering tree that was hundreds of years old.

When he and Sha Dan's clone entered the herb garden, a quick scan with his divine sense immediately revealed a shimmering silver sphere on the branch of that flowering tree.

The silver ball wasn't very big, only slightly larger than a fist.

However, the shimmering silver light was quite eerie, dazzlingly bright in this dark medicine garden deep within the cave:

"really…"

"It's a gold-devouring beetle!"

The Gold-Eating Insect, a swarming, ferocious insect, ranks twelfth on the list of extraordinary insects. It loves to devour other extraordinary insects, is adept at consuming metals and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, possesses a hard exoskeleton that is impervious to blades and spears, and immune to water and fire. It is extremely ferocious, prefers to swarm into spheres, and habitually inhabits beneath spiritual trees. It can be trapped by jade or wood, and is mutually restraining among spider-like extraordinary insects…

of course.

This is merely the information about the habits of the Gold-Eating Insects that the cultivators of the Spirit Control Sect possess.

The Gold-Eating Insect actually has another identity: the Gold-Eating Immortal!

Even in the Immortal Realm, the Gold-Eating Insect is a notorious and ferocious insect.

It is expected to grow to the level where even true immortals in the celestial realm can devour it whole.

Moreover, when he picked up his pen in his previous life, he also added a hidden ability to the Gold-Eating Insect: Devouring Inheritance.

If the Gold-Eating Beetle devours a large number of the eggs of other strange insects, the innate abilities of the devoured strange insects will be forcibly stripped away by the Gold-Eating Beetle!
For example:
If the gold-eating beetle devours a large number of golden-backed beetle eggs, it can enhance the sharpness of its forelegs.

If the Gold-Eating Insect can devour a large number of Six-Winged Frost Centipede eggs, it can extract the bloodline power of the True Dragon White Dragon and gain ice-type talents and the ability to fly thousands of miles in an instant.

If the Gold-Eating Insect can devour a large number of Flying Purple-Striped Scorpion eggs, it can also greatly enhance the hardness of its carapace and incidentally gain toxic abilities.

If the Gold-Eating Insect can devour a large number of Golden Silkworm or Blood Jade Spider eggs, it will also gain the ability to spin silk.

This was originally a Gold-Eating Immortal ability he conceived for the Immortal Realm arc, part of the "preparation draft." It's just unknown whether the Gold-Eating Insects in this world have a corresponding ability.

If so, then only the mature Gold-Devouring Insects he cultivated are worthy of devouring immortals and possess the title of "Gold-Devouring Immortal".

If not, then it would be somewhat undeserving of its name.

"Possesses the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as the five metals..."

In other words, Xiaohuan Island was not without spiritual veins, but rather it was completely devoured by these gold-devouring insects.

After the spiritual veins dried up, these insects also went into a deep sleep in some corner underground.

It wasn't until he left behind a group of strange insect larvae and eggs that the group of gold-devouring insects with great potential were awakened.

"Although the Gold-Eating Insect has great potential, its early silver form is very weak. Only when it grows into a semi-mature form with a completely golden body can it be barely used."

"In the human realm, this thing can devour magical treasures or the magical treasures of Nascent Soul cultivators to grow stronger..."

The more you devour, the more your spiritual power grows.

The better the material it consumes, the harder its body becomes.

Upon reaching the Immortal Realm, one can theoretically devour even immortal artifacts, divine weapons, and various immortal materials, and absorb their immortal energy to evolve.

"I need to cultivate gold-eating insects, and there are a few things that are indispensable."

The most important one, without a doubt, is the rainbow grass.

Used to induce birth and mass reproduction.

In short, the more the better.

With each additional offspring born, one more will eventually reach a mature stage comparable to the Nascent Soul stage.

Before reaching maturity, the Gold-Eating Insects fight amongst themselves and devour each other during each evolution, then lay a large number of eggs to give birth to new and stronger evolved individuals.

Other materials that aid in advancement include: strange insects and their larvae, metal from the five elements for strengthening magic weapons, and metal materials for magic weapons and their crafting. In addition, high-level demon cores and pure spiritual energy infusion are also essential.

He believed that even without the help of the small bottle, he could still cultivate the Gold-Devouring Immortal.

Definitely.

After all, he has many advantages, such as foresight, the benefits of the forbidden area, and intelligence on Biling Island.

It forced the level four Blood Jade Spider to spit out spider silk.

He then used the spider silk to wrap the silver sphere formed by the swarm of gold-devouring insects.

Spider silk is what makes the silver gold-devouring insects effective against it.

Playing with the white cocoon in his hand, Han Li smiled excitedly:
"If I could obtain the method the Tuwu people used to accelerate the maturation of the Gold-Eating Insects, I could reduce the natural sedimentation time of tens of thousands of years. Therefore, I might be able to cultivate dozens or even hundreds of mature Gold-Eating Insects within a thousand years. With so many mature Gold-Eating Insects, my chances of smuggling myself into the Spirit Realm would be greatly increased..."

The armor conjured by a semi-mature Gold-Eating Insect swarm at the Core Formation stage is comparable to a top-grade magic weapon.

The armor formed by the mature Gold-Eating Insect swarm is probably not much weaker than that of a replica spirit treasure.

...

After collecting the Gold-Eating Insects and the transplanted spiritual herbs and medicines, Han Li summoned more than a dozen Iron-Armed Beasts and pointed to the path the Gold-Eating Insects had dug up:
"Keep digging!"

He wanted to see if any fish had escaped the net.

...

Half a month later.

Kui Xing Island is one of the twenty-four outer star islands.

Han Li arrived in his flying boat.

As one of the three largest islands in the southwest corner under the jurisdiction of Xinggong, this island spans thousands of miles.

The island is home to over three hundred towering peaks, each possessing its own spiritual vein. The main peak, ten thousand feet high, belongs to the Wood Dragon Immortal, a cultivator at the peak of the mid-stage Core Formation realm. The Wood Dragon Immortal is also the island's lord, and behind him lies a powerful immortal cultivation clan.

The two towering secondary peaks belong to two deputy island lords who are in the early stages of Core Formation.

These two, though without a family, are a pair of Daoist partners.

When the two join forces and rely on their special cultivation techniques, they can rival a cultivator in the mid-stage of Core Formation.

On the surface, it appears that three Core Formation stage cultivators have taken over Kui Xing Island.

In reality, it was Master Mulong who, on behalf of his family, took over this place.

If a cultivator on Kui Xing Island wants to rent a mountain peak to open a cave for cultivation, they will be charged a sum of spirit stones based on the quality of the mountain's spiritual veins and the rental period. The operating rules are similar to those of the sacred mountain on Tian Xing Island, except that the rental period is not fixed and the price is much cheaper.

After observing it closely for a while, he was quite certain that the main spiritual vein of this island was not much inferior to the spiritual vein of Taiyue Mountain in the Yue Kingdom of Tiannan. Moreover, it had not been fully developed because most of it was buried on the seabed, making it inconvenient to utilize and mine spiritual minerals.

This place, if placed in the Chaotic Star Sea, would likely not be of interest to Nascent Soul cultivators.

Just like how the Nascent Soul stage of the Ghost Spirit Sect looks down on Taiyue Mountain in Huangfeng Valley.

However, if placed in Tiannan, it would definitely be a treasure trove of spiritual veins that many ordinary Nascent Soul level sects would fight over. For example, the six sects of Yue Kingdom that fled to Beiliang Kingdom like stray dogs.

The island has a main city called Kui Xing City, as well as many other towns inhabited by ordinary people. Kui Xing City, as the main city, is divided into four major areas: east, west, south, and north. The entire city appears bustling with activity, densely populated, and filled with various buildings.

but.

The only place where the cultivators truly gathered was in the North City.

Han Li came here wearing a mask, a magical artifact from the Thousand Illusions Sect, to conceal his appearance.

And he came alone.

He was the only figure on the flying boat amidst the drifting clouds.

It's really too high-profile for the Demon Core clone to appear with the cultivation level of Core Formation. Once it shows up, it will definitely attract attention at this critical juncture when the world is about to change.

This is not what he wants.

Therefore, he can simply show his face; after all, he's not here to do anything dangerous.

The best course of action for the Fiend Core clone, after it has been processed into a corpse, is to lie dormant in the spirit beast pouch and observe the situation.

The Flowing Cloud Flying Boat shrank and disappeared into the storage bag at his waist.

Then, he took a step and stepped through a thin curtain of light that covered the entire northern district of Kui Xing City. After entering the light curtain, his figure quickly blurred and then disappeared.

This is the effect of the North City Formation, used to isolate mortals without spiritual power, so as to prevent outsiders from disturbing the North City cultivators' meditation.

Divine consciousness unfolds…

"Huh? This northern part of the city is quite interesting."

From the outside, the northern part of Kui Xing City doesn't look like much. But once inside, you can see hundreds of streets stretching for miles, lined with shops run by cultivators to supply their needs.

That is:

The urban area outside the northern city is a place where ordinary people gather.

The northern part of the city is where cultivators mainly gather.

Tiandu Street in the North City is where Kui Xing City's most valuable items are concentrated. Whether it's rare and top-grade magical artifacts or materials from high-level demonic beasts, you can find them here. The other streets are mostly for Qi Refining stage disciples.

As soon as he entered Tiandu Street, he was met with stares.

There were two female cultivators and two male cultivators.

The two male cultivators, both at the eleventh or twelfth level of Qi Refining, stood on either side of the two women.

Two male cultivators, one of whom was a young man dressed in a scholar's robe with handsome features. If he wore glasses, he would actually look like a refined scoundrel with a foreign flair.

The other man had a rugged appearance, the kind of ruthless person who had lived a life of violence, and his cultivation level was the highest among the four, at the eleventh level of Qi Refining. Han Li glanced at this man a little longer. Based on his experience, he could almost certainly conclude that this man, like himself, possessed a pseudo-spiritual root of four elements.

This person must have consumed a lot of drugs to reach their current level of cultivation. In other words, they either stumbled upon a fortuitous opportunity or went through a period of tribulation.

Then there were two more female cultivators.

His cultivation level is only at the tenth level of Qi Refining.

The two women had very ordinary cultivation levels, but their appearances were surprisingly stunning. They had exquisite features, were charming and beautiful, and dressed quite boldly, even more "frankly" than the Miaoyin Sect women he occasionally saw in Tianxing City.

The disciples of the Miaoyin Sect in Tianxing City are known for their alluring and suggestive style, often depicting themselves as veils that partially conceal their bodies, leaving the audience with endless possibilities for imagination.

These two were even more direct, completely abandoning the veil to conceal their snow-white arms and bare thighs and calves. Furthermore, they weren't wearing shoes or socks at all; their jade-like feet were deliberately immobilized by spiritual energy.

Furthermore, both women wore three exquisite, luminous gold rings—one large and two small—on their fair wrists and foreheads, adding a touch of unique, fiery charm.

The two women differed in that one was tall and slender, graceful and more beautiful, while the other was petite and charming, with lively eyes, and a sweeter, more approachable demeanor.

Upon seeing Han Li, the four men all bowed with expressions of envy on their faces.

"I've met senior."

They also wanted to build a foundation.

I also wish to live to be over two hundred years old.

Han Li glanced at the two women, especially the tall, alluring female cultivator.

This woman was the most beautiful female cultivator he had ever seen since he began his cultivation, without exception.

The women of the Hidden Moon Sect and the Myriad Sounds Sect are all unmatched.

"And who are you, fellow Daoists?"

Han Li asked calmly.

"My name is Yanli, and this is my good friend Yuanyao. We are independent cultivators from a nearby island. Some time ago, we learned that a batch of rare materials from other large islands had arrived in Tiandu Street, so we came here with fellow Daoists Chen and Xu, whom we met along the way, to take a look and broaden our experience..."

The one speaking was a sweet-looking girl with a round face.

With a gentle smile, she looked Han Li up and down.

It's clear that Yanli is more lively and proactive than Yuanyao, which explains why she ran headlong into the Qingyang Sect's young master's trap in the original timeline. After all, those second-generation rich kids love toying with this kind of proactive woman, only to kick her aside when they're done playing with her.

Yuan Yao still seemed somewhat reserved, which made her appear aloof and cold.

"Ladies, I am new to this place and am looking for a guide who knows the way. Is either of you free to take me around Tiandu Street?"

Ignoring the two male cultivators whose expressions were not very pleasant, Han Li politely replied to Yuan Yaoyan.

"Senior, are you looking to purchase magical artifacts or elixirs?"

"I do plan to buy a few high-quality magical artifacts that I'm comfortable with, and I'll also consider buying a few bottles of elixirs..."

When Han Li said this, there was absolutely no element of showing off.

But to the four people, it sounded like a buzzing sound.

Buying top-tier magical artifacts is one thing, but the key is, how many should I buy? And maybe I'll also buy a few bottles of pills suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage, depending on the situation?
This net worth must be at least four or five thousand spirit stones, right?

This amount of spirit stones is enough to alert even the poorest Core Formation cultivators to secretly make a move.

At this moment, Yanli's gaze became even more ardent.

Originally, she thought this person was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stages, and assumed that he was like the other early and mid-Foundation Establishment senior uncles in the sect, with little wealth and unable to help her and her sisters advance further. Now it seems that she was wrong.

Could this ordinary-looking Foundation Establishment cultivator be a second-generation member of some family?

"Senior, Yuan Yao and I are both free. Please, senior, take us along to broaden our horizons..."

Yanli said, slightly excited.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao secretly bit her lip.

Although it was shameful to rely on a man, she and her senior sister really wanted to improve!

I don't want to waste any more of my prime years!

After all, they're not young anymore, and their cultivation is still rudimentary; they're only at the tenth level of Qi Refining at twenty-four or twenty-five. They simply can't possibly kill demons to obtain spirit stones and other cultivation resources on their own. If they delay for another few years or even a decade, they might miss the optimal time for Foundation Establishment. Even if they manage to establish their foundation ten years later, their appearance will have faded considerably. At that point, they will lose a major asset of being female cultivators.

The person in front of me may not be particularly good-looking, but he is quite wealthy.

If she's a reliable person, then a relationship with her senior sister isn't out of the question...

"Brother Chen, Brother Xu, we sisters have important matters to attend to, so we must take our leave now. We hope to meet again someday."

Yanli politely greeted and said goodbye to the two male cultivators.

These two seemed polite to the sisters, but these past few days they've been sticking to them like glue.

She absolutely did not believe that An had any good intentions.

She didn't retaliate because she didn't want to or dare to offend the two of them.

Now that's convenient; the excuse they've given me is perfect for getting rid of them.

The young man in the scholar's robe and the burly middle-aged man exchanged a glance, smiled wryly, and although their expressions were unpleasant, they still respectfully bowed to Han Li and took their leave. Their figures quickly disappeared at the entrance of Tiandu Street.

The other streets are located there.

In a narrow alley, the young man slammed his fist into the wall.
"Damn it, the fat sheep that was almost in our mouths just slipped away like that. Those two little bitches are too lucky..."

"Alright, Brother Xu, if we can't catch them and can't get a good price, we'll have to find another way."

The burly man shook his head.

“We’ve been following them for over twenty days, are we just going to give up like this? You’ve seen how outstanding the two women are, especially the one named Yuan Yao. She’s probably the most beautiful female cultivator we’ve ever seen since we started cultivating. She’s so beautiful that even I’m a little reluctant to sell her. Hiss… Such a beauty, such a beauty. If we can capture her and then resell her as a cultivation vessel, we can definitely make a fortune.”

"Of course I know that these two women are worth a large sum of spirit stones, enough for us to exchange for two Foundation Establishment Pills. But those two have now latched onto that Foundation Establishment cultivator. What can we, mere Qi Refining cultivators, do? Can we possibly snatch them away from a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

The Great Han was also very frustrated by this.

"Damn it, we were so close, so very close to luring those two girls out of Kui Xing City..."

Inside the city, they dared not make a move.

But outside the city, there are plenty of ways to manipulate the two beauties.

"Alright, haven't you noticed that Yuan Yao and Yan Li have been deliberately distancing themselves from us? And the longer we spend time together, the stronger their wariness becomes. They probably haven't left the city because they want to find a chance to shake us off."

The burly man patted the young man on the shoulder, seemingly quite clear-headed.

"I know, but I'm just not willing to accept it. I haven't even tasted what those two have been through yet."

The young man licked his lips, growing angrier and angrier, feeling increasingly cheated. Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, he slammed his fist heavily against the wall in a fit of rage.

"Damn it, such a top-quality beauty, wasted on that man. How despicable, how hateful."

They both played the villains, and the other man played the good man.

Isn't this just doing all the work for someone else's benefit?
(End of this chapter)