Chapter 174: The Harvest

A swarm of black bugs emerged from the gourd, quickly forming a barrier against the encroaching insect horde. Even Wang Cangxiao’s prized beetles couldn’t breach this new line of defense.

The Shan City cultivators’ poisonous insects differed from Wang Cangxiao’s. Though fewer in number, they were far more venomous. Upon collision, they swiftly tore through Wang Cangxiao’s bug swarm. Chen Luo, controlling the gourd, then maneuvered to surround his opponent.

Wang Cangxiao’s expression shifted as he hastily produced a black stone to command his insects in resistance.

Buzz!

The power of the gourd collided with that of the black stone, sending debris flying and striking the cave ceiling. This area was within the protective array of Blackstone City; the relay station cultivators who had guided them earlier now cowered beneath its shield, too afraid to even lift their heads.

“Something’s off,” Wang Cangxiao frowned.

Based on his calculations, Chen Luo should have been low on spiritual energy by now. Yet after engaging him, he realized his assumptions were significantly wrong—after using two divine abilities, Chen Luo still had enough strength left to control his insects.

Most crucially, this person’s Insect Control Art was remarkably skilled. It was clear at first glance that he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator specializing in Insect Control. But…

How could this be possible?

During Chen Luo’s earlier confrontation with Lin Feng and his allies, although Wang Cangxiao didn’t witness the entire battle, he did observe the final duel between Chen Luo and Lin Feng. It was clear that Chen Luo was a dual-cultivator, focusing on both magical techniques and physical training. Such rigorous practice should have consumed all his energy; how then could he still possess the strength to master additional skills?

Could it be that insect control is his true trump card?!

As the swarm of insects clashed, the black beetle found itself trapped. Although these bugs were no match for it in one-on-one combat, surrounding and restraining it proved relatively easy.

Realizing its predicament, Wang Cangxiao reached into his storage pouch and produced two winged silver centipedes. Like flashes of lightning, they pierced through the swarm, hurtling directly towards Chen Luo’s chest.

The silver centipede’s pincers, sharp as razors, sought to penetrate Chen Luo’s skin, aiming straight for his vital organs.

With Chen Luo now under attack, the previously evenly matched bug swarm changed tides, putting him at a disadvantage.

“Is that all you’ve got? How dare you provoke me with such paltry abilities.”

Wang Cangxiao stood amidst the chaos, controlling the two silver centipedes and the black beetle, victory within his grasp.

Chen Luo’s magical robes lit up once more, deflecting the assault but sending him flying backward. He slammed hard against the wall behind him, his vision beginning to darken at the edges.

Defeating Lin Feng had drained too much of his spiritual energy; now he possessed no more than one-tenth the normal amount for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If not for having previously simplified divine abilities using his external brain, he would likely have exhausted his spiritual energy by now and be lying on the ground, unable to move.

“Two unique bugs again.”

Chen Luo lacked knowledge about insect cultivation, relying solely on the instincts from the Shan City woman’s brain to control these poisonous insects. He was unaware of Wang Cangxiao’s hidden cards, but he could sense that dealing with this unassuming group of monster cultivators would prove challenging.

The swarm surged forth once more.

Wang Cangxiao didn’t give him a moment to rest as the surrounding bugs pressed their attack anew. The black beetles and two silver centipedes weaved through the swarm. However, the Shan City woman’s supply of toxic insects was insufficient to halt these three extraordinary creatures.

Use the Yin Thunder Incantation.

The Foundation Establishment brain proficient in lightning techniques offered its advice within Chen Luo’s mind.

Consume Spirit Foundation Pills and circulate your technique to restore blood qi and spiritual energy.

A thought emerged from the tiger spirit brain he’d acquired at the sect, reminding him that when it came to digestion and recovery, monster cultivators held an innate advantage humans did not possess.

Without hesitation, Chen Luo popped three Spirit Foundation Pills into his mouth while simultaneously shifting the power coursing through his hand. Gathering spiritual energy, he began transforming it towards the Yin Thunder Incantation.

This divine ability was also one he had mastered during his five-year seclusion.

“Even a medicinal pill won’t save you now.”

Wang Cangxiao wasn’t concerned about Chen Luo consuming a medicinal pill; digestion took time, and with both parties engaged in combat, he wouldn’t give his opponent the chance to sit down and process it.

The act of eating a medicinal pill indicated that Chen Luo’s spiritual energy was nearly depleted.

This realization bolstered Wang Cangxiao’s confidence further, causing him to manipulate the swarm even more ferociously. Like a surging tide, they swept forward relentlessly. The poisonous insects raised by the woman from Shan City over several decades were now almost entirely decimated.

Chen Luo’s figure flickered as the tiger spirit’s brain aided him in digesting part of the medicinal pill’s power, replenishing some of his depleted spiritual energy. After evading the swarm’s onslaught, he lifted both hands, and a mass of twisting black lightning materialized above his palms. Violent arcs spread outward, sending any nearby toxic insects plummeting to the ground—save for the peculiar black beetle.

With a swift motion, Chen Luo sent out a circle of electric arcs exploding from his center. Dense bolts of lightning swept across without mercy, clearing everything in their path. Not even the two fastest silver-colored centipedes could escape, as there was no refuge from this storm.

Standing at the back, Wang Cangxiao was also struck by this surge of power, leaving him numb and standing frozen, smoke rising from his head.

“The Yin Thunder Incantation!”

Chen Luo’s hands moved with practiced precision, summoning two lightning serpents that coiled around his wrists. As they merged into a single stream of black electricity, the power of yin thunder coursed through his palms, biting at his own flesh.

Unlike the noble yang thunder, which crackled with righteous energy, yin thunder magic was inherently sinister. The swirling arcs emanated waves of malevolent qi, specifically designed to target and destroy an opponent’s soul.

“Lightning, come!”

A bolt shot from Chen Luo’s hand, casting an eerie purple glow across the sky.

Boom!

The explosion caught Wang Cangxiao off guard. He had just shaken off the paralysis caused by yin thunder and hadn’t yet found time to dodge when the lightning struck him square in the forehead. Twisting tendrils of electricity cascaded down his body, charring half of him beyond recognition. Even his Foundation Establishment cultivation base couldn’t protect him.

“Ahh!” Wang Cangxiao howled as he tumbled away, battered and humiliated.

His control stone for commanding insects flew out of his grasp. Under the onslaught of yin thunder, his soul scattered while his body turned charred and blackened. To make matters worse, the surrounding malevolent qi began to seep into his flesh like a deadly curse.

“Thunder magic? How do you know thunder magic too?!” Wang Cangxiao felt like he was losing his mind. He couldn’t comprehend what Chen Luo specialized in; all his previous experience in battle proved useless against this man. Every time he thought he’d adapted to one style, Chen Luo would switch to another, making it feel as if Wang Cangxiao were fighting dozens or even hundreds of opponents alone.

A myriad of combat styles, each distinct and unique, had been fused within a single individual.

“It’s Yin Thunder,” Chen Luo gasped, his hands emanating white smoke as he teetered on the brink of exhaustion. Having dispatched four opponents at once, including two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, this feat would surely rock Blackstone City when word spread. It would elevate him to the ranks of the untouchables among rogue cultivators.

Wang Cangxiao writhed on the ground, reduced to pitiful wails as the Yin Thunder corroded his body, rendering him powerless. Seizing the moment, Chen Luo approached with deadly intent.

The blade flashed, and head separated from torso.

The screams ceased abruptly. Swiftly, Chen Luo collected the black stone and the Shan City female cultivator’s gourd, then gathered up the remaining poisonous insects. The three special creatures attempted resistance, but under Chen Luo’s control, they were forcefully subdued and stored away.

Only after completing these actions did Chen Luo finally allow himself to truly relax.

“Mid-Foundation Establishment… Just one realm apart, yet the difference is so vast.”

This encounter had been terrifyingly close. His spiritual energy was completely drained; the strength of mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators far exceeded that of early Foundation Establishment. In Chen Luo’s hands, Wu Tiande and Yue Qingping, both early Foundation Establishment, had been dispatched like cutting through ripe melons—no trouble at all.

All his spiritual energy had been drained in the battle against Lin Feng and Wang Cangxiao.

This fight had given him a clear understanding of his own strength. He was now invincible among those in the early Foundation Establishment stage and ranked among the strongest in the mid-stage.

Glancing at the four fallen Foundation Establishment cultivators around him, he quickly calculated the time remaining. There wasn’t enough left to dig graves or bury them properly. Yue Qingping must have been in serious trouble for Wang Cangxiao to target her bag of holding. Now that Chen Luo had gotten involved, staying put wouldn’t be safe either. With a swift motion, he rolled up his sleeves, gathered all four bodies into his corpse-storing sack, then turned and flew down the mountain using qi control.

He couldn’t go to Blackstone City just yet; plans changed on the fly as he needed to find somewhere else to hide until things cooled down.

Once this crisis passed, he’d figure out how to return later.

After all, with his altered appearance, he could simply assume a new identity and start fresh like a hero reborn!

Depleted of spiritual energy, Chen Luo couldn’t use sword flight anymore. Instead, he followed the example of Qi Refinement cultivators and descended the mountain by controlling the surrounding air currents. Fortunately, the medicinal pill inside him rapidly dissipated thanks to assistance from the tiger spirit’s brain, allowing him to recover at an astonishing speed.

After gliding down the mountain for about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the temperature around Chen Luo skyrocketed. By this point, the effects of the Spirit Foundation Pill had also fully dissipated.

Now sustained by spiritual energy, Chen Luo ceased his descent. With a flourish of his sleeve:

A magical sword flew from his cuff, transforming into a streak of light as he took flight on his blade.

It wasn’t until long after his departure that carriages from the Inner City of Blackstone finally lumbered onto the scene. These cultivators from the relay station immediately recognized the signs of disaster upon witnessing the state of the cave.

Five Foundation Establishment cultivators engaged in fierce combat. All Qi Refinement guests perished. The culprit escaped on a sword.

Upon receiving this news, everyone fell silent.

This incident clearly surpassed their authority; they could only report it to the Inner City. Let the big shots handle matters involving other big shots. They were just employees clocking in month after month for a modest 200-300 spirit stones—no need to risk their necks.

Three days later.

In an uninhabited valley shrouded in green toxic mists, Chen Luo emerged from seclusion. Within the cave, the carcass of a two-meter-tall grizzly bear lay at the entrance. This cave had once been the bear’s domain; Chen Luo had slaughtered it upon arrival, claiming the space for himself.

Whew!

After three days, his depleted spiritual energy was now mostly restored.

With a wave of his hand, Chen Luo summoned four Foundation Establishment corpses from his Corpse-Raising Bag into the cave. These bodies had only average aptitude and weren’t particularly useful for refining; even after ten years or more, they might only produce black-haired zombies with late Qi Refinement stage power.

Such low-level jiangshi held no value for Chen Luo; the cost of raising them far outweighed any benefits. The sole advantage was acquiring four more Foundation Establishment cultivators’ brains, bringing his total count to thirty-nine.

Chen Luo opened Wu Tiande’s bag of holding and gave it a cursory glance. Inside were some spirit stones, along with medicinal pills and body-refinement elixirs—not poor, but not wealthy either. He then examined Lin Feng’s bag of holding and found within it a malevolent cultivation technique called ‘Soul Refining Method’. This was the primary technique Lin Feng had been cultivating.

This guy, in order to create a soul banner, had betrayed his teacher and ancestors by refining his own master—a character so untrustworthy that he likely carried all his valuable items on him at all times.

Lin Feng was also quite impoverished, even poorer than Wu Tiande. His bag of holding contained a mere 2000 spirit stones, with everything else being bane pearls. To craft his soul banner, he’d invested everything he owned, leaving himself utterly destitute.

After sorting through Lin Feng’s bag of holding, Chen Luo proceeded to examine Wang Cangxiao’s. The gu cultivator’s storage sack was filled with various insect feeds, many of which Chen Luo didn’t recognize. Insect cultivation techniques like those used by gu cultivators were not prevalent in the Seven Nations region, corresponding to a scarcity of such legacies.

“Insect Raising Technique? Secret Manual of Strange Insects.”

Amidst the pile of insect feed, Chen Luo discovered two bone scrolls emitting a black glow. After reading them with his hand, he revealed a hint of surprise on his face.

The Insect Raising Technique was the method cultivated by gu cultivator Wang Cangxiao. The Secret Manual of Strange Insects was an ancient text he had collected, detailing the breeding methods for numerous unique gu insects. During his battle with Chen Luo earlier, the silver-colored centipede and black beetle he controlled were both creatures he had nurtured using techniques from this manual.

“This wave has been quite profitable,”

A smile crept across Chen Luo’s face.

High risk often yields high rewards. These rogue cultivators operated alone, carrying all their possessions with them. Eliminating them meant acquiring everything they owned. However, such individuals could be exceedingly difficult to deal with; if it weren’t for his ‘exceptional aptitude’, Chen Luo would surely have fallen to Wang Cangxiao’s hands this time.

After sorting through three individuals’ storage pouches, Chen Luo’s gaze fell on the last one.

This was Yue Qingping’s storage pouch, which Wang Cangxiao had come to seize.

“Let’s see what treasures it holds,” Chen Luo murmured.

With a wave of his hand over the pouch, its seal instantly broke. Chen Luo had never encountered difficulties in opening storage pouch seals; he always preferred to have the ‘owner’ do the honors, ensuring a smooth process every time.

As before, his eyes were greeted by a vast expanse of spirit stones. Among the four, Yue Qingping was undoubtedly the wealthiest. The addition of these spirit stones bolstered Chen Luo’s confidence even further, making him all but invincible when shopping at the market—he could now afford to ignore prices altogether.

Beyond the spirit stones lay numerous other items: spiritual materials, talismans, and various miscellaneous objects.

“Hm?”

Chen Luo’s eyes flickered as they locked onto something peculiar—a black bone scroll nestled among the contents.

“Another cultivation technique?” he mused.

He pinched the scroll between his fingers, causing it to shimmer momentarily. Strangely, instead of revealing its contents, faint golden threads began to emerge from the surface.

Seal formations!

The bone scroll had been sealed with a special technique, making its contents invisible. Chen Luo curiously examined it and discovered four small, pitch-black characters on its surface.

Blackstone Secret Technique!

Foundation Establishment’s most powerful divine sense secret technique—it belongs to me!

In that instant, as Chen Luo read these words, the external brain he had just acquired from Wang Cangxiao involuntarily popped up in his mind.