Born with immortal seed

Chapter 220 Five Strange Insects
In the world of cultivation, there are five wondrous insects, each with its own unique characteristics.

Like a poisonous insect that devours gold, its body is stronger than refined iron, impervious to swords and blades, capable of devouring everything in the world.

Born as a second-tier demonic insect, it devours various poisonous creatures during its growth, resulting in its saliva containing potent toxins.

Mature Hundred Poison Gold-Eating Insects can grow to the peak of the third tier, and they often appear in swarms, even Nascent Soul True Monarchs would have to give them a wide berth.

There is also the Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Centipede, whose mature form can grow to a hundred feet long, with a total of a hundred pairs of compound eyes on its body.

Each pair of compound eyes can shoot out a divine light. In the cultivation world, there once appeared a hundred-eyed centipede that mastered more than twenty different kinds of divine light.

That fourth-tier superior-grade Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Centipede flew incessantly, destroying all the cultivators in the country it visited.

Over the centuries, countless sects have perished because of this.

In the end, it took five Nascent Soul stage True Monarchs working together to set up an array and pay a heavy price to kill him.

Compared to the Hundred-Poison Gold-Eating Insect and the Hundred-Eyed Centipede, the Spring and Autumn Cicada does not possess such formidable individual strength.

According to records, the strongest Spring and Autumn Cicada was only a low-grade third-tier creature.

Starting from a low-grade second rank at birth, one can advance to the next rank after a century of slumber.

Their active period lasts only a few years before they fall into a dormant state again.

The cycle repeats until it becomes a third-tier demonic insect.

However, the Spring and Autumn Cicada is considered the most mysterious of the five great insects because it has the ability to slightly influence time.

How can a mere second- or third-tier demonic insect, capable of being involved in the most mysterious and unpredictable realm of time, not be included among the five great wondrous insects?

Once, a Nascent Soul True Monarch spent a great deal of effort to capture a Spring and Autumn Cicada, intending to take it back and raise it to see if it had the potential to advance to the third rank or higher.

Incidentally, I also want to find a way to touch the Great Dao of Time from the innate abilities of the Spring and Autumn Cicada.

But at the moment the contract was made, the Spring and Autumn Cicada disregarded the restrictions and applied the power of time to itself.

Only a fossil-like shell remained, and its insect life ended in an instant.

From then on, the Spring and Autumn Cicada, which could not be contracted as a spirit insect but possessed a trace of the power of time, became increasingly famous.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

The cicadas of spring and autumn flew into the sky, flapping their wings, and turned to rush over.

Although it wasn't flying very fast, it still managed to pass between the two sword lights, causing the flying swords to strike empty air.

A strong wind rushed towards me, and the Seven Wonders Radiant Light was activated at will to block it in front of me.

Click!Click!
It took two light curtains shattering to finally block out the Spring and Autumn Cicada.

With a single flap of its wings, a cicada the size of a basket in spring and autumn is already dozens of feet away.

"This is the power of time of the Spring and Autumn Cicada!"

Bai Zichen felt so uncomfortable that he wanted to vomit blood. He had planned it perfectly, and the flight trajectory of the insect shadows was exactly as he had predicted.

The final result is always just a hair's breadth off; either the sword is drawn a moment too early or a minute too late, failing to meet expectations.

Despite being significantly weaker in individual strength than other types of demonic insects, it was still listed as one of the five most extraordinary insects in the cultivation world.

It was even called the mysterious number one, and indeed, its reputation was well-deserved.

"A second-tier high-grade demonic insect, that is the Spring and Autumn Cicada that has been dormant twice... Even when dealing with a second-tier peak demonic beast, I would not feel this powerless."

Bai Zichen's swordsmanship was rendered useless; if the Spring and Autumn Cicada's attack power hadn't been relatively weak, the Seven-Skill Mystic Pearl would have been shattered long ago.

As he donned his rainbow-colored feather robe, a crimson light flashed, and he too was affected as he approached the cicada of spring and autumn.

The crimson vein almost solidified, directly turning the Rainbow Feather Robe back into an ordinary spiritual artifact.

"This is a technique that no second-tier cultivator can master. Just like the Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword, when wielded by a Core Formation cultivator, no cultivator of the same level can withstand it..."

For the first time, Bai Zichen understood why high-level cultivators placed the utmost importance on the true meaning of the Great Dao.

No matter how high your cultivation level or how strong your methods, can you still defy the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth?

Even a slight touch on the surface of the cicada in spring and autumn can leave one bewildered and utterly embarrassed.

He could only unleash his sword light and use the Starry Sky Sword Technique, filling the area within a ten-zhang radius around him with crisscrossing sword light.

In spring and autumn, cicadas flap their wings and emit sharp cicada chirps. Due to the different passage of time, the bodies of the insects on both sides are clearly misaligned.

The burst of dense sword light was like a shower of stardust falling from the sky, creating a magnificent meteor shower.

Every sword beam that landed on Chunqiu Chan was deflected and neutralized by a peculiar power.

Hundreds or even thousands of sword beams fell, and even the ancient tortoise in Jade Moon Lake, known for its defense, could not withstand them unscathed.

But the cicada in spring and autumn only needs to gently flap its wings to bear the entire burden.

Its vibrant half of the insect's body grew even greener, like a piece of the purest, most radiant jade.

The other half of the insect's body exuded an irrepressible stench of decay, like a piece of gloomy wood that had been soaking and rotting in stagnant water for hundreds of years.

It moved forward at an extremely slow pace amidst the ever-increasing layers of sword light, invincible.

"Let's try one last time. If we still can't break through the power of time of the Spring and Autumn Cicada, we'll have to retreat using the Taiyin Star Escape Talisman... Please ask our two senior uncles to come and rescue Su Li!"

Those miscellaneous books about the five great strange insects in the cultivation world don't record how to deal with the Spring and Autumn Cicada.

They mostly relied on their superior cultivation level to capture the second-tier Spring and Autumn Cicada, while the Nascent Soul True Monarch captured the third-tier Spring and Autumn Cicada.

The lower one's cultivation level, the more terrifying this power related to the true meaning of the Great Dao becomes.

With a third-tier Taiyin Star Escape Talisman in hand, Bai Zichen still wanted to take a gamble until the very last moment.

The cicada, an ancient and wondrous insect born from the power of time, possesses a level of intelligence far exceeding that of ordinary demonic insects.

I fear that if I leave, Su Li, who was already half-dead and trapped in the pupa, will not survive the next moment and will not be able to wait for the next wave of rescuers.

The Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword!
With the Sword Condensation Technique as the beginning, the Azure Wood Divine Technique as the body, and the Sword Nourishing Technique as the end, the three secret techniques were used in sequence and merged into one, attempting to reproduce the supreme divine power of the Fish-Dragon Sect.

The sudden appearance of the green light created a sense of dislocation between extreme speed and slowness, much like the feeling he experienced with the cicadas of spring and autumn.

"I don't seek to successfully wield the Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword; all I want is to manipulate the power of time and collide with your innate talent... I only need this fleeting opportunity!"

Bai Zichen had already calculated that it would be impossible to master this heaven-defying divine ability in the Foundation Establishment stage without decades or even hundreds of years of dedicated study.

He certainly couldn't place his hopes for breaking the deadlock on something with a near-zero probability of sudden enlightenment during battle.

Unless one's realm is overwhelmingly superior, the only thing that can contend with the true meaning of the Great Dao is another kind of true meaning.

“My Azure Emperor Longevity Sword is not even fully formed; it can only draw upon a trace of the power of time. Even if you, a second-tier demonic insect, are blessed with extraordinary abilities, how much power can you possibly unleash? Moreover, I don’t expect it to harm you. I only need two different sources of the power of time to collide!”

When the Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword reached its final step, the azure light could no longer be maintained and suddenly exploded in all directions, spreading out a ripple of the power of time.

This is the moment!

Bai Zichen's consciousness was highly focused, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the countless sword lights instantly cleared away and condensed into a sword light with overwhelming power.

The cicada's wings paused for a moment as two forces of time clashed, allowing it to return to normal for an instant.

The sword light flickered and changed, and thunder roared.

With a sharp cry, the cicada flew high into the sky, a line of blood appearing from the middle of its body.

It broke in two along its strikingly different half-green, half-gray body and plummeted rapidly.

As a second-tier high-grade demonic insect, the Spring and Autumn Cicada is actually quite fragile after losing the protective power of time, even weaker than many second-tier low-grade demonic beasts.

call!
Bai Zichen let out a long breath, confirming that Chunqiu Chan was dead, before realizing that his back was soaked with sweat.

This can be considered the most exhausting battle since he defeated Meng Shigui, who was of a higher level.

Although it looks ordinary and there are no earth-shattering collisions, the danger involved is far greater than dealing with a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

If it weren't for his superb swordsmanship, which allowed him to achieve a state of perfect clarity of mind and seize opportunities far beyond that of ordinary people.

If other sword cultivators or late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators were here, even if they had a method similar to the Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword to cause the Spring and Autumn Cicada's protective power of time to stagnate, they would most likely not be able to seize this opportunity.

In the blink of an eye, the area around it was once again frozen in a state of chaotic speed.

"When to stop and when to move are all governed by rules... Just as the power of time in the spring and autumn cicadas is like this, so too is the timing of my sword strikes."

Bai Zichen gripped his sword, bewildered. After slaying the Spring and Autumn Cicada and experiencing the power of time up close, some thoughts seemed to emerge in his mind.

It's like a legendary epiphany, but I haven't reached that level yet; it's just a vague and immature feeling.

But one thing is certain: this battle was of great help to him.

Even if it doesn't manifest in the short term, it will gradually become apparent during future cultivation.

That's what it means to have insights on the spot. You don't even know what they're for, but one day they will emerge from the long river of time where they are meant to appear.

With a flash of sword light, he grabbed the two pieces of the cicada's body.

The green part is soft and very elastic, with a texture somewhat similar to jelly.

The gray half looks like rotten wood, and you suspect it will crumble if you squeeze it too hard.

Bai Zichen found a long jade box and sealed it away.

As one of the five most extraordinary insects in the cultivation world, it certainly cannot be regarded as an ordinary second-tier spirit insect. Who knows what great uses it might have that I am unaware of?

Even if it's not useful, it can be made into a specimen and used as a decoration in the future.

Even Nascent Soul True Monarchs cannot all create specimens using the five extraordinary insects.

Walking to the cicada pupa, he sensed it with his divine sense, and with a slash of the Tianxin Sword, it tore open with a tearing sound, and viscous liquid poured out.

Su Li collapsed through the broken pupa. Bai Zichen held his breath and touched his mouth and nose with his hand; he was still breathing faintly.

"It's good that he's not dead. There's always a way to bring him back..."

Bai Zichen grabbed Su Li, tossed Gun Gun back onto his shoulder, and transformed into a beam of sword light, heading straight for the mountain gate.

Saving lives is urgent, and who knows what might happen after leaving the pupa, causing Su Li's condition to deteriorate rapidly.

Of course, the fastest flight speed is the best choice; there's no time to travel slowly in the colorful white cloud robe.

"I don't know what the Spring and Autumn Cicada was doing, trapping Su Li in its pupa for so many years without killing it... However, the miscellaneous book I read only wrote about the five strange insects as interesting anecdotes, and the introduction was not detailed enough."

Bai Zichen flew on his sword with others, which multiplied his magical energy consumption.

Fortunately, he was already in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and he had enough liquid mana in his dantian to sustain him.

(End of this chapter)