Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 589 Hidden Dangers! A Second Trip to Thunder Lizard Island [Please Subscribe]

The Taibai Dragon-Slaying Sword is a mid-grade magic weapon, and Zhou Chun is at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

However, even with such a combination, cutting the cocoon is still very difficult and cannot be accomplished in one go.

This shows how resilient the cocoon silk is!

Fortunately, after some effort, Zhou Chun managed to make a small incision and use his divine sense to see the situation inside.

Unexpectedly, instead of the six-winged ice silkworm he expected, it contained nine white insect eggs, each about the size of a mung bean.

This discovery left Zhou Chun both disappointed and relieved.

He quickly put away all the protective measures and then took out the nine insect eggs to examine them.

After examining the eggs, Zhou Chun confirmed that all nine were live and had the potential to hatch.

But there is only a possibility of hatching!

Since they remained hidden inside the cocoon for an unknown period of time without hatching, it is clear that hatching this creature is not easy.

As far as Zhou Chun knew, some special kinds of strange insects on the "List of Strange Insects of Heaven and Earth" required a hatching time of hundreds of years and had extremely high requirements for the hatching environment.

If the insect eggs in front of him were indeed produced by the six-winged ice silkworm, then hatching them would be a matter of great luck.

Even so, these insect eggs also represent an opportunity.

If they are indeed the eggs of the six-winged ice silkworm, then as long as they are hatched and raised, Zhou Chun will possess a rare insect whose combat power can at least rank among the top forty in the "List of Strange Insects of Heaven and Earth".

This was undoubtedly a good supplementary method for him, who was gradually looking down on the strength of the [Frostbee].

Moreover, the Six-Winged Ice Silkworm has one advantage over the Frostbee: the value of its silk.

Given the extraordinary properties of the silk threads on these cocoons, if they were used to craft magical robes, it would be very likely that the legendary "invisibility cloak" could be created.

Furthermore, this "invisibility cloak" not only has the effect of making one invisible and shielding one's divine sense, but also has powerful defensive capabilities at the level of a magic weapon!

Such treasures would likely tempt even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator to fight over.

In conclusion, after confirming that all nine insect eggs were alive, Zhou Chun quickly assigned them to a new owner.

Once the recognition ceremony was confirmed to be successful, Zhou Chun put the insect eggs back into the cocoon and sealed the cut closed.

Having unraveled the secret of the cocoon, there was no reason for Zhou Chun to linger in the Ice Barbarian Kingdom.

After collecting and purchasing some items in the market, he quickly left the market with Wu Yuzhu and officially began their journey home.

On the way back, the Golden-Winged Tiger was still their mode of transportation.

Zhou Chun sat cross-legged on the tiger's back, guiding the golden-winged tiger to fly in the direction he pointed out, while also taking stock of the gains from this trip to the Ice Barbarian Kingdom.

Zhou Chun undoubtedly gained a great deal from this trip to the Bingyi Kingdom.

First, the secret technique "Nine Transformations of the Holy Spirit: Moon Toad Chapter" was successfully cultivated to a minor level, and the uses and power of the spiritual treasure "Moon Toad Pearl" were fully discovered.

Secondly, he had a chance encounter with Master Yancang and helped him escape his predicament, which brought him great gains.

The package includes a top-grade magic weapon, three opportunities to refine the treasure, a medicinal herb called "Fire Element Immortal Mushroom" that is over five thousand years old, and the opportunity to cultivate in the Flame Spirit Spring.

These benefits combined are immense, an opportunity that many Golden Core cultivators would never encounter in their entire lives!

Compared to these two major benefits, the eggs that are suspected to be six-winged ice silkworms, as well as the demon cores of the ice crystal demon wolf and the [Moon Gazing Ice Toad], are nothing.

"It's a pity that True Immortal Yan Cang left too quickly back then, otherwise it would have been better to let him redeem that top-grade magic weapon first!"

After reflecting on what he had gained from the trip, Zhou Chun couldn't help but sigh with some regret.

Although he possessed the [Moon Toad Pearl], he could only use it as a last resort and dared not use it unless absolutely necessary.

However, there are fewer restrictions on high-grade magic treasures. With his mid-stage Golden Core cultivation and several fourth-tier spirit pets by his side, he is fully qualified to possess such treasures.

In this way, when encountering enemies at the late Golden Core stage, he might be able to win without the Moon Toad Pearl, reducing the possibility of his spiritual treasure being exposed and discovered.

Fortunately, he will be able to go to Huoluo Kingdom in ten years to fulfill his promise to Yancang Zhenren, so Zhou Chun's little regret is not something to dwell on too much.

Since there was no rush, Zhou Chun took the opportunity to travel and visit various countries along the way on his return journey, hoping to collect some necessary alchemy materials.

With such a leisurely journey, by the time Zhou Chun returned to Jing Kingdom, it had been three years since he left Bingyi Kingdom!

It is worth mentioning that after several years of cultivation, Wu Yuzhu's "Ten Thousand Poisons True Scripture" has also been successfully transformed, and her poison skills have entered the late stage of Qi Refining.

During this time, the fire poison in her body erupted again. Zhou Chun used the method her father, Wu Yishan, had used before, employing several ice-attribute spiritual items to help her suppress the fire poison in her body.

According to Zhou Chun's estimation, she should be able to attempt Foundation Establishment before the next outbreak of fire poison.

If one can successfully establish a foundation, even if one cannot completely suppress the fire poison outbreak with one's own cultivation, one can at least greatly extend the duration of the fire poison outbreak.

Moreover, after arriving at the Zhou family, with Zhou Yuanlian, who is highly skilled in poison techniques, looking after him, even if the fire poison erupts, Zhou Chun probably won't need to help him.

Upon arriving in Jingguo, Zhou Chun also reverted to his original appearance.

This surprised Wu Yuzhu, who had been with him for several years and was used to his disguise.

"Don't be surprised, it's just a smokescreen."

Zhou Chun smiled faintly and quickly led the other party back to Tu Yunling.

At this time, Zhou Chun had only been away from home for six or seven years, and there hadn't been much change in the family. His disciple, Zhou Zhiying, was still at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and there was no more unexpected surprise for him.

Zhou Chun first briefly told Zhou Mingde about his gains from the trip and explained Wu Yuzhu's background. Then he called Zhou Yuanlian to the cave and introduced Wu Yuzhu to her, hoping that the two of them would get closer in the future.

Perhaps because they practiced the same cultivation method together, or perhaps because Zhou Chun recounted Wu Yuzhu's tragic experiences and felt a sense of identification, Zhou Yuanlian, who was usually indifferent to others, treated this little sister quite well and readily agreed to take care of her.

This made Zhou Chun feel even more that entrusting the person to her was the right thing to do.

After settling Wu Yuzhu in, Zhou Chun went to the wilderness.

He first put the Frostbee back into its nest, and then went to Zhou Daoquan's place of seclusion.

Where the Blood Dragon Branch Altar's mountain gate once stood, just as Zhou Chun stepped into this Yin and evil land, a gust of yin wind swept in front of him, revealing Zhou Daoquan's figure.

This is the art of ghost escape, an ability that ghost cultivators are almost born with.

Within the Yin Sha Land, ghost cultivators can easily transform into wind and escape, a technique even more mysterious and efficient than wind escape.

This is because the body of a ghost cultivator has no physical form, and in some ways it is similar to the nascent soul of a cultivator.

"I've only just arrived here, yet you've already sensed me, Grand Uncle. It seems your mastery of the path of ghost cultivation is growing ever deeper!"

Zhou Chun looked at Zhou Daoquan, who had suddenly appeared, and couldn't help but smile and flatter him.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoquan couldn't help but smile and say, "The path of ghost cultivation does indeed have its unique aspects; I had underestimated it before!"

After saying that, he looked at Zhou Chun and said, "Zheng Chun, didn't you say you were going on a long trip? Why are you back so soon?"

"My trip went smoothly, so I returned much faster than expected."

As Zhou Chun answered Zhou Daoquan's question, he said softly, "Moreover, I've come here today because I have something I'd like to ask you, Grand Uncle!"

Then he recounted how he had used the [Netherworld Soul Contract] to make a deal with True Person Yan Cang.

To be honest, Zhou Chun was still wary and worried about the Netherworld Will adding a new condition to the contract.

However, the situation was complicated at the time, and he didn't have time to think too much, so he could only agree for the time being.

Looking back now, I realize that this matter may have left some hidden dangers, which is why I am preparing to consult Zhou Daoquan, who has already switched to the path of ghost cultivation.

"In my spare time over the years, I have also carefully studied all the records about ghost cultivators in my family many times. Combined with the ghost cultivation knowledge that you brought back, Zhengchun, I have come up with some of my own views on the Netherworld that ghost cultivators speak of!"

"In my humble opinion, the so-called Netherworld must exist, otherwise the will of the Netherworld and the ghostly energy of the Netherworld could not appear out of thin air!"

"The idea that the underworld and the real world overlap, and are two sides of the same coin, is probably not unfounded; it might actually be true!"

"However, the saying that all cultivators who perish return to the Netherworld is probably a misconception; not everyone can enter the Netherworld!"

"Furthermore, in my opinion, even if a soul truly enters the Netherworld, reincarnation might not be so easy. It's more likely to become food for some special beings within the Netherworld!"

"In fact, after we become ghost cultivators, we are essentially marked with the Netherworld Mark. We may be led into the Netherworld at any time to become food for some beings. That wisp of Netherworld ghost energy is proof of that!"

"I suspect that the appearance of ghost cultivation methods in this world is a conspiracy by the Netherworld. Their aim is to spread these methods to lure people into cultivation, and then reap the rewards when the time is right!"

At this point, Zhou Daoquan looked at Zhou Chun with a solemn expression and said, "As for Zheng Chun, because you attracted the attention of the Netherworld Will by using the [Netherworld Soul Contract] and had its contents modified, I estimate that you, like us ghost cultivators, have been branded with the Netherworld Mark!"

"But you are not a ghost cultivator after all. Even if a mark is left in your soul through the Soul Contract method, the Netherworld cannot directly capture your soul. At most, it can only guide your soul into the Netherworld after your physical body perishes and your soul has nowhere to reside!"

That's it!

After listening to Zhou Daoquan's words, Zhou Chun suddenly felt enlightened.

He wondered how the will of the underworld could bestow such benefits out of thin air!

It turns out that every gift has a price already marked in the dark!

His intuition at the time was correct; he had indeed made a deal with the devil about his soul.

He immediately replied, "In that case, as long as I protect my physical body and prevent my soul from leaving it, I shouldn't have to worry about the hidden dangers brought by the [Netherworld Soul Contract]!"

"That should be right!"

Zhou Daoquan nodded, confirming this.

Then, with a serious expression, he advised him, "However, Zhengchun, you are not a ghost cultivator after all. Even if you can use such ghost cultivation techniques, it's best not to use them in the future, lest you create deeper karmic entanglements with the Netherworld and sow hidden dangers for your future path!"

"This junior understands. This junior will keep your admonition in mind and will try my best not to use such ghost cultivation techniques again in the future!"

Zhou Chun nodded solemnly in agreement, taking Zhou Daoquan's words to heart.

After Zhou Daoquan's explanation, he was filled with apprehension about the legendary Netherworld and did not want to actually enter the Netherworld and become food for some being.

Then he spoke again, saying, "By the way, during my recent travels, I obtained the eggs of a rare and wondrous insect. However, I do not know how to hatch these eggs, and I am worried that I do not have the time to study them. I would like to ask you, my great-uncle, to help me study the hatching method of this creature."

After finishing speaking, he recounted how he obtained the insect eggs and the information he had gathered about the six-winged ice silkworm.

Zhou Chun had always trusted Zhou Daoquan's expertise and skills in beast taming.

The spirit beast egg that once conceived the Thunder Dragon was kept by the Mu family of Biyun Lake for many years but could not be hatched properly. In the end, it could only be given to Zhou Chun as payment for his help in saving the family's spirit beast.

After Zhou Chun obtained this item, he was able to successfully hatch the snake eggs with Zhou Daoquan's guidance and assistance after years of research.

Now that Zhou Daoquan has become a ghost cultivator, his lifespan is comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Since he cannot leave this Yin Sha Land, he has more time to devote to studying beast taming techniques, and his expertise in this area will only deepen.

Therefore, entrusting him with the eggs, which are suspected to be those of a six-winged ice silkworm, to study the hatching method is obviously the most appropriate course of action.

Having listened to Zhou Chun's explanation, Zhou Daoquan also became interested and immediately nodded solemnly, saying, "I understand. Leave this matter to me, and I will do my best to handle it well."

However, he did not let Zhou Chun hand over all the insect eggs to him, but only took four of them.

According to him, he cannot leave this yin and evil place now, and there is no guarantee that something will go wrong when the insect eggs hatch here, so it is safest to act separately.

Even if all the eggs he hatches die unexpectedly, he won't completely lose the possibility of hatching the six-winged ice silkworm.

Zhou Chun naturally wouldn't object to his prudent approach.

After leaving behind four insect eggs, Zhou Chun took the remaining eggs and left.

After leaving Zhou Daoquan's secluded place, Zhou Chun did not immediately return to his family. Instead, after hesitating for a while, he headed towards Longyuanze.

He stood at the edge of Longyuan Marsh, gazing at the vast marshland before him. After a long period of contemplation, he seemed to have made up his mind and suddenly unleashed the "Moon Toad Possession" supernatural power, transforming into a white Taiyin Moon Toad.

Immediately afterwards, the moon toad he had transformed into bounced into the water and quickly disappeared without a trace.

Zhou Chun had become very accustomed to his second transformation into a moon toad.

He subtly used the powerful innate ability of toad-like demonic beasts to conceal his aura, and then, based on his memory, headed straight for Thunder Lizard Island deep within Dragon Abyss.

This time, he didn't need to deliberately take a detour or avoid anyone. He simply went straight ahead, passing by the habitats of some third-tier demonic beasts. The beasts were frightened by the fourth-tier aura he emitted and fled in panic.

In just over an hour, he arrived at Thunder Lizard Island, which he had visited once before.

More than two hundred years have passed, and the number of Tier 3 Thunder Dragon Lizard monsters on Thunder Lizard Island has increased again, now totaling four Tier 3 Thunder Dragon Lizards.

The two lightning dragon lizards that the Zhou family fought against back then have both grown into third-tier high-grade demonic beasts.

Seeing this, Zhou Chun didn't hold back and immediately used his cold energy to freeze the two Tier 3 high-grade lightning dragon lizards to death, leaving them with intact corpses.

They then collected all the eggs laid by the Thunder Lizards on the island, and also took some spiritual herbs that were beneficial to the growth of the Thunder Lizards.

After doing all this, he ignored the remaining two Tier 3 Thunder Dragon Lizards and the other Thunder Lizard Beasts' terror and anger, and quickly left the island.

Just over an hour after Zhou Chun left, the Thunder Dragon that had appeared more than two hundred years ago arrived on the island in great alarm and anger.

At this moment, the aura emanating from this thunder dragon had already reached the level of a fourth-tier high-grade demon beast!

After learning what had happened from the remaining two Thunder Lizards, it was furious!

Who doesn't know that the fourth-tier demonic beasts in Dragon Abyss are under the protection of Thunder Lizard Beasts on Thunder Lizard Island?

What kind of toad came from, daring to attack its offspring!

It flew angrily into the water and chased after Zhou Chun in the direction he had left.

However, after chasing it to the shore, it completely lost its target. Even after capturing several monsters on the shore and questioning them, it couldn't get any useful information. Enraged, it slaughtered a nearby scaled frog tribe to vent its anger!

However, the thunder dragon did not notice that after it left, a flash of green light appeared in the nearby forest, indicating an unusual fluctuation of escape technique.

"What?! A high-grade fourth-tier thunder dragon is chasing after us!"

On a mountain in the wilderness, Zhou Chun was also greatly surprised after hearing the news brought back by the Wood Spirit Mu Sang.

He also guessed that Thunder Lizard Island's smooth development was likely due to the protection of fourth-tier demonic beasts.

Therefore, after killing two Tier 3 high-grade lightning dragon lizards, I felt that it might attract the Tier 4 monsters behind them.

Therefore, after landing, they specifically left behind the Wood Spirit Wood Mulberry, who was skilled in covert reconnaissance, to keep watch.

Unexpectedly, this move actually brought back some important information!

"So, it really was a stroke of luck that we were able to successfully take that [Foundation Building Fruit] tree back then!"

Zhou Chun recalled the time when all the senior members of the Zhou family mobilized to seize the [Foundation Fruit] tree, and he couldn't help but feel terrified about what would happen next.

If the Zhou family had known back then that Thunder Lizard Island was actually protected by a fourth-tier Thunder Dragon, they wouldn't have dared to covet that [Foundation Building Fruit] tree even if they had ten lives!

If they had been caught by that fourth-tier thunder dragon back then, the Zhou family probably wouldn't exist today.

That's just how things are in this world. Sometimes, a single successful adventure or a stroke of luck can create two completely different outcomes.

The Zhou family successfully acquired the Foundation Establishment Fruit Tree back then, and over the years, the number of family members who have successfully established their foundations using the Foundation Establishment Fruit Tree is no less than two palms' worth, thus greatly enhancing the family's foundation.

Conversely, if one or two high-ranking members had died at the hands of the fourth-tier Thunder Flood Dragon, the Zhou family might not have been able to maintain its current stability amidst the subsequent series of events.

"Although I don't know if there are any fifth-tier dragons left in the Thunder Dragon Clan of Dragon Abyss after the Thunder Dragon King's fall, since that Thunder Dragon has already grown to a high-grade fourth-tier, it will definitely receive attention and care from fifth-tier dragons. It seems I can't go to Thunder Lizard Island anymore!"

"Fortunately, we obtained quite a few Thunder Lizard Beast eggs this time, enough to breed a population within the family. We won't have to worry about those Thunder Lizard Beasts on the island anymore."

Thinking of this, Zhou Chun couldn't help but smile.

He had been eyeing the Thunder Lizards on Thunder Lizard Island for more than a year or two. Back then, he hadn't been able to seize the beast eggs when he was taking the [Foundation Fruit] tree, and his heart was filled with regret.

After discovering that even fourth-tier demonic beasts couldn't recognize his identity as a human cultivator while he was "possessed by the Moon Toad," he conceived the idea of ​​using this identity to forcibly seize the beast eggs.

After trying it myself this time, I can confirm that it is indeed very useful.

Unfortunately, now that I've provoked that fourth-tier high-grade thunder dragon, I'll have to be extremely careful using this identity in Dragon Abyss and the wilderness in the future, lest I get caught red-handed!

A few days later, Zhou Chun returned to his clan and handed the eighteen Thunder Lizard Beast eggs he had brought back to Zhou Xinyan, asking her to arrange for the clan members to incubate and nurture them, and to take good care of and strengthen this species.

As for the two Tier 3 high-grade Thunder Lizards that he had instantly killed, Zhou Chun used their demon cores as a reward for Thunder Flood Dragon Bai Bai, letting Thunder Flood Dragon Bai Bai devour them to increase its cultivation. The remaining materials were given to Zhou Mingde for refining weapons.

Lei Jiao Bai Bai was overjoyed to have obtained two high-grade third-tier demon cores with attributes that matched his own as a tonic.

Because it needs to fulfill the tribute of eighty-one dragon scales from the Moon Wheel Sect, its cultivation level has not improved much in recent years.

Swallowing two high-grade third-tier demon cores is roughly equivalent to the effects of twenty or thirty years of cultivation, which is much better overall.

The key is that Zhou Chun kept his word; he said he would compensate it, and he really did.

This unique favor naturally made it feel exceptionally pleased and happy.

As for Zhou Chun, not wanting to reveal his mid-stage Golden Core cultivation, he kept a very low profile for the next few years, cultivating within his family and training his disciples.

In the third year after his return, Zhou Zhiying's cultivation advanced again, breaking through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. At this time, she was still under fifty years old!

This rapid cultivation speed made Zhou Chun worry that if she stayed in the family any longer, the secret of her top-grade spiritual root aptitude might be exposed. Therefore, he had no choice but to send her to the wilderness under the pretext of traveling to isolate her from outsiders.

Soon after, Wu Yuzhu also successfully established her foundation with Zhou Yuanlian's help, greatly enhancing her resistance to the fire poison in her body, so Zhou Chun no longer needed to worry about her.

(End of this chapter)