Record of a Demon's Cultivation Chapter 1221: Gu Insect Advancement

Within the elegant pavilion of Cloudstream Valley, Song Wen assumed a cross-legged meditation posture upon a cushion. Before him stood a Pill Furnace, a formidable ten feet in height.

Beneath the furnace, fierce blue flames blazed. At times, they roared with the ferocity of a Flood Dragon ascending from the abyss, projecting waves of intense heat. At other moments, they simmered like a contented feline, delicately caressing the furnace’s foundation.

His objective was the refinement of the Beast Soul Pill. Both the previously elusive Nine-Turn Grass and the fifth-tier Yin Demon Spider Demon Soul had been successfully procured from Great Tan City.

This marked his second endeavor at fabricating the Beast Soul Pill; the initial attempt had concluded disastrously with a furnace explosion.

After a flurry of rapid hand seals, the Pill Furnace gave a subtle tremor, followed by a crisp 'ding'—the signal that the medicinal pill had solidified and settled at the furnace’s base.

With a mere gesture from Song Wen, the Furnace Lid sprang open.

A pill, roughly the size of a pigeon's egg, ascended from the furnace and nestled into Song Wen’s open palm.

At this precise instant, a fissure erupted in the barrier surrounding the pavilion, and an insect, no larger than a sesame seed, infiltrated the space—the peak fourth-tier Shadow King Gu.

Song Wen’s gaze shifted between the hovering Gu insect and the pill within his hand. A decisive thought led him to activate a spirit gathering formation within the cultivation cave, after which he presented the pill to the Shadow King Gu.

The Shadow King Gu regarded the offered pill, a glint of avarice momentarily appearing in its minuscule eyes.

Its form abruptly swelled to the dimensions of a millstone, and it consumed the pill in a singular, swift gulp.

Instantly, a peculiar, dark purple energy enveloped the Gu, initiating its absorption of the surrounding Spiritual Qi from the pavilion.

Song Wen’s eyes brightened with keen interest as he promptly infused dozens of high-grade spirit stones into the designated nodes of the spirit gathering formation.

The effect was immediate: the Spiritual Qi within the pavilion’s confines grew noticeably denser.

The Shadow King Gu’s evolutionary process was a protracted affair. It settled into a corner of the pavilion, passively drawing in and expelling the ambient spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

Concurrently, Song Wen established a protective barrier of spiritual power in the opposite corner, a measure intended to shield him from the Gu’s transformation and to prevent any disruption to its advancement.

He then recommenced his pill-refining, this time focusing on the creation of the Blood Luo Pill.

With no immediate prospects concerning the Six Fiends Hall, his only recourse was to augment his cultivation through the consumption of refined pills.

This necessity was the very reason he had solicited the True Yang Grass and Mingqing Grass from Bai Wei.

Time seemed to decelerate during cultivation, and nine months elapsed in what felt like mere moments.

At last, the Shadow King Gu, which had been ravenously consuming the spiritual qi of the environment, began to undergo a transformation.

Its aura exhibited erratic fluctuations, surging like a tempestuous ocean in one instant and falling into a profound stillness akin to a bottomless abyss in the next.

Simultaneously, the pace at which it absorbed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth accelerated dramatically, cultivating a colossal vortex of spiritual qi directly above the pavilion.

To forestall attracting undue attention, Song Wen carefully retrieved several hundred high-grade spirit stones, distributing them strategically among the formation nodes of the spirit gathering formation.

He then proceeded to shatter the spirit stones sequentially, ensuring a continuous stream of spiritual qi to fuel the Gu.

“Chirp…”

A sharp, piercing cry suddenly emanated from the Shadow King Gu, an sound indicative of extreme duress.

Song Wen’s brow furrowed slightly as he attempted to establish communication with the Shadow King Gu through the mental link forged by their contract. However, the Gu offered no discernible response, its relentless shrieking persisting.

Song Wen then extended his divine sense, meticulously probing the Shadow King Gu’s internal structure multiple times.

Yet, the Spiritual Qi coursing through the Gu’s body fluctuated so wildly that Song Wen found himself utterly unable to ascertain any specific details.

With no alternative courses of action available, Song Wen could only offer a slight shake of his head, resigning himself to observe the natural progression of events.

Several hours later, the Shadow King Gu’s excruciating shrieks abruptly ceased.

Its body, seemingly utterly devoid of vitality, suddenly slumped to the ground, utterly inert.

Song Wen approached the fallen Shadow King Gu, examining it with close scrutiny.

The Gu had indeed successfully advanced to the fifth-tier. However, for reasons unknown, it had fallen into a profound slumber, remaining completely unresponsive to Song Wen’s every attempt at summoning.

Song Wen’s knowledge of Gu Techniques was largely derived from spoils of battle or purchases from various vendors. He possessed no formal tutelage, nor any peers to seek counsel from.

To characterize it generously, his approach could be termed “drawing from eclectic sources”; to state it plainly, it was a chaotic amalgamation of disparate methods.

After an extended period of observation, Song Wen remained unable to pinpoint the cause of the Gu’s comatose state and ultimately resolved to let the matter rest.

An additional month drifted by.

Perceiving no indication of the Gu’s imminent awakening and with other pressing matters demanding his attention, Song Wen concluded his period of cultivation and departed from the pavilion.

Just as he was about to depart the canyon, he abruptly halted mid-air, reassessing his decision.

"Nether Fox, present yourself immediately."

As it usually was, the Nether Fox was engaged in its leisure activities.

It had somehow acquired a nest of venomous insects from an obscure part of the canyon and was now feeding them pieces of demon beast meat.

This demon beast meat, prepared by Song Wen himself as sustenance for the Nether Fox, originated from a fourth-tier venomous python. The meat was so laden with potent venom and overwhelming Blood Qi that ordinary venomous insects would stand no chance.

Instinctively, the poisonous insects attempted to retreat upon the sight of the demon beast meat, but under the Nether Fox’s forceful persuasion, they were compelled to consume it.

The inevitable consequence was the singular explosion of each insect.

Despite the monotonous nature of the task, the Nether Fox took immense pleasure in it, its five obsidian tails swaying with a hypnotic rhythm in the air.

Upon hearing Song Wen’s summons, it instantly bounded to his side.

"Master, you called for me?"

Song Wen stated, "I must depart for a period. Maintain a vigilant watch over the Gu insect within the pavilion. Should any anomaly arise, you are to handle it."

The Nether Fox’s dark irises shimmered with a hint of reluctance. "Master, your pavilion is secured by a formation. I cannot enter."

Having recently vanquished several high-tier cultivators, Song Wen had come into possession of multiple sixth-tier formations.

Within the canyon, he had established both a sixth-tier defensive formation and a concealment formation. To ensure his cultivation remained undisturbed, he had replicated these same formations around his pavilion. Even without active intervention, the Nether Fox was incapable of breaching them by force.

After a brief period of contemplation, Song Wen deactivated the two formations encircling the pavilion.

"Remember, keep a keen eye on it."

With these instructions delivered, Song Wen ascended into the sky, leaving the mountain valley far below.

He proceeded with haste towards Great Tan City.

Initially, Song Wen expended tens of thousands of spirit stones, procuring a substantial quantity of demon beast souls from more than a dozen establishments. Subsequently, he secured lodging at a cultivator’s inn.

Entering a secluded courtyard, Song Wen retrieved Bai Wei’s Communication Jade Slip and dispatched a message:

"Senior, it has been nearly a year since our last communication. I trust you have been well."

Bai Wei’s response was considerably delayed, taking over ten days to reach him.

"Gou Jun, my focus was entirely on alchemy, and I could not afford any distractions. Forgive my tardiness. Actually, I have a matter to discuss with you. Where might you be?" Bai Wei’s tone conveyed an unusual degree of politeness.

Song Wen replied, "Senior, would it be convenient to rendezvous at Auspicious Jade Mountain once more?"

"Agreed," Bai Wei promptly responded.

Song Wen pocketed the Communication Jade Slip and exited the inn, making his way directly to Auspicious Jade Mountain.

Upon his arrival, Bai Wei was already present, hovering in the sky above.

Without uttering a word, she extended a storage pouch towards him.

"Gou Jun, here are the nine hundred True Yang Grass plants I pledged to you previously."

Song Wen discreetly inspected the pouch for any signs of tampering before casually securing it.

Bai Wei had previously supplied him with a thousand stalks each of True Yang Grass and Mingqing Grass, an ample supply of Spirit Herbs sufficient for preparing a thousand batches of Blood Luo Pills.

While the process of alchemy invariably involved a degree of failure, Song Wen estimated that this resource would yield a minimum of two thousand Blood Luo Pills.

Two thousand Blood Luo Pills should be adequate to advance his cultivation to the late-stage void refinement realm. However, attaining the peak of void refinement would likely necessitate more than just these pills.

Overcoming the bottleneck of the late-stage void refinement realm would indeed require alternative strategies.

(End of the Chapter)

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