Immortality Begins With The Alchemical Master Chapter 943: Divine Insight Insect and the Heart Demon Tribulation - Novel Cool

Chapter 943: Divine Insight Insect and the Heart Demon Tribulation

Chapter 943: Divine Insight Insect and the Heart Demon Tribulation

Hei Wang had a bit of talent from the start.

Back when Luo Chen used a large amount of supreme imperial essence to cultivate him, Hei Wang developed a devouring spell that could consume various flesh and bones, extracting beneficial energy from them.

Later, after ascending to the rank of a wild beast, he acquired two more innate abilities: the Indestructible Body and the Spirit Grounding.

The former manifested in battle, allowing him to recover even if his limbs were severed or part of his body destroyed, as long as he wasn’t instantly annihilated. During his battle with Qing Shuang, Hei Wang was nearly beaten to a pulp, but now he was as lively as ever.

The latter ability, Luo Chen had always thought could only be used to cultivate spirit grounds and enhance the quality of spirit veins.

But now, it seemed he had somewhat overlooked the Spirit Grounding ability.

Whether it was the Lingjiu Sect's search for spirit wine or the Wu Xing Shen Sect's vast collection of cultivation manuals, Hei Wang always showed extreme sensitivity to places with dense spiritual energy.

Now, he had found something even better!

"Maybe I should pay more attention to related resources and further develop Hei Wang's talents in this area."

After all, having more skills never hurts!

The same goes for Hei Wang. He doesn't fight every day, and it's not like he can just eat and sleep all the time.

Having multiple skills makes him worthy of being Luo Chen's top spirit pet.

With that thought, Luo Chen began to study the "good thing."

The Divine Insight Insect!

A secret of the Shadow Reflection Sect.

And it was clear that the Divine Insight Insect Hei Wang found was of no small rank.

Luo Chen, with his limited knowledge of insect lore, carefully examined the insect, which resembled a caterpillar in its dormant state.

The black rings on its body weren't patterns but wrinkles.

The more there were, the older the insect.

"Even if it's not a mother insect, it's at least in its adult stage, suitable for Nascent Soul cultivators to use."

"But how to utilize it specifically, I need to study further."

Luo Chen pursed his lips and began flipping through other manuals in his storage bag.

Faced with the countless manuals, Luo Chen couldn't help but praise Hei Wang once again.

The guy knew he loved reading extensively and would always deliberately sweep up resources when collecting them.

What a clever mind!

With a smile, Luo Chen immersed himself in the study.

...

A flying boat sailed from east to south.

Thunder Echo Cave Lord stood on the deck, facing the wind, his expression complex.

At this moment, he was using his magical power to control the boat.

A Nascent Soul cultivator of his caliber, reduced to piloting a boat for someone else—anyone would feel conflicted.

But it was Baxiu Qitian!

Not to mention the formidable strength he displayed, he had also saved Thunder Echo Cave Lord's life earlier, and he had to show his gratitude somehow.

A few words of thanks wouldn't convey his sincerity.

And the other party wouldn't care much for resources.

The only way to show gratitude was through action.

Just thinking about the terrifying strength Baxiu Qitian displayed in the two battles made Thunder Echo Cave Lord a bit uneasy.

"Is Body Refinement really that powerful?"

In the cultivation world, Body Refiners, or Body Cultivators, were a long-declined school.

Even in the Southern Frontier, where the art of Body Refinement was relatively well-preserved compared to the other four continents, few people took it seriously.

At best, it was used as an auxiliary method to enhance the body before the Nascent Soul stage.

After all, when forming the Nascent Soul, one needed a balance of essence, energy, and spirit. A weak body couldn't withstand the process of dan fragmentation and infant formation.

But the strength Luo Chen repeatedly displayed had completely surpassed Thunder Echo Cave Lord's imagination.

In fact, he was seeing the forest for the trees.

Luo Chen's strength wasn't just in Body Refinement.

The Crimson Eye Golden Pupil allowed him to ignore illusionary and concealment techniques, finding the flaws in enemies during battles.

The Soulbinding of the Underworld gave him powerful soul defense, making him immune to the soul attacks that Body Refiners feared most.

With these two advantages, plus his formidable physique, Luo Chen was an unstoppable weapon.

Moreover, in terms of combat experience, how many Nascent Soul cultivators could match Luo Chen?

Leaving aside Thunder Echo Cave Lord's renewed interest in Body Refinement, Luo Chen was gradually making sense of the Divine Insight Insect.

Inside the cabin.

Luo Chen held a book, studying it carefully.

After a while, he put down the book titled "Compendium of Insect Lore", looking thoughtful.

"The Divine Insight Insect, in simple terms, is essentially a surveillance device!"

According to the Compendium of Insect Lore collected by the Shadow Reflection Sect, the Divine Insight Insect is different from ordinary insects that aid cultivation and enhance magical power and soul strength. It doesn't directly boost a cultivator's strength.

However, it does help in identifying and addressing deficiencies in cultivation.

Once refined within the body, the Divine Insight Insect can clearly perceive any changes in the body.

This refinement process is unlike that of ordinary magic treasures or pills, which are refined using magical power. Instead, it is refined solely through the soul.

As a result, the memory and perception of the Divine Insight Insect are also connected to the host's soul, allowing the host to sense these after the refinement.

Cultivation is a meticulous and time-consuming process.

In the world of chaos, as long as one can advance in cultivation, the methods used are often similar.

However, to walk each realm with solid steps and build a perfect foundation, one must pay attention to the details.

The Divine Insight Insect is specifically designed to address these details.

After each cultivation session, the host can use the Divine Insight Insect to observe the changes throughout the body, understanding not just the what but also the why, rather than just going through the motions.

"Interesting..."

Luo Chen murmured to himself.

He then made up his mind.

He would refine the Divine Insight Insect!

Luo Chen had always built a solid foundation at each stage of his cultivation.

But often, he didn't fully understand some of the peculiar changes during his cultivation, merely following the paths of his predecessors.

With the help of this insect, he could gain a deeper understanding of the essence of cultivation, allowing him to adjust the details of his practice and clearly define his future path.

The only concern was how to refine it.

He didn't have the specific method from the Shadow Reflection Sect for refining the Divine Insight Insect.

But Luo Chen had his own way of solving this!

He glanced outside, estimating the time.

The journey to Miji Mountain was long.

Initially, he and the Thunder Echo Cave Lord planned to fly there at full speed.

However, due to his need to study the insect, they were now traveling by flying boat, which was much slower.

But this also gave him more time.

"Before we reach Miji Mountain, I should have enough time to refine this Divine Insight Insect."

After some calculations, Luo Chen calmed down and squeezed a drop of essence blood from his fingertip, dropping it onto the worm-like insect.

The blood entered the insect, and the dormant Divine Insight Insect immediately awoke.

The black rings on its body began to wriggle, and its eyes, resembling those of an insect, opened in confusion, immediately focusing on Luo Chen.

"Come in!"

Luo Chen opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing the insect whole.

The insect entered his body and headed straight for the Purple Mansion.

During this process, the Divine Insight Insect became active, frequently emitting consciousness to scan Luo Chen's body.

However, once it entered the Purple Mansion, it froze.

A small, pale green tree extended its branches, emitting a gentle flame.

Moreover, a bird resembling a phoenix curiously flew toward it, as if it intended to eat it.

The Divine Insight Insect was alarmed and quickly tried to retreat.

Suddenly, a small gray cauldron stood there, seemingly capable of suppressing everything in the world.

This might be a good refuge.

The Divine Insight Insect instinctively crawled toward the gray cauldron.

However, before it could reach the cauldron's feet, it was struck as if by lightning and hastily retreated.

Inside the cauldron, there was something terrifying!

Even more so, the natural rank suppression from a similar insect was far more frightening than the fire tree and fire bird.

For a moment, the Divine Insight Insect felt lost and terrified.

In such a vast Purple Mansion, there was no place for it to stand?

Just then!

A chubby hand descended from above, grabbing it and instantly refining it into the body.

The nascent soul, the fusion of essence, energy, and spirit, is the second dwelling place of the soul, aside from the physical body.

Luo Chen's main soul was currently within, and after grabbing the trembling Divine Insight Insect, he began to refine its consciousness with the most basic method, using his soul.

This process couldn't be too slow.

If it was too slow, the Divine Insight Insect would realize what was happening and resist.

But it also couldn't be too fast.

If it was too fast, Luo Chen's powerful soul would instantly destroy the fragile insect.

That would be a wasted effort.

Time slowly passed as he refined the insect.

...

Half a year later.

The wind howled outside the boat.

Inside, it was eerily quiet.

Swallow.

A mouthful of wine entered the stomach, and the two people inside the boat began to chat.

"The calamity of the Demon Heart Insect, strictly speaking, erupted five hundred years ago."

"But the true appearance of the Demon Heart Insect was even earlier. According to rumors, it was created by a powerful insect cultivator who studied ancient texts and the fifth-stage Divine Insect, the Co-Birth and Co-Death Insect."

"At the time, people found this insect to be extremely perfect. Once refined, it could significantly enhance the efficiency of converting essence into qi."

"Brother Qi, you should understand that our cultivation has two main paths. One is to absorb spiritual energy from the outside and refine it, and the other is to convert physical energy and blood into magical power."

"The former is very complicated, requiring corresponding spiritual lands, a strong soul, and a good cultivation technique. There are too many restrictions."

Refining essence and transforming it into qi is relatively straightforward. Whether through physical training, dietary supplements, or medicinal aids, the results can be immediate.

Moreover, the path of body cultivation has always been prevalent in the Southern Frontier. Thus, when the Demon Heart Insect appeared, it quickly became the fastest method to advance one's cultivation!

After nearly a year of refining the insects, Luo Chen finally had some free time.

He brought up the topic they had previously discussed, which had been interrupted.

Thunder Echo Cave Lord, who had been well-prepared, began to recount the story without interruption.

Through his narrative, Luo Chen learned how chaotic the Southern Frontier became when the Demon Heart Insect first appeared.

Like the release of a top-grade elixir, the appearance of the Demon Heart Insect caused a tremendous upheaval.

Even more so, because there were no restrictions on who could use it, the impact was far more frantic than the limited availability of high-grade elixirs!

Perhaps the only barrier to the widespread use of the Demon Heart Insect among cultivators was its high price!

"At the time, I was still young, and as an independent cultivator, I had few assets. Naturally, I couldn't afford to buy the Demon Heart Insect with Spiritual Stones."

"But it was also a blessing in disguise, sparing me from a great calamity!"

Thunder Echo Cave Lord's face was filled with a mix of nostalgia and fear.

Luo Chen, curious, asked, "What calamity?"

Thunder Echo Cave Lord countered, "Do you know about rank suppression?"

Luo Chen nodded, "Of course, it's common knowledge. High-rank beasts can suppress lower-rank ones, and powerful cultivators can instill fear in the weak without even lifting a finger. Is it the same with insects?"

"Indeed, it is the same with insects, but the suppression from the Demon Heart Insect is even stronger!"

Thunder Echo Cave Lord continued, "Let's set aside the issue of rank suppression for now and talk about the nature of magical power. The magical power refined from the Demon Heart Insect can vary due to the cultivator's spiritual root and constitution. However, people later discovered a commonality!"

"Commonality?" Luo Chen seemed to be thinking of something.

Thunder Echo Cave Lord nodded, "Yes, someone found that the magical power of two different cultivators who had refined the Demon Heart Insect could be absorbed and converted through their insects. If their cultivation levels were similar, the absorption could be nearly lossless! This is what led to the calamity!"

Luo Chen thought of himself.

Although he hadn't refined the Demon Heart Insect, he had used his powerful physical strength to cultivate a low-rank Spirit Rhinoceros Insect to the level of a third-rank Demon Heart Insect.

When his body underwent the rebirth, the Demon Heart Insect perished.

But half of its magical power mysteriously transferred to Hui Niang, who was billions of miles away.

Luo Chen didn't know the secret behind this transmission, but he attributed it to the laws of the universe.

However, Hui Niang's ability to receive his magical power revealed a clue.

The only drawback was that Hui Niang's physical strength was insufficient, so she couldn't fully convert the powerful fire attribute magical power he had transmitted to her.

It was only through gradual evolution that the Spirit Rhinoceros Insect advanced to the third rank and became deeply bonded with Hui Niang.

Thunder Echo Cave Lord's voice continued calmly.

"Once this discovery was made, the Southern Frontier cultivation world erupted into endless bloodshed."

"To rapidly advance their cultivation, many chose a path even more dangerous than a shortcut. They hunted down other cultivators who had refined the Demon Heart Insect, absorbing their magical power for themselves. Later, they didn't even bother to distinguish; they just killed first and asked questions later."

"At that time, I was at the Qi Refinement Stage, living in constant fear. I wished I could carve 'I haven't refined the Demon Heart Insect' on my forehead to avoid being targeted."

Luo Chen couldn't help but ask, "With such chaos, didn't the holy lands intervene?"

Thunder Echo Cave Lord nodded, then quickly shook his head.

"They did, but only nominally. After purging the demonic cultivators within their ranks, they issued an order to the Southern Frontier, prohibiting the spread of the Demon Heart Insect."

"The true end to the calamity came with the appearance of a Nascent Soul elder."

"Wherever he went, any cultivator who had refined the Demon Heart Insect, regardless of their rank, had no chance of resistance. Their magical power was entirely harvested by him."

Only now did people realize that the Demon Heart Insect not only had the ability to transform different types of magical power but also possessed a natural hierarchy suppression. In the presence of a fourth-stage Demon Heart Insect, no matter how advanced one's cultivation, even if one had reached the nascent soul stage, if one's own Demon Heart Insect was of a lower grade, they could only be at the mercy of others, like fish on a chopping board.

And that old monster was known as the Demon Heart Insect Emperor!

Luo Chen's expression changed slightly.

The name Demon Heart Insect Emperor had finally appeared!

But he wasn't in a hurry, as this was likely not the one he was looking for.

Sure enough.

As the Thunder Echo Cave Lord began to speak, Luo Chen finally received the information he sought.

"Such a terrifying existence naturally infuriated many nascent soul cultivators in the Southern Frontier. After all, anyone who could reach the nascent soul stage wouldn't be alone back then."

"They had disciples, descendants, and bloodline heirs. Some of these younger generations, seeking quick and easy methods, would cultivate the Demon Heart Insect to accelerate their cultivation."

"Mutual hunts were still within the realm of resource competition. However, the appearance of the Demon Heart Insect Emperor was like a harvest, and no one could stand idly by while their descendants became fodder for others' advancement."

"Thus, a war to hunt down the Demon Heart Insect Emperor began!"

At this point, the Thunder Echo Cave Lord visibly relaxed.

He smiled, "Under such intense pursuit, the Demon Heart Insect Emperor no longer dared to act openly and could only operate in secret. One day, a rumor spread that the Demon Heart Insect Emperor was dead."

"Dead?" Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.

The Thunder Echo Cave Lord nodded, "Yes, dead. And in the most unexpected circumstances, he was killed by a backlash. A low-stage cultivator who had also cultivated the Demon Heart Insect managed to turn the tables and destroy him."

"Who was that person, and where are they now?"

The Thunder Echo Cave Lord spread his hands, "No one knows. That person was very mysterious, acting differently from the old Insect Emperor. They never harvested others and quietly disappeared from the Southern Frontier cultivation world."

Luo Chen opened his mouth, then slowly said, "Seems cautious."

The Thunder Echo Cave Lord smiled, "Perhaps not cautious, but afraid. The pursuit of the Demon Heart Insect Emperor was massive, with dozens of top-tier forces joining in. Even a sacred site might have struggled to withstand such fury."

Luo Chen laughed, finding the Thunder Echo Cave Lord's assumption amusing. The resources of a sacred site were more than enough to dominate a continent.

Without external interference, even if all the Southern Frontier's strong cultivators were to unite, they wouldn't be enough to match the might of a single elder from the Life and Death Sect.

He was simply curious about where the new Demon Heart Insect Emperor had gone.

"After the Demon Heart Insect Emperor's disappearance, the Southern Frontier's forces turned their attention to the remaining cultivators of the Demon Heart Insect. They were either hunted, imprisoned, or subjected to various secret techniques to remove or suppress the insect."

"Under the calls and orders of the various factions, the Demon Heart Insect, a cultivation tool that could be considered cheating, gradually vanished from the history of the Southern Frontier."

Luo Chen, for the first time, fully understood this piece of history.

Though the useful information was limited, he did glean some insights.

For example, the habits and effects of the Demon Heart Insect, as well as the character of the new Insect Emperor!

"Where could he be hiding?"

"He can't have died of old age, can he?"

Amid these speculations, Luo Chen suddenly felt a stirring in his heart.

"Brother Lei Ming, I must take my leave. I have some cultivation matters to attend to."

"Go ahead!"

The Thunder Echo Cave Lord said this, watching Luo Chen return to the cabin.

His eyes held a hint of envy. Luo Chen was already so strong, yet he continued to improve himself, never relaxing even while traveling.

In comparison, he himself had become somewhat lax after reaching the nascent soul stage. (End of Chapter)

Chapter end

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