Fundamental Secret Arts

Ling Yangzi, not detecting the potent poisonous gas he sensed, felt a flicker of doubt.

He then saw Chen Ming by the pond, having arrived even earlier than himself.

He secretly cast a spell, covertly sensing Chen Ming's strength and realm.

"So, just a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator!"

Ling Yangzi's thoughts turned, and he released his aura, saying coldly, "Did you discover anything unusual here?"

Ling Yangzi's cultivation was already in the Contemplation Realm. His soul had condensed into a Divine Soul, and his magical power and techniques were incomparable to those of the Qi Gathering Realm. Naturally, he didn't take a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator like Chen Ming seriously.

"I haven't seen anything unusual!"

Chen Ming, pressured by Ling Yangzi's aura, felt a chill in his heart. He secretly thought this person likely had ill intentions and heightened his guard.

He certainly wouldn't tell Ling Yangzi that the potent poisonous gas he sensed earlier was something he was refining.

He simply replied indifferently and prepared to leave.

Ling Yangzi let out a cold laugh and shouted, "Boy, how could my senses be wrong? There was clearly poisonous gas rising from this place, and now there isn't a trace. Yet you say there's nothing unusual?"

He was convinced Chen Ming was lying and deceiving him, feeling that his own opportunity had been snatched away. He channeled his Magical Power, and a point of green light appeared on his hand, which he flung towards Chen Ming's face.

Chen Ming saw this and quickly retreated to dodge.

Who would have thought that the point of green light would stick to him like a shadow, impossible to evade?

"With your Qi Gathering Realm cultivation, you're still not honest in front of me. Let me let you taste the Soul-Devouring Heart-Piercing Pain!"

Ling Yangzi watched Chen Ming, who was constantly dodging, with amusement.

Ling Yangzi was not a cultivator of the righteous path to begin with. After finally breaking through from the Qi Gathering Realm to the Contemplation Realm, he had also cultivated the "Azure Wood Poisonous Gas."

He happened to be not far from this place when Chen Ming was refining his techniques. Being extremely sensitive to poisonous gas, he was attracted here.

In his cultivation journey so far, Ling Yangzi had never truly obtained any significant opportunity.

How could he let the chance he finally sensed today slip away?

Even if he couldn't get the opportunity, Chen Ming appeared to be a rogue cultivator in the Qi Gathering Realm with no backing.

Ling Yangzi then conceived the idea of killing Chen Ming to seize the spiritual opportunity and enhance the power of his "Azure Wood Poisonous Gas."

Chen Ming, pursued by the point of green light, found his Magical Power gradually waning.

Just as he was about to be hit, the small red insect in his Sea of Consciousness moved slightly, instantly appearing in Chen Ming's hand.

Chen Ming paused. The small red insect in his palm grew rapidly against the wind, transforming into a ferocious giant insect. Its mouth opened and sucked, swallowing the point of green light.

That point of green light was the "Azure Wood Poisonous Gas" that Ling Yangzi had refined.

If hit, both the physical body and soul would be corroded by the poisonous gas.

However, the ferocious giant insect was unharmed after swallowing the green light. It reverted to its thumb-sized form, a small red insect, and landed in Chen Ming's palm.

"So that's how it is!"

He had just refined the secret technique and hadn't had time to fully comprehend the usage of the "Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects" when Ling Yangzi arrived.

Without exchanging more than a few words, they had already started fighting.

Chen Ming panicked for a moment, his formation disrupted.

Fortunately, the small red insect, manifested from the "Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects" secret technique, was full of spiritual intelligence and operated on its own to protect its master, resolving the crisis.

With the movement of the small red insect, Chen Ming instantly understood the profound mystery of this secret technique.

"Go!"

Chen Ming urged his Magical Power. The small red insect in his hand sprouted a pair of fleshy wings on its back.

The small red insect flapped its wings, surrounded by wisps of misty smoke, and flew towards Ling Yangzi.

Ling Yangzi's expression had already turned grim when he saw his emitted green light being swallowed.

Upon seeing Chen Ming release the small red insect, he was not alarmed but instead delighted!

"My senses were indeed correct. The potent poisonous gas here earlier must have nurtured the birth of this Spirit Insect!"

Ling Yangzi did not dodge. He formed hand seals and chanted incantations.

Suddenly, streams of Azure Wood Poisonous Gas erupted from his nose and mouth, weaving into a fine, dense net of poison in front of him, intending to capture the Spirit Insect.

"This Spirit Insect is destined to fall into my hands!"

"Capture!"

Ling Yangzi roared, and the poisonous net before him descended.

The poisonous net continuously contracted. However, the moment it came into contact with the smoke swirling around the small red insect, the net instantly dissolved and ceased to exist!

Ling Yangzi was greatly shocked, not expecting this little insect to be so powerful. He retreated rapidly, not daring to let the Spirit Insect get close.

Chen Ming naturally would not let him escape and leave a future threat.

With a thought, the small red insect exploded with a "bang!", transforming into a mass of bloody mist.

The bloody mist vibrated continuously, and from within flew out countless different kinds of poisonous insects, rushing towards Ling Yangzi.

Even though Ling Yangzi cultivated the unorthodox path of poison himself, seeing this scene made his scalp tingle.

"Am I blind? I never realized this person had such evil methods!"

Ling Yangzi no longer cared about anything else. He took out a dark earthen jar and sprayed his vital blood onto it.

The dark earthen jar, having absorbed Ling Yangzi's vital blood, trembled slightly. Streams of green poisonous gas surged out, forming a barrier to keep the swarm of insects from getting close.

"Fellow Daoist, it's all a misunderstanding!"

"I was blind earlier and didn't recognize your greatness. Please stop!"

Ling Yangzi deeply regretted his actions, regretting that he had been momentarily foolish and underestimated other cultivators. Even if their cultivation realm was lower than his, they might have incredible methods, and he should have been more cautious!

His thoughts raced, but he continued to shout pleas for mercy.

However, Chen Ming had no intention of stopping!

"Crack, crack!"

The swarm of insects continuously gnawed at the barrier in front of Ling Yangzi, emitting bursts of cracking sounds.

Seeing that he couldn't hold on, Ling Yangzi gritted his teeth. His divine soul leaped out of his sea of consciousness, abandoning his physical body as he fled.

If his divine soul escaped, he could still become a ghost cultivator in the future, or possess a body and start anew.

Although Chen Ming had not yet reached the Contemplation Realm, he understood the mysteries of a divine soul after cultivating to that stage. How could he let Ling Yangzi's divine soul escape?

"Gather!"

Chen Ming softly chanted. The swarm of insects instantly condensed, transforming back into a small insect with fleshy wings sprouting from its back. In the blink of an eye, it caught up to Ling Yangzi's divine soul.

A divine soul was inherently illusory, like moonlight on water, formless and intangible.

But the red small insect flickered, becoming as illusory as the divine soul. It landed on Ling Yangzi's divine soul and began to tear at it.

Ling Yangzi truly felt the pain of his soul being devoured!

"Ah~"

"What in the world is this thing!"

Ling Yangzi's divine soul, in pain, fell and was unable to flee.

Before long, the red small insect completely devoured Ling Yangzi's divine soul. It didn't even spare his physical body, swallowing it completely.

Chen Ming opened his palm, and the red small insect quietly landed. A stream of pure vital energy entered Chen Ming's body.

In addition, the cultivation methods and secret arts inscribed within Ling Yangzi's divine soul were also transmitted into Chen Ming's consciousness.

"So this is the essence of the 'Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects' secret technique!"

"Using this spirit insect as a vessel, it devours the spiritual essence of all things in heaven and earth, transforming it into vital energy to nourish oneself!"

"Even the traces of cultivation within the divine soul can be traced back to their origin and transformed into cultivation techniques, allowing me to practice them!"

Newbie author, seeking collections and recommendations, please keep reading, thank you very much!!!