Spirit Insect Master
"This Heavenly River truly lives up to its reputation as the origin of the Ancient Heavenly Palace." Many couldn't help but sigh again at the improvement it had undergone after the High-Tier Baptism.
Those who had completed the Low-Tier Baptism looked at the still-lingering azure light of the Qing Jianyi, and then looked down at the thin green membrane covering their bodies. The sense of satisfaction in their hearts was immediately diminished.
Both are baptisms, but the streams washed by High-Tier Baptism can carve sword marks thousands of feet long, while the raindrops from this Low-Tier Baptism at most thicken the Dharma Body by one layer. This difference is like a ruler placed in front of us, measuring our hearts and minds.
"Um?"
However, just as some exclamations subsided, many people suddenly narrowed their eyes.
Suddenly, several figures appeared on the river surface in the distance. They swept in from the deep water with great speed and ease.
As soon as these figures appeared, the tokens beneath their feet emitted a dazzling light.
For a moment, even the gazes of many powerful figures on the lake shifted away from Qing Jianyi.
When they saw those figures, their eyes lit up, showing a hint of anticipation.
These figures clearly represent the pinnacle of the younger generation on the Sky Luo Continent.
Among them was Xu Ru from Horizon Tower, whose face was quiet and beautiful, but whose figure was extremely hot, and who was wearing a red dress.
Some were dressed in dark blue tight-fitting clothes, some were draped in dark green robes, and some exuded a cold and aloof aura. Each figure emanated a powerful aura far exceeding that of an ordinary Tier 9 Supreme.
Among the onlookers, some recognized several of them and whispered among themselves, "That's a core disciple of the Sacred Demon Palace, a true disciple of the Primordial Sect, and the young master of the Netherworld Ravine... all figures who are ranked highly on the list."
The arrival of these people changed the atmosphere across the entire river. Those who had been gloating over their dozens of Crystal Stone suddenly fell silent.
At that moment, Xu Ru stomped her foot on the token beneath her feet, and a magnificent radiance swept out, gushing forth from the Bai Long token beneath her feet, like a treasure vault whose lid had been opened.
One by one, tiny specks of light shot into the sky. These specks were about the size of a baby's fist and emitted a pinkish glow, like a group of peach petals being tossed into the air.
A powerful surge of Spiritual Energy, surpassing all that had preceded it, swept outwards at this moment. The surge spread in all directions from the points of light, like a gust of wind sweeping across a river, dimming the remaining light of the Low-Tier Baptism around it.
Even Qing Jianyi had been standing on his token boat, couldn't help but change his expression at this fluctuation. He was holding the sheathless longsword in his arms and had been closing his eyes to feel the surging sword intent within his body. At this moment, he was startled by the fluctuation and opened his eyes.
He stared at the points of light, swallowed hard, and his lips moved slightly before he finally managed to utter, "Those are... eighty Heavenly River Spirit?"
His voice trembled with an unbelievable intensity. Eighty, seventeen more than him.
The seventeen Heavenly River Spirit were the result of seventeen life-or-death battles against opponents at the Tier 9 Peak level. He spent two whole days in the deep water area to collect sixty-three, while this woman actually collected eighty.
The numerous powerful figures on the Heavenly River couldn't help but feel a sense of shock, clearly quite frightened by the sheer number of them.
Those who only had a dozen or twenty Crystal Stone looked at each other, some shaking their heads with wry smiles, while others simply put their few Crystal Stone back into their sleeves, clearly feeling embarrassed to show their possessions compared to others.
Buzz! Eighty Heavenly River Spirit, like Star Points, surrounded Xu Ru.
The orbs of light swirled slowly around her. She raised her hand, a gentle and elegant gesture, like a smile as she plucked a flower.
Suddenly, the Heavenly River beneath her feet began to spin wildly, with water surging towards her from all directions, forming a massive whirlpool about a thousand feet wide.
The vortex was larger than any baptism she had ever seen before. The vortex that Qing Jianyi had created was only a few dozen feet in diameter, while hers was a thousand feet long, like the gaping maw of a giant beast.
As the whirlpool spun, it stirred up the surrounding river water, causing it to surge and churn. Water vapor rose from the edge of the whirlpool, resembling a Sea of Clouds that had been boiled over.
That vortex was clearly larger than the previous Qing Jianyi. It seems that even though both were High-Tier Baptism, Xu Ru's level was obviously higher because she had more Heavenly River Spirit.
Boom! A massive beam of light suddenly shot into the sky from the vortex.
The beam of light was about ten feet thick, like a giant pillar erected and piercing the sky.
The beam of light connected with the void, and spiritual light began to gather in the sky. In just a few breaths, that spiritual light transformed directly into a crystal-clear river.
This river is significantly larger than the small stream Qing Jianyi had previously encountered, and the energy it contains is clearly much purer and more powerful. Every drop of water contains abundant vitality and Spiritual Energy.
The powerful figures on the Heavenly River also showed envy in their eyes. If they could receive such a baptism, they would surely be reborn.
Splash! The river meandered through the sky, finally cascading down with a splash.
However, faced with such a rare opportunity, Xu Ru did not use it to temper her Supreme Dharma Body. Instead, she sat cross-legged in mid-air, her legs crossed, her hands forming a mudra in front of her knees, her whole being resembling a Bodhisattva meditating amidst a rain of flowers.
A red light appeared between her eyebrows. At first, the red light was only the size of a grain of rice, like a Cinnabar mole, but it quickly became brighter and larger, as if a red lamp had been lit between her eyebrows.
Then, a pink silkworm cocoon slowly emerged.
The cocoon was about the size of a fist, pink and lustrous, with fine silk threads wrapped around its surface, like a large pearl that had been spun.
It slowly rose from Xu Ru's eyebrows, hovering in front of her, like a heart that had been peeled off.
The crystal-clear river flowed down, pouring completely onto the pink silkworm cocoon. The scene was like a spring rain drenching a seed buried in the soil.
The cocoon, like a bottomless pit, swallowed it all up. The river water that fell on the surface of the cocoon was sucked in, and not a single drop leaked out.
As more and more river water was swallowed up, ancient runes appeared on the silkworm cocoons.
The runes emerged from the depths of the cocoon, like a group of awakened tadpoles swimming on the surface of the cocoon.
Then, tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the cocoon, spreading from one end of the shell to the other, like an egg about to hatch covered in cracks.
When the last drop of river water fell, the pink silkworm cocoon was covered with cracks.
The cracks were dense and numerous, like a piece of paper that had been crumpled and then unfolded, as if it could shatter at any moment.
Finally, there was a crisp, light crack, like an eggshell being pecked open from the inside.
The cocoon shattered, and a beam of red light shot out. The red light soared into the sky from the broken cocoon shell, drawing a magnificent arc in mid-air.
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, a vibrant pink butterfly emerged from the silkworm cocoon.
The butterfly was about the size of a palm, with wingspans of about a foot. Its wings were covered with fine patterns, which resembled a miniature starry sky, each line radiating a pink glow.
It flew merrily around Xu Ru, its wings scattering tiny pink specks of light, like a miniature rain of peach blossoms.
Each flutter of the pink butterfly's wings was accompanied by a powerful surge of Spiritual Energy.
The energy fluctuations were extremely condensed and sharp, like a thin blade hidden within a flower petal. Even Tier 9 Peak master was secretly alarmed.
Qing Jianyi distance, gazing at the pink butterfly, his brows furrowing slightly, and his fingers gripping the longsword unconsciously tightening.
He could sense that the butterfly's aura, though not as strong as his, contained astonishing potential, like a young beast that, though small now, would be enough to rival him once it grew up.
"That's... her Life-Bound Spirit Insect? This Xu Ru is actually a Spirit Insect Master!" Many people were quite surprised as they looked at the pink butterfly.
Someone explained in a low voice, "It is said that every Spirit Insect Master possesses a Life-Bound Spirit Insect. However, before it hatches, this spirit insect has very little power, like a seed nurtured within the body, which must be fed little by little with Spiritual Energy. Once it successfully hatches, it can evolve along with its master's growth; the stronger the master, the stronger it becomes. If the master suffers a fatal injury at a critical moment, it can even shield the master from the calamity. Possessing such a Life-Bound Spirit Insect is almost equivalent to having two lives."
Those nearby looked enlightened upon hearing this, and then someone added, "However, the path of Spirit Insect Master is not easy. Before Life-Bound Spirit Insect can hatch, it needs to be fed with a massive amount of Spiritual Energy. Even after feeding it, there's no guarantee it will hatch. And once it hatches, it has to be raised from scratch. It could take countless years to raise it until it's ready to fight. Ordinary people simply can't afford to put in that much effort."
Xu Ru was truly decisive. Many people secretly sighed in admiration. She actually gave up using the Heavenly River Baptism to temper herself and instead used it all to nurture her Life-Bound Spirit Insect, and as a result, she actually managed to hatch the spirit insect.
Such boldness would be something most people wouldn't dare to do. A High-Tier Baptism could be used to temper one's Dharma Body and immediately boost one's combat power, but using it to nurture spirit insects is a gamble; if you lose, it's all for nothing.
Ke Xu Ru won the bet.
With this Life-Bound Spirit Insect, Xu Ru's strength will inevitably increase greatly.
Although the pink butterfly is still young, it is already connected to Xu Ru blood. In the future Xu Ru improves, it will improve as well. Xu Ru steps into the Earth Sovereign, it will also rise accordingly.