Exterminating Insects

Chapter 12: Eradicating Pests

After an unknown amount of time, Shi Yue slowly opened his eyes.

As soon as he woke up, Shi Yue noticed the changes in himself. His Spiritual Sense was much sharper than before.

He was stunned at first, then a look of joy appeared on his face. He hadn't expected that killing pests could temper his Spiritual Sense.

It was known that a Cultivator's Spiritual Sense was generally fixed. It increased with their realm. The stronger a Cultivator's Spiritual Sense, the more acute their senses and the more Magic Tools they could control.

Although the increase in Spiritual Sense from killing pests this time was negligible, if he continued to kill pests for a long time, the increase would surely be significant.

As soon as he woke up, Shi Yue got up and left the Stone House.

He walked around the Spirit Field and found that the yellow spots on the Condensing Smoke Grass and Blazing Sun Grass were gone. However, two problems presented themselves to Shi Yue.

"Where did the Scale Insects come from? Not a single Scale Insect can be found in the three acres of Spirit Field?"

When Shi Yue researched Scale Insects, he learned that they were oviparous animals. Their eggs were very small. To increase the survival rate of their larvae, female Scale Insects would typically lay their eggs in plant seeds or branches, so that the larvae would have something to eat as soon as they hatched.

He guessed that there must have been Scale Insect eggs in the seeds of the Condensing Smoke Grass and Blazing Sun Grass. Because the time flow in the Mysterious Space was ten times faster than in the outside world, by the time Shi Yue discovered the Scale Insects, they might have already reproduced for several generations and were numerous. If he had discovered them any later, the Spirit Herbs in the Spirit Field would likely have been completely eaten.

As for whether there were still Scale Insects in the Spirit Field, Shi Yue could guarantee that there definitely were. The three acres of Spirit Field were vast, and there were bound to be some stragglers, just not many!

Killing all the Scale Insects within the Spirit Herbs was only a temporary solution, not a fundamental one. To solve the problem fundamentally, all the Scale Insects had to be killed. If even one Scale Insect escaped, they might return.

After much thought, Shi Yue exited the Mysterious Space.

He searched the Wood Shelf in Uncle-Master Zhou's Basement and found a book titled "One Hundred Essentials for Pest Eradication."

Judging by the title of the Classic, Shi Yue knew this book recorded methods for eradicating pests.

Shi Yue read it word by word, for fear of missing anything.

This "One Hundred Essentials for Pest Eradication" listed hundreds of pests and described dozens of methods for eradicating them. The methods varied according to the body type and characteristics of each pest.

Larger pests could be eradicated using Spells like the Fireball Technique, Wind Blade Technique, or Water Arrow Technique. For tiny pests like Scale Insects, the Geng Gold Qi Mang was needed. However, there was one method effective against many pests: using insects to kill insects.

By leveraging the power of Spirit Beasts, pests in the Spirit Field could be eradicated. This method was not only time-saving but also efficient. All Shi Yue needed to do was command the Spirit Beasts to eradicate the pests, and they would act accordingly.

"One Hundred Essentials for Pest Eradication" listed various Spirit Beasts capable of eradicating pests, including Spirit Bees, Spirit Butterflies, and Spirit Ants. Among them, Spirit Bees were the preferred choice.

Spirit Bees could not only eradicate pests but also collect pollen and nectar. The nectar could sometimes be processed and stored as honey. At the same time, when Spirit Bees collected pollen among flowers, some pollen would fall onto other flowers, causing cross-pollination of plants, which could increase the yield of Spirit Grains and Spirit Fruits.

Upon reading this, Shi Yue was slightly moved. Spirit Bees not only eradicated pests but also produced honey, making them the ideal choice for pest eradication.

He returned the "One Hundred Essentials for Pest Eradication" to the Wood Shelf, quickly walked out of the Basement, and flew towards the Deacon Hall on his artifact.

Upon arriving at the Deacon Hall, Shi Yue went straight to the third floor.

"Senior Brother, do you have any Spirit Bee larvae?" Shi Yue approached a counter and asked the Deacon disciple behind it.

"We have several types: Spirit Devouring Bees, Silver Spider Bees, Five-Light Bees, and Yin Luo Bees. Which type would you like, Junior Brother?" the Deacon disciple asked with a smile.

"I want to buy them to catch pests in my Spirit Field. Which type of Spirit Bee would be suitable?" Shi Yue asked, raising his eyebrows.

"These Spirit Bees can all catch pests, but each has its own strengths. Spirit Devouring Bees feed on pollen and nectar, but they also hunt other Spirit Beasts and pests. Silver Spider Bees can weave webs to trap and kill pests. Five-Light Bees are larger and have a greater appetite. Yin Luo Bees have a gentle temperament and reproduce more slowly. The Insect Eggs of these four types of Spirit Bees are ten Contribution Points each, except for the Silver Spider Bees, which are ten Contribution Points each. The other three types are five Contribution Points each. Which type would you like, Junior Brother?" the Deacon disciple explained word by word.

After listening to the Deacon disciple's explanation, Shi Yue appeared to be deep in thought.

Besides exchanging Contribution Points for items, one could also use Spirit Stones to purchase them, but the price was slightly higher than on the market. Therefore, it was more cost-effective to use Contribution Points.

Shi Yue had accumulated more than a hundred Contribution Points over many years. The Silver Spider Bees required a higher exchange of Contribution Points, so they were out of Shi Yue's consideration. This left him with only three options: Spirit Devouring Bees, Five-Light Bees, and Yin Luo Bees.

"Hmm, I'll take six Insect Eggs of the Spirit Devouring Bees," Shi Yue said after a moment of contemplation.

The Deacon disciple nodded, took a Green Wood Box from the Shelf behind him, and handed it to Shi Yue.

Shi Yue opened it and saw six white Insect Eggs, each the size of a mung bean, arranged inside. The six Insect Eggs emitted faint Spirit Energy fluctuations.

He nodded in satisfaction, deducted thirty Contribution Points, tucked the Wood Box into his embrace, and turned to leave.

After leaving the Deacon Hall, Shi Yue made a trip to the Scripture Repository to copy a Jade Slip containing information on raising Spirit Beasts.

Upon returning to Uncle-Master Zhou's Cave Mansion, Shi Yue immediately took out a Jade Slip and placed it against his brow.

A short while later, he removed the Jade Slip and took out the Green Wood Box from his embrace.

With a thought, Shi Yue appeared in the Mysterious Space.

According to the Jade Slip, the hatching of Insect Eggs required a place with abundant Spirit Energy. The more abundant the Spirit Energy, the faster the Insect Eggs would hatch.

The Spirit Energy in the Mysterious Space was comparable to Uncle-Master Zhou's residence, but the time flow was ten times faster than in the outside world. Placing the Insect Eggs in the Mysterious Space to hatch would definitely shorten the incubation period.

He walked into the Stone House, took out more than ten Spirit Stones, and placed them on the Stone Bed, intending to hatch the Insect Eggs on the Stone Bed.

An astonishing scene unfolded. When Shi Yue placed the more than ten Spirit Stones on the Stone Bed, they turned ash-white at a visible speed, clearly indicating that the Spirit Energy within the Spirit Stones had been absorbed.

"This... the Stone Bed can absorb the Spirit Energy from Spirit Stones?" Seeing this, Shi Yue was shocked and looked on in disbelief.

If this were true, could the Stone Bed also absorb the Magical Power from his body?

Thinking this, Shi Yue's expression flickered.

After a moment's thought, he took out another Spirit Stone and placed it on the Stone Bed.

In the blink of an eye, this Spirit Stone also quickly turned ash-white.

Seeing this, Shi Yue's expression changed. He took a few steps back, fearing that his Magical Power would be drained by the Stone Bed.

Shi Yue thought carefully. He had slept in the Stone House before, and his Magical Power hadn't decreased at all. This meant the Stone Bed didn't absorb Magical Power from him; it only absorbed Spirit Energy from Spirit Stones.

Shi Yue pondered for a moment and quickly walked out of the Stone House. He was surprised to find that the Spirit Energy in the air seemed slightly more abundant than before. Although the increase was small, he had still noticed it.

"Does the Stone Bed absorbing Spirit Energy from Spirit Stones make the Spirit Energy in the Mysterious Space more abundant?" Shi Yue murmured to himself, his face full of excitement.

He hesitated for a moment, took out ten Spirit Stones, stood outside the Stone House, and tossed the ten Spirit Stones onto the Stone Bed.

The ten milky-white Spirit Stones quickly turned gray-white again.

Shi Yue could feel that the Spirit Energy in the air had indeed become a bit more abundant. Although the increase wasn't much, it was enough to prove his guess.

"If the Spirit Energy in the Mysterious Space becomes more abundant, won't the Spirit Grain planted in the Mysterious Space mature even faster?"

The thought of this made Shi Yue incredibly excited.

Afterward, Shi Yue conducted several experiments. He discovered that if he placed Spirit Stones inside the Stone House, the Stone House would absorb the Spirit Energy from the Spirit Stones, thereby increasing the Spirit Energy density of the Mysterious Space. If he placed the Spirit Stones on the ground outside the Stone House, there was no reaction at all.

This meant that to increase the Spirit Energy density of the Mysterious Space, he only needed to place Spirit Stones inside the Stone House.

This discovery made Shi Yue very excited.

After his excitement subsided, he quickly regained his composure. Since the Stone House absorbed Spirit Energy from Spirit Stones, he naturally couldn't incubate the Insect Eggs in the Stone House.

He took out a porcelain bowl, cut his arm with his Saber, and bright red blood immediately dripped into the bowl.

Immediately after, Shi Yue began chanting. Before long, he stopped chanting and cast several hand seals into the blood in the porcelain bowl.

The blood in the porcelain bowl began to spin, automatically suspending in mid-air. After a burst of churning and surging, it transformed into eighteen Blood-colored Runes the size of fingernails.

Shi Yue took out the Green Wood Box from his embrace, opened it, and pointed at the six Insect Eggs inside. He softly uttered, "Go."

As soon as he finished speaking, the eighteen Blood-colored Runes flew rapidly towards the Insect Eggs in the Green Wood Box. Each Insect Egg had three Blood-colored Runes embedded into it.

Seeing this, Shi Yue nodded, took out an empty Altar, placed ten Spirit Stones inside it, and then put the Green Wood Box into the Altar.

After doing all this, Shi Yue covered the mouth of the Altar with a thin veil and placed the Altar outside the Stone House.

Since the Scale Insects hadn't been completely eradicated, Shi Yue didn't plant Spirit Grain in the vacant acre of Spirit Field. He walked around the two acres of Spirit Field, carefully inspecting every Spirit Herb.

As Shi Yue had expected, the Scale Insects weren't all dead; there were still quite a few that had escaped. Seeing these survivors, Shi Yue naturally wouldn't be lenient. He activated the Geng Gold Art, releasing Geng Gold Qi Mang, and killed all the Scale Insects he encountered.

Shi Yue stayed in the Mysterious Space for ten days. He spent most of his time patrolling the Spirit Field, activating the Geng Gold Qi Mang to kill all the Scale Insects he found. The remaining time was used for cultivation.

Constantly activating the Geng Gold Qi Mang to kill Scale Insects greatly tempered Shi Yue's Spiritual Sense, causing it to grow slightly.