Five Years, Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode

Spring has passed and autumn has come; five years have gone by.

Green Begonia Courtyard, Green Begonia Pavilion.

Shen Long sat cross-legged on a Cyan Prayer Mat, his eyes slightly closed, his hands forming a mudra, his body enveloped in a radiant glow.

After a while, the glow on Shen Long's body dissipated, he opened his eyes, and exhaled a long breath.

He could clearly feel that his whole body was full of power and his Qi and Blood were vigorous.

He consumed a considerable amount of Blood Rhino Pill, which significantly increased his strength.

A golden Spirit Beast Bag at Shen Long's waist swayed slightly. He patted the Spirit Beast Bag, and a golden light flew out—it was the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada.

"Advanced to the second tier! Not bad."

Shen Long's face lit up with joy; he wasn't surprised.

If you calculate the time, he has been raising the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada for more than ten years. During this time, he regularly feeds the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada with Spirit Feeding Pill and spirit medicine. It is only natural that the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada has advanced to the second tier.

The Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada emitted a clear chirping sound, its body radiating golden light.

Shen Long's Divine Sense was attached to the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada, and he looked outwards through its eyes.

To his surprise, he discovered that he could see pedestrians on the street and even the situation in the neighboring courtyard. In addition, he also discovered the locations of the key points of the two courtyards.

"Good!"

Shen Long praised it, withdrew his Divine Sense, took out two Golden Ginseng, and fed them to the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada.

After the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada ate the Golden Ginseng, it let out a joyful chirping sound, and with a gentle flap of its wings, it flew around and spun around Shen Long's head.

Shen Long patted a Cyan Spirit Beast Bag at his waist, and Green-Eyed Spirit Fox flew out; it was currently at the mid-stage of the first tier.

The Green-Eyed Spirit Fox nuzzled Shen Long's hand affectionately.

Shen Long fed it a Spirit Feeding Pill and a Green Cloud Grass, then put the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada back into its Spirit Beast Bag and entered the Spirit Control Tower.

He appeared on the First Floor the Spirit Control Tower, and more than 10,000 Gold-Eating Ant flew over, like a giant Jin Yun.

Under Shen Long's careful cultivation, the number of Gold-Eating Ant has grown rapidly, currently exceeding 15,000. There are 33 second-tier Gold-Eating Ant and over 500 First Rank Late Stage Gold-Eating Ant -Gold-Eating Ant Queen is at the early stage of second-tier.

Shen Long made a hand seal, and more than 10,000 Gold-Eating Ant coalesced into a golden spear, its entire body gleaming with golden light.

Second-tier Gold-Eating Ant have mastered the Golden Armor Technique, which is difficult for even Mid-grade Magical Tool Golden Armor Technique weapons to break. As a result, they condense into weapon forms to injure their enemies.

Shen Long changed his magic technique, Golden Spear transformed into more than ten thousand Gold-Eating Ant, which flew onto Shen Long's body. They condensed into a golden armor, protecting Shen Long's entire body.

Insect Armor Technique!

This is a unique ability of gregarious Spirit Insect, which can condense into armor to protect their master.

The higher the rank and the greater the number of Gold-Eating Ant, the stronger the armor they form.

Shen Long changed his magic technique, and his golden armor transformed into more than ten thousand Gold-Eating Ant, which floated in front of Shen Long.

Shen Long took out a Cyan Storage Bag, turned it upside down, and poured it out. After a flash of cyan light, a large pile of metal ore appeared on the ground.

The Gold-Eating Ant Queen flew down onto the Ink Marrow Stone and began to gnaw on it, while the other second-tier Gold-Eating Ant consumed the Ink Cloud Stone, and the first-tier Gold-Eating Ant consumed the first-tier refining materials.

Even though Shen Long was Alchemist, raising so many Spirit Beast and Spirit Insect was extremely strenuous. Fortunately, he killed Li Jian and his three companions and obtained a considerable amount of wealth.

Shen Long arrived at the second floor, where an astonishing wave of heat hit him.

He whistled, and a sharp bird cry came from high above. Golden-Winged Wind Peng descended from the sky and landed in front of Shen Long.

Its size was more than twice as large as before, with a wingspan of two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), far exceeding that of Spirit Bird of the same rank.

The Golden-Winged Wind Peng is currently at the First Rank Late Stage and is growing rapidly, mainly because Shen Long has invested a lot of cultivation resources in nurturing it.

Shen Long took out three Spirit Feeding Pill and three hundred-year-old Green Wind Grass and fed them to the Golden-Winged Wind Peng.

The Golden-Winged Wind Peng let out a joyful chirping sound, flapped its wings, stirred up a gust of wind, and flew high into the sky.

As Shen Long's Life-Bound Spirit Bird, the Golden-Winged Wind Peng's advancement benefited Shen Long as well.

In the past five years, he has mastered a second-tier wind Law Technique — Wind Wall Technique, a defensive Law Technique. In addition, Shen Long feels much lighter and reacts faster.

Shen Long released the Iron Tail Scorpion, which was much larger than before and was still at the early stage of the Iron Tail Scorpion tier.

He took out two hundred-year-old Ink Mustard Grass and fed them to the Iron Tail Scorpion. The Fire Rock Beast rushed over, Shen Long fed it two Fire Cloud Ginseng.

He toured the Volcano Cluster, rained down on the spirit medicine herb and fruit trees, and then left the Spirit Control Tower.

Shen Long took out a blue Communication Disk, cast a spell, and asked, "Liu Shi, is there any news about Second-Rank Flood Dragon Blood Essence?"

"Not yet."

Liu Shi said.

Shen Long frowned. He had already consumed all the Blood Flood Dragon Pill, and without the Second-Rank Flood Dragon Blood Essence, he couldn't cultivate the <Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Technique>.

"Is there anything unusual or significant news in the Marketplace?"

Shen Long asked.

"No!"

Liu Shi said.

Shen Long was somewhat disappointed; Liu Shi's cultivation level was too low, and he couldn't access important information.

Shen Long gave a few instructions and then put away the Communication Disk.

He contacted Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Liu Yushan to inquire about the Essence Blood of Second-Rank Flood Dragon, but to no avail.

Shen Long put the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada back into his Spirit Beast Bag and walked out.

Shen Long strolled around the street and ran into many acquaintances, greeting them as he went.

He arrived at the Bluestone Square where stalls were set up, but instead of setting up a stall, he walked around and bought some materials for refining weapons and alchemy.

After a short while, Shen Long appeared at the Marketplace exit, mounted his magical artifact, and flew into the sky at a very fast speed.

Three days later, he appeared above a dense Cyan Bamboo Forest, slowly descended, and put away his flying Law Artifact.

Shen Long released the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox, the Iron Tail Scorpion, and the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada. His Divine Sense attached itself to the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada, and with the help of its eyes, he could see every blade of Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada and every tree within a ten-mile radius.

With the help of the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada, Shen Long could easily find where there were Demon Beast and where there were spirit medicine.

The Iron Tail Scorpion emitted a bright yellow light as it burrowed underground. The Green-Eyed Spirit Fox sniffed the air a few times before heading southwest.

Shen Long used his Wind Control Technique to follow.

Not long after, he disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest.

Half a day later, Shen Long appeared in a narrow canyon. The stone walls on both sides were uneven, and the vegetation inside the canyon was sparse, making it look somewhat desolate.

The Green-Eyed Spirit Fox stopped; not far away was a cave about ten feet in size.

With the help of the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada's eyes, Shen Long could clearly see the situation inside the cave. Inside, there were two crimson centipedes and dozens of Blood Leaf Flower Blood Leaf Flower, a poisonous plant that was a favorite of venomous insects and beasts.

Shen Long opened his Divine Sense and sensed two auras inside the cave, both of which were second-tier demonic insects, which put him at ease.

He put the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox back into his Spirit Beast Bag and strode towards the cave.

The cave was dark and dry, but this did not hinder Shen Long's movements.

Before long, he arrived at the end of the cave and appeared in a cavern several acres in size.

In the lower left corner are two crimson centipedes, each two zhang long, with unusually long antennae and a row of sickle-like red claws under their bellies.

Shen Long's entry into the cave startled them.

The two crimson centipedes opened their mouths simultaneously, each spewing out dozens of Crimson Fireball the size of millstones, which hurtled towards Shen Long.

Shen Long raised his right hand, and Cyan Wind Wall about ten feet high appeared, blocking his way.

Dozens of Crimson Fireball crashed into the Cyan Wind Wall, disintegrating instantly as if they were eggs hitting a rock.

Two crimson centipedes lunged at Shen Long; they crawled very fast.

Just then, a dozen thick, Cyan Vine sprouted from the ground and wrapped around their bodies.

The Iron Tail Scorpion emerged from the ground, its stinger suddenly twitching, striking a crimson centipede squarely on the head with a muffled thud. The centipede's head was riddled with over a dozen bloody holes, and it died instantly.

The other crimson centipede swung its sharp claws from its belly at the Cyan Vine, easily severing Cyan Vine.

It opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of Crimson Flame, heading straight for the Iron Tail Scorpion.

The Iron Tail Scorpion reacted quickly; before the Crimson Flame even got close, it had already burrowed underground.

The Crimson Flame struck the ground, blasting a huge crater, and signs of melting appeared inside the crater.

Dozens of thick, Cyan Vine burst from the ground and once again entangled the crimson centipede's body.

Just as the crimson centipede was about to swing its sharp claws to sever the Cyan Vine, a sharp hiss rang out, and its reaction slowed down.

The Iron Tail Scorpion emerged from the ground and appeared in front of the crimson centipede. With a sudden jerk of its tail stinger, a large number of black lines shot out and struck the crimson centipede's head one after another.

More than a dozen bloody holes suddenly appeared on its head, and it stopped breathing.

The Iron Tail Scorpion effortlessly destroyed the two early-stage second-tier demon centipedes.

The Iron Tail Scorpion swung its pincers, tearing the crimson centipede's body apart and shoving it into its mouth.

Shen Long ignored it, put on a pair of blue boxing gloves, and carefully dug out all the Blood Leaf Flower.

There are a total of 45 Blood Leaf Flower, the youngest being at least 20 years old and the oldest over 100 years old.

These Blood Leaf Flower can be used to feed Iron Tail Scorpion or for alchemy.

Shen Long summoned a Black Gourd, infused it with a spell, and the Black Gourd emitted a blinding black light, its size swelled, and it spewed out a Black Glow that enveloped the corpses of the two crimson centipedes. Two Miniature Centipede detached from their bodies and flew out; these were their Essence Soul, which could be used to refine weapons or make talismans.

The Black Gourd is Mid-grade Magical Tool Demon Soul Gourd, mainly used to store the Essence Soul of Demon Beast.

He collected the corpse of one crimson centipede; the other had been eaten by the Iron Tail Scorpion.

Shen Long released the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox, allowing it to continue searching for the spirit medicine.

It wasn't that he lacked these things; he was just taking this opportunity to hone the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox and enrich its experience in finding spirit medicine.

Emerging from the canyon, a Black Dense Forest came into view, with numerous black trees and lush foliage as far as the eye could see.

The Iron Tail Scorpion moved underground. Shen Long used the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada to scout ahead. After confirming that there were no problems, he then sent the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox forward.

Not long after, he disappeared into the Black Dense Forest.

Seven days later, Shen Long stood in an open area. Not far away was a steep mountain peak, and at the foot of the mountain was a cave entrance several meters wide.

Along the way, Shen Long killed many second-tier Demon Beast and insects. Basically, he didn't need to take action; the Iron Tail Scorpion and the Fire Rock Beast could handle them.

The Green-Eyed Spirit Fox stood beside Shen Long, not daring to go any further.

Shen Long had already used the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada to investigate. There was a group of Blood-Thirsty Bat in this cave. The Blood-Thirsty Bat were brutal and bloodthirsty, flew relatively fast, and could release wind blades and sonic waves to injure their enemies.

The nests of the Blood-Thirsty Bat contain hundreds of Blood Moon Grass. A hundred-year-old Blood Moon Grass can be used to refine Blood Moon Pill, which have the effect of replenishing Qi and Blood and have a good healing effect.

Shen Long put away the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox and released the Fire Rock Beast, letting it enter the cave.

The Fire Rock Beast obeyed and rushed into the cave.

Not long after, a deafening explosion came from inside the cave.

With the help of the Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada, Shen Long could see what was happening inside the cave. The Fire Rock Beast was being attacked by hundreds of Black Bat Black Bat blood-red eyes.

He quickly ordered the Fire Rock Beast to return.

The Fire Rock Beast opened its mouth and spat out dozens of millstone-sized Crimson Fireball, which slammed into the Blood-Thirsty Bat before turning and running out of the cave.

The Blood-Thirsty Bat King was at the mid-stage of the second tier. It let out a piercing screech and spewed out a Blood Soundwave to meet the incoming Crimson Fireball.

The Blood Soundwave collided with dozens of Crimson Fireball, and both perished.

The other Blood-Thirsty Bat flapped their wings, unleashing streaks of gray wind blades that hurtled towards the Fire Rock Beast.

The Fire Rock Beast's body emitted a bright red light, and a thick red light screen appeared, covering its entire body—this was the Fire Shield Technique.

Dense gray wind blades struck the red light barrier one after another, producing a muffled sound. The red light barrier dimmed and soon shattered. The gray wind blades struck the Fire Rock Beast's body, producing another muffled sound. Faint cuts appeared on its body surface, almost unnoticeable without close inspection.

The Fire Rock Beast burst out of the cave, and the Blood-Thirsty Bat King gave chase, with the other Blood-Thirsty Bat following closely behind.

A sharp screech rang out, and they slowed down, but they quickly regained their speed and gave chase.

As soon as they flew out of the cave, a Cyan Tornado swept in, and the powerful airflow sucked them into the Cyan Tornado. The first-tier Blood-Thirsty Bat were directly shredded into a cloud of blood mist by the powerful airflow.

The Bat King unleashed a Blood Soundwave that shattered the Cyan Tornado. A piercing sound followed as hundreds of Golden Arrow shot forth, piercing the bodies of numerous Blood-Thirsty Bat, which then fell from mid-air.

In a single encounter, the Blood-Thirsty Bat suffered heavy Blood-Thirsty Bat, with only about thirty remaining, including more than ten early-stage Tier 2 Blood-Thirsty Bat.

The Golden Arrow shattered, transforming into a large number of Gold-Eating Ant. They flew into the air and, centered on the Second-tier Gold-Eating Ant, coalesced into more than thirty Golden Spear, heading straight for the Blood-Thirsty Bat.

With a gentle flap of its wings, the Bat King unleashed a Giant Wind Blade, which the other Blood-Thirsty Bat followed suit, releasing their own wind blades to attack the Golden Spear.

Shen Long made a hand seal, and more than thirty Golden Spear simultaneously lit up with a golden light. The Giant Wind Blade struck the golden light, producing a sound like metal clashing, and the Golden Spear remained intact.

The Golden Spear struck the Blood-Thirsty Bat Blood-Thirsty Bat, easily piercing its body, and killing more than half of the Blood-Thirsty Bat.

The Blood-Thirsty Bat King realized something was wrong and tried to escape, but a sharp, piercing screech rang out, making it feel dizzy and disoriented, as if someone had struck it on the head.

By the time it came to its senses, the thirty-odd Golden Spear had merged into one, transforming into a single Golden Spear several meters long, which struck its body and easily pinned it to the stone wall.

The Blood-Thirsty Bat King was not dead yet; its body was struggling violently.

The tail of the Golden Spear disintegrated, transforming into thousands of Gold-Eating Ant. These ants coalesced into dozens of golden arrows, which struck the Blood-Thirsty Bat King one after another, riddling him with holes.

The Blood-Thirsty Bat King died, and the remaining Blood-Thirsty Bat tried to escape, but dozens of Golden Spear shot out and easily caught up with them, piercing their bodies.

More than a hundred Blood-Thirsty Bat were all killed without exception, Gold-Eating Ant also lost more than a hundred of their kind.

Shen Long's face lit up with joy. He made a hand seal, and more than 10,000 Gold-Eating Ant flew back to his Spirit Beast Bag.

He summoned the Demon Soul Gourd, collected the Blood-Thirsty Bat's Essence Soul, and then put the Blood-Thirsty Bat's corpse into his Storage Bag.

He went into the cave and picked the Blood Moon Grass.

Half an hour later, Shen Long came out.

He did not continue hunting Demon Beast. This time, he killed many second-tier Demon Beast and obtained a lot of spirit medicine, the oldest of which was 150 years old.

He put the Fire Rock Beast and Iron Tail Scorpion back into his Spirit Beast Bag and then left on his magical artifact.

Back in the Marketplace, Shen Long sold some of the Demon Beast corpses and bought a batch of second-tier weapon-refining materials before returning to Green Begonia Courtyard.

He saw a Sound Transmission Talisman floating in the center of the courtyard. He grabbed it and crushed Sound Transmission Talisman. Qin Yuwei's voice rang out. "Fellow Daoist Shen, our Qin Family head's 100th birthday is in two months. If you have time, please come to our Qin Family for a drink. Many fellow Daoists will be attending."

"Happy 100th birthday!"

Shen Long was slightly taken aback. He took out a blue Communication Disk, cast a spell, and asked, "Junior Nephew Chen, has anything happened in the cultivation Immortal Realm recently?"

"The Hundred Ghost Loose Cultivator has appeared. He has advanced to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. He hasn't shown his face for decades, and everyone thought he had died. The Qin Family patriarch is celebrating his 100th birthday, and the Qin Family has sent out Invitation to many guests. The Master Xuanming of the Yin Corpse Sect has returned, and his cultivation has greatly improved, reaching the Core Formation Late Stage."

Chen Li said slowly.

Shen Long nodded; it seemed Qin Yuwei wasn't lying.

He was in an enemy country and had to be careful.

Shen Long asked several questions, and Chen Li answered them all.

Shen Long put away the Communication Disk, sat down cross-legged, and began to meditate and regulate his breathing.

Fifteen minutes later, Shen Long was in peak condition. He took out a Blood Rhino Pill and put it in his mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and before long, Shen Long could clearly feel his body slightly warming up.

He quickly circulated his internal energy to refine the medicinal power.

Seven days passed quickly. Early one morning, Shen Long walked out of Green Begonia Courtyard, intending to set up a stall to sell pills. He hadn't gone far when Lin Guang walked towards him.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, it's been a long time. Fellow Daoist Ye Fellow Daoist Shen has something to discuss with you. Would it be convenient for you to come to my residence for a chat?"

Lin Guang said politely.

He is currently in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and has bought quite a few pills from Shen Long.

Most of the Foundation Establishment Realm Rogue Cultivator in the Marketplace had bought pills from Shen Long, making Shen Long somewhat famous in the Marketplace.

"Convenient."

Shen Long agreed and followed Lin Guang to Purple Bamboo Courtyard.

Ye Hong, Su Nan, and Yu Susu were all present. Yu Susu and Su Nan had both advanced to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, while Ye Hong was still at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

After a few casual words, Ye Hong got down to business. "Fellow Daoist Shen, we've discovered an Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode, but the power of the restrictions is too strong for us to break. We'd like to invite you to join us, what do you say?"

"Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode?"

Shen Long was slightly taken aback.