Spirit Insect Continent

The Golden Origin Heavenly Silkworm's devouring ability far exceeded Heavenly Insect's expectations. In just over half a day, all the spiritual energy in a high-grade Spirit Beast Essence had been absorbed and converted. Half remained inside the Golden Origin Heavenly Silkworm's Light Cocoon, while the other half spilled straight out of the cocoon and merged into Heavenly Insect's Qi Sea.

Feeling the sudden fullness swelling inside him, Heavenly Insect could not help letting out a burp...

Even half the spiritual energy in a high-grade Spirit Beast Essence was equivalent to two months of his previous tireless cultivation, without sleep or rest. If he refined all the spare high-grade Spirit Beast Essences he had on hand, he reckoned he could reach the middle stage of the Heaven Fusion Realm.

"For me now, high-grade Spirit Beast Essences are already a little too low-level..."

Heavenly Insect thought that, with Heavenly-grade Spirit Beast Essences, perhaps he would not need many to advance an entire realm.

But if he really had a Heavenly-grade Spirit Beast Essence, he would never simply refine it into spiritual energy like this to improve his cultivation. That would be far too extravagant. Who knew how many people across the Great Thousand World would surrender their entire fortunes for one? Even asking for supreme spirit liquid in exchange would not be out of the question...

Of course, his best choice right now was actually to return to the Spirit Insect Continent!

The Spirit Insect Continent was a very unusual place in the Great Thousand World, because it was entirely a world of spirit insects. No humans or Spirit Beasts could survive on that continent for long, apart from the Spirit Insect Tribe.

Legend has it that the Spirit Insect Continent's greatest secret is the Insect World, which contains countless powerful, high-level spirit insects...

Heavenly Insect recalled the information about the Spirit Insect Continent in his memories, silently pondering it.

Unfortunately, earning the right to enter the Insect World requires passing three trials, and even attempting the first requires reaching the Supreme Realm. That's still far beyond me.

What he needed now was to return to the Spirit Insect Continent and gather some sufficiently powerful spirit insects.

The Hundred Spirits Continent was not particularly far from the Spirit Insect Continent. Of course, that was by the Great Thousand World's standards. If Heavenly Insect had to fly there himself, he probably would not make it back in his lifetime.

Every continent in the Great Thousand World was separated by endless oceans, and many powerful Spirit Beasts lived in those waters. Unless one had reached the Supreme Realm, one should never even consider crossing the ocean unaided. That would only turn one into a lump of dung in some sea beast's belly.

Teleportation arrays were the most common means of travel in the Great Thousand World. Almost every major city built one to maintain contact with the outside world.

However, these were only ordinary, small teleportation arrays with limited range. Most could only reach nearby continents. Long-distance teleportation arrays were not something ordinary people could afford to use.

Setting out from Ling Tian City, Heavenly Insect took teleportation arrays more than a dozen times along the way, nearly exhausting his tens of millions of spirit stones. At last, he arrived at the small continent closest to the Spirit Insect Continent-the Forest Continent...

This continent was formed entirely from enormous trees. Rumor had it that all its land consisted of the roots of giant trees called "jianmu."

These jianmu towered a thousand zhang high, their trunks comparable to enormous mountain peaks. The people living on this continent hollowed out the trunks to build their cities.

The teleportation platform where Heavenly Insect stood, for example, had been built on the branch of a giant tree.

"Welcome to Green Leaf City, traveler from afar. The entrance fee is twenty thousand spirit stones..." A young woman with long green hair sat before a wooden house, warmly addressing Heavenly Insect as he stepped off the teleportation platform.

This was the distinctive mark of the Spirit Leaf people: a head of emerald-green hair. Those of noble blood also grew a leaf like emerald jade on their foreheads.

Although this tribe was not as ancient as the Spirit Insect Tribe,

it still possessed a long heritage. Its people had always lived on the Forest Continent. Although their overall strength was modest, their peaceful nature meant they rarely caused trouble, so they had no enemies either. Of course, the most important reason was that the Forest Continent was too small to interest powerful cultivators. Combined with its unusual environment, no one besides the Spirit Leaf people was willing to live here for long.

Still, the Spirit Leaf people were not without merits. Their innate ability allowed them to extract a substance called spirit leaf sap from these jianmu. Although inferior to supreme spirit liquid, it was better than ordinary spirit stones, making it an excellent cultivation resource for cultivators below the Supreme Realm.

Because the Spirit Insect Tribe maintained an extremely closed attitude toward the outside world, the Spirit Insect Continent had no teleportation arrays directly connecting it to other places. Heavenly Insect would have to fly there from the Forest Continent. The Endless Sea between them posed an enormous threat to him. His original body's memories included an encounter with a sea serpent Spirit Beast of high-grade rank that had attacked him over the sea when he first ventured out.

Leaving the teleportation platform, Heavenly Insect followed an enormous branch beneath his feet until he saw a huge stone gate embedded in the trunk... This was one of Green Leaf City's entrances. Passing through it would take him into the city within the trunk.

Although he already possessed memories of these Spirit Leaf cities, experiencing one himself still felt utterly wondrous.

Since the city was built inside a tree trunk, it was illuminated not by sunlight but by a soft green fluorescence. Entering it felt like stepping into a dream.

Of course, Heavenly Insect had not come here to admire the marvelous sights. His purse was now painfully thin, so he intended to sell a few things for spirit stones.

He no longer had many spare possessions, but he did have plenty of the various Spirit Insect Liquids he had prepared.

Out in the wider world, these were necessities for a Spirit Insect Master, and he would never sell them unless absolutely necessary. But now he was about to reach the Spirit Insect Continent...

There, all kinds of spirit insect materials were considerably cheaper than elsewhere. He could simply prepare more once he arrived and even pocket the difference.

Moreover, plenty of spirit insects lived on the Forest Continent. Like the Spirit Leaf people, they depended on jianmu for survival. Although poor fighters, many possessed unusual abilities...

One example was the Treehouse Beetle, a particular favorite of the Spirit Insect Tribe.

This was a high-grade spirit insect, but its combat strength was thoroughly ordinary. Timid and alert, it had decent defenses and an enormous body, with countless seeds growing parasitically on its back. When stimulated with spiritual energy, those seeds would sprout rapidly and grow into a very comfortable treehouse...

It was practically an essential spirit insect for home life and travel!

His original body had once owned a Treehouse Beetle too. Unfortunately, it had also been burned to death by the Nine Nether Sparrow's black flames...

As he walked through the city inside the tree, all those passing around him were long-haired, green-haired Spirit Leaf people. Naturally, an outsider like Heavenly Insect attracted considerable attention.

Of course, that amounted to no more than a few glances, without causing much of a stir. After all, Green Leaf City still saw a few unfamiliar faces every year.

"Green Leaf Trading Company. This will do..."

After looking around, Heavenly Insect found what appeared to be the largest shop and stepped inside.

"Welcome, honored guest. What do you need? We have many rare specialties from the Forest Continent. You're certain to find something you like..." A beautiful woman in light, revealing clothing approached with a graceful sway. Judging by the emerald-jade leaf between her brows, her standing among the Spirit Leaf people should not have been low.

The fact that the Green Leaf Trading Company could employ someone like her as a welcoming attendant also demonstrated its strength.

"I'm in no hurry to buy anything. I have some things I'd like to sell to you..." Heavenly Insect's gaze did not linger on her as he spoke directly.

Her expression did not change. She smoothly shifted her pitch and continued, "May I ask what you wish to sell, honored guest? Our Green Leaf Trading Company purchases anything of value, and our prices are absolutely fair!"

"Fifty bottles of ordinary Spirit Insect Liquid, fifty bottles of Basic Enhancement Spirit Liquid, fifty bottles of Basic Evolution Spirit Liquid, ten bottles of Wood Attribute Enhancement Spirit Liquid, ten bottles of Fire Attribute Resistance Spirit Liquid, ten bottles of Venom Enhancer..."

Hearing Heavenly Insect reel off that long list, the woman's face lit up with delighted surprise. "May I ask, honored guest, are you a Spirit Insect Master?"

Heavenly Insect nodded lightly.

"To think I stand before a Spirit Insect Master! Forgive my discourtesy. My name is Lingling, and it is an honor to serve you, my lord..."

It was no wonder this woman called Lingling was so excited. Because of their proximity to the Spirit Insect Continent, the Spirit Insect Tribe held considerable influence over the Spirit Leaf people.

Moreover, the power of Spirit Insect Masters was an irresistible temptation to a weaker race like the Spirit Leaf people. Countless Spirit Leaf women wanted to marry a powerful Spirit Insect Master, and some even offered themselves for his bed. If they bore a child who inherited a Spirit Insect Master's bloodline, their standing would change immediately.

Even if they could not accompany him to live on the Spirit Insect Continent, their status on the Forest Continent would rise enormously. If their child grew powerful later, the mother would rise on her child's coattails. Even becoming a high-ranking noble was possible.

Of course, those who thought this way were mostly ordinary Spirit Leaf people, or women like Lingling whose noble blood did not match their social standing. Truly powerful members of the Spirit Leaf people would surely disdain such things.

Although this woman was warm and bold, with a figure and looks that were both excellent, Heavenly Insect felt no temptation whatsoever. At the very least, until he was strong enough, he had no intention of finding himself a burden to drag along...

Seeing his indifferent demeanor, Lingling immediately stopped daring to take liberties and became much more restrained, though she could not help feeling regretful.

She respectfully led Heavenly Insect into the trading company to sell all those spirit liquids. The prices were indeed as fair as she had promised.

Seeing that he once again had a decent amount of spare money, Heavenly Insect considered for a moment, then bought himself a high-quality Treehouse Beetle, followed by some spirit leaf sap...

Compared with his previous beetle, this Treehouse Beetle was not only larger, but could also grow a ring of thorny vines around the treehouse on its back, giving it a decent active defensive capability. Heavenly Insect was very satisfied.

He had been away from the Spirit Insect Tribe for so many years that he did not even know whether his home still existed. With this Treehouse Beetle, even if his home had fallen into ruin, he would at least have somewhere to shelter for the time being.

Thinking about it that way, Heavenly Insect's circumstances really were rather bleak...

On the southwestern coast of the Forest Continent, Heavenly Insect stood by the shore, gazing at the azure Endless Sea. A feeling of exhilaration rose involuntarily within him.

Under the refracted sunlight, some parts of the blue ocean shimmered with several colors, including azure and pale violet. It was truly beautiful.

But Heavenly Insect knew very well that beneath this beauty lurked deadly dangers. Even though he had now reached the Heaven Fusion Realm, he still could not afford to be careless.

The Endless Sea was the collective name for all the oceans in the Great Thousand World. The Great Thousand World was vast, but the Endless Sea was vaster still. Its countless continents were like islands floating upon that boundless ocean. Only because those islands were so immense did they bear another name: continents!

By area alone, the Spirit Insect Continent ranked only as medium-sized within the Great Thousand World. But thanks to the Spirit Insect Tribe, it enjoyed a formidable reputation throughout that world.

At this moment, Heavenly Insect sat cross-legged atop his Golden Armored Rhinoceros's head, gazing down at the azure, boundless ocean. From time to time, enormous fish-shaped Spirit Beasts leaped from the water, sending towering waves surging skyward.

One great advantage of being a Spirit Insect Master was that he did not have to handle everything himself. Spirit insects could act in his place.

Just like now: with the Golden Armored Rhinoceros carrying him, Heavenly Insect could remain in peak condition, ready to deal with any sudden developments.

Of course, he could also cultivate in his spare time, occasionally giving his Golden Armored Rhinoceros a bottle of Spirit Insect Liquid to replenish its energy.

A month later, after the long journey, Heavenly Insect finally saw a sight different from the endless expanse of ocean...

It was a black line with no end in sight, stretching across his vision like a long dragon on the horizon.

As he drew closer, the undulating mountain ranges gradually revealed their true forms. Just as Heavenly Insect became somewhat lost in thought, something shaped like a giant python flashed swiftly through the mountains, leaving only a series of gouges in the pitch-black cliffs with its blade-sharp claws.

It was actually a centipede!

And a centipede more than a thousand meters long!

"That's... an Armored Back Dragon Centipede?!" Heavenly Insect's eyes widened, and he could not help crying out in surprise.

This was a powerful spirit insect comparable to a Heavenly Beast ranked among the top fifty on the Myriad Beasts Record Earth Ranking. Even in the memories left by his original body, a spirit insect like this was decidedly rare.

"What a shame. I'm too weak right now. Otherwise, I absolutely couldn't let such a rare spirit insect slip away!"

Heavenly Insect clenched both fists, unwilling to accept it.

Of course, the Armored Back Dragon Centipede belonged to the Earth Meridian's sphere of cultivation, and it would be difficult for Heavenly Insect to draw out its full potential. The Heavenly Meridian favored the Heavenly Flying Dragon Centipede, a species of roughly equal rank. Legend held that both possessed dragon bloodlines and tremendous potential for development.

His original body had always yearned to obtain a Heavenly Flying Dragon Centipede egg, but had never gotten his wish.

"Forget it. Even seeing a creature like that is a good thing. Once I'm back, I'll find someone from the Earth Meridian and sell them this information. I imagine quite a few people will be interested..."