Golden Crystal Jade Lotus

His suspicions about Heavenly Insect made Flying Scorpion Inkstone all the more eager. With a friendly smile, he said, "Brother Heavenly Insect, I imagine you understand the situation here now...

"Those people from the Flying Spirit Army are powerful. Qingyan and the other two commanders have cultivation on par with mine, but there are three of them, each with a Heaven-grade Spirit Insect. If we don't band together, I'm afraid we'll have to hand over the greatest treasure of this Insect Prison Site on a silver platter!"

Heavenly Insect nodded repeatedly, looking thoroughly convinced.

Delighted by his response, Flying Scorpion Inkstone struck while the iron was hot. "Aside from you, Brother Heavenly Insect, there are six others here in the Heaven Fusion Realm. They're all prominent figures who dominate their own corners of Flying Spirit City, and I know them well. As long as you agree, the eight of us can join forces. Even Qingyan and his two companions will have to give way! Then we'll split whatever treasures we obtain equally between us. What do you think?"

Heavenly Insect looked astonished. "But wouldn't that leave you at a disadvantage, Brother Flying Scorpion?"

If this eight-person alliance succeeded, Flying Scorpion Inkstone's strength would undoubtedly make him its leader, and he would surely contribute the most. His willingness to share the treasures equally with everyone else was clearly no small sacrifice.

Flying Scorpion Inkstone waved his hand expansively and said with a hearty air, "Oh, don't think that way, Brother Heavenly Insect! We're all joining forces to fight the Flying Spirit Army, so everyone's contribution counts equally. Naturally, the treasures we obtain should be shared equally too!"

"All right, then I'll follow your lead, Brother Flying Scorpion!" Heavenly Insect declared, his face brimming with enthusiasm.

At this, Flying Scorpion Inkstone could not help curling his lips into a smile.

Could a mere youngster possibly escape this old man's silver tongue?

Even if words can't persuade him, there's still the lure of treasure... I refuse to believe anyone who came here could resist that temptation!

Of course, Qingyan and the Flying Spirit Army had appeared at just the right time. Without their threat, gathering so many people into an alliance would probably have been difficult.

"Big brother, that Flying Scorpion Inkstone is far too arrogant! He's recruiting people to oppose our Flying Spirit Army right in front of us. Should I go teach him a lesson?"

Beside Qingyan, a burly man watched Flying Scorpion Inkstone deftly working the crowd and spoke indignantly.

But Qingyan immediately raised a hand to stop him.

"Ignore him. They're nothing but a few clowns jumping about." Qingyan smiled coldly. "From what I know of that scorpion, he's hardly the generous sort. Once they're faced with treasure, his true colors will show..."

To Qingyan, this so-called alliance was nothing but a joke. Once they found something truly valuable, they would turn on one another faster than flipping a page!

Just as everyone was busy forging alliances, something suddenly stirred atop Sword Peak...

Buzzz!

Six immense pillars of light pierced the sky, then formed six enormous gates of light at the foot of the mountain beneath countless astonished gazes.

Gulp.

Someone could not help quietly swallowing, scorching eagerness welling up in the depths of their eyes.

"Sword Peak has opened!"

Someone suddenly roared, and the previously quiet surroundings erupted into a frenzy!

In the next instant, countless surges of spiritual energy shot into the sky, and figure after figure streaked forward like lightning, charging straight toward the only six entrances.

"Go!"

Flying Scorpion Inkstone reacted swiftly as well. The moment the six gates stabilized, he gave a low shout and shot ahead first...

Behind him, Heavenly Insect and the other six followed close on his heels, their speed like brilliant streaks across the sky.

Qingyan's expression changed sharply. Cursing inwardly, Damn it, he immediately bellowed to the Flying Spirit Army waiting behind him, "Seal off every entrance at once! Without my orders, no one is allowed to approach.

"Kill anyone who disobeys!" "As you command!"

The army answered in unison, then immediately split into six units that barred the entrances to all six gates. Those who had reacted too slowly to charge inside first were stopped outright.

With treasure right before their eyes, these people naturally refused to accept being shut out. Battle erupted instantly!

Qingyan glanced over the fighting around the six gates. Though the challengers were numerous, breaking through the formations of the elite Flying Spirit Army was a fool's dream. After that single glance, he paid them no further attention and led his two brothers straight into one of the gates.

Once Heavenly Insect passed through the gate, the light before his eyes suddenly brightened. Before him stood an immense mountain that seemed to blot out an entire expanse of heaven and earth, stretching boundlessly beyond sight.

From outside, Sword Peak had merely looked majestic. Up close, its sheer size was terrifying.

Heavenly Insect and the others were deeply shaken by the mountain's scale, but they soon descended swiftly and landed on a peak.

"To think it looked like a lone sword-tomb peak from outside, yet only after entering do we realize how enormous the space within Sword Peak is..." The speaker was a seductive woman in a purple-black dress. Her dark lips and the dark circles around her eyes, in particular, almost made Heavenly Insect think she had been poisoned.

This woman was called Demon Butterfly-or at least, that was the name she gave others. Her real name was unknown. Her most distinctive feature was the palm-sized purple Rift Phoenix Butterfly that always perched on her shoulder.

The Rift Phoenix Butterfly was a relatively rare high-grade spirit insect that could manipulate wind to attack. Its close-combat ability, however, was extremely weak. Once anything got close, even a mid-grade spirit beast could kill it.

Everyone quickly surveyed their surroundings and found that everything here was emerald green and radiated vigorous life. Even the spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed especially active...

Heavenly Insect glanced at the Blade Mantis beside him and discovered that it had become unusually excited, as though the surrounding spiritual energy held an immense attraction for it.

"The spiritual energy here greatly benefits spirit insects, but for Spirit Insect Masters, it's exactly the opposite. Controlling it takes several times the mental effort..."

As someone in the Heaven Transformation Realm, Flying Scorpion Inkstone was the first to notice the abnormality in the spiritual energy and warned Heavenly Insect and the others.

"In that case, we should avoid fighting personally as much as possible from now on. If we exhaust ourselves too much and can't replenish our energy in time, we'll be in danger!"

The speaker was an old man named Gongyang Huo. He was the oldest person present, but his cultivation had only just reached the early Heaven Fusion Realm, leaving him with relatively low standing in their eight-person alliance.

Everyone nodded in agreement, though this was hardly a problem for them. After all, they were all Spirit Insect Masters, whose fighting style did not favor charging into close combat themselves. Generally speaking, a Spirit Insect Master remained relatively safe until all their spirit insects had been killed.

Flying Scorpion Inkstone surveyed their surroundings and found that the area was indeed far larger than anyone had expected. After pondering briefly, he said, "Six gates appeared around Sword Peak just now. From what I know of Qingyan, he'll definitely have his army seal them off, then come inside to search for treasure himself..."

"Let's split up and try to gather as much useful information as possible in the shortest time. If you spot Qingyan and the others, don't act rashly. Avoid them first, then pass the news along so we can plan carefully!"

Heavenly Insect and the others nodded at this proposal. Then the seductive Demon Butterfly spoke again. She opened her hand, and eight blue butterflies flew out from her white-jade palm...

"These are Wind-Seeking Butterflies. They can locate their companions even from a hundred li away. We'll each take one. When we want to regroup, release them, and they'll lead us back to one another."

The eyes of Heavenly Insect and the others lit up. Spirit insects used for tracking companions were extremely rare, mainly because they were difficult to raise. Since Demon Butterfly could produce eight at once, she apparently possessed a Wind-Seeking Butterfly Queen.

"All right, since we're ready, let's split up!"

With that, Flying Scorpion Inkstone chose a direction, then pressed his foot against the flying scorpion beneath him and vanished into the distant mountains.

The others exchanged nods, then scattered in their respective directions.

Heavenly Insect looked into the distance. Aside from Heaven-grade Spirit Insects, what he most wanted from this Insect Prison Site was powerful, high-grade spiritual materials such as supreme spirit liquid, so that the Golden Origin Heavenly Silkworm could break out of its cocoon and become a cicada as soon as possible!

After all, emerging from its cocoon as a cicada would be a turning point not only in the Golden Origin Heavenly Silkworm's fate, but in Heavenly Insect's as well.

The difference between a Golden Origin Heavenly Silkworm with no direct combat ability and a primordial savage insect capable of devouring the Great Thousand World would affect Heavenly Insect as profoundly as the distance between heaven and earth.

So although Heavenly Insect was always quibbling with Golden Cicada and acting stingy, that was because he wanted to strengthen himself quickly enough to provide sufficient protection for both himself and the Golden Origin Heavenly Silkworm. In truth, he was more eager than anyone for the Golden Origin Heavenly Silkworm to emerge from its cocoon!

"Golden Cicada, stop sleeping! Come out and sense where the spiritual energy is richest and where there are the most spiritual treasures. We'll go there first!"

Everyone else who entered this place first searched for the legacies of ancient Spirit Insect Masters, or at the very least looked for Heaven-grade Spirit Insects. Heavenly Insect, however, went straight for places rich in spiritual energy and treasures. Anyone who found out would surely say he was putting the cart before the horse!

"Who's sleeping? I've been helping you refine the seal around the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito, and you dare slander me!" Golden Cicada's indignant voice rang out in Heavenly Insect's mind.

"All right, all right, I was wrong. Stop fussing and use your ability to find me a direction!" Forced to bow his head beneath a low eave, Heavenly Insect admitted his mistake without hesitation.

"That's more like it..."

As the voice faded, a ring of golden ripples spread outward. A moment later, Golden Cicada spoke again. "Keep going diagonally to the left. There's a place with extremely dense spiritual energy. It should be a gathering place for spiritual treasures. Let's hurry over!"

Heavenly Insect raised an eyebrow. If he remembered correctly, that was the direction Demon Butterfly had taken...

But it did not really matter. After all, there were eight of them and only six directions to choose from. Some were bound to overlap, so he was not worried about any misunderstanding if he ran into Demon Butterfly.

"Let's go, let's go..."

Standing atop the Golden Armored Rhinoceros with the Blade Mantis beside him, Heavenly Insect and his two insects turned into streaks of light and sped diagonally to the left.

Whoosh!

The sound of rushing wind rang through the lush, ancient mountain range.

A streak of light swept across the sky, the wind pressure from its high speed carving a deep furrow through the sea of trees below.

Powerful spiritual energy enveloped Heavenly Insect and the Golden Armored Rhinoceros beneath his feet. He watched the endless forest rush past below, then looked into the distance, where its end was equally invisible. Clearly, the world within the Sword Peak Barrier was terrifyingly vast.

Relying on Golden Cicada's keen perception, Heavenly Insect could also detect quite a few spiritual energy fluctuations in other directions. They presumably belonged to the groups lucky enough to have entered ahead of the others.

These groups might not have had many members, but they still shattered the former silence of the Sword Peak Domain. The constant surges of spiritual energy shooting skyward brought a little human presence to this Insect Prison Site, which, though lush with growth, otherwise showed little sign of life.

Under the Golden Origin Heavenly Silkworm's guidance, Heavenly Insect traveled swiftly for half an hour before finally reaching the place where spiritual energy gathered.

It was a valley filled with spirit mist. Even a light sniff gave him the sensation of spiritual energy filling his body.

The valley was not large, but it was enveloped in an overwhelming radiance of spiritual light. Amid the crystalline gleam, it resembled a dazzling crystal pool piled high with gemstones.

As he entered the valley, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed around him like a vast torrent, almost seeming to produce a gentle, enchanting rush of water.

"This is practically a whole valley of spiritual treasures, isn't it?" Heavenly Insect murmured, gazing around in a daze.

Within the valley, rare natural treasures swayed in the breeze, their rich fragrance drifting through the air and refreshing the heart and mind.

"Wow! So much delicious food..."

The gluttonous voice that suddenly sounded in his mind jolted Heavenly Insect out of his reverie and made the corner of his mouth twitch.

Of course, if these were merely ordinary natural treasures, Heavenly Insect would not have lost his composure like this. After all, aside from selling them for money, he could only have Golden Cicada devour and refine them into spiritual energy to replenish himself.

But in that brief glance, Heavenly Insect's gaze had locked onto a lotus-shaped object that looked as though it were made of gold and jade...

"A sixth-grade golden crystal jade lotus!"

This was an extremely rare metal-attribute spiritual material. Its substance existed in a strange state between plant and metal, and it could greatly enhance a spirit insect's metal-attribute abilities.

Most importantly, according to the memories left by the original owner's father, it was one of the indispensable primary materials for raising a Six-Eyed Blade Mantis!

"I originally thought I'd have to break through the Three Heavens Realm and reach the three minor tribulations of the Sovereign, or even higher, before I could start raising a Six-Eyed Blade Mantis. Who would have thought I'd find a sixth-grade golden crystal jade lotus here? The god of transmigration really is watching over me!"