Rest and Recuperation in the Mu Domain

Mu Feng looked at his son lying on the ground, frantic with worry, but he had no time to check Mu Chen's condition. If even one blossom of black flame fell on them, they would all be finished.

Heavenly Insect was closest to Mu Chen, so after realizing that he had merely fainted, he said, "Don't panic. He's only unconscious. He's not seriously hurt!"

Those words made Mu Feng let out a long sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Brother Heavenly Insect!"

Yet everyone was puzzled. Why had that flame automatically avoided Heavenly Insect's spiritual energy shield, turned a corner, and struck Mu Chen instead?

Surely bad luck alone could no longer explain that?

Having finally survived that earth-shattering catastrophe, the people of the Mu Domain dared not linger. They immediately lifted the unconscious Mu Chen and headed out of the Black Nether Abyss.

Heavenly Insect did not object. He followed the group silently, though his spiritual sense remained fixed on Mu Chen, hoping to understand the changes occurring within him.

Unfortunately, with his current strength, changes on the level of the soul were far beyond his reach. Apart from discovering that the mass of black flame inside Mu Chen had disappeared, he found nothing.

Still, this confirmed one thing for Heavenly Insect: the flame that had struck Mu Chen earlier was definitely a wisp of the true spirit of the Nine Netherworld Sparrow, who had successfully survived her tribulation.

He had no idea why she had so conveniently found Mu Chen. Hadn't he been standing at the very front, making him the most suitable target?

Of course, Heavenly Insect felt no regret. If it had been him, without the Immortal Page to suppress her, the most likely outcome would have been the Nine Nether Sparrow seizing his body outright and turning him into nourishment for her rebirth.

With Heavenly Insect present, their group made it smoothly out of the Black Nether Abyss and set off on the journey back to the Mu Domain.

Along the way, Mu Chen finally awoke after his long period of unconsciousness, allowing the deeply worried Mu Feng to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Son, are you all right?"

Mu Chen rubbed his aching head and asked, "Dad, what happened?"

"What happened? You little brat got caught by that black flame! How could you be careless at such a dangerous moment? Are you trying to anger your old man to death?" Mu Feng rapped Mu Chen on the head with his knuckles, his face full of anger.

"Ow, that hurts!"

Mu Chen cried out despite himself. Rubbing his forehead, he said with a bitter smile, "I didn't expect it either. Who knew I'd be so unlucky..."

"But what about the Nine Nether Sparrow? Did she die?"

"Yes." Mu Feng nodded with some regret.

The Nine Nether Sparrow had left nothing behind after detonating herself. Their expedition had yielded absolutely nothing.

Still, at least the Liu Domain had not succeeded either. Moreover, the Liu Domain had lost quite a few experts in the Black Nether Abyss this time, leaving them far worse off.

"We've already passed through the Black Nether Abyss. We'll be back in the Mu Domain soon."

Mu Chen nodded, but remembering the scene he had witnessed in his mind while unconscious, he could not shake the feeling that the Nine Nether Sparrow had not died...

Without thinking, Mu Chen glanced in another direction.

There, Heavenly Insect was watching him with a smile. His clear, bright eyes seemed to have seen through everything.

Two days later, Mu Feng and his group returned to the Mu Domain. Travel-worn and dusty, they recalled the dangers of their expedition and quietly breathed sighs of relief. They had finally made it back alive.

Mu Feng dismissed everyone, while Mu Chen wandered around briefly before returning to his room and falling into a deep sleep.

As for Heavenly Insect, after arriving at the courtyard Mu Feng had prepared especially for him, he made a list of the things he needed. Mu Feng then hurried off to gather them.

Sitting alone in his room, Heavenly Insect finally had time to sort through the abilities and methods he had inherited from the body's original owner.

Aside from the bloodline ability unique to the Spirit Insect Tribe,

which allowed him to communicate with the consciousness of spirit insects, Heavenly Insect was also proficient in various secret arts exclusive to Spirit Insect Masters. These included the melodies played on the Spirit Insect Flute, each with a different function, such as command, berserk, taming, and soul capture!

Earlier, Heavenly Insect had helped the people of the Mu Domain cross the Black Poison Marsh by using the Soul-Capturing Melody. Its music controlled spirit insects and spirit beasts, placing them under his command for a short time.

Of course, this method only worked on targets far weaker than himself, whether they were spirit insects or spirit beasts.

There were also methods for cultivating spirit insects, including spirit insect advancement, mutation, and enhancement.

There were techniques for capturing and controlling spirit insects as well, such as the Perception Art, Insect-Catching Net, Soul-Capturing Array, and Insect-Control Spirit Marks.

Spirit Insect Masters could be said to possess a complete, systematic, and scientific path, one that required them to spend most of their time researching and studying.

In this respect, their requirements were much the same as those of Spirit Array Masters, Spirit Pill Masters, and similar professions in the present-day Great Thousand World.

After silently organizing the secret arts in his memories, Heavenly Insect could not help rubbing his temples.

He had to admit that, although the original owner lacked talent, he had learned these fundamentals extremely thoroughly. He could be considered quite an accomplished theorist.

Well, the main reason was that he had possessed few usable resources. With his low standing and the tribe's lack of interest in him, some of his higher-level secret arts had remained purely theoretical.

Spirit insect mutation and advancement, for instance, had to be tailored to different species and even individual insects. The slightest mistake could cause irreversible consequences, so Heavenly Insect would have to devote more effort to this area next.

"Devouring Spirit Bees would make excellent experimental subjects. Besides, the original owner already had considerable experience cultivating them..."

In fact, the original owner had bred these Devouring Spirit Bees specifically for experiments, and there had not been nearly so many of them at first.

In other words, these Devouring Spirit Bees had not originally been part of the original owner's fighting force. That was why they had been fortunate enough to survive his battle with the Nine Nether Sparrow.

Heavenly Insect intended to see whether he could enhance and advance these Devouring Spirit Bees. He did not expect all the tens of thousands of bees to become intermediate spirit insects, but he would be satisfied if at least one-fifth of them evolved.

"Now it all depends on whether Mu Feng can deliver..."

Over the following days, Heavenly Insect remained in his small courtyard, organizing and familiarizing himself with the secret arts in his mind while waiting for news from Mu Feng.

Meanwhile, Mu Chen was gazing delightedly at the small, exquisite wheel of spiritual energy within his body.

"I've finally broken through to the Spirit Wheel Realm. Now I've met the most basic admission requirement for the Five Great Academies."

The Five Great Academies referred to five Spirit Academies renowned throughout the Great Thousand World: the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy, the Sacred Spirit Academy, the Martial Spirit Academy, the Azure Sky Spirit Academy, and the Myriad Phoenix Spirit Academy.

The Five Great Spirit Academies had established the Spirit Road, which opened once every three years. Candidates were identified by the Mirror of Judgment, and all those selected possessed exceptional talent.

Only those who passed the Spirit Road Trial could enter the Five Great Academies to cultivate...

Of course, these arrangements were intended for extraordinary geniuses. Ordinary people could still compete for a seed quota at the countless schools affiliated with the Five Great Academies, earning the right to participate in their entrance assessments. Those who passed could likewise join the Five Great Academies.

Mu Chen had once set foot on the Spirit Road himself, but for some unknown reason, he had been expelled midway through. This had made him the target of considerable ridicule.

Yet Mu Chen had always faced it calmly. Perhaps the only thing about the Spirit Road that still weighed on his heart was the promise he had made to a certain person back then!

Mu Chen pressed his lips tightly together. A pride and determination that ran bone-deep showed on the young man's handsome face.

With his spirit wheel successfully condensed, Mu Chen finally relaxed completely...

Just as he was about to leave his current state, however, a somewhat familiar, clear cry suddenly rang out in his mind.

Screee!

The clear cry was not particularly loud, but it struck Mu Chen like a bolt of lightning. His entire body stiffened, and a buzzing sound reverberated through his head.

Boom!

Just as the cry shocked Mu Chen's mind into a complete inability to think, an extremely savage fluctuation suddenly emerged from within his body and rushed straight toward his mind, as though it intended to devour his consciousness!

The soul essence was devouring its master?!

In an instant, that phrase surfaced in Mu Chen's mind.

It immediately sent an icy chill through his already dazed body, and terror rapidly flooded his eyes.

In Heavenly Insect's small courtyard, Mu Feng finally arrived.

"My apologies, my apologies. There's been so much to handle these past few days that I've neglected you. Please don't hold it against me, Brother Heavenly Insect." The moment he appeared, Mu Feng cupped his hands and apologized.

Heavenly Insect shook his head unconcernedly. "It's all right. I took the opportunity to get some proper rest. But may I ask how the things I requested are coming along, Domain Lord Mu?"

Under their original agreement, Heavenly Insect would assist the Mu Domain's expedition into the Black Nether Abyss, and the Mu Domain would provide whatever he needed free of charge.

Mu Feng naturally would not break his word on this matter. Taking out a Mustard Seed Bracelet, he said with a smile, "Rest assured, Brother Heavenly Insect. My word is trustworthy. The materials you requested are all here, though the Void Gloom Stones and Spiritual Origin Essence are a little troublesome. Those will take a little longer..."

Heavenly Insect took the Mustard Seed Bracelet and probed it with his spiritual sense. Most of the materials he needed had been gathered, and their quantities even exceeded his requests.

Some of the rarer materials were in shorter supply, however. As for the Void Gloom Stones and Spiritual Origin Essence Mu Feng had mentioned, those were indeed two rare spiritual materials that were difficult to find. It was understandable that they would require more time.

"Thank you, Domain Lord Mu," Heavenly Insect said gratefully.

"Please don't stand on ceremony, Brother Heavenly Insect. This is simply what we agreed upon." Mu Feng laughed heartily.

He had to admit that Mu Feng's forthright personality made him easy to like. No wonder he had managed to win over a woman like Qing Yanjing back then...

"By the way, where's Mu Chen? I haven't seen him these past few days." Thinking of Qing Yanjing naturally brought Mu Chen to mind. Heavenly Insect felt that Mu Chen should already have encountered the Nine Nether Sparrow's soul essence within his body by now.

"That boy? He should be studying spirit arrays with his teacher right now..."

At this point, Mu Feng could not hide the pride on his face. "That little brat has some talent, at least. He's shown quite a knack for cultivating spirit arrays!"

Heavenly Insect smiled and nodded. He was equally certain of that. After all, Mu Chen's mother was a Saint Grade Grandmaster-level Spirit Array Master. It could be considered hereditary.

After chatting with Mu Feng for a while, Heavenly Insect shut himself away in his courtyard once more.

Although he was still missing two special materials, the supplies he had were already enough to refine some Spirit Insect Liquid.

This was a food unique to the Spirit Insect Tribe, used to feed spirit insects. It accelerated their growth and could also increase their chances of advancement to a certain extent.

Heavenly Insect had originally possessed two bottles of this Spirit Insect Liquid, but too many of his Soul Devouring Bee Swarm had died in the Black Nether Abyss. He had therefore fed both bottles to the remaining Devouring Spirit Bees to accelerate their reproduction.

For this purpose, Heavenly Insect had specifically asked Mu Feng to help build an enormous hive on a mountain twenty li outside Mu City.

Unfortunately, Mu Feng had not brought any Void Gloom Stones this time. Otherwise, Heavenly Insect could have crafted a basic Spirit Insect Pouch and placed the Devouring Spirit Bees directly inside it. This would not only accelerate their reproduction but also greatly improve their safety and reduce their losses.

Over the next few days, wisps of cooking smoke curled above Heavenly Insect's small courtyard. Each day, he used spirit soul fire to refine Spirit Insect Liquid, living a rather leisurely life.

Meanwhile, in another courtyard of the Mu Estate, Wen Ling stared dumbfounded at the spirit seals rapidly appearing at Mu Chen's fingertips. Mu Feng had specially invited him to teach Mu Chen about spirit arrays.

Only after a long while did Wen Ling recover. He gave Mu Chen a strange look and thought, How long has this little fellow even been studying spirit arrays? He can already condense ten spirit seals. His talent for this is simply astonishing.

"Ahem." Coming back to his senses, Wen Ling gave a dry cough and concealed the astonishment on his face. He took a red array diagram from inside his robe and handed it to Mu Chen. "This is a relatively simple first-grade spirit array called the Flame Spirit Array. It requires at least fifteen spirit seals to set up. Just study it for now. Don't attempt to form it. A spirit array's backlash is no laughing matter."

Mu Chen took the red array diagram excitedly and nodded repeatedly.

Although he had not gotten a chance to use a spirit array in the Black Nether Abyss, his experiments over the past few days had shown him just how powerful they could be.

If he could master some powerful spirit arrays, he would have greater confidence when fighting others in the future.

Excited, Mu Chen returned to his courtyard with barely restrained impatience and began diligently studying the array diagram in his hands. As he studied, he continued increasing the number of spirit seals he could condense. After countless attempts and countless failures, he finally succeeded in fully setting up the first-grade spirit array, and even personally tested the Flame Spirit Array's power.