Translator: AnubisTL
Whoosh!
An explosive crack echoed through the night, vibrating Li Qing and Lin Jing's eardrums.
The big-mouthed worm, having fled an immense distance, seemed to have exhausted its stamina. It abruptly retracted its tentacles from the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat that had been pursuing it relentlessly.
They had already ventured deep into the Autumn Mountain Domain, an astonishing distance from the Black Wind Domain. This demonstrated the terrifying endurance of a third-tier exotic beast.
Li Qing's pupils constricted sharply. With a swift motion, he drew the Black Furnace and hurled it at the retreating tentacle.
Clang!
A dull, resonant clang reverberated through the air as the Black Furnace was flung back like a cannonball.
The big-mouthed worm's tentacle, now riddled with cracks and wounds, collapsed limply.
Thud!
The colossal worm, bristling with tentacles, finally came to rest. Its body curled into a tight coil, trembling uncontrollably on the ground.
"Master... is it begging for mercy?" Lin Jing gasped, her face a mask of disbelief.
The idea that a strange beast would not only flee but also adopt such a submissive posture was utterly inconceivable.
Ever since embarking on this journey with her master, her worldview had been shattered time and again!
Li Qing was unusually cautious when dealing with his disciple. He held the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer in one hand, while the other flickered with the faint glow of Netherworld Cold Fire.
This strange beast proved far more cunning than he had anticipated. He couldn't afford to underestimate it and had to remain constantly prepared for a counterattack.
Most importantly, Li Qing wanted to understand why this creature differed so drastically from other strange beasts.
Though its body appeared grotesque and deformed, it lacked the excessive ferocity and madness typically associated with such creatures, a fact that deeply intrigued him.
Swish! Swish!
The worm's trembling caused a series of scraping sounds to echo across the ground.
Should I just kill it?
Li Qing frowned, unable to make up his mind.
With this thought, he first extended his divine sense, enveloping the big-mouthed worm completely.
The creature offered no resistance, remaining frozen in place, trembling violently without reacting.
As his divine sense penetrated deeper, Li Qing soon discovered something astonishing:
This worm possessed a Demon Spirit!
Crack!
Li Qing's grip tightened on the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer. If it had a Demon Spirit, then...
This wasn't just a strange beast; it was a Demon beast, or rather, a demonic insect!
"It seems this insect existed long before the End of Dao Era. It's not a strange beast, but a demonic insect."
"But why does it look so bizarre?"
Li Qing's lips twitched. He realized this demonic insect didn't resemble any species he knew!
Back when he was at the Lingyun Sect, he had devoured countless ancient manuals to catch up on his cultivation knowledge.
One of them was called Records of the World's Extraordinary Insects, which cataloged many rare spirit insects from the cultivation world.
For example, the Frost Jade Ice Butterfly Shen Ningbing kept ranked seventy-eighth in the book.
Don't underestimate that ranking. Records of the World's Extraordinary Insects was remarkably comprehensive, even including spirit insects long extinct in the Human Realm and impossible to find.
Therefore, the Frost Jade Ice Butterfly Shen Ningbing had bound with a master-servant blood contract was a rare primordial ancient species, virtually unmatched among Demon beasts of its tier.
Yet, when Li Qing turned his gaze back to the big-mouthed worm, he was stunned to realize he couldn't identify its species at all!
"How strange! Its body is so bizarre, yet it's reached third-tier strength. Why can't I recognize it at all?"
Li Qing was utterly astonished.
He quickly came up with two possibilities.
Either this worm was just an ordinary demonic insect with an unremarkable bloodline, not worthy of being recorded in the Records of the World's Extraordinary Insects.
In other words, it didn't even rank!
The second possibility was that the worm had been bathed in the Red Moon's light for so long that it had undergone a fundamental transformation in its form, making it unrecognizable.
Could it be that during its larval stage, it happened to encounter the End of Dao Era? With no spiritual energy but constant exposure to the Red Moon's light, it underwent a mutation before reaching adulthood, causing it to remain in this bizarre form?
As he considered this, Li Qing found the possibility increasingly likely.
Perhaps this was indeed a heaven and earth extraordinary insect with an exceptional bloodline. After all, it was still in its larval stage, yet to pupate and mature.
With this thought, Li Qing suddenly hesitated to kill it. What if it turned out to be a rare insect ranked exceptionally high in the Records of the World's Extraordinary Insects?
The greatest value of such a powerful bloodline insect would naturally be to subdue it and nurture it alongside oneself, allowing it to grow into a formidable combatant.
Killing it would be like killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.
In the end, Li Qing decided to attempt to subdue the worm.
"Submit or die. Choose," he transmitted a divine thought into the worm's Sea of Consciousness using his divine sense. This was a mental communication; the worm already possessed near third-tier strength, making basic communication feasible.
Trembling, the worm received the divine thought and slowly released its tentacles, as if sizing up Li Qing.
Li Qing remained vigilant, a shattered origin great fire seal materializing in his hand, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
Finally, the worm opened its Sea of Consciousness, surrendering itself to Li Qing's will.
Sensing this, Li Qing split off a strand of his divine soul and planted a master-servant soul contract within the worm's Sea of Consciousness.
Having secured initial control, Li Qing pondered for a moment before drawing some of his own blood and condensing it into a master-servant blood contract.
Reinforced by both the soul contract and the blood contract, the big-mouthed worm naturally became Li Qing's pet insect.
Though its appearance was somewhat grotesque, it was still a third-tier exotic insect!
If he brought it back to the Great Wilderness Domain, once its spiritual energy recovered, its strength would likely increase further.
A core formation realm combatant? Even if it's ugly, it's still worth it!
With this thought, Li Qing immediately sent a divine sense message to the big-mouthed worm, asking about its specific species of spirit insect.
However, the worm's consciousness was surprisingly rudimentary; it didn't even know its own origins. It only knew that it had been this way since gaining sentience.
"Well, that's a bit of a problem," Li Qing chuckled wryly, then stroked one of the worm's tentacles that lay before him.
The texture was incredibly soft and pliable, yet remarkably resilient, and it contained immense power. No wonder it could withstand his Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer.
"Never mind. Whatever species you are, with your thick hide and sturdy build, you'll make a decent front-line fighter."
As he spoke, Lin Jing rushed forward eagerly from behind.
"Master, have you tamed this strange beast as well?"
The cat ears on Lin Jing's head twitched excitedly, her face alight with wonder.
"Hmm, this worm possesses a trace of spiritual intelligence and has lost its ability to resist. I thought it would be a pity to kill such a creature, so I subdued it instead."
No sooner had Li Qing finished speaking than Lin Jing eagerly scrambled onto the worm's back, showing no disdain for its rather unappealing appearance. Instead, she poked and prodded it with childlike curiosity, her face alight with fascination.
"Wahahaha! This worm is so squishy! By the way, Master, have you given it a name yet?"
As she spoke, Lin Jing began bouncing on the worm's back, treating the poor big-mouthed worm like a trampoline.
A name...
Li Qing felt a headache coming on at the mere mention of it.
Never one for naming things, he now had to consider giving the creature a proper name. After all, he couldn't keep calling it "big-mouthed worm" when commanding it in battle.
"Hmm, let me think about it," he replied.
Before he could finish, Lin Jing exclaimed excitedly, "Master, how about calling it Ninth Insect? It has nine tentacles—that's so rare!"
Li Qing, never one for names, immediately accepted his disciple's suggestion.
"Excellent!"
(End of the Chapter)
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