Chapter 38: From Now On, I Am a Cultivator with a Spirit Beast
“Mm—”
Within the small cavern, Shen Lian’s divine sense surged instinctively, as if something new had sprouted in his mind. Countless characters converged, forming information about beast-taming, crowding his thoughts. Details about contracting and nurturing various spirit beasts, methods for advancement and healing, selection and cultivation of one’s natal spirit beast, and guidance for their progression—all of it flooded his consciousness. The sheer volume of information was immense, with nine-tenths devoted to descriptions of spirit beasts.
The insights Shen Lian had accumulated allowed him to ascend only to the level of a mid-tier first-rank beast master, so these introductions were not particularly detailed. For instance, there were hundreds of branches within the dragon genus, but each was introduced with merely a single line. Deeper understanding would require gradual advancement and inheritance.
In the cultivation world, many sects practiced beast-taming, but most were not true orthodox beast-taming sects. The majority relied on spirit beasts’ natural cultivation, which was not only slow but also often hindered by bloodline limitations, causing bottlenecks. True beast-taming sects, however, possessed secret techniques, enabling them to use external means—appropriate spiritual medicines, secret arts, and arrays—to enhance the probability of spirit beasts’ advancement.
It was much like how human cultivators practiced Qi refinement, Foundation Establishment, or Core Formation; knowing what medicines to take during advancement and what environment to cultivate in—such mastery was the mark of a genuine beast master. Moreover, the intimacy between beast master and spirit beast was vital, as was their coordination in battle.
The levels of beast masters and spirit beasts were not fixed. If a cultivator had great fortune, he could contract a Core Formation dragon even while still at the Qi refinement stage and ride the dragon all the same.
After receiving the inheritance of beast-taming, Shen Lian spent an entire night digesting its contents. The art encompassed all manner of creatures—scale, feather, insect, and even humans; if one was open-minded enough, one could even attempt to tame a cultivator for amusement.
Shen Lian’s favored ants and bees belonged to the insect category. With the inheritance in hand, he dismissed his chosen bee targets and settled on the ant tribe instead. The reason was simple: advancing bee-type demon insects required various spiritual flowers, whereas ants could subsist on carrion, making them far easier to raise.
After destroying the small cavern and affixing both the Swift Movement and Breath Concealment talismans, Shen Lian began his search for an ant queen.
The cultivation world was home to many demon ant species. The renowned Mountain-moving Ants possessed immense strength, capable of carrying mountains a thousand feet high. There were also the Spirit-devouring Ants, whose swarms appeared in endless numbers, consuming everything in their path and leaving desolate wastelands behind. It was said that once, a Spirit-devouring Ant tide erupted in the cultivation world, devouring even Nascent Soul cultivators.
Since then, an unwritten rule prevailed: wherever Spirit-devouring Ants appeared, they must be exterminated immediately lest they grow out of control.
Shen Lian would never commit such a grave offense by meddling with Spirit-devouring Ants, fearing their backlash as much as anyone.
Cautiously, he traversed the wild mountain forests, probing beneath grass, mud, and stones. Insects and ants abounded, but most were ordinary, yet to undergo demonization.
Like a nimble monkey, Shen Lian leaped and climbed throughout the woods, always alert to potential dangers. For every area he searched, he first set up talisman arrays as a precaution, only removing them once the region proved safe. Then he proceeded to the next area, repeating the process.
…
Five days later.
Beneath a low hill within the bounds of Thousand Cloud Mountain.
“Push it up, push it up.”
Shen Lian gestured toward the Black-horned Demon Ant before him, signaling it to lift the stone.
The Black-horned Demon Ant, about the size of an infant's fist, bore a pair of horns as long as its body. Demon tribes prized bloodlines, and it was said the Black-horned Ant carried the lineage of the Mountain-moving Ant.
At Shen Lian’s command, the Black-horned Ant easily pushed the stone aside.
After days of combing through ravines and tangled woods, his efforts had finally paid off; he had found this Qi refinement stage Black-horned Ant. Pity it was a male.
Still, this posed little problem. Demonized creatures possessed greatly enhanced strength, allowing them to easily command other ant colonies.
Hiss— hiss—
The Black-horned Ant’s antennae clashed beneath its horns, emitting a hiss as it sought to nuzzle up to Shen Lian.
Using divine sense, Shen Lian attempted to communicate, but the ant’s mind was somewhat dull, and it took considerable effort to convey his orders.
“Hiss, hiss—”
“Since you’re the one I dug out after all this mountain climbing and mud-sifting, I’ll call you Big Black.”
“Hiss, hiss.”
“You’re a simpleton. When I find one with a sharper mind, I’ll replace you.”
“Hiss, hiss—”
Big Black rolled over in front of Shen Lian.
“Go on— fetch your mates and offspring to stand guard.”
…
Rustle, rustle…
The once nameless hill, now called Safe Haven Mountain, was a subsidiary peak of Thousand Cloud Mountain.
Beneath the miasma-ridden jungle, outside a cramped cave piled with rocks and dead leaves, a Breath Concealment array blended seamlessly with the stones.
Through the narrow entrance, the interior opened into a two-zhang wide abode, with array flags wedged into each corner, radiating the same glow as the surrounding earth and stone.
Inside, a simple bed, basic household items, and a meditation cushion for cultivation stood, with several medicine bottles scattered nearby.
In one corner, beneath seemingly ordinary soil and stone, a vertical tunnel descended.
Its walls bore Solidification talismans to harden the earth, Breath Concealment talismans to mask presence, and Divine Sense talismans for detection.
Below, Shen Lian cultivated, with a Burrowing talisman affixed to his body, ever ready to flee at the slightest disturbance.
Before him lay an ant nest, swarming with countless Black-horned Ants. Outside the nest, a chunk of demon beast meat radiated demonic energy.
The mass of ants scrambled to devour the meat, but ordinary Black-horned Ants could not withstand the demon beast’s aura. Most perished before even reaching the meat, overwhelmed by its energy.
“Hiss, hiss.”
Big Black hissed, urging the others onward. Persistently, some managed to bite into the meat, only to die as their bodies burst.
The area outside the nest was soon carpeted with corpses.
Big Black took those exploded bodies, sending some into the nest for the ant queens to consume, and feasting on others himself.
Within the nest, over a hundred ant queens resided; in just half a month, countless Black-horned Ants had hatched.
Half a month later, after untold ant deaths, one Black-horned Ant took a bite of the demon beast meat and survived, its body not bursting.
After a quarter-hour of writhing, a trace of demonic energy appeared upon it.
It had successfully demonized.
The moment demonic energy emerged, Shen Lian, deep in cultivation, opened his eyes to behold the lucky ant standing atop the bones of its kin.
Beside it, Big Black gnawed on a spirit stone, sensing the presence of his newly demonized comrade and emitting a low hiss.
The freshly demonized ant crawled before Big Black, who lifted his head, antennae waving, and hissed in greeting.
“Only Qi refinement stage one, while I’m at stage seven still burrowing in mountain caves…”
Seeing Big Black show off, Shen Lian grabbed him in annoyance.
“Be steady, understand?”
“Hiss, hiss.”
“You blockhead, hurry up and go spread your seed.”
He tossed Big Black into the ant nest.
This spirit beast may be a bit dull, but its obedience was pleasing, and Shen Lian was satisfied.
Now, all ant nests within three miles of the small mountain had been subdued by Big Black.
Unfortunately, ordinary Black-horned Ants lacked awareness of their surroundings, and the mountain Shen Lian had named Safe Haven was not truly safe yet.
…
Half a year later.
Boom—
Deep in the wilderness, the earth shook violently.
Within the ruins of Miasma Cloud Mountain, dazzling spiritual radiance pierced the heavens like pillars of light.
After the light columns formed, they trembled, sending terrifying waves of energy sweeping in all directions.
All miasma within a thousand miles overhead was instantly dissolved as if snow under a blazing sun.
Below the spiritual light, Miasma Cloud Mountain revealed three enormous crevices among its many fissures.
Within these cracks, spiritual energy surged like dragons, racing along the rifts.
Wherever they passed, mountains crumbled and forests collapsed.
Within mere moments, the three great cracks reached Yunmeng, South River, and Long River—the three major market towns.
The towns, still under construction, were reduced to ruins in a breath under the onslaught of spiritual light dragons.
Intense spiritual energy blanketed the former market areas.
…
“The earth dragon has stirred!”
Inside his abode, Shen Lian, immersed in cultivation, was jolted awake. In a flash, every talisman on his body shone with halos, poised at the critical threshold for activation.
He saw a mass of Black-horned Demon Ants huddled close, hissing and trembling in fear.
“Hiss, hiss—”
“Out of my way, all of you— don’t crowd me…”