Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea, Sacred Fire Cliff.
Rolling purple qi permeated the massive Cave Abode Secret Realm, obscuring heavenly secrets. Within the purple qi lay a scene terrifying enough to trigger anyone's trypophobia.
The entire Cave Abode Secret Realm had been almost hollowed out, transformed into a giant basin. Inside, countless grain-sized insects were entrenched, flapping their wings and humming. The originally tiny sounds, amplified by the sheer volume of the swarm, shockingly merged into a heaven-shaking thunder.
— Qi-Eating Insects!
This was an alien species from the outer heaven that Lu Yang had obtained during the Battle for the Dao. However, raising them consumed too many resources, so he hadn't poured his efforts into them back then.
But now, supported by the Saint Sect's endless treasury, Lu Yang spent with reckless abandon, allowing the Qi-Eating Insects to achieve a qualitative leap in a short time.
"One billion, two hundred and ninety-six million."
Lu Yang swept the area with his divine sense, verifying the number of Qi-Eating Insects in the basin. This number seemed to have reached a certain limit within the unseen laws of the world.
The population could no longer increase past this point.
But correspondingly, no matter how many were lost, as long as the swarm wasn't completely wiped out, they could rapidly regenerate to this peak number of one billion, two hundred and ninety-six million.
Of course, the quantity was secondary.
More importantly, under Lu Yang's spare-no-expense cultivation, this alien species finally erupted with potential unseen in his previous lifetimes.
At the same time, Lu Yang gleaned some secrets from them:
"These Qi-Eating Insects, at first glance, appear to be living creatures of flesh and blood. But in reality, it seems not to be so. Rather than living creatures, they are more like a... dao arts."
The former Lu Yang, possessing low cultivation, had viewed people and things from the limited perspective of a lower cultivator, knowing nothing of these deeper truths.
However, the current Lu Yang had new insights. In his view, the Qi-Eating Insect itself was a dao art refined to great accomplishment, then intentionally released into the Immortal Nexus.
What are Qi-Eating Insects?
"Flesh and blood essence, clear and turbid spiritual qi—there is nothing in heaven and earth they don't eat. This is the Qi-Eating Insect. To a World Realm, they are actually a destructive force."
It went without saying.
Just the one billion, two hundred and ninety-six million Qi-Eating Insects in his possession—if thrown into a World Realm where no Dao Fruit had been born, perhaps they could eat that World Realm into collapse in an instant.
Even if a Dao Fruit existed and protected the realm with mighty power, this swarm could devour the world's resources until spiritual qi went extinct, forcing it into an dharma ending age.
"This is already close to a concept," Lu Yang sighed with emotion.
[Concept of Eating]!
"If I recall correctly, Qi-Eating Insects actually appeared once overseas, controlled by a rogue cultivator at Foundation Establishment, forming a massive insect swarm."
"But in the end, the insect swarm was destroyed by a Bodhisattva of the Pure Land."
"This might be because they discovered the destructive nature of Qi-Eating Insects on World Realms, thus taking action to exterminate them to avoid irreversible damage to the Immortal Nexus."
Thinking of this, Lu Yang marveled even more. "The current Qi-Eating Insect swarm undoubtedly possesses the mighty power of a Perfected Lord. Yet achieving this step doesn't require seeking Golden Core, nor does it need a Dao Fruit. As long as one constantly feeds them rare treasures and spiritual qi... this method of growth simply cannot be called cultivation."
That was why he identified it as a dao arts.
Only dao arts possessed this growth method— constantly improving by refining external objects, just like [Great Might Kui-Gang Righteous Qi].
"The person who created this dao art is truly a beast!"
Lu Yang couldn't help but offer soft praise. "Although the current Qi-Eating Insects appear to take me as master, there should be a hidden highest authority."
"That is the person who created this dao art."
"That person scattered Qi-Eating Insects to countless World Realms, letting them exist as an alien species capable of enhancing strength, enticing people to actively feed them."
"Others consume resources and effort, and even damage their own World Realms because of this."
"Yet he can sit back and enjoy the fruits."
"This kind of shameless method of harming others to benefit oneself... and it's a dao arts... Could it be a Perfected Lord from [Mysterious Wall]? Thinking about it, it can only be them..."
After reaching Lu Yang's level, many secrets of the entire sea of light were no longer secrets. The current him long knew there were four Super World Realms in the light sea: Immortal Nexus, Celestial Court, Star Palace, and Mysterious Wall. Compared to the others, Mysterious Wall appeared the most enigmatic and unknown.
"Celestial Court, Star Palace, Mysterious Wall."
"The Celestial Court is transformed from the corpse of Si Sui, the Dao Lord of the Dharma Body Dao. The Star Palace is estimated to have been opened by the Dao Lord of the Spiritual Power Dao. These are not secrets."
"Only Mysterious Wall."
"As the Super World Realm opened by the Dao Lord of the Dao Arts Dao, I have never come into contact with it. Even calculating karma cannot reveal the location of that World Realm."
Intuition told Lu Yang that Mysterious Wall was probably the most troublesome.
Not to mention anything else, just the fact that the current Qi-Eating Insect swarm was not completely under his control already gave him quite a headache.
Luckily, I have a way.
The next second, Lu Yang formed a hand seal. The Righteous Dao Banner fluttered, and rolling purple qi poured instantly into the pit where the Qi-Eating Insects resided, flowing like a milky way waterfall.
For a time, wailing sounds rose from within the pit.
Although essentially a dao art, in the present world, they manifested as bodies of flesh and blood. Having physical bodies, naturally, meant they could be refined into Banner Spirits!
In an instant, the Qi-Eating Insect swarm in the pit suddenly rioted, actually breaking free from Lu Yang's control. They began to crazily devour the purple qi drifting from the Righteous Dao Banner. Clearly, the person behind the scenes sensed Lu Yang's move to seize control and was trying to stop it.
"Far away on the horizon, yet you want to stop me?"
Seeing this, Lu Yang smiled coldly. Joining his fingers to make a stroke, firelight exploded at his fingertips. [Inscribing Heavenly Chapters] activated, and the invisible logical karma was instantly rewritten.
[I am Vanquishing-Demon]
Clang!
The next second, sword light erupted. The power of the [Sword Dao] was borrowed out of thin air. Slashing lightly at the void, a sharp cracking sound rang out.
Bang!
At the moment the sound exploded, as if some unseen connection had been severed, the originally rioting Qi-Eating Insect swarm immediately returned to calm.
Lu Yang didn't hesitate, changing his hand seal.
"Change!"
Refine in an instant!
A moment later, the one billion, two hundred and ninety-six million Qi-Eating Insects in the pit all disappeared, finally coalescing into a beautiful young girl floating down.
The girl was naked without a stitch of clothing, carved from powder and jade. Seemingly innocent, her beautiful eyes actually revealed a hint of cunning.
However, seeing Lu Yang, she didn't dare neglect her duties, hurriedly bowing down and kowtowing heavily three times before speaking in a delicate voice: "This servant greets the Master!"
Seeing this, Lu Yang glanced at her and said, "Put on clothes. What kind of propriety is this?"
"This servant thought Master liked it..."
"You're joking!" Lu Yang wore a face full of righteousness. "You mistook your Master!"
The girl looked aggrieved but still shook her body. Her originally fair-skinned, rosy complexion instantly changed appearance, transforming into a loose Daoist robe.
This was the "Qi-Eating Mother Insect."
In the huge Qi-Eating Insect swarm, only this mother insect possessed intelligence and a soul. As long as she didn't die, the swarm would never go extinct.
The girl's appearance at this moment was just a facade.
The true Qi-Eating Mother Insect was only the thickness of a fingernail, hard to see. The current physical body was actually an aggregate of one billion, two hundred and ninety-six million child insects.
When fighting spiritual battles, as long as the mother insect stayed in a safe place while the child insects were released, no matter how many were lost, she could easily regenerate them—provided Lu Yang, as the master, constantly instilled thick spiritual powet into her.
"Since your intelligence has awakened, you should also have a name."
Lu Yang thought for a moment and smiled. "Let's call you Jade Maiden..."
As his voice fell, Jade Maiden instantly kowtowed a few more times in excitement, shouting loudly, "Thank you, Master, for bestowing the name. This servant will definitely serve Master diligently!"
Lu Yang nodded with satisfaction.
However, just at this moment.
Boom!
In an instant, violent turbulence swept through the Cave Abode. Seeing this, Lu Yang had Jade Maiden wait aside, then walked out of the Cave Abode, looking up at the sky dome.
What entered his eyes was shockingly a streak of sword light.
The sword light rose from Jiangnan, traversing north and south. Massive divine sense whistled out from it, and the sword edge pointed straight at Lu Yang, declaring its intent.
"...You want to fight me?" Lu Yang raised his eyebrows.
At this moment, not only him, but all cultivators who saw this sword light understood the true meaning within: Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao was actively challenging for battle!
This was not only the Dao Struggle between the Sword Pavilion and the Saint Sect deciding the future of the Immortal Nexus, but also a battle between Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao and Lu Yang for the Supreme Position of [Heavenly Fire].
Righteous and Demonic Dao Struggle—a Battle of Life and Death!