Innate Immortal Seed

In the Cultivation Realm, there are the Five Great Strange Insects, each with its own mysterious powers.

For instance, the Hundred Poison Gold-Eating Insect has a body tougher than refined iron, impervious to blades and swords. It can devour anything in the world.

It is born as a Tier Two Demon Insect. As it grows, it devours all manner of poisons, infusing its saliva with a lethal venom.

A mature Hundred Poison Gold-Eating Insect can reach Tier Three Peak. They often appear in swarms, forcing even Nascent Soul True Monarchs to give them a wide berth.

Then there is the Hundred-Eyed Celestial Centipede. A mature specimen can grow to a hundred zhang in length, with a hundred pairs of compound eyes covering its body.

Each pair of eyes can shoot a beam of Divine Light. There was once a Hundred-Eyed Celestial Centipede in the Cultivation Realm that had mastered over twenty different types of this light.

That Tier Four Top Grade Hundred-Eyed Celestial Centipede flew relentlessly, annihilating the Cultivators of every land it reached.

Over several centuries, countless Sects fell in its wake.

In the end, it took five Late-Stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs working together to set up an Array and slay it, but only after paying a terrible price.

Compared to the Hundred Poison Gold-Eating Insect and the Hundred-Eyed Celestial Centipede, the Spring and Autumn Cicada lacks such formidable individual strength.

According to the records, the strongest Spring and Autumn Cicada ever was merely Tier Three Low Grade.

Born as a Tier Two Low Grade insect, it advances one tier with every century of slumber.

It is active for only a few short years before falling back into hibernation.

This cycle repeats until it becomes a Tier Three Demon Insect.

Yet, the Spring and Autumn Cicada is known as the most mysterious of the Five Great Strange Insects because it possesses the ability to subtly influence the flow of time.

For a mere Tier Two, or at most Tier Three, Demon Insect to be able to touch upon the most enigmatic and unfathomable path—the path of time—how could it not be ranked among the Five Great Strange Insects?

A Nascent Soul True Monarch once went to great lengths to capture a Spring and Autumn Cicada, intending to raise it and see if it had the potential to advance beyond Tier Three.

He also hoped to find a way to touch upon the Time Path through the cicada’s Talent Power.

But at the very moment he tried to form a contract, the Spring and Autumn Cicada ignored the Forbidden restriction and turned the Power of Time upon itself.

In an instant, it lived out its entire life, leaving behind nothing but a fossilized husk.

From that day on, the reputation of the Spring and Autumn Cicada—which could not be tamed as a Spirit Insect and which controlled a sliver of the Power of Time—grew ever larger.

"CHIRRR! CHIRRR!"

The Spring and Autumn Cicada flew into the sky, its wings beating as it turned and charged toward him.

It wasn’t flying particularly fast, yet it slipped right between the two beams of Sword Light, causing the Flying Swords to strike nothing but air.

A fierce wind blasted his face. With a thought, he conjured a seven-hued light barrier in front of him.

CRACK! CRACK!

The cicada shattered two layers of the light barrier before it was finally stopped.

With a single flap of its wings, the basket-sized Spring and Autumn Cicada was already dozens of zhang away.

’This must be the Spring and Autumn Cicada’s Power of Time!’

Bai Zichen was so frustrated he felt like he could vomit blood. He had planned everything perfectly, and the insect’s flight path was just as he’d predicted.

Yet the result was always off by a hair’s breadth. He either struck a moment too soon or a fraction of a second too late, never getting the result he wanted.

’It’s so much weaker in individual strength than the other Demon Insects, yet it’s still ranked among the Five Great Strange Insects of the Cultivation Realm.’

’It’s even called the most mysterious of them all. Truly, its reputation is well-deserved.’

’A Tier Two Top Grade Demon Insect... that means this Spring and Autumn Cicada has slumbered twice. I wouldn’t feel this powerless even against a Tier Two Peak Demon Beast.’

Bai Zichen’s Swordsmanship was rendered completely useless. If the cicada’s attacks weren’t so weak, his Seven-Quartet Profound Bead would have been shattered by now.

He threw on the Rainbow Feather Robe, and its Scarlet Streak flashed, but it too was affected the moment it neared the Spring and Autumn Cicada.

The Scarlet Streak nearly froze solid, reducing the Rainbow Feather Robe to a common Spiritual Artifact.

’This isn’t a power a Tier Two creature should be able to master! It’s just like my Qing Emperor Longevity Sword—if a Core Formation True Man were to wield it, no Cultivator of the same realm could possibly block it...’

For the first time, Bai Zichen truly understood why High-Tier Cultivators placed so much importance on Great Dao True Intent.

No matter how high one’s Cultivation or how powerful one’s techniques, how could anyone stand against the Great Dao of the world itself?

A mere Spring and Autumn Cicada, having only brushed against the surface of this power, was enough to throw him into disarray and leave him in a wretched state.

His only option was to unleash his Sword Light and execute the Star Luo Swordsmanship, filling the ten-zhang radius around him with a web of crisscrossing sword beams.

The Spring and Autumn Cicada flapped its wings, letting out a shrill cry. The two halves of its body became visibly misaligned as time flowed differently across them.

A dense barrage of sword glimmers erupted, like stardust falling from the heavens, creating a brilliant meteor shower.

Every glimmer of the sword that struck the Spring and Autumn Cicada was deflected and neutralized by a peculiar force.

Hundreds, even thousands of sword glimmers rained down. Not even the thousand-year-old turtle in Feiyue Lake, renowned for its defense, could have taken such an assault unscathed.

But the Spring and Autumn Cicada simply fluttered its wings and endured it all.

The half of its body brimming with life grew ever more verdant, like a piece of the purest, most vibrant jade.

The other half exuded an unstoppable aura of decay, like a piece of Yin Wood that had been soaked in fetid water for centuries until it rotted.

It advanced at an excruciatingly slow pace through the surging layers of sword glimmers, utterly unstoppable.

’One last try. If I still can’t break through the Spring and Autumn Cicada’s Power of Time, I’ll have to use the Taiyin Star Escape Talisman to retreat... I’ll ask two of the senior uncles to come and rescue Su Li!’

’None of the miscellaneous books I read about the Five Great Strange Insects ever mentioned how to fight a Spring and Autumn Cicada.’

’They all just described relying on an advantage in Realm—a Core Formation True Man taking down a Tier Two cicada, a Nascent Soul True Monarch capturing a Tier Three one.’

’The lower one’s Realm, the more terrifying a power related to Great Dao True Intent becomes.’

Bai Zichen had a Tier Three Taiyin Star Escape Talisman, but he wanted to risk it all before resorting to escape.

An ancient wonder like the Spring and Autumn Cicada, born from the Power of Time, possessed far greater Spiritual Wisdom than any ordinary Demon Insect.

He was afraid that if he left, the half-dead Su Li trapped in the pupa wouldn’t survive another moment. He would never last until reinforcements arrived.

Qing Emperor Longevity Sword!

Starting with the Sword-Encompassing Technique, using the Wood God Skill as the body, and finishing with the Sword Nurturing Technique, he executed the three Secret Techniques in sequence. They merged into one, an attempt to recreate the Fish Dragon Sect’s Supreme Divine Power.

A Cyan Radiance flared to life, bringing with it that same dislocated feeling of extreme speed and slowness—just like the sensation the Spring and Autumn Cicada created.

’I don’t need to successfully execute the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword. All I need is to stir the Power of Time and have it clash with your Talent Power... I just need that one fleeting opportunity!’

Bai Zichen had calculated long ago that it would be impossible to master this Heaven-Defying Divine Power during the Foundation Establishment Stage without decades, or even a century, of dedicated study.

Of course, he couldn’t pin his hopes on something as unlikely as a mid-battle epiphany. The probability was practically zero.

’Unless you can overwhelm it with a higher Realm, the only thing that can counter a Great Dao True Intent is another Great Dao True Intent.’

’My Qing Emperor Longevity Sword is incomplete. It can only stir a sliver of the Power of Time. But you’re just a Tier Two Demon Insect; even if you are uniquely blessed, how much of that power can you truly wield? Besides, I’m not trying to hurt you with my technique—I just need our two different sources of the Power of Time to collide!’

As the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword technique reached its final step, the Cyan Radiance could no longer hold its form. It burst apart, sending out a ripple of the Power of Time.

Now! Bai Zichen’s Divine Sense was focused to its absolute limit, his eyes glinting. The sky full of sword glimmers vanished, instantly condensing into a single, terrifyingly powerful Sword Light.

The Spring and Autumn Cicada’s wings faltered. The clash between the two streams of the Power of Time caused the area around it to return to normal for a single, fleeting instant.

The Sword Light flickered once, and thunder cracked through the air.

The Spring and Autumn Cicada shrieked, flying a short distance higher into the sky as a line of blood appeared down the middle of its body.

It split perfectly along the line dividing its green and gray halves, then the two pieces plummeted to the ground.

As a Tier Two Top Grade Demon Insect, the Spring and Autumn Cicada’s physical body was actually quite fragile without the protection of the Power of Time—even weaker than many Tier Two Low-Grade Demon Beasts.

Phew!

Bai Zichen let out a long sigh of relief. Only after confirming the Spring and Autumn Cicada was dead did he realize his back was soaked with sweat.

This was easily his most mentally exhausting battle since he’d killed the higher-level Meng Shigui.

The fight may have seemed unremarkable, without any earth-shattering clashes, but the danger involved had far surpassed fighting a Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

If not for his sublime Swordsmanship and his ability to maintain a Heart Like a Bright Mirror, his skill at seizing opportunities would not have been so far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Any other Sword Cultivator or Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator in his place, even if they had a technique similar to the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword to halt the cicada’s protective Power of Time, would most likely have failed to seize the opportunity.

The window was no longer than the snap of a finger before the chaotic, frozen state of time would have returned.

’When to stop, when to move... everything has a rhythm. The Spring and Autumn Cicada’s Power of Time is like that, and so is the timing of my sword strike.’

Bai Zichen stood there, gripping his sword blankly. After slaying the Spring and Autumn Cicada and experiencing the Power of Time up close, a few new ideas seemed to surface in his mind.

It was like the legendary moment of enlightenment, though not quite at that level. It was just a hazy, unformed feeling.

But he was certain that this battle had been of immense help to him.

Even if the benefits weren’t immediately apparent, they would slowly manifest throughout his future Cultivation.

Such is the nature of battlefield insights. One might not even know their purpose, but one day, they will cross the river of time and surface right when they are needed most.

A sweep of Sword Light brought the two halves of the cicada’s corpse into his hand.

The green part was soft and extremely elastic, with a texture somewhat like jelly.

The gray half was like rotten wood; he suspected it would crumble if he squeezed it too hard.

Bai Zichen found an oblong Jade Box and sealed the remains inside.

As one of the Five Great Strange Insects of the Cultivation Realm, it certainly couldn’t be treated as an ordinary Tier Two Spirit Insect. It might have some great use he wasn’t aware of.

Even if it proved to be useless, he could always turn it into a mounted specimen for display.

Not even every Nascent Soul True Monarch could claim to have a specimen made from one of the Five Great Strange Insects.

He walked over to the pupa and scanned it with his Divine Sense. With a slash of his Celestial Xin Sword, a RIP echoed as it split open, and a viscous liquid poured out.

Su Li tumbled out of the ruptured pupa. Bai Zichen held his breath and placed a hand by his mouth and nose—he was still breathing, however faintly.

’Good, he’s not dead. The Sect will have a way to save him...’

Bai Zichen grabbed Su Li, tossed Genggeng back onto his shoulder, and transformed into a streak of Sword Light, heading straight for the Mountain Gate.

Saving a life was as urgent as extinguishing a fire. Who knew if leaving the pupa would trigger some change and cause Su Li’s condition to deteriorate rapidly.

He naturally chose his fastest speed. This was no time to travel leisurely with the Colorful Cloud Robe.

’I wonder what the Spring and Autumn Cicada was doing, keeping Su Li trapped in that pupa for so many years without killing him... Then again, the book I read only treated the Five Great Strange Insects as interesting anecdotes. The descriptions weren’t very detailed.’

Performing Sword Flight while carrying another person caused his Magical Power consumption to multiply.

Fortunately, he was already in the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, with enough Liquid Magical Power in his Dantian Qi Sea to sustain the effort.