Chapter 841
The Art of Raising Gu
The flames gradually died out.
After the flames completely disappeared, the gold-eating insects also vanished.
Su Mu stood in the air, a thoughtful expression on his face.
These gold-devouring insects could even devour his power, and in the end, it took raging fire to completely destroy them.
Even so, it took him a full cup of tea's time to completely eliminate the swarm of gold-devouring insects using raging fire.
For a powerhouse of his caliber, there is a great deal that can be accomplished in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
But so far, only a tiny number of gold-eating insects have been eliminated.
If it were any other martial artist, they would probably have been completely devoured by the Gold-Eating Insects before they could even eliminate them.
Don't underestimate the small size of the Gold-Eating Insects; they can swallow anything. Even ordinary divine weapons can't withstand their teeth, let alone the bodies of ordinary martial artists.
The Nine Netherworld Prison is filled with Xuan Yin Nether Iron, and who knows how many Gold-Devouring Insects it has fed upon it.
When the number of Gold-Eating Insects reached a certain level, even Su Mu felt a headache coming on.
"It's a pity that these gold-devouring insects can't be controlled, otherwise—"
Su Mu thought with some regret.
If one could control the Gold-Eating Insects, they would be far more terrifying than the Dragon-Tiger Golden Man.
Gold-devouring insects are capable of reproduction. As long as there is enough Xuan Yin Ming Iron, they can reproduce indefinitely.
That's what makes them so terrifying.
Imagine if thousands upon thousands of gold-devouring insects came like a dark cloud, how many people could stop them?
Su Mu had experienced beast tides before, but compared to the tide of the Gold-Eating Insects, those tides were simply insignificant.
Su Mu looked up at the azure Netherworld Magnetic Storm in the sky.
He used to think that the Nine Nether Magnetic Storm was protecting the Nine Nether Prison, but now he thinks that the Nine Nether Magnetic Storm is clearly protecting the Great Thousand World.
If these Gold-Eating Insects were released from the Nine Netherworld Prison, who knows how much destruction they would cause to the world?
It is precisely because of this Nine Nether Magnetic Storm that the Gold-Eating Insects are unable to break out of the Nine Nether Profound Prison.
Just as he was thinking this, Su Mu saw a large number of Nether Guards and Gold-Eating Insects swooping over together.
Even he felt a chill run down his spine.
With a flicker, Su Mu vanished instantly.
Soon after, Su Mu appeared atop a towering mountain.
That mountain was entirely black, made of Xuan Yin Ming Iron!
Su Mu suppressed his aura, his entire body turning into stone, with no trace of human life remaining on him.
Only in this way can we avoid the attacks of those Netherworld Guards and Gold-Eating Insects.
Here, he couldn't even use any of his cultivation.
Otherwise, if he reveals even the slightest hint of his presence, the omnipresent Netherworld Guards and Gold-Eating Insects will launch an attack on him.
These Netherworld Guardians and Gold-Eating Insects cannot tolerate any external presence.
Why did Lu Yin think the Nine Nether Prison was so dangerous?
It is because of the existence of these Netherworld Guardians and Gold-Eating Insects.
If it were merely the Profound Yin Nether Iron and the Nine Nether Magnetic Storm, it wouldn't pose any threat to Su Mu.
Su Mu hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and swung his sword.
This single sword strike sliced off half of that towering mountain.
Just as the mountains crumbled and the earth split open, Su Mu had already put away the mountain of Xuan Yin Ming Iron.
In the blink of an eye, Su Mu heard roars all around him.
A dark cloud swept in, followed closely by a large group of underworld guards.
A helpless expression flashed across Su Mu's face.
These gold-devouring insects and underworld guards were difficult to harm him, but they were like leeches, relentlessly pursuing him, causing disgust even if they didn't actually hurt him.
"We need to find a way to get rid of them, otherwise we won't be able to mine here in peace."
Su Mu did not engage with these gold-devouring insects; his figure flickered and he disappeared again.
A moment later, Su Mu appeared silently outside the Nine Netherworld Prison.
As soon as he appeared, Lu Yin appeared beside him and grabbed his arm.
"Don't make a sound, the people from the Great Qian Dynasty are nearby!"
Lu Yin said in a low voice.
Lu Yin led Su Mu to a secluded spot before beginning to explain.
"You guessed right, the Qian Emperor and the Eternal Heaven are indeed haunting us."
Not long after you went in, they came back with their men.
Fortunately, the Nine Netherworld Prison is very large and has many entrances and exits. They are mobilizing manpower to set up traps.
I used a little trick to make them mistakenly believe that we had entered the Nine Netherworld Prison from another location.
As he spoke, Lu Yin revealed a strong fighting spirit.
"How about we give them a proper fight?"
Lu Yin rubbed his hands together, eager to get started.
Since breaking through to the Primordial Realm, he has never had a truly satisfying battle.
Last time in the Dragon Tiger Small World, it was all Su Mu who performed; he didn't have a chance to show off at all.
Now, he, Su Mu, and the seven golden dragon-tiger figures together constitute a formidable force.
The Great Qian Dynasty mobilized countless experts to deal with them.
Lu Yin witnessed firsthand that Dao Realm experts from the Great Qian Dynasty and the Eternal Heaven were arriving one after another.
However, he was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he wanted to have a go at the other party.
Su Mu's face showed a thoughtful expression.
He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "If it were before, I would indeed like to confront them."
But now—"
Su Mu is now thinking more about how to solve the troubles caused by the Gold-Eating Insects and the Underworld Guards.
Those Netherworld Guards were alright; they were just the remains of powerful individuals assimilated by the Profound Yin Netherworld Iron, so dealing with them wasn't difficult.
However, the gold-eating insects are extremely difficult to deal with.
Even for him, dealing with a swarm of gold-devouring insects would require some effort.
If he tries to get rid of the gold-devouring insects bit by bit, who knows how long it will take to completely eradicate them.
"Senior Lu, do you know of any way to subdue the Gold-Eating Insects?"
Su Mu pondered for a moment and asked.
Lu Yin lived longer than him and was more knowledgeable; perhaps he knew of any methods.
Lu Yin shook his head and said, "The Gold-Eating Insects are impervious to water and fire, making them extremely difficult to kill."
Is there really no way at all?
Su Mu frowned.
Ordinary water and fire cannot harm the Gold-Eating Insect.
Ordinary martial artists have absolutely no effective means against them.
"To be honest, it's not like there's no way out at all."
Lu Yin pondered for a moment and said, "I heard that the Great Qian Dynasty has a kind of magic robe that can withstand the bites of the Gold-Eating Insects."
However, this was merely a passive defense, and the robes were extremely expensive to make and difficult to forge, thus having little practical value.
Those robes are only useful for low-level martial artists; those with such cultivation levels are not particularly afraid of the Gold-Eating Insects' attacks.
"What if we use medication?"
Su Mu pondered for a moment and said.
"Poison?"
Lu Yin thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Ordinary poisons probably won't work on them."
The Gold-Eating Insect feeds on Xuan Yin Ming Iron and has a high degree of resistance to poisons.
Furthermore, there are so many of them that even if we could poison them, how much poison would be needed?
It seems unnecessary to go to such great lengths.
Su Mu remained silent, lost in thought.
He wanted more than just to eliminate the Gold-Eating Insects; if possible, he also wanted to recruit them for his own use.
If used properly, these gold-devouring insects can be just as powerful as a well-trained army.
Why is it that the combined power of the Yanfu Sect, the Daxuan Dynasty, and the Hengshan Sect cannot compare to the Daqian Dynasty?
Ultimately, isn't it because the Great Qian Dynasty has a profound foundation and countless troops under its command?
It takes years of hard work to train a powerful army.
This gap cannot be bridged in a short period of time.
If we can control the Gold-Eating Insects, then this gap might be closed very quickly.
However, it now seems that controlling the Gold-Eating Insects is no easier than training a large army.
"If you want to talk about using poison, perhaps you can ask your Daoist partner."
Lu Yin suddenly said, "In terms of alchemy, the Danxia Sect is the best in the world."
"Alchemy and poison are inseparable; they are skilled in alchemy, and naturally, they are also skilled in using poison."
"You mean Nianchu?"
Su Mu pondered for a moment.
Su Mu himself also practiced the Danxia Sect's supreme martial art, the Danxia Illuminating Heaven Technique, but he did not spend too much time on it.
Especially after obtaining the Nine Deaths Nirvana Technique, Su Mu focused his cultivation efforts on it.
The same applies to alchemy; Su Mu has always preferred weapon forging.
Although his alchemy skills were quite good, they were somewhat inferior to his weapon-making skills.
While the Danxia Sect might not be much better than him in alchemy, their knowledge of elixirs was certainly superior.
After all, all he knew was alchemy; the Danxia Sect made its living from elixirs.
"In that case, I will go to Danxia Sect."
Su Mu pondered for a moment and said.
"I will stay here to monitor the actions of Emperor Qian and the Eternal Heaven."
Lu Yin said, "Since they want to scheme against us here, we might as well turn the tables on them and make them suffer a great loss."
"Alright, be careful. If they find out, don't worry about anything, just make sure you stay alive."
Su Mu said in a deep voice.
The two clasped their hands in a fist salute to each other, and then went their separate ways.
Su Mu concealed his aura and transformed into a streak of light, instantly disappearing into the horizon. Lu Yin, on the other hand, continued to monitor Emperor Qian and Changsheng Tian.
…………
Not long after, Su Mu returned to Danxia Sect.
Since the Great Xuan Dynasty came to the Great Thousand World, Lin Nianchu has given her fiefdom to the Great Xuan Dynasty.
Later, both the Jambudvipa sect and the Yokoyama sect moved there.
Lin Nianchu, on the other hand, returned to the Danxia Sect to cultivate in seclusion after staying in the Great Xuan Dynasty for a period of time.
Besides her purpose of secluded cultivation, she returned to Danxia Sect for another reason.
That was an attempt to influence the alliance between the Danxia Sect and the Great Xuan Dynasty.
The Danxia Sect and Su Mu are on good terms, but that doesn't mean the Danxia Sect should be subservient to the Great Xuan Dynasty like the Hengshan Sect.
The Danxia Sect is a top sect in the Great Thousand Worlds. Even when facing the Great Qian Dynasty, it obeys orders but not summons.
Unlike the declining Hengshan Sect, the Danxia Sect was at its peak, and their choice to befriend Su Mu was merely an investment.
This is completely different from becoming Su Mu's subordinate.
What Lin Nianchu wanted to do was to make Danxia Sect a true ally of the Great Xuan Dynasty.
With her current cultivation level, it is clearly not enough to make the Danxia Sect listen to her.
Therefore, she needs to continue to improve her skills.
Ultimately, cultivation is the foundation of everything.
Lin Nianchu was overjoyed when Su Mu appeared at Danxia Sect.
"What brings you here?"
Lin Nianchu hugged Su Mu's arm and said with delight.
"Come and see you."
Su Mu smiled and gave her a hug in return.
Their initial relationship was somewhat based on mutual exploitation, but now they have become true Daoist partners.
Moreover, over the years, Su Mu has increasingly felt Lin Nianchu's sincerity.
He also truly acknowledged Lin Nianchu's existence from the bottom of his heart.
Lin Nianchu smiled radiantly.
"How did the trip to the Dragon Tiger Minor World go? I heard that Emperor Qian has been mobilizing troops all day. Is it related to you, Senior Brother?"
After their long-awaited reunion, Lin Nianchu looked at Su Mu and said.
As she was in the Danxia Sect, she was naturally very clear about the trends in the world.
Although Emperor Qian was very careful in mobilizing his troops, he could not hide it from a top sect like Danxia Sect.
After some careful investigation, Lin Nianchu realized that the matter was definitely related to Su Mu.
Since the Great Qian Dynasty and the Great Luo Heaven ceased hostilities, Su Mu is probably the only person in the world who could prompt the Great Qian Dynasty to take such action.
"Emperor Qian suffered a loss in the Dragon Tiger Small World, so he wants to get revenge."
Su Mu smiled faintly and said.
"Is he really mobilizing his troops to deal with you, Senior Brother?"
"Senior brother, you don't need to worry. You are very safe in the Danxia Sect. The Great Qian Dynasty has already lost the Hengshan Sect and would absolutely not dare to do anything to the Danxia Sect again."
Lin Nianchu said.
"I'm not worried about myself, but about Emperor Qian."
Su Mu said, "I'm worried that Emperor Qian hasn't suffered enough losses."
"what?"
Lin Nianchu looked puzzled, not understanding what he meant.
"Emperor Qian thought I was going to the Nine Netherworld Prison, so he is currently setting up a trap there."
I plan to teach him a lesson he won't forget in the Nine Netherworld Prison.
Su Mu said.
"Senior brother, is there anything I can do for you?"
Lin Nianchu understood.
Do you know about the Nine Netherworld Prison?
Su Mu asked.
"know."
After a moment's thought, Lin Nianchu understood Su Mu's meaning. "Senior brother, do you want to deal with the Gold-Eating Insects in the Nine Nether Profound Prison?"
"It's not about dealing with it, it's about subduing it."
Su Mu said, “Killing the Gold-Eating Insects is not difficult for me. I want to see if the Danxia Sect knows any way to subdue them.”
For example, are there any elixirs that can control them?
"Our Danxia Sect has a kind of Mystery Heart Pill, which can make living beings obey the controller's every command after being taken."
Lin Nianchu thought for a while and said, "However, the Gold-Eating Insects have a special constitution, and the Mysterious Heart Pill may not be effective against them."
"To control the Gold-Eating Insects, one would have to use the art of raising Gu."
"The art of raising Gu poison?"
Su Mu was pleasantly surprised.
He came to Danxia Sect with a "nothing to lose" attitude, and at most he would visit Lin Nianchu.
He didn't believe that the Danxia Sect truly had a way to control the Gold-Eating Insects.
But unexpectedly, there was a pleasant surprise.
The Danxia Sect actually has a method to control the Gold-Eating Insects!
"Yes."
Lin Nianchu nodded and said, "The method of raising Gu is a very unorthodox method."
We can use this method to cultivate a king insect.
The Insect King can control the Gold-Eating Insects, and by controlling the Insect King, we essentially control the entire swarm.
Su Mu's face showed a thoughtful expression.
"Does the Danxia Sect possess the art of raising Gu poison?"
He asked in a deep voice.
"Have."
Lin Nianchu said without hesitation, "The art of raising Gu involves feeding Gu worms with various elixirs, then letting them fight each other, and the one that survives in the end becomes the Gu King."
This method is extremely cruel, but the resulting insect king will be incredibly powerful.
"Okay, we'll use this one."
Su Mudao.
"Senior brother, the art of raising Gu is simple, but the pills used in the art are not easy to refine."
Lin Nianchu said, "Although our Danxia Sect is skilled in alchemy, no one has practiced this Gu-raising technique before, so we do not have a suitable reserve of pills."
If you want to use the Gu-raising technique to control the Gold-Eating Insects, you'll have to refine the elixir first.
The pills used to raise Gu worms are not easy to refine either. The pill formula needs to be adjusted at any time according to the characteristics of the Gu worms, which is something that ordinary alchemists simply cannot do.
The Danxia Sect does have people who can do it, but it requires a lot of rare and precious materials and time.
"It's alright."
Su Mu waved his hand dismissively.
He himself is one of the best alchemists in the world, so he doesn't need to rely on others for this kind of thing.
"Tell me the method of raising Gu, along with the corresponding pill formula, and I'll handle the rest myself."
Su Mu said.
"Let me help you."
Lin Nianchu said, "Although my alchemy skills are not as good as my senior brother's, they are still not bad. With my help, the speed of subduing the Gold-Eating Insects will definitely be faster."
"Alright, let's go together, husband and wife. Once we subdue the Gold-Eating Insects, we'll make Emperor Qian and the Eternal Heaven suffer another great loss!"
Su Mu laughed heartily.
A blush crept across Lin Nianchu's face; she was overjoyed.
Even though she and Su Mu were already practically husband and wife, she was still quite pleased to hear Su Mu say that.
…………
Su Mu possesses a treasure trove of dragons and tigers.
The complete Dragon and Tiger Treasure includes twelve golden dragon and tiger figures, as well as some rare and precious materials.
The twelve golden dragon and tiger statues naturally could not be used for any other purpose.
However, those rare and precious materials can be used to forge weapons and refine elixirs.
Lin Nianchu was also surprised when she saw those rare and precious herbs.
The Danxia Sect possesses countless rare and precious materials suitable for alchemy, but even in the Danxia Sect's treasury, these rare and precious materials could not be found in Su Mu's possession.
She's seen a lot in her life, but she was genuinely shocked.
"This is the Dragon-Tiger Treasure I obtained in the Dragon-Tiger Small World. With these things, I should be able to refine the pills to subdue the Gold-Eating Insects."
Su Mu said with a smile.
Lin Nianchu nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice, and said, "More than enough."
I was originally planning to borrow some medicinal herbs from the sect, but now I don't need to go through that trouble.
"Let's get started now."
Su Mudao.
The two simultaneously summoned their alchemy furnaces, and moments later, a blazing fire had already ignited within them.
As one medicinal herb after another was thrown into the alchemy furnace, a rich medicinal fragrance gradually filled the air.
…………
Just as Su Mu and Lin Nianchu were refining pills, several figures escaped from the Nine Netherworld Prison in a somewhat disheveled state.
They returned to Emperor Qian and the Eternal Heaven, reporting back with lingering fear.
"Your Majesty, traces of human activity have indeed been found within the Nine Nether Prison. Judging from the remaining traces, it is highly likely to be Su Mu."
However, we didn't find him. Those skeleton puppets and gold-devouring worms in the Nine Netherworld Prison were truly terrifying. If we hadn't escaped quickly, we would probably all be dead inside the Nine Netherworld Prison by now. (End of Chapter)