This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 163 The Strange Beast Devouring Gold Insect, An Unexpected Turn of Events: The Ancestor of the Gu Clan

Upon hearing Miao Yun mention the treasure in the Gu Clan's forbidden area, the Gu Clan Chief's eyes lit up.

He looked at Lin Junmen and asked, "Elder Lin, have you ever heard of the Gold-Devouring Insect?"

Upon hearing the name "Gold-Eating Insect," Lin Junmen's expression changed instantly, showing some surprise. However, upon realizing it was from the Miao Gu Clan, he understood.

"Does the Gu Clan Chief mean... that your Gu Clan still has adult Gold-Eating Insects?"

The Gu clan leader shook his head.

"That's not it. Elder Lin should understand that the Gold-Eating Insect is a rare beast of heaven and earth. It grows by devouring Geng metal. An adult Gold-Eating Insect is comparable to the strength of a Golden Core True Monarch. What merit does my Gu Clan have to possess an adult Gold-Eating Insect?"

To be honest, the Gold-Eating Insect in my Gu Clan's forbidden area is just an egg. The condition for the Gold-Eating Insect to recognize its master is the first person it sees after hatching, and it will never disobey its master's orders for its entire life.

Such exotic beasts might be of some use to Zhong Daozi!

Upon hearing this, Lin Junmen nodded slowly.

Initially, Lin Junmen only wanted to see if the Gu Clan had any treasures left behind that he could take away, under the guise of giving them to Zhong Bai. But now, upon hearing about the Gold-Eating Insect, Lin Junmen thought that perhaps Zhong Bai could really give it a try.

"Since the Gu Clan is willing to offer such a precious treasure, it seems that the Gu Clan is truly unwilling to antagonize Maoshan. Gu Clan Chief, please allow me to discuss this matter with my Maoshan Daozi before giving a reply. After all, the Gu Clan Chief understands that Daozi is the only candidate for the next leader of Maoshan. There are some things that even I cannot avoid."

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright. Elder Lin, please discuss it with Zhong Daozi. We understand."

Lin Junmen smiled, then pushed open the attic door and headed towards Zhong Bai.

......................................................

"Daozi!"

Zhong Bai, who was chatting with Mao Xiaofang, was suddenly taken aback. He turned around and saw Lin Jun behind the door, then smiled and said, "Uncle Lin, have you settled the terms?"

Lin Junmen had a smile on his lips.

"Daozi, the Gu Clan's offer is somewhat special. They want to give you an insect egg called the Gold-Eating Insect!"

Zhong Bai frowned slightly; he really didn't know anything about the Gold-Eating Insects.

"Uncle Lin, what is a Gold-Eating Insect?"

Lin Junmen explained to Zhong Bai...

After a stick of incense.

"So, Uncle Lin, once this Gold-Eating Insect matures, it is indestructible and loyal to its master, comparable to a Golden Core True Monarch?"

Lin Junmen nodded and said, "Not only that, Daozi, this is the most basic requirement for a fully grown Gold-Eating Insect. Some mutated Gold-Eating Insects can even be comparable to Nascent Soul Dao Lords, which makes them extremely precious."

Lin Junmen's words are true. The number of exotic beasts in the world has been decreasing over the past few hundred years, and it is already quite remarkable that a beast like the Gold-Eating Insect has survived.

"I see. So that's how Uncle-Master told Zhong Bai. Actually, Uncle-Master could have accepted it himself."

Lin Junmen rolled his eyes.

"Ahem, Daoist, this old Daoist also wishes to do this, but unfortunately my strength does not allow it..."

After saying that, Lin Junmen continued with a complicated look in his eyes: "Daozi, you may not know this, but although the Gold-Eating Insects are extremely loyal after recognizing their master, feeding them is a very dangerous thing. If the Gold-Eating Insects do not receive enough Gengjin (metal) during the feeding process, they will absorb the master's blood and true essence to support their growth. Ordinary cultivators simply cannot withstand this. Even the clan leaders and priests of the Gu Clan have never had any designs on the Gold-Eating Insects. I am only slightly stronger than them, and it is equally dangerous for me to make the Gold-Eating Insects recognize me as their master."

Therefore... this matter can only be entrusted to you, Daozi, to handle personally.

Mao Xiaofang, standing to the side, couldn't help but burst out laughing. Sure enough, he was too honest…

Zhong Bai followed Lin Junmen into the pavilion. The moment the Gu clan chief saw Zhong Bai, he immediately put on a smile and said, "Zhong Daozi, this old man and a group of clansmen wish to give you the Gold-Devouring Insect eggs from the clan's forbidden area. What do you think?"

"Clan Chief Gu, you're too kind. Since Clan Chief Gu is so generous in seeing me off, I can't possibly refuse such kindness. Please lead the way, Clan Chief Gu!"

With a single glance from the Gu clan chief, the second priest, Miao Yun, instantly understood.

"Come, come, Zhong Daozi, let this old man lead the way for you!"

Miao Yun then gestured for Zhong Bai to follow her out of the pavilion and head towards the forbidden area of ​​the Gu Clan.

Half an incense stick later, in a valley.

When Zhong Bai and the Second Priest Miao Yun arrived, Zhong Bai was able to basically survey the forbidden area of ​​Miao territory in front of him with just one glance. However, he could not extend his divine sense further into the deeper parts of the area, so he could only go inside later to see the details.

“Zhong Daozi, this is the forbidden area of ​​my Gu clan. Speaking of which, my Miao Gu clan once had a glorious history.”

However, as time has passed, this glory has become somewhat unsustainable.

Second Priest Miao Yun sighed, but quickly composed himself and continued, "This forbidden area is said to be the place where a Nascent Soul ancestor of my Miao Jiang Gu Clan perished. Even his physical body can be transformed into a forbidden area that attracts all kinds of poisonous insects."

This has lasted for a thousand years. While it may seem dangerous, for those outside the Gu clan, it is absolutely deadly!

Zhong Bai nodded. His initial investigation revealed that the outer perimeter of the Miao Gu Clan's forbidden area was teeming with various highly venomous insects. Ordinary people would have no chance of survival; not to mention, even the air itself contained potent toxins.

Anyone who doesn't reach the Foundation Establishment stage will die!
"Priest Miao, please continue leading the way..."

After Miao Yun nodded in agreement, the two officially stepped into this forbidden area.

The entire forbidden area was shrouded in a humid mist, and various poisonous insects lurked beneath the hazy fog. As soon as Zhong Bai stepped into it, a jade centipede about half a meter long crawled past his feet, but Zhong Bai was not worried about it at all.

Golden light enveloped Zhong Bai in layers, even blocking out the mist. With such divine power, the so-called forbidden area was as flat as flat ground for Zhong Bai.

The second priest of the Gu clan was clearly very familiar with the forbidden area, and the two of them quickly arrived at a place that Zhong Bai's divine sense could not detect.

Deep within the forbidden area, as soon as Zhong Bai stepped into this place, he felt as if he were being watched. The chilling aura around him made him feel particularly solemn.

“Zhong Daozi, this is the center of the forbidden area. Speaking of which, cultivators who enter the forbidden area for the first time, unless they are from the Gu clan, will have a feeling of being watched. Daozi, you can rest assured about this. Look, the location of the Gold-Eating Insect Eggs is just ahead.”

As Miao Yun introduced the area, she walked towards a square platform made of pure gold.

Zhong Bai followed...

Upon arriving at the square platform, one sees an oval-shaped golden insect egg emitting bursts of light. At the same time, the gold below is gradually melting and being absorbed by the insect egg.

"Zhong Daozi, these are the eggs of the Gold-Eating Insect!"

In order to preserve the eggs of the Gold-Eating Insect, our Gu clan has to spend 100 catties of gold every ten years to keep them alive.

Even so, once hatched, this gold-devouring insect's need for Geng metal would be more than ten times greater, making it unaffordable for most people to raise.

Zhong Bai looked at the delicate and tiny insect eggs in front of him and found it hard to imagine that the creature nurtured inside could grow up to be comparable to a Golden Core True Monarch!
Just as Zhong Bai was about to reach out and touch it, he saw the Gold-Eating Insect Egg in front of him radiating light. Upon seeing this, Miao Yun exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no, Zhong Daozi, it looks like this Gold-Eating Insect Egg is about to hatch! We can't let the Gold-Eating Insect be the first person it sees..."

After saying that, Miao Yun quickly retreated behind Zhong Bai, and Zhong Bai understood this as well, his gaze quietly fixed on the Gold-Eating Insect Eggs in front of him.

As the light shone brightly, the gold surrounding the Gold-Eating Insect Egg rapidly melted into liquid gold and flowed into the egg. The originally large piece of gold was completely devoured in just a short time.

Even so, the Gold-Eating Insect Egg was still not satisfied. Seeing this, Zhong Bai took out the gold and silver he had accumulated over the years from his Qiankun Ring and threw them all next to the Gold-Eating Insect Egg. After swallowing all the gold and silver, cracks appeared one after another on the Gold-Eating Insect Egg with a cracking sound. Only after a small, exquisite eight-legged beetle radiating golden light crawled out of the egg was Zhong Bai able to see its true appearance.

The two stared at each other, and Zhong Bai clearly sensed the Gold-Eating Insect's dependence on him. As the Gold-Eating Insect raised its head, Zhong Bai immediately heard a pleasant sound.

"Owner!"

These two words alone shocked Zhong Bai. The gold-devouring insect in front of him had just hatched and could speak human language, and in a loli voice at that... It was outrageous.

As if understanding what Zhong Bai was thinking, the Gold-Eating Insect spoke again: "Master, you can call me Little Gold. Our Gold-Eating Insect clan will change its gender based on the master's thoughts at first sight from birth. Master just guessed whether I am male or female, but since Master tends to be male, Little Gold has evolved into female."

After saying that, the Gold-Eating Insect flew to Zhong Bai's purple-gold crown and perched on it. You couldn't tell it was a living Gold-Eating Insect unless you looked closely!

When it comes to contracting spirit beasts, Zhong Bai has some experience. Back then, the Angry Sun Chicken that Zhong Bai contracted was still raised in Maoshan. However, because the Angry Sun Chicken's improvement speed was too slow, Zhong Bai gradually realized that he could no longer take it down the mountain. So he simply fed it to his master, True Person Qian Yuan.

And now this gold-devouring beetle...

Zhong Bai swept his divine sense over it and was immediately struck by its terrifying power; it was astonishing that it possessed strength comparable to the early stages of Foundation Establishment so soon after its birth.

"Hahaha, congratulations, Daoist! Congratulations on the successful hatching and recognition of the Gold-Devouring Insect by Daoist! It truly is due to your good fortune, Daoist, and it is rightfully yours to possess!"

Behind him, Miao Yun spoke very eloquently, which was also what Miao Yun really thought. This Gold-Eating Insect had been in their forbidden area for hundreds of years, and countless priests and clan leaders had seen it, but none of them had ever chosen to hatch when the Gold-Eating Insect came.

The fact that Zhong Bai took the initiative to incubate the embryo was truly a matter of chance. The coincidence was so great that Miao Yun believed it was something that Heaven had prepared for Zhong Bai.

Zhong Bai looked at Miao Yun, who was congratulating him, and said with a warm smile, "Priest Miao, there is no need for congratulations. This originally belonged to your Gu clan. Now that it has been taken away by me, it is I who should express my gratitude."

Just as the two were practicing Tai Chi, Zhong Bai felt a sense of crisis from the void again. The intense unease made Zhong Bai's brows furrow instantly. While looking around, he did not forget to protect his body with his internal energy and the Golden Light Divine Mantra.

"Zhong Daozi? What brings you here?"

Miao Yun, who hadn't sensed anything was wrong, was puzzled, but seeing Zhong Bai's tense expression, she knew it wasn't a good thing.

"Zhong Daozi, if you find anything strange about this forbidden area, then let's leave first!"

As soon as Miao Yun finished speaking, the entire forbidden area began to tremble. The surrounding earth tore apart, and a stream of light emerged from the depths of the Miao forbidden area, which had been peaceful for thousands of years. In an instant, it arrived in the void and transformed into a human figure.

The figure looked at Zhong Bai with a burning gaze, and his soft voice carried a hint of excitement.

"May the heavens protect me! May the heavens protect me! After a thousand years of waiting, I have finally met a young man with considerable talent! Hahahaha!"

An aged yet chilling voice echoed throughout the forbidden area. Zhong Bai's expression turned serious; he realized he was being watched.

"Hmph! What a piece of trash!"
"You are clearly members of my Gu clan, yet you so humbly hand over the Gold-Devouring Insect eggs left behind by my ancestor! You have truly disappointed me beyond measure!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Miao Yun was shocked...

(End of this chapter)