Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

Liu Xing inquired particularly closely about the cultivation process of the Golden Silkworm Gu. The Golden Silkworm Gu raised by Miao women is considered the lowest grade, and the old man, as her mentor, had assisted her throughout the entire process. Therefore, he was thoroughly familiar with the entire process, and his answers to Liu Xing's questions were all based on practical experience. Having spent nearly two weeks in the Miao village, Liu Xing felt he had mastered the art of cultivating Gu, and so he decided to attempt to cultivate a more powerful Golden Silkworm Gu. To cultivate a powerful and promising Golden Silkworm Gu, the initial venomous insect seedlings were crucial: the higher the talent and the higher the cultivation level, the better. Therefore, Liu Xing targeted the most venomous second- or third-level demonic beasts. The Dolamaya Mountains were vast, and these venomous insects were widespread, making them difficult to find in a short period of time. So, he inquired with the old man for information, promising a top-grade magical instrument for every qualified venomous insect he found. The old man's eyes lit up, and he began gathering information relentlessly, even mobilizing the forces of neighboring villages. Half a month later, he provided Liu Xing with information about three poisonous insects. Liu Xing paid for this with three top-grade magical instruments, and the old man was grinning from ear to ear. However, Ge Laigang was not optimistic about this plan at all. Liu Xing was so ambitious that he wanted to cultivate fourth-level golden silkworm Gu seedlings right away. This was unprecedented, and it was impossible to collect so many poisonous insects. It was really wishful thinking.

The venomous insects Liu Xing targeted were the Bungarus krait, the red-headed centipede, the black widow spider, the golden frog, the green earthworm, the yellow-tailed scorpion, the hornet, the bullet ant, the leaf moth, the rove beetle, the flower leech, and the glass-eyed tick. Each was highly venomous, its bite instantly fatal. Most people who encountered them would become their meal, so information on them was scarce. Liu Xing knew collecting these insects would be difficult, and capturing them alive would be even more challenging. However, he was determined to cultivate the most powerful Golden Silkworm Gu. He believed in doing it best. Extraordinary people, undertaking extraordinary tasks, would achieve extraordinary results. If he could cultivate the Golden Silkworm Gu, it would become his other ultimate weapon.

The information wasn't comprehensive enough, and the venom of these insects was extremely potent, requiring the preparation of antidotes. Liu Xing and Ge Laigang then gathered the locations of the surrounding markets and recalled Duoduo. Ge Laigang felt relieved, finally having sent this great deity away. The deity was far too powerful, and every moment he stayed felt like a burden. Fortunately, the village hadn't been ravaged. He decided not to disclose the Golden Silkworm Gu unless absolutely necessary, or else it might lead to even greater trouble. He decided to ground the Miao girl for a while.

Liu Xing traveled to various markets, purchasing a large quantity of medicinal herbs to refine detoxification pills. This area was close to the Miao mountains, where poisonous insects were everywhere, so detoxifying herbs were in high demand and in plentiful supply. Liu Xing spent several thousand spirit stones on a large quantity of herbs and insect-catching equipment, while also inquiring about the whereabouts of specific poisonous insects.

He also refined the strange stone he had found in the shark leader's cave into a massive stone jar. Although it wasn't of high quality, it was incredibly hard, and even his full-strength attack couldn't damage it in the slightest. He nodded in satisfaction, intending to use this stone jar as a place for the poisonous insects to fight and devour each other, and to cultivate the Gu seedlings.

With these preparations complete, Liu Xing embarked on the arduous task of catching insects. Due to much outdated or inaccurate information, Liu Xing was forced to travel extensively. Hoping to capture a coral reef snake, he journeyed to Snake Island and strayed into a snake den. Although he ultimately captured a Level 2 coral reef snake alive, he, Jiao Jiao, and Duo Duo were all bitten by the venom, nearly wiping them out. Had it not been for the puppet's fearlessness of the poison, which shielded most of the attack, and Jiao Jiao's strong resistance to poison, at the most critical moment, she could have grabbed Liu Xing with one claw and Duo Duo with the other, then flapped her wings and soared high into the sky. The master and servants subsequently retreated to cure the poison, spending nearly a year before the poison was completely eliminated and they returned to normal.

He encountered similar dangers many times. Many venomous insects live in groups, so luring them out of their holes wasn't always effective. For example, when catching bullet ants, after the leader was captured, they tangled together to form a giant flying ant. With a pair of enormous wings, they flew at breakneck speed, chasing Liu Xing for over a thousand miles. Liu Xing finally escaped by self-destructing several top-grade magical tools. Thinking of that dense ant swarm now, Liu Xing's scalp tingled. While tracking the ants, he witnessed a Level 4 demon beast being surrounded by the ants, gnawed to the bone.

The most challenging part was capturing the hornets. Not only did the swarms move as a group, but each one was also incredibly violent, resorting to suicidal self-destruction attacks. This left Liu Xing, his master, and his servant utterly devastated, and nearly killed. Initially unaware of the situation, Liu Xing employed the Turtle Breathing Technique to approach the hornet nest. With lightning speed, he instantly sealed the queen and captured her alive. But before he could rejoice, the enraged swarm exploded one after another. Liu Xing finally understood the true, terrifying meaning of the idiom "stirring up a hornet's nest." In his quest to escape the swarm, he lost five Foundation Establishment stage puppets. Only with their fearless support did he manage to escape, severely wounded.

The most challenging insects to find are poisonous insects like the Hyalomma tick. These small insects possess an exceptional ability to conceal their presence, often hiding in the fur of monsters one level higher than themselves, secretly feeding on them. They release a numbing toxin that is secretly injected into the skin of their host, rendering their blood-sucking unaware. Liu Xing searched numerous Miao villages and markets surrounding the mountains, but could not obtain accurate intelligence. The few scattered reports he found were ultimately false. Finally, through the help of his mountain cat Duoduo, and through extensive inquiries within the monster community, he finally obtained a clue: a Level 2 Hyalomma tick was hiding in the mane of a Level 4 monster, the Tibetan Yak. Unleashing all his magic weapons, along with Duoduo and Jiao Jiao's coordinated attack, they finally slew the Tibetan Yak and captured the Hyalomma tick.

Liu Xing considered himself to have a willpower far superior to that of an average person, but his search for poisonous insects still took him ten years. He gave up many times, often due to the sheer risk or the lack of hope. Each time, he'd think, "I've already collected so many species. I need to try harder, or all my efforts will be wasted." Even on the brink of giving up, he persevered, stumbling forward. Through a combination of skill and luck, he finally collected twelve poisonous insects, all second-level monsters.

The gathering of so many poisonous insects exuded an extremely strong aura. If it weren't for the restrictions that sealed their spiritual power and restricted their movements, Liu Xing wouldn't have been able to suppress it. The first step, capturing the poisonous insects, was perfectly accomplished. So Liu Xing ran to the nearby market to purchase the necessary supplies and prepare for the second step of his plan.