Chapter 107: Escape Into [cicada City]
Facing the two children’s suicidal request, Yuan Zhu made a decision after a brief moment of thought: Of course, it’s helping others for joy!
He was already very interested in the Underground World’s [Qi Refining Technique]. This was the first pollution system he’d encountered since transmigrating that highly restored his previous life’s Earth ‘immortal cultivation concept.’ None others compared.
Although the entire cultivation process heavily relied on [Dao Seed (Insect Eggs)] as the foundation, it was the most fitting cultivation method in his mind.
The others, no matter [Yellow Heaven, Buddhism, Kunlun, Sword Immortal], only seemed cloaked in an ‘immortal Buddha’ exterior, but their core was not as authentic as the [Insectoid Race Qi Refining Technique].
Breathing and Exhaling; Dantian Qi Refining; Opening the Twelve Main Meridians; Condensing the Weekly Cycle Acupoints; Connecting the Bridge of Heaven and Earth; Qi Condensing Dharma Aspect; Martial Dao True Intent… How high-martial immortal hero? Traditional immortal cultivation!
There must have been a transmigrator who published related high-martial novels through Du Ling, which became widely popular, with cultivation realms deeply ingrained in people’s minds, and precipitated a valuable wealth in the human collective subconscious.
That’s why the [Pollution Root] took a liking to it, using it as its own outer packaging.
Yuan Zhu boldly guessed that this pollution root was the [Feathered Immortal (System)]!
…
Now the sister and brother wanted to add [Holy Cough] into their lungs as a cultivation variable, to perform a secondary demonic modification on the [Qi Refining Technique]. He was equally happy to see it succeed; they were natural white mice, and also his opportunity to observe and spy on the Qi Refining Technique.
Friends who often recklessly consume pollution all know that [Pollution Systems] cannot be dual-cultivated (ignoring [Three Phases]). But every pollution system can attempt to swallow and absorb small amounts of other pollutions, gaining characteristics for itself, thereby achieving growth and evolution.
For example, his own [Tiger Demon] had absorbed [Yellow Springs Aura] in the Little Xihong Realm, optimizing and perfecting the [Ghost Companion] supernatural ability, giving the shadow ghost companions ‘undead’ characteristics, making them even more underworld-like.
Similarly, after absorbing a large amount of disease ash, the [Holy Seal] also derived [Holy Cough] with disease characteristics, and greatly increased resistance to disease pollution.
By the same logic, the Underground World’s quite mature [Insectoid Race Qi Refining Technique] would not be reverse-polluted or purified by mere [Holy Cough]. As long as the variables were controlled well, the two siblings fully had the ability to absorb the [Holy Cough], turn it to their own use, and develop a [Holy Cough Breathing Technique] with Yuan-style holy light characteristics.
And this was exactly what Yuan Zhu wanted.
If they could really develop [Insect System. Holy Cough Breathing Technique], then he too would have an opportunity, using [Holy Cough] to observe, spy on, and analyze the operational method of the [Qi Refining Technique], perhaps creating a [Holy Light Version or Shadow Version] breathing technique?
Holy Light was no big deal; the Holy Church had a complete cultivation system. Even adding [Qi Refining Technique elements] would just be icing on the cake, taking a step with more personal style. But the [Shadow System] was different.
His [Shadow System] purely relied on ‘Mutated Spiritual Root’ to carry it forward. Whatever abilities the [BOSS Template] had, the shadows inherited them. It completely lacked a cultivation method, not forming a system. If one day the mutated spiritual root’s potential was exhausted, what path to take next?
Since the [Mutated Spiritual Root] came from the Immortal Path Universe, with immortal cultivation potential, why not add the similarly immortal hero-styled [Qi Refining Technique], creating a technique called “Shadow Qi Refining”? To make the [Tiger Demon] cultivate and get stronger.
What Yuan Zhu was best at was using the [Great Desolation Immortal Scripture] to steal the dao, pirating cultivation data for 1:1 shadow replication! Perfect.
…
After figuring all this out, he looked at the two siblings and nodded in agreement: “Good! Since you’re willing, I’ll pass on the [Holy Cough] seal to you. Strengthen body and purify breathing.” One blast of holy cough into the lungs, your fate is mine, not heaven’s.
For these children living in high-concentration composite pollution environments, parasitizing the lungs with [Holy Cough] to reject other pollutions and purify breathing was actually a merciful method, the best choice.
Moreover, if they could refine and master the [Holy Cough], even the last bit of side effect would be gone.
Those out-of-control ‘coughing goblins’ in the Disease Garden were classic cases. They successfully reverse-diseased the holy cough in their bodies. Yet he was still one step ahead, killing them all and completing [Ghost Companion] refinement.
“Who goes first?”
At this time, Younger Brother stepped forward, blocking in front of his weak chicken sister: “Me!”
Seeing his own sister about to speak, Chiao spoke first: “Sis, your physical fitness is too poor, so let me try first. Once I summarize better breathing experience, you try next.”
Although Younger Brother always appeared meek and obedient to Little Girl, once he made a decision, he was very reliable, not allowing Little Girl to refuse, settling the matter first.
Tang thought for a moment, then no longer pushed, acknowledging this approach.
Yuan Zhu, who observed the whole time, found Little Girl to be a very mature and steady child (12 years old). Aside from her timid personality, weak strength, malnourished body, skinny and small, bulging eyes, and quick to kneel in fear of death, everything else was an advantage.
Quick reactions, observant, knows trade-offs, good at speaking, very smart brain, and decisive. From Younger Brother’s earlier introduction, Little Girl also had precise ‘Qi Threads micro-control’ skills, raising bugs with 30% higher efficiency than peers, saving a lot of food to nourish her abnormally developing Younger Brother (8 years old).
Even the [Holy Cough Breathing Technique] was her creative idea from twice briefly enduring holy light, and she dared to think, act, and risk it all. For a moment, Yuan Zhu saw her as a talent, forming the idea of cultivating Little Girl and propping up a native spokesperson in the Underground World.
Kids are easy—young age, easy to deceive and coax, low demands, easy to satisfy, easier to control. But everything depends on the [Holy Cough Breathing Technique] succeeding and them showing cultivation value.
…
Next, Yuan Zhu simply tested Younger Brother’s physique and found it surprisingly strong.
Excluding the extraordinary power from [True Qi], just in terms of physical fitness, coordination, reaction speed, and physical body strength, it was actually above his own as an 18-year-old big brother (human stance)?!
It gave him the illusion of casually digging up a Xiang Yu or Li Yuanba in some otherworld corner. Are kids in the otherworld developing this heaven-defying now? Or did he encounter a special case?
One blast of [Holy Cough] smashed into the lungs, Younger Brother endured the pain strongly, sat cross-legged on the floor, and began meditative breathing, reconverging ‘Holy Cough True Qi’ through the breathing method.
Little Girl quickly flicked her finger, shooting out her remaining Qi Threads inside, hitting the tube worm curled on the roof, inputting all her True Qi into it.
Then, the ragged belt-like tube worm naturally drooped down, the end connected to the soil fusing with the ubiquitous ‘Immortal Realm Tree Root Tendrils’, extracting, refining, and filtering polluting energy, releasing it through the other drooping end, spraying the roughly processed ‘spiritual energy’ above Younger Brother, which he breathed in.
Yuan Zhu: So that’s the [Breathing Method]!
Using [Tube Worm] to simply filter the Immortal Realm Tree’s residual ‘corrupt spiritual energy’, breathing it into the lungs to refine into True Qi. Though not belonging to the [Kunlun System (Spiritual Root)], it heavily relied on Kunlun Immortal Path’s spiritual energy resources, counting as an alternative ‘outer sect disciple’.
Watching Younger Brother with the expert demeanor of breathing and Qi refining, Yuan Zhu felt a bit envious. This was the cultivation in his mind!
Burning garbage and eating ash (seal casting) what kind of cultivation? Kitten sleeping (shadow passive enhancement) even weaker, though very relaxing and comfortable, but full demonic monster style, too undignified.
Yuan Zhu grew curious and asked Little Girl: “What’s special about this [Tube Worm]? Since it can filter pollution from immortal roots, why doesn’t [Insect City] deploy them en masse to purify the Underground World’s ‘spiritual energy environment’?”
Tang watched her brother concernedly while obediently answering: “Because [Tube Worm] itself is rare and precious; the technology to make and cultivate [Tube Worm] is held by one of the nine Technician Families, the [True Qi Family]. The True Qi Family excels at decomposing and utilizing ‘Immortal Realm Tree Root Tendrils’ and spiritual energy purification. They inherited a cave dwelling from a former immortal sect, cracked the magic array technology, and can set up ‘cultivation rooms’ in the Underground World, creating enclosed spaces to massively condense pure spiritual energy for cultivation aid. Rumors say the True Qi Family also holds a former ‘Grotto-Heaven Fragment’. This [Tube Worm] is one of the key ‘foundation ritual implements’ for array setup and spiritual energy purification; [Insect City] lacks the ability to make [Tube Worm], let alone distribute them en masse. Ours was secretly passed down from our parents’ generation.”
Yuan Zhu looked at the [Tube Worm] again—a ragged leather tube, looking like a rotten umbilical cord with faint activity. Who knew this junk was actually a ‘living array cultivation ritual implement’?
Yuan Zhu looked at Little Girl again: “Your dream is to join the Technician Alliance and learn [Alchemy]?”
Tang nodded: “Yes! Alchemists are the most popular in [Insect City], earn the most, and it most tests precise Qi Threads control and manipulation; I have a little talent in this area. My brother is also excellent; though young, his martial arts aptitude is outstanding, learns fast, and with enough resources, can quickly warm the Twelve Main Meridians and impact [Earth Rank]. Many adventure teams and hunting teams have invited him, even [Insect City]’s defense team wants to recruit him. But my brother has dreams too, wanting to join [Iron Armory] or [Armor Casting Division].”
Little Girl seized every chance to sell herself and her brother, hinting and showing talents, afraid Yuan Zhu wouldn’t get it.
As for [Iron Armory] and [Armor Casting Division], they were two other branches among the nine Technician Families, related to [Artifact Refining] and [Armor Casting].
This [Technician Alliance] was originally a righteous organization of natives resisting the [Reverse Life Immortal Sect] and [Insect City]’s collusion oppressing the lower masses.
A large group of idealistic, ambitious cultivators who mastered and cracked ‘Kunlun immortal cultivation knowledge’ stood up, sharing knowledge and technology, breaking high-level monopolies, helping newborn insect cultivators perfect various systems, ultimately overthrowing [Immortal Sect] rule, letting numerous [Insect Cities] achieve full independence and freedom.
But not long after, the alliance holding vast advanced ‘Insect System technology’ formed a new technology oligarch alliance independent of [Immortal Sect, Insect City], a third-party force. After decades of development and expansion, it split into nine ‘Technician Families’.
Through business, technology, trade… they cooperated with [Insect City], gamed with the weakened [Reverse Life Immortal Sect], competing for Earth Immortal sect remnants resources. They developed insect cultivator versions of arrays, pills, artifact refining… and other technologies.
[Insect Cities] were numerous and played both sides. Some attached to the Immortal Sect, some were secretly backed by the alliance, others like [Cicada City] were independent big cities, trading with both sides.
Yuan Zhu felt this mission didn’t even need contacting the passively shrunk [Reverse Life Immortal Sect]; just cooperating with [Insect City] or a certain [Technician Family] could stably output endless silk weaving raw materials for [Mao Mao King].
Even directly let natives do OEM! The Underground World also had [Silkworm Race] Insect Cities expert in textiles, all skilled workers.
Additionally, Yuan Zhu judged the local nobles and magnates also had consumption power for [luxury children’s wear]. Underground residents claimed ‘insect cultivators’, but were human-like everywhere, needing clothes too.
Even because the Underground World was too barren, aside from humans only myriad strange insects, no birds, fish, mammals… no furs existed. Clothing was severely lacking, fuel scarce too. Thus colorful clothes, miscellaneous luxuries, rare items were all highly sought after.
From Tang’s account, [Cicada City] wasn’t just one, but had expanded outward to 2 small satellite cities. The lowest noble district had many rich people and families. Of course, local wealth and money differed completely from Du Ling, mostly refined ‘cultivation materials, rare metals, pills’ as hard currency.
Yuan Zhu grew more excited the more he heard—this was even more profitable?!
This ghost place was poor to madness; casually transporting from Du Ling things natives couldn’t access like ‘food, luxuries, clean water, medicine…’ then low-price dumping could shear profits explosively!
Compared to selling products for [Mao Mao King] and building raw material planting areas; Yuan Zhu found directly being a ‘reseller’ simpler, cruder, and more efficient. This place too poor too bitter, even selling desk lamps could make one a tycoon.
His ‘entrepreneurship heart’ burned fiercely.
…
After observing another half hour in the underground cave, confirming Younger Brother’s ‘breathing rhythm’ increasingly steady with no outbreaks of accidents or side effects, Yuan Zhu couldn’t hold back anymore, decisively fled, deciding to personally enter [Cicada City] to investigate.
He activated [Tiger Demon] stance, hid his aura, sent four eggplant head ghost companions ahead to scout, had Little Spicy Stick load them with [Silence] commands prohibiting any sound, then began exploring the Underground World.
With the two siblings’ guidance, Yuan Zhu no longer wandered like a headless fly.
He hadn’t contacted living people before because he was active in the Underground World’s ‘uppermost layer’ most dangerous area, constantly seeking paths further to the surface, naturally no living people, even bugs scarce.
That transition layer’s air was not only turbid but mixed with miasma and poisonous gas, so casually firing an ‘Illumination Technique’ would trigger riots. Like lighting a cigarette in a gas-filled enclosed space—suicidal.
Now, sinking deeper, relying on released ‘eggplant ghosts’, he gradually sensed scattered spots of faint life auras.
These were Cicada City’s bottommost residents, living in the most barren ‘Upper City District’, scattered in ‘diffuse’ distribution, every certain distance a household in narrow ‘ground hole cavities’.
The two siblings were one of these many ‘slums’.
This arrangement partly used bottom natives as ‘human air purifiers’. Diffuse distribution allowed better breathing purification (filtering) of ‘corrupt spiritual energy’ leaking from higher up, resisting demonic insects.
The greater purpose was as human early-warning devices.
The Underground World had a disaster called [Miasma]; once it truly erupted, no amount of lives could fill it. Plus small demonic insect nests and demonic giant insect attacks.
If households of cultivators were placed on the most dangerous front line, whether from excessive miasma intake mutating or demonic bug attacks, they could timely alert and flee, or be sensed by neighbors to flee and report.
Even if poisoned or bitten to death, tax collectors coming periodically could discover timely, report to [Insect City], greatly increasing safety!
With the crude map in hand, Yuan Zhu quickly passed one ground hole cavity after another. Occasionally he’d send ‘eggplant head ghosts’ to stealthily stealth into different ‘homes’ to explore and observe.
In comparison, he found the two siblings’ home exceptionally poor and miserable, their only asset being that [Tube Worm]. Other ground hole cavities though barren, had complete tables, chairs, bedding. Walls stuck with six or seven firefly wooden sticks, rooms with various wooden and bug-made furniture, even doors and locks. Living standards still very low, like ancient backward villages.
The further down he went, crossing layer after layer of tunnel spaces, the livelier the Underground World became, natives’ strength gradually strengthening. He sensed more than one ‘Earth Rank cultivator’, strength threat seemingly not inferior to his own 6-engraved holy seal self?
Tunnel-surrounding walls and ceilings grew more ‘clean mushrooms, moss, fluorescent slime molds’, ecosystem becoming rich and colorful, emitting multicolored glows, even artificially pieced into unfamiliar script.
Breathing air still turbid, but deadly poison pollution sharply dropped, clean ‘spiritual energy’ concentration rising. Long-term residence could passively improve [Breathing Method]. Spiritual energy concentration here nearly half of [Tube Worm] output.
Just Central Urban Area this lively, [Cicada City]’s power level seems a bit high? Stronger by a large margin than Buddha Tomato’s [Xihong Temple], even [Tiger Demon] couldn’t force it.
