Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

Chapter 84: Chapter 50: Taming the Ant Queen

The evening breeze was slightly intense, and the forest deepens where people are rare.

Entering the Fallen Dragon Ridge Mountains once again, Li Ji’an’s mindset was completely different from thirty years ago.

At that time, he knew very little about this world and was filled with awe.

But today, thirty years later, he is at the peak of Body Refining, in the middle stage of Qi Cultivation as a Dharma Cultivator, and also has a Spirit Beast about to advance to the late period of Tier One, significantly more composed.

He swiftly traveled, and when he stepped into the mountains, it was already late at night. Li Ji’an released Gugu, allowing it to burrow into the ground, guarding the surroundings.

He sat in meditation on the spot, attempting to restore some Magical Power.

After just a moment, he opened his eyes again: ”Indeed, the Spiritual Qi in this dense mountain forest is too mixed. No wonder it’s called Mixed Spirit Land. It’s riskier for human cultivation than a Spirit Starved Land, only Demon Beasts can mutate their bloodlines using it.”

Subsequently, he took out a Qi Replenishing Pill from his Storage Pouch and consumed it.

”Gugu~” Not long after, Gugu conveyed an anomaly through the Divine Soul linked by the Beast Taming Token.

Li Ji’an’s Spiritual Sense focused, immediately merging with Gugu’s Divine Soul within the Beast Taming Token.

The next moment, Li Ji’an gained another visual field.

It was precisely Gugu’s perspective from ten miles away.

Gugu had burrowed underground, with just a pair of eyes looking out from a fissure in the earth.

Not far away, seven or eight dark figures were slowly approaching.

Filthy Tribulation Cultivators!

These are common here, mostly loose cultivators with similar ill smells.

The cultivation resources are monopolized by those family powers. Their aptitude is poor, they have no special skills, yet they are unwilling to be mere mortals, nor do they value slow-accumulating small businesses, not wanting to patiently accumulate through generations, arrogant yet fragile.

Li Ji’an shook his head, the Flying Sword beside him instantly soared into the sky, bringing forth blazing fire.

”Scram!” Qi and Blood activated, the sound of thunder rolling.

Simultaneously, Spiritual Sense equivalent to the late period of Qi Cultivation directed towards the few people, accompanied by a surge of Spiritual Pressure!

”Not good! It’s a Great Cultivator in the late period of Qi Cultivation, retreat!”

”Senior, please calm your rage, we were ignorant of Mount Tai, forgive us, forgive us.”

”Thank you, Senior, for showing mercy.”

...

The few Tribulation Cultivators fled in panic.

Those who can hide in the mountains as Tribulation Cultivators are those scared by the joint guards of the Eight Great Clans.

Those truly powerful don’t need to become Tribulation Cultivators. Anyone with late period Qi Cultivation strength will definitely be given the status of Honored Guest Elder by the Eight Great Clans.

Li Ji’an paid them no mind, and after regulating his breath, he once again headed deep into the mountains.

But he did not retrieve Gugu, still letting it use Earth Escape to conveniently scout ahead.

The next morning, he arrived at the location marked by Chen Zhaohu.

It was a low-lying area with towering peaks on three sides.

This place is already close to the depths of the Fallen Dragon Ridge Mountains, with the possibility of encountering Second-Tier Demon Beasts, a place the Eight Great Clans would not easily venture.

Chen Zhaohu’s group was driven here for hunting, which cannot be separated from the pioneering efforts of the Eight Great Clans.

”Go on, don’t miss a single spot.” Li Ji’an stood on the mountaintop, instructing Gugu.

Soul-Holding Ants are something he found by taking advantage of Yan Qingwan’s resources, having read many clan texts and almost flipping through every ancient book on Divine Souls at the Market bookstore, finally discovering a method that was most likely for him to utilize Gugu effectively.

Once he undergoes Rejuvenation, his physical body will revert to the age of eight, simultaneously purifying everything, and his Divine Soul will also be purified, eliminating all effects, with the memories imprinted on the soul becoming nourishment, feeding back to the Divine Soul, strengthening it slightly with each Rejuvenation.

And currently, the only thing he can reliably control Gugu with is the Beast Taming Token.

The Beast Taming Token is bound by a Divine Soul Contract between his Divine Soul and Gugu’s Divine Soul.

This contract not only connects Gugu, but also connects his Divine Soul.

Theoretically, once one party’s Divine Soul dissipates, the contract will become invalid.

Years ago, when Li Ji’an destroyed the Beast Tamer and acquired the Beast Taming Token, Gugu was already a masterless beast. He reconnected his Divine Soul with the Beast Taming Token to bind the contract once again.

If he undergoes Rejuvenation now, and the Divine Soul is purified, the Divine Soul in his Sea of Consciousness naturally defaults to dissipate, causing the Beast Taming Token to lose control.

Spirit Beasts are still beasts, naturally not something to gamble on.

The solution he tried was to use Soul-Holding Ants to store a wisp of Divine Soul before Rejuvenation, so that even if the main Divine Soul dissipates, the contract within the Beast Taming Token remains intact.

He would just need to quickly regain cultivation and condense Spiritual Sense to control the Beast Taming Token once again.

This is why he has been searching for Soul-Holding Ants all these years.

”Gugu~” Until the red sun set, Gugu, already somewhat exhausted, still hadn’t located the ant nest.

The reason Soul-Holding Ants can store Divine Souls is because of their characteristic of feeding on Divine Souls, which means that wherever large numbers of Soul-Holding Ants exist, Spiritual Sense Perception fails.

Once Spiritual Sense approaches a certain range around it, it will be absorbed, receiving no feedback at all.

This is why Li Ji’an let Gugu keep using Earth Escape to search.

Unfortunately, the area of this low land is quite large, and the nest of Soul-Holding Ants is exceptionally deep, unable to make achievements for the time being.

”You must work hard, this is not just for me, but also for yourself!”

”Once this method is proven feasible, you will indeed gain great opportunity.”

”Let alone Lower Grade bloodline, even a Mortal-grade toad, as long as you follow me, there’s hope for Ascension.”

”Keep it up, your fate is in your own hands!”

Feeding the Beast Pill again and again, sincerely encouraging each time.

Until five days later, good news finally arrived.

First through shared vision, Li Ji’an clearly saw those densely packed Soul-Holding Ants, more than ten times the size of ordinary ants.

What delighted him most was that the Ant Queen was in the laying period, its body crystal clear and white, with its belly gleaming white, almost about to burst.

According to the ancient books, this state is the easiest time to tame.

”Excellent! You’ve made great contributions.” Li Ji’an felt pleased, and immediately summoned Gugu back.

Gugu was praised, appearing very excited, with endless expectation in its eyes.

Expecting the words Li Ji’an previously used to motivate it.

Li Ji’an rewarded it with a Beast Pill and then let it open its mouth to engulf him.

With Gugu about to break through to the late period of Tier One, the internal space of its ”Heaven-Swallowing” talent had expanded to nearly five cubic meters; Li Ji’an previously experimented with living creatures and found they could survive nearly three days.

After Gugu swallowed Li Ji’an, it immediately used Earth Escape again, arriving at the ant nest fifteen meters underground.

”Eat, these worker ants are all yours!” Naturally, to tame the Ant Queen, one must first cut off its food source.

Gugu instantly rejoiced, its fleshy tongue vibrating and retracting like a high-frequency Divine Artifact, launching a frantic consumption of thousands of worker ants within the ant nest.

Meanwhile, Li Ji’an began nurturing the Ant Queen with a trace of qi and blood...

Ancient books record that it would take only three years to fully tame.

However, three years turned into three years again. Luckily, Li Ji’an had enough Fasting Pills prepared in his Storage Pouch; otherwise, he couldn’t have persisted.

”Taming is achievable, but its appetite is indeed too large, even now showing no signs of being satiated.”

He estimated it might be due to this particular Ant Queen, the record did not mention an Ant Queen of this size.

Six years then flew by.

This day, Li Ji’an habitually fed the Ant Queen with qi and blood, and Gugu steadfastly stood guard, leaving only a pair of eyes visible, observing the outside world through a land fissure.

Suddenly, Gugu conveyed a sensation, Li Ji’an instantly connected with its vision.

A familiar figure came into view.

He saw Chen Qingling, who he hadn’t seen for thirty years, already a robust middle-aged man, at this moment respectfully following behind a scruffy old Daoist.

The old Daoist was holding something resembling an Array Plate, looking solemn, with excited eyes.

”Could this be the grave-digging Wanderer?”

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