Chapter 929: Immortal Door Nascent Soul's Various Research (Thanks to Alliance Leader Wan Youyin)

Gold-Gnawing Fire Ant!

In the Hall of Righteous Law, Chen Mobai finished reading the research materials Venerable Sanyue had just uploaded. He mused that the name the latter had chosen sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. He searched the Immortal Sect Network and his Heavenly Calculation Bead using his "Square Inch Book," but found nothing. This suggested it might be mentioned in obscure ancient texts that hadn't been uploaded online. Chen Mobai didn't waste any more time; he called Venerable Sanyue directly to inquire about it.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to have heard of this," Venerable Sanyue said with some surprise. He then set a time for Chen Mobai to visit him. "Taohua and the others also want to know, so come to Jumang Daoist Academy."

Wenren Xuewei was also in charge of affairs at Wangwu Grotto-Heaven. After Chen Mobai informed her, the two of them used the Grand Void Teleportation together and arrived at Jumang Daoist Academy. Venerable Taohua and Venerable Sanyue were already drinking tea in the pavilion, the former with a slight frown, a hint of worry in her expression.

"If I'm not mistaken, this Gold-Gnawing Fire Ant is one of the Six Primordial Insects recorded in the Daoist texts left by Patriarch Changchun, isn't it?" As Chen Mobai sat down, he heard Wenren Xuewei speak first.

"Precisely. And I'm eighty to ninety percent certain that the Mother Emperor who devoured Dragon God Star is indeed the Gold-Gnawing Fire Ant," Venerable Sanyue stated with certainty.

"It's one of the Six Primordial Insects!" Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai finally understood why it felt so familiar. This was because the Six Primordial Insects were also mentioned in the notes of Patriarch Yun Ya of the Weapon Dance Daoist Academy. They were said to be six powerful insect species born from primordial qi in the universe: the Six-Winged Golden Cicada, the Gold-Gnawing Fire Ant, the Lunar Heavenly Centipede, the Azure Jade Sword Butterfly, the Wutu True Locust, and the Blood-Transforming Demonic Mosquito. In the past, Patriarch Yun Ya had refined a set of flying swords for his Dao partner using the Azure Jade Sword Butterfly. When used with the Mingxiao Sword, their power was no less than that of the Sea-Calming Sword. Chen Mobai knew this because Venerable Yuxiao had already taken this set of flying swords. Previously, after the two of them had escorted Venerable Chengxuan out of seclusion, Venerable Yuxiao took a Qi-Containing Orb and left. Out of curiosity, Chen Mobai inquired about it, and Venerable Chengxuan told him the story.

"This Gold-Gnawing Fire Ant devours gold and consumes fire. Its favorite food is planetary cores, because the heart of a planet contains the most concentrated and untamed high-temperature energy, as well as primordial creative essence. This not only promotes the Mother Emperor's evolution but also allows her species to reproduce infinitely."

"Judging by the current situation on Dragon God Star, that Mother Emperor has very likely reached the Transcendent Divinity realm, with two primordial internal elixirs of gold and fire attributes condensed within her body."

"And if the Mother Emperor combines these two internal elixirs, she will fully evolve to her most powerful state, which is akin to a primordial demon god, or in our terms, the Void Refinement realm."

After listening to Venerable Sanyue's words, Chen Mobai's expression also turned solemn. The sheer power of the Void Refinement realm was evident from the fact that no one in the Immortal Sect had achieved it for thousands of years. Even in the Heavenly River Realm, a Void Refinement cultivator could ascend to heaven in broad daylight and sweep through an entire realm, unrivaled.

"Then we must kill the Mother Emperor before she evolves. Do we need to inform the two patriarchs about this?" Chen Mobai spoke. If Venerable Sanyue's research was accurate, the Immortal Sect's current situation was extremely perilous.

"Patriarch Qianxing already knew. Otherwise, why do you think I dared to name it the Gold-Gnawing Fire Ant?" Venerable Sanyue's words made Chen Mobai and Wenren Xuewei realize the truth. No wonder Patriarch Qianxing had them prepare to activate the Immortal Sect's most powerful war artifact, the Palace of Ethereal Heaven, before his true body entered Dragon God Star. Once the Mother Emperor fully evolved, the Immortal Sect would only be able to use the Palace of Ethereal Heaven to utterly pulverize Dragon God Star and the Mother Emperor into cosmic dust.

"Even so, the Mother Emperor's strength is probably not to be underestimated. I wonder if the two patriarchs can take her down..." Chen Mobai said with a worried expression, and Wenren Xuewei, beside him, nodded in agreement.

Venerable Sanyue and Venerable Taohua exchanged strange glances at Chen Mobai. Then, the latter lightly coughed and spoke of another matter. "The Gold-Gnawing Fire Ant devours gold and consumes fire, and it can also easily destroy wood-attribute materials. Therefore, if we face it, it's best to use artifacts of earth and water attributes. When Venerable Chunyang's Vermillion Bird Daoist Palace enters, it should primarily provide support, working with the Azure Dragon Daoist Palace to protect the Black Tortoise Daoist Palace during the assault."

No wonder Narcissus and the Black Tortoise Daoist Palace were chosen to lead the charge this time; it was likely arranged by Patriarch Qianxing behind the scenes. However, this means that among the Four Symbols Daoist Palaces, the Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, and White Tiger are all countered by the Gold-Gnawing Fire Ant. If victory is truly desired in one battle, it might be necessary to summon the Palace of Ethereal Heaven, which encompasses all attributes.

"Thank you for the reminder, Venerable Taohua!" Chen Mobai nodded and thanked her. "I'll head back to Wangwu Grotto-Heaven now. If there's any other news, please inform me immediately." Chen Mobai rose, preparing to leave. Wenren Xuewei also bowed to Sanyue and Taohua, ready to go with him. During wartime, if no Nascent Soul cultivator was stationed in one of the three main halls, the people of Jumang would likely be sent on various dangerous missions. So, even if she were lazy, she had no choice but to remain permanently in Wangwu Grotto-Heaven.

"Xuewei, stay a moment. I have something to tell you." However, Venerable Taohua suddenly called out to Wenren Xuewei. Though puzzled, the latter nodded and sat down.

"Then I'll take my leave first." After bidding farewell to the three, Chen Mobai directly used the Grand Void Teleportation and departed.

"Principal, is there something wrong?" As soon as Chen Mobai left, Wenren Xuewei saw both Sanyue and Taohua visibly relax. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and asked, somewhat confused.

"Previously, you were busy forming your Nascent Soul, and to avoid distracting you, I didn't tell you about that matter..." Venerable Taohua then meticulously explained that Patriarch Baiguang's reincarnated body was Chen Mobai's wife. Upon hearing this, Wenren Xuewei's eyes widened. She thought of how she often went to Chen Mobai's home for meals when she was at Wangwu Grotto-Heaven and gasped. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I thought Cui'er would have told you." Seeing Wenren Xuewei's expression, Venerable Taohua instinctively tried to shift the blame.

"Cui'er knows too?"

"Yes, she was among the first to know, back when the Violet Lightning Sword chose its master..."

After hearing everything, the usually gentle and quiet Wenren Xuewei directly crushed the teacup in her hand. *She knew, and she still let me eat Patriarch Baiguang's cooking every day!* After taking a few deep breaths, Wenren Xuewei immediately pulled out her phone, sent a message to Chen Mobai, and then directly used the Grand Void Teleportation to go back and reprimand Pei Qingshuang, her fair-weather friend.

"It looks like she's a bit angry, doesn't it?" Venerable Taohua said, somewhat uncertainly.

"If I were the last to know, I'd be angry too!" Venerable Sanyue rolled his eyes at her, then also bid farewell and left.

"Didn't you say Councilor Wenren was coming for dinner tonight?" That evening, as Shi Wanyu finished preparing a table of dishes, she saw Chen Mobai instantly appear by the table alone and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"She had an urgent matter. Venerable Taohua kept her at Jumang Daoist Academy..." Chen Mobai recounted the message Wenren Xuewei had sent him, then took the chopsticks his daughter handed him, gestured for Shi Wanyu to sit, and the family of three began to eat.

After dinner, Chen Mobai returned to his cultivation room in his courtyard, took out a Pure Yang Condensation Pill, and ingested it. Over the years, most Nascent Soul cultivators in the Immortal Sect had their energy tied up with Dragon God Star, but Chen Mobai's cultivation progress hadn't slowed down. After all, his cultivation relied on taking pills, not diligent ascetic practice or meditation. During his spare moments amidst his busy schedule, Chen Mobai refined and purified his true qi and spiritual sense using the Lamp Lighting Art. Time thus slowly passed.

One day, Chen Mobai was inspecting the Vermillion Bird Daoist Palace in the outer space when he suddenly received an urgent call from Shi Wanyu. His last elder relative, Chen Baolan, had reached the end of his lifespan and was in the First Hospital of Wangwu Grotto-Heaven. Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai immediately used the Grand Void Teleportation to return. By the time he arrived, Shi Wanyu and her son, along with Zhuang Jialan, his personal secretary, were already in the hospital room.

"Xinying booked the next available flight. If there are no delays, she should arrive this afternoon." Shi Wanyu walked over and told Chen Mobai something. Chen Baolan had never married, so Chen Mobai and Wang Xinying were his only younger relatives.

"Sister Zijing is already waiting at the airport." Zhuang Jialan, seeing Chen Mobai's glance, indicated that everything was arranged.

Chen Mobai nodded and walked to the bedside. The completely aged Chen Baolan lay unconscious on the bed, his breath barely perceptible.

"Venerable One..." Beside the bed was a doctor operating instruments. After respectfully nodding to Chen Mobai, he briefly explained the situation. There was no illness; he was simply reaching the end of his natural lifespan. In a sense, it was good news.

"Thank you, Doctor!" Chen Mobai said, and the doctor immediately gave him privacy. Shi Wanyu and the others also left the room with the doctor.

"Is that Mobai..." A moment later, Chen Baolan woke up. His eyes seemed blurry; he could only make out a figure sitting by the head of the bed.

"It's me, Little Uncle!" Chen Mobai immediately reached out and clasped Chen Baolan's hand. After diluting his true qi into Pure Yang spiritual energy, he slowly infused it into Chen Baolan's body to help warm him.

"I've finally reached this point. But in my life, I've traveled across the Immortal Sect's myriad mountains and rivers, and now, in my old age, I have such an excellent nephew to see me off. I have no regrets..." Chen Baolan held Chen Mobai's hand, a faint smile on his lips, and spoke in a light, airy tone.

"Little Uncle, I have a longevity pill. If you take it, it might extend your life by a few years..." Chen Mobai took out a Profound Sky Dark Gold Pill. He had secretly given Chen Baolan two pills before. While the average lifespan of Qi Refinement cultivators in the Immortal Sect was 120 years, an extra decade or so was within a reasonable range, as there were always long-lived individuals. However, Chen Baolan was now at the end of his rope; there was less than a fifty percent chance he could refine this pill, and it might even do more harm than good due to his weakened state.

"No need. Big Brother and Second Sister have probably been waiting for me for a long time down there. I don't want to make them wait any longer..." Chen Baolan shook his head. He had lived a very clear-sighted life, never marrying, never having children, living a joyous life alone, for himself, following his heart, free of worries. Now, lying on the sickbed, he had no intention of forcibly lingering in the mortal world and causing trouble for others. His life had already been fulfilling!

"Little Uncle, when you get down there, please remember to tell them how awesome I am here in the Immortal Sect..." Chen Mobai also spoke in a teasing tone. Chen Baolan couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing him.

"If Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law knew you successfully formed your Nascent Soul, even in the underworld, they'd hold a three-day, three-night banquet. But Second Sister must have already told them..." Chen Baolan held Chen Mobai's hand, imagining the scene after meeting Chen Xinglan and Chen Yulan.

As the uncle and nephew chatted, a knock sounded at the door. Wang Xinying, with red-rimmed eyes, walked in, led by Shi Wanyu.

"Little Uncle, Xinying is here too..." Chen Mobai said to Chen Baolan. Wang Xinying, softly sobbing, walked to the other side of the bed and held Chen Baolan's other hand.

"Xinying, if I go down and tell Second Sister and Second Brother-in-law that you're still single, they'll probably blame me, your uncle, for not fulfilling my duty as an elder..." Chen Baolan continued to speak with a slight smile, easing the mournful atmosphere in the room.

"Uncle..." Wang Xinying was somewhat speechless; she could only hold his hand and stand by the bed. Chen Mobai recounted a childhood memory: Chen Baolan had taken the two children to visit a museum. Amidst these continuous recollections, Chen Baolan's complexion grew rosier, and his eyes became brighter, clearly seeing his niece and nephew on either side of the bed. But it was clear that this was his final flicker of life.

"It's just a pity that in my life, I only traveled throughout the Immortal Sect's lands but never visited another world..." Finally, after Chen Baolan uttered these words, his hands slightly stiffened, and he stopped breathing on the sickbed. Wang Xinying could no longer hold back and burst into tears! Chen Mobai, suppressing his grief, reached out and gently closed Chen Baolan's eyes.

Due to his uncle's passing, Chen Mobai took a period of leave. After taking Chen Baolan's ashes to Dragon God Star, he returned to Danxia City with his family. Chen Baolan's grave was naturally beside Chen Xinglan's. Chen Mobai led his family in a round of offerings.

"How's your cultivation been recently? Are you confident about forming your Core?" As they left the mountain, Chen Mobai asked Wang Xinying. She had long since accumulated sixty years of service, but her Art of Turning Stone into Gold was not yet perfected, and she lacked confidence in forming her Core. Thus, she hadn't asked Chen Mobai to arrange Core-forming elixirs for her.

"Thanks to the spiritual fruits you gave me, my comprehension has improved significantly. My Metal Spiritual Root is now at 66 points..." Wang Xinying meticulously explained her cultivation progress. Her talent could only be considered upper-middle. Nearly a century of arduous cultivation, coupled with consuming loquat fruits, had only increased her Metal Spiritual Root by 34 points. This, precisely, was the normal rate of spiritual root improvement through pure arduous cultivation in the Immortal Sect, without additional resources. It was precisely for this reason that many cultivators in the Immortal Sect couldn't endure such desolation and loneliness, giving up early to pursue enjoyment. If Wang Xinying didn't have Chen Mobai as her brother, giving her hope for future Core Formation, she would probably have abandoned cultivating the Art of Turning Stone into Gold long ago.

"After all, you accumulated your service years and qualifications here in Danxia City. If I were to arrange for you to receive the Golden Liquid Jade Return Pill after only sixty years, it would certainly cause an uproar when announced..." Chen Mobai spoke about the arrangements for Wang Xinying's Core-forming spiritual items. Since his sister also lacked confidence in her Core Formation, he had originally planned to reserve a Golden Core-Forming Pill for her when the Immortal Sect next arranged for their refinement, and then have Qing Nü refine a Golden Liquid Jade Return Pill in the Eastern Wilds. However, the expansion war presented an excellent opportunity to gain merits and build a resume.

"By the end of this year, a new batch of personnel will be sent to Dragon God Star from the Immortal Sect. Some of them are required to be talismansmiths and artifact refiners, primarily to help repair various artifacts' restrictions and talismans for the military. I'll arrange for you to train in the relevant departments at Wangwu Grotto-Heaven for a period, and then you'll go there with the main forces..." As Chen Mobai explained his arrangements, Wang Xinying nodded continuously, indicating that she would follow his every instruction.

Time flew by; soon, another four years had passed!

Venerable Yuanxu, using local materials on Dragon God Star to study elemental crystals, soon collaborated with Venerable Yunhai to improve a nine-layered filtration array. This array could convert the volatile energy contained within the crystals into spiritual qi that cultivators of the Immortal Sect could absorb. However, because over ninety percent of the elemental crystals were earth and water attributes, only cultivators practicing these two types of cultivation methods could benefit from them. The greatest beneficiary of this research was, naturally, the Black Tortoise Daoist Palace. After embedding these filtration arrays into the energy furnaces of the Daoist Palaces and starships, simply feeding in water-attribute elemental crystals allowed these war artifacts to unleash their maximum power, even to the point where they no longer needed the Immortal Sect's spirit stones and void spirit qi packets.

Thanks to this research, Narcissus even piloted the Black Tortoise Daoist Palace and the Northern Heavenly Gate, penetrating deep into the planet's core several times. However, the closer they got, the more insect beasts emerged. Moreover, when these insect beasts self-destructed, the surging gold and fire qi, in large quantities, could also corrode the Black Tortoise Daoist Palace and the Northern Heavenly Gate. Especially the closer they got to the planetary core, the more intense the primordial toxic fire surging from the depths of the core became. It also contained primordial transformations, making it incredibly powerful. When it collided with the Nine Heavens Water Mansion Void Domain manifested by the Black Tortoise Daoist Palace, the latter, despite ample energy, faintly showed signs of being unable to sustain itself. After several attempts, Narcissus could only retreat and await Patriarch Qianxing's orders.

However, Venerable Yuanxu and other Nascent Soul cultivators of the Immortal Sect, taking advantage of the Black Tortoise Daoist Palace's protection, achieved even more research breakthroughs deep within the planet's core. Among these, Venerable Meihua and Venerable Yuyi used the Dragon God Dynasty cultivation methods translated from the ruins to sense many dragon artifacts left behind by deceased Dragon God priests, and so on. Many of these dragon artifacts contained the last words of these Dragon God Dynasty priests, and some were even legendary divine artifacts. Most importantly, they found the secret cultivation methods of Dragon God Star.

The cultivation of Dragon God Star's priests primarily involved evolving towards the Three Dragon Gods, a step-by-step process of becoming a dragon, from the initial awakening of dragon blood to the protection of dragon scales and the soaring of dragon wings. Once they could transform into dragons, they needed to receive the Dragon Soul Imprint within the temples of the Three Dragon Gods. However, after the death of the Three Dragon Gods, the descendants of the Dragon God Dynasty who fled to the seas never again received the Dragon Soul Imprint inheritance. The final step in the Dragon God Dynasty priests' cultivation was called Dragon King Reincarnation. Upon becoming a Dragon King, one could enter the divine realm of the Three Dragon Gods and serve them. It was said that after reincarnating into the divine realm, one could achieve eternal life.

The Immortal Sect, however, was skeptical of this. After all, even Transcendent Divinity True Monarchs had an end to their lifespans. Since the Three Dragon Gods could be killed by the Mother Emperor, it was evident that they could not have surpassed the Transcendent Divinity realm at most. Nevertheless, Dragon God Star was an alien world, and there might be divine objects or rules beyond the Immortal Sect's understanding that could grant eternal life to living beings. Therefore, the Immortal Sect continued its research with hope. If they could uncover the secret of entering the divine realm for eternal life, it would undoubtedly be the greatest scientific achievement in the Immortal Sect's history! Upon receiving this news, Venerable Sanyue, despite opposition from the three main halls, entered Dragon God Star to jointly research this topic with several other Venerables.

"If they truly uncover the secret to eternal life, then the next Flying Immortal Award will definitely be theirs..." In the office of the Hall of Righteous Law, Wenren Xuewei, who was drinking tea with Chen Mobai, brought up this matter. However, Pei Qingshuang, who always liked to join them, was absent. Chen Mobai had heard that the two sisters seemed to have fallen out, but he wasn't a very gossipy person and didn't inquire further. Anyway, his relationship with both women remained good.

"Let them have it then. After all, if they can uncover the secret of eternal life in Dragon God Star's divine realm, it would be a huge boon for all high-level cultivators in our Immortal Sect." Chen Mobai, however, looked indifferent. The Flying Immortal Award had previously been almost certainly reserved for his Void Scripture. But with the start of the expansion war, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Immortal Sect had produced one astounding achievement after another: elemental crystal filtration, the cultivation methods of Dragon God priests, and the secret of eternal life in the divine realm. Even Venerable Yunhai was studying Dragon God Star's world membrane, and he vaguely saw the legendary divine realm of the Three Dragon Gods hidden within Dragon God Star's heavens and earth. Venerable Chengxuan also had his eye on the world membrane, but he intended to refine it into his Red Heart Treasure Mirror, using his personal artifact to reflect a world, thereby achieving Transcendent Divinity!

It was at this time that Chen Mobai realized that the Immortal Sect's system constrained these Nascent Soul cultivators. Yuanxu and the others, any one of them, if placed in the Heavenly River Realm, would be a super genius no less than Ye Qing. Unfortunately, within the Immortal Sect, to maintain overall stability, all their astounding talents were restricted. Those with good luck encountered world-opening wars and could fully unleash their potential. Those with bad luck, if they couldn't reach Transcendent Divinity, could only sadly pass away. It was also at this moment that Chen Mobai suddenly gained a hint of understanding for Lin Daoming's defection.

"It's truly admirable how open-minded you are, though for you, the Flying Immortal Award is merely icing on the cake." Wenren Xuewei, seeing Chen Mobai's calm and indifferent demeanor, was also deeply impressed. If it were her, facing the Immortal Sect's highest award, one that might not even be granted for a thousand years, she would certainly be anxious about gains and losses. After all, the Flying Immortal Award had only been granted nine times throughout history, fewer even than the number of Transcendent Divinity True Monarchs in the Immortal Sect. Its prestige was immense! Within the Immortal Sect, some might not remember Transcendent Divinity True Monarchs, but the recipients and achievements of the nine Flying Immortal Awards were all written in textbooks, known and praised by countless cultivators throughout the Immortal Sect's history.

"Awards and titles are all superficial; only cultivation is real!" Chen Mobai said calmly. Upon hearing him, Wenren Xuewei secretly admired him even more, thinking, 'No wonder Patriarch Baiguang fancied him, not caring about the age difference.' With such talent and state of mind, he was truly worthy of being called the Immortal Sect's foremost figure. Perhaps in the future, he could truly become the first person to reach the Void Refinement realm!

Chen Mobai, on this occasion, had rarely spoken his true thoughts. He genuinely held an indifferent attitude towards the Flying Immortal Award. While its prestige was indeed very high, he knew his own strengths and weaknesses better. In scientific research, he certainly wouldn't be a match for people like Yuanxu, Sanyue, and Yunhai. Moreover, as long as Chen Mobai lived long enough—with two thousand years of lifespan after reaching Transcendent Divinity—it wouldn't be difficult to arrange a Flying Immortal Award for himself at some point. There was no need to spend precious cultivation time on such matters. Chen Mobai had always firmly believed in specialization. His strengths lay in cultivation and combat, using resources to break through realms. High-intelligence matters like scientific research were best left to professionals like Yuanxu and his peers. Holding this belief, Chen Mobai's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds over the years. After reaching the third level of Nascent Soul, utilizing his free time from work, he had refined five more Pure Yang Condensation Pills, bringing his cultivation to the peak of the third Nascent Soul layer. Currently, he was using the Lamp Lighting Art to refine and purify his essence, qi, and spirit, intending to attempt a breakthrough based on his own abilities first. However, he wouldn't place all his hopes on himself. He had already asked Yue Zutao to gather information and main ingredients for breakthrough pills in the Eastern Lands. If he was still stuck when the ingredients were collected, he wouldn't waste any more time and would use pills to force a breakthrough.

"Are you coming to my place for dinner tonight? Wanyu said she hasn't seen you in a long time." Chen Mobai checked the time; it was almost quitting time. He put down his teacup and said to Wenren Xuewei, who had come over for tea and to slack off.

"No, no. Cui'er and I have plans to go to that new grilled fish restaurant together." Wenren Xuewei repeatedly refused. *Are you kidding? It was one thing when she didn't know, but now that she knew it was Patriarch Baiguang's cooking, how could she dare to eat it?* Furthermore, she recalled what Patriarch Qianxing had said before entering the core and calculated the lifespan of Shi Wanyu's reincarnated body, understanding why Patriarch Baiguang's emergence from seclusion was timed at that particular juncture. She only hoped that when Patriarch Baiguang emerged from seclusion, she would be eager to participate in the expansion war!