« Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter » Chapter 44: White Ant Queen Half a month later. Outside the mountain, the summer heat was sweltering, but inside the mountain, it remained cool. Accompanied by Bai Jing, Fu Shaoguang left the Demon Market . Soon, a gigantic earthen fortress came into view. It was the Ant Nest . Fu Shaoguang entered it, marveling at the sight. The Termite Demons truly deserved their reputation in the Demon Market for their construction skills. The Ant Nest stood tall like an earthen mound, magnificent on the outside, and even more intricate on the inside, with roads extending in all directions. Crisscrossing and dense with tunnels. Like a dense, sprawling network. Fu Shaoguang believed his memory was good and his sense of direction accurate; he could remember the path at first, but he quickly became disoriented. His head was spinning. He stuck closely behind Bai Jing. Perhaps only Termite Dem...
Achieving Immortality in a Cultivation World by Extraordinary Means: Chapter 2: Encountering a Demon
Chapter 2: Encountering a Demon
The Mud Sand Cave.
He struggled to crawl out of his old shell.
Feeling his own strength increase, Fu Shaoguang's mandibles lifted; in the month since spring began, he had already molted three times.
This was a huge step forward. It meant a longer lifespan after he became an adult. But it still wasn't enough. If he wanted to live long, he still had to keep eating.
Fu Shaoguang's dietary options had increased; not only did he hunt dragonfly nymphs, but he also dared to hunt small tadpoles. When he should lay low, he did. When he should strike, he struck.
For every hunt, he either wielded a sharp spike or set up a trap, never fighting a battle he wasn't sure of—perfectly embodying bullying the weak, kicking someone when they're down, and being vicious and ruthless.
Not to mention, tadpoles tasted quite good. They carried a hint of sweetness under the moonlight.
Where the spring faded, a scene of lush beauty unfolded. When summer arrived, all things grew.
Fu Shaoguang had already molted twenty-one times, growing to about one centimeter in size, comparable to a small adult mayfly. Compared to the nymphs of his generation, his mandibles were sharper, his climbing speed faster, his strength greater, and his ferocity higher.
However, after summer began, the number of animals near the water increased. With many aquatic creatures reproducing or maturing, the danger level greatly rose. He became even more cautious, hiding inside the mud cave all day except when feeding.
Of course, danger and opportunity coexist. With more conflicts, there were more deaths. Most of the time, Fu Shaoguang didn't need to hunt laboriously; he just waited to pick up corpses, eating them along with water weeds.
He had also tasted the flesh and blood of creatures like crucian carp, frogs, and river shrimp, which were not part of the mayfly nymph diet and were even their natural predators. After all, he was different from his oblivious peers; to survive, he had to do some unconventional things while ensuring his own safety.
However, he could only take small tastes and eat scraps; otherwise, his stomach would not be able to handle it.
After being cooped up for half a month straight, Fu Shaoguang couldn't stand it anymore and secretly came out late at night for fresh air. The result was a scene that shocked him.
The bright moon shines among the pines, and clear springs flow over stones.
In the water, a river clam slowly opened its shell and spat out a clam pearl the size of a millet grain, drawing in moonlight essence from the shimmering waves.
The river clam was extremely vigilant; every time it performed the breathing technique briefly, it would retract the clam pearl and tighten its shell. After waiting for a period and confirming there was no danger, it would continue drawing in the moonlight essence.
Fu Shaoguang was astonished. There are actually... demons in this world!
Could he also cultivate? Not only would he have the chance to break the lifespan limit of short-lived species, but he could also make up for the regrets of his previous life.
Thinking of this, Fu Shaoguang grew excited. However, he didn't act rashly. A river clam was a natural predator of the mayfly. Going forward would be walking straight into a trap. He decided to observe for a few days first.
After getting fresh air, Fu Shaoguang returned to his nest. In the following days, besides eating and resting, he observed the river clam every night, attempting to control his breathing and secretly learning the breathing technique.
To prevent the river clam from noticing him, Fu Shaoguang made no unusual movements and foraged with his peers. The river clam was vigilant, and so was he. The river clam was cultivating, and he remained cautious. He hid in the mud the entire time, observing while guarding against danger, lest he die before even achieving success.
Unfortunately, he gained nothing for several consecutive days. Fu Shaoguang had no sense of Qi; forget drawing in moonlight essence, he almost forgot how to breathe.
Knowing this path was blocked, he changed his approach. His gaze turned to the clam demon's excrement.
He remembered a passage from Journey to the West where the Little White Dragon said: “If I urinate in the water, the swimming fish that eat it will become dragons; if I urinate on the mountain, the weeds will gain flavor and turn into spirit ganoderma, which immortal children pick for longevity.”
What if the clam demon's excrement also had extraordinary effects? As for whether it was embarrassing—if it really worked, what was the shame? Anyway, he was the only one with enlightenment. And the clam demon hadn't noticed him yet. As long as he didn't tell anyone, no creature would remember this dark history.
The clam demon changed its place of residence every three days. From east to west, from south to north.
This was the reason Fu Shaoguang dared to eat... the safety factor was relatively high.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Even if he became a warrior, daring to face reality, he still lost to reality: he was overthinking things. Fu Shaoguang cut his losses in time to avoid getting carried away.
He patiently lay low, quietly observing and waiting, eating while continuing to watch the clam demon. Time flew by quickly.
Over a month into summer, Fu Shaoguang molted three more times, becoming stronger, but he never risked approaching the clam demon. On this day, the bright moon was reflected.
The clam demon once again swallowed and spat out the moonlight essence, enveloped by scattered specks of light like fireflies, mysterious and dreamlike. The next moment, the clam shell suddenly locked tight.
Fu Shaoguang was also enveloped by a huge sense of oppression and fear, terrifying him into immediately hiding in the mud cave. His six legs exerted force, blocking the entrance, and he quickly moved toward the depths, winding and twisting. He only stopped when he reached the end, still feeling unsafe, and covered himself with another layer of mud.
At the same time, a sharp claw pried open the clam shell; the back of the claw, covered in blue scales, was heavily veined. A piercing shriek rang out, sounding like the clam demon crying and begging for mercy. Sharp, keen, and piercing! Then, it abruptly stopped.
Inside the sand cave, Fu Shaoguang's body trembled, causing the mud ball to shake up dust. He only relaxed when the chewing sounds faded into the distance. But Fu Shaoguang didn't leave immediately. After silently counting to one hundred, he bravely poked his head out from another entrance.
Peeking around, looking left and right, he then threw out a water weed leaf he had placed in the cave beforehand. Only after confirming there were no other movements and the crisis was truly over did he cautiously emerge. The clam demon was gone.
To be precise, it was dead. The clam shell was shattered into pieces all over the ground.
Fu Shaoguang checked three times with every step, approaching the fragments. He opened his mandibles wide and consumed the meat scraps remaining on the pieces. The taste was delicious, and the texture was chewy.
After eating, he felt full of power. Good stuff!!!
Fu Shaoguang's compound eye lit up. He feasted heartily. After eating his fill, he covered the scent of the clam meat with mud, laboriously dragged several small fragments, and hid them in his cave. The larger fragments of clam meat were snatched up by other aquatic animals; these held a fatal attraction for them.
Fu Shaoguang swaggered past a crucian carp, which didn't even blink. Of course, there were also insects of similar size trying to snatch the food from him, but he killed them mercilessly. His sharp jaw teeth pierced straight into their eyeballs. This had already become Fu Shaoguang's killing move.
Taking advantage of the fact that the larger animals hadn't noticed him yet, he quit while he was ahead, blocking the entrance to prevent the scent from spreading. As for what killed the clam demon, Fu Shaoguang didn't want to investigate. As long as he was safe, he didn't care what it was.
For several days in a row, Fu Shaoguang hid inside the cave. Besides eating the clam demon scraps, he was digging holes.
Even the clam demon that had embarked on the path of cultivation died easily, let alone an ant like him. He had to prepare for a rainy day and broaden his survival channels, lest he have nowhere to escape when targeted later.
After finishing the accumulated clam demon scraps, Fu Shaoguang fell into a deep sleep, experiencing a day and a night of slumber. When he woke up again, he had molted once more. His body was several times stronger, and his size had increased to two centimeters.
A strong sense of hunger struck. Fu Shaoguang left the cave, proceeded cautiously, and gnawed on water weeds. He found that his five senses were sharper, and his perception of the surrounding environment was stronger. During this time, several waves of predators passed by, but he could detect them in advance and accurately escape.
After eating and drinking his fill, he returned to his nest.
The summer clouds dispersed, and the autumn wind began to rise gently. Two months had passed since he consumed the clam demon meat scraps. Perhaps his body had been subtly modified, as Fu Shaoguang's molting frequency reached four times a month.
To this day, he had molted thirty-two times, making him an outstanding individual even among the many mayfly species. He had left his peers born in the same period far behind, but he wasn't complacent, because it still wasn't enough!
Even if he molted forty times, he would only live for seven days at most; time was still short. Only by breaking his limits repeatedly could he possibly extend his lifespan.
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