« 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 4: Evading Calamity
Chapter 4: Evading Calamity
Spring grass is green before the wind; peach blossoms are red after the rain.
In early spring, as ice and snow melted, the Earth's Qi surged. The Qi of Water and Earth became abundant, causing Fu Shaoguang's back to itch intensely. It felt as if a thousand ants were crawling and biting beneath his skin. He was very familiar with this sensation. Three months had passed since the last time he felt this, and it had been five months since he started the process of Gathering Qi. He was finally going to shed his shell again.
Fu Shaoguang anticipated that this time would be extraordinary, so he didn't act rashly. This was not only because this might be his opportunity to transform from a mortal creature into a Demon, but also because the memory of the Clam Demon weighed heavily on his mind. He still had no idea what had eaten it. Novels and folk legends from his previous life all spoke of the many calamities found on the path of cultivation, and how non-human entities who gained the Dao often suffered unfortunate fates. Fu Shaoguang was afraid he would follow in the footsteps of the Clam Demon.
Therefore, he needed to make some thorough preparations beforehand. He believed it was better to make a futile effort than to rely solely on luck. In the following days, he dug with all his might. His nest became a complex network of tunnels extending to the territories of the Black Fish, the Old Turtle, and the Water Snake—all mountain stream overlords who had been the most aggressive in eating the clam meat last time.
The entrances also extended to the Poisonous Algae Zone and the Thorn Zone. Furthermore, the entrances were kept small, and the tunnels were narrow, only allowing Fu Shaoguang, a single insect, to pass through, extending about ten feet underground. Of course, this wasn't the work of just a few days, but the result of a year's accumulation; he had merely upgraded and reinforced it recently. The passages were covered with sharp thorns he had transported and packed densely. Fu Shaoguang also painstakingly collected a large amount of animal feces, making the inside and outside of his Immortal Cave reek horribly.
This caused most aquatic creatures to detour around the area instinctively. If danger truly came, perhaps they would abandon the idea of devouring him out of pure disgust for the filth. As for whether it was dirty or not, he didn't care; what mattered more than life itself? After all preparations were complete, Fu Shaoguang was close to his limit, but he still didn't rashly undergo the transformation.
Instead, he waited until a clear, sunny day. He ate his fill, burrowed into the hole, plugged the entrance, crawled to the Thorn Zone, hid deep underground, coated himself in a protective layer of feces, and began the process of shedding his shell. Legends from his previous life, the Clam Demon dying at night, and the fact that he himself felt more comfortable in the evening, all told Fu Shaoguang: Evil Demons and Ghosts often travel on cloudy days or under the cover of night. By transforming during the day under the bright sun, he hoped he could block any potential danger.
The setting sun melted like gold, and the fiery clouds glowed brilliantly, racing against time. Fu Shaoguang was racing against time for his very life. As the last ray of sunset faded, he also shed his old shell and gradually grew a new one, his life level beginning to ascend. The bright moon of the Nine Heavens cast down its pure, bright radiance, coating the mountain forest in a silver sheen, and the river surface shimmered—just like the night the Clam Demon met its tragic end.
When the night deepened, the sound of insects suddenly vanished. The aquatic creatures hunting and playing disappeared without a trace. In the dead silence, a figure appeared in the water, casting a large and ominous shadow. The shimmering light vanished, and the visibility became pitch black.
A huge splash sounded. A strange creature covered in scales, humanoid in shape but possessing fins, swam over. Its eyes were scarlet, like candlelight, and its nose twitched as it constantly lingered near Fu Shaoguang's burrow, searching carefully. Immediately, its eyes lit up. It swam to a spot and grabbed something, but it turned out to be the Old Turtle, withdrawn into its shell. Disappointment and human-like anger flashed in its eyes. The monster shook the Old Turtle a few times, tossed it out, and continued searching.
Next, its arm reached into a hole, and it grabbed a Water Snake that immediately coiled around its arm, instinctively trying to bite and swallow, but the hard scales made the snake want to cry from the pain. The monster flew into a rage, casually pinched the Water Snake's vital spot, swallowed it whole, and turned to continue searching. A moment later, the enraged creature swallowed several Black Fish. Finally, it arrived at a thicket of thorns. Its nose twitched, and the foul odor immediately hit it. The monster couldn't help but retreat several steps, its face full of disgust and contempt. But it was unwilling to return empty-handed, especially after wasting so much time. Holding its breath and suppressing its discomfort, the monster ignored the sharp thorns of the thicket and extended a finger to poke into the hole. The sharp thorns were blocked by its scales.
At the bottom of the earthen burrow, Fu Shaoguang, currently transforming, felt a chill in his heart. The familiar sense of fear and oppression returned, exactly like the night the Clam Demon perished. He understood: That thing had arrived! Hiding inside his old shell, Fu Shaoguang strove to steady his mind, forcefully expelled distracting thoughts, and stopped himself from dwelling on chaotic consequences. He focused all his energy on shedding his shell to survive. Faster, even faster!
A loud crash sounded. The monster struggled to lift the layer of dirt, kicking up dust. Finally, impatient, it smashed down with a fist, causing the soil layer to collapse more than eight feet, but then it felt something strange—the texture of the soil was abnormal. Pulling out its arm, it glanced down and saw that its wrist and palm were smeared with a layer of feces—sticky and foul. The monster's pupils contracted, and the acid in its stomach rushed up its throat, which it forcibly swallowed back down.
Immediately, ignoring the need to search, it took off running wildly, fleeing the area. This place was simply toxic. It had expected a delicacy, but now, whether it was delicious or not was unknown; the foulness and nausea were certainly genuine. It had been wounded emotionally. It likely wouldn't be able to swallow anything for several days. Even if it found that little thing, it wouldn't dare eat it. Who knew what it really was? If it turned out to be a Feces Spirit, the thought was unbearable!
The sense of oppression gradually receded. Fu Shaoguang felt immense relief, knowing he had evaded a calamity. He collected his mind and focused solely on shedding his shell. A Life Transformation unfolded in the dark earthen burrow.
A streak of sunset intoxicated the twilight. The following evening, there was finally movement in the ruined thicket of thorns. An insect passed through the sticky layer, shaking its body to shed some of the filth, revealing a hint of plain white luster. This special insect, temporarily enveloped in stench, was precisely Fu Shaoguang. After a day and a half, he completed his forty-first shedding, transforming, as he had hoped, into a Demon Insect.
His body size surged to two inches, his mandibles were sharp as knives, his six legs were swift and powerful, and his five senses were keener, allowing him to perceive changes in the airflow and water movement within three inches around him. Turning his head to look at the foul-smelling sticky layer, Fu Shaoguang secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, he had been extra cautious and created a layer of feces three feet down in the bottom of the burrow.
If the opponent hadn't been scared away by the thicket and the surface stench, this would have been his trump card. Unexpected disgust breaks down the defenses of creatures more effectively than overt foulness. As it turned out, he had gambled correctly. Crawling cautiously, he surveyed the surrounding environment. Seeing that the nearby overlords had all vanished, Fu Shaoguang was overjoyed. His painstaking planning had not been in vain; this area was now much safer. After cleaning his insect body, he first went to eat his fill.
Delicious green algae grew near the Black Fish's dwelling, which Fu Shaoguang had coveted for a long time. He opened his mandibles and crunched down on the delicacy. The newly grown green algae was crisp, tender, fragrant, and delicious. After eating and drinking his fill, he wasn't in a hurry to return to the earthen burrow. Instead, he explored the domains of the Water Snake and Old Turtle, returning to his nest to rest if he found nothing else.
Around midnight, having recovered his strength and energy, Fu Shaoguang crawled stealthily through the mud and sand layer. This location was exposed. To prevent the monster from returning, he needed to move elsewhere. He couldn't be too far from his colony, nor too close; that would be the safest arrangement. He finally settled beneath a secluded water stone. Using the strength of his six legs, he dug an earthen burrow while remaining vigilant against natural enemies. After working hard all night, Fu Shaoguang was exhausted and panting, and he fell into a deep sleep inside the earthen burrow.
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