The Demonic Cultivator In Zombie World
Chapter 383: Ghost Shadow Worm

Lie Xiao and Lie Chen's breath caught in their throats. A method to open additional Insect Orifices?! Was this some kind of ancient scripture? In all three of the great tribal nations, such a technique could not possibly exist.

Lie Xin saw the disbelief in their eyes. She spoke calmly, "When I first began, I only had two Insect Orifices. Now, I have four, becoming a Platinum Insect Master. It was all due to the techniques provided by the Magic Mirror—the Orifice Opening Scripture and the Great Orifice Opening Scripture.

The Magic Mirror can even offer me a better Earth Orifice Sutra, allowing me to open the fifth Insect Orifice and approach the realm of Diamond Insect Master. However, the Magic Mirror is not always so generous.

It requires a method of cultivating yao insects, and its appetite grows ever larger. Now, I must acquire a cultivation technique that can nurture yao insects to the Diamond level to satisfy its hunger. My life is short, and I will never see that day."

Lie Xin turned her gaze toward the two men. "You two are the ones I have chosen. Are you willing to take on my legacy?"

Lie Xiao bowed his head seriously. "I am willing!"

Lie Chen nodded. "I am also willing, but I do not need to take the position of chieftain. I do not need this mirror either. I will remain in the royal palace, and Xiao'er can return to take the position of chieftain. This will be better for the tribe's development."

Lie Xin looked at him with a look of approval. In this moment, it was just as it had been in the past. When her father, Lie Zhao, had wished for her to return, she too had chosen to stay within the Holy Ant Tribe. Because she knew, only by staying there could she make the greatest impact.

Lie Xiao looked at his brother in surprise. "You don't want such a valuable thing as the mirror?"

Lie Chen smiled. "I fear I may not be able to control it, and it would lead me instead."

Lie Xiao scratched his nose. "Then I'll take it!"

He extended his hand and accepted the leather pouch that Lie Xin passed to him. Inside the pouch was what they referred to as the Magic Mirror.

Lie Xin regarded the two of them with admiration for a long while, before speaking.

"Lie Xiao, stay by my side for a time and learn how to handle the affairs of the tribe. Lie Chen, return to the royal palace and report this matter to the country's ruler. Tell him that my life is nearing its end, and I have reluctantly chosen Lie Xiao as my successor. I hope the ruler will grant his approval."

Lie Xiao and Lie Chen both nodded respectfully. "Yes."

Chu Xuan quietly observed everything, nodding slightly to himself. Once again, he had witnessed the succession of hosts from one generation to the next. It all started with Xiao Huo, then Lie Yong, followed by Lie Zhao, Lie Xin, and now, Lie Xiao. As he thought back, a small smile tugged at his lips.

Xiao Huo had truly been underwhelming. Despite having such a hardworking and selfless "old grandfather" by his side, he had barely made any progress.

Now, with Lie Xin having already chosen her successor, Chu Xuan did not involve himself further. He withdrew his spiritual sense and turned his focus inward.

The Black Palace would likely yield no results in the short term, so he could use this time to focus entirely on breaking through to Nascent Soul, Level Nine.

The seasons passed, and in the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed since his arrival on Blue Star.

For all that time, Chu Xuan had remained in seclusion within the cave's training room. The floor of the room was covered in large spirit stones, so many that it seemed the entire floor had been embedded with them. Even the Deity Transformation cultivators like Heavenly River True Master and Tian Mozi Daoist would gasp at such extravagance. It was undeniably lavish!

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Yet, despite sitting motionless for two decades, Chu Xuan's body had not accumulated a speck of dust. With his cultivation level, he had long since transcended such trivial concerns. A small bit of dust would never touch him.

At a certain moment, the aura within Chu Xuan's body suddenly surged, rising at an alarming rate. It was like a volcano, built up over millennia, suddenly finding an outlet to release its pent-up energy.

In an instant, the aura exploded forth, surging uncontrollably.

Boom!

In this very moment, his energy soared through the roof, breaking through the final barrier without any surprise.

Nascent Soul, Level Nine!

His eyes snapped open, revealing a look of deep satisfaction. Finally, he had reached Nascent Soul, Level Nine. At last, he could begin training the secret technique of the Soul Transformation Method!

Chu Xuan immediately took out a jade slip embedded with spiritual sense. This jade slip contained the Three Turns Soul Transformation Secret Method.

This method required a symbiosis between the Ghost Shadow Worm and Nascent Soul. Through the worm's three stages of transformation, Nascent Soul would be condensed, thus increasing the chances of breaking through to Deity Transformation.

However, the Ghost Shadow Worm was an ancient, rare insect that fed on shadows. It was likely extinct by now, lost to the annals of history.

Chu Xuan had, however, acquired a cocoon of the Ghost Shadow Worm during a trading session at the Cold Iron Wood Forest market from Kang Jia. It had yet to hatch, and he had been waiting for the right moment. He took out the purple-black cocoon and began to channel his spiritual Qi into it to hasten its maturation.

Before long, a plump, purple worm no larger than a thumb wriggled out of the cocoon. Its small eyes warily observed Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan pressed a drop of his essence blood into the air, and the Ghost Shadow Worm immediately scurried over to devour it. In a short time, the worm lay contentedly in the palm of Chu Xuan's hand, no longer on guard at all.

Chu Xuan casually summoned a zombie, bringing it before him. As the sunlight fell upon the zombie, its shadow stretched across the ground.

At that moment, the Ghost Shadow Worm sprang into action, leaping with remarkable speed and began voraciously devouring the zombie's shadow.

Such a tiny creature, yet it consumed most of the zombie's shadow in one go. It was quite strange, really.

The zombie, once lively and moving, now appeared wilted and drained, much like a cucumber deprived of water, sagging lifelessly.

"Your bloodline might not be as pure as the Ghost Shadow Worm's, but it still carries its essence," Chu Xuan murmured, watching the worm devour the shadow. "Even if it can't increase the success rate by the threefold stated in the Soul Transformation Method, even a one or two percent increase would still be a significant gain."

He gently petted the Ghost Shadow Worm, feeling a sense of profound hope within his palm. It was not just a worm—this was the key to his breakthrough into Deity Transformation!

"Eat as much as you like, feast to your heart's content. There are more shadows here than you can consume, and no righteous cultivator will come to stop you," Chu Xuan said with a faint smile.

The worm seemed to understand his words and devoured the shadow with even more enthusiasm. Not long after, the zombie's shadow was completely consumed. With a dull thud, the zombie collapsed to the ground, its body intact but devoid of any breath or life.

Chu Xuan waved his hand, and one of his corpse puppets swiftly approached, lifting the lifeless zombie and tossing it into the zombie farm. He immediately brought in another lively zombie to replace the last one.

The Ghost Shadow Worm eagerly continued to feast on the fresh shadow, clearly reveling in its meal. It felt like it had stumbled upon a paradise of worms!

Chu Xuan nodded in satisfaction. This method provided a new, practical use for zombies—truly a case of making the most out of everything. The Ghost Shadow Worm continued to consume the shadows of three hundred zombies before finally showing signs of weariness and pausing.

A day passed, and the worm began to excrete a violet-colored, viscous substance from its mouth, preparing to form its cocoon.

Chu Xuan was elated. He immediately surrounded the worm with his Spiritual Qi and placed it in his Dantian, fusing it directly into his Nascent Soul.

The worm was confused.

"I want to cocoon," it thought, "Why have you stuffed me here?"

But it couldn't make sense of it, so it simply decided to continue with its task. As it continued excreting the substance to form its cocoon, the fact that it had merged with Chu Xuan's Nascent Soul meant that the entire Nascent Soul was also encased within the cocoon.

Thus, the first step of the Three Turns Soul Transformation Secret Method had been successfully achieved. Now, it was only a matter of waiting for the worm to break free from its cocoon.

Once it did, Chu Xuan's Nascent Soul would undergo its first refinement. Not only would the form of the Nascent Soul grow larger and more solid, but the potency of the Nascent Soul essence it released would also slightly increase!