61 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

**Chapter 51: Purity** The minor disturbance didn't last long, largely thanks to Qian Da Ni's generous and broad-minded nature. Another reason was the late hour. The dense forest already had a sinister atmosphere; there was no need to strain the team's relationships and unsettle everyone further. The group quickly arranged their night watch schedule, and then each found a spot to rest. He He adeptly climbed a tree, sitting on a thick branch with his back against the trunk. Seeing him, Qian Da Ni hesitantly pulled Xu You Qing up into another tree. Cultivators meditate to focus their attention on absorbing spiritual energy, flowing it within their bodies, immersing their thoughts, and receiving the feedback of spiritual power. This way, they can meditate all night without sleeping and still be refreshed the next day. However, even though they do not sleep, cultivators in meditation are not entirely conscious. At this time, their attention is completely concentrated on the spiritual energy tides within them, making their perception of the outside world less sensitive than when fully awake. If something unexpected occurs, they might not react in time. Thus, someone must keep watch to ensure they are not attacked during meditation. While the group discussed, Huai Ye sat on a tree, seemingly either meditating or daydreaming. They realized that Senior Sister Huai Ye might not assist or oppose their decisions. Huai Ye's cultivation level was much higher than the others, and her presence alone affected the autonomy of the disciples. Even senior brothers and sisters older than her followed her lead, so naturally, the younger and less experienced disciples would subconsciously rely on her. However, this defeats the purpose of training, and Huai Ye has no interest in acting as a caretaker. During humanity's sleep cycle, the period between 1 and 3 a.m. is when people sleep the deepest. There's a saying that during this time, the yin energy sinks, the yang energy rises, and the liver energy flows smoothly, leading to deep sleep. In meditation, brain activity also transitions from excitement to sluggishness and then becomes active again. This period is when cultivators sink deepest in meditation, with the weakest perception of the outside world. Yet, it's also the most active time for nocturnal creatures. In the eerie silence of the dense forest, only the rustle of wind blowing through the leaves could be heard. It was eerily quiet, with no bird calls or signs of animals, as if they were the last living things in the forest. When "something" broke through the soil, Huai Ye instinctively opened her eyes and saw He He on a nearby treetop also staring at the ground. The night guards, Sheng Qing and Li Ju, were still oblivious. It was challenging to stay alert during the most sluggish time for the human brain, and they were both rather weary. Sheng Qing even let out a slow yawn, unaware that the soil layer beside him had been pushed up by an underground creature. A cylindrical creature, two fingers thick and a palm long, emerged from the ground. At first, it looked like a snake from afar. But as it pulled its entire body from the soil, Huai Ye realized it was an insect, covered with a layer of milky-white scales. The insect moved slowly, worming forward a short distance as the body fluids inside it surged and bulged. Its plump body suddenly arched, catapulting towards Sheng Qing. Startled by a sudden impact on his back, Sheng Qing snapped to alertness, hair standing on end, and shouted as he jumped up, "Senior Brother, Li Brother, there's something on my back! It hurts!" Being a dual-root cultivator of wind and wood, Sheng Qing couldn't attack the invisible thing stuck to him with great force. He couldn't cut it with a wind blade without risking his spine, so he resorted to desperately jumping and rolling on the ground like a mortal, attempting to shake it off. Li Ju was taken aback, spotting a white object swaying on Sheng Qing's back with his alarmed movements. Focusing on it, he realized it was a sizable, bloated white worm! The front oral part of the insect was larger than its head, piercing through Sheng Qing's clothing and anchoring itself firmly into his body, suctioning like a leech in a field. Li Ju immediately raised his sword, but Sheng Qing's frantic flailing left no opening, not even considering exposing his back to his brother's view. Forced by circumstances, Li Ju yanked Sheng Qing upright, and just as he raised his sword, he noticed the white worm, which had latched onto Sheng Qing's back mere seconds ago, had turned pink, suggesting it had already consumed a significant amount of blood. Wielding his sword, Li Ju managed to slice the worm. However, the worm's scales and soft body, oddly imbued with a red hue from Sheng Qing's blood, absorbed the force of Li Ju's initial non-magically enhanced attack. Alarmed, Li Ju quickly infused spiritual energy into his sword. With a yellowish spiritual aura around his blade, he cleaved the creature in two. The worm's oral piece continued to bite into Sheng Qing's back, and its severed, blood-engorged rear half writhed on the ground like a pump, spurting out the extracted blood from Sheng Qing's body through the front segment. In his urgency, Li Ju grabbed the worm's oral piece directly, trying to pull it off. Yet, the insect's sharp teeth clamped tightly into Sheng Qing's flesh, pulling inward. Any forceful removal would inevitably cause Sheng Qing significant damage. Fortunately, as the worm died, its bite gradually loosened, allowing Li Ju to successfully pull it off. Viewed from the outside, the worm's mouth was even more horrific, packed with rows of pointed teeth, opening like a sinister blossom. Li Ju glanced at Sheng Qing's back, which was now bloodied and gaping, the flesh reversed into a whirlpool-like wound, the edges pale from blood loss. Li Ju inhaled sharply, and suddenly, a loud crash of thunder seemingly burst near his ear. He whipped around to find scattered chunks of red and white flesh on the ground. Another insect had surfaced and was swiftly dispatched by someone else before nearing him. In the distance, Huai Ye maintained her pose, hand raised. She silently leapt from the tree, her brows furrowed. Having just witnessed the commotion, everyone was awakened by Sheng Qing's cries. Sheng Qing himself continued to grimace and gingerly touch the wound on his back. He He remained perched high above, exchanging glances with the solemn Qian Da Ni and the pale Xu You Qing, signaling them to stay put before leaping down herself. Huai Ye surveyed the intact insect carcass on the ground and immediately shouted, "Jing Ye Chong. Everyone, get off the ground!" Those who had been sitting cross-legged on the grass or logs instantly jolted upright, desperate not to touch the ground. Xu You Qing, unfamiliar with Jing Ye Chong, realized it wasn't good news by their changed expressions. She pursed her lips and moved closer to Qian Da Ni. Jing Ye Chong is a type of demonic beast that feeds on blood. While individual ones are not highly cultivated, their ranking in the cultivation world remains contentious. Firstly, its ability to convert absorbed blood into its own strength is unique. Having just fed on the blood of Sheng Qing, who was in the early stage of foundation building, it temporarily reinforced its scales enough to withstand a full strength, non-spiritual strike from someone almost at the pinnacle of foundation building. What if it fed on a more advanced cultivator's blood? Secondly, Jing Ye Chong is a social species. One isn't a concern, but sightings of their nests suggest they usually number in the hundreds. Waves of these large white worms cannot be resisted by low-level cultivators. However, Jing Ye Chong cannot fly, so for foundation-building cultivators who can ride swords, at least escaping shouldn't be an issue. Huai Ye made a quick decision, shouting, "All foundation-stage cultivators, take the Qi Refining phase sisters and leave quickly!" He He watched coldly from the clearing's edge. She knew Huai Ye likely sensed something rapidly rising from below, just as she had, explaining Huai Ye's sudden tension. Her lightning spiritual power was most effective against these clustering insects, so why the urgency? Observing Qin Miao clumsily trying to climb onto his flying sword, hindered by an injured leg, she smiled faintly. Huai Ye and He had sensed the oddity of this dense forest when teleported here. Despite its rich vegetation and favorable conditions, animal traces were scarce, indicating survival here was unusually difficult. The wildlife had either died or fled, leaving only a few capable of thriving. Huai Ye's intuition was sharper than most cultivators'. She could feel something underground but didn't identify it as Jing Ye Chong. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to set up camp here, choosing instead to travel under the stars to a safer location. Perhaps Huai Ye thought the beasts in the Hun Yuan realm couldn't harm her. Naturally, if she were alone, this would be true. However, she had several vulnerable companions, making her pride potentially devastating for her less experienced junior peers. Indifferent, Huai Ye camped in the forest clearing. He concluded that while she possessed exceptional talent, she still lacked experience. Initially, He He only had suspicions. But upon seeing Xiao Hun Ya, her conjecture was confirmed. Jing Ye Chong feeds on blood, and then Xiao Hun Ya can feast on the corpses, leaving the forest as nourishment for what neither creature consumes. In this thriving ecosystem, the robustly intertwined roots underground provided the Jing Ye Chong with protection, while the dense canopy above served as the perfect cover for the scavenging Xiao Hun Ya, which lacked significant strength on its own. This harmonious cycle raises the question: why is there a circular clearing in the very center of the lush forest? Naturally, that's because beneath the clearing lies a massive Jing Ye Chong nest. Whenever tree roots extend into the nest, they are gnawed off, preventing them from reaching deep enough to find water, leading to their demise. Thus, only a layer of grass grows atop. They were standing above tens of thousands of Jing Ye Chongs. Arrogant humans might not be aware, but there are records in the demon clans noting that community animals like Jing Ye Chong have potent organizational abilities, much like ants or bees. At this moment, the mother queen of the Jing Ye Chongs was swiftly approaching the surface. As for why the Jing Ye Chongs were so agitated, it was because she had accidentally smeared a drop of her blood onto a bandage while tending to Qin Miao's wounds the previous day. She stood motionless at the edge of the clearing, as if what was happening was of no concern to her. She watched Qin Miao fall from his sword yet again, while several senior brothers and sisters flew on their swords to retrieve Qian Da Ni and Xu You Qing from the trees. However, as they attempted to fly towards her, cracks appeared on the ground, and a gigantic insect emerged. Its massive mouth, lined with countless sharp teeth, loomed large. Huai Ye loudly commanded her fellows who were already on their flying swords, "Leave here at once!" Ah, come to think of it, that drop of blood from yesterday must have almost dried up by now. Can the Chong Huang even defeat this woman? He He lazily pondered. Given that the Jing Ye Chong grows stronger through blood, if a drop of my blood were fed to it, could it devour Huai Ye? Musing over this, a small knife fell from her sleeve—a gift from Xiang Shi Yan for self-defense back in Xinyang City, which she had carried since then. This giant insect's imposing presence startled Huai Ye for a brief moment. Glancing to the side, she noticed that both Qin Miao and He He had not yet left. Clicking her tongue, she frowned and summoned her spirit pet. A pair of golden-backed wolves leapt from the void, racing to He He's side, scooping her onto their back, and then grabbing Qin Miao before sprinting away. He He momentarily spaced out, clutching the furry mane beneath her. As she glanced back, the girl's figure standing against the giant insect gradually faded, obscured by low-hanging branches. Looking back at the now empty space, she shakily slipped the wrist knife back into her sleeve. **Author’s note:** He He never really believed that Huai Ye would save her. Although, for Huai Ye, there were many reasons to extend a hand, He He never saw herself as a "disciple of the Yu Cang Sect," "Huai Ye's junior," or "Xiang Shi Yan's student." After leaving Xinyang City, she ceased to be Lin Pan Di. Yet, due to memory loss, she wasn't fully He He either. Part of her was nothing—void. It was not until after this chapter that she finally aligned those titles with herself. If Huai Ye had chosen to disregard He He's fate, she truly would have perished. Now, the world can no longer revert to the original storyline because Huai Ye will never again face accidental death. Following this chapter, He He officially included Huai Ye in her circle of protection. Rushed all day, and still couldn't catch up... I'm tearing up. I finished writing this chapter at 12:02. Thank you to my readers—seeing your guesses about the plot brings me so much joy. I had no outline, to be honest; most of it is in my head, not separately listed. Thus, I often forget specific spiritual roots or cultivation levels... Additionally, who knew balancing was an option? Thanks for giving me a new idea! A big thanks to those who cast votes or sprinkled "nutrition” between 2022-02-25 19:05:22 and 2022-02-27 00:22:12! Special thanks to the little angels who threw grenades: Humble Pawn—two grenades; Thanks to the little angel for sprinkling "nutrition": Hotpot Poached Egg—10 bottles; Messiah, 35915512—five bottles; I deeply appreciate everyone’s support. I will continue to work hard!