Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 17 The Golden Silkworm That Saves Us from Tribulation

The fragrance of flowers, mingled with the chirping of insects, wafted out from the carved window frames.

This villa on the banks of the Wei River was originally an idle property of Prince Ning, but in recent years it was taken over by Yuwen Zhao and became his playground for playing with insects.

Inside and out, the buildings were ornately decorated, and even the dishes for feeding insects were carved from warm jade, but Zhou Li did not enjoy these things.

In Yuwen Zhao's words, "Playing with insects cultivates leisure, while insect fighting trains one's character."

For the past few days, apart from the Yi Chong, Zhou Li has been trapped in the Mustard Seed Space. With this endless existence in sight, Zhou Li truly felt despair.

Moreover, ants have short lifespans, and Zhou Li was afraid that he would die of old age before Yuwen Zhao could kill him.

At this moment, Yuwen Zhao was leaning against a soft couch covered with a white fox fur coat, his fingertips twirling a bright white Spirit-Nourishing Pill, his eyes sparkling with laughter.

"What makes you so happy, my dear brother?"

A burst of laughter came from outside the courtyard, and two young men in brocade robes stepped into the courtyard.

Walking in front was Yuwen Zhao's cousin, Yuwen Ji, with a handsome face and the demeanor of a gentle and refined gentleman.

Half a step behind was Ji Qingshan, who often played chess with Yuwen Zhao and was clearly a regular here.

"Brother, Brother Ji." Yuwen Zhao stood up to greet them. "What brings you here?"

Ji Qingshan waved his hand: "Don't mention it. The affairs of the clan are complicated, unlike your leisurely life, Yuwen Zhao. I heard that you brought in a batch of cold jade, so I came here to cool off and find some peace and quiet."

"Come on, if you came alone, you might be here to relax. But coming with my cousin, you definitely wouldn't be here without a reason."

After everyone was seated, Yuwen Ji said in a gentle voice, "Brother, I have come to see you today because I have something important to discuss..." He looked at Ji Qingshan, "You should tell me."

Ji Qingshan said, "I received news from the clan in the past few days that the Golden Silkworm of Salvation has recently appeared in a remote place in the western border of the territory."

"The Golden Silkworm that saves you from peril?" Yuwen Zhao's heart warmed.

He was very familiar with this name. It was one of the top ten ancient insects in the "Compendium of Strange Insects". Legend has it that its silkworm silk naturally contains the power of the five elements and is a top-quality material for making heavenly-grade treasure clothes.

What's even more amazing is that if this insect is tamed into a fighting insect, its ability to spin silk and weave webs is also unparalleled in the game of insect fighting.

"The news was brought back by an elder of the clan. He said he saw a flash of golden light that disappeared in an instant, accompanied by a strange fragrance, which was very similar to the Golden Silkworm of Salvation described in ancient books." Ji Qingshan paused, "But that place..."

"What's that place like?" Yuwen Zhao pressed.

"Eerie," Yuwen Ji continued, a smile playing on his lips. "That place is backed by the Yellow Springs Tomb, where eerie winds howl year-round. But eerie as it may be, if it really is..."

Yuwen Ji clapped his hands hard: "Brother, the Golden Silkworm that saves us from peril! Even if we only catch one and take its silk to give back to our family, it will be a great achievement."

He looked at Yuwen Zhao, his smile deepening: "Besides, your insect-raising skills are the best in our generation. If you really encounter one and manage to tame one or two, the credit will be yours. I can make the decision on behalf of the family and give you one to use as a chess insect, which wouldn't be treating you unfairly."

Yuwen Zhao remained silent for a moment.

Although he doesn't participate in family affairs, he's not stupid.

Yuwen Ji's words sounded like he was thinking of him in every way, but he didn't ask the elders in his family for help. Instead, he came to ask him, a Qi Refining cultivator, for help. He couldn't figure out what Yuwen Ji was thinking.

As for Ji Qingshan, he was even stranger. It was true that the Ji family of the Panling Clan was well-informed, but Ji Qingshan never did anything that would result in a loss.

"Do you two brothers intend to go and investigate?" Yuwen Zhao asked.

"Exactly," Ji Qingshan said. "I have prepared the incense to attract insects. What do you think, Brother Yuwen? The three of us can travel together and look out for each other."

Yuwen Zhao was still young at heart, and after a moment's consideration, his curiosity overcame his initial doubts.

"Alright!" He slammed his hand on the stone table. "When do we set off?"

…………

Seven days later, at the Tomb of the Dead.

It was the height of summer, but as soon as they stepped into the area near the tomb, the sky suddenly darkened.

As far as the eye could see, there was an endless expanse of desolate graves, with strangely undulating terrain, and not even a chirp of insects or a bird's call could be heard; it seemed to be a dead land.

The howling wind carried a biting chill, causing the three men's robes to flutter loudly.

"What a heavy, eerie wind," Yuwen Zhao said, pulling a cloak over himself.

Before setting off, he left a message for his mother-in-law, only saying that he was going to the Tomb of the Dead with his cousin, without specifying what they were going to do.

He also brought the mustard seed bowl that had trapped Zhou Li, so that he could use it to capture the golden silkworm in case of any discovery.

At this moment, Yuwen Ji held a luminous pearl emitting a warm glow in his palm, dispelling the approaching chill as he said with a grave expression, "This place is indeed eerie. Green Mountain, which direction is the entrance?"

Ji Qingshan took out the incense used for catching insects from his bosom, lit it, and a wisp of extremely thin blue smoke rose up, condensing and not dissipating, as if being pulled by something to explore to a certain side.

"This way," Ji Qingshan said, taking the lead. "This incense is most sensitive to the scent of spirit insects; there's no mistake."

After walking for about half an hour, the three of them crossed a winding black stream and suddenly discovered a cave half-hidden by rocks. Ji Qingshan's incense stick was pointing towards the cave entrance.

"Down here?" Yuwen Ji frowned as he looked at the deep cave entrance. "This doesn't seem to be a natural formation. It must have been caused by the recent collapse of rocks, which allowed the Golden Silkworm to slip through."

Although the entrance to the cave has been blurred by the erosion of time, very faint lines can still be seen on some of the collapsed rocks.

Ji Qingshan squatted down and carefully examined the patterns. After a long while, he said in a deep voice, "These patterns resemble the Yin-Suppressing Patterns of the Corpse Emperor's Palace."

"The Corpse Emperor's Palace?" Yuwen Zhao and Yuwen Ji felt a chill run down their spines.

This name is a taboo subject among the older generation in the cultivation world.

A hundred years ago, the Corpse Emperor Palace occupied the Yellow Spring Tomb and was famous for its corpse refining techniques. It is said that its palace master once refined a celestial corpse comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator, which roamed freely for a time.

Later, for some unknown reason, the entire sect suddenly disappeared. Some said it was divine retribution, while others said it was due to violating taboos. The sect's ruins, the Yellow Spring Tomb, also became a dangerous place.

Yuwen Ji pondered, "If it's the ruins of the Corpse Emperor's Palace, that makes sense. This place is next to the Yellow Springs Tomb, so perhaps it's some kind of branch altar or hall. But this Golden Silkworm..."

"The Golden Silkworm that Crosses Calamity prefers cold and shady places," Ji Qingshan said with a hint of certainty in his eyes. "If there are a large number of Yin Corpses in the ruins of the Corpse Emperor's Palace, over the years, it may attract the Golden Silkworm to build its nest here. Let's go, we've come all this way, we can't go back empty-handed."

Ji Qingshan did not explain why he knew about the Yin-Suppressing Mark, but instead took the lead and leaped into the cave entrance.

Yuwen Ji hesitated for a moment, then followed.

As Yuwen Zhao's unease grew, he took advantage of the moment when Yuwen Ji and Ji Qingshan were focused on the cave entrance, and subtly released a faint trace of spiritual energy from his fingertips, which disappeared into the stone patterns.

He thought to himself that if anything unexpected happened, his mother-in-law could find him by following the marks.

Yuwen Zhao then took a deep breath, suppressed the pounding in his heart, and followed the two into the cave.

Zhou Li listened to the conversation of the group from inside the bowl, hoping that they would not find the so-called Golden Silkworm that could save him from another bitter battle.