Chapter 250: 魁阴宗金丹

The golden fruit indeed contained a liquid. A thick, viscous pulp flowed in Old Man Dique's palm; surprisingly, it wasn't golden, but a magma-like red.

Even now, Qin Sang had yet to detect any fragrance from the spiritual fruit.

As he gazed at the pulp, a look of confusion crossed his eyes. For some reason, this droplet of pulp felt strangely familiar to him. He was certain he had never encountered it directly; the only possibility was that he had read about something similar in ancient texts.

Old Man Dique encased the mass of pulp in spiritual energy, suspending it in mid-air. It shimmered with an intoxicating jade-like luster. Even more astonishingly, faint golden flashes occasionally flickered within the pulp.

The golden flashes were incredibly subtle; they could easily be overlooked without close observation.

Qin Sang soon realized these golden flashes were far from simple. They appeared to be runes naturally formed by heaven and earth, not something that could be etched by human hands, emanating an extraordinary mystery.

Could it be...

Suddenly, something occurred to Qin Sang, his gaze sharpening in immense surprise.

"Crimson Fire Gilded Gold!"

Old Man Dique gazed at the pulp before him with a look of enchantment, muttering to himself. He spoke the true name of the pulp, confirming Qin Sang's suspicion.

Crimson Fire Gilded Gold.

A peculiar spiritual item, rarely found in the world, its form resembled liquid gold, yet it was crimson, like flowing flames or molten magma, hence its name, Crimson Fire Gilded Gold.

Qin Sang's surprise stemmed from records he had seen, indicating that this spiritual item was not a medicinal herb, but rather a spiritual material used in artifact refining—a precious one at that, capable of refining magic treasures!

Ancient texts clearly stated that Crimson Fire Gilded Gold was a wonder born of the heavens and earth, so how could it possibly grow from a vine?

At the same time, Qin Sang also noticed that this mass of pulp wasn't entirely identical to true Crimson Fire Gilded Gold. The golden flashes within it were less dense than described in ancient texts.

While Qin Sang was still perplexed, Old Man Dique moved his other hand to his spirit beast pouch and released two Fire Jade Centipedes. He then separated a drop of Crimson Fire Gilded Gold onto his palm.

As if presented with incredibly delicious food, the two centipedes pounced eagerly, vying with each other to devour it.

The drop of Crimson Fire Gilded Gold visibly diminished as the two Fire Jade Centipedes swallowed it. Old Man Dique then held his palm before him, observing the Fire Jade Centipedes with an expectant expression.

Witnessing this, Qin Sang also turned his attention to the Fire Jade Centipedes.

After ingesting the Crimson Fire Gilded Gold, the Fire Jade Centipedes suddenly became lethargic, lacking their previous vigor. Soon, new transformations began on their bodies. At the tip of each appendage, a tiny ball of flame flickered into existence, making the centipedes appear to walk on fire. Their fire-jade-like bodies appeared even more crystalline and translucent.

However, these flames soon extinguished, and the Fire Jade Centipedes reverted to their original state. Yet, Old Man Dique's expression grew increasingly excited.

This is... metamorphosis?

Qin Sang had possessed the Fire Jade Centipedes for a long time, having consulted extensive information on them. He was very familiar with their habits, knowing that Fire Jade Centipedes walking on fierce flames indicated they were about to undergo metamorphosis!

The metamorphosis of exotic insects is akin to a cultivator breaking through a bottleneck.

Each metamorphosis represents a qualitative leap in power.

However, the difficulty of such metamorphosis for exotic insects is exceedingly high, even more challenging than a human cultivator breaking through a bottleneck!

Furthermore, the conditions required for metamorphosis vary for each type of exotic insect.

The Spirit Control Sect, renowned for its mastery of beast control, is rumored to know very little about exotic insects in the world. Moreover, with most exotic insects now virtually extinct in the cultivation world, there are even fewer people researching them.

The Fire Jade Centipedes were currently equivalent to the peak of the Mortal Demon stage, which for human cultivators meant the peak of the thirteenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage. In fact, they already possessed this strength twenty years ago when Qin Sang first acquired them.

Purely based on their strength, the Fire Jade Centipedes should have begun their metamorphosis long ago.

Over the years, despite consuming vast amounts of Gan Yang Quartz and Fire Origin Stones, their strength had not improved, and there was no hint of metamorphosis. This underscored the immense difficulty of exotic insect metamorphosis.

Of course, Qin Sang also dared not easily allow the Fire Jade Centipedes to undergo metamorphosis. After metamorphosis, their strength could rival his own, and without acknowledging him as their master, it would be difficult to subdue them with mere external restrictions.

Yet, after consuming a single drop of Crimson Fire Gilded Gold, they actually showed signs of metamorphosis! Of course, these were merely signs for now; whether they would successfully complete the metamorphosis, or how long it would take, remained uncertain.

Nevertheless, this still astonished Qin Sang, his gaze shifting to stare intently at the mass of pulp.

Undoubtedly, the Fire Jade Centipedes' transformation was definitely attributable to the Crimson Gold Vine fruit.

It was unclear, however, if the Fire Jade Centipedes' metamorphosis was directly induced by the pulp, or if they had already consumed sufficient spiritual items, and this particular drop merely served as the final catalyst, transforming a quantitative accumulation into a qualitative change.

Old Man Dique suddenly burst into boisterous laughter.

"Hahaha... Just as I thought! Just as I thought!"

He then quickly put the Fire Jade Centipedes back into his spirit beast pouch, and turned to Qin Sang, his gaze playful.

Evidently overjoyed by acquiring the Crimson Gold Vine fruit, the old man began to explain willingly. "My greatest pleasure is collecting exotic insects. I once heard that the Ancestor Kuiyin obtained an ancient demonic worm, the Heart-Devouring Insect. So I lurked near the Kuiyin Sect for over thirty years, and finally found an opportunity to capture someone controlled by a Heart-Devouring Insect. Unexpectedly, the Heart-Devouring Insect was merely a lifeless husk, which Ancestor Kuiyin had refined into an insect-gu using unique methods. It was all for show, a complete waste of my time. I never imagined Old Ghost Yi would be so ambitious. Not only did he ambush the Yuanzhao Sect, but he even dared to covet Mount Shaohua. He didn't consider his own capabilities. Without the formidable Ancestor Kuiyin, the Kuiyin Sect was nothing but an empty shell, yet he dared to bite off more than he could chew. Sure enough, he stretched himself to death... What was Old Ghost Yi's purpose in sending you to lurk on Mount Shaohua?"

Qin Sang's eyes flickered. Old Man Dique's belief that he was a spy sent by Old Ghost Yi to Mount Shaohua was, in fact, the best possible outcome.

He had no such purpose; he merely sought a place to reside.

"This junior doesn't know. Sect Master Yi never explicitly stated his intentions that day. Later, this junior only received news of the Kuiyin Sect's destruction by the Yuanzhao Sect. Sect Master Yi never contacted this junior again after that..."

Old Man Dique scoffed, "Old Ghost Yi is finished, so of course he couldn't contact you. It's not just Old Ghost Yi; the Yuanzhao Sect utterly despises the Kuiyin Sect and has relentlessly pursued them to this day. Only a handful of remnants remain, making it practically extinct. Of their three Golden Core cultivators, only one remains now, and he was cornered in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield by allies assembled by the new Yuanzhao Sect Master. His Golden Core was severely wounded, forcing him to abandon his physical body and flee for his life. Now, he's probably clinging to life in some dark corner, or perhaps he's already perished amidst the celestial phenomena of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. So you don't need to fear; no one from the Kuiyin Sect will come looking for trouble with you anymore."

Qin Sang had also been secretly inquiring about the current state of the Kuiyin Sect and the Yuanzhao Sect. However, his channels were limited, and with the Yuanzhao Sect seemingly imposing a deliberate blockade, the information he gathered was often vague and unreliable.

Especially regarding Golden Core cultivators, most reports were mere speculation, not to be trusted.

It was only now, from Old Man Dique, that he first learned the precise whereabouts of the Kuiyin Sect's last Golden Core cultivator.