Chapter 646: Heaven-Eye Butterfly

Our next destination is Butterfly Valley.

Qin Sang took out his geomancy map to ascertain the direction. Butterfly Valley isn't too far from this poisonous swamp; traveling by sword, he could reach it in two days. As its name suggests, Butterfly Valley is a beautiful valley teeming with countless butterflies. Anyone who has visited Butterfly Valley describes it with just one word: beautiful! Thousands of butterflies flutter and swirl amidst the vibrant blossoms of the valley, presenting an uninterrupted spectacle of beauty year-round.

These butterflies are ordinary, common butterflies, not spiritual insects, and the valley itself is unremarkable, devoid of any enchantments or spiritual herbs. Initially, cultivators who discovered Butterfly Valley suspected that hidden treasures must be attracting so many butterflies, causing them to linger. However, after thoroughly scouring the valley, they confirmed it was an exceptionally ordinary place. The only exceptions were that the spiritual energy was slightly denser than elsewhere due to its topography, and it remained warm year-round, unaffected by cold winds.

Legend has it that the valley is home to a spiritual insect known as the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Qin Sang had come specifically for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, though he harbored some hesitation about whether to use it as his life-bound insect Gu.

The Witch Tribe considers the Heavenly Eye Butterfly one of the least suitable types of creatures for a life-bound insect Gu. Information regarding the Heavenly Eye Butterfly within the Spirit-Taming Sect was also incomplete, derived from a damaged ancient scroll.

According to the Spirit-Taming Sect's records, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's body is roughly the size of an ordinary butterfly, with delicate wings and an elegant form. Its most distinctive feature is its exceedingly ornate wings. Under light, its wings display a faint sky-blue hue, appearing like cresting waves on a vast blue ocean as it flies, occasionally shimmering with dazzling rainbow colors. When its wings are unfurled, it seems as though ocean waves and rainbows dance around it, creating a dreamlike beauty. Furthermore, the surface of its wings bears eye-like patterns, which is why it's named the Heavenly Eye Butterfly.

In fact, the eye patterns on the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's wings are not merely decorative. After its third metamorphosis, these patterns transform into true 'heavenly eyes,' which are the source of its innate abilities.

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly possesses innate talents for stealth and transformation even in its second metamorphosis. If it disguises itself as an ordinary butterfly, it shows no flaws whatsoever. Once it conceals itself, it is said to be able to evade the spiritual sense of Core Formation cultivators. However, such powerful life-saving abilities are primarily for survival. Beyond this, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly has no other abilities; it is as fragile as a common butterfly, capable of dying in a strong gust of wind, making it very susceptible to premature death. Only by relying on its keen perception of danger and its abilities to transform and conceal itself can it survive in the perilous wilderness.

If a cultivator chooses the Heavenly Eye Butterfly as their life-bound insect Gu, it will offer no assistance in combat until it undergoes its third metamorphosis. Though the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's inherent weakness won't drastically change even after its third metamorphosis, the heavenly eyes on its wings will evolve into divine abilities. The Spirit-Taming Sect's records on the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine abilities are vague, only stating that one of its powers is to see through illusions and barriers without hindrance. There's no clear record of how potent this ability truly is.

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly undoubtedly has the potential for at least a fourth metamorphosis, but records beyond that are even scarcer, merely stating: "Legend has it that the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's heavenly eyes will continue to evolve." This was the reason for Qin Sang's hesitation.

Qin Sang cultivated a life-bound insect Gu for two reasons: firstly, to resolve the trouble caused by the fragments of the Forbidden Talisman within him, and secondly, to have it effectively assist him in breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. He already possessed a life-bound spiritual sword, so combat prowess wasn't his primary concern for the life-bound insect Gu. Otherwise, it would be putting the cart before the horse. However, it couldn't be too weak either. If it offered no help yet occupied the valuable position of a life-bound insect Gu and required immense effort to cultivate, it would be a waste.

The problem with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly lay precisely in its inherent frailty; it couldn't assist in combat like a Dark Cicada. Furthermore, Qin Sang was unsure of the true power of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine abilities, which could only be verified after its third metamorphosis. If its power was merely comparable to other eye-related Daoist techniques, it would be too late for regrets.

Like other rare insects on the Exotic Insect List, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly is extremely difficult to cultivate. It requires special feeding methods to accelerate its cultivation, which would inevitably consume vast resources, demanding much of Qin Sang's time and effort to procure. Nevertheless, after careful consideration, Qin Sang ultimately decided to include the Heavenly Eye Butterfly among his options. Its presence on the Exotic Insect List made the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's potential undeniable. Other well-documented rare insects with high potential and difficult metamorphoses yielded powerful innate talents, and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly shouldn't be much different—it was worth the gamble. The ability to see through illusions could be remarkably effective in many situations, especially during exploration and discovery, and this might not even be the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's full range of abilities. If no better rare insect appeared, Qin Sang would choose the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, provided he could capture one.

Two days later, Qin Sang arrived at the mountain range where Butterfly Valley was located. As he neared the valley, Qin Sang suddenly frowned, descended onto a mountaintop, and looked down at the insect basket at his waist.

A faint yet sharp rustling sound emanated from the insect basket. The plump silkworm was gnawing on the basket again! Qin Sang had a headache. For the past two days, the silkworm had been eating, then sleeping, then eating again. When it woke up and found no food, it would incessantly gnaw at the basket, demanding more from Qin Sang.

Yet, it ate nothing else but Crimson Fire Aurichalcite! Qin Sang had tried all the spiritual elixirs, miraculous medicines, and even poisons he carried, but the plump silkworm refused them all, not even sparing them a glance. It even spat and rolled its eyes at Qin Sang, seemingly thinking he was insulting it. Had Qin Sang not had excellent eyesight, he wouldn't have even noticed it had eyes.

Qin Sang certainly wouldn't dare use such a spiritual insect as a life-bound insect Gu; it was simply impossible to cultivate. The creature didn't seem entirely stupid either. It knew only Qin Sang possessed Crimson Fire Aurichalcite and wouldn't leave even when shooed away. When Qin Sang intentionally threw it, it immediately scurried back. Once it got a bite, it would happily fall asleep.

But it wasn't a master-subordinate bond either! Cultivators controlling spiritual insects, aside from the Spirit-Taming Sect's insect-controlling techniques and the Witch Tribe's life-bound insect Gu, had another extremely rare method: when a spiritual insect voluntarily recognized a master. It was said that when a spiritual insect voluntarily recognized a master, not only would the cultivator and insect be exceptionally compatible in mind and spirit, but there would also be unexpected benefits. Such opportunities were rare and unpredictable, with no discernible pattern.

Spiritual insects possessed low intelligence, making their thoughts inscrutable to cultivators. Some had tried methods used to win over people's hearts on spiritual insects, faking pursuit scenes, then suddenly appearing to save the insect's life, thus showing it favor. However, it proved completely useless, failing to elicit any gratitude from the spiritual insects.

Qin Sang patiently fed it for two days, but seeing that the plump silkworm only knew how to eat and showed no gratitude, he decided he had endured enough and would teach it a lesson. Although the creature's appetite wasn't huge, it couldn't keep eating like this indefinitely. "Crimson Fire Aurichalcite is so precious, and I only have one fruit," Qin Sang muttered, "I need to save it for my life-bound insect Gu's metamorphosis. How can I let this dumb silkworm consume it as food?"

With a cold snort, Qin Sang took out his Ten Directions Yama Banner, conjured a wisp of Nine Nether Demonic Flame into a fine needle, and opened the insect basket.