Chapter 1538: Cultivating Mutated Nether Spiders

The Thunder Phoenix flew swiftly, the strong winds howling as they passed, disheveling Wang Yingjie's hair. As it soared high, the Thunder Phoenix let out joyful cries. It hadn't been let out for a long time and was getting stifled from staying in the Spirit Beast Courtyard all day.

The Thunder Phoenix flew very fast, but Wang Yingjie remained seated steadily. Before long, the Thunder Phoenix flew out of Qinglian Island and circled erratically nearby. A large expanse of silver electrical arcs surged across its body, accompanied by bursts of cheerful phoenix cries.

The Thunder Phoenix's pale silver eyes suddenly lit up brightly, and it plunged down from high altitude with extreme speed. Wang Yingjie leaped into the air and stopped mid-flight. There were two Nascent Soul cultivators on Qinglian Island, so even if someone had designs on the Thunder Phoenix, it would be difficult to succeed. The Thunder Phoenix's outings were not fixed, depending entirely on Wang Yingjie and Wang Qingling. Outsiders simply couldn't find a suitable opportunity to make a move. Furthermore, since the Thunder Phoenix was only a Class 3 high-grade beast, no one paid it much attention. Even if outsiders managed to capture a clan-guarding spirit bird like the Thunder Phoenix, which had been domesticated for hundreds of years, it would be extremely difficult to subdue it.

A loud phoenix cry rang out. The Thunder Phoenix violently flapped its massive wings, generating a roaring thunder, and hundreds of fist-sized silver lightning orbs shot out, crashing into the seawater below. The silver lightning orbs exploded upon hitting the calm sea surface, sending up giant waves dozens of meters high. A rumbling thunder sounded, and hundreds of massive waves surged on the sea surface, splashing foam everywhere. Low-level fish demons and sea snakes floated to the surface, bellies up, their bodies emitting a burnt smell.

The Thunder Phoenix circled erratically high in the sky. A loud peal of thunder came from above, and a thick silver lightning bolt streaked across the sky, visible from a hundred miles away. Wang Yingjie watched from a distance without approaching. When let out, the Thunder Phoenix loved to display its divine abilities, much like cultivators who would spar with other practitioners during their travels to improve their proficiency with their powers.

Amidst a deafening roar of thunder, a thundercloud hundreds of meters wide suddenly appeared high above, filled with flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder. It hung dark and heavy, floating over the sea. Within the thundercloud, thick silver lightning snakes, as wide as a human waist, could be seen, radiating a violent aura that sent low-level demon beasts fleeing in all directions.

A loud phoenix cry sounded. The Thunder Phoenix spread its wings and soared, transforming into a silver rainbow that pierced through the thundercloud. With a colossal "crack" of thunder, a silver lightning bolt, a meter in diameter, tore across the sky. Hundreds of thick silver lightning bolts poured down, making it look like a thunderstorm from a distance.

Boom! The thunder continued, and thick silver lightning bolts flew out from the thundercloud, striking the sea surface. This caused massive waves to splash up and powerful air currents to erupt, making the sea violently churn and raise huge swells. The strong winds howled, creating a scene like the end of the world. Large numbers of low-level demon beasts floated to the surface, their bodies scorched black and utterly motionless. The Wang family cultivators who witnessed this scene were both surprised and delighted, keeping their distance.

The Thunder Phoenix swooped down from high altitude, transforming into a silver light that swept across the sea. As it ascended back into the sky, it could be seen clutching a golden sea snake in its sharp talons, a snake as thick as an adult's thigh. The sea snake struggled violently, opening its mouth to bite the Thunder Phoenix's talons, but it felt like biting a block of iron, producing muffled clanging sounds. The Thunder Phoenix let out a cheerful cry, and a large expanse of silver electrical arcs surged across its body. The silver arcs struck the golden sea snake, which let out a painful roar before losing consciousness.

The Thunder Phoenix descended from the sky, landing on Qinglian Island's beach. It dropped the golden sea snake onto the sand, then its sharp beak instantly pierced the sea snake's head. It picked up the sea snake's head and swallowed the entire creature. Afterward, it buried its head among its dense feathers and used its beak to preen its wings, making itself look even more beautiful. It shook its wings, shedding a large amount of seawater. A powerful flap of its wings stirred up a gust of wind, scattering countless grains of sand.

Half an hour later, the thundercloud dissipated, and the sky cleared. The Thunder Phoenix flew back to Wang Yingjie's side. The sea surface was covered with numerous floating low-level demon beasts. Wang Yingjie naturally didn't care for these low-level creatures, but for other low-level cultivators, these demon beasts could fetch a good sum of spirit stones. They successively summoned their magical artifacts to collect the dead beasts.

Wang Yingjie sat on the Thunder Phoenix's back, and the Thunder Phoenix carried him back to Qinglian Island. Soon after, the Thunder Phoenix landed at the foot of Bailing Peak. It spread its massive wings and let out a joyful cry, seemingly looking for someone. Bailing Peak was Wang Qingling's residence. The area above the mountainside was shrouded in white mist, making it impossible to see clearly inside. The Thunder Phoenix emitted loud, cheerful phoenix cries, continuously flapping its wings. The furious winds raged, scattering countless sand and stones.

Wang Yingjie jumped off the Thunder Phoenix's back and activated a voice transmission talisman. A deafening dragon roar erupted from Bailing Peak, and a white flood dragon, over fifty meters long, flew out from the white mist. The dragon horns on its head were about two feet long, its eyes were as large as washbasins, and its entire body was covered in white scales. Its thick nostrils exhaled bursts of cold air.

The Icewind Flood Dragon had already advanced to Class 3 high-grade. Its advancement speed was somewhat slower than the Thunder Phoenix, which was unavoidable. The Thunder Phoenix had a purer bloodline and sufficient resources, so reaching Class 3 high-grade was only a matter of time. The Icewind Flood Dragon had transformed from an Icewind Python into a flood dragon, and its bloodline was not as pure as the Thunder Phoenix's.

Upon seeing the Icewind Flood Dragon, the Thunder Phoenix let out a joyful cry. With a powerful flap of its wings, it soared high into the sky. The Icewind Flood Dragon flew towards the Thunder Phoenix, and the two beasts, one dragon and one phoenix, frolicked in the air. The Thunder Phoenix gently pecked the Icewind Flood Dragon's neck with its beak. The Icewind Flood Dragon opened its enormous maw, its pink tongue licking the Thunder Phoenix's wing. Dragon roars and phoenix cries mingled, and they were as intimate as cultivation partners.

Wang Qingling was the first to gain the Thunder Phoenix's approval. She used to be responsible for letting the Thunder Phoenix out. Over time, the Icewind Flood Dragon and the Thunder Phoenix became close, and whenever it was let out, the Thunder Phoenix would voluntarily come to Bailing Peak to visit the Icewind Flood Dragon.

The Thunder Phoenix suddenly let out a loud cry and flew towards the high sky. The Icewind Flood Dragon quickly chased after it. Wang Yingjie frowned, planning to follow and watch the Thunder Phoenix to prevent it from causing trouble.

"Yingjie, come up! They haven't seen each other in a long time, let them play. They'll come back on their own when they've had enough. Little White is very well-behaved and won't let the Thunder Phoenix cause any trouble."

Wang Qingling's voice suddenly rang out. As soon as she finished speaking, the white mist on the mountainside churned violently, and a white cloud ladder hundreds of meters long shot out, landing in front of Wang Yingjie. Since Wang Qingling said so, there was naturally no problem.

"Yes, Ancestor, your grandson obeys."

Wang Yingjie replied and stepped onto the white cloud ladder. The white cloud ladder carried Wang Yingjie and retracted into the white mist, disappearing from view. Wang Yingjie felt his vision blur, then suddenly found himself at the entrance of a courtyard filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, with Wang Qingling standing in front.

Wang Qingling wore a green ruqun, her hair coiled up, and her expression was calm. The entire courtyard was covered by a fiery red light barrier. Runes flickered on its surface, and nine lifelike red pythons continuously slithered across the barrier, as if alive. The courtyard was about a hundred mu in size, barren of grass, and looked somewhat desolate. In the center was a lake over ten mu large. Over a dozen gigantic spiders were active in the courtyard; these were Netherworld Spiders. Most of these Netherworld Spiders' bodies were golden, with some black patterns on their surface, indicating they were mutated Netherworld Spiders, though not fully mutated.

Over ten years ago, large numbers of Netherworld Spiders burst out of the Puppet Emperor Palace, attacking cultivators everywhere. There were many mutated Netherworld Spiders, and even Class 5 Netherworld Spiders appeared. Mutated Netherworld Spiders were impervious to blades and spears, and immune to water and fire. Only items or flames of extreme yang and rigidness could restrain them. Due to these characteristics, many factions developed a keen interest in them. If a batch of mutated Netherworld Spiders could be tamed, they would undoubtedly be a significant fighting force. Wang Qingshan led Wang Yingjie and others to the Northern Frontier to exterminate insects, where they captured some mutated Netherworld Spiders.

Through more than ten years of research, Wang Qingling gained a general understanding of the Netherworld Spiders. Mutated Netherworld Spiders enjoyed consuming various spiritual items and were quite ferocious, somewhat similar to the Gold Devouring Ants raised by Wang Changsheng. The difference was that mutated Netherworld Spiders had ten times the appetite, defense, and divine abilities of Gold Devouring Ants. Cultivating Class 4 mutated Netherworld Spiders would require a massive investment of cultivation resources.

Furthermore, the offspring of mutated Netherworld Spiders would degenerate. When two mutated Netherworld Spiders mated, their offspring would be ordinary Netherworld Spiders, with a larger appetite but far inferior divine abilities and defense compared to their mutated parents. According to Wang Qingling's speculation, all mutated Netherworld Spiders were descendants of Class 5 Netherworld Spiders; only the offspring of Class 5 Netherworld Spiders were mutated. After a few generations of reproduction, the mutated Netherworld Spiders' descendants would become weaker and weaker, exhibiting atavism and reverting to ordinary Netherworld Spiders with little cultivation value. The situation with the Netherworld Spiders was somewhat similar to Class 3 Flood Dragons; the principle was the same.

The Wang family hoped to cultivate mutated Netherworld Spiders in large quantities. If successful, it would undoubtedly be a great aid. Failing that, cultivating even one Class 4 mutated Netherworld Spider would be good. This plan would require a large amount of time and cultivation resources, and success was not guaranteed. However, Wang Qingling was keen to try; if it succeeded, it would naturally be a joyous occasion, and if it failed, it wouldn't be a major loss.

Other factions were also engaged in similar endeavors. To Wang Qingling's knowledge, the Nine Nether Sect, Sacred Talisman Palace, Three Flame Palace, and Ten Thousand Beast Island were all cultivating mutated Netherworld Spiders. Even the Murong Royal Family of the Central Plains Dynasty was very interested in them, trading a pair of non-sterilized Class 3 Lion Rocs with the Wang family for two mutated Class 3 Netherworld Spiders. Wang Yingjie had also tamed a mutated Class 3 Netherworld Spider. If he hadn't obtained a significant amount of demon beast materials in the Northern Frontier, he truly wouldn't have been able to support it.

Wang Qingling swept her divine sense over Wang Yingjie, let out a soft sound of surprise, and said with a smile, "Yingjie, long time no see. You've broken through, that's good." Wang Yingjie was a five-spirit root cultivator, whose aptitude was very poor, but he cultivated diligently.

"Ancestor, you flatter me," Wang Yingjie humbly replied. "You once said that the Dao rewards diligence, and your grandson has always kept that in mind, never daring to forget it." Wang Yingjie replied modestly, his gaze turning to the mutated Netherworld Spiders in the courtyard. He asked curiously, "Ancestor, have these Netherworld Spiders been tamed? If they go berserk, they would be very difficult to handle."

"They've all been tamed, but their wild nature is hard to subdue. I also don't want to extinguish their wildness, so I've been free-ranging them. If we can cultivate a Class 4 Netherworld Spider, our family will gain another major fighting force."

Wang Qingling said with a smile. She flipped her hand and took out a circular red token, which had a spider pattern engraved on its front. With a flash of red light, a red beam shot from the token, swiftly entering the red light barrier. The barrier immediately rippled, and the nine red pythons on its surface moved aside, revealing a fist-sized opening in the air.

The dozen or so mutated Netherworld Spiders seemed to sense something. They leaped up and flew towards the opening, as if intending to escape. The nine red pythons on the light barrier's surface each opened their enormous maws and spewed thick crimson flames, striking the Netherworld Spiders.

Boom! Amidst a tremendous roar, rolling flames engulfed the bodies of the dozen mutated Netherworld Spiders, causing them to fall from mid-air. Wang Qingling's jade hand trembled, and a bulging green cloth bag flew out, moving towards the opening in the red light barrier. She then conjured a spell. With a flash of green light, the bag's opening expanded, and dozens of streaks of light flew out, passing through the opening and into the courtyard.

This was a group of Class 2 demon beasts: blue demon crabs as large as houses, ten-meter-long golden-boned fish, and red seals as big as calves. As these demon beasts appeared, the dozen mutated Netherworld Spiders immediately became agitated, as if invigorated. Some sprayed golden silk, wrapping around the blue demon crabs' bodies and pulling them closer. The Netherworld Spiders then easily pierced the blue demon crabs' heads with their scythe-like claws, spilling red and white fluids onto the ground. One Netherworld Spider descended from above, its scythe-like claws effortlessly piercing the red seal's body. With a gentle swipe, the red seal was disemboweled, blood flowing everywhere, creating an exceptionally gruesome scene. A golden-boned fish swam rapidly in the lake when a gleaming golden net descended from the sky, ensnaring it. The golden net tightened, cutting the golden-boned fish into dozens of bloody pieces. Before a green giant shrimp could leap into the lake, a large quantity of golden liquid rained down and splattered onto it. The green giant shrimp immediately began to smoke, became motionless, and its body dissolved into a pool of blood.

Class 2 demon beasts flew out of the green cloth bag and landed in the courtyard. The dozen or so Class 3 Netherworld Spiders feasted, devouring hundreds of Class 2 demon beasts in less than fifteen minutes. Hundreds of Class 2 demon beasts were not enough to satisfy the appetites of the dozen Class 3 Netherworld Spiders. They either sprayed golden silk, golden flames, or golden venom, attacking the red light barrier.

Wang Yingjie frowned, feeling his scalp tingle. The Netherworld Spiders were indeed ferocious; if they could be cultivated in large numbers, it would be truly excellent. Wang Qingling put away the green cloth bag and summoned a golden cloth bag containing some spiritual wood or ores. Netherworld Spiders were not picky eaters; besides not consuming their own kind, they ate demon beasts, spiritual wood, and refining materials, indicating a very varied diet. After feeding the Netherworld Spiders, Wang Qingling put away the red token, and the opening on the red light barrier's surface healed.

"Mutated Netherworld Spiders are truly difficult to cater to. Every time I feed them, they become very agitated."