Translator: AnubisTL

Li Qing's eyelids twitched involuntarily, his eyes gleaming with disbelief as he stared intently at Zhao Tianxiong, the Patriarch of the Zhao Family.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, are you joking?" Li Qing asked, his voice tinged with skepticism. "Even though the Golden Silkworm ranks relatively low in the Records of the World's Extraordinary Insects, it remains an incredibly rare insect. How could you possibly know its whereabouts?"

It was impossible for Li Qing to harbor no ulterior motives. The fact that Golden Silkworms could spin cocoons and metamorphose into Six-Winged Golden Moths was no secret, and he was well aware of it.

If he could feed a Golden Silkworm enough varieties of spirit gold to successfully initiate its cocooning process, and then wait for the day it emerged from its cocoon, it would transform into a Six-Winged Golden Moth!

How powerful was a Six-Winged Golden Moth?

Li Qing might never have seen one, but this extraordinary insect ranked thirty-sixth on the list. In the current world, there were likely few insects more powerful than it.

Although cultivating such a creature was exceedingly difficult—even cultivators in the nascent soul realm struggled with the task—nothing was impossible with effort.

If he truly had the opportunity to acquire a Golden Silkworm, Li Qing would seize it with utmost enthusiasm.

As an artifact refiner, he would undoubtedly have ample opportunities to acquire spirit gold in the future, eliminating the need to exhaust his family's wealth to collect various types.

In fact, by simply assisting others with artifact refinement, he could feed the Golden Silkworm with the leftover scraps from the artifact refining spirit materials they provided.

After all, the Golden Silkworm's metamorphosis depended on consuming a sufficient variety of spirit gold, with the quantity being of secondary importance.

"Senior Li, this matter is of utmost importance. This Zhao would never dare to speak falsely."

"In the Southern Wilderness region of the Great Wilderness Domain, our Zhao Family's ancestors discovered a secret realm generations ago. Traces of the Golden Silkworm's presence were found there."

"However, due to insufficient strength, successive Clan Heads have never ventured to explore it. This matter has remained a closely guarded secret within the family, known only to a select few."

Zhao Tianxiong's tone was heavy with solemnity, clearly burdened by the weight of revealing his family's secrets for his son's sake.

These were the accumulated intelligence and resources of the Zhao Family over a thousand years!

If not for his son's boundless potential, he would never have divulged such sensitive information.

Hearing this, Li Qing forcibly suppressed the agitation in his heart, maintaining an outwardly calm demeanor.

"Such a thing exists? Fellow Daoist Zhao, I'm quite flattered by your generosity in sharing this information."

This felt like a pie falling from the sky, and Li Qing knew he had to thoroughly investigate the situation before taking a bite.

Zhao Tianxiong chuckled bitterly. "True Lord Li, the Zhao Family naturally has its own motives."

Now that's more like it!

There's no such thing as a free lunch. If Zhao Tianxiong had truly asked for nothing in return, Li Qing would have had to delve even deeper into his hidden intentions.

"Oh? Do tell me what you seek," Li Qing said with a nod.

Zhao Tianxiong's expression turned serious. "First, if Senior Li finds the Golden Silkworm in the secret realm, the Zhao Family doesn't want the silkworm itself. We only require enough Golden Silkworm Silk to refine a Golden Jade Garment."

A reasonable request. Li Qing wasn't surprised and readily agreed.

After all, the Zhao Family possessed the refining blueprint for the Golden Jade Garment. Having lost a portion of Golden Silkworm Silk centuries ago, it was only natural they would want to replenish it now.

Li Qing even suspected the Zhao Family possessed more than one portion of Warm Sun Jade Marrow. Of course, that was their family's business, and he shouldn't speculate further.

"And the second condition?" Li Qing asked calmly.

Zhao Tianxiong replied, "Second, if the Zhao Family faces a crisis in the future, I hope Senior will lend a hand within your means."

A promise of intervention!

Li Qing couldn't readily agree to this request.

He said slowly, "If your Zhao Family were to mortally offend the Ghost Sword Sect or another major immortal dao sect, bringing about a clan-annihilation crisis, would you expect me to assist within my means?"

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, I cannot easily grant this request."

Li Qing was a man of principle, never making promises lightly. Once he gave his word, he would absolutely honor it.

Zhao Tianxiong secretly approved of this.

If Senior Li had agreed immediately, he would have been wary.

Such a person's promises were worthless, given freely for any benefit.

If the Zhao Family were to face a true crisis in the future, they likely couldn't rely on this man. Since he would readily make promises for personal gain, he would just as easily abandon them for greater rewards.

"True Lord Li, you misunderstand me. This Zhao would never ask you to make such an unreasonable promise."

"What I mean is this: if a crisis arises in the future, and if resolving it falls within your capabilities, I hope you would consider lending your aid once."

"Of course, Senior Li, you may assess the specific circumstances and decide whether to intervene at your discretion."

After Zhao Tianxiong finished speaking, he sighed inwardly.

Having sacrificed so much of his clan's interests, all he had gained in return was this.

The favor of a core formation true lord could be either significant or trivial, but if used wisely, it might prove remarkably effective.

He was already old, with little lifespan remaining, yet he remained stuck in the late foundation establishment realm, his hopes of reaching core formation all but extinguished.

Forcing a breakthrough to core formation would almost certainly result in his death and the dissipation of his cultivation.

If he were a rogue cultivator, he would naturally choose to take the risk and gamble on that slim chance of survival.

But he wasn't. He was the Clan Head of a cultivation clan with a thousand-year history, bearing immense responsibilities on his shoulders. He couldn't afford to die so easily.

In the remaining years of his lifespan, he needed to pour his heart and soul into nurturing the younger generation of the clan, cultivating successors who could carry the family forward into the future.

True Lord Li, who had recently achieved core formation, undoubtedly possessed a substantial lifespan. Moreover, the man was utterly indifferent to fame and fortune, choosing to remain secluded in his cave abode, cultivating in peace and avoiding the chaos of the outside world.

Such a person was bound to live long—at least for the next century or two, the Zhao Family could rely on his assistance.

As for whether Li Qing would still be alive after that, that was beyond his concern.

Of course, if the Zhao Family were to encounter a calamity so great that even True Lord Li couldn't resolve it, then it would simply be their fate.

"True Lord Li, have you made your decision?"

"This Zhao has only two requests. If you agree, I can immediately take you to the Southern Wilderness and locate that secret realm!" Zhao Tianxiong's tone was earnest.

Li Qing finally nodded. "Very well, I agree to your terms. As you said, if the Zhao Family faces an insurmountable crisis in the future, I will intervene once, within the limits of my capabilities."

"However, if the trouble is too great, you must forgive me for standing aside."

Zhao Tianxiong's expression visibly relaxed. "That's more than enough!"

Naturally, he hoped the Zhao Family would never need to use this favor. That would be the best possible outcome.

"True Lord Li, when shall we depart?"

Li Qing shook his head calmly. "Allow me two days to prepare. The Southern Wilderness lies at the border between the Yin Puppet Sect and the Blood Spirit Sect, and with the rogue cultivators occupying various mountain strongholds, the situation is quite complex. We must prepare thoroughly."

Zhao Tianxiong naturally had no objections, as long as it didn't take too long.

Thus, Li Qing granted his first favor since achieving core formation.

A favor from a core formation true lord could be significant or trivial. Though not bound by a great heart demon oath, Li Qing intended to honor his promise.

He would intervene once if the Zhao Family faced a crisis.

The debt of a favor was the most difficult obligation to repay in this world.

After Zhao Tianxiong temporarily left Li Qing's cave abode, Li Qing let out a long sigh.

"The Southern Wilderness is divided between the Yin Puppet Sect and the Blood Spirit Sect, with pockets of territory held by rogue core formation cultivators."

"True Lord Wood Dragon operated in the Southern Wilderness. The situation there is complex, so it's best to gather information before setting out."

With that, Li Qing retrieved intelligence reports on the Southern Wilderness.

These documents, collected from the black market, contained no secrets in the Great Wilderness Domain. With diligent effort, one could gather comprehensive information.

The Southern Wilderness was described as a tangled web because, beyond the dominant Blood Spirit Sect and Yin Puppet Sect, numerous smaller factions thrived in the region.

For instance, in Ming Prefecture, the Clan Head of a cultivation clan was a core formation true lord, making it a true core formation clan—far surpassing the Zhao Family, the foremost aristocratic family of Giant Deer Prefecture!

Moreover, there was an immortal city, Great Yan, where rogue cultivators gathered. Originally a free market for rogue cultivators, it expanded into a formidable metropolis after a cultivator attained enlightenment there. Inspired by this breakthrough, he joined forces with several other core formation realm cultivators to develop the city into its current impressive scale.

Today, Great Yan bustled with rogue cultivators trading resources and seeking their own opportunities.

True Lord Wood Dragon, who had previously interacted with Li Qing, even had his name registered in this city.

"The Southern Wilderness is truly chaotic," Li Qing mused. "How can so many factions, both large and small, flourish in the border region between two demonic path sects?"

(End of the Chapter)

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