Daily life of a cultivation judge
Chapter 1231 - 1231: surprising find (2)

As such, many rarely lived in areas with scarce yin energy. It was a spirit beast with a weak body but a powerful soul, as was common with most yin-attributed spirit beasts and spiritual plants, whose primary means of offense lay in the power of their souls.

A powerful soul meant it unlocked its intelligence far earlier than most spirit beasts would, along with its wisdom pearl. Most spirit beasts formed their wisdom pearls during the core formation realm, whereas spirit beasts like the ninefold natural yin array cicada did so just a few months after birth.

This occurrence was both a boon and a danger for them.

The benefits were clear—once it formed a wisdom pearl, it could make full use of its abilities, aided by the increased understanding and insight that the pearl brought. That same understanding also accelerated its cultivation speed.

However, as many advantages as forming a wisdom pearl early brought, that very pearl also painted a juicy target on its back.

The quickest way for a spirit beast without a wisdom pearl to form one was to devour the wisdom pearl of another spirit beast. But while it was the quickest, it was also the most dangerous method, because—bar special entities like the ninefold natural yin array cicada, which formed them while still weak and young—most spirit beasts that formed wisdom pearls the normal way were usually powerful, either due to a strong bloodline or a high cultivation base.

Those without one, in contrast, often had weaker bloodlines or a lower cultivation base.

So, attempting to devour a wisdom pearl from another spirit beast that already had one was no different from someone who had just begun sword training, who hadn't even unlocked sword sense yet, trying to steal the sword of a sword cultivator who had already mastered sword intent.

That matchup would be an unfair one for the spirit beast without the wisdom pearl.

But herein comes the ninefold natural yin array cicada to save the day, with its wisdom pearl formed while it's still weak. Of course, it would be targeted. It was a much safer option compared to the alternative, which carried a high risk of death.

It wasn't just spirit beasts who targeted them—humans did too. Formation masters coveted them for their abilities, which functioned on the same principles as natural formations. Studying natural formations offered formation masters countless insights that were far more profound and rewarding than what they would gain from studying man-made formation blueprints and arrays.

The best formations were either directly or indirectly tied to natural formations. Because of that, formation masters often scoured the world in search of them to improve their craft. This made the ninefold natural yin array cicada a prime target as it offered the same benefits as a natural formation.

But it wasn't just formation masters. Even human cultivators with no background in formations sought them out, either to befriend them or enslave them.

Setting up a formation was a costly venture, yet often a necessary one. More often than not, a good formation could mean the difference between life and death. That was why so many cultivators tried to secure the services of a ninefold natural yin array cicada by any means necessary.

They were walking, ready-made formations. Not only did they save on setup costs, but the quality wasn't compromised either. For those who wanted a reliable formation without the expense, it was a win-win. All one had to do was befriend or kidnap a ninefold natural yin array cicada, and they'd have a high-grade formation at their disposal.

It was a tempting proposition, one that many found hard to resist. Even Yang Qing wasn't immune to it. His eyes burned with desire as he moved ever so closer to the cypress tree he'd had his eyes on since setting foot in this place.

He had no need for a formation, given where his abode was located, not to mention he already had a low-tier blue-grade array set up, which was still better than what the cicada before him could offer.

But just because he didn't need one didn't mean he didn't want a ninefold natural yin array cicada for himself.

As a very cheap person with very expensive desires, the ninefold natural yin array cicada was practically made for him. Whether it was the benefits it offered, or the fact that the one thing it needed to thrive happened to be something Yang Qing had in abundant supply.

Yang Qing's smile morphed into a toothy, innocent grin as he licked his lips.

You want yin qi, and I have the purest yin qi around—not like that dredge cavern yin qi you're using... care to trade, little friend, Yang Qing warmly said as he transmitted his thoughts to the cicada hiding in the cypress, where it had masked itself as one of the cones.

Despite the gentleness and warmth in his tone, the cicada's response to his offer was a sudden increase in the intensity of its attacks. Not that it could be helped. As friendly as Yang Qing thought he looked, that wasn't what the cicada saw.

All it saw was a white-haired, pale young man who looked more ghostly than even the illusory ghosts it usually produced—smiling with an eerie grin, eyes transformed into slits, with weird-looking pupils... were those moons? They were definitely moons, beckoning her over, looking like an eager soul reaper ready to fulfill his quota by ripping out her soul.

There was no way she was going to accept the invite.

He even licked his lips!.. I'm done for. This time I'm seriously done for. I shouldn't have gotten greedy...

But all that yin qi... I couldn't just ignore it, could I? I'd be a disgrace to my kind if I did... wouldn't I?

Dangit! This appetite of mine... now I'm about to be eaten! wailed the cicada, as it ramped up the intensity of its attacks the closer Yang Qing got.

The closer he approached, the more powerful the attacks became, especially when Yang Qing was about ten steps away from the cypress that housed the cicada. The lethality of the attacks had grown to a level that they would seriously injure or kill those in the quasi-palace stage.

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