Chapter 15: The Spirit Insect and the Sword Case

Ever since Zhang Nuo saw the "Nine Dragon Sword Case", the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect" in his bosom had been in a state of excitement, and it even faintly showed signs of wanting to fly out.

Through their mental connection, Zhang Nuo managed to calm the Spirit Insect down after much soothing; he turned his head and glanced at Lin Fan, and seeing that he had not shown any unusual expression, he finally set his mind at ease.

"Master, what kind of Magic Treasure is this 'Nine Dragon Sword Case'?"

Since it was the reward for winning as the Chief Disciple back then, this seemingly extremely unremarkable Sword Box must surely have some hidden mystery; furthermore, the fact that even the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect" was so excited was enough to show the special nature of this Sword Box.

"Hehe, this Sword Box can be said to be a chicken rib!"

Lin Fan shook his head with a faint smile, but hearing these words come from his mouth made Zhang Nuo feel somewhat disappointed.

"This 'Nine Dragon Sword Case' originally belonged to an ancient divine artifact, containing a total of eighty-one Flying Swords; every nine Flying Swords form a group, divided into nine groups in total, and the number of Flying Swords one can use varies according to their cultivation strength. However, because too much time has passed, coupled with several fierce battles, it has already been damaged to a great extent. Haven't you noticed that other Magic Treasures can float in the air, while it can no longer do so?"

Letting out a long sigh, Lin Fan walked up to the "Nine Dragon Sword Case", then picked it up and brought it before Zhang Nuo; taking the Sword Box with both hands, he only felt it was extremely heavy, and it felt ice-cold to the touch.

The moment Zhang Nuo took the Sword Box with both hands, the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect" in his bosom stirred again; this time, he was even more convinced that this Sword Box was definitely no ordinary object.

"I will choose this one!"

The multiple abnormal reactions of the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect" made Zhang Nuo decide to choose the "Nine Dragon Sword Case" as his own Magic Treasure. Lin Fan was just stunned for a moment before nodding and saying:

"Alright! Since it is your choice, I will say no more! From today on, this 'Nine Dragon Sword Case' is yours!"

"Many thanks, Master!"

Clutching the Sword Box, Zhang Nuo ran back to his Stone Chamber in a flash, leaving Lin Fan alone in the Magic Treasure room, lost in thought; this little disciple of his was truly different from ordinary people. Previously, Gao Dakuan and the others were very interested in the Magic Treasures floating in the air the moment they entered the room, while they hadn't even glanced at the "Nine Dragon Sword Case" in the corner.

"Forget it! Let him be!"

Untying the wine gourd from his waist, Lin Fan took a few heavy gulps before spitting out these words; looking at him, it seemed he didn't hold much hope for Zhang Nuo.

Sitting on the stone bed, Zhang Nuo continuously stroked the "Nine Dragon Sword Case"; wisps of coolness felt as if he were holding a block of ice in his bosom during the height of summer, a feeling that was extremely comfortable.

Although it was said that this "Nine Dragon Sword Case" was on the verge of being scrapped, its lingering might still shocked Zhang Nuo. "Squeak squeak!" A burst of insect chirping rang out; the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect" in his bosom seemed unable to hold back any longer, and it rushed out from Zhang Nuo's bosom in one go, landing on the Sword Box as its wings fluttered.

Watching this action of the Spirit Insect, Zhang Nuo did not stop it, but instead observed its every move without a sound. The insect crawled on the Sword Box for a while, finally stopping at a dragon head carved onto the Sword Box. Its mouth kept making "squeak squeak" sounds!

On the "Nine Dragon Sword Case", a total of nine dragons were carved, each one lifelike, yet the Spirit Insect had specifically chosen this one; through his mental connection with the Spirit Insect, Zhang Nuo vaguely felt that the Spirit Insect was currently in a state of extreme excitement.

Just as Zhang Nuo was letting his imagination run wild, the Spirit Insect underwent a change; the beetle's body began to emit a faint Golden Light, and the shell on its back slowly opened, yet it did not fly up. Its transparent wings, thin as a cicada's, emitted a "buzzing" sound, fluttering back and forth in the air at a speed so fast it was invisible to the naked eye.

Ever since he had the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect", this was the first time Zhang Nuo had seen it like this. With his curiosity piqued, he still did not make any move, just quietly watching the Spirit Insect and the Sword Box before him!

After about a moment, golden light spots began to appear at the tail of the Spirit Insect; those light spots were somewhat similar to the Golden Light on the Spirit Insect's body, only more concentrated.

As the concentration of the Golden Light increased, the volume of the Golden Light also grew larger, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the size of a fist. Zhang Nuo was stunned by everything before him; the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect"'s behavior, which looked like it was defecating, seemed to be gestating something.

The Spirit Insect's pair of wings fluttered more and more violently, and the mass of Golden Light at its tail was also gathering and condensing. At this very moment, all of Zhang Nuo's attention was focused on the Spirit Insect; he did not notice that beneath the Spirit Insect, the dragon head carved on the Sword Box was undergoing a subtle change.

The dragon's mouth moved slightly, and several wisps of Golden Light were flowing toward the open dragon mouth; Zhang Nuo had not discovered this extremely covert occurrence. It was not until the Golden Light slowly faded and a crystalline, rice-grain-sized white crystal appeared from the tail of the Spirit Insect that he finally snapped out of his trance.

A stone! Inside the golden light mass that the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect" had previously condensed at its tail, there was actually a crystal!

The crystal floated above the Sword Box, motionless! Its entire body radiated faint Spiritual Qi. Just as Zhang Nuo curiously wanted to grab the crystal to examine it closely, a bizarre scene occurred!

On the Sword Box, the dragon head beneath the Spirit Insect's body suddenly seemed to come alive, leaping up from the surface of the Sword Box, opening its mouth wide, and swallowing the crystalline stone in one gulp, before shrinking back onto the surface of the Sword Box. All of this happened in the blink of an eye, and Zhang Nuo even suspected it was his hallucination.