Blue Butterfly 1

So, this is a sidestory I wrote earlier for volume 2. Since I have tests these few days, I can only post this.

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On the Earth Continent, in a thatched house within the Chrysalis Sect, a young girl of about twelve or thirteen awoke with a gasp. Despite her tender face, the girl's eyes were like the abyss. A single gaze would drown those of weaker will.

"This...is my house in the Chrysalis Sect?" Hu Landie murmured in shock.

She gazed down herself to see her wearing the light-blue uniform of the Chrysalis Sect's outer disciples. She closed her eyes and inspected her body to discover that she hadn't even opened up her first meridian yet.

"I'm back? In the past?" Hu Landie said in shock.

Hu Landie's last memory had been of numerous enemies surrounding her, greedy for the Spring Autumn Butterfly that she had discovered. She had been unreconciled, so she activated the newly emerged Spring Autumn Butterfly for the chance of survival.

She never expected it to work and for her to travel into the past.

Suddenly a knock sounded, and her face turned expressionless. She went to open the door to see her cousin Hu Lansí. Unlike her, Hu Lansi wore the deep-blue uniform on an inner disciple.

The two cousins had come from the Hu Clan, a cultivation clan that focused on raising insects. Despite being a cultivation clan, the Hu Clan was only one of many, and so they sent the two cousins among other family members to participate in the Chrysalis Sect's disciple acceptance ceremony.

Since she was young, Hu Landie had shown astounding wisdom and knowledge, dazzling her elders. Most of the Hu Clan's elders held great hope for her, and so, they were shocked when Hu Landie's test revealed her triple spiritual root. Had it not been for her perseverance, she would not have even made it as an outer disciple.

In contrast, it was her cousin, the unassuming Hu Lansí, that shocked the world and revealed her heavenly spiritual root and directly became an inner disciple of the Chrysalis Sect. She even became the disciple of an immortal.

However, with Hu Landie's future knowledge, she knew that Hu Lansí had apprenticed to an Earth Immortal, a false immortal that had failed their Immortal Ascension Heavenly Tribulation. "What do you want?"

"Is that how you speak to me after I came all this way to check on you? The clan elders told me to take care of you since they were afraid you would be impacted by the truth too much." Although Hu Lansí's expression was that of concern, Hu Landie could sill discern the hidden joy in her eyes.

Hu Landie inwardly sneered. "Thank you for your unneeded concern, but I can take care of myself."

"You!–"

Before Hu Lansí could say anymore, Hu Landie shut the door in her face.

"Don't you close the door to my face!" Hu Lansí shouted. "Just because you weren't the genius you thought you were does not give you the right to treat me like this. I'm doing this for your good!"

Seeing as there was no response, Hu Lansí stopped her feet. "Fine, I hope you remember this! Don't look for me if you encounter trouble in the future!"

Hu Landie ignored her cousin's departure and started to inspect herself. She revealed a slight smile when she pulled out an egg the size of her pinkie nail. The egg was the unhatched Spring Autumn Butterfly.

After confirming that the Spring Autumn Butterfly egg was still in her possession, Hu Landie began to make preparation for the future.

First of all, she had to decide on her cultivation method. The Chrysalis Sect's Chrysalis Transformation Method didn't suit her. Although she managed to become a true immortal using it, it had only been by pure luck. Thankfully, she already had a method, the Spring Autumn Scripture. Incomplete as it was, it was still much better than the Chrysalis Transformation Method.

Second, she had to find a way to leave the Chrysalis Sect before it was destroyed. Although the Chrysalis Sect was a third-rate sect on the Earth Continent, she knew that it would lose its ranking in the future when the sect's only true immortal perished. This resulted in the Eight Pillar Sect making an example of them.

But before that, she needed to milk the Chrysalis Sect as much as possible before she left. Especially the Three Heavens Connection Meeting that was coming up. Because of the Eight Pillar Sect's shaky dominance, it allowed disciples of the Anti-Earth Alliance to compete for a spot.

And third, she had to find a method to conceal the Spring Autumn Scripture, lest the Buzhou Immortal Sect discovers it once more and order a manhunt against her.

First things first, Hu Landie sat down and began to cultivate the Spring Autumn Scripture. With her experience, she opened her first meridian despite her average spiritual roots and entered the first stage of the Qi Gathering Realm.

With the first step done, Hu Landie didn't start opening her second meridian. Instead, she left her house and moved towards the back mountain, where numerous spiritual herbs and materials were gathered.

As an outer disciple, Hu Landie had the duty to oversee and take care of them. Naturally, she didn't do so out of duty but to pilfer a portion of them. She only stole a few leaves at most and didn't touch the roots of the plants, lest she be discovered.

After making sure that no one had noticed, she returned to her house at the end of the day. She continued this routine for a month until she gathered all the necessary materials. Then she sneaked into a remote and desolate mountain and started her plan.

First, Hu Landie processed all the herbs to create a solution to soak the Spring Autumn Butterfly and a medicinal paste. She wanted to prepare more, but if she took anymore, it would look suspicious, so she had to make due. Once she showed more promise, then her secret activities would become easier.

Next, Hu Landie inserted her pointer and middle finger into them into her right eye. With a sickening squishy sound, she pulled out her eyeball with a grunt. She set it aside for now as she wiped the medicinal paste inside her empty eyesocket, both to stop the bleeding and prepare for the next step.

She wasn't done with her eyeball either as she grounded it into a paste and mixed it with the solution, turning it red. When the Spring Autumn Butterfly egg had turned slightly red from absorbing her eyeball pulp and the solution, she inserted it into her eye socket.

Hu Landie released a hiss as she sat down in a lotus position. She began to circulate her qi according to the Spring Autumn Scripture as she felt the egg in her eye socket attempt to absorb everything from her, her qi, her blood, and even her very flesh.

Perspiration coated Hu Landie's forehead as she attempted to implant the Spring Autumn Butterfly egg.

Spiritual cultivators could form lifebound artifacts when they ascended to the Core Formation Realms, and tamers like Hu Landie could form a lifebound beast instead. A lifebound beast was different than a spiritual beast in that it had a more profound connection to the cultivator and could be considered half a clone.

Of course, Hu Landie hadn't reached the Core Formation Realm, so she couldn't form a lifebound beast pact with the Spring Autumn Butterfly egg, but she was laying the foundations. After three days and three nights, she successfully implanted the egg.

It was not without any loss, however. Hu Landie's youthful skin had become dry and cragged, the roots of her hair were slightly gray, and her muscle had diminished to the point that she looked like a walking skeleton with only skin on, but she was satisfied. Although she consumed a portion of her longevity, so what?

She had reached the third stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, and she was still considered a mortal that had yet to truly embark on the immortal path. Even a core formation master could attain a life-extending pill for mortals like her.

Hu Landie smiled as she covered the right side of her face with her hand. She could feel the pulsation of the Spring Autumn Butterfly egg. As long as she used it to absorb and filter spiritual qi, it would be akin to her having a mutated heavenly spiritual root despite her body possessing triple spiritual roots.

After having accomplished her goal and recuperating, restoring her youthful appearance, and entering the fourth stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, Hu Landie returned to her thatched house. Even though she entered the fourth stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, surprising the outer elder in charge of outer disciples like her, she still had to be punished for dereliction of duty during the days she was absent, but Hu Landie didn't care.

A few days later, Hu Landie heard the news that an outer disciple, who had been targeting her, had been caught by Punishment Hall for embezzling the spiritual herbs and materials from the back mountain. She allowed herself a slight smile before her face returned to its usual cold expression.