Chapter 10: Free Labor (Part 1)

Guo Shier first released the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion, then the Giant Nesting Dragon, and finally the Blade Shadow Mantis. The Ancient Flame Sparrow remained hidden in his hair, motionless. He unleashed all his Spirit Beasts and Spirit Insects, as the Spirit Beasts that charged at them would have to be digested using his own beast talismans after being shattered.

Xian Ruidai glanced at him with envy and said, “What a strange guy!” She was puzzled—how could Guo Shier control so many Spirit Beasts and Spirit Insects at once? It didn’t match her understanding.

Guo Shier rolled his eyes, while Eagle Demon couldn’t help but laugh. Luo Zhan said, “I’ll guard the altar.” He knew well that rushing to the front line would distract Guo Shier, so he volunteered to stay by the altar as the last line of defense.

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Uncle Luo, don’t overexert yourself.”

Luo Zhan nodded and replied, “Don’t worry, Shier. I’m here!”

The first batch of Spirit Beasts charged forward. Guo Shier counted them—six in total. The strongest among them was a level-10 mutated Iron-Backed Gorilla, standing over sixty meters tall, though its physical cohesion was poor. The rest were level-8 or level-9 Spirit Beasts.

Guo Shier shouted, “I’ll take care of this Iron-Backed Gorilla. You guys handle the others!”

Xian Ruidai didn’t even lift a hand. She said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, go ahead. They’re all weak Spirit Beasts.”

Guo Shier’s Moon Blade had just flown into the air before it could strike, when the Giant Nesting Dragon rushed forward. Compared to the Iron-Backed Gorilla, the Giant Nesting Dragon was far stronger. Without hesitation, it swatted with its thick tail, causing a loud explosion as the Iron-Backed Gorilla was shattered in one hit. The Giant Nesting Dragon roared and immediately pounced to devour the scattered Spirit Energy.

Eagle Demon was even more formidable, slicing through two Spirit Beasts in an instant, one after another. The Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion and the Blade Shadow Mantis also swiftly killed two more. Guo Shier shook his head. He realized his own Spirit Beasts were much stronger than those native to this area, allowing them to challenge even higher-level foes.

In less than a minute, all the Spirit Beasts were eliminated. Xian Ruidai said, “The Spirit Beasts wandering around here aren’t strong. Hopefully, no tough ones will show up.”

The Giant Nesting Dragon roared, ready to attack distant Spirit Beasts, but Guo Shier restrained it. After all, the Giant Nesting Dragon was a powerful warrior, but now wasn’t the time for hunting.

Guo Shier glanced back at the altar. Zhou Xiaoling and Zhang Yaojin were still slowly climbing upward. Zhang Yaojin seemed to be moving more easily, while Zhou Xiaoling’s pace was much slower.

The level-11 Giant Perch Dragon stood by the altar, its soully pressure preventing lower-ranked Spirit Beasts from approaching. Guo Shier smiled and said, “There won’t be any battles for now, hehe.”
Xian Ruidai asked, “Brother Shier, if we encounter a strong Spirit Beast, don’t let your Spirit Beast eat it. Can I take it instead?”
Guo Shier replied, “Weren’t you looking for a flying Spirit Beast? These ones on the ground aren’t very useful. Well, if there’s a dragon-type Spirit Beast, then it’s okay to take it—dragon-type ones are relatively stronger.”
Xian Ruidai said, “It’s a pity that I haven’t found any dragon-type Spirit Beasts yet. It would be great if there were a flying dragon-type one.” She looked very disappointed and added, “Sigh, if I could catch one, it would be so impressive… I could show it to my sisters when I get back…”
Guo Shier shook his head with a smile. So she wanted Spirit Beasts not for fighting, but for showing off.
The Dark-Winged Scorpion quietly slithered out. Guo Shier glanced at it but paid no attention. As long as the Giant Perch Dragon was here, there was no need to control the Dark-Winged Scorpion to stay nearby.
The Dark-Winged Scorpion had already reached level 9, showing rapid growth in strength. This time, Guo Shier had integrated the Ancient Ink Lotus, and the changes to his core talisman ball had greatly benefited these insect talisman beasts.
The Blade Shadow Mantis followed behind, and the two Spirit Insects slithered out stealthily.
Xian Ruidai asked curiously, “Brother Shier, what are you doing?”
Guo Shier replied in confusion, “What? I’m not doing anything.”
Xian Ruidai pointed at the Dark-Winged Scorpion and the Blade Shadow Mantis and asked, “Did you order them to go somewhere? To hunt?”
Eagle Demon laughed and said, “That wasn’t ordered by Shier. They went on their own to look for prey.” Having followed Guo Shier for so many years, he was well familiar with the habits of these Spirit Insects and knew they were all highly spiritual creatures.
Xian Ruidai exclaimed in surprise, “Spiritual Spirit Insects!” She understood well what it meant to have spiritual Spirit Insects and Spirit Beasts.
Eagle Demon dismissed it as obvious, saying, “Of course. What’s so strange about that?”
Xian Ruidai couldn’t help but shout, “Spiritual Spirit Insects and Spirit Beasts mean that after constructing an altar, just placing them on it can greatly enhance its quality. Don’t pretend you don’t know!”
Eagle Demon’s face turned slightly red—he really didn’t know. After advancing to Junior Great Sage, he had focused only on his own skills and combat abilities, hardly learning anything else.

Guo Shier sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly lost in thought, but in reality he was communicating with the handsome old man inside the Ancient Ink Lotus. The handsome old man had already formed half of his body, with the lower half still missing. He kept harassing Guo Shier, demanding more pure souls to repair his body. Guo Shier said, “Handsome old man, once Dingding and Zhang Yaojin’s inheritance is over, I’ll go fetch souls from the altar. By the way, do you remember anything?” The handsome old man’s soul fluctuated, “No, but I seem to have some clues. I still need more souls. Ah, by the way, Shier, this inside the Ancient Ink Lotus is too simple—there’s nothing here. I need materials, a lot of them…” Guo Shier asked in surprise, “What do you need materials for?” The handsome old man replied, “This nest is uncomfortable. I want to redecorate it.” Guo Shier said, “A nest? Uh, your demands are too high. The Ancient Ink Lotus is definitely much better than your old ruined altar.” The handsome old man said, “Idiot, that altar was already in tatters. Of course it’s not as good as a complete Ancient Ink Lotus. But back then… that altar was far better than your Ancient Ink Lotus.” Guo Shier said helplessly, “Handsome old man, that was an altar, okay? This is just an Ancient Ink Lotus—it certainly can’t compare to an altar.” The handsome old man said excitedly, “Not necessarily. Your Ancient Ink Lotus is a rare treasure. It’s one of the best materials for constructing an altar. But it’s too simple now. I need materials… I need materials!” Guo Shier said, “You need materials… Do you mean to build an altar?” he joked. The handsome old man replied without hesitation, “Yes.” Guo Shier felt as if he had been shot—his soul trembled violently. This affected the handsome old man, who cried out, “Hey! Hey! Don’t get excited! Don’t get excited… Damn it, why is your soul so powerful… Calm down, calm down!” How could Guo Shier stay calm? He had originally planned to build his own virtual altar. Although he had gathered all the materials, he didn’t know where to start because the skills and knowledge involved were enormous. He estimated it would take at least a decade or so for him to barely master this knowledge. But mastering knowledge and applying it were two different things. Optimistically, Guo Shier thought it would take him decades to successfully build a virtual altar. And now the handsome old man wanted to help him build one—such good fortune was truly unexpected. How could he not be excited? But after all, having lived three lifetimes, he remained calm on the surface, though he couldn’t suppress the violent fluctuations in his soul.

After much effort, he managed to calm the turmoil in his soul, thanks to the help of 167 soul scriptures. Guo Shier’s heart was pounding violently as he asked, “If I give you the materials, can you build an altar?”
The handsome old man replied, “It’s too early to build an altar, but I can organize the Ancient Ink Lotus to form a preliminary version of one. I need time—and souls!”
Guo Shier suddenly realized that what the handsome old man really wanted wasn’t an altar, but pure soul fragments that would allow him to recover quickly. Yet he didn’t mind either; having the handsome old man help organize the Ancient Ink Lotus was an excellent opportunity to rapidly enhance his own strength.
“Don’t worry. There are so many broken altars here—I’ll get plenty of soul fragments.”
The handsome old man said, “Great, great! Haha, the more, the better. I lack so many souls that I can’t even restore their original form.”
Guo Shier asked, “What materials do you need?”
The handsome old man replied, “A large amount of Anluo Stone—the more, the better. Also, Blood Soul Stones and Zuling Wood; these three are essential.”
Guo Shier smiled. “No problem!” He activated the Spirit Storage Talisman and said, “Find them yourself—they’re all inside.” Without it, the handsome old man wouldn’t be able to access them. Within the Ancient Ink Lotus, Guo Shier was like a king, holding supreme power. No matter how skilled the handsome old man was, he could only rely on him.
After taking a quick look, the handsome old man exclaimed, “Wow! You… you’re amazing! To have so much Anluo Stone! Oh, Thunder-Struck Zuling Wood! Wow… Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder-Struck Zuling Wood! Haha… And so many Seal Spirit Jades! How did you get all these materials? It’s unbelievable! Did you already prepare to build your own altar?”
A faint smile appeared on Guo Shier’s lips. He had started collecting materials even at the master level. Back then, he hadn’t realized how important it was, but now it became clear just how wise his decision had been.
Suddenly, the handsome old man cried out again, “Wah-wah-wah… Soul Beads of Mutated People, and also Soul Beads of Alienated People… Haha, great stuff! Excellent!”
Guo Shier was surprised. “Can you use the Soul Beads of Mutated People?”
The handsome old man replied, “Idiot, it’s not me who uses them. It’s the altar that needs a massive amount of soul energy. These are all valuable items. Hmph, who would have thought about the significance of Soul Beads of Mutated People for a soul altar?”
Guo Shier asked, “You don’t know?”
The handsome old man said proudly, “That’s my secret technique. I discovered it… Back in the day… uh, I fucking can’t remember…”

Guo Shier almost burst into laughter. This guy probably wanted to show off how amazing he used to be, but his fragmented soul memories weren’t as complete anymore.