Chapter 10: A Feast of Insects (Part 2)

Guo Shier nodded and said, “That’s good too. In a small place, safety is a blessing.”
Suddenly, Nan You called out, “We’re here…”
Guo Shier looked up and saw a white line on the horizon. Realizing it was the reflection of the water, he said, “Finally, we can rest. Ah, I’m hungry…”
Eagle Demon and the others also began to feel hungry. It was normal for altar-level professionals to go days without eating, but they couldn’t avoid food forever—hunger would set in eventually. Eagle Demon laughed and said, “It’s fine if you don’t mention it, but Shier, once you do, I can’t stand it. It seems like it’s been days since you last ate, right?”
As they discussed what to eat, Qi Wu Zhen suddenly appeared beside them and asked with a smile, “What shall we eat?”
Guo Shier held back his laughter and said, “We’re discussing it. I think the meat of black-armored bees is quite good…”
Qi Wu Zhen asked, “Can we eat insect meat too?”
Guo Shier swallowed hard and said, “It’s delicious.”
Qi Wu Zhen replied, “I only know that insect eggs are delicious. I’ve rarely eaten insect meat before.”
Eagle Demon laughed and said, “Shier is a master of talismanic food.”
Qi Wu Zhen nodded and said, “I admit it. After tasting the talismanic food he cooked, anything else seems bland in comparison.”
Guo Shier said, “It’s not that I cook well—it’s that the ingredients here are simply excellent.”
Wang Keer shouted from ahead, “We’re here!” Then she dived downward. It was a huge island with over a dozen peaks, countless small rivers and streams winding through the mountains. The island was covered in dense forests, with no sign of humans—clearly an uninhabited wilderness island.
Qi Wu Zhen hovered above the island. After taking a quick look, she said, “There are no powerful mutated talismanic beasts on this island. Let’s go down.”
The group landed by the lake. Guo Shier couldn’t help but marvel at how crystal clear the water was—he could see the bottom clearly, with silver fish swimming leisurely in the water.
It was pure, untouched nature. In his past life, Guo Shier had never seen such clean lakes, but in this life, he had seen too many beautiful landscapes, each time filling him with awe.
Qi Wu Zhen said, “I’m hungry.”
Eagle Demon, Luo Zhan, and Nan You also laughed and said, “Shier, cook something delicious—preferably something unique.” They had all become picky eaters after eating Guo Shier’s various delicacies.
Wang Keer looked at them puzzledly and asked, “Captain, is there anything delicious?”
A bunch of food lovers. Guo Shier scratched his head and said, “Today, it’s an insect feast!”

Wang Ke’er didn’t know Guo Shier’s skill in crafting magical food, but she had never eaten insects before. She looked at the others in confusion, seeing them all drooling, and asked, “Insects… can we eat them?”
Guo Shier replied, “Yes, we’ll eat black-armored bees.” Poor black-armored bees—not only were their souls extracted, but their flesh was also eaten.
The black-armored bees had an ugly appearance, with black shells covered in armor and countless sharp spines, looking extremely ferocious. Just by looking at them, Wang Ke’er lost all appetite. She said, “Forget it, you eat them. I’ll have dried meat… Hey, what’s with those looks…”
Eagle Demon laughed and said, “Good, one less person. I have no objections.”
Qi Wu Zhen smiled and said, “Little fool, don’t regret it later.”
Wang Ke’er was puzzled. “Regret? What is there for me to regret?” she mumbled. She didn’t understand why there would be anything to regret about not eating insects.
Guo Shier didn’t say much more. He instructed Eagle Demon and the others to quickly level a piece of ground. It was a simple task—first using virtual talismans to press down on the ground, then fixing it with more talismans to create a flat area of about ten square meters.
He casually released six corpses of black-armored bees and began cutting them apart. Quickly, he identified several parts. Based on his experience, he only used the meat from their legs and chests, discarding everything else. In no time, he had prepared a large amount of insect meat, placing it in several large copper basins. Then he took out some fresh meat from mutated talisman beasts.
Guo Shier said, “Nanyou, go catch some fresh fish.”
Nanyou flew to the lake surface at once, casting virtual talismans to form a net, and soon caught hundreds of silver fish several feet long. After selecting, he kept a dozen large fish. He asked, “Shier, there are quite a few shrimps here. Do you want any?”
Guo Shier replied, “Yes.” In his past life, he loved eating shrimps and crabs the most.
Wang Ke’er watched in astonishment. She couldn’t understand why preparing a meal required so much effort. Usually, she just had dried meat and flatbread, at most boiling a pot of hot soup.
Qi Wu Zhen sat aside, smiling and waiting. She said eagerly, “Shrimps? Can we really eat such small things? By the way, why use fourth-level mutated black-armored bees? Aren’t there more advanced ones?” She had never noticed such weak creatures before.

Guo Shier explained, “Mutated worm parasites of too high a rank have meat that’s hard to cook. Level-four mutated black-armored bees are sufficient; there’s no need for something more advanced. Lake shrimp are excellent—you’ll know once you try them.” He then took out many spices from the storage talismans, along with various vegetables. Without these, it’s hard to achieve a good flavor.

Stir-fried lake shrimp, steamed worm meat, silverfish-mushroom soup, and braised meat from mutated ritual beasts. Finally, Guo Shier took out a basin of black-armored bee eggs, washed them, marinated them with seasonings, and ate them raw.

Several large copper basins were filled with dishes. Guo Shier said, “Let’s eat!” He washed his hands, picked up an egg from the basin, took a bite, and a rich aroma spread in his mouth. Surprised, he exclaimed, “Damn, this is truly super delicious!”

Wang Keer watched as everyone frantically devoured the food. She was also very hungry. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and grabbed a piece of braised meat from a mutated ritual beast. She didn’t dare eat worm meat but had no aversion to it. After just one bite, she was completely convinced—its flavor was something she had never experienced before.

Next, she reached for the lake shrimp. Stir-fried with the spices collected by Guo Shier from this world, they tasted amazing. After eating one, she couldn’t stop anymore.

Eventually, Wang Keer couldn’t resist trying worm meat either. She had no choice—seeing how eagerly the others ate it and judging from their expressions, she knew it must be delicious.

After a hearty meal, everyone was satisfied. Wang Keer had never tasted anything so delicious. This meal completely won her over, and she thought to herself: If she could eat such food regularly, staying in this team wouldn’t be so bad.

Qi Wu Zhen said, “I’m going to the mountain ahead to refine a sacrificial treasure. You wait on the island—don’t come up the mountain. There will be quite a bit of noise when I refine it.” Without waiting for a reply, her figure gradually faded as she left the lake and headed to the mountain top.

Boom!

Guo Shier and the others stared in shock as a section of the distant mountain was abruptly cut off. When the dust settled, the mountain had become a half-platform, with the upper part of its summit completely gone.

Eagle Demon said with a bitter smile, “What’s going on?”

A red glow flashed, and a ten-story altar appeared on the mountain platform, looking absolutely magnificent.

Guo Shier couldn’t help but shake his head. Qi Wu Zhen was always so reckless—she didn’t act like a woman at all but rather like a ruthless bandit. He said, “The noise is way too loud. Half a mountain was destroyed just to build a platform?”

Wang Keer curled her lips and said, “Showing off!” She only dared speak like that after Qi Wu Zhen left.
Guo Shier glanced at her buttocks, which made Wang Keer furious. She shouted, “You… where are you looking?”
Eagle Demon and the others couldn’t help but laugh. Guo Shier said innocently, “I’m not looking at anything. You’re being too paranoid, hehe.”
Wang Keer stamped her foot in anger. Guo Shier said, “I wonder what kind of treasure Sister Zhen plans to refine. It’s strange; I’ve never seen her use a ritual treasure before.”
Eagle Demon said, “With her strength, it probably doesn’t matter whether she uses a ritual treasure or not.”
Wang Keer pricked up her ears, actually very curious about Qi Wu Zhen. Though she was angry after being spanked, she had to admit she was no match for her.
Boom!
This time, the sound wasn’t an explosion but the sound of flames rising. A beam of fire shot into the sky, reaching heights of over ten thousand meters.
A strong wind blew across the entire island. The flow of fire sucked in the air around it, lifting it rapidly into the sky. Air from all directions rushed in, forming a violent wind like a hurricane.
Guo Shier exclaimed, “Is this refining a ritual treasure… or just burning the land? It’s terrifying.”
The flame burned for over ten minutes before suddenly contracting back. Guo Shier and the others by the lake could clearly see the altar shaped like a pagoda, as well as Qi Wu Zhen. From below, Qi Wu Zhen’s figure appeared as small as a sesame seed, but the dazzling light emanating from her was clearly visible.
Wang Keer said regretfully, “It’s a shame we’re not allowed to go up and take a look.”
Guo Shier said, “Alright, Sister Zhen has started refining the ritual treasure and won’t come down for a while. We can take some time to rest. Uncle Eagle Demon, Uncle Luo, help me clear a space—I want to release my talisman house.”
Wang Keer said, “Clear a space for me too! I have a talisman house too!”
Guo Shier said, “Nanyou, come help too.”
Together, they quickly cleared two spaces in the forest a hundred meters from the lake, and two talisman houses of different styles were released.
On the seventh day, the altar on the mountain emitted another loud rumbling sound.
Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sky, and torrential rain poured down. Guo Shier leaned against the frame of his talisman house, staring at the mountain. “These noises and the heavy rain… Could they be caused by refining a ritual treasure?”
Suddenly, Qi Wu Zhen’s voice rang out, “Shier, come up to the mountain!”
Book 29: Return to Qianyan