Chapter 293: The Thundercloud Cicada
The Rat King smiled diffidently after Jiang Chen’s reminder and he started circling the Thundercloud Tree. He grinned after a moment, “Young master, I can uproot this Thundercloud Tree in an hour. But it won’t be able to be replanted after it leaves the soil of the magnetic golden mountain. Are you sure you wish to dig it up by the roots?”
This question stumped Jiang Chen.
“Young master, this Thundercloud Tree is quite rare, and it may be a shame to dig it up by the roots. How about I pick some branches for you? It will be enough for your uses.”
Jiang Chen smiled wryly, “Ole Gold, this doesn’t seem like you. When did you have so much compa.s.sion?”
The Rat King smiled awkwardly “Young master Chen, I… sigh. I’ll listen to you.”
Jiang Chen spread out his hands. “Maybe, I won’t be able to make it into this magnetic golden mountain in the future. Since the tree is right in front of me, this is my fortuitous occurrence. If I don’t take it now, it may become my downfall in the future. Dig, dig it up by the roots!”
Jiang Chen hadn’t touched any of the treasures on the previous floors because he didn’t want to cheapen himself and fight with those ordinary pract.i.tioners for items he had no use for.
However, Jiang Chen could absolutely make use of this Thundercloud Tree. It had so many uses that he wouldn’t naturally pa.s.s it by.
In the operations of the heavens, there was a reason behind every gesture and movement.
The Thundercloud Tree was here, and so was Jiang Chen. This meant that their fates were destined to intersect.
Jiang Chen knew full well that the laws of heaven operated according to their reasons and he naturally wouldn’t pa.s.s up such a fantastic treasure.
The Rat King didn’t protest after seeing Jiang Chen being so resolute. He c.o.c.ked his head and then prepared to burrow into the ground. He planned on digging out the ground that the Thundercloud Tree stood on and thoroughly cut it off.
“Hold!”
A stiff voice sounded from atop the tree at this moment. It sounded very unpracticed, and it was using the ancient beast language.
The Rat King started and stopped his burrowing movements, turning and flas.h.i.+ng up the tree with a curious speed.
Jiang Chen also lifted his head in surprise. He too could understand the ancient beast language.
Both he and the Rat King hadn’t detected the presence of other life on this tree!
Flap, flap, flap.
The Rat King darted to and fro through the Thundercloud Tree, more agile than a monkey in its fluid movements.
“Hmm?” A golden streak of light suddenly shot out from the tree. Jiang Chen’s gaze followed the streak and he noticed a Cicada the size of a fist was dancing around frantically, flapping its gossamer wings.
“Thundercloud Cicada?” Information about this creature immediately popped into Jiang Chen’s mind.
This Thundercloud Cicada depended on the Thundercloud Tree for survival, so the tree was also called the Cicada Thundercloud Tree.
Due to their close relations.h.i.+p, the beetle was aptly named the Thundercloud Cicada after the tree.
The beetle was only the size of a fist, but it was obviously suffused with extremely abundant spirit power. Its intelligence had already reached the level of being able to speak the ancient beast language.
Although Jiang Chen knew that the Cicada was an exceedingly intelligent being, the fact that it could speak the ancient beast language meant that its bloodline was absolutely not that inferior.
A Cicada with an inferior bloodline would not be able to speak the ancient beast language at all.
The Rat King narrowed his eyes and he looked covetously at the flapping wings in the air, greed written all over his face.
It was obvious that this Cicada had a n.o.ble bloodline, giving the Rat King a heretofore unprecedented urge to feed.
It was obvious that although the beetle possessed a n.o.ble bloodline, its level of training was nowhere near the Rat King’s.
The Thundercloud Cicada wasn’t a type of creature that was skilled at battling.
However, it had a great reputation in the world not only because it possessed many of the advantages that the Thundercloud Tree possessed, but also many of the positives that it didn’t have.
The golden exoskeleton of the beetle could be used to craft battle armor. This armor was no ordinary armor, it was one that would make the wearer invisible.
The beetle had another stratagem especially for escaping. For pract.i.tioners, this meant that if they a.s.similated a Thundercloud Cicada, they would gain an additional art that would save their lives.
Once the beetle’s art was deployed, it could befuddle many. If a spirit realm pract.i.tioner practiced the beetle’s art and utilized it well, he would be able to outwit even an origin realm pract.i.tioner!
At the heart of it, the Cicada’s stratagem was an art on how to pretend to be dead, and using a fake death to allow one’s true body to escape and confuse the enemy at the same time.
The Rat King of course wasn’t paying attention to the Cicada’s art. In actuality, the Goldbiter Rats’ methods of escape wouldn’t be any inferior to the Cicada.
What it cared more about was the Cicada"s bloodline, which was a n.o.ble bloodline.
If he swallowed it, then it might be an undeterminable catalyst for the evolution of the Rat King’s bloodline.
In this moment, the Rat King’s mind was filled with only thoughts of devourment, feeding, devourment, and feeding!
“Young master Chen, can I have this Cicada?” Although the urge to feed was topmost in the Rat King’s mind, he was still well aware that he needed to obtain Jiang Chen’s permission first.
“Old King, what are you in a hurry for? This Cicada understands the ancient beast language and it possesses a n.o.ble bloodline. It would be a waste if you devoured it.” Jiang Chen wasn’t the type to not share in the wealth with those below him, but he wasn’t willing for the Cicada to be swallowed just like that.
The Rat King was depressed, “Young master, this beetle’s bloodline is pure. If I devour it, then it may stimulate the evolution of my bloodline! You promised me… ”
“Ole Gold, the evolution of your bloodline was indeed our agreement, but this Cicada is not yet your food. Not to mention that although you have the methods to enter the dirt, you aren’t omnipotent. It’d be difficult for you to catch this beetle.”
The Cicada had hovered nearby all this time, its eyes darting around intelligently, seeming to be listening to Jiang Chen and the Rat King’s words.
The Cicada was extremely surprised to see a human speaking the ancient beast language.
“Human… thank you.” The Cicada’s voice was like a shy girl’s, marked with a few traces of shyness and hesitation.
It had obviously heard the conversation between Jiang Chen and the Rat King, knowing that it had been this human who had prevented the Rat King from carrying out his nefarious intentions.
“You don’t need to thank me. I don’t have to kill you, but you have to make it worth my while.” Jiang Chen faintly said.
The Rat King was skilled at burrowing through the ground and so he didn’t have many skills in taking down the beetle, but that didn’t mean that Jiang Chen had no tricks up his sleeve.
The Bewitching Lotus of Fire and Ice was the best weapon for an ambush.
However, he didn’t want to take that step yet.
The beetle looked frightfully at Jiang Chen, “What… what can I do?”
It had obviously been a short while since the Cicada’s heritage had awoken. It could speak the ancient beast language alright, but it spoke rather stiffly and stiltedly.
“What can you do?” Jiang Chen smiled. “What do you think that you can do that will make it worth it for us to allow you to live?”
“I… I don’t know either.” The Cicada was a bit lost, but it immediately said proudly, “It won’t be that easy for you to capture me on this magnetic golden mountain either!”
“I don’t need to capture you. I just need to dig up this Thundercloud Tree by the roots and leave you no resting place. You’ll be dead without a doubt then!”
These words were obviously very useful as they hit upon the Cicada’s weaknesses in one go.
“Don’t... don’t... don’t do that human. I… know that you’re not a ruthless and cruel person. I… can tell you a great secret!”
“A great secret?” Jiang Chen smiled. “You were born on this mountain and you don’t even know how big the outside world is. What secrets can you speak of?”
The little Cicada grew anxious. “The secret I speak of has to do with this mountain!”
“Oh?”
“I’ll tell you as long... as long as you swear not to capture me or destroy the tree. You and that dirty rat both have to swear to the heavens!”
The Rat King growled lowly, obviously greatly dissatisfied with the beetle’s terminology of “dirty rat”.
“Swear to the heavens?” Jiang Chen lightly stroked his chin and revealed a meaningful smile. “I don’t think any sort of secret is worth more than a Cicada and a Thundercloud Tree.”
“No, that’s not all!” The Cicada hastily cried out. “This secret is absolutely worth more. It will give you the chance to refine the entire magnetic golden mountain! Would you say that this is valuable or not? At that time, whether it’s the Thundercloud Tree or myself, we’ll all be yours. Everything on this mountain will be yours!”
“What?! Refine the mountain?” Jiang Chen’s face changed slightly.
The Rat King snorted coldly in successive times. “You’re going crazy in your desire to live, aren’t you? How is it remotely possible to refine a magnetic golden mountain?”
The Rat King plainly didn’t believe the beetle.
However, Jiang Chen’s facial expression grew grave. His knowledge of the mountain wasn’t something that the Rat King could aspire to.
In the ancient times, a magnetic golden mountain was indeed a treasure that many great experts refined. The mountains could be large to the point of covering the heavens, or as small as a speck of dust.
In the greater plane of existence, there were external experts that no one dared to offend and they all had magnetic golden mountains.
After all, the might of one of these mountains was simply too frightening when it was refined into a treasure.
The level of this mountain was obviously far inferior to those held by the great experts, but if he could refine it into a treasure, it truly was much more valuable than any Thundercloud Tree or Thundercloud Cicada. Much, much more valuable!
“Human, think about it. I can tell you that in order to refine the mountain, not only is strength needed, so is a bit of technique. I just so happen to know this secret, and it lies on the tenth floor of the mountain.”
One had to say that the the Cicada’s words were quite, quite tempting.
With his knowledge of the mountain, if he could refine it, then that would greatly increase his advantages. Even if he met a sky spirit realm pract.i.tioner, he’d be able to face them head on if he brought out the mountain.
It wasn’t an advantage that some sticks from the Thundercloud Tree could bring him.
“Young master Chen, don’t you listen to its bulls.h.i.+t!” The Rat King had been with Jiang Chen for a long time and he knew that he was a bit swayed when he saw Jiang Chen’s expression. The Rat King hastily called out in his haste.
“Little cicada, what if this secret you speak of is fabricated?” Jiang Chen coldly asked.
“It won’t be! I can also swear to the heavens that if I speak false, I am willing to become your food!”
The Cicada was likewise panicked and hurriedly explained.