The Rat Cultivator

Chapter 135: Adding Ingredients

With a wave of Wu Yuan’s hand, the [Hundred Feather Wind Controlling Formation] instantly activated.

Wu Yuan stood as the primary anchor, channeling the flow of energy, while the Winged Tiger served as the secondary controller. The surrounding Spiritual Qi surged like a tide into the tiger’s body. Among the gathered demons, only the Winged Tiger possessed the wind attribute necessary to fully unleash the formation’s potential.

Acting as a living amplifier, the Winged Tiger roared.

In an instant, fierce gales howled over the Corrupt Water Pool. Although the wind did little direct harm to the hardy Blood-Winged Black Mosquitoes, it twisted the swarm into chaotic spirals, disrupting their flight paths and effectively trapping them within the basin.

Confident that the cage was secure, Wu Yuan handed full control of the wind formation to the Winged Tiger. He shifted his focus to the pool itself.

He nodded to Bibo.

Immediately, Bibo activated the core array: the [Heaven and Earth Fiend Refining Spirit Extraction Formation].

The earth energy beneath the Corrupt Water Pool surged like a turbulent ocean, violently churning the sludge that had settled at the bottom for centuries. The roiling muck disturbed everything hiding within—from the Blood-Winged Black Mosquitoes to the corpses of countless poisonous creatures that had perished there.

Simultaneously, miasma and Fiendish Energy began to proliferate. It grew so dense it resembled a heavy fog, completely enveloping the pool in a shroud of malice.

The formation was designed to draw out the chaotic, destructive power of this dire place.

Under the influence of the Fiendish Energy, the corpses of dead poisonous insects and beasts began to twitch. They creaked and cracked, reanimating as rotting puppets that threw themselves into a frenzied slaughter against the mosquito swarm.

The rotting corpses were fearless. They ignored the mosquitoes’ Blood-Dissolving Divine Ability—after all, you cannot drain blood from dust and rot—and instead inflicted massive casualties with their inherent toxins.

The mosquito swarm fell into chaos. Weaker mosquitoes, unable to withstand the corrosive Fiendish Energy, froze into solid blocks of ice and fell from the sky. Newly hatched mosquitoes panicked, turning the pool into a meat grinder. Only the presence of the Mosquito Mother kept the swarm from total collapse.

However, the number of rotting corpses was limited. Eventually, they were ground to dust by the sheer volume of the insect tide.

Wu Yuan waved his hand again. He had no intention of letting the enemy rest.

“Fire Ants! Advance!”

Millions of Fire Ants surged forward like a red torrent, spraying acid into the basin. The formic acid fell like torrential rain, filling the Corrupt Water Pool until the water itself was replaced by a bubbling lake of acid.

Then, the Ant Kings stepped forward. At the cost of their own vitality, they sprayed a special catalyst that solidified the surface of the acid lake into a crust of toxic land.

Immediately after, the Spirit Bee swarm and the Fire Ant army charged in together, engaging the mosquitoes in a brutal melee.

Wu Yuan looked at the pool, now seething with soaring Fiendish Energy, and nodded with satisfaction.

“Earthly Fiend Energy is present, but we cannot lack Demonic Fiend Energy either!”

He turned to One Ear. “Add some more ingredients.”

Squads of rat demons hauled massive Spirit Copper jars to the edge of the cliff. With great effort, they tipped them over, sending the contents tumbling into the pit.

The jars were packed with living nightmares—centipedes, scorpions, toads, and vipers. These were the venomous creatures the rat swarm had captured and raised in the wake of the Emperor Fluid event. Wu Yuan had used Gu-refining methods to stimulate their ferocity and toxicity to the absolute limit.

Originally, they were meant to enhance his Poison Orb and Poison Guiding Art. But as Wu Yuan’s cultivation progressed, these tools had become obsolete.

Now, they served a new purpose: fuel.

Dumped into the Corrupt Water Pool, the creatures went mad, attacking everything in sight.

At that moment, a commotion arose in the rear of the rat army. The ranks parted to create a path.

Hundreds of snake demons, their eyes glazed and movements sluggish, slithered toward the cliff. Under the faint, barely audible sound of a bone flute, they tumbled into the Corrupt Water Pool like dumplings dropping into boiling water.

Behind them, the Fleshy Crest Snake King twisted his thick body, crawling over with a fawning expression. His tongue flickered incessantly.

“Hiss… Great King! I’ve brought every snake demon from Snake Valley, just as you asked! Not a single one left behind! What do you think of my efficiency? Are you satisfied?”

Wu Yuan couldn’t help but nod slightly, a small, ironic smile lifting the corner of his mouth.

“Not bad. Not bad at all! You’ve done beautifully. From now on, your ration of Snake Spirit Blood will be increased tenfold!”

The Snake King’s eyes lit up like lanterns. He trembled with excitement, his scales quivering. “Great King, my Snake Valley is never short of poisonous snakes! If you need more, just say the word!”

Wu Yuan gently shook his head, his expression calm.

“Ordinary snakes are just cannon fodder. They add volume, but not quality. However… I do need your help with one more thing.”

Wu Yuan’s tone shifted. His gaze locked onto the Snake King.

The Snake King froze. “Great King… just give the order!”

“I see the toxin in your fleshy crest has been nurturing for quite some time,” Wu Yuan said leisurely. “You have no real use for it. Why not give it to me?”

The Snake King’s expression instantly conflicted. He scratched his head with the tip of his tail, looking pained.

“Great King… this venom is something I painstakingly generated using my vital energy. It is the foundation for my cultivation! If I give it to you, my progress will stall. I was counting on it to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining!”

Looking at the distressed snake, Wu Yuan smiled.

Unhurriedly, he retrieved an exquisite jade bottle from his robes and popped the cork.

Instantly, a rich, fragrant aroma filled the air. Pale red mist drifted from the bottle like silk ribbons, carrying a magical allure that hooked the soul.

The Snake King stopped breathing. He stared blankly at the bottle, forgetting to retract his tongue as drool dripped from his jaws.

“How about a trade?” Wu Yuan asked with a smile. “Specially brewed Snake Spirit Blood. Absolutely pure.”

The Snake King snapped back to reality, his greed instantly overcoming his hesitation.

“Good! Good! Deal! This is a rare treasure!”

The Snake King turned toward the Corrupt Water Pool. He reared up, and the crown-shaped fleshy tumor on his head swelled to the point of bursting.

SPLAT!

He sprayed a tide of concentrated venom into the pit. The venom fell like black rain, acting as a super-catalyst for the carnage below. The snakes, insects, and mosquitoes went into a frenzy, their bloodlust amplified a hundredfold.

Inside the formation, the Mosquito Mother laughed maniacally.

“Foolish rat! Aren’t you just sending me supplements?!”

Her swarm descended on the fresh wave of sacrifices, draining the life from the snakes and insects. The momentum of the mosquito swarm, which had been waning, surged back to life. The power of the Blood-Dissolving Divine Ability grew potent and terrifying.

Miserable screams filled the Corrupt Water Pool as blood splashed in all directions.

But in her excitement, the Mosquito Mother failed to notice the subtle shift in the energy around her. She was eating, yes… but she was being fed.