TL: Etude

Ouyang Jiu’er’s refusal was so abrupt that even Ye Tian was momentarily stunned.

Then, he quickly came to his senses.

Even a Half-Step Domain Ancestor wouldn’t dare enter the Forbidden Insect Nest. At her current level—merely a Pinnacle Dao Ancestor, not even a Half-Step Domain Ancestor—entering the Forbidden Insect Nest would be nothing short of courting death! No matter how precious the treasures inside were, it was natural for her to refuse.

“Jiu’er, listen to me first!” Ye Tian said helplessly. “I’ve been inside the Forbidden Insect Nest and came out alive. You can rest assured; I have a very high chance of surviving!”

“You’ve been inside?” Ouyang Jiu’er looked skeptical.

Ye Tian then explained how his clone had ventured into the Forbidden Insect Nest and mentioned the discovery of a Dark Dull Gold Vein.

When Ye Tian revealed that he possessed the Forbidden Talent Concealment, Ouyang Jiu’er’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Big Brother Ye, don’t you think you have too many forbidden talents? And it didn’t seem like you had this one before!” Ouyang Jiu’er asked suspiciously.

Previously, she had helped Ye Tian perform the Heavenly Illusory Divine Steps, as his own concealment techniques were far inferior and couldn’t compare to hers. If Ye Tian had possessed the Forbidden Talent Concealment at that time, it would mean he had intentionally kept it hidden from her.

With this thought, Ouyang Jiu’er glared at Ye Tian, awaiting his explanation.

Ye Tian quickly replied, “My body is a bit unique. Every time I break through to a new realm, a new talent awakens. That’s why I have so many talents!”

He hoped this explanation would pacify her.

“Could it be that you’re a Forbidden Child?” Ouyang Jiu’er exclaimed in shock.

“What’s a Forbidden Child?” Ye Tian asked curiously.

Ouyang Jiu’er explained, “A Forbidden Child is what we call individuals who possess immense destiny, akin to being a child of the Dark Forbidden Domain’s destiny itself.

These people often experience soul mutations with every breakthrough, giving them a chance to awaken new talents. Normally, talents are fixed upon birth, and even with special treasures, the talents added later are generally mediocre. Achieving a Dao-level core talent through such means is already the limit.

However, a Forbidden Child has the potential to awaken Dao-level core talents—or even Forbidden Talents—naturally, without relying on any treasures!

But even in the Divine Heaven Domain, the Forbidden Child is merely a legend. You don’t quite fit the description, though. According to the tales, a Forbidden Child is born with a Forbidden Body, causing terrifying phenomena at birth and drawing the attention of the heavens and the Forbidden Rules. Yet, you were originally just a being from an ordinary universe!”

Ye Tian hadn’t expected his casual excuse to somehow connect him to the legend of the Forbidden Child. He quickly replied, “Jiu’er, the Dark Forbidden Domain is vast, and there are countless domains. It’s normal for unique physiques to exist that defy understanding. Let’s get back to the topic of the Dark Dull Gold. What should we do now?”

Ouyang Jiu’er didn’t dwell on Ye Tian’s peculiar physique. After pondering for a moment, she said, “Big Brother Ye, the Dark Dull Gold Vein is indeed composed of the remnants left after the Forbidden Insect Race refines forbidden wondrous objects. While it’s trash to the Forbidden Insect Race, it’s a supreme treasure for us.

To remove the Dark Dull Gold Vein, you’ll inevitably trigger the discharge mechanism of the Forbidden Insect Nest.

Once you touch the Dark Dull Gold Vein, it’ll activate this mechanism, causing disturbances within the nest.

The only way to take the Dark Dull Gold Vein without alerting anyone is to sever the connection between the discharge mechanism and the vein!”

“How do we sever the connection?” Ye Tian asked, as this was his biggest concern.

“Make the Forbidden Insect Nest sever it automatically!” Ouyang Jiu’er explained. “Think of the Dark Dull Gold Vein as something inside a living organism. Right now, it’s connected to the organism. It’s neither beneficial nor harmful, so the organism doesn’t care about it. But if this thing becomes detrimental, the organism will want to cut ties with it!”

“How do we do that?” Ye Tian understood the theory but not the method.

“What is the Forbidden Insect Race most afraid of?” Ouyang Jiu’er asked.

“I don’t know!” Ye Tian shook his head.

Ye Tian truly didn’t know what the Forbidden Insect Race feared. In his impression, the Forbidden Insect Race seemed unafraid of anything, capable of consuming everything.

“Insects fear birds. While the Forbidden Insect Race doesn’t fear ordinary birds, they do fear forbidden creatures of the bird lineage! I happen to have a drop of ordinary blood from a forbidden creature, the Utmost Calamity Crow. This drop of blood doesn’t contain much power anymore, but its value is still incredibly precious. Of course, compared to the Dark Dull Gold, this drop of blood seems rather ordinary. Additionally, if we manage to retrieve the Dark Dull Gold, I might be able to extract another trace of the Utmost Calamity Crow’s blood from the vein itself,” Ouyang Jiu’er explained.

“So, you’re saying you don’t need to enter the Forbidden Insect Nest?” Ye Tian asked.

“Of course, I don’t need to go in!” Ouyang Jiu’er rolled her eyes. “Your clone can fall anytime, but I don’t intend to! Even with your impressive Forbidden Talents, if a lord-level forbidden insect discovers you, you’re as good as dead!”

Afterward, Ouyang Jiu’er handed over the sealed orb containing the Utmost Calamity Crow’s blood to Ye Tian, her face full of reluctance.

“Big Brother Ye, be careful. It’s fine if your clone is lost, but don’t you dare lose this drop of Utmost Calamity Crow’s blood!” Ouyang Jiu’er admonished.

“Don’t worry!” Ye Tian assured her.

With the drop of Utmost Calamity Crow’s blood in hand, Ye Tian left the Nine Rivers Base.

He then sent his Copy Body, equipped with the Utmost Calamity Crow’s blood and employing the Forbidden Talent Concealment, toward the Forbidden Insect Nest.

Soon, Ye Tian once again approached the Forbidden Insect Nest, cautiously flying through a passage. This time, nothing went wrong; he only came into close contact with a few groups of forbidden insects but didn’t encounter any lord-level forbidden insects, so he remained undetected.

At last, Ye Tian arrived at the location of the Dark Dull Gold Vein once again.

“Let’s see if this drop of Utmost Calamity Crow’s blood works!” Ye Tian murmured to himself.

He crushed the sealed orb, allowing a single drop of the Utmost Calamity Crow’s blood to drip into the Dark Dull Gold Vein.

Although it was just a single drop of blood, as it merged into the vein, the originally black Dark Dull Gold Vein was quickly dyed a blood-red hue. Strands of bloody rules began to spread, affecting the vortex above the vein.

Abruptly.

The vortex quaked, appearing to dislike this aura intensely. It didn’t seem afraid, as one drop of blood wasn’t enough to pose a threat to the Forbidden Insect Nest.

Crack! A faint sound of severance echoed in the void. The vortex actively severed its connection with the Dark Dull Gold Vein, as if utterly disgusted by it.

“Retrieve!”

Seizing the opportunity, Ye Tian swiftly collected the Dark Dull Gold Vein into his Inner World.