33: Chapter 33 The Insect Enters the Box

The hundred breaths of time during which the snoring ceased felt infinitely long in Lin Xuan's perception.

He heard the heavy sound of turning over from within the mountain hollow, the rustling of fur rubbing against rock, and a few low, sleepy snorts.

The "crackling" sound of electric currents rang out densely, and a sweet scent drifted out from the mouth of the mountain hollow, even thicker than during the day.

The Thunder-Light Bug was "dining."

Lin Xuan remained motionless, his breathing suppressed to the point of being imperceptible. His right hand steadily gripped the middle section of the purple bamboo tube, while his left hand rested lightly on his waist—where his Storage Pouch and Talisman were hung.

After a hundred breaths, the snoring started again.

This time, the snoring was deeper and steadier than before, as if the giant beast had fallen into a deep sleep.

Lin Xuan counted silently in his heart: one hundred breaths, two hundred breaths... a quarter of an hour.

Now is the time.

He slowly extended the purple bamboo tube from the crevice in the rock. The movement was extremely slow, like a vine growing on the cliff face extending naturally.

The bamboo tube passed through the gaps in the leaves of the grayish-purple shrubs, causing almost no disturbance.

The jade box at the mouth of the tube was merely a vague outline in the darkness.

Lin Xuan adjusted the bamboo tube to the predetermined angle—the opening of the box was aimed diagonally at a spot about three zhang inside the entrance of the mountain hollow, the airspace the Thunder-Light Bug might pass through after flying out.

Then, with a slight shift of his mind, he controlled that wisp of pure Thunder Spiritual Energy inside the jade box and began to release it extremely slowly.

There was no light, only the aura.

A wisp of elegant Thunder Spiritual Energy mixed with the lingering charm of heavenly thunder, carrying the fresh, grassy scent of the mind-calming herb, drifted quietly out from the gaps in the jade box like smoke and mist, merging into the night fog.

This aura was too faint, so faint that it was almost imperceptible three zhang away.

But what Lin Xuan wanted was this kind of "now-you-see-it-now-you-don't" temptation—too obvious and it would alert the Purple Lightning Sable; too faint and it wouldn't lure the Thunder-Light Bug.

He held his breath, concentrating with all his might.

At first, there was no reaction inside the mountain hollow. Six faint points of purple light continued to dance around the head of the sleeping giant beast, their trajectories leisurely.

Lin Xuan was not in a hurry. He kept the aura output stable, like continuous ripples on a calm lake surface.

Another hundred breaths passed.

Finally, one of the Thunder-Light Bugs, closer to the entrance of the mountain hollow, showed a slight deviation in its flight trajectory.

It had originally been drawing an arc near the Purple Lightning Sable's left ear, but suddenly paused, its tiny antennae quivering rapidly a few times, and then... it veered off its established path, flying hesitantly for one chi toward the entrance of the mountain hollow.

Lin Xuan's heart jumped, but his hand gripping the bamboo tube was as steady as a rock.

The Thunder-Light Bug hovered in mid-air, seemingly confirming something. Its crystal-clear body shimmered in the darkness, and the lightning patterns on its wings were faintly visible.

A moment later, it flew nearly two more chi toward the entrance.

It was still about one zhang away from the "bait zone" emitted by the jade box.

Lin Xuan did not rush to increase the aura output. He maintained the original rhythm, even weakening the aura slightly—like the aroma of delicious food being scattered by the wind, which only made the diner more eager.

Sure enough, the Thunder-Light Bug flew forward a few more steps.

Behind it, the other five Thunder-Light Bugs were still dancing around the Purple Lightning Sable, seemingly unaware of their companion's abnormality.

This lone bug was now only five chi away from the jade box.

Lin Xuan could even see the frequency of its wing vibrations, and could see the extremely faint pale purple halo reflected in its compound eyes, coming from the direction of the jade box.

Three chi.

The Thunder-Light Bug seemed completely captivated. It sped up, its wings vibrating with a faint "buzzing" sound, and flew straight toward the jade box.

Just as it was about to fly into the range of the jade box's opening—

Deep in the mountain hollow, that long, drawn-out snoring suddenly paused!

"Boom..."

The sound of a heavy body turning over came, and the ground trembled slightly.

The Purple Lightning Sable seemed to have adjusted its posture in its sleep; its head turned, and the airflow from its nostrils stirred the mist within the mountain hollow.

The hairs on Lin Xuan's entire body stood on end!

Almost the instant the snoring stopped, he cut off the release of the Thunder Spiritual Energy inside the jade box!

At the same time, his left index finger flicked extremely lightly, and a wisp of faint, attribute-less spiritual power brushed over the surface of the jade box, completely dispersing the remaining aura!

The movement was fluid and smooth, as fast as lightning.

The Thunder-Light Bug, which had already reached the edge of the jade box's opening, suddenly lost the guidance of the "delicious food." It hovered in mid-air, confused, its antennae vibrating rapidly, and it turned in circles in place.

Lin Xuan curled up in the rock crevice, his heart almost stopping. He pushed the Breath Concealment Technique to its limit, and his whole person seemed to become a part of the rock.

He felt a massive, violent Divine Sense, carrying the irritability of being disturbed, spread out like an invisible tide from the depths of the mountain hollow, sweeping across the entrance and over the crevice where he was hiding!

That was the perception of the Purple Lightning Sable!

The Divine Sense was filled with the annoyance of unspent sleepiness, and a trace of doubt—it seemed to have detected some extremely subtle abnormality, but couldn't determine what it was.

Lin Xuan desperately suppressed all his aura, even temporarily closing the Spirit-Taming Tower Space's connection to the outside world.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The hovering Thunder-Light Bug, having lost the bait, seemed prepared to return to the mountain hollow.

Just at this critical moment—

Deep in the mountain hollow, the snoring of the Purple Lightning Sable started up again.

This time, the snoring was heavier than before, even carrying a hint of impatient grunting, but it had finally fallen asleep. The sweeping Divine Sense also receded like a tide.

The crisis was temporarily averted.

Lin Xuan, however, did not dare to relax in the slightest. He waited until the snoring had been steady for about thirty breaths before starting again, releasing the aura inside the jade box at a speed even slower and more cautious than before.

This time, he added a wisp of more pure "lingering charm of heavenly thunder" to the aura—like dropping a drop of concentrated essence into a clear soup.

The effect was immediate.

The Thunder-Light Bug, which had been about to return, suddenly stopped, its antennae vibrating frantically!

It seemed completely captivated by this "gone and returned, and even more tempting" aura.

It hesitated no longer, turning into a faint streak of purple light, and shot straight into the jade box!

Lin Xuan's pupils constricted!

Now is the time!

His right hand held the bamboo tube steady and motionless, while his left little finger extremely covertly and gently pulled the beast-tendon thread connected to the mechanism.

"Click."

An extremely faint, crisp sound, like a dry branch snapping.

The lid of the jade box snapped shut under the action of the mechanism! After the sound was muffled by the soft cloth, it was almost inaudible amidst the sound of the night wind.

But the moment the lid closed, the jade box's isolation Talisman took effect, and that tempting aura vanished instantly!

Deep in the mountain hollow, the snoring stopped for the second time!

"Roar—!!"

A low, repressed, furious beast roar exploded from the bottom of the mountain hollow! It was no longer the snoring of a dream, but a warning filled with clear rage!

Immediately following, the sound of heavy footsteps came—the Purple Lightning Sable had stood up!

The blood in Lin Xuan's entire body almost froze! He retracted the purple bamboo tube as fast as he could, and without even having time to check the situation inside the jade box, he stuffed it along with the bamboo tube into his Storage Pouch!

At the same time, his figure slid out of the rock crevice like a ghost. He did not run in the direction away from the mountain hollow—that might be directly in the path of the Purple Lightning Sable's charge—but instead dashed toward a patch of denser, craggy, and rock-strewn land to the side and behind!

He pushed the Wind Control Technique to the limit, his feet barely touching the ground as he leaped and maneuvered between the rocks without making a single unnecessary sound.

He had left the original spot for less than three breaths—

"Boom!!"

A streak of purple lightning, as thick as a water bucket and blindingly bright, shot violently from the entrance of the mountain hollow and struck fiercely near the crevice where Lin Xuan had just been hiding!

The rock shattered, and debris flew everywhere! The smell of scorching, mixed with the ozone scent of air dissociated by lightning, instantly filled the air!

The massive, dark purple figure of the Purple Lightning Sable appeared at the entrance of the mountain hollow!

Its eyes burned with purple flames of rage in the darkness, scanning the surroundings. Its nostrils flared, seemingly searching for the "thief's" aura that had suddenly disappeared.

Its fur was wreathed in electric light, crackling and popping, and the pressure of a Peak High Grade Tier 1 Yao Beast was released without reservation!

Lin Xuan had already escaped into the depths of the rock-strewn land, curled up in the shadow behind a giant rock.

He operated the Breath Concealment Technique with all his might, even actively dispersing a trace of pure Thunder Spiritual Energy into the pores of his body—this was a small trick from the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art, allowing his own aura to briefly "simulate" the complex Thunder Spiritual Energy in the surrounding environment to achieve a deeper level of concealment.

He heard the heavy footsteps of the Purple Lightning Sable pacing near the entrance, heard its angry low growls, and heard the sound of it clawing at rocks and overturning shrubs.

Every time the sounds drew closer, Lin Xuan's heart jumped to his throat.

But he remained motionless, as if dead.

Time passed bit by bit.

The Purple Lightning Sable searched near the entrance for about a quarter of an hour, but found nothing.

The bait aura had vanished too thoroughly; the isolation Talisman of the jade box had done its job. And Lin Xuan's concealment was nothing short of perfect.

Finally, the Purple Lightning Sable let out a roar of frustration, and its heavy footsteps returned to the depths of the mountain hollow.

The snoring started again, but this time, it was full of irritability and instability, occasionally interrupted by a few wary low growls.

Lin Xuan waited for another full hour.

Not until the Hour of the Rat had passed and the Hour of the Tiger was coming to an end—the darkest moment of the night—did he, like a melting shadow, silently retreat from the other side of the rock-strewn land, dashing away in the completely opposite direction from the mountain hollow without looking back.

Until he was at least five li away from that area and confirmed it was safe, did he find an extremely hidden tree hollow to crawl into, blocking the entrance with stones and branches, and then...

He let out a long, trembling breath of stale air that he had been holding for a long time.

His back was already soaked with cold sweat.

He took the jade box out of his Storage Pouch, his hand actually trembling slightly.

The jade box felt slightly heavy in his hand, its lid tightly closed. Through the translucent jade, he could see a faint purple light crawling and colliding uneasily inside the box, emitting a slight "buzzing" sound and a crisp "crackling" sound.

It was a success.

It really was a success.

Lin Xuan sat leaning against the wall of the tree hollow, using the faint light shining from the box to look at the trapped, beautiful, and mysterious Purple Lightning Glow Insect, and the corners of his mouth finally uncontrollably curled upward.

Lingering fear and wild joy, like ice and fire intertwined, impacted his mind.

But he quickly calmed down.

Now was not the time to celebrate. The Purple Lightning Sable had been alerted, and that area must absolutely not be revisited in the short term. Besides, there were other dangers in the canyon.

He needed to deal with this Thunder-Light Bug as soon as possible—sign a contract and share its talent.

And this required an absolutely safe environment.

Lin Xuan put away the jade box, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.

Dawn was approaching. On this new day, he would welcome a true turning point on his path of cultivation.