Chapter 194: Nangong Hong Yue
Nangong Hong Yue yielded and admitted defeat. She said to Su Yan, “I am willing to exchange a Seven Flower Opening Aperture Pill and a third-order insect-driving secret technique for a chance at survival.”
She was a smart woman. The Seven Flower Opening Aperture Pill and the secret technique were not on her person. If Su Yan wanted to obtain these things, she still had a slim chance of survival.
However, Su Yan revealed a smile and said, “No need to go to such trouble.”
He stepped forward. Nangong Hong Yue retreated in fright, but she could not dodge Su Yan’s large hand.
Su Yan pressed down on her shoulder, and surging true essence broke through her true essence circulation.
The Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust flew over and spat out a crystal-red insect egg.
Nangong Hong Yue’s expression changed abruptly. Of course, she knew what this was.
Insect Egg. Among the Hundred Caves Witch Sect’s witchcraft and gu techniques, there was a method to control people with insect eggs.
Su Yan merely said indifferently, “Eat it or die.”
His voice was calm, but Nangong Hong Yue’s expression flickered uncertainly.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally gritted her teeth and said, “I will eat it.”
She took the insect egg and swallowed it in one gulp.
As the insect egg merged into her body, the Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust activated it. Strands of malevolent energy emerged from the insect egg and began to hatch.
Nangong Hong Yue could feel the malevolent energy traveling through the meridians around her body. That bone-chilling sensation, as if tearing through her meridians, made her furrow her brows deeply. The pain caused veins to bulge on her face.
‘Why does the insect egg turn into malevolent energy, and why does it have such strong vitality?’
The pain intensified continuously and gathered at her spine.
Nangong Hong Yue was full of doubts in her heart, but she had no time to consider them.
A round of even more intense pain came, as if reshaping her bone structure.
Malevolent energy and flesh and blood continuously clung to her spine. Countless meridians and blood vessels were drawn into it, fusing as one with the blood marrow worm.
She could not help but let out groans. Her face was deathly pale, and her veil fell off due to her struggles, revealing her fair complexion.
After about half a shichen, the blood marrow worm finally fully hatched and completely fused with her spine.
“What gu worm did you plant in me?”
Nangong Hong Yue struggled to stand up. With a slight sense, she immediately revealed a shocked expression.
The blood marrow worm had merged with her spine. It could not be broken by ordinary external forces. Even with her expertise in witchcraft, she could not do it.
As long as the worm lived, she lived.
Moreover, this blood marrow worm was continuously refining essence blood, nurturing her foundation.
Was this a gu worm that controlled one’s life, or an exotic insect that assisted in cultivation?
“Blood Marrow Worm, one of the servant insects under my Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust. Since you are skilled in insect refining, you can try to remove it.”
Nangong Hong Yue said coldly, “My life and death are in your hands. Is there any point in mocking me like this?”
Before symbiosis, she had indeed thought of this and even prepared to use the Five Insects Heart Casting Gu in her body for resistance.
But the blood marrow worm was far more troublesome than she had anticipated. She could not intercept it secretly at all.
Su Yan glanced at her, then asked, “I have not heard of any lineage of martial artists near Southern Sky City skilled in insect refining. Where is your sect?”
“Hundred Caves Witch Sect”
——
Yunlan County, outside Yunlang Mountain.
Yang Kun held the Ram Horn Sword and arrived outside the mountain stronghold with the Six-Winged Blood Centipede.
In the mountain stronghold, houses were stacked neatly in rows, uniform and orderly. Martial artists patrolled back and forth, while medicine farmers and servants had already returned to their rooms to rest.
This was one of Da Chuan Pill Workshop’s medicine mountains. Ordinary medicines were all transported from this medicine mountain.
Yang Kun looked at the defensive situation, his gaze lowering slightly. He said coldly, “Since they blocked Lord’s path, I am sorry, but they must go.”
He opened the beast taming bag at his waist and released over a thousand blood bees.
With a thought, the blood bees blended into the darkness under cover of night and flew to assault the patrolling martial artist guards.
In the past, these five people could only slightly influence these blood bees and could not control them to do anything specific. They could only use them to devour feral beast flesh and blood to refine essence blood.
But now, with the evolution of the blood marrow worm, they also gained control ability.
In the night, killing intent was revealed. Those guards resting in the rooms let out muffled groans as blood bees drilled into their mouths.
Before they could cry out, spikes pierced their throats and simultaneously burrowed into their brain marrow.
Those sent here were mostly Bone Forging Realm or Blood Moving Realm martial artists. Even Spirit Nurturing Realm ones were relatively rare.
Although the blood bees were not strong, in this environment, they were like tigers with added wings.
One martial artist after another was assassinated. When it came to the main room, three to five blood bees buzzed to the side of the man on the bed.
As soon as they approached, before the spikes could pierce.
Wen Yunshan suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed the short knife by his pillow, and slashed over, instantly severing the blood bees.
“Where did these vicious insects come from?”
He furrowed his brows. Suddenly, his ears twitched, and he heard faint sounds. His expression changed abruptly: “Everyone up, we are under attack!”
His roar resounded throughout the entire mountain stronghold.
The remaining guards woke in alarm one after another. They discovered the sneaking blood bees. Some struck to kill the blood bees, while others hurriedly fled their rooms, fearing further sneak attacks.
Yang Kun heard the commotion. His figure moved, and he ascended to the stronghold’s wall.
Buzz buzz buzz
The blood bees were summoned back by him. Over a thousand blood bees remained only six or seven hundred, gathered into a cluster.
“Who is it!”
The guards discovered his tracks. He sneered, and the Insect Mist Ghost Sheep true intent emerged behind him. His figure merged with it, and he slashed out with a sword, cutting an entire team of guards in half at the waist.
“True… True Intent?!”
The leading Spirit Nurturing Realm martial artist only managed to shout these words before his body split into two halves.
Yang Kun was like a cold killer. He leaped down from the stronghold wall. The blood bees sought out enemies and disturbed them, then he slew with one sword.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had already killed no fewer than twenty martial artists.
Wen Yunshan hurriedly arrived, raising his knife to slash at Yang Kun. With a clang of collision, sparks flew, barely blocking one strike.
“Who are you, daring to attack Da Chuan Pill Workshop’s industry.”
“True Intent martial artist? Must kill.”
Yang Kun’s figure moved like a ghost. The insect mist ghost sheep turned into a mass of mist, and the ghost ram saber slashed out.
Wen Yunshan was about to block when the blood bees swarmed in front of him in a group.
He was half a beat slow. With a squelch, the saber light severed the head, killing him instantly.
The remaining martial artists could no longer resist, and the medicine farmers and servants fled in panic.
Yang Kun set a large fire to burn the mountain stronghold, looted the storeroom’s medicinal herbs with his storage ring, and departed swaggeringly, heading straight to the next medicine mountain.
At the same time, Ding Meng and Wang Cang used similar methods. Either borrowing the Flame Armored Scorpion’s demonic fire or the Shadow Horn Spider’s shadow silk ghostly, they destroyed all the downstream industries of Da Chuan Pill Workshop and Tian Yuan Pill Workshop one by one.
Overnight, these two pill workshops were ablaze with war everywhere.
Meanwhile, Su Yan had arrived with Nangong Hong Yue in the private room of Red Moon Pill Workshop.
The private room was still the same private room, the tranquility still the same tranquility, but the current situation had reversed.
Su Yan was in charge, with Nangong Hong Yue standing to the side, her gaze lowered.
There were four items on the table.
Seven Flower Opening Aperture Pill, Five Insects Heart Casting Gu, Gu Pill Manual, and pill prescription.
“Five Insects Heart Casting Gu, what a third-order high-grade gu refining technique. The five insects compensate for the foundation and recast the heart. With each additional insect, the bone structure becomes deeper through refining essence blood, increasing the chance of breaking through to Dan Qiao.”
Su Yan raised his gaze to Nangong Hong Yue and said, “You want me to help you take revenge?”
“Yes.”
Nangong Hong Yue did not evade the question. Her eyes were full of determination: “If Master can avenge Red Moon, this life of Red Moon’s belongs to Master. I can do anything.”
The blood marrow worm could control Nangong Hong Yue’s life and death, but it did not control thoughts. The degree of obedience depended on Nangong Hong Yue’s attitude.
Both of them knew this.
A loyal Nangong Hong Yue and a duplicitous Nangong Hong Yue were worlds apart.
“Silkworm Cave is one of the major branches of Hundred Caves Witch Sect. The current Cave Master Wu Tianxing is known as unparalleled in martial arts and gu, with cultivation at least at Dan Qiao Realm Triple Heaven. Do you think I have the ability?”
Su Yan did not agree and instead asked Nangong Hong Yue.
“Although the Five Poisons Heart Casting Gu is only third-order high-grade, its true limit is not in the heart method but in the gu worm. The Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust’s bloodline is not inferior to ordinary fourth-order feral beasts.”
She had personally seen the Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust’s overwhelming malevolent energy, and there was even a servant insect like the blood marrow worm in its body.
From personal experience, she vaguely felt that the Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust’s bloodline was even stronger than the fourth-order feral beasts she had heard of.
With such an exotic insect as the foundation for heart casting, plus Su Yan’s profound hardening cultivation technique, which surely had excellent inheritance, he was unfathomable.
Such a person had the chance to help her take revenge.
Or rather, this was her only chance for revenge.
Su Yan lightly tapped the table, pondering in his heart.
‘This woman has used a straightforward scheme. Five Insects Heart Casting Gu is a secret technique of Hundred Caves Witch Sect. Cultivating it will surely create enmity, and conflicts are inevitable in the future. However, she does not know my background. Are there few grudges between Beast King Sect and Hundred Caves Witch Sect?’
Su Yan smiled, then said, “I will cultivate this gu, but if you want revenge, you need to prove your value.”
To make him face off against a Dan Qiao Realm Triple Heaven martial artist, these things alone were not enough.
Nangong Hong Yue’s gaze shifted slightly. She calmed her mind. She had not expected Su Yan to agree directly.
As long as there was a deal, she had hope.
“I will.”
Nangong Hong Yue thought for a moment, then said, “I will continue operating Red Moon Pill Workshop. All proceeds from the operation will go to you. Cultivating gu worms and contracted beasts requires vast resources. Having a pill workshop as backing can alleviate much of your pressure.”
“Continue.”
“The workshop masters of Tian Yuan Pill Workshop and Da Chuan Pill Workshop are all at Fourth Realm perfection or possibly half-step Dan Qiao martial artists. They surely have follow-up measures. If I go all out, I can hold one back and assist you in ambushing and killing one. However, it would be best to make another breakthrough in cultivation first to ensure success.”
Su Yan slightly raised his gaze and said, “And?”
Nangong Hong Yue was stunned. After a moment of silence, she said, “If you are not afraid, allow me to refine the blood marrow worm as the fifth insect for heart casting. I can advance further, at least to half-step Dan Qiao. In no more than three years, I can enter Dan Qiao. At that time, Red Moon Pill Workshop can become Southern Sky City’s ninth major power.”
Her gaze was intense as she looked at Su Yan.
In three years, a Dan Qiao martial artist—whether Su Yan dared to let her continue cultivating tested his courage.
“If you want to cast heart, I permit you to use the blood marrow worm for heart casting. Perhaps you can try the essence blood nurturing secret technique in the Five Insects Heart Casting Gu.”
Su Yan’s gaze flickered slightly as he recalled the secret technique Nangong Hong Yue had mentioned earlier.
“What?!”
Nangong Hong Yue thought she had misheard. When she looked at Su Yan, she saw a confident smile on his face.
She thought the blood marrow worm was controlled by witchcraft and secret techniques, unaware that behind the bloodline control of the blood marrow worm and Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust was the Fierce Insect Cauldron’s control.
And he himself possessed the second trait—Insect Consciousness Seed.
As long as the blood marrow worm did not die, he could descend upon it and control the blood marrow worm as if it were his own body.
In other words, the more closely the blood marrow worm fused with Nangong Hong Yue, the stronger his control.
“I will watch by your side as you refine it, to prevent the blood marrow worm from backlash.”
Nangong Hong Yue was silent for a long time before finally saying, “Thank you.”
The essence blood nurturing secret technique was not simple to perform and required many medicinal herbs as aid. In the past, it was always performed in a gu altar, implanting into the insect body for nurturing.
Now, it had to be nurtured into a mini Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust within her body. The difficulty was imaginable.
Nangong Hong Yue could not come up with a method for the time being and needed to carefully explore.
Su Yan was not in a hurry. He stayed at Red Moon Pill Workshop, studying the other items handed over by Nangong Hong Yue.
He glanced at martial skills like Five Poisons Palm but did not cultivate them carefully. Instead, he looked more at the Gu Pill Manual.
【Five Elements Alchemy Technique251/400（Great Accomplishment）】
Although his Five Elements Alchemy Technique had not been honed by a large amount of dedicated pill refining, accompanying his multiple refinements of Return Intent Yuan Pill, Beast Essence Pill, Blood Essence Condensing Pill, and Dragon Tiger Golden Pill for cultivation, the proficiency had continuously increased and had now reached great accomplishment.
It would not be long before it reached transformation realm. He needed to study new alchemy skills to improve his alchemy techniques.
“Gu Pill Manual focuses on pill refining with gu worms, poisonous creatures, and essence blood. In terms of beast-type pill sealing, it has several points of finesse compared to Five Elements Alchemy Technique.”
Su Yan carefully comprehended and discovered the differences between the two.
Although the tiers were similar, Five Elements Alchemy Technique excelled in versatility like a panacea, capable of pill sealing and pill nourishing for any pill, making it a widely applicable alchemy skill.
But Gu Pill Manual was somewhat more specialized, with better pill refining effects for beast blood, gu worm, and similar pills.
“The servant insects under Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust refine large amounts of essence blood. Among the pills given by Nangong Hong Yue, first-order Blood Yuan Pill, Blood Bone Pill, second-order Five Worm Pill, Blood Essence Condensing Pill, Insect Bone Tendon Refining Pill, third-order Aperture Condensing Insect Yuan Pill are all refined with insects and blood. This Gu Pill Manual provides considerable boost to my alchemy skill. Might as well cultivate it together.”
Having made the decision, Su Yan directly began to comprehend.
Using Blood Yuan Pill and Blood Bone Pill for practice, he spent a day and night and, borrowing the analogy of Five Elements Alchemy Technique, managed to enter beginner level.
【Gu Pill Manual1/100（Beginner】
Nangong Hong Yue pointed out from the side. From initially thinking it unlikely, to seeing Su Yan successfully refine a perfect-grade Blood Yuan Pill with Gu Pill Manual sealing at dusk, she fell slightly silent.
When she had learned this Gu Pill Manual from her mother Nangong Ying back then, it had taken her over half a month of practice.
Even if Su Yan already knew alchemy, this speed far exceeded ordinary people.
Comparing people is truly infuriating.
“Workshop Master, the people from Tian Yuan Pill Workshop and Da Chuan Pill Workshop have gone mad. They have gathered large numbers of men and are entering and exiting outside the city to capture people from Sacred Insect Merchant Guild!”
