Chapter 279: News From Wuyi City
Long Qiushui heard Su Yan’s words and revealed a surprised expression: “With your aptitude, breaking through to Eighth Turn is not difficult, but if you don’t break through to Nine Revolutions in one go, the difficulty will increase considerably.”
“Poison Dragon Valley will surely be a dragon-tiger battle this time. If we don’t break through, it will be hard for us to oppose Starry Sky Martial Artists. Better safe than sorry.”
Accompanying the Molten Mountain Giant Scorpion’s breakthrough, the Insect Yuan feedback strengthened once again, and with the Shadow Horn Spider and Rock Demon Ant Queen’s continuous devouring and growth, they were gradually approaching Metamorphosis Stage.
The stronger the Fierce Insects, the more Insect Yuan fed back.
With the three traits—Insect Bone Armor Body, Insect Consciousness Seed, and Bloodline Gift—all continuously improving, his bone structure foundation was metamorphosing every day.
In this state, Nine Revolutions wouldn’t actually be too difficult.
Moreover, as long as all the Fierce Insects were pushed to metamorphose, his strength would truly be powerful then.
Long Qiushui deeply glanced at her disciple, then took out a Blood Jade Lotus from her Storage Ring and said, “Better safe than sorry. If Poison Dragon Valley doesn’t work out, I’ll seek out your grandmaster for a method.”
……
In the room, Su Yan put away the spirit herbs Long Qiushui gave him.
【Fourth-order Insect Master: 12023/100000】
【Core Opening Realm First Heaven 399/400 (Great Accomplishment）】
【Traits: Insect Bone Armor Body, Insect Consciousness Seed, Bloodline Gift】
【Insect Realm Space: 100000 cubic meters】
……
【Blood Bone Centipede King: 56/100（Nascent Stage）】
【Molten Mountain Giant Scorpion: 1/100（Nascent Stage）】
【Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust: 3/4 Metamorphosis Stage】
【Shadow Horn Spider:390/400（Mature Stage）】
【Troop Devouring Ghost Moth:122/400(Mature Stage）】
【Rock Demon Ant Queen:34/400（Mature Stage）】
【Dragon-Eating Worm:42/200（Growth Stage）】
“A mature Shadow Horn Spider is only comparable to a Third-order Feral Beast. Its lineage ultimately comes from the Hundred Touch Shadow Spider. But after metamorphosis, it should be able to contend with Core Opening Realm Second Heaven or Third Heaven.”
Su Yan pondered. Among the seven Fierce Insects, due to differences in lineage bloodline, the degree of metamorphosis varied, and their strengths were uneven.
The Molten Mountain Giant Scorpion was currently the strongest, with the Giant Spirit Nascent Form trait, capable of fighting several Triple Heaven Martial Artists alone, depending on their strength.
If fully unleashed, it might even hold off a Starry Sky Martial Artist for a moment.
Next were the Blood Bone Centipede King, Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust, Troop Devouring Ghost Moth, Rock Demon Ant Queen, and Dragon-Eating Worm, all at martial artist levels between Second Heaven and Third Heaven.
The Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust was the strongest, already on the verge of metamorphosis. Once it metamorphosed, it would at least be able to match a Starry Sky Martial Artist. If it grew to Mature Stage after metamorphosis, it might have the combat power of a Fourth-order Calamity Beast, equivalent to a Dharma Aspect Realm True Person.
“Molten Mountain Giant Scorpion as shield, the remaining Fierce Insects as attack—even Starry Sky Martial Artists might not be unbeatable, but it’s still not secure enough.”
With Sacred Insect Dao’s forces spreading out, the difficulty of collecting resources for him would gradually decrease. Especially with subordinates who received the Bloodline Gift, plus Nangong Hong Yue and Bai Yun’s help, the core forces of the entire faction were already stable.
In this situation, development was inevitable, and it would form extremely rapid mutual supplementation.
“First break through to Eighth Turn. Once in Wuyi City, start pushing the Shadow Horn Spider to metamorphose. Also, the Stone Demon tribe’s Soul Spirit True Silkworm needs to be seized somehow.”
While sorting out his current strength, Su Yan took out the Dragon Scale Body Strengthening Pills—five bottles left in total, amounting to forty or fifty pills.
From the original 88 refined, now forty or fifty remained. Excluding those given to Nangong Hong Yue, he had never missed a day of cultivation.
Among these forty or fifty, the Super Grade quality ones occupied the majority.
Su Yan closed his eyes tightly, sat cross-legged, and circulated True Essence. In the spacious hall, the seven Fierce Insects shrank their bodies and circled around him.
On each Fierce Insect’s body, Hundred Poisons Gu Seals emerged, with each having over one or two hundred seals.
With the Hundred Poisons Gu Seals as the trigger and the intrinsic connection of the Fierce Insect Cauldron, the two complemented each other. The Fierce Insect power Su Yan could mobilize was far superior to other Beast Contract Method cultivators in Beast King Sect.
Su Yan swallowed the pills, circulating True Essence around his body, driving his Qi and Blood. His bloodline surged like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, surging through his meridians and converging at his central Dantian.
True Essence condensed, Qi and Blood formed a core. Soon, a Golden Core nascent form slowly appeared…
Centered on Su Yan, frenzied Spiritual Energy surges began to appear, like a vortex continuously sweeping up all the Spiritual Energy of Cold Shadow Peak.
Intense fluctuations expanded from the hall to the City Lord’s Mansion and continued spreading. From True Intent Realm and above, everyone sensed this strange Spiritual Energy tide.
Outside Su Yan’s small courtyard in the City Lord’s Mansion, Long Qiushui, Xiang Ge, and Yuan Hong stood at the gate.
“Such fluctuations right at the start—more exaggerated than mine.”
Xiang Ge was full of astonishment. Back then, he had condensed two cores simultaneously, creating a momentum that alarmed other peaks.
But Su Yan was clearly only forming the second one, and just the first revolution of the Qi and Blood Golden Core at that.
“The stronger the physical body and meridians, the stronger the breakthrough. I’ve seen him act several times—Subduing Tiger Ming King True Intent is unparalleled in divine might, Golden Body like a god. It’s probably at least Great Accomplishment.”
Yuan Hong sighed, but his gaze flicked toward Xiang Ge.
Xiang Ge looked displeased: “Fatty, who’s yin-yang at whom? It’s just Subduing Tiger Ming King Golden Body. Once my Blood Tiger True Body reaches Great Accomplishment, I’ll use contribution value to enter Tiger Fiend Temple.”
“Dead duck mouthing off.”
Long Qiushui’s voice came faintly. Even entering Tiger Fiend Temple, who knew when he’d learn the cultivation technique, let alone reach Great Accomplishment.
Concern grew in her eyes, then she said, “Xiang Ge, direct the spiritual vein to converge on the City Lord’s Mansion. Remember to notify the Mountain Guard, or they’ll go on alert.”
Xiang Ge then reacted. He had already taken over control of Cold Shadow Peak. He immediately took out a token from his body and cast incantations:
“Gather!”
At that moment, Spiritual Energy gathered, with all of Cold Shadow Peak’s Spiritual Energy flowing like clouds toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
Everyone in the city looked sideways. Some True Intent Realm Martial Artists saw the Spiritual Energy gathering and immediately realized what was happening.
“I don’t know which lord is breaking through—such strong aura.”
“Stop sighing and cultivate. This Spiritual Energy gathering is a rare chance. Cultivate properly and you can save a Second-order Pill…”
Mountain Guard disciples received orders and were maintaining order on the streets to prevent greater unrest.
Some impoverished True Intent Realm Martial Artists were already finding spots to leech off the gathered Spiritual Energy.
Although the vast majority was swept up by Su Yan like a whale swallowing water, the remnants were still more than usual.
After a full day and night like this, the Spiritual Energy surged several times. Finally, it reached the end, with energy like cloud tides, surging like a vortex.
In the City Lord’s Mansion, Su Yan’s expression was calm. The Dragon Scale Body Strengthening Pills before him were all consumed, and streams of Demonic Essence from the Fierce Insects around him turned into True Essence surging into his body.
Inside his body, the Qi and Blood Golden Core was vermilion like blood jade, rotating ceaselessly, with seven dark golden Dan Patterns on it, containing exceptionally dense Qi and Blood power, like a hidden ocean.
Su Yan controlled the Qi and Blood to condense again, forcibly collapsing the Golden Core once more. The surging Qi and Blood stabilized the Qi and Blood Golden Core’s form, continuously filling it. After a long time, Core Formation finally succeeded, with eight Dan Patterns prominently forming on it.
Su Yan opened his eyes, Divine Light flashing past. His cultivation steadily landed at Second Heaven realm, but the True Essence and Qi and Blood strength in his body surpassed even Third Heaven.
As soon as he sensed his body state, with the Qi and Blood Golden Core formed, the Qi and Blood power drove the several Hardening Cultivation Techniques he cultivated: Subduing Tiger Ming King Golden Body, Five Poisons Body Forging Scripture, Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique, and Heavenly Python Dharma Body…
His physical body strength had also increased significantly during the breakthrough.
“Might as well condense the Minor Star Apertures all at once.”
One push while momentum is high, then decline, then exhaustion. His current state was perfect, and he had remaining Seed Aperture Pills.
He simply took out thirty-six Seed Aperture Pills and swallowed them one by one.
Excruciating pain from tearing the body continuously came, but Su Yan didn’t even furrow his brows once, merely with veins slightly bulging on his forehead as he endured the pain.
Each Minor Star Aperture condensation was equivalent to twisting one’s own meridians, forcibly opening a node to gather True Essence.
The reshaping process was naturally extremely painful, and the more apertures opened, the more one had to consider and balance the stability of other Star Apertures in the body. “Careful” was insufficient to describe the entire process.
Even though Su Yan was experienced, he still suffered considerably this time.
The thirty-six Star Apertures condensed with the Qi and Blood Golden Core as the core, echoing the thirty-six Star Apertures of the True Essence Golden Core, perfectly forming the number of Earth Fiends.
Vast True Essence gathered in his body, and his aura surged several times stronger.
Su Yan stood up, storing all the Fierce Insects into the Insect Realm Space, and restrained his aura.
“Time to go to Wuyi City.”
——
“The one who released the news was a Qing Family retainer, who has already left Wuyi City and fled to Wanmu City. But these past two days, the scattered Blood Bees detected their movements—they’re in Yunli Black Market.”
In the room, sandalwood incense wafted like mist. Nangong Hong Yue and Bai Yun sat facing each other.
“Just him alone?”
“A team from the Qing Family is there too, highest at Half-step Dan Qiao. The martial artist named Guo Han Peng is the deputy. They’re procuring materials in the Black Market, probably plotting something.”
“Have your people already tailed them?”
“Naturally,” Nangong Hong Yue said. “Wind Thunder Insect is so important to Lord. Other Sacred Insect Dao matters can stop, but not this. A Core Opening Realm Martial Artist is already watching. When does Miss Bai want to act?”
Core Opening Realm Martial Artist…
Bai Yun knew Sacred Insect Dao rose rapidly from the Merchant Guild and Red Moon Pill Workshop, but she never imagined it controlled more than one Core Opening Realm Martial Artist.
“You’ve worked hard.” Bai Yun decided promptly: “We’ll set out immediately. Act once they’re out of the Black Market. Nangong, you’re skilled in pill refining—prepare some soul-bewitching drugs to force out the Wind Thunder Insect details. Also, have a team disguise as Righteous Path sect, leaving traces of assault and massacre to delay the Qing Family noticing something wrong.”
“Miss Bai is too polite. Lord’s matters come first—it’s what we should do. Without Miss Bai’s clues, we wouldn’t even know of this person.”
Nangong Hong Yue smiled faintly. Though at Core Opening Realm, she didn’t look down on Bai Yun, treating her as a peer, even with a hint of currying favor.
“Miss Bai, just call me Hong Yue.”
Bai Yun slightly raised her gaze, stunned briefly, and said, “Don’t you also call me Miss Bai?”
The two exchanged glances and laughed.
“We’ll set out immediately.”
The two each donned gray robes, concealing their figures, and directly left Wuyi City’s City Gate.
After leaving the city, they activated Fierce Insect body state under their robes, generating Insect Armor into cold masks.
Nangong Hong Yue’s was dark red, patterns from Insect Armor splicing like eerie, bewitching flowers.
Bai Yun’s was purely black, lines sharp, like a cold iron mask.
“Follow me.”
Nangong Hong Yue directly led Bai Yun to a secluded spot, heading straight for Yunli Black Market.
The so-called Yunli Black Market was in a mountain valley outside the Qianyun Mountain Range.
The valley was originally a mountain villager settlement, but massacred clean by Demonic Path. Righteous Path attacked, driving out the Demonic Path forces.
Over months of back-and-forth, the place was left as an empty Mountain Stronghold.
With the unending great war between Wuyi City and Wanmu City, whether Demonic Path or Righteous Path martial artists had accumulated items hard to sell openly.
Gradually, trading began here, forming an unregulated Black Market.
Those coming here were either weak but resourceful ‘proxies’ with connections, or strong martial artists themselves.
The two moved extremely fast, arriving via a secluded spot at an unnamed lone peak by the valley.
“Fellow Daoist Nangong, Miss Bai.”
As they landed on the mountain, Yuan Ye appeared, nodding slightly in greeting.
Though a Second Heaven Martial Artist who received Shadow Horn Spider Bloodline Gift, he knew his own status clearly.
He was a captive-turned-employee, not on the same level as these two.
Not far from him, a team of fully black-clad, face-masked martial artists—over twenty or thirty, all True Intent Realm Martial Artists. One approached: Wang Cang at Spirit Merging Stage peak.
Yuan Ye said, “The Qing Family squad leader is same generation as Qing Yun Kang and Qing Yunheng, Half-step Dan Qiao strength. The remaining squad has about forty people, scattered buying array materials. Several bought Third-order Rock Ant Black Crystals from our Sacred Insect Dao subordinates.”
Though Sacred Insect Dao mainly supplied Righteous Path, such high markups naturally brought gray income.
“Where are they?”
“Packed up and dispersed from Yunli Black Market, heading to converge at Little Yun Valley. Seems they’re going to Thousand Cloud Ridge, not Wanmu City.”
Yuan Ye said, “Blood Bees have trailed them all the way, fully marked.”
Blood Bees had limited vitality, dying within days or over ten after hatching.
Sacred Insect Dao spared no cost to monitor their movements.
“How?”
Nangong Hong Yue looked to Bai Yun. Bai Yun said, “Strike at Little Yun Valley. I’ll handle Qing Yun Kang. Hong Yue, capture Guo Han Peng for sure. Fellow Daoist Yuan, guard against signaling or backups—thoughts?”
“Fine.”
With the plan set, they immediately led the team to follow, tracking. The Qing Family squad went deeper into remote areas, finally converging in Little Yun Valley.
Tree shadows swayed, wild grass overgrown. Though named with “valley,” Little Yun Valley had seen no mountain villagers for months, long barren.
Qing Yun Kang amid the crowd swept his gaze over the Qing Family team: “All here. Be careful, follow me into Thousand Cloud Ridge.”
As his voice fell, buzzing suddenly filled the air. Blood Bees swarmed from everywhere, instantly engulfing them.
“Enemies!”
