Chapter 87: Second-order Insect Master
Vests are the kind of thing where more is better.
Moreover, since his Huang family’s people can impersonate Zhang Mazi, why can’t this impersonator include one more Su Yan?
In Yun Cang Town, plenty of people are borrowing Pang Tianfeng’s uprising.
Just look at how Pang Tianfeng is penniless now, with everyone hiding in the desolate mountains.
So who is that ‘Poison Bandit Pang Tianfeng’ plundering outside?
In any case, this vest is temporarily more useful than Feng Ruohan.
Su Yan gave the order, and the three insect tamers immediately sprang into action.
The Jade Beetle pounced onto the Mountain Traversing Saber, its mouthparts opening wide, swallowing the Mountain Traversing Saber clean in one bite—the surface of which had already been corroded by poisonous mist.
The Mountain Traversing Saber is also a first-order high-grade weapon, its hardness goes without saying.
But in the Jade Beetle’s mouth, these hard metals and minerals are instead delectable food.
In just a short while, it was swallowed clean by the Jade Beetle.
Su Yan didn’t spare Pang Tianfeng’s corpse either; the Red Armored Mad Scorpion clamped it with its claws and devoured it clean in large bites, leaving not a single trace.
From this point on, there is no more Pang Tianfeng.
Su Yan changed direction, heading straight for Golden Ape Mountain via another road.
A lesson learned makes one wiser; although he didn’t plan to stay long at Golden Ape Mountain.
But since they wanted him to come, he still needed to report in, so as not to end up like last time.
Moreover, the Horned Boar he caught was still being kept for him by Dian Jing, so he needed to retrieve it.
Although its strength wasn’t great, it could still haul things.
Hurrying along, he arrived at Golden Ape Mountain by dawn.
At this time, Golden Ape Village had entered a state of war preparedness, with large numbers of inner disciples in the village, each preparing their weapons and inner armor.
The martial arts school distributed healing and antidote pills, and there were weapons too, but for martial artists, self-prepared items were still more reliable.
Moreover, one’s own things were more comfortable to use.
Once Miasma Valley opens, disciples qualified to enter could find good things like spirit herbs inside.
According to the rules, the harvested spirit herbs were tallied by total count, but unlike usual, after counting, they were split fifty-fifty between the individual and Golden Ape Martial Arts School.
Don’t think this split ratio is high; one must know that the entry slots to the valley belong to Golden Ape Martial Arts School as well.
Therefore, to grab more things, more preparation was naturally needed.
Golden Ape Village, Upper Stockade.
Li Chuan blew his beard and glared: “You still want to go out?”
Su Yan nodded: “I feel like I’m about to break through, need to engage in a bit more combat for a day or two.”
“Can’t I have Gao Zheng spar with you in the village?”
Gao Zheng was at Great Accomplishment in Blood Moving Realm, just a hair away from Spirit Nurturing Realm.
But if he really fought Su Yan, he’d probably get his brains beaten out.
Even without using insect tamers, Su Yan had three body refining techniques—Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique, Golden Ape Jade Body Skill, Tiger Body Bone Forging Technique—all at the level of Minor Accomplishment nearing Great Accomplishment.
Especially the Golden Ape Jade Body Skill, which had already reached the second layer Iron Bone, in the Great Accomplishment category.
Going further up would be like ordinary Jin Yuan martial artists, Great Accomplishment perfection, cultivating the third layer Jade Body of the technique.
And Su Yan was charging straight toward Transformation Realm.
With such a foundation, what head would Gao Zheng bring to bash?
He had at most Golden Ape Jade Body Skill and Tiger Body Bone Forging Technique, and had been stuck for a long time.
Su Yan just shook his head, and Li Chuan knew persuasion was futile.
Grumpily: “Go then, go on, don’t miss the time.”
Leaving Golden Ape Village, the Horned Boar was brought out as well, heading to that desolate mountain cave.
Su Yan hadn’t left many things here, and no one had discovered the place.
Tying the Horned Boar here, Su Yan then headed straight for Yellow Stone Peak.
After traveling about twenty li in the mountains, he saw the strangely rugged Yellow Stone Peak, with its slightly yellow mountain rocks.
Yellow Stone Peak’s surrounding trees weren’t as dense as those of other mountain peaks; its shape was slender and perilous, like a sword thrust among the various mountains.
Also because of this shape, the forests weren’t lush, and there weren’t many feral beasts here; ordinary martial artists wouldn’t come to this place.
Su Yan identified the direction and began searching according to the location Jiang Ming had told him.
Including the White Bone Poison Centipede and Red Armored Mad Scorpion, which he also released to carefully scout the position of that stone gorge.
About half an hour later, after several searches, he finally found the stone gorge beside an unremarkable mountain wall, as Jiang Ming had described.
“This guy even deliberately transplanted vines over, no wonder it’s so hidden.”
The stone gorge was obscured by many vines; looking from above, it would naturally be clearer.
But passing by from the side, it wouldn’t be so easy to discover.
Jiang Ming had treated this place as his exclusive business, but he overestimated his strength and was treated as prey by those blood larva.
Su Yan swung his saber to chop, severing the vines and revealing the true appearance of the stone gorge.
Amid the wind-eroded yellow rocks, it was like a tear, exposing a fissure.
Just wide enough for two people to enter side by side, twisting inside, impossible to see the end at a glance.
Su Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and looked up at the sky: “Still some time, let’s test it first.”
The White Bone Poison Centipede crawled over with a rustle; it had caught a gray rabbit from the shrubs.
It hadn’t used poison; the rabbit now had only a broken leg but was still lively, just trembling and not daring to struggle.
Su Yan grabbed it, bound it further with vines, and entered the stone gorge holding the rabbit.
After two turns and a hundred steps, it suddenly opened up, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance ahead, with cool wind whistling out, occasionally howling like ghost cries.
He tossed the rabbit in front of the cave, then climbed to the nearby stone wall and hid.
The rabbit’s leg had been bitten off by the White Bone Poison Centipede, and blood was now slowly flowing out, the scent of blood beginning to spread.
Su Yan was very patient, already prepared to wait a long time.
But as soon as the bloody scent spread, strange noises immediately came from the pitch-black cave.
A buzzing sound, yet sharper and finer; several red figures emerged from the cave and pounced on the gray rabbit.
The gray rabbit struggled desperately, but bound by vines, it couldn’t escape at all.
One by one, the red bugs hooked onto its body.
A pair of insect wings, six hook-like insect claws, entirely crimson with ring-shaped patterns; they looked like soft-bodied wasps, their bodies swelling as they sucked blood with sharp proboscises.
Su Yan was astonished in his heart, watching these blood larva continuously suck blood; soon the gray rabbit stopped moving, its blood drained dry.
Each blood larva had a round belly, swollen more than twice over.
If it were before, Jiang Ming would net them at this point, capturing the dozen or so blood larva.
Wait for them to temper and absorb the beast blood, then die, and roast them dry to grind into powder.
‘Red Armored Mad Scorpion’
Su Yan controlled the Red Armored Mad Scorpion to appear, pouncing toward these dozen-plus blood larva.
The blood larva suddenly spotted the intruder, their ferocity aroused, and they flew straight at it, launching attacks.
However, their attacks hit the Red Armored Mad Scorpion like striking an iron plate, unable to cause the slightest harm.
The Red Armored Mad Scorpion just swept horizontally, its claws already knocking the blood larva down.
‘Feasible.’
Seeing the Red Armored Mad Scorpion’s carapace ignore the blood larva’s attacks, Su Yan’s eyes lit up.
Since the blood larva’s attacks were negligible, the Red Armored Mad Scorpion was completely unafraid of being swarmed and could make even bigger commotion.
Soon, with the Red Armored Mad Scorpion’s movements, buzzing sounds came from the cave, much louder than before.
Hundreds of blood larva rushed out, surrounding the Red Armored Mad Scorpion.
Thumb-sized blood larva continuously attacked, trying to break through the Red Armored Mad Scorpion’s defenses at weak points.
But their clumsy intelligence clearly failed.
As an insect beast, the Red Armored Mad Scorpion differed from ordinary feral beasts; its entire body of flesh and blood was under hard carapace—where were there any weak points?
Even its eyes were covered by a layer of chitin, impervious to ordinary attacks, and shielded by sweeping claws.
In just half a quarter-hour, these hundreds of blood larva littered the ground, all beaten to death by the Red Armored Mad Scorpion.
‘Among the blood larva, there seem to be some stronger individuals with darker patterns, seemingly harder too.’
Su Yan observed secretly, then with a thought, made the Red Armored Mad Scorpion spit poisonous mist, instantly burning most of the blood larva clean.
At this moment, the Red Armored Mad Scorpion pretended to be gravely injured and began retreating.
“Whoosh”
Right then, a red shadow suddenly darted from the cave, extremely fast like a streak of red lightning.
It charged straight to the Red Armored Mad Scorpion’s head, its sharp proboscis and hook claw aimed at the eyes.
‘What a huge insect beast.’
This Blood Locust was calf-sized, with claws like curved hooks, ugly like a locust evil ghost; its tail had a hook like a knife or sword, now assaulting together with the sharp proboscis, stabbing like splitting heaven and earth.
The claws blocked, clanging resounded; the carapace held for a moment but was pierced through.
The proboscis withdrew, attacking again, faster and fiercer; its eight insect claws locked like hooks, sealing the Red Armored Mad Scorpion’s claws.
But at this moment, white Jade Armor emerged; the Jade Beetle crawled out from under the Red Armored Mad Scorpion’s abdomen, fully unleashing its ability.
Seeing the Jade Beetle, the Blood Locust abruptly tried to release its claws and flee back into its cave.
It had already sensed this was a trap.
However, this perception came too late.
The White Bone Poison Centipede pounced from the stone wall, knocking the Blood Locust to the ground; now it had lost its aerial advantage.
Trying to rise, it found the Red Armored Mad Scorpion already there, assisting the White Bone Poison Centipede to pin it down.
In a one-on-one normally, this Blood Locust was a step stronger than the White Bone Poison Centipede and Red Armored Mad Scorpion.
But in this situation, forget one Blood Locust—even two might not break the deadlock.
The remaining hundred-plus blood larva buzzed, pouncing over like a red cloud.
The Blood Locust wanted to fight desperately, seeking a chance to break free.
Seeing this, Su Yan’s mouth curved, and he already controlled the Red Armored Mad Scorpion to spit rolling poisonous mist.
The poisonous mist like flames enveloped the entire battlefield, not only sweeping up the blood larva and poisoning them all to death, but also corroding the Blood Locust until it could barely struggle.
Its carapace became pitted, its flesh and blood eroded by toxin.
The White Bone Poison Centipede bit down, injecting poison, making the Blood Locust struggle even more frantically.
Insect beasts had high poison resistance; this kind that devoured beast blood and refined blood naturally had ways to counter toxins.
However, no matter the ability, it couldn’t escape the continuously injected poison.
Soon the Blood Locust’s power weakened, its struggles suppressed.
Su Yan seized the moment and jumped to the Blood Locust’s side.
The Blood Locust suddenly thrashed, its tail hook slashing toward Su Yan.
But unexpectedly, Su Yan was a step faster, grabbing that tail hook.
Buzz
The Fierce Insect Cauldron shook violently, invisible pressure spreading out.
Instantly, the Blood Locust went limp like a frostbitten eggplant.
Already suppressed, it was even more powerless to resist.
【Blood Locust】
【Feeds on blood, hatches myriad blood bugs, can refine Blood Crystals, can control bug swarms】
【Can be refined】
The Fierce Insect Cauldron’s feral beast essence blood had accumulated for a long time; with the refining opportunity right before him, how could Su Yan hesitate?
Refine
As refining began, a white light surged from the Fierce Insect Cauldron, merging into the Blood Locust’s body.
Refining proceeded continuously; soon the Blood Locust was subdued by the Fierce Insect Cauldron, fully refined successfully.
Su Yan could feel a connection forming between him and the Blood Locust.
Buzz buzz
The Blood Locust’s feedback power surged into the Fierce Insect Cauldron, which now trembled continuously.
The fierce insect patterns on the cauldron—competing to devour heaven and earth—lit up one by one, fully ferocious, wandering restlessly.
Just briefly alive for an instant, Su Yan could feel that ancient, vast, ruthless aura.
Vast heavens, empty of all, heavens and earth broad, only deathly silence remained.
In that instant, he seemed to see a colossal figure in the eternal universe, slashing across the edges of myriad stars.
The vision vanished, and the scene before him had changed.
【Second-order Insect Master 1/1000】
【Trait: Insect Bone Armor Body】
【Insect Realm: 100 cubic meters】
【Blood Locust 13/200（Growth Stage）】
The changes upon entering second-order Insect Master were far more intense than Su Yan had anticipated.
One by one, the fierce insect patterns on the Fierce Insect Cauldron lit up, gathering into streams of red light that merged into Su Yan’s body.
Instantly, cracking sounds came from his bones; clearly already at Iron Bone of Golden Ape Jade Body Skill, reinforced by Tiger Body Bone Forging Technique, his bones rivaled metal stone in hardness.
But under the Fierce Insect Cauldron’s power, they still shattered bit by bit.
The Fierce Insect Cauldron’s power pulverized the bones, annihilating them into the finest particles; the red light dispersed into countless particles, beginning to recombine.
Bone-piercing pain, as if twisting Su Yan into a hemp rope, grinding him to powder; he writhed on the ground in agony.
He gasped roughly, skin and flesh flushed red, veins bulging near to bursting.
The bones began recasting, emitting faint red glow, with a sheen of chitin-like luster.
It took a full hour to complete the recasting.
His entire skeleton had mutated, even tougher, with some parts even gaining additional flexible and tough bone segments.
Powerful strength surged into his body; the bones like an inexhaustible engine, now constantly inhaling his blood and outputting vast power.
Suddenly, changes occurred outside his physical body too; particles from the bones emerged through his skin, merging with his flesh and tissues to form a pitch-black, ferocious, cold Insect Armor.
His figure shrouded in Insect Armor, like a heavy-armored knight, face like a hell evil ghost, icy and cruel.
Boom
Su Yan instinctively punched out; the stone wall before him was instantly smashed with a huge dent.
His eyes gleamed with excitement: “Stronger perception, stronger power and stronger defense—even my bone structure has been remade; this is the power of second-order Insect Master?”
His qi and blood surged skyward, the inner qi and blood coiling and transforming into a feral beast form.
Looking at his cultivation again, it had dramatically changed.
【Body Tempering Realm: Blood Moving 1/400（Great Accomplishment）】
【Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique 1/400（Great Accomplishment）】
【Golden Ape Jade Body Skill 300/400（Great Accomplishment）】
【Tiger Body Bone Forging Technique 1/400（Great Accomplishment）】
Blood Moving Realm leaped to Great Accomplishment, Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique and Tiger Body Bone Forging Technique directly entered Great Accomplishment; even Golden Ape Jade Body Skill had cultivated the third layer Jade Body, just 100 proficiency from Transformation Realm.
With such progress, Su Yan already knew his physical talent had been strengthened to what level—it was this Insect Armor.
The stronger the physical body and more insect tamers, the more powerful the carapace became.
“The might of the Insect Master begins to show its edge; time to be a bit bolder.”
