Chapter 89: Insect Tamer Support System
“What?!”
Ding Meng stared fixedly at Su Yan’s mask, as if trying to pierce through it to see if the face beneath was really the one on the wanted poster.
However, to his disappointment, no matter how he looked, he couldn’t discern the appearance under the mask.
‘It can’t be Pang Tianfeng. If Pang Tianfeng had such means, how could he have been forced back by Xu Guan.’
Although he thought this in his heart, the situation was stronger than the people, so he didn’t dare say a word of dissent.
“This subordinate has seen Lord Pang.”
“Pack up, we’ll go to your old nest in a bit.”
Three Burrows of a Cunning Rabbit. Although Ding Meng looked like a black bear, which robber who survived wasn’t cunning?
This mountain valley had the appearance of wooden huts, but there wasn’t a single valuable item, clearly just an action outpost, not the old nest.
Ding Meng also knew he couldn’t refuse, so he honestly agreed.
With a thought from Su Yan, he ordered the Blood Locust to bring his Blood Bees pouncing onto the corpses on the ground, then began constantly gnawing and sucking blood.
The bloody scene, the sight of swallowing alive and stripping raw, even for bandits who robbed year-round, filled their hearts with fear.
Not even a quarter of an hour ago, these people lying on the ground had been their brothers.
After devouring a large amount of flesh and blood, the Blood Bees tempered the blood sucked into their bodies, then fed it back to the Blood Locust.
There were over ten martial artist corpses, though slightly weaker than Feral Beasts, the converted essence blood was indeed plentiful.
The Blood Locust’s energy reserves grew a lot, but the experience gain was not much.
It not only needed large amounts of blood as reserves, but also precious pills to nourish itself for advancement.
This was also why Su Yan established this so-called Sacred Insect Dao.
Nothing else, just to build a system for nurturing Insect Tamers.
The more Insect Tamers refined, the more resources needed for each one’s advancement.
He alone running east and west, even with his skills, inevitably had times when he was stretched thin.
Not to mention, collecting medicinal herbs, trading pills, gathering information—there were too many shortcomings.
Since the Blood Locust could control sub-insects on a large scale, beyond group attacks, it should play a bigger role, like controlling a group of cannon fodder.
Ding Meng and the others watched Su Yan’s Insect Beast devour all the corpses of their former companions clean.
Only then did they lead Su Yan to their old nest. Although they operated in Black Ditch Forest, their robberies targeted the essential paths around Black Ditch Forest.
But their old nest was not in Black Ditch Forest; instead, after winding around, they exited Black Ditch Forest and headed straight to an unremarkable small hillside twenty li away.
Over the hillside was another mountain valley. Through the dense forest, they saw several wooden huts inside the valley, stacked and arranged, mutually concealed by the valley walls, forming a small village.
“Bring out all your treasures.”
Ding Meng and the others’ faces turned ugly, but they didn’t dare disobey the order, so they took Su Yan to the storeroom to see the medicinal herbs, mountain goods, and Feral Beast Materials they had robbed.
Robbing is a business with no capital, but how to sell the plundered goods and when to sell them is always a problem.
So having things stored here wasn’t strange at all.
Su Yan glanced over, nodded, quite satisfied: “Not bad, the materials are quite complete.”
He waved his hand for Ding Meng and the others to leave, then collected all the medicinal herbs, leaving only a portion for Bone Forging Pills, and began refining.
After one night, Su Yan emerged from the room with thirty bottles of Bone Forging Pills, only to find that the bandits in this valley had been reduced to fifteen.
“Not bad, only two died. You’re more obedient than I expected.”
His words seemed like praise, but to Ding Meng and the others, they sounded especially cold.
In the morning, they had seen two Blood Moving Realm companions with their bodies completely drained of blood, chests cut open, internals rotted like paste, flesh and blood blurred.
“Lord, he… they…”
Ding Meng was afraid. Such a death was so painful; the screams last night had echoed through the entire mountain valley.
Yet this person claiming to be from Sacred Insect Dao acted as if he hadn’t heard anything.
Cold, cruel, mysterious…
Such a person wasn’t someone a rogue cultivator like him could provoke; he didn’t want to die so painfully.
Su Yan said slowly as if kindly: “Guess where the insect eggs go after entering your stomachs?”
Everyone’s bodies shook, terror flashing in their eyes; they seemed to have thought of something.
“Stomach, intestines, internal organs, brain, heart… The insect eggs are very small, so they can slowly swim to many places. You can try to expel them, but if you fail, and they hatch on their own in response, that won’t be my fault.”
Su Yan’s smiling tone was like an evil ghost, draining the strength from everyone’s bodies, a chill spreading from their spines.
It’s over.
They knew with their means, they absolutely couldn’t escape this method.
“Here, one bottle each.”
Su Yan tossed a porcelain bottle to each of them; everyone was afraid and didn’t dare open them easily.
“Bone Forging Pills, refined from your materials. In the future, when collecting materials, I’ll refine them into pills. Though I take the lion’s share, you won’t miss out on the soup and water.”
A slap followed by a date—though a deadly slap, a date given was better than none.
Everyone’s hearts calmed a bit; Su Yan’s gaze turned outside the valley: “Follow me to Horned Boar Forest.”
Su Yan led the surviving robbers straight to Horned Boar Forest, without any concealment, striding in openly.
“Ding Meng, what are you doing on my turf?”
Perhaps due to being in the same line of work, as soon as Su Yan’s group entered Horned Boar Forest, they were blocked by Severing Head Saber Cai Peng and Bone-Picking Sword Wang Cang leading five brothers.
The seven all wore masks shaped like birds and beasts, tall and sturdy, weapons in hand.
Though their faces couldn’t be seen, Cai Peng’s saber and Wang Cang’s sword were highly distinctive.
“Came to do a business deal with you.”
Ding Meng looked at the seven, secretly resenting in his heart: why was he the only one enslaved? If he could rope in a few more, they’d share the same fate.
The ill intent in his words was already noticed by Cai Peng and Wang Cang opposite; Ding Meng’s emotions were too obvious.
“Ding Meng, don’t refuse the toast and take the forfeit—get lost!”
Cai Peng’s gaze turned cold, but he stared at Su Yan beside Ding Meng.
Su Yan slightly raised his eyes: “Make your move.”
With the order, Ding Meng, who had long wanted to act, charged straight at Bone-Picking Sword Wang Cang opposite.
Over a dozen subordinates also sprang into action, clashing with the five brothers opposite.
Severing Head Saber Cai Peng was left open, his sharp saber heading straight for Su Yan.
He was a Spirit Nurturing Realm Minor Accomplishment expert; within seven steps, he was confident of severing Su Yan’s head.
“Clang!”
The saber reached his body, but suddenly Su Yan reached out with one hand to grab it.
Clearly flesh and blood, yet like metal stone, emitting a clanging sound.
Cai Peng was shocked; such a strong physical body was impossible—it must be armor!
He only glimpsed a black armor piece on Su Yan’s hand, not knowing it wasn’t outer armor or inner armor at all.
It was Su Yan’s Insect Bone Armor Body, with full defense buffs, strength several notches above metal stone.
The true essence blade qi surged in, but was deflected by the armor piece.
Su Yan’s brows furrowed; he felt his entire arm go numb, his foot sank, and his body swayed.
“Hmph, even with armor, you dare fight me.”
Cai Peng was an experienced robber and naturally noticed Su Yan’s subtle movements, immediately seeing an opportunity.
However, Su Yan retreated a few steps, dodging the successive saber edges; with one hand raised, his gaze was like a sword.
Insects, come!
Countless blood-red Blood Bees suddenly appeared, as if flying out from his sleeve.
A dense swarm turned into a red cloud and pounced over, enveloping the unprepared Cai Peng in an instant.
Cai Peng swung his saber nonstop, airtight, but couldn’t withstand the sheer number of Blood Bees.
He could slash dozens, even hundreds, but not kill thousands in an instant.
Su Yan’s move of Blood Bees forming a cloud was fully three thousand Blood Bees, including dozens of Blade Blood Bees.
This was the Blood Locust’s current limit for accumulated controlled Blood Bee Larva, around three thousand Blood Bees, enough to form terrifying combat power.
Cai Peng wanted to flee, but after two steps, he felt countless wounds appear on his body.
The Blood Bees used sharp proboscises to slash his skin, pierce his body; even wearing inner armor, it couldn’t protect everywhere.
Blood was sucked by the Blood Bees; soon he felt powerless.
At that moment, Su Yan reached out to grab; Cai Peng couldn’t spare attention.
Hit squarely in the chest by a heavy punch, his body flew back, losing combat power.
Wang Cang and the other five saw Cai Peng like this and were shocked.
But before they could flee, the remaining Blood Bees swarmed over, doing the same and subduing them all.
Su Yan tossed the Three Corpses Brain God Pills with insect eggs to Ding Meng, forcing them to swallow.
Without nonsense, he dragged out their most severely injured old seventh, ordering the insect eggs to hatch, cutting open the belly for Cai Peng and the others to see clearly.
“You’ve all swallowed the insect eggs. In just a quarter hour, they’ll spread to your various organs. Choose whether to die or live.”
Cai Peng and Wang Cang were ashen-faced; in this situation, what choice was there?
Their pale faces lowered: “Lord, we wish to live.”
The surviving six immediately understood their position and all chose to live.
Su Yan similarly ordered them to bring out the old nest’s supplies: all top-quality medicinal herbs and treasures, many weapons, clearly their spoils of war.
This time, Su Yan didn’t refine the medicinal herbs into pills because he was short on time.
He had only five days agreed with Elder Li Chuan; now after circling around, four days had passed—delaying further would miss the time.
Su Yan simply had Ding Meng and Cai Peng lead the way straight to Grindstone Mountain.
Ding Meng knew Su Yan’s intent and was secretly alarmed: what was this fake Pang Tianfeng’s background, so bold as to eat three major bandit groups—really aiming to be the Greenwood King?
Not to boast, among Greenwood mountain bandits, one Spirit Nurturing Realm was enough to form a small force.
Without True Intent, ordinary martial artists couldn’t handle it.
If several Spirit Nurturing Realm united, who besides True Intent could control them?
The group arrived at the base of Grindstone Mountain, indeed seeing perilous mountain peaks; entering or ascending only via sheep intestine paths, jagged rocks blocking the way, increasingly treacherous inward.
Up and down only one path, at the mid-mountain’s most treacherous spot, a pass was set—that was Grindstone Stockade.
In such a treacherous place, even True Intent Martial Artists would suffer losses.
Let alone ordinary martial artists.
At the mountain base, their group was already spotted by lookout Grindstone Stockade mountain bandits; the pass was full of them, about hundreds, rolling stones and bow and arrow ready.
Reaching mid-mountain, remotely separated from the pass by just two or three hundred meters; looking up from below, what a grand stronghold built along the mountain contours.
Outer walls of hardwood high walls, coated thick with mud and straw—neither fire nor water could damage.
Above were mountain bandits in strict formation and masses of defensive equipment.
“Cai Peng, Ding Meng, you’ve crossed the line.”
As soon as people arrived, from the stronghold gate, Jiao Yang Sou Yang Kun shouted loudly, eyes bright and spirited, flickering with faint light.
“Withdraw quickly, and you can still be neighbors another day. Step further and arrows pierce hearts. Even Spirit Nurturing Realm, you absolutely can’t come up.”
Jiao Yang Sou was cunning after all, already sensing something off, determined not to let this group approach.
Cai Peng saw this and worried Su Yan would use them as cannon fodder to charge.
He whispered advice: “Lord, think twice. Everyone says Grindstone Stockade’s Jiao Yang Sou is an old-brand Spirit Nurturing Realm, but they don’t know they are two brothers; the younger brother Yang Lun is also a Spirit Nurturing Realm Martial Artist. With both presiding, relying on terrain, we can’t strong-attack.”
“Prepare to scale the city wall.”
Su Yan’s words stunned Cai Peng, then he saw the mysterious man wave his hand, the insect swarm like a red cloud appearing again, straight pouncing on the mountain bandits above.
Cai Peng was startled; he had only thought in ordinary terms, forgetting this lord had other skills.
Red cloud assaulted; Jiao Yang Sou immediately ordered arrows loosed, masses of arrows flying.
But facing Blood Bees, such attacks couldn’t restrict them at all.
Blood Bees instantly enveloped many ordinary mountain bandits; the attacks prevented focused defense, forcing them to guard their own safety.
In moments, many mountain bandits were injured, some falling down.
The tight defense became a joke; Jiao Yang Sou’s face changed greatly, torch in hand, striding forward: “Use fire!”
His brother Yang Lun also rushed to help, constantly using fire to disperse Blood Bees.
But on the stronghold walls, with such a long front line, how could they cover it all?
Let alone, they two were also under siege.
“Still too few; need to accumulate more. Three thousand isn’t enough.”
Su Yan showed some regret, then said to Ding Meng and the others: “Up to the city wall head, take their two brothers.”
Without bow and arrow defense, this city wall wasn’t impregnable.
At Su Yan’s order, Cai Peng, Ding Meng, and Wang Cang gritted their teeth and took the task.
The three rushed forward quickly; Ding Meng used his arms to block and powerfully toss, throwing Cai Peng and Wang Cang up one after another.
Once up, they swung saber and sword, clearing the surroundings, then lowered ropes to pull up Ding Meng and the brothers.
In an instant, the city wall head was in chaos; Jiao Yang Sou and his brother sensed wrong and charged over.
Su Yan stepped out, stepping on the Blood Locust to be flown up.
On the stronghold walls, fighting was fierce.
Three against two already had the upper hand, plus Blood Bees constantly aiding from the side; soon Jiao Yang Sou and his brother were completely suppressed.
Not long after, they were struck down.
The remaining mountain bandits had already surrendered, not daring to attack casually; stopping, the Blood Bees wouldn’t assault.
Even if occasional Blood Moving Realm bandit leaders tried sneaky attacks in discontent, they were all captured by Su Yan’s side Blood Moving martial artists.
The impregnable stronghold was thus taken by Su Yan, like a joke.
“Lord spare us, we brothers are willing to pay…”
“If willing, take the medicine.”
Without letting Jiao Yang Sou and his brother beg more, Su Yan planted insect eggs in all martial artists above Blood Moving in the stronghold.
Kill the chicken to warn the monkey, making them witness the insect eggs’ power; even Jiao Yang Sou Yang Kun was ashen-faced, knowing his fate.
“Tally the stronghold’s population and resources; prepare all corpses and Feral Beast Blood Food for me. From today, this stronghold is renamed Sacred Insect Village.”
Su Yan issued the order. With this stronghold, the basic force integration was complete—just waiting to exert effort to scrape resources.
